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Changing the game: Fundraising for schools’ extracurricular programs gets a software upgrade

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Changing the game: Fundraising for schools’ extracurricular programs gets a software upgrade

The landscape of school funding has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, with technology emerging as the pivotal force in its evolution. Educational institutions across the nation are grappling with a perfect storm of financial challenges: budget cuts that strain resources, staff shortages that stretch existing faculty thin, and event costs that have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels.

Despite these hurdles, community expectations for quality education and enriching extracurricular activities have not only persisted but intensified. Operation costs for high school programs have increased year over year as inflation has risen, placing significant burden on athletic directors—just one example  of broad-scale pressures facing schools today. As the landscape continues to shift, the introduction of cutting-edge platforms and strategic collaborations are vital aspects in offering a lifeline to institutions navigating these treacherous waters. 

Financial burdens resulting from COVID-19 extend far beyond beloved extracurricular activities. These financial strains underscore the urgent need for more efficient and effective programming and fundraising methods, seamlessly allowing for HomeTown’s market growth. 

As school districts across the nation call for a solution to a seemingly intractable problem, two innovators have notably emerged to change the educational fundraising landscape. The collaboration between HomeTown and Schoolfundr transpired as a comprehensive solution for schools to outsource and easily manage both event ticketing and fundraising efforts. This integration, led by Hometown CEO Nick Mirisis and Schoolfundr CEO Dennis Levene allows schools to streamline their revenue generation and management processes under the shared goal of saving time and resources.

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Founded in 2016, HomeTown modernized the way educational institutions and community organizations handle event ticketing and management. The rapidly growing platform provides a game-changing solution to schools struggling with outdated, labor-intensive methods of ticket sales and revenue management for various events, from athletic competitions to artistic performances and social gatherings. HomeTown is a leading online digital ticketing and event management service serving over 5,000 schools across 21 states.

Founded in 2022, Schoolfundr emerged as an education funding platform that addresses the fundraising challenges faced by school administrations to raise funds from their communities. Schoolfundr offers a unique no-fee model,  allowing schools to keep 100% of the funds they raise, minus only the standard ~3% credit card processing fee. This innovative approach starkly contrasts the traditional fundraising platforms that charge payment processing fees, which can range between 20% and as much as 30%. Schoolfundr’s innovative no-fee model represents a paradigm shift in school fundraising. Unlike competing platforms, Schoolfundr operates on a voluntary tipping system, allowing donors to contribute to the platform’s operational costs if they choose.

This approach has resonated strongly with donors who appreciate the transparency and the fact that their entire donation goes directly to the intended cause. According to Schoolfundr CEO Dennis Levene, donors are keen on “speaking with their wallets” to endorse Schoolfundr’s mission rather than just its product.

Despite widespread donor fatigue for school districts, Schoolfundr has seen overwhelming support through generous tips. Many donors, having experienced other platforms for years, have even rejected typical fundraising efforts in the past due to high fees. However, when educated about Schoolfundr’s transparent approach, they are motivated to donate and often choose to leave a tip. This model not only allows greater revenue collection for schools but also fosters trust and goodwill among donors, who appreciate that their contributions are being used more effectively to support students and educational programs.

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Impressively, 60% of Schoolfundr’s donations come from outside the local area code, Levene said, demonstrating its ability to tap into broader networks of support, while thriving off of a no-fee model.

Both HomeTown and Schoolfundr have transformed previously manual processes based on shared trust and transparency values. These two power players recognized the clear value in digitizing two critical components of school event programming, allowing them to simultaneously disrupt the school programming landscape and maximize business benefits.

HomeTown’s extensive reach, having enabled thousands of schools to make the digital transformation post-COVID, provides a robust platform for Schoolfundr to amplify its message and solidify its impact. Just a few years ago, such a model seemed unimaginable, with schools relying heavily on traditional fundraising models like bake sales and labor-intensive car washes.

