How AI is impacting SaaS, Claude's new model for education
👋 Hi and welcome to Brighteye Bulletin - your fortnightly take on all things in Edtech, HRTech and Talent Empowerment, both from a Startup & VC perspectives.
Articles and Resources of the week
The rise of agentic AI is bound to radically change the start-up ecosystem, creating new opportunities and disrupting the current equilibrium. In particular, new agents’ ability to deliver high-quality output without user intervention poses a significant threat to the SaaS ecosystem, and forces companies in the field to innovate and integrate new solutions.
However, although AI agents represent a significant shift in how software might be built and delivered, thus posing a real challenge to the traditional SaaS model, their rise doesn’t necessarily mean SaaS will disappear. Indeed, history shows that tech transitions rarely lead to total replacement, with old and new models coexisting.
One clear example is the evolution of databases. When NoSQL technologies like MongoDB emerged, many believed they would make relational databases like MySQL obsolete. NoSQL brought new advantages in handling large volumes of unstructured data and offered greater flexibility. But instead of vanishing, relational databases evolved, adding support for semi-structured data, improving scalability, and remaining essential for transactional systems.
Some might oppose that due to AI, although MongoDB did not replace MySQL, we’re now witnessing a deeper shift, where knowledge graphs and semantic layers are emerging to complement, and eventually challenge, the dominance of relational logic.
However, whether or not AI agents completely replace the current functions of SaaS companies, big corporates’ slow adoption of new tech can give leading SaaS players the time to adjust, integrating AI features and focusing on industry expertise and internal systems integrations.
What’s clear is that the emergence of agentic AI is not just another trend, but rather a fundamental shift. Whether it pushes SaaS to evolve or gives rise to new models entirely, the path forward seems more about change than replacement.
If you are founder and believe your SaaS or AI agent correctly addresses this dualism, reach out to us today!
Anthropic launches Claude for education
After OpenAI’s ChatGPT for Education, Anthropic has launched its own education focused Generative AI solution, Claude for Education.
Claude for Education is designed to support students in everyday learning and in their entrepreneurial projects, while establishing partnerships with important higher education institutions like London School of Economics and Political Science and Northeastern University.
The release includes the new Learning Mode, designed to guide students in their learning process by fostering reasoning rather than just providing answers. Moreover, the new platform offers well-structured study projects and career projects, trained by Anthropic to kickstart efficient learning. To aid research, Claude provides resources like templates for study guides and outlines, assisting students in organising and synthesising information efficiently.
Finally, Anthropic has launched the Claude Campus Ambassadors program, allowing students to collaborate directly with the Anthropic team to initiate educational projects on their campuses. For student innovators, Anthropic offers the opportunity to apply for funding in the form of API credits to support projects built with Claude.
The question now is how AI tutors and higher education focused founders will leverage this new tool to step up their game.
If you are a founder or someone working in this space, do not hesitate to reach out to us with your projects on the topic.
Investment news
Paris-based Parallel has secured $3.5M in seed funding led by Frst, with participation from Y Combinator, Bpifrance, Kima Ventures and Better Angle. The startup supports hospitals in administrative processes by designing AI agents specific for healthcare providers.
Berlin-based Voize has raised $9M in seed funding led by HV, with participation from existing investors Y Combinator, redalpine, and HPI Ventures, to advance the development of its proprietary AI for speech recognition tech that aims to simplify and accelerate digital documentation processes, particularly in the healthcare sector.
London-based Flagright, a no-code compliance platform, has secured $4.3M in seed funding. Frontline ventures led the round supported by Y Combinator, Pioneer Fund and Moonfire.
London-based Reactwise has closed a £2.6M pre-seed funding from Y Combinator and institutional investor Innovate UK. The company offers an AI Copilot to optimise chemical processes by identifying the best chemical reaction conditions.
Jobs
Visibly is hiring a Senior Product Manager, a full stack engineer and a founding account exec (London).
La Solive is hiring a business developer B2B in Paris, a campus manager for Toulouse and many teachers for their programs across their campuses in Paris, Marseille, Lille, Toulouse and Lyon.
Shakers is hiring a CRO & CRM expert, a legal associate, an HR Intern and a mid-market business development intern in Madrid, a financial analyst in Valencia/Bilbao.
Doinstruct is hiring a customer success manager, a customer support agent, an AI prompt engineer and senior frontend and backend developers (Berlin and Remote).
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed it, please share with friends and colleagues interested in European Edtech, HRTech and Workforce Empowerment. We also explore the AI space - stay tuned for more updates!
Onward & upward!