Founder Ownership Report 2025

Raising VC? Here’s How Much Equity You’ll Actually Keep

Equity is a startup’s most valuable resource. But how should founders allocate it to co-founders, investors, and employees?

Our newly released Founder Ownership 2025 report—based on data from 45,000+ startups—sheds light on how equity ownership evolves in the U.S. venture ecosystem. Here are some of the most eye-opening insights:

 Solo Founders on the Rise

 Equal Splits Are Gaining Popularity

 Founder Ownership Drops Fast at Early Stages

 Founder CEO Equity: Real Data from 5,857 Startups

 Want to see how your equity stacks up? Our report dives into industry-specific benchmarks, compensation trends, and best practices for startup ownership.

 Read the full Founder Ownership 2025 report for free here.

The Startup Success Formula: Focus & Saying “No”

Building a successful startup isn’t about doing everything—it’s about doing the right things and saying “no” to distractions.

Here’s the simple 2-step approach:

✅ Prioritize the most important tasks
✅ Stay laser-focused on them

Sounds easy, right? But as a founder, one of the most underrated skills is confidently saying no to things that don’t serve your mission.

Common Startup Traps to Avoid

 Warm Intros – Well-meaning investors and friends often introduce you to people who might not be relevant to your business. If it’s not aligned with your priorities, politely decline.

 Hidden Costs – Every new opportunity comes with unseen costs: meetings, integrations, marketing, and resource allocation. Always ask, Is this truly worth the effort?

 Shiny Object Syndrome – New ideas and trends are tempting. But chasing every opportunity can derail focus. Prioritize what truly moves the needle.

Real-World Example

ConvertKit spent 5 months and significant resources on a rebrand, changing their name to "Kit"—a move that provided little real value to their users.

Meanwhile, beehiiv remained focused on shipping new features and improving the platform for creators.

 Lesson: You live and die by what you prioritize. Startups win by delivering value, not by changing colors or fonts.

Stay Focused. Build Relentlessly. Win.

What’s the biggest distraction you’ve had to say no to as a founder? 

If you found these insights valuable and want more no-BS takes on startups, growth, and execution, you’ll love Big Desk Energy.

Join the community of builders who prioritize what actually matters. Subscribe now → bigdeskenergy.com 

Will AI Replace Freelance Engineers and Earn $1M?

OpenAI Launches SWE-Lancer: A Benchmark for Freelance Software Engineering Tasks

In a significant move to evaluate the real-world economic impact of AI models in software engineering, OpenAI has introduced SWE-Lancer, a comprehensive benchmark that reflects the diverse and practical challenges faced by freelance developers. Here’s what you need to know:

Why Does This Matter? SWE-Lancer provides a unique perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of AI in a professional setting, offering tangible benchmarks for progress.

It highlights the limitations AI must overcome to be a viable alternative to human freelancers while opening avenues for research on how AI can complement, rather than replace, skilled engineers.

Ultimately, it serves as a crucial tool for understanding AI's evolving role in the global economy and its potential impact on the future of work.

Accomplish More. Juggle Less.

When you love what you do, it can be easy to take on more — more tasks, more deadlines, more hours – but before you know it, you don’t have time to do what you loved in the beginning. Don’t just do more – do more of what you do best.

BELAY’s flexible staffing solutions leverage industry experience with AI systems to increase productivity without sacrificing quality. You can accomplish more and juggle less with our exceptional U.S.-based Virtual Assistants, Accounting Professionals, and Marketing Assistants. Learn how with our free ebook, Delegate to Elevate, and leave the more to BELAY.

Download now

The Truth About AI Safety – Google’s 2024 Report Unveiled!

AI is evolving rapidly, and with it comes the responsibility to ensure its safe and ethical development. Google’s 2024 Responsible AI Progress Report highlights key advancements in AI safety, governance, and innovation.

 Advancing AI Responsibly

 Key Updates from Google’s AI Safety Framework

 Evolving AI Principles

Google has updated its AI Principles to emphasize:
✅ Bold Innovation – AI that drives progress, inspires creativity, and solves global challenges.
✅ Responsible Development – A lifecycle approach to AI safety, from design to deployment.
✅ Collaborative Progress – Partnering with organizations and governments to shape AI’s future.

 What’s Next?

As AI moves toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), responsible development is more crucial than ever. Google is committed to ensuring AI benefits humanity while maintaining the highest ethical standards.

 Read the full report: AI.google

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Grok-3: xAI’s Bold Move in the AI Race

Elon Musk’s xAI has unveiled Grok-3, claiming it as the "smartest AI on Earth." The model outperforms Gemini-2 Pro, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and GPT-4o in key benchmarks like AIME‘24, GPQA, and LiveCodeBench.