Now, building on HomeTown’s successful digital ticketing and event management transformation, schools can look forward to another game-changing shift in how they raise funds and manage events. This partnership not only simplifies fundraising but also guarantees that schools keep a significantly larger portion of the funds they raise, with Schoolfundr’s commitment to zero platform fees.

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The adoption of digital fundraising platforms like Schoolfundr has a significant impact on schools’ ability to fund programs and initiatives. Schools have raised substantial amounts to support various activities. One example is Hough High School in North Carolina, which saw six teams raise over $42,000 for uniforms, equipment, and travel expenses, according to a case study on the relationship between Schoolfundr and Hough HS.

Even large school districts, like Charlotte Mecklenburg School District, are using Schoolfundr’s platform to manage and run campaigns for their districts, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to help students in reaching their full potential.

The partnership between Schoolfundr and HomeTown represents a powerful combination of fundraising and operational tools for schools. This partnership allows schools to streamline both their fundraising efforts and their event management, creating a more efficient and effective system overall. As CEO Nick Mirisis leads HomeTown through its expansion, the company is poised to further transform the event management landscape for educational institutions.

As the industry evolves,, it’s clear that the future of school fundraising and event management is digital. Platforms like Schoolfundr and HomeTown are leading the way, offering innovative solutions that align the interests of schools, donors, and technology providers. In doing so, they’re not just changing how schools raise money and manage events – they’re helping to ensure that every student has access to extracurricular resources, spirited events, and a community to remain a part of.

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VentureBeat newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.

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startech 19 inch 12u open server rack frame

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StarTech.com 4 Post Server Equipment Open Rack Frame .

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Here’s the full list of 39 US AI startups that have raised $100M or more in 2024

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AI, AI startups, artificial intelligence, startups

For some, AI fatigue is real — but clearly venture investors haven’t grown tired of the category.

AI deals continued to dominate venture funding during the third quarter. AI companies raised $18.9 billion in Q3, according to Crunchbase data. That figure represents 28% of all venture funding.

The third quarter also saw the close of the largest venture deal of all time: OpenAI raised a behemoth $6.6 billion round. OpenAI’s deal was one of six AI funding rounds over $1 billion in 2024.

Here are the U.S.-based AI companies that raised $100 million or more so far in 2024:

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October

  • EvenUp, an AI-powered legaltech company, raised a $135 million Series D round led by Bain Capital Ventures with participation from SignalFire and Lightspeed, among others. The October 8 round valued the startup at $1 billion.
  • Berkeley-based KoBold Metals raised $491.5 million in a recent venture round. The investors aren’t disclosed, but in the past, the company raised from VCs including Bond and Andreessen Horowitz.
  • AI-powered software development platform Poolside closed a $500 million Series B round on October 2. The round was led by Bain Capital Ventures with participation from Redpoint, StepStone, and Nvidia, among others. The round values the company at $3 billion.
  • OpenAI announced its highly anticipated venture round on October 2. The $6.6 billion round was the largest venture round of all time and valued the company at $157 billion. Thrive Capital led the round and was joined by other investors, including Tiger Global and SoftBank.

September

  • Enterprise search startup Glean announced its second funding round of 2024 on September 10. The company raised a $260 million Series E round that valued it at $4.5 billion, marking an 87.5% increase in valuation since its February round.
  • Safe Superintelligence, an AI research lab founded by former OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever and AI investor Daniel Gross. It announced a $1 billion raise at a $4 billion valuation on September 4. Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia and DST Global participated in the round, among others.

