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For 1 week, we're bringing Rocketeers amazing products and discounts. Most will hang out on RocketHub for longer but the best price will be during this first week.

Startup Spotlight

1/ Databricks Acquires Tabular for AI Advantage

Databricks is buying data-management startup Tabular for up to $2 billion to boost its AI capabilities by helping businesses use their private data more efficiently. This acquisition aims to make it easier for companies to work with multiple data formats in the cloud, enhancing their AI models. Founded by ex-Netflix engineers, Tabular will bring its Iceberg technology to Databricks' platform. This is Databricks' second major AI-related acquisition, following the purchase of MosaicML last year. The company continues to grow rapidly, eyeing potential IPO opportunities.

2/ AI Giant OpenAI Welcomes Former Nextdoor CEO as CFO

OpenAI has brought on Sarah Friar, former Nextdoor CEO, as their first CFO, and Kevin Weil, a veteran of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, as Chief Product Officer. These hires come after co-founder Ilya Sutskever's departure and Jakub Pachocki's promotion to Chief Scientist. Sam Altman, OpenAI's CEO, believes Sarah and Kevin will help drive the next phase of growth. The company has also recently added new directors, including Sue Desmond-Hellmann and Nicole Seligman.

3/ Electric Airplane Showdown - Jury Hits Boeing with $81M Verdict for Tech Theft

A Seattle jury ruled against Boeing, awarding $81 million to failed electric airplane startup Zunum for stealing technology and undermining their business. The jury found Boeing misappropriated trade secrets and breached their contract with Zunum, with the potential for the damages to be tripled. Boeing denies the accusations, claiming Zunum failed on its own and that they only created a conceptual mock-up, not a competing design. The final damages and Boeing's appeal could take years to resolve.

4/ The Biggest M&A Deal You’ve Never Heard Of!

AuditBoard just scored 2024’s biggest VC-backed M&A exit with a $3 billion acquisition by Hg. Despite flying under the radar, this auditing software startup pulled in $200 million in annual revenue. This shows there’s big money in less flashy industries like auditing and compliance, with other companies like DataSnipper and FloQast also seeing significant investments. Even though these sectors aren’t buzzworthy, they’re proving to be highly profitable in a slow M&A market.

5/ How SXSW Turned Spring Break into a Startup Revolution!

So, SXSW, the ultimate startup fiesta, wasn't born from genius but a failed New York music plan. Back in '87, during Spring Break, the founders turned the slowest music week into a hit. From 700 peeps to 60,000 badge holders today, they're the OG trash-to-treasure story. The lesson? Entrepreneurs, like rockstars, turn overlooked ideas into gold—persistently. SXSW isn't just celebs; it's where Twitter and Obama happened. So, if you're a startup, SXSW isn't a festival; it's a launchpad. Apply for Pitch; who knows, you might be the next Siri or Klout. Rock on, startup dreamers!

Startup Acquisitions

Flyhomes acquires tech from a real estate startup backed by Sam Altman. (LINK)

Snap explores acquisition talks with AdRoll (LINK)

Shopify acquires Threads (no, not that one) (LINK)

Amazon to Acquire Key Assets of MX Player from Times Internet. (LINK)

Filing shows Salesforce paid $419M to buy Spiff in February. (LINK)

Quick Links

🚀 Discover how Girish Mathrubootham turned Freshworks into a $5.27 billion powerhouse

⬆️ Yongfook shares the ups and downs of reaching $10K MRR with Bannerbear—a must-read SaaS success story!

💰 Tony Dinh reveals how he skyrocketed his indie hack from $322 MRR to $2,000 MRR in just 60 days.

🛣️ Learn from Agency founder Sam Shepler as he shares 7 key insights from running a $3,000,000 Productized Agency

⚙️ Mat De Sousa reveals 8 essential tips learned from building 6 SaaS products in 6 years

Ok that’s it for this week, We keep refining our newsletter content, just hit reply to let us know what you think about this issue.