## ElevenLabs Empowers Employees with Share Sale Opportunity

ElevenLabs, an **artificial intelligence audio startup**, is enabling its staff to sell shares at a staggering **$6.6 billion valuation**, which marks a doubling of its previous worth. This move highlights the company's rapid growth in the competitive AI sector.

### Details of the Tender Offer

The tender offer, led by **Sequoia Capital** and **Iconiq Growth**, allows employees who have been with the company for at least a year to sell up to **$100 million in stock**. This strategy is becoming a common approach for AI startups aiming to attract and retain top talent in a fierce market. By providing this opportunity, ElevenLabs not only rewards its dedicated team but also opens the door for more investors to increase their stakes in the firm.

This initiative underscores the intense competition for skilled professionals in the AI industry and demonstrates how startups are innovating beyond traditional compensation models to stay ahead.

The tender offer for the voice-generating AI startup is being led by Sequoia Capital and Iconiq Growth.

AI Voice Startup ElevenLabs Doubles Valuation to $6.6 Billion in Employee Stock Sale

# Amazon Invests in Rappi to Boost Latin American Presence

In a significant development for the startup and e-commerce sectors, **Amazon.com Inc.** has acquired a stake in **Rappi Inc.**, a leading Colombian delivery startup. This partnership combines Amazon's extensive retail and technology infrastructure with Rappi's robust last-mile delivery network across Latin America.

## Key Implications of the Deal

This strategic move is poised to enhance Amazon's competitive edge against regional e-commerce giant **MercadoLibre Inc.** By leveraging Rappi's logistics capabilities, Amazon can streamline its delivery operations and expand its footprint in the growing Latin American market.

For Rappi, this investment serves as a strong endorsement from one of the world's largest online retailers. It opens up opportunities to access Amazon's advanced logistics and cloud-computing networks, potentially accelerating Rappi's growth and innovation in the delivery space.

![A delivery worker carries a Rappi bag in Mexico City in 2024.](Image description: Photographer: Mayolo Lopez Gutierrez/Bloomberg)

Amazon.com Inc. has taken a stake in the Colombian delivery company Rappi Inc., a strategic partnership that pairs the e-commerce giant’s retail and technology infrastructure with one of Latin America’s best-known last-mile delivery outfits.

Amazon's Strategic Move: Investing in Rappi to Dominate Latin American E-commerce Delivery

## Glowforge's Strategic Shift in Manufacturing

Glowforge, a leading startup in the laser engraver industry, is making headlines with its decision to close its Seattle manufacturing facility and lay off workers. This move comes less than a year after the company relocated some production back to the United States, specifically to Seattle's SoDo neighborhood.

**Dan Shapiro**, co-founder and CEO of Glowforge, cited an expiring lease and significant tariffs on components as primary reasons for the closure. Production at the Seattle site is set to wrap up within the next two months, impacting employees who were assembling high-end machines like the **Glowforge Pro HD** and **Plus HD**, priced at $7,000 and $5,000 respectively.

![Glowforge CEO Dan Shapiro in Seattle facility](https://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/shapiroglowforge.jpeg)
*Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro in the company’s Seattle production facility in April. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Schlosser)*

### Background and Challenges

Glowforge, founded in 2015, has raised **$183 million** to date and ranks No. 125 on the GeekWire 200 startup index. The company has faced several challenges, including a funding round that fell through in 2023-2024, leading to previous layoffs. In April, Glowforge employed over 90 full-time and contract workers, but recent layoffs have affected sales, marketing, and senior executive teams.

The move to Seattle was initially driven by a desire to mitigate uncertainties from **President Donald Trump's tariff policies** and to innovate in manufacturing using **artificial intelligence (AI)**. Shapiro highlighted that the Seattle facility achieved quality rates more than 50% better than their previous factory in Mexico, thanks to skilled technicians with backgrounds in building airplanes, satellites, and medical equipment.

### Economic and Policy Impacts

Shapiro expressed disappointment that expected federal incentives for manufacturing did not materialize, while tariffs on necessary components increased costs. The Seattle City Council's approval of new housing in the industrial area further complicated matters, as redevelopment plans would not allow Glowforge to establish a permanent factory there.

Despite these setbacks, Glowforge's experimentation with AI in production—using cameras and microphones for generative AI to enhance efficiency and safety—showcased their commitment to innovation. Lower-priced models, the Aura and Spark, continue to be manufactured in Mexico, but the fate of the Seattle-produced machines remains undisclosed.

