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Business Insider
9 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Startup funding announcements are getting the TikTok treatment, thanks to Gen Z founders
The video opens with Isaiah Granet hanging up a payphone in wine country in Napa, California. A vintage car shaped like a rotary telephone rolls into frame. It's not a surrealist short or an art school final project. It's a launch video for a startup. The classic "We're excited to announce —" funding post is getting the TikTok treatment. Bland, an AI startup making phone agents, is one of an increasing number of tech startups — mostly led by Gen Z founders — that are swapping static social media posts for slick launch videos to promote their venture rounds. With media coverage harder to secure and social posts fading fast, startups are rethinking how they share big news. And increasingly, they're pivoting to video. It's a format that's harder to ignore and more likely to stick around in the feed. "For startups, it's really hard to get PR," said Josh Machiz, who advises founders on storytelling at Redpoint Ventures. "It's even more crucial that they learn how to master their own media." Each founder has their own cinematic take on "we raised." There's the TED-style founder monologue, like the one from restaurant software developer Owner's Adam Guild. His hair perfectly coiffed, he delivers a straight-to-camera sermon about his company's $120 million raise. Then there's the sizzle reel, packed with quick cuts and a dramatic voiceover. Take Base Power's high-octane montage of people across eras flicking on the lights, in an ode to modern electricity. The most ambitious and likely the most expensive is the narrative short. Cluely's 90-second rom-com follows a hapless guy on a first date, coached by the company's AI cheat overlay, which feeds him real-time lines to win the girl. The launch video cost $140,000 to produce, said founder Chungin "Roy" Lee, and it paid off. It went viral, and the usage surge crashed Cluely's servers. "Right now, more companies are getting built than ever," Lee said, "and the only way to hit escape velocity and cut through the noise is by making big swings, like our launch video." Go direct Funding is flowing to tech startups again, especially if you've got OpenAI on your résumé or a pitch to reinvent software with " vibe." Founders often take to X and LinkedIn to toast their raises, sharing a link to their blog posts and maybe a nod to TechCrunch for the coverage. It's a strategy that's simply less effective than it used to be. A standard social post might get attention for half a day until it slides off the feed and disappears, said Kyle Tibbitts, chief marketing officer at Wander, a vacation rental company. But the algorithms don't downgrade video like they do links, said Ashley Mayer, who led comms at Box and Glossier before becoming an investor. Mayer said startups still chase traditional media coverage but increasingly find the door shut. Newsrooms are shrinking, and many now prioritize breaking news and subscription-driving exclusives over commodity funding announcements. Bland's Granet said their media pitches for the $40 million Series B round went nowhere. Plus, "Paywalls kind of suck," he said, questioning whether the effort was even worth the reach. 'A photo is good, but a video is worth a thousand photos' At Wander, Tibbitts said making a fundraise video was a no-brainer. The company already had hard drives full of footage from its luxury vacation rentals. Each listing features a video tour, complete with sweeping drone shots. "A photo is good," Tibbitts said, "but a video is worth a thousand photos." Founder John Andrew Entwistle, who is 27, and a videographer, filmed his portion of the fundraise video in May on location at the company's very first property, a waterfront home in Mendocino County, California. Entwistle read the script off a laptop screen with the text enlarged, in what Tibbitts called a "very minimum viable teleprompter." He estimated the production, including outsourced editing, cost about $2,000. Three days after Wander announced its $50 million raise, the company notched a record $275,000 in bookings in one day. For Hedra, the fundraise video doubled as a demo of the startup's digital avatars. Founder Michael Lingelbach appears in a range of styles: Studio Ghibli, Pixar, and a hyperreal, slightly more jacked version of himself sporting a gold chain inspired by Mark Zuckerberg's tech-bro glow-up. "Even this video was made in a fraction of the time it would've taken otherwise," Lingelbach says in the video, while appearing as a crochet doll version of himself, seated on a yarn-woven couch. A marketing employee wrote the script, Hedra's own multimodal model generated the voiceover, and a freelance editor stitched it all together. Lingelbach wouldn't say what it cost — only that "people spend a scarily large fraction of their seed round on these kinds of things." His advice to other founders was to get bids from multiple studios. The trend has taken off since last fall, said freelance director Nicholas Carpo, when he produced his first fundraise video for a " Tinder for jobs" app. Since then, he's averaged two to three videos a month for startups between seed and Series B. Budgets range from $10,000 to $90,000, Carpo said, depending on how ambitious the concept is and how many people it takes to pull off. That's an industry range, not necessarily his own pricing. For some startups, a fundraise video isn't just for show. It might catch the eye of a new customer or a hard-to-hire engineer. Going viral might prompt a blue-chip investor to slide into the company's DMs. First impressions in startup land don't come cheap — or twice. "You only come out of stealth once," Carpo said. "If you don't get it right, your chances of making it to the next stage are tougher."