August

  • AI coding startup Magic raised its second mega-round of the year on August 29. The San Francisco-based company raised $320 million in a Series C round. CapitalG, Sequoia and Jane Street Capital participated in the round, among others. The company last raised a $117 million Series B in February.
  • General Catalyst led the $150 million Series C round into Codeium, an AI-powered coding platform, that closed on August 29. The round also included Kleiner Perkins and Greenoaks and valued Codeium at $1.2 billion.
  • DevRev, which makes AI support agents, garnered a $1.1 billion valuation after its sizable early-stage raise. The Silicon Valley-based company raised a $100 million Series A round that included investors like Khosla Ventures, Mayfield and Param Hansa Values. The company was founded in 2020.
  • San Francisco-based Abnormal Security raised $250 million for its AI-driven email security company. This funding round was led by Wellington Management with participation from Menlo Ventures, Greylock and Insight Partners. The company is valued at more than $5 billion.
  • Groq — not to be confused with Grok — announced a $640 million Series D round on August 5 led by BlackRock. The AI chip startup also received investment from Type One Ventures, Verdure Capital Management and Neuberger Berman, among others. The company is valued at more than $3 billion.

July

  • Renowned AI researcher Fei-Fei Li’s startup World Labs raised a $100 million round in July, sources told TechCrunch. The startup is already valued at more than $1 billion according to the Financial Times. World Labs is looking to build AI models that can accurately estimate the three-dimensional physicality of real-world objects.
  • Legal tech company Harvey announced a $100 million Series C round on July 23. The round was led by Google Ventures, with participation from OpenAI, Kleiner Perkins and Sequoia. This round values the San Francisco-based company at $1.5 billion.
  • Hebbia, $130 million: Andreessen Horowitz led the round for Hebbia that closed July 8. The startup, which uses generative AI to search large documents, also raised money from Peter Thiel, Index Ventures and Google Ventures and garnered a $700 million valuation.
  • Skild AI, $300 million: Pittsburgh-based Skild AI announced a $300 million Series A round on July 9 that valued the company at $1.5 billion. The round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue and Jeff Bezos’ Bezos Expeditions with participation from Sequoia, Menlo Ventures and General Catalyst, among others. Skild AI builds tech to power robots.

June

  • Bright Machines, $106 million: BlackRock led a $106 million Series C round into Bright Machines that closed on June 25. Nvidia, Microsoft and Eclipse Ventures, among others, also participated. The startup makes both smart robotics and AI-driven software and has raised more than $437 million in total funding.
  • Etched.ai, $120 million: San Francisco-based Etched.ai raised a $120 million Series A round on June 25. The round was led by Primary Venture Partners and Positive Sum with participation from Two Sigma Ventures, Peter Thiel and Kyle Vogt, among others. Etched.ai is working to make chips that can run AI models faster and cheaper than GPUs.
  • EvolutionaryScale, $142 million: New York-based EvolutionaryScale is developing biological AI models for therapeutic design. It raised a $142 million seed round that closed on June 25. The round was led by Lux Capital, former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross, an angel investor and former head of AI at Y Combinator. The company was founded in 2023.
  • AKASA, $120 million: Healthcare revenue cycle automation platform Akasa announced a $120 million round on June 18. The San Francisco-based startup has collected $205 million in total funding and has raised from investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Costanoa Ventures and Bond in prior rounds.
  • AlphaSense, $650 million: New York-based AlphaSense raised a $650 million Series F round that was announced on June 11. The round was led by Viking Global Investors and BDT & MSD Partners with participation from CapitalG, SoftBank Vision Fund and Goldman Sachs, among others. AlphaSense is a market intelligence platform founded in 2008. The company has raised more than $1.4 billion in venture funding and was most recently valued at $4 billion.

