Writing in Recursive

Top News

Ricursive raises cash for custom chips: The Palo Alto startup comes from a pair of Stanford computer science professors and former Google researchers — Anna Goldie and Azalia Mirhoseini — who want to automate the complex and costly process of designing and testing custom chips. Their thesis: that companies will one day want “custom silicon” that’s purpose-built for their specific use cases. Sequoia is paying attention; they’ve backed the company to the tune of $35 million, at a $750 million valuation.
Mistral introduces new family of models: We recently hosted the French AI concern’s CEO Arthur Mensch on the pod. They’re making headlines this week with the Mistral 3 family of open-source models. While most new model drops focus on speed, value, or topping out the benchmark tests, Mistral notes that the 3 series can operate on mobile devices with limited network connectivity. According to the blog post introducing the Mistral 3 family, the company is aiming for a future in which “ubiquity” is paramount. Users, they surmise, will want to access AI on their phones, and in the cars, and will favor the services that are most widely accessible.
Zafran uses AI for threat detection: The cybersecurity startup was founded by Sanaz Yashar, a former spy whose life inspired the Apple TV thriller “Tehran.” His company uses AI tools and other automated systems to keep watch for potential security threats. They’ve raised an additional $60 million, bringing Zafran’s total funding to $130 million to date. The company tells CNBC that their ARR hit $70 million in September of last year.

TWiST 500

Milan’s Bending Spoons is an unconventional TWiST 500 entrant. Less a traditional startup than a tech-focused conglomerate, their business model involves acquiring under-performing companies with relatively stable user bases, then using their expertise and engineering know-how to scale them on up. (In the words of co-founder and CEO Luca Ferrari, they’re seeking concepts with “unexpressed potential.” And no, he’s not related to THOSE FERRARIS.)

Previous acquisitions include StreamYard, Vimeo, WeTransfer, Meetup, Evernote, and of course, perhaps most famously, AOL. That deal was announced as recently as October!

This week, The Spoons announced their most recent pick-up: iconic in-person gathering marketplace Eventbrite. Eventbrite, of course, went public in 2018, so the deal is contingent on a number of approvals, including the all-important one from stockholders. If they go for it, they’ll receive $4.50 in cash per share.

For their part, Bending Spoons plans to accelerate Eventbrite’s growth with exciting new features, including direct messages, AI-powered event creation, improved search, and a “secondary ticket market.” (Now that sounds like a potential new profit center!)

We’ve also got a fascinating Anthropic update to share this week. A user named Richard Weiss convinced the company’s Claude 4.5 Opus model to produce a 11,000-word document it calls a “Soul Overview,” giving us a glimpse into how the model makes sense of its thought process and “personality.” Anthropic team member (and philosopher) Amanda Askell has confirmed that the document is authentic, and that it reflects, in some ways, material that was specifically designed to train Claude. Other users on Reddit confirmed they were also able to prompt Claude to repeat snippets of the same document.

In the end, we understand so little about specifically HOW these LLMs reduce all the millions of passages they review in training down into simple answers. Any peeks within the black box like this are enlightening. – Lon

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This Week in Startups

E2216: Now that Bitcoin is dipping ever-downward, what does that mean for Michael Saylor’s Strategy strategy? Jason and Alex run the numbers on TWiST, and remain pretty skeptical about the company’s central, increasingly convoluted, digital debt-based financial scheme. PLUS is Tether “too good to be true,” as an investment? Why the US may have waited too long to pass stablecoin regulations. And Jason’s response to the NYT “exposé” about his Bestie David Sacks.

E2215: Alex chats with Neubird CEO Gou Rao about the intricate complexity of IT Ops, and the vast amount of layers and components that have to be delivered very quickly to your phone in order to stream a simple video clip. Then Subject AI CEO Michael Vilardo stops by to tell us how the app uses gamification to keep kids learning and engaged. Finally, we’re flashing back to a remarkably prescient 2019 interview with then-Scale AI chief Alexandr Wang, who tells us why he thinks the AI Doomsday scenarios — AND the elaborate AGI promises — are both way overblown.

E2214: The team from Familify had released a well-reviewed storytelling app for kids and parents… but it just wasn’t growing! Then they noticed that Bible stories and faith-based content were particularly popular. So, they decided to release a brand-new app, Theo, specifically designed for these types of lessons and stories. And the new product overtook Storybook in just a few weeks! PLUS, we’re chatting with Collin from En Vérité about how AI can make due diligence much less painful for investors AND checking out our latest Gamma Pitch Deck competitor. Find out why Jason says Jake Triton from Pitch Prfct might just be closing in on Product Market Fit.

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Founder University is headed to Tokyo!

Applications are now open for the 2026 cohort. Selected startups will take part in a global, three-part experience designed to accelerate growth and expand international reach:

Tokyo Bootcamp: January 12–16
Online Acceleration Program: January 19–March 6
U.S. Travel Program: March 9–20

If you’re building something big and ready to go global, this is your moment. Apply now at launch.co/tokyo.

LAUNCH 35 Public Demo Day

Our 35th LAUNCH Accelerator cohort is graduating in just a few weeks and we’d love for YOU to attend their Public Demo Day!

WHEN: December 8 at 12:30 pm PT
WHERE: Zoom
REGISTER: https://www.launch.co/live

Investor Networking Lunch in SF

Jason and LAUNCH are hosting an investor networking lunch, followed by pitches from our latest Accelerator batch. Join us for Dim Sum in San Francisco on Friday, December 5th. (Or forward this to your investor friends.)

Date/Time: Friday, December 5th, 2025 at 12-3PM PT
Format: Dim sum lunch, followed by founder pitches & investor networking
Location: TBA (Chinatown area)

Spots are limited, please RSVP here. The LAUNCH team will email you confirmation once your registration is accepted. You must be an accredited investor or work for a VC Fund to join.

SF Live-Work Space Now Available

Need a flexible living and working environment in San Francisco? This thoughtfully designed loft-style residence at 787 Bryant St., the heart of the vibrant SOMA district and the city’s creative hub, is now available for rent or purchase. Check the listing for more details.

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