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What working at SpaceX taught this founder about starting his own company
Justin Lopas learned crucial lessons about running a startup from his time at SpaceX and Anduril. His time working for Musk, sometimes directly, taught him "culture is the most important thing." Lopas told BI about the other takeaways from his SpaceX years he applies to his company, Base Power. Justin Lopas has seen Elon Musk's management style up close, and he's embracing some of the things he's learned. Lopas, a 30-year-old cofounder, worked in manufacturing and mechanical engineering at SpaceX and Anduril before launching his company Base Power, a Texas-based home battery company, in 2023. He talked to BI about how his time at both companies, and experience working directly with Musk, has helped guide his own work at Base Power, from the culture to the interview process. Representatives for SpaceX and Anduril did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Lopas was just a sophomore at the University of Michigan when he landed an internship at Musk's rocket company in 2013. He later returned to SpaceX full time in 2016 and moved to Anduril in 2020. At SpaceX, he split his time between working on the Falcon rocket and building out manufacturing capabilities in Boca Chica Village, Texas (before it became the city of Starbase). In his interviews at both SpaceX and Anduril, Lopas said he noticed that interviewers tended to focus on practical skills and addressing actual questions the company is facing. He uses the same strategy when talking to applicants for Base Power. "It's like, 'Here's a problem that we're working on now, how would you solve it?'" Lopas said. "I found that to be a far more effective way to judge somebody's technical talent than, 'Can you solve this sort of Mechanical Engineering homework problem?'" Lopas' biggest takeaway from his years at SpaceX wasn't limited to engineering expertise. "Culture is the most important thing, I pretty firmly believe that," he said. "I learned a lot of that specifically at SpaceX." When he was there, Musk's company emphasized a few basic concepts that Lopas is now trying to instill at Base Power: high ownership, first principles, and a good work ethic. High ownership is the idea that an employee should own any problem that's related to their work, even if it doesn't explicitly fall into their job description. "Are you going to go solve the problem, or are you going to look for ways to define the problem so that it's not your problem? The answer has to be 'yes' to the former," Lopas said. He also learned to approach every problem from the concept of "first principles": disregard assumptions about how things should be done. "For almost everything we're doing, there's a 'traditional' way to do it," he said. "But if you think about the problem from first principles, oftentimes the way it is normally done is not the way it should be done." His team applies the concept to seemingly small decisions, like mounting batteries on the floor instead of the more conventional location on a wall. Lopas said that "speed is basically everything" at SpaceX and Anduril. A focus on reducing bureaucracy was another key lesson, though he said that some degree of internal management is necessary. "The thing that SpaceX taught me, and that we're trying to embody here is, 'Does that person or process add any value to the company or the organization?'" he told BI. "And if the answer is no, you should get rid of it." After acquiring Twitter, for example, Musk cut almost 90% of the staff, and many have criticized his similar chainsaw approach to paring back the federal government through the White House DOGE Office. Before President Donald Trump took office for a second time, Musk wrote in an op-ed that DOGE aimed to drastically reduce headcount and costs and combat an "ever-growing bureaucracy." Lopas worked directly with Musk while in Boca Chica Village and "really enjoyed" it. He said the billionaire could quickly get to the root of a problem and simplify it. "I was fascinated by how quickly he was able to learn things or understand things that he did not necessarily have a background in," Lopas said. Base Power is still in its early days, but Lopas is thinking about how to build a company that borrows principles from the ones he came from. In doing so, he said he thinks he's got a good shot at building a business that can "stand the test of time," he said. Have a tip or experience at one of Musk's companies? Contact this reporter via email at atecotzky@ or Signal at alicetecotzky.05. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
10-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
What working at SpaceX taught this founder about starting his own company