May

  • xAI, $6 billion: Elon Musk’s xAI raised a jaw-dropping $6 billion Series B round on May 31 from investors, including Sequoia, Valor Equity Partners and Fidelity, among others. The startup is building an AI platform that will “accelerate human scientific discovery” and is valued at an equally stunning $24 billion.
  • Scale AI, $1 billion: Scale AI, a startup that provides data-labeling services to companies for training AI models, raised $1 billion in May. The Series F round was led by Accel with participation from Tiger Global, Spark Capital and Amazon, among others. San Francisco-based Scale AI has raised more than $1.6 billion in total and is currently valued at nearly $14 billion.
  • Suno, $125 million: AI-music creation platform Suno raised $125 million in a Series B round that closed on May 21. The round values the Cambridge, Massachusetts, startup at $500 million. Founder Collective, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Matrix participated in the round in addition to former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman and former head of AI at Y Combinator Daniel Gross.
  • Weka, $140 million: Silicon Valley-based Weka created an AI-native data platform and raised $140 million in a Series E round that closed on May 13. The funding was led by Valor Equity Partners with participation from Qualcomm Ventures, Nvidia and Hitachi Ventures, among others. The startup was valued at $1.6 billion.
  • CoreWeave, $1.1 billion: New Jersey-based GPU infrastructure provider CoreWeave raised $1.1 billion in a Series C round that closed on May 1. Coatue led the round with participation from Fidelity, Altimeter Capital and Magnetar Capital, among others. CoreWeave was launched in 2017 and is valued at $19 billion.

April

  • Blaize, $106 million: AI computing platform company Blaize raised $106 million in a Series D round that was announced on April 29. The round had participation from investors, including Temasek, Franklin Templeton and Bess Ventures, among others. The company was founded in 2010 and has raised $242 million.
  • Augment, $227 million: Palo Alto-based Augment raised $227 million for its AI coding assistance startup. The startup’s Series B round was announced on April 24. Lightspeed Venture Partners, Index Ventures and Sutter Hill Ventures participated in the round, which valued the startup just shy of $1 billion.
  • Cognition, $175 million: Founders Fund led applied AI lab startup Cognition’s $175 million round that closed on April 24. This round came just about a month after the firm raised a $21 million Series A round in March from Founders Fund and numerous other investors, including Ramp co-founder Eric Glyman, Stripe co-founders Patrick and John Collison, and DoorDash co-founder Tony Xu. The company was founded in November 2023 and is already valued at nearly $2 billion.
  • Xaira Therapeutics, $1 billion: San Francisco-based AI drug discovery startup Xaira Therapeutics raised a $1 billion Series A round. Foresite Capital and ARCH Venture Partners led the round that was announced on April 23. Sequoia, NEA and Lux Capital participated in the round, among many others.
  • Cyera, $300 million: Coatue led the recent $300 million Series C round into AI-powered data security platform Cyera that closed on April 9. The round valued New York-based startup at $1.4 billion. Sequoia, Redpoint and Accel also participated in the round, among others.

March

  • Celestial AI, $175 million: Celestial AI, founded in 2020, is building an optical interconnect technology platform for data centers and AI solutions and raised a $175 million Series C round on March 27, which brought its total funding amount to $338 million. The round was led by Thomas Tull’s US Innovative Technology Fund with participation from M Ventures, Temasek and Tyche Partners, among others.
  • FundGuard, $100 million: FundGuard is a New York-based startup offering an AI-powered investment accounting operating system that raised $100 million at a $400 million valuation. The Series C round closed on March 25 and was led by Key1 Capital with participation from Hamilton Lane, Blumberg Capital and Team8, among others.
  • Together AI, $106 million: Salesforce Ventures led Together AI’s $106 million Series A round that valued the company at $1.2 billion. Together AI is a platform designed to help create infrastructure and open source generative AI for developing AI models. NEA, Kleiner Perkins and Lux Capital also participated in the round, among others. The round was announced on March 13.
  • Zephyr AI, $111 million: Fairfax Station, Virginia-based Zephyr AI raised a $111 million Series A round that closed on March 13. Revolution Growth, Eli Lilly and Company Foundation, EPIQ Capital Group and investor Jeff Skoll all participated in the round. The startup, founded in 2020, uses AI to enhance drug discovery and precision medicine. It has raised $129.5 million total so far.