### Support for Affected Employees

Laid-off workers will receive severance packages, continued health coverage, and outplacement support, reflecting Glowforge's efforts to handle the transition responsibly. The company plans to find a new office location in Seattle for its headquarters, maintaining its presence in the city.

Glowforge's journey, from a successful Kickstarter campaign for the Robot Turtles game to its current challenges, underscores the volatile nature of startups in the tech and manufacturing sectors. This development highlights broader themes of **economic headwinds**, **tariff impacts**, and the **role of AI in modern production**.

Glowforge co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro, left, in the company's Seattle production facility south of downtown in April. (GeekWire File Photo / Kurt Co-founder and CEO Dan Shapiro cited a lease renewal and tariffs on parts for the closure, and said production on laser engravers in the city will wrap up in the next two months.

Glowforge's Bold Move: Shuttering Seattle Factory Amid Tariffs and Economic Shifts - What's Next for the Laser Engraver Pioneer?

## Paul Graham's Advice for Young Entrepreneurs

Sorry, high schoolers, your dreams of pitching that dream start-up on *Shark Tank* will have to wait. Paul Graham, the co-founder of Y Combinator—the start-up accelerator behind Silicon Valley giants like **Airbnb**, **Stripe**, **Dropbox**, and **Reddit**—advises not to rush into entrepreneurship before graduation.

"If you’re in high school and you want to start a startup one day, you might think the best thing to do now is to start startups. But it probably isn’t," Graham wrote on X.

Instead, Graham highlighted the importance that **Gen Zers** should focus on **learning and skill-building** while they’re young. "Startups are rarely the optimal way to do this," he continued, adding that startups can get in the way of learning because of the pressure to succeed.

"The point of a startup is to make something people want, not to learn," he added. "You will learn things in a startup, of course. But the way to learn the fastest is to work on whatever you’re most curious about, and you don’t have that luxury in a startup. In a startup, you have to work on whatever users want most."

But don’t worry, you don’t have to wait too long after high school to start the founder path: **Sam Altman**, CEO of OpenAI, was funded by Y Combinator at just 19, and Graham previously wrote that, "when he was 19, he seemed like he had a 40-year-old inside him."

## How to Test If You’re Old Enough to Start a Startup

It’s not the first time the "**Founder Mode**" startup guru has warned against prematurely becoming a self-starter. In a separate essay in 2007, he even outlined how he looks for **maturity in founders**.

In it, Graham writes that the lower age limit for being founder-ready may be as young as 16, though Y Combinator typically does not look at anyone younger than 18 who can’t legally enter into contracts. And although Altman was the youngest and most successful founder Graham backed, he wrote "there are other 19 year olds who are 12 inside."

So if you’re an ambitious student who thinks they’ve cracked the code for a new product or idea, he shared exactly how to test if you’ve passed his **maturity threshold**.

One example is making excuses of being "just a kid" and relying on your youth to escape complex situations. Adults typically could allow you off the hook, but Graham emphasizes the importance not to rely on this "**kid flake reflex**" when things get too hard if you want to be taken seriously as a founder.

Another way to measure if you’re ready is by taking note of how you react to criticism. When people pose challenges to an idea, instead of walking away from your idea when given critiques, or rebelling, Graham says the adult reaction would be to ask "Really? Why do you think so?"

"What you don’t often find are kids who react to challenges like adults. When you do, you’ve found an adult, whatever their age," he wrote.

One of the leaders behind Silicon Valley’s biggest start-ups is advising high school students to embrace learning before starting their dream business.


Why Y Combinator's Paul Graham Says High School Isn't the Time to Launch Your Startup

## Bold Moves in Big Tech
At just 23 years old, **Rohan Vasishth** and **Faraz Siddiqi** made a daring decision to leave their jobs at tech giants Amazon and Microsoft. They embarked on a risky venture, launching their own startup from a San Francisco hacker house. Their bet paid off quickly when they secured **$4 million in seed funding** for their company, **Bluejay**.

## The Vision Behind Bluejay
Bluejay is a platform designed to **stress-test AI agents** before they are deployed to customers. The founders, fresh from their careers in Big Tech, felt that the rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence demanded faster learning than traditional corporate paths could offer. As Vasishth told Business Insider, "I don't need to stay here for six years to learn about it. In fact, I will learn about it probably faster by just doing it."

