Vagan Martirosyan

The next AI wave is not about who builds the best workflow. It is about who controls the channel into the buyer. We've reached the pivotal point to where AI hype has finally reached deal flow saturation. Similar to the 2020/21 Web3/DeFi boom, venture is going to start looking into allocating funds to AI startups that have immediate distribution flows/channels to sell their products to. What is a distribution channel? A distribution channel is the repeatable path a startup uses to consistently reach, acquire, and retain its target customers at an efficient cost. This comes in the form of: strategic partnerships, proprietary sales pipeline/funnels, brand following/audiences (commonly in D2C), etc. What this means: HOW you apply AI will be extremely scrutinized, building wrappers, simple AI agent workflow automations, etc. will not be enough to move the needle. The only way you will succeed is if you can demonstrate a proprietary channel pipeline with enough scale to jusitify your AI product An ex. startup: AI reimbursement recovery copilot for rural critical-access hospitals (CAHs) and their cost-report driven Medicare revenue Distribution channel (highly proprietary): Partnership with a niche CAH cost-reporting + reimbursement consultancy (the firm that already prepares and defends the hospital’s Medicare cost report) Firm footprint: 180 CAHs under contract Product placement: bundled as an “ongoing recovery + audit defense” add-on inside the firm’s retainer How the channel works (repeatable flow): Trigger event: every cost report submission + audit response cycle creates a guaranteed workflow entry Warm intro: consultant is already trusted and already inside the finance ops stack Embedded data access: you get standardized reports, denial logs, and audit correspondence as part of the engagement Quick numbers (VC-friendly): Reach day 1: 180 hospitals Conversion assumption: 15% = 27 hospitals Pricing: $4,000/month platform fee + 10% of recovered reimbursements Conservative recovery: $250k/year per hospital ARR math (base fee only): 27 × $4,000 × 12 = $1.296M ARR Variable upside: 27 × $250k × 10% = $675k/year Total year-1 run-rate: ~$2.0M Why this is truly niche and defensible: 1. CAH reimbursement is a specialized sub-market with unique rules, timelines, and incentives 2. The channel is a small set of gatekeepers (cost-report firms), not broad “healthcare AI” marketing 3. Distribution is anchored to a mandatory annual process with recurring audit events, not discretionary spend 4. Competitors cannot easily wedge in without replacing an entrenched advisor relationship Curious to see how this will play out moving forward, it seems founders that save time building product will have to spend their excess time building these channels/GTM playbooks.

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Waldium’s new feature to generate cover images directly within the editor simplifies helps you produce high-quality, relevant images instantly using the Nano Banana / Gemini API. Instead of switching tools or waiting for external designs, you can create a matching cover on the spot by just entering a keyword or prompt.

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Step step step… “This strategic acquisition enhances the realism and diversity of Applied Intuition’s digital human library — virtual representations used to safely and effectively test autonomous systems in simulation. Reblika’s technology enables the creation of high-fidelity avatars that vary in gender, age, body type, ethnicity, clothing and accessories, and are fully animatable to perform complex, realistic interactions with vehicles and environments.”

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**Why WeTransfer Co-founder is Building Another File Transfer Service** Nalden, co-founder of WeTransfer, is venturing into a familiar landscape with a new file transfer service that prioritizes user convenience by eliminating the need for login. This move highlights the evolving expectations of users for seamless digital experiences. At ElevenX Capital, we believe that innovation often stems from entrepreneurs who identify gaps in their previous successes. What trends do you see shaping the future of file sharing? #investing #innovation #venturecapital #entrepreneurship