 Powered by 200,000 H100 GPUs, Grok-3 was trained on 10x more compute than Grok-2
A smaller Grok-3 Mini version promises faster responses
Topped Chatbot Arena rankings and supports deep research

With OpenAI’s GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 on the horizon and fierce competition from Anthropic and DeepMind, how long will Grok-3 stay ahead?

Ex-OpenAI CTO Launches New AI Rival 'Thinking Machines Lab'

Mira Murati, OpenAI’s former CTO, has officially launched Thinking Machines Lab, a new AI research company aiming to make AI more customizable, widely understood, and multimodal.

What’s Unique?

Why It Matters

This move follows a trend of OpenAI leaders branching out—like Ilya Sutskever’s SSI, which is reportedly raising $1B+. If Thinking Machines stays true to its open science vision, it could push the AI industry towards a more open-source future.

 Will Murati’s lab redefine AI research? Stay tuned for updates.

Lifetime Access for Just $20 – No Recurring Fees!

Need funding for your startup? Get a list of 1,000+ angel investors, real startup pitch decks, and key funding insights—all in one place.

Pay just $20 once and get lifetime access to everything you need to attract investors and grow your business.

Don’t wait—click below to get started!

Finding the Right Leads? Let AI Do the Work!

AI is transforming sales, automating lead generation, outreach, and deal closures. Here are some top AI tools driving results:

✅ Breakcold – Automates cold outreach & follow-ups
✅ Leadbright – AI-driven lead qualification
✅ Sypher – Real-time sales insights
✅ CaliberMind – Data-driven revenue intelligence
✅ Conversica – AI-powered sales assistant
✅ RevSure – Forecasts sales pipeline & revenue

Why It Matters:

Faster lead qualification
Personalized outreach
Higher conversion rates

Which AI sales tool do you use? Check out the full list of AI Sales Funnel here.

Ready to explore AI tools that’ll revolutionize your editing game?

Free AI Tool to Create High-Converting Ads, Emails, & Landing Pages

 Struggling to create high-converting marketing copy? Let AI do the heavy lifting!

Meet Campaign Assistant—HubSpot’s free AI-powered marketing asset creator that helps you generate compelling copy for:

✅ Landing pages
✅ Marketing emails
✅ Ad copy for Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn

How It Works

Select the type of content you need
Provide campaign details
Choose a tone of voice that fits your brand
Get high-quality, engaging copy in seconds

 No more writer’s block! Easily edit, tweak, and compare previous versions to refine your message.

⚡ Scale your marketing efforts with AI and focus on what truly matters—strategy and growth.

Find the Remote Jobs You’ve Been Searching For!

Check out these exciting job opportunities in top companies, offering remote and flexible roles in software engineering, backend development, and more. Explore the details and find your next career move!

Ready to take the leap? Get the full list of remote opportunities with Y Combinator-backed startups and find your perfect role today!

5 Free Nvidia AI Courses You Can Finish in a Day

AI is reshaping industries, and staying ahead means continuously learning and adapting. Nvidia’s Deep Learning Institute offers free AI courses that can help professionals develop key skills, whether you're an engineer, data scientist, or AI enthusiast.

Why Take These Courses?

Here Are 5 Free Courses You Can Take Right Now:

1️⃣ Getting Started With Image Segmentation – Learn the fundamentals of image analysis.
2️⃣ Building A Brain In 10 Minutes – Understand neural networks with a quick-start guide.
3️⃣ Generative AI Explained – Dive into the world of AI-generated content.
4️⃣ Accelerate Data Science Workflows – Optimize AI workflows without writing extra code.
5️⃣ Developing An AI Background Generator With NIM – Create AI-powered backgrounds effortlessly.

Join the course now! Click the link and skill up your learning.

Instagram’s New Dislike Button for Comments

Instagram is testing a dislike button for comments, allowing users to downvote unwanted or irrelevant replies. This move aims to improve content moderation and engagement.

 AR’s Impact on Business Growth

Augmented Reality (AR) is transforming industries like retail, healthcare, and real estate by enhancing customer experiences, boosting productivity, and streamlining operations.

 Best AI Sales Agents for Automation

AI-powered sales agents are revolutionizing lead generation by automating outreach, analyzing customer data, and optimizing conversion strategies to drive revenue.

Facebook’s 30-Day Live Video Limit

Facebook now automatically deletes live videos after 30 days, pushing creators to repurpose content quickly and rethink their live-streaming strategies.

 TikTok Back on US App Stores

After facing legal uncertainties, TikTok has returned to both Android and Apple app stores in the US, ensuring continued access for millions of users.

 Meta’s AI to Scan DMs When Prompted

Meta warns users that its AI systems will scan direct messages (DMs) when flagged, raising concerns over privacy and how AI is used for content moderation.