Justin Lopas learned crucial lessons about running a startup from his time at SpaceX and Anduril. His time working for Musk, sometimes directly, taught him "culture is the most important thing." Lopas told BI about the other takeaways from his SpaceX years he applies to his company, Base Power. Lopas, a 30-year-old cofounder, worked in manufacturing and mechanical engineering at SpaceX and Anduril before launching his company Base Power, a Texas-based home battery company, in 2023. He talked to BI about how his time at both companies, and experience working directly with Musk, has helped guide his own work at Base Power, from the culture to the interview process. Representatives for SpaceX and Anduril did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Landing the jobs and getting the right people Lopas was just a sophomore at the University of Michigan when he landed an internship at Musk's rocket company in 2013. He later returned to SpaceX full time in 2016 and moved to Anduril in 2020. At SpaceX, he split his time between working on the Falcon rocket and building out manufacturing capabilities in Boca Chica Village, Texas (before it became the city of Starbase). In his interviews at both SpaceX and Anduril, Lopas said he noticed that interviewers tended to focus on practical skills and addressing actual questions the company is facing. He uses the same strategy when talking to applicants for Base Power. "It's like, 'Here's a problem that we're working on now, how would you solve it?'" Lopas said. "I found that to be a far more effective way to judge somebody's technical talent than, 'Can you solve this sort of Mechanical Engineering homework problem?'" Culture is everything Lopas' biggest takeaway from his years at SpaceX wasn't limited to engineering expertise. "Culture is the most important thing, I pretty firmly believe that," he said. "I learned a lot of that specifically at SpaceX." When he was there, Musk's company emphasized a few basic concepts that Lopas is now trying to instill at Base Power: high ownership, first principles, and a good work ethic. High ownership is the idea that an employee should own any problem that's related to their work, even if it doesn't explicitly fall into their job description. "Are you going to go solve the problem, or are you going to look for ways to define the problem so that it's not your problem? The answer has to be 'yes' to the former," Lopas said. He also learned to approach every problem from the concept of "first principles": disregard assumptions about how things should be done. "For almost everything we're doing, there's a 'traditional'way to do it," he said. "But if you think about the problem from first principles, oftentimes the way it is normally done is not the way it should be done." His team applies the concept to seemingly small decisions, like mounting batteries on the floor instead of the more conventional location on a wall. Speed matters Lopas said that "speed is basically everything" at SpaceX and Anduril. A focus on reducing bureaucracy was another key lesson, though he said that some degree of internal management is necessary. "The thing that SpaceX taught me, and that we're trying to embody here is, 'Does that person or process add any value to the company or the organization?'" he told BI. "And if the answer is no, you should get rid of it." After acquiring Twitter, for example, Musk cut almost 90% of the staff, and many have criticized his similar chainsaw approach to paring back the federal government through the White House DOGE Office. Before President Donald Trump took office for a second time, Musk wrote in an op-ed that DOGE aimed to drastically reduce headcount and costs and combat an "ever-growing bureaucracy." Lopas worked directly with Musk while in Boca Chica Village and "really enjoyed" it. He said the billionaire could quickly get to the root of a problem and simplify it. "I was fascinated by how quickly he was able to learn things or understand things that he did not necessarily have a background in," Lopas said. Base Power is still in its early days, but Lopas is thinking about how to build a company that borrows principles from the ones he came from. In doing so, he said he thinks he's got a good shot at building a business that can "stand the test of time," he said.
Business Insider
10-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
What working at SpaceX taught this founder about starting his own company
Justin Lopas has seen Elon Musk 's management style up close, and he's embracing some of the things he's learned. Lopas, a 30-year-old cofounder, worked in manufacturing and mechanical engineering at SpaceX and Anduril before launching his company Base Power, a Texas-based home battery company, in 2023. He talked to BI about how his time at both companies, and experience working directly with Musk, has helped guide his own work at Base Power, from the culture to the interview process. Representatives for SpaceX and Anduril did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Landing the jobs and getting the right people Lopas was just a sophomore at the University of Michigan when he landed an internship at Musk's rocket company in 2013. He later returned to SpaceX full time in 2016 and moved to Anduril in 2020. At SpaceX, he split his time between working on the Falcon rocket and building out manufacturing capabilities in Boca Chica Village, Texas (before it became the city of Starbase). In his interviews at both SpaceX and Anduril, Lopas said he noticed that interviewers tended to focus on practical skills and addressing actual questions the company is facing. He uses the same strategy when talking to applicants for Base Power. "It's like, 'Here's a problem that we're working on now, how would you solve it?'" Lopas said. "I found that to be a far more effective way to judge somebody's technical talent than, 'Can you solve this sort of Mechanical Engineering homework problem?'" Culture is everything Lopas' biggest takeaway from his years at SpaceX wasn't limited to engineering expertise. "Culture is the most important thing, I pretty firmly believe that," he said. "I learned a lot of that specifically at SpaceX." When he was there, Musk's company emphasized a few basic concepts that Lopas is now trying to instill at Base Power: high ownership, first