Big Moves, Bigger Bets

LFG Ventures presents a weekly newsletter delivering private market (pre-IPO) insights and signals across tech and frontier industries.

This week, we’re watching new moves and big bets across crypto, AI, and defense. Sam Altman envisions a softer landing for AGI. Coinbase teams up with Amex to drop a crypto native card. Meta is trying to buy nearly half of Scale AI. Robinhood is backing America’s industrial comeback. And, Palmer Luckey is prepping Anduril for public markets.

Also worth noting—the All-In podcast skipped last week’s episode. Given how close they are to Elon and Trump, it is hard not to view it as a strategic dodge. If you want to be taken seriously as a source for ideas and hot takes, you have to show up when it matters most.

Let’s get into it.

📡 Radar

🧠 Altman on AI: The Gentle Singularity

Sam Altman just dropped a new blog post outlining a hopeful vision for the future of artificial intelligence. He lays out why the road ahead could be smoother than most expect, and what OpenAI is doing to steer things that way. Worth the read, especially if you like your AGI takes with a side of optimism like we do. Sam Altman Blog

🚀 Anduril Eyes IPO

Palmer Luckey confirmed that Anduril is preparing to go public. No timeline yet, but with 2.5 billion in fresh funding and a fast scaling defense tech platform, it is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated listings. We are obviously excited and many of you should be too given our collective exposure. In Luckey we trust! CNBC

💳 Coinbase x Amex

Coinbase is launching a new credit card on the American Express network. The “Coinbase One” card will offer rewards in crypto and integrate with digital wallets, making it easier for users to spend and earn in digital assets. Mainstream rails, meet crypto incentives. As heavy Amex and crypto users, we’re definitely getting one. Amex

⚖ Meta Eyes Scale

Meta is reportedly acquiring a 49 percent stake in Scale AI, giving Zuck’s team access to elite data labeling and infrastructure tools. Scale was last valued at 13.8 billion, with deep ties to government and frontier AI models. We shared this one with the group earlier this year but interest was light. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Yahoo Finance

🇺🇸 Robinhood Launches “Invest in America”

Robinhood announced a new public-private initiative focused on supporting defense and advanced manufacturing startups. They are providing capital and tech infrastructure to founders building in overlooked but essential sectors. Interesting pivot into national security-adjacent territory. Seeking Alpha

🕵️‍♂️ Behind the Curtain

Is BPO the new AI?! Welp, things aren’t always as they seem. Once valued at $1.5B, Microsoft-backed Builder AI goes bankrupt — this collapse is a harsh lesson in the power of hype—and the dangers of mistaking smoke and mirrors for innovation. If it acts like AI but feels like human, buyers and investors need to look under the hood. Today's unicorn could be tomorrow's cautionary tale.

💬 Prompt

Ready when you are.

Using the ‘Product-Market Fit’ framework, please write a marketing campaign outline that demonstrates how our {product/service} is a perfect fit for the needs and pain points of {ideal customer persona}. Identify the specific problems faced by the target market, explain how our product addresses these issues, and provide evidence or testimonials to back up our claims. Emphasize the benefits of using our product and how it can improve the reader’s life or business.

🧠 Wisdom

🔒 Lock In

No plan B. No distractions.

We’re full-time on LFG because conviction doesn’t work part-time.

📐Cybertruck SUV

Cybertruck SUV > Cybertruck pickup. Better lines, better use case. Build it.

Design Credit: @apexredpanda

🎙️ Andreessen on AI, Abundance, and the Future

Jack Altman (yes, Sam’s brother) sits down with Marc for a wide ranging conversation. Marc is the only person we cannot listen to at 1.5x because he already talks at 2x. Pumped to listen to this over the weekend.

Have yourself a weekend,

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