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👀 Web3 x AI is accelerating, aligning economics with intelligence. In our latest blog along the AI x Web3 Market Map series, my colleague Abdul Al Ali explores this innovation in the Sui Foundation ecosystem. What we found: Sui is quite supportive of its AI founders and projects. This alignment of investors, infrastructure and interfaces across the Sui ecosytem sustains durable adoption. Their team and social accounts often post partnerships with Sui AI builders, including Atoma Network (inference layer on Sui) that enables decentralized and scalable inference on Sui’s network. Abdul is active alongside Alex N. in convening the Sui community together in Chicago, recently speaking on a panel along other AI innovators from #TalusNetwork and #Lofi. Explore more on Web3 x AI on Sui below:

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AI pioneer Fei-Fei Li’s startup, World Labs, just raised $1B. Backed by Autodesk ($200M), a16z, Nvidia, and AMD. The focus? World models. Instead of just predicting text, these systems aim to understand and simulate the 3D world — a major unlock for robotics and scientific discovery. Their product, Marble, can generate 3D environments from text or images. That’s not incremental. That’s foundational. Remember — Fei-Fei Li helped build ImageNet. ImageNet accelerated computer vision. World models could accelerate embodied AI. The valuation wasn’t disclosed, but discussions previously floated around $5B. The AI race isn’t just about bigger LLMs anymore. It’s about who can model reality itself. #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Robotics #DeepTech #Startups #VentureCapital #FutureTech

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Gemini App Introduces Lyria 3, Enhancing Music Experience with AI - The Gemini app has launched Lyria 3, an advanced music feature utilizing AI to curate personalized playlists and enhance user interaction with diverse music genres. - Lyria 3 offers unique AI-driven recommendations, enabling users to discover new music tailored to their listening habits and preferences, elevating their overall music experience. - The update includes improved interface design and interactive features, making it easier for users to navigate and engage with the app's expansive music library. - Gemini aims to set a new standard in digital music platforms by integrating cutting-edge AI technology to deliver customized experiences and expand its user base. #MusicTech #AIinMusic #GeminiApp Read more: [https://buff.ly/RNkHEeU

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In just five years, Enveda has grown from seed to unicorn and now raised a $150M Series D. Their unique AI-powered platform seeks to unlock nature’s chemistry to deliver a new wave of medicines for patients with serious unmet needs. The #Lingotto Innovation Strategy is proud to continue backing Viswa Colluru, PhD for this next stage of the journey. 🚀 🦄 cc Deepak Mishra, Sc.D #LingottoInnovation

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A meaningful milestone today: OpenAI has acquired neptune.ai, who we backed at the seed stage. Neptune developed essential tools for training observability, helping AI teams monitor, debug, and improve frontier-scale model development. Their work became valuable to researchers across the industry. This moment is a testament to Piotr Niedzwiedz whose modest yet bold leadership, both technological and business-driven, guided Neptune to this point. I’m grateful to have supported Neptune along the way, and I look forward to seeing the impact they will continue to make as part of OpenAI. Congratulations to Piotr and the entire Neptune team! Read more: https://lnkd.in/dHpCU2A4 #AI #AIDevelopment #NeptuneAI #OpenAI

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AI's Cambrian Explosion 9 The Silicon Genesis and the Dawn of a New Era ⚠️ 9. Challenges in Paradise: The Extinction Pressures 🛠️ Technical and Scaling Challenges Though AI is advancing rapidly, further scaling faces critical hurdles: soaring energy demands, finite data, growing system complexity, regulatory uncertainty, security risks, talent shortages and infrastructure bottlenecks threaten its sustainability and growth. Which of these obstacles do you believe will pose the biggest threat to AI’s next breakthrough? 🔗 Part 9 of an 11-part series on AI's Cambrian Explosion. Link in comments below. #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Startups

