Here’s a roundup of interesting startup links I came across today:
Founders share VC horror stories, and some are naming names | TechCrunch
Not everyone had bad experiences to report. Some founders said they’ve never had anything but great experiences with VCs, with a few even sharing love stories about specific investors. Yes, most VCs are hardworking, genuinely try to be helpful, and don’t take naps during meetings. But poor experiences are so common that Pincus exclaimed, “I f*cking love this moment, when founders no longer have to be afraid to call out VCs for dumb behavior.”
PDXedTech Happy Hour: Community & Conversation, Wed, Jun 24, 2026, 4:30 PM | Meetup
It’s been a while and we’re excited to get our local edtech community meeting again. Come join the conversation, say hello, and connect with others who share your curiosity about where this industry is going.
Anthropic/OpenAI may be spending more than $1000 for every $100 you pay them – R&A IT Strategy & Architecture
I have been doing some experimenting. The experiment is: “How good is Claude Code anyway?”. That experiment is still running and Claude Code has by now created around 40k lines of code and a working (though incomplete) application. I hope to report on that experience in a short while (but it is a much more difficult write-up). In the meantime, I experienced the cost issue and it led to a short research project, which led to a number of interesting observations and conclusions…
How LLMs Actually Work | 0xkato
This post is a walkthrough of how LLMs work. Modern LLMs are mostly built by stacking transformer blocks over and over, so understanding the transformer machinery gets you most of the way there.
5 ways data centers endanger their local communities and the country as a whole
Every internet search, streamed video and AI-generated response depends on a data center somewhere. Driven by rapid growth in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and cryptocurrency, data centers have become the backbone of the modern digital economy. But though their key role is in enabling virtual and remote experiences, data centers are physical buildings in real communities around the nation and the globe.
A Farmer Donated Land to Turn into a Park. The City Is Building a Massive Data Center Instead
Almost 30 years ago a farming family deeded land to the City of Taylor, Texas, on the condition the city use it for a public park. For the nominal fee of $10, the farmers granted the 87 acres to a public trust in 1999. Taylor sold it to Blueprint, a data center developer, for $10 million in 2025. Now the land that was supposed to belong to the community will become a 135,000 square foot data center.
Oregon craft breweries lose their froth – oregonlive.com
Breweries are contending with rising prices for malt, aluminum and many other materials they use to brew and can their beer. They’re also adjusting to an industry that appears to have plateaued after enjoying historic growth during the 2010s.
The Inevitable Failure of One-Shot Project Funding
Why does this matter? Companies that build software need to recognize and budget for this. Financial models need to match ongoing revenue streams (licenses or transaction fees) against ongoing costs (people and tokens).
becoming yourself is a social project – by maja
If help is often obscured behind the absence of a question, and staying in touch is too bottlenecked to happen only through catch-ups, then maybe what could help is a lightweight form for making our lives legible to the people who care.
2026 Artificial Intelligence Outlook: The Great Competition Wars Have Begun – PitchBook
To help VCs and CVCs find the next decacorn founders and potentially trillion-dollar companies, avoid investing in overheated competition, and identify at-risk incumbents, we asked our emerging tech analysts which areas of AI they’re most bullish on and why, where there’s too much competition, and which incumbents will fall.
Father of the iPod and iPhone on building taste, judgment, and creativity in the AI era | Tony Fadell
The creator of the iPod, iPhone, and Nest on opinion vs. data decisions, why marketing matters, the “three generations” rule behind everything he’s shipped, and why AI will still need screens
Startup Coffee Meetups, Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 9:00 AM | Meetup
Fuel your morning and ideas with Startup Coffee, a monthly open meetup for entrepreneurs, innovators, students, mentors and community members at the Innovation Hub at 942 Olive. Drop by on the second Thursday of the month at 9 am to connect, share and grow.
Startup News Digest 06/05/26 — ENGINE
The Trump administration has kicked off a sweeping review of federal programs that could ultimately make it harder for startups and underserved communities to access programs that expand broadband access, support research, and help early-stage companies. Last week, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed new changes to federal programs that would apply across several agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Science Foundation, the Small Business Administration and others. The proposal could reshape how federal grants and programs are reviewed, awarded, and potentially terminated, creating new uncertainty for startups and users to participate in the innovation economy.
