The Set I’m Still Looking For

Your Sunday VC Breakfast Rundown

This is my second time in Montreal.

And it’s the second time I’ve come chasing the truest of true house music. Not the big name stuff. Not the crowd-pleasers. I’m talking about the kind of set that moves through you and forces you to ask what could I become if I just let go?

The first time, I left feeling a little more Landry. Like maybe that name meant something. Like maybe there was a piece of me in these streets. Maybe something French Canadian in the blood I never tested, but felt anyway.

This time, I’m here for a friend. But really, I’m here to keep searching. For that set. That sound. That feeling. That gut certainty that you’re where you’re supposed to be, doing what you’re supposed to do. That’s not music. That’s momentum. And in the startup world, that’s everything.

Building a company is like chasing a perfect set. You travel for it. Bleed for it. Second-guess every choice until the moment it all aligns, and you feel it. Not because someone told you, but because everything inside you goes still.

Montreal breathes like that. Founders breathe like that. And if you listen close, sometimes the rhythm tells you what’s next.

Uplinq grabs $10M Series A (Next Coast Ventures, AZ-VC) to turn bookkeeping into a backend AI engine for SMBs. Alex Glenn, Jacob Peplinski, and Ethan Blak built the system that already powers $140M+ in transactions monthly. Their “catch-up module” handles 3 years of chaos in 72 hours flat. With 92% tax filing accuracy and a patented recon engine, Uplinq’s not automating, it's erasing friction.

Snorkel AI secures $100M Series D (Addition, Prosperity7, Greylock) at a $1.3B valuation to industrialize programmatic data labeling. Alexander Ratner, Braden Hancock, and team are fueling Fortune 500s with Snorkel Flow, where AI deployment starts with data that actually works. Revenue tripled three years running, 12 Fortune 500 clients locked. From LLM hallucination suppression to regulatory rigor, Snorkel is setting the gold standard for production-ready AI.

Rime locks in $5.5M in Seed funding (Unusual Ventures, Cadenza, Founders You Should Know) to rewire speech synthesis. Lily Clifford, Brooke Larson, and Ares G. are building voice AI that captures sarcasm, sighs, and code-switching with the speed and soul of a live conversation, powering 100M+ real-time interactions a month. Their tech stack runs full-duplex voice pipelines with 300ms latency, streaming identity-rich sound at enterprise scale. From Domino’s to Wingstop, they’re making IVR feel like talking to a human, not a machine.

Unbound raises $4M Seed (Race Capital, Wayfinder, YC) to make AI secure for the enterprise. Rajaram Srinivasan and Vignesh Subbiah built the AI Gateway that redacts, routes, and regulates sensitive data in real time, cutting leak risks and AI spend while locking down LLM usage with surgical precision. Already in use by stealth insurers and ecommerce giants, Unbound’s platform enforces privacy without blocking productivity. With $1M going to double the team in Bengaluru, they’re scaling fast with roots in real enterprise trenches.

Vima Therapeutics scores a $60M Series A (Atlas Venture, Access Industries, Canaan) to treat dystonia at the source. Dr. Bernard Ravina and David Grayzel are leading a veteran biotech crew with VIM0423, a first-in-class CNS therapeutic blazing through Phase 1 toward Phase 2 by year’s end. Unlike past muscarinic therapies, VIM0423’s smart pharmacological profile is built for efficacy and tolerability. With potential follow-on programs for Huntington’s and Parkinson’s, Vima’s not just chasing approvals, they’re rewriting the movement disorder playbook.

Grammarly secures $1B in non-dilutive financing (General Catalyst) to anchor the AI productivity market without touching equity. Max Lytvyn, Alex Shevchenko, and Dmytro Lider are scaling the global writing OS with tone detection, collaboration tools, and ghostwriting precision for the Fortune 500 and beyond. The deal protects Grammarly’s $13B valuation and gives them runway without dilution, a strategic rarity. They’re not just fixing grammar, they’re owning how global teams communicate.

L Catterton just dropped a thunderclap across global private equity with $11B raised, $6.75B of it for their flagship Fund X. Co-led by Scott Dahnke and backed by the legacy of William Simon and a 2016 power move with LVMH and Groupe Arnault, they’re threading 17 offices across five continents like cultural stitchwork. Their bets span from Peloton to Farmley, and they’re not chasing hype, they’re curating culture with surgical timing. With $37B AUM, they're not just deploying capital, they’re reshaping the global consumer stack.

Let’s connect and keep the momentum going across the tech ecosystem. Whether you’re a founder shaping the future, a leader driving change, a VC backing bold ideas, or an investor spotting the next big thing—together, we’re pushing boundaries. Proud to be building the future with you.

Let’s connect on LinkedIn and Twitter (X), and keep the conversation going.

If engineering peace of mind is what you crave, Vention is your zen.