principles, and a good work ethic. High ownership is the idea that an employee should own any problem that's related to their work, even if it doesn't explicitly fall into their job description. "Are you going to go solve the problem, or are you going to look for ways to define the problem so that it's not your problem? The answer has to be 'yes' to the former," Lopas said. He also learned to approach every problem from the concept of "first principles": disregard assumptions about how things should be done. "For almost everything we're doing, there's a 'traditional'way to do it," he said. "But if you think about the problem from first principles, oftentimes the way it is normally done is not the way it should be done." His team applies the concept to seemingly small decisions, like mounting batteries on the floor instead of the more conventional location on a wall. Speed matters Lopas said that "speed is basically everything" at SpaceX and Anduril. A focus on reducing bureaucracy was another key lesson, though he said that some degree of internal management is necessary. "The thing that SpaceX taught me, and that we're trying to embody here is, 'Does that person or process add any value to the company or the organization?'" he told BI. "And if the answer is no, you should get rid of it." After acquiring Twitter, for example, Musk cut almost 90% of the staff, and many have criticized his similar chainsaw approach to paring back the federal government through the White House DOGE Office. Before President Donald Trump took office for a second time, Musk wrote in an op-ed that DOGE aimed to drastically reduce headcount and costs and combat an "ever-growing bureaucracy." Musk as a boss Lopas worked directly with Musk while in Boca Chica Village and "really enjoyed" it. He said the billionaire could quickly get to the root of a problem and simplify it. "I was fascinated by how quickly he was able to learn things or understand things that he did not necessarily have a background in," Lopas said. Base Power is still in its early days, but Lopas is thinking about how to build a company that borrows principles from the ones he came from. In doing so, he said he thinks he's got a good shot at building a business that can "stand the test of time," he said.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Base Power Raises $200M Series B to Reinforce the Texas Power Grid, Accelerate National Expansion, and Build American Manufacturing Capabilities
As energy demand surges, Base Power is building America's next-generation power company—driving grid resilience through partnerships with utilities and homebuilders, and accelerating homeowner adoption. AUSTIN, Texas, April 09, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Base Power announced today it has raised $200 million in Series B funding, co-led by Addition, Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Valor Equity Partners with participation from existing investors Thrive Capital, Altimeter, Terrain, Trust and others. With the new funding, Base Power will continue its rapid growth, bringing affordable and reliable energy to more homes across Texas while preparing for national expansion with its battery-powered home energy service. This investment will go toward building the first Base factory in Texas to meet growing demand while ensuring greater resilience, cost efficiency, and control as the company scales. In less than a year since launch, Base Power has become one of the fastest-growing battery storage developers in the U.S. Through its partnership with Lennar, a top national homebuilder, and, more recently, with its first utility partnership with Bandera Electric, Base Power has expanded rapidly in Texas across the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and Austin metro areas. "Base Power is committed to making energy more reliable and affordable - in the last year we've demonstrated meaningful progress on that mission," said Zach Dell, CEO and Co-Founder of Base Power. "Our rapid expansion has allowed us to power up thousands of Texans in just a few months, while driving their energy costs down and power reliability up. With this investment, we will continue to innovate on new grid solutions, establish our domestic manufacturing capabilities, and accelerate adoption nationally." As part of the fundraise, Addition founder Lee Fixel will join Base Power's board alongside Antonio Gracias of Valor Equity Partners. "Base Power has made extraordinary progress in a short time, demonstrating its ability to deliver innovative energy solutions that are both cost-effective and reliable," said Lee Fixel of Addition. "We are excited to partner with the Base Power team in support of their efforts to make the energy grid across Texas and beyond more resilient." Base Power is led by a team of engineers and operators from leading technologies companies including SpaceX, Tesla, Anduril, Blackstone, and Apple, bringing deep expertise in technology and infrastructure to reimagine the grid. This expansion creates new opportunities for top talent to join a fast-growing company at the forefront of the energy transition. About Base Power Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Base Power is an energy company building a grid for the future—starting with battery-powered home energy service. The company's mission is to advance human prosperity through energy abundance—delivering reliable and affordable power for all. Learn more at View source version on Contacts Media Contact press@ Sign in to access your portfolio
