A grab bag of funded startups caught our attention this past month, from a previously bootstrapped custom metal manufacturer that got its first outside funding from big-name Silicon Valley backers, to a startup that aims to provide geothermal energy from underwater volcanoes to small island nations. Let's take a look. Reno, Nevada-based SendCutSend said last month that it has raised $110 million in funding led by brothers and Stripe founders John and Patrick Collison, along with Sequoia Capital and Paradigm, at a reported $1 billion valuation. The company operates an on-demand manufacturing platform specializing in custom-cut metal and fabrication. The round is its first venture investment, and apparently came only after Sequoia's Andrew Reed flew to Reno to woo SendCutSend CEO Jim Belosic into accepting Silicon Valley backing. Previously, Belosic had bootstrapped the company, founded in 2018, with personal savings, bank loans and credit cards, he told The Wall Street Journal. He...
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