The week following Thanksgiving has traditionally been a busy period for startup announcements, and this year was no exception. Despite the holiday season, several funding rounds and startup news made headlines, providing a heartwarming conclusion to the year.

One of the most interesting startup stories to emerge was the creation of a new company by three members of Google's NotebookLM team. Following in the footsteps of AI pioneer François Chollet, the trio left Google to pursue their own venture, making them a company to track closely in the future.

In terms of salary insights, Kruze Consulting, a CPA firm specializing in venture-backed startups, shared valuable information on the average salary of early employees. The data revealed that the Bay Area still commands higher figures, with very senior engineers entering seed startups at salaries ranging from $180,000 to $235,000, compared to $160,000 to $210,000 in other areas.

Fitness startup Ladder, which recently raised $105 million in Series B funding, cleverly turned a potential competitor into a marketing opportunity. By highlighting the similarities between its strength-training app and Peloton's new Strength+ app, Ladder demonstrated its ability to think outside the box and capitalize on existing trends.

Y Combinator's latest Demo Day for its Fall 2024 class of startups took place in person, marking a return to traditional formats after a period of virtual events. This move signals a shift towards a more normal startup ecosystem, where in-person interactions and networking opportunities are valued.

On the funding front, several startups working on significant problems secured substantial investments. Heirloom Carbon, a company focused on carbon-capture technology, raised $150 million in Series B funding to scale up its operations. Cleerly, a cardiovascular imaging startup, secured a $106 million Series C extension round to continue its mission of detecting coronary artery disease early on using AI.

Orakl Oncology, a French lab spinoff combining data and biology to develop new cancer treatments, raised nearly €15 million to date, including nondilutive funding from Bpifrance and an equity round led by European VC fund Singular. FireDome, a startup using projectiles filled with fire retardants to stop wildfires, raised a $3 million pre-seed round led by Third Sphere and Gravity Climate.

In a surprising move, Khloé Kardashian and Kris Jenner are reportedly looking to raise $10 million for Khloud, a consumer startup rumored to be a protein popcorn brand. While details are scarce, this investment opportunity has generated significant buzz in the startup community.

In VC and fund news, former NBA athlete Omri Casspi raised $60 million for his new venture fund, Swish Ventures, which will focus on cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, and AI startups. This marks Casspi's second fund, following the $36 million Sheva Capital fund, whose investment period has concluded.

Dutch investment group Prosus expects five potential IPOs from its Indian portfolio over the next 18 months, representing a significant share of the 20 Indian startups looking to go public in 2025. French VC firm Daphni has also launched Time4, a fund with a target of €100 million, aimed at investing in entrepreneurs with diverse backgrounds and impactful projects.

Finally, Voyager Ventures investment director Leonardo Banchik and other climate tech investors expressed cautious optimism about policy changes being considered by the second Trump administration. While some changes may be detrimental to the sector, others could potentially benefit climate tech, offering a glimmer of hope for the industry.