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What if we reimagined the future of learning? Imagine connecting the “emotional computer” concept behind MindScriber with the modular gaming hardware of Cubios Inc. (WOWCube®) You would create something entirely new: A tactile, emotionally-aware learning platform designed for kids and students. Think about the possibilities: • A device that understands curiosity, frustration, and excitement. • Modular cubes that turn lessons into physical interaction. • AI that adapts to each student’s emotional and cognitive state. • Learning that feels more like exploration than education. By combining emotionally intelligent software with playful hardware, we could unlock a $1.2T+ global education market — spanning K-12, home learning, and lifelong education. The result? Not just another edtech product, but an entirely new category: emotionally adaptive learning hardware. The real question is not if this will happen. It’s who will build it first. Igar Dyachenko ᯅ and 💠 Max Filin with support of Infodriver Capital #EdTech #AI #FutureOfLearning #EducationInnovation #Startups

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Otto is Framework Venture Partners AI powered data collection, scoring and matching service. Otto’s data corroborated Leaders Fund work. Startups in the software space in Canada peaked in 2018 at just under an estimated 20,000. As of the beginning of 2025 Otto estimates that number is below 10,000. While there is a rebound from the nadir, it is clear Canadian startups have had nearly a decade of decline. https://lnkd.in/g39A2Fqw

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LeddarTech Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LDTC), a Québec City-based AI-powered software company known for its autonomous driving technology, filed an assignment in bankruptcy on June 18, listing approximately $145.9 million in liabilities ($138.9 million of which is secured), including $53.2 million to Investissement Québec and $40.3 million to Desjardins. LeddarTech was founded in 2007 and headquartered in Québec City with additional R&D centres in Montréal and Tel Aviv, Israel. It listed on the Nasdaq in December 2023, but struggled to meet the $1 USD share price minimum. More recently, the company has attempted to stave off bankruptcy by trying to secure bridge financing, undertaking a strategic review (which was ultimately unsuccessful in finding a suitable purchaser or investor) and laying off 95% of its staff. After considering all available alternatives and receiving a notice of default from its bridge lenders, LeddarTech’s board of directors determined that it was in the best interests of the company and its stakeholders to file an assignment in bankruptcy. Raymond Chabot is the bankruptcy trustee.

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Korean Physical AI robotics startup Neubility raises $17M Series B (total $37.4M) led by Korea Development Bank. Operating 142+ service sites with 80% reorder rate, expanding delivery robots, patrol bots & humanoid tech globally. https://lnkd.in/gvcHUuAX

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Excellent BBC interview with Yoshua Bengio on making AI "safe, scientific and working to understand humans without copying them." https://lnkd.in/eBhEPEe8 Mila - Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute

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Canada just had one of its most quietly explosive funding weeks — and nobody’s talking about it. So we did. From AI to climate, fintech infra to robotics, Canadian founders didn’t just raise capital… they raised conviction. Investors backed real problems, real markets, and real revenue — not “AI but with vibes.” Here’s what stood out this week (Nov 30–Dec 6): 🇨🇦 Canada funded actual builders — Deeptech with customers — Climate tech with measurable impact — Fintech infra powering real payments — Robotics + automation companies replacing manual processes — Healthcare platforms solving real bottlenecks No hype. No wishful thinking. Just execution over ego. The full breakdown includes: 📌 Every funded startup 📌 Who backed them 📌 How much they raised 📌 One-line explanation of what they’re building 📌 Market insights investors won’t say out loud 📌 The trendlines shaping Canada’s 2025–26 VC landscape If you're a founder, investor, or operator… this week's Canada edition is a must-read. 👉 Full Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/ebYDBuSh CREDX Letters — raw. real. founder & investor first.

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🔗 https://lnkd.in/gUfR7u8n When it comes to C++ frameworks, there’s no universal “best.” A real-time trading engine and a cross-platform photo editor need very different foundations. That’s why the smartest teams start with project goals, then evaluate frameworks on: ⚡ Performance overhead 🌍 Cross-platform maturity 🤝 Community & ecosystem 📜 Licensing fit 🎯 Learning curve Framework choice isn’t just technical—it’s strategic. Pick wrong, and you’ll pay for it in deadlines, maintenance, and morale. 👉 Which C++ framework has been the best fit for your projects—and why? #cpp #programming #softwareengineering #devcommunity

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