AI SAAS and Tools to Build in 2025, Perplexity to Reach 9 Billion Valuation?

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Welcome back, AI Innovators.

In today’s newsletter:

• Podcast Teaser: #EP6: AstraZeneca Global Tech Director: Demystify AI in the biopharmaceutical industry.
• Insights: AI SAAS and Tools to Build in 2025 — Analyzing 400+ AI Startups Backed by YCombinator
• News: Perplexity AI seeks a valuation of about $9 billion in the new funding round.
• News: Meta releases AI models that can check other AI models’ work.

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• Writer Framework: build Python apps with drag-and-drop UI
• API and SDKs to integrate into your codebase
• Intuitive no-code tools for business users

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🎙️ ABA Podcast Teaser #EP6: AstraZeneca Global Tech Director: Demystifying AI in biopharmaceuticals

In the latest EP, Dr Santosh Karthikeyan, Global Tech Director at AstraZeneca, was invited to share about the transformative role of AI in the biopharmaceutical industry.

I have always been fascinated by the biopharmaceutical industry’s development and impact on our lives. This interview has allowed me to glimpse at how AI is shaping one of the largest biopharmaceuticals in the world. We have touched on some exciting topics on 

• AI Empowering Clinical Trials
• Challenges in Drug Discovery and How AI is improving and impact this process
• Some prominent Use Cases of AI in Biopharmaceuticals
• How to evaluate AI Models for Biopharmaceuticals
• Open Source vs Closed Source AI Solutions
• The Role of Startups in AI Innovation in Biopharmaceuticals
• Future of AI in Biopharmaceuticals

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AI SAAS and Tools to Build in 2025 — Analyzing 400+ AI Startups Backed by YCombinator

If you ask yourself, “What should I build with AI that has a higher chance of success?” this post will bring you closer to an answer.

YCombinator (YC) is one of the most renowned startup accelerators globally. Their ability to identify and nurture transformative companies has led to seismic shifts in various industries.

With the rise of artificial intelligence, YC-backed AI startups have set the stage for the future of AI across sectors.

By analyzing 417 AI-focused startups from YC’s 2023 and 2024 cohorts, we can uncover meaningful patterns and trends to help you decide where to focus your energy when building with AI.

In this article, we will explore:

• The hottest industries for AI startups.
• Critical applications driving AI innovation.
• Which AI sectors are untapped and ripe for disruption?
• Common traits among successful YC-backed founders

Read the full article

The News: East Meets West

News from Asia:

• Chinese AI groups get creative to drive down the cost of models.
• Chinese robotaxi firm Pony AI files for US IPO.
• Alibaba’s international arm says its new AI translation tool beats Google and ChatGPT.
• Singapore passed a law to ban deepfakes among candidates during elections.

News from the West:

• AI computing race too costly for most top chipmakers: Marvell CTO.
• Soon, Meta AI will remember details shared by users on WhatsApp.
• Microsoft will let clients build AI agents for routine tasks starting in November.
• Meta releases an AI model that can check other AI models’ work.
• Perplexity AI seeks a valuation of about $9 billion in the new funding round.
• Bain & Co, OpenAI expands its partnership to sell AI tools to clients.

1. Kling AI: Next-generation AI creative studio.
2. Framer: The web builder for stunning sites.
3. Cursor: Let you write code using instructions.
4. Intercom: A new way to deliver customer service.
5. Cal.com: Scheduling infrastructure for absolutely everyone.

Until next time!
Leo & Lex

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