Are you a technical founder who wants a better understanding of fundraising in startups? Well, I am too. That’s why I wrote up these notes which explore the mechanics and terminology associated with raising rounds. Hope you find this useful as well!
PDF version: Notes on Fundraising Mechanics for Startups by Logan Thrasher Collins Valuation A company’s valuation is initially an estimate of how much the company is worth as set by methods such as the following.
Researchers can use a metric called the particle number concentration (PNC) to calculate the number of particles in a sample, such as the number of marbles in a jar.
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new mathematical formula to calculate the concentration of particles suspended in a solution. The new approach, which yields more accurate results than current methods, can be used to deliver the correct drug dosage to patients, measure the amount of nanoplastics in ocean water, and help ensure the correct level of additives in food products, among other applications.
The researchers have published their findings in Analytical Chemistry.
A team of scientists has revealed how a single quantum device can accurately measure the three fundamental units of electricity—the ampere (unit of electrical current), the volt (unit of electrical potential) and the ohm (unit of electrical resistance). This is a significant breakthrough because until now, no single instrument could measure all three primary electrical units in one practical system. It means that making electrical measurements could be more precise and reduce the potential for human error.
At first glance, biology and quantum technology seem incompatible. Living systems operate in warm, noisy environments full of constant motion, while quantum technology typically requires extreme isolation and temperatures near absolute zero to function.
But quantum mechanics is the foundation of everything, including in biological molecules. Now, researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have turned a protein found in living cells into a functioning quantum bit (qubit), the foundation of quantum technologies. The protein qubit can be used as a quantum sensor capable of detecting minute changes and ultimately offering unprecedented insight into biological processes.
“Rather than taking a conventional quantum sensor and trying to camouflage it to enter a biological system, we wanted to explore the idea of using a biological system itself and developing it into a qubit,” said David Awschalom, co-principal investigator of the project, Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering at UChicago PME and director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE). “Harnessing nature to create powerful families of quantum sensors—that’s the new direction here.”
An international team of astronomers led by Matus Rybak (Leiden University, Netherlands) has proven, thanks to accidental double zoom, that millimeter radiation is generated close to the core of a supermassive black hole. Their findings have been accepted for publication in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics and are available on the arXiv preprint server.
Flies too need their sleep. In order to be able to react to dangers, however, they must not completely phase out the environment. Researchers at Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin have now deciphered how the animal’s brain produces this state. As they describe in the journal Nature, the fly brain filters out visual information rhythmically during sleep—so that strong visual stimuli can still wake the animal.
Periods of rest and sleep are vital—presumably for all animals.
“Sleep is essential for physical regeneration, and in humans and many animals it is also fundamental for memory formation,” explains Prof. David Owald, a scientist at Charité’s Institute of Neurophysiology and leader of the recently published study. It was previously unclear how an organism reduces its response to stimuli sufficiently to be able to regenerate, while still remaining alert enough to respond to external dangers.
A team of materials scientists at Rice University has developed a new way to grow ultrathin semiconductors directly onto electronic components.
The method, described in a study published in ACS Applied Electronic Materials, could help streamline the integration of two-dimensional materials into next-generation electronics, neuromorphic computing and other technologies demanding ultrathin high-speed semiconductors.
The researchers used chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to grow tungsten diselenide, a 2D semiconductor, directly onto patterned gold electrodes. They next demonstrated the approach by building a functional, proof-of-concept transistor. Unlike conventional techniques that require transferring fragile 2D films from one surface to another, the Rice team’s method eliminates the transfer process entirely.
It’s a fact of life: Some people age better than others. Some ease into their 90s with mind and body intact, while others battle diabetes, Alzheimer’s or mobility issues decades earlier. Some can withstand a bad fall or bout of the flu with ease, while others never leave the hospital again.
New University of Colorado Boulder-led research, published in Nature Genetics, sheds light on why that is.
In it, an international team of co-authors identifies more than 400 genes associated with accelerated aging across seven different sub-types. The study reveals that different groups of genes underlie different kinds of disordered aging, a.k.a. frailty, ranging from cognitive decline to mobility issues to social isolation.