After graduating from **Y Combinator's accelerator** in the spring, they attracted significant venture attention. The funding round was led by **Floodgate**, with participation from Y Combinator, Peak XV, Homebrew, and executives from Hippocratic AI, Deepgram, and PathAI.

## How Bluejay Works
Bluejay describes itself as the world's first **quality assurance agency for AI voice agents**. It offers stress tests that simulate complex customer interactions, using synthetic users to mimic real-world variability. This includes different accents, languages, emotional tones, background noise, and interruptions. The platform can run what would normally be a month of customer conversations in just minutes.

The name Bluejay reflects its purpose: just as bluejays call out warnings in the wild, the startup continuously "pings" AI agents to reveal flaws before users encounter them. In their manifesto, Bluejay outlines its mission to engineer trust into every AI interaction, built on principles of simulation as the new standard, safety as a requirement, and accountability as the foundation for trust. They aim to set the gold standard for testing, acting as an independent third-party evaluator.

At just 23 years old, Rohan Vasishth and Faraz Siddiqi left jobs at Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) to pursue a risky bet. The bet consisted in launching their own startup from a San Francisco hacker house, only to secure $4 million in seed funding for their company Bluejay, a platform designed to stress-test AI agents before they reach customers, Business Insider reported. Big Tech Exits Lead to Rapid Fundraise Vasishth and Siddiqi, both just starting their careers in Big Tech,

Young Engineers Quit Amazon and Microsoft at 23 to Launch AI Startup Bluejay, Securing $4M in Funding

# Inversion Labs: Turbocharging Business Efficiency with Blockchain

Crypto enthusiasts have long argued that widespread adoption of blockchain technology in traditional businesses would highlight its benefits and drive growth. **Inversion Labs**, a New York-based startup, is putting this theory into action with a bold, private equity-inspired strategy.

## The Game Plan

Inversion Labs aims to **acquire low-margin companies** and integrate blockchain solutions to significantly boost operational efficiency. By doing so, they plan to capture the resulting profits, positioning themselves at the forefront of crypto adoption in the business world.

This innovative approach could serve as a model for how blockchain can transform legacy industries, making processes more transparent, secure, and cost-effective.

Inversion Labs plans to acquire low-margin companies and outfit them with blockchain to turbocharge efficiency

How This Startup Is Using Private Equity Tactics to Revolutionize Crypto Adoption

## The Rise of Vibe Coding and Lovable

In an era where AI can generate images and text with ease, a Swedish startup is leading the charge in **vibe coding**, a revolutionary approach to software development powered by artificial intelligence. **Lovable**, based in Stockholm, has quickly become a standout in this space.

### Impressive Growth and Funding

Lovable achieved over **$100 million** in revenue in its first year and secured one of Europe's largest early-stage funding rounds at **$200 million**, valuing the company at approximately **€1.5 billion**. This rapid success underscores the growing demand for AI-driven tools that simplify software creation.

### How Lovable Works

According to CEO Anton Osika, Lovable allows users to **build software using any language** by simply explaining what they want to create. Users write prompts to generate program prototypes and real products, eliminating the need for coding knowledge. This iterative process with AI enables the development of applications, websites, or internal tools quickly and efficiently.

### Global User Base and Real-World Impact

Lovable's user base is expanding rapidly across Europe, the United States, Asia, and South America. Osika highlights how it accelerates idea communication, allowing teams to build and test concepts in hours rather than months. For instance, Brazilian ed-tech company Qconcursos built a new app with Lovable and generated **$3 million in revenue in just 48 hours**.

### Understanding Vibe Coding

Vibe coding involves phrasing a concept in text, with AI crafting the corresponding app or software. The term was coined by OpenAI's co-founder Andrej Karpathy earlier this year. Lovable aims to extend this to debugging and other tasks, potentially empowering non-specialists to handle work traditionally done by engineers.

Osika believes this will expand the role of developers, making it possible for **anyone to become a developer** and improve global software experiences.

### Vision and European Context

Lovable aspires to be the first trillion-dollar company from Europe, with a vision to become the "last piece of software" where humans no longer need to write code. Over 10,000 new companies in Europe alone started building products with Lovable this year. Osika praises Europe's focus on quality and long-term thinking, making it an ideal environment for software innovation.

Recent events, like the 'Project Lovable' hackathon hosted by Project Europe, showcase how startups are using Lovable to build AI prototypes overnight, fostering a global community of builders.

### Challenges and Competition

Despite its success, Lovable faces challenges. It relies on large language models from companies like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic, which can pose issues with reliability and coherence. Osika acknowledges the difficulty in ensuring AI reliability across infinite use cases but emphasizes that Lovable's edge comes from top-tier talent and a fast iteration approach.

