STARTUP X
The F42 brief #024
Here’s your Monday dose of The F42 Brief.
📈 Trending Now
The one thing that’s making all the noise …. with a bit of fact checking.
💸 New Funds looking to give you cash
The Raise Report
💡Innovator Spotlight
Founders that are doing stuff differently.
🛠️ Tool of the Week
Something useful to up your startups velocity.
📌 Note to Self
Stuff I constantly remind myself about, don’t want make the same mistakes again.
📈 Trending Now
Is Manus AI a real sneak peek at the future of SAS?
When Manus AI launched on March 6, it felt like we'd reached a major turning point. Forget basic chatbots or digital assistants—Manus is something entirely new. It can handle tasks you'd typically outsource to specialist teams or consultants, effortlessly generating detailed reports, performing in-depth financial analyses, creating interactive educational content, and even managing complex coding projects. Essentially, it packs the capability of multiple skilled professionals into one powerful tool.
Imagine this: you're launching a startup that replicates the way Manus works, leveraging its open-source technology and autonomous approach. You no longer need large, costly teams or external consultants to deliver specialised services. Manus—or your own customised version inspired by it—enables you to quickly scale niche businesses, whether they're focused on financial insights, educational platforms, marketing analytics, or creative content production. This isn't just another AI tool added to your workflow; it's a foundational partner powering your entire operation.
But what's truly exciting here is Manus’s open-source nature, which gives businesses unrestricted access to its underlying technology, methodologies, and frameworks. This accessibility allows for global collaboration, rapid innovation, and continual improvements from a diverse community of developers and entrepreneurs worldwide. It also empowers you to adapt and evolve your solutions based on proven methods, removing tech headaches and letting you focus purely on strategic growth, customer relationships, and refining your unique business proposition.
If you want early access you’ll have to hang out here and hope to get an invite code:
In short, Manus AI isn’t just reshaping individual tasks; it's fundamentally changing how businesses operate and scale. Its potential goes far beyond cost-cutting—it offers agility, innovation, and speed to market.
For Founders Who Want to Get **it Done
💡Innovator Spotlight
Zuchongzhi 3.0 – Is Quantum Computing Finally Getting Real?
Earlier this month China introduced the Zuchongzhi 3.0, an extraordinary superconducting quantum computer with 105 readable *qubits—and 182 *couplers. This isn't just incremental progress—it's a quantum leap, literally. This new system operates quadrillions of times faster than today's most powerful supercomputers and even a million times quicker than Google's recent Willow chip.
Why You Should Care:
Quantum Advantage is Here: Zuchongzhi 3.0 doesn't just improve on previous benchmarks set by Google’s Sycamore and earlier Chinese models—it blows them out of the water. We’re witnessing genuine quantum supremacy, not theoretical hype.
Tackling Quantum’s Achilles’ Heel: The team's advancements in surface code error correction are vital. This progress means quantum computing might soon move beyond experimental labs and into practical, commercial uses.
Global Tech Race Heating Up: With this breakthrough, China is positioned firmly at the forefront of quantum research, setting a fast pace in this high-stakes global competition.
How far are we from everyday quantum computing?
While Zuchongzhi 3.0 is a massive milestone, genuine commercial quantum computers—capable of reliably solving real-world problems like new drug discovery, ultra-secure communications, or advanced materials development—may still be several years away. Yet, each breakthrough like this one shrinks that gap considerably.
*Qubits, or quantum bits, are units of quantum information capable of being in multiple states at once, enabling immense computational power.
*Couplers connect qubits, allowing them to interact and perform complex calculations. Quantum computing isn't just futuristic anymore. Zuchongzhi 3.0 shows it's becoming a realistic tool that could soon transform entire industries.
If you have not joined the Fusion42 Community on Telegram — A space for Founders, Framers, and Funders who show up to get **it done,
it is probably time to do so.
For the ❤️ of Startups
🛠️ Tools of the Week.
LinkedIn Just Shut the Door on Apollo.io and Seamless.AI—Here's What It Means for You
You might've heard the news—LinkedIn recently banned Apollo.io and Seamless.AI, two leading sales engagement tools renowned for scraping data to fuel lead generation. It's a major disruption for many sales teams and startups that relied heavily on these platforms.
What's Actually Happened?
Simply put, LinkedIn blocked these platforms from accessing their site due to repeated data scraping violations. The reason? LinkedIn monetises its platform through premium features and ads—not by permitting third-party scraping of user data.
Why Should You Care?
Immediate Workflow Disruption:
Teams using these platforms now face significant challenges, suddenly needing to source leads through alternative methods.
Ethical Data Collection Matters:
This move reinforces the importance of adhering strictly to data ethics and platform guidelines. If you're using scraping tools, it's time to reconsider your approach to avoid similar bans.
Opportunities in the Chaos:
Disruption breeds opportunity. There's now a clear demand for compliant, ethical lead generation solutions, presenting a genuine chance for startups to innovate.
Tools You Should Consider Right Now:
SalesMotion:
Personalised outreach without automated scraping—prioritising quality interactions.
Sales Navigator (LinkedIn):
LinkedIn's own compliant tool for targeted prospecting within their guidelines.
ZoomInfo:
Reliable and compliant sales intelligence focusing on publicly available data.
Manual Prospecting:
Sometimes the old-school approach can deliver authentic, high-quality leads without risking compliance.
Bottom line?
While this disruption feels challenging now, it's an important wake-up call. Ethical and compliant data collection isn't just safer—it's smarter, more sustainable, and positions your business for long-term success.
📌 Note to Self
Thank you for reading. If you liked it, share it with your friends, colleagues and everyone interested in the startup Investor ecosystem.
If you've got suggestions, an article, research, your tech stack, or a job listing you want featured, just let me know! I'm keen to include it in the upcoming edition.
Please let me know what you think of it, love a feedback loop 🙏🏼
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For the ❤️ of startups
✌🏼 & 💙
Derek