February

  • Glean, $203 million: AI-driven enterprise search startup Glean raised $203 million in a February 27 round that valued the startup at $2.2 billion. The Series D round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Kleiner Perkins with participation from Sequoia and Databricks Ventures, among others. The Silicon Valley-based startup has raised more than $350 million in venture funding and its founder, Arvind Jain, was recently interviewed on TechCrunch’s Found podcast.
  • Figure, $675 million: Silicon Valley-based AI robotics startup Figure raised a $675 million Series B round that closed on February 24. The round valued the startup at nearly $2.7 billion. Nvidia, OpenAI and Microsoft participated in the round, among others. The startup was founded in 2022 and has raised more than $850 million.
  • Abridge, $150 million: Pittsburgh-based Abridge, which uses AI to transcribe medical conversations, raised a $150 million Series C round that closed on February 23. The round was led by Redpoint and Lightspeed Venture Partners with participation from USV, IVP and Spark Capital, among others. This round brings the six-year-old company’s valuation to $850 million.
  • Recogni, $102 million: The company designs high-output but low-power AI interface solutions, and it raised a $102 million Series C round on February 20. The round was led by GreatPoint Ventures and Celesta Capital. Pledge Ventures, Mayfield and DNS Capital also contributed to the round.
  • Lambda, $320 million: San Francisco-based deep learning infrastructure company Lambda raised $320 million in a Series C round that was announced on February 15. The round was led by Thomas Tull’s US Innovative Technology Fund with participation from Gradient Ventures, Mercato Partners and T. Rowe Price, among others. Lambda has raised more than $900 million in venture capital and was most recently valued at $1.5 billion.
  • Magic, $117 million: AI coding startup Magic raised a $117 million Series B round that closed on February 12. The round was led by NFDG Ventures with participation from CapitalG and angel investor Elad Gil. The San Francisco-based company has raised more than $145 million in total capital.

January

  • Kore.ai, $150 million: A startup building conversational AI for enterprises, Kore.ai raised a $150 million Series D round that was announced on January 30. FTV Capital led the round into the Orlando, Florida-based company. Nvidia, Vistara Growth, and NextEquity Partners participated as well, among others. Kore.ai was founded in 2013 and has raised more than $223 million in funding.

This piece was originally published on July 13, 2024, and was updated on September 9, 2024 and October 11, 2024, to include more deals.

This piece has been updated to correct Glean’s current valuation.

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Google pulled its Wear OS update for old Pixel Watches to fix a big problem

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Google pulled its Wear OS update for old Pixel Watches to fix a big problem

Google plans to resume the Wear OS 5 rollout for older Pixel Watches “later this year,” as previously reported by Droid Life.

If the update bricked your watch, there are ways to get it working again. Google’s support site has a bunch of general troubleshooting steps for getting out of a frozen watch, as well as instructions on how to factory reset from Fastboot if you can’t get to the usual settings.

If your Pixel Watch is healthy and working, Google also just rolled out a neat new feature that pops a notification on your phone once your watch is fully charged up — and you don’t need Wear OS 5 for that.

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HOMELAB #2: APC Netshelter 24U w/ Sonnet Rack MacMini

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HOMELAB #2: APC Netshelter 24U w/ Sonnet Rack MacMini



In the world of data center you’ll go through a rite of passage including such fun as grilling your backside on a cold plenum floor, searching for that elusive screw that fell from your hand, supporting a 15kg server with one hand as Atlas holds the world. With this new world of cloud I fear for the loss of the art.

Anyway, if you are interested, here is the Sonnet RackMacMini experience.
Best served ice cold. .

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AI tastebuds are better at identifying what’s in food than you

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Who will win the AI race?

Picking out individual ingredients from a dish can be a fun, if difficult, part of a meal. Professional chefs and food scientists can spend years refining their palettes. Now, a robot may be able to join in the activity thanks to the researchers behind a robotic taster that combines AI and an electronic tongue capable of detecting tiny differences in flavor.

The Penn State research team has published a paper detailing how the AI ‘brain’ uses the artificial tongue to detect how much water is in a cup of milk, the mix of beans in a coffee blend, and even incipient rot in fruit juice that would be impossible for a human to spot. 

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