Thank you for reading and riding along with me so far. What started as my little experiment highlighting the LA tech scene has turned into a real journey, and your support has made it worth it. Showing up to countless networking events, happy hours, and panels has taught me a lot about how founders pitch, how investors think, and where the real signal is buried in all the noise.

In each issue, I’ll spotlight startups currently raising that are actually worth your attention, break down what featured angels and investors are really looking for (+their red flags), and share events that are worth leaving your laptop for. Oh, and because no good dealflow comes without a side of drama, expect a sprinkle of spicy tech tea along the way.

Alex Karp, the Palantir CEO, has stirred the internet with news (from his biography) that he has been allegedly in two long-term, concurrent relationships described as “geographically monogamous,” a setup said to work because he splits his life between the US and Germany. A colleague noted both women were “age-appropriate.”

AIDOL, a new humanoid robot was unveiled in a highly anticipated showcase in Moscow as part of the recent “robotics race”. But the event quickly went off script when the machine slipped and fell flat on its face on stage. Staff rushed to cover the scene, but the mishap proved impossible to fully hide. (see video here)

The notorious bear known from 'Big Short', investor Michael Burry deregisters his hedge fund, after posting about bubbles and moving onto better things. He also changed his profile name to “Cassandra Unchained” referring to the Trojan priestess-turned-prophet Cassandra who was cursed to never be believed.

Swedish autonomous EV trucking startup Einride launches in the U.S. and is going public on NYSE through a SPAC merger with Legato Merger Corp, valuing it at $1.8 billion. Einride will officially establish a U.S. headquarters in New York, where parts of the leadership team will be based. In addition to its headquarters, Einride will open up regional offices in Austin, San Francisco and in the South East. 

Alternative investment fund LUXUS offers investment into physical luxury assets to diversify your portfolio. LUXUS began in 2022 by offering investment opportunities in rare gems and jewelry, debuting with marquee assets like the Rare Argyle Pink Diamond and Golden Dahlia Diamond. Now they work with variety of assets such as gemstones, race horses and offer investors first dibs on Birkins.

One Line Pitch: AI-powered BOTONY™ robot fleets that weed, plant cover crops, and micro-spray nutrients to deliver chemical-free, regenerative farming at scale.

Raising: Reg CF equity on StartEngine (via a crowdfunding SPV) to scale robots-as-a-service across more acres and crops. They’re raising up to roughly $3.77M under their current Reg CF round on StartEngine, at a pre-money valuation of about $39.95M.

Team: Nandan Kalle · CEO; Clint Brauer · Co-founder; Steven Gentner · Co-founder & CTO; Vladimir Ristanovic · Director;

Why yes: Robots-as-a-service model that lets farmers pay per acre instead of buying expensive hardware. Multiple patents around robotic weed control and livestock grazing, plus BOTONY and Greenfield trademarks, help build defensibility. Backed by Chipotle’s Cultivate Next fund.

Why pause: Hardware + field ops are capital-intensive; scaling fleets and support across many crops and geographies could burn cash and stress margins. Revenue growth is very shy: $196K in FY2024, up ~32% YoY from ~$149K in 2023. Reg CF equity is illiquid, highly risky, and early-stage.

Link / contact:² Invest page on StartEngine

How she helps:
High-leverage support through a global investor & operator network (CEE/EU/US) for warm intros, co-investors, and stage visibility. GTM acceleration & partnerships: ICP, positioning, pricing, channel experiments, pilots, and strategic partnerships with corporates and ecosystem players. Shares hands-on operating playbooks across startup ops, marketing, product discovery/roadmapping, and sales expansion (pipeline design, hiring profiles, repeatable motions).

Red flags: Lack of clarity about market need or problem–solution fit. Homogeneous team with no complementary skills or diversity of perspective. Vanity metrics or unrealistic growth projections.

Fast-pass: Diverse founding team with strong execution power and credibility in their field; product addressing a systemic problem with measurable impact; transparent, data-driven communication and clear self-awareness of gaps.

Notes: Co-leads Lumus Investment Collective as a community-driven platform; looks for founders who not only build great companies but also strengthen their local ecosystems.

In monogamous relationship with two (or more) partners who live on different continents. #Trend alert in Silicon Valley. Works well if you’re absolutely intolerable as full-time husband/boyfriend but have high net worth.