Tech giants like Google and OpenAI are also entering the vibe coding market, intensifying competition. However, Lovable is confident in its mission to serve the **99% of the population that doesn't code**, viewing it as an infinitely large market.

This new era of software development is just beginning, with Lovable at the forefront of empowering everyone to create.

Euronews Next sits down with Lovable’s CEO Anton Osika.

Unlock the Future of Software: How Vibe Coding with Lovable is Empowering Everyone to Build Apps Instantly

Helsinki-based startup **DataCrunch** has secured €55 million in funding to scale up its **AI computing infrastructure** and capitalize on the growing demand for cheaper and more sovereign compute capacity.

This funding round, a mix of debt and equity, was led by Danish VC fund **byFounders**, with participation from Wise co-founder Taavet Hinrikus’ family office **Skaala**, pension fund provider **Varma**, and Finnish sovereign wealth fund **Tesi**. Debt financing was provided by Nordea, Armada Credit Partners, Danske Bank, Norion Bank, and Local Tapiola.

Coming less than a year after its €12 million seed round in October 2023, DataCrunch, founded in 2020, was initially bootstrapped. The company offers computing power specifically for **AI training and inference**, serving both startups and corporates, and operates four data centers in Finland and Iceland, with current clients including Sony and Freepik.

### Cheap and Flexible Compute

The idea for DataCrunch emerged when founder Ruben Bryon identified a gap in the market: incumbent providers like **Amazon Web Services** and **Google Cloud Platform** did not offer affordable, flexible options for early-stage startups. Bryon shares, "For me, someone hacking away in the basement, I couldn't find a service that aligned with my goals; the pricing was completely out of whack."

Startups often face rigid quotas with hyperscalers, which DataCrunch helps overcome. Bryon explains, "If you're dealing with annoyances like quotas, we can ensure customers don't run out of compute, enabling faster scaling."

### Sustainability and Sovereignty

DataCrunch's main data center in central Helsinki utilizes waste heat to warm the city, highlighting its commitment to sustainability. Additionally, as a **European hyperscaler**, it attracts security-sensitive customers who prefer alternatives to US providers. Bryon notes, "We have a growing number of clients that cannot work with US providers and are seeking European options."

The new funds will be used to expand infrastructure and deploy the latest **Nvidia GPUs**, specifically the B300 and GB300 systems, positioning DataCrunch as a key player in Europe's tech independence.

Helsinki-based startup DataCrunch has secured €55m to scale up its AI computing infrastructure.

AI Voice Startup ElevenLabs Doubles Valuation to $6.6 Billion in Employee Stock Sale

Summary:

ElevenLabs Empowers Employees with Share Sale Opportunity

Details of the Tender Offer

Comments

Subscribe our newsletter to receive our daily digested news

ListMyStartup.app

Other Latest News

Amazon's Strategic Move: Investing in Rappi to Dominate Latin American E-commerce Delivery

Glowforge's Bold Move: Shuttering Seattle Factory Amid Tariffs and Economic Shifts - What's Next for the Laser Engraver Pioneer?

Why Y Combinator's Paul Graham Says High School Isn't the Time to Launch Your Startup

Young Engineers Quit Amazon and Microsoft at 23 to Launch AI Startup Bluejay, Securing $4M in Funding

How This Startup Is Using Private Equity Tactics to Revolutionize Crypto Adoption

Unlock the Future of Software: How Vibe Coding with Lovable is Empowering Everyone to Build Apps Instantly

DataCrunch Raises €55M to Challenge US Giants as Europe's AI Cloud Powerhouse

Other Latest News

Amazon's Strategic Move: Investing in Rappi to Dominate Latin American E-commerce Delivery

Glowforge's Bold Move: Shuttering Seattle Factory Amid Tariffs and Economic Shifts - What's Next for the Laser Engraver Pioneer?

Why Y Combinator's Paul Graham Says High School Isn't the Time to Launch Your Startup

Young Engineers Quit Amazon and Microsoft at 23 to Launch AI Startup Bluejay, Securing $4M in Funding

How This Startup Is Using Private Equity Tactics to Revolutionize Crypto Adoption

Unlock the Future of Software: How Vibe Coding with Lovable is Empowering Everyone to Build Apps Instantly

DataCrunch Raises €55M to Challenge US Giants as Europe's AI Cloud Powerhouse