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Hello Friends!

Here’s the latest scoop from the markets, events, and tech world in this edition of The Weekly Slice, today brought to you by our sponsor, PodPitch.

At VedasLabs, we’re reimagining crowdfunding by merging timeless philosophy with cutting-edge technology. Our platform is built on the values of excellence, transparency, and collective empowerment, inspired by Aristotle’s pursuit of greatness and the Vedic principle of karma—where meaningful contributions lead to shared success. We’re not just funding ideas; we’re building a community of visionary founders, engaged investors, and forward-thinking mentors.

Join us as we pioneer a new era of decentralized funding—where innovation meets ethics, and every investment has a deeper purpose.

Ready to join the VedasLabs community? Sign up here and be part of our journey!

Market Trends and Economy 📊

As of February 13, 2025, the U.S. economy demonstrates resilience, with the Federal Reserve's latest Monetary Policy Report highlighting a solid state characterized by a balanced job market and decreasing inflation pressures. The report emphasizes the Fed's commitment to returning inflation to 2% and carefully assessing data and risks before making interest rate policy changes. While the financial system is sound and resilient, the Fed warns of elevated market valuations and notable financial leverage vulnerabilities. Read the full report here.

Conferences and Meet-Ups 🏙️

Lo-Fi Hack #1

Saturday, February 22, 2025 | 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM PST | Edge & Node House of Web3, 103 Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA

Join developers from YC, Founders Inc., Buildspace, and more for a full-day hackathon focused on building local-first x AI apps! Co-sponsored by Hugging Face and supported by Mozilla, this event is a must-attend for innovators in decentralized AI applications.

Women in Tech - Peer Insights & Connection

Biweekly on Wednesdays | Next Event: Feb 26, 2025 @ 5:15 PM EST | Online

Join professional women in tech for 1:1 networking sessions focused on emerging industry trends, career growth, and regulatory updates. Get matched with like-minded professionals for 15-25 minute conversations based on your networking goals and interests.

Communities - Let’s Grow Together 🌱

Peer Insights & Connections

Join a community of professionals dedicated to collaboration and innovation in the business world. Engage in 1:1 networking sessions to exchange ideas, gain insights, and explore new partnerships.

Silicon Alley: Tech Startup Community

This Council is a forum for the Greater NY/NJ/CT Tech Community, offering a space for technologists, business professionals, and entrepreneurs to collaborate on breakthrough innovation and global high-tech challenges.

Emerging Technology Review 📟

Big Tech’s $320B AI Spend Defies Efficiency Race

The world’s largest tech companies are pouring an unprecedented $320 billion into AI infrastructure in 2025, dismissing concerns about efficiency and doubling down on AI’s transformative potential. Despite more efficient AI models from challengers like DeepSeek, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta are making bold investments to cement their dominance.

• Amazon leads the charge with a $100B capital expenditure, up from $77B last year. CEO Andy Jassy calls AI a “once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity.”

• Microsoft is committing $80B, with CEO Satya Nadella highlighting AI’s 175% YoY revenue growth and predicting that improved efficiency will increase demand rather than slow it down.

• Google (Alphabet) is pushing $75B into AI infrastructure, surpassing expectations despite investor concerns over its cloud and AI strategies.

• Meta is spending $60–65B, banking on open-source AI models and its proven ad-driven monetization strategy.

Even as some investors worry about profitability, tech leaders remain bullish—betting that AI’s future requires more infrastructure, not less. Will $320B be enough to meet the growing demand? Only time will tell.

Space Out 🪐

NASA Discovers Ingredients for Life on an Asteroid

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has made a groundbreaking discovery—asteroid Bennu contains organic molecules, the essential building blocks of life. Scientists have spent over a year analyzing samples from Bennu, which was first collected in 2023 and returned to Earth, offering a pristine snapshot of the early solar system.

🔬 Key Findings:

• Bennu contains amino acids, carboxylic acids, and nucleobases, essential for forming proteins, RNA, and DNA.

• The asteroid likely originated beyond the snow line, an outer region of the solar system where water and organic compounds could have first formed.

• Unlike meteorites that land on Earth and risk contamination, Bennu’s samples provide an untouched record of prebiotic chemistry.

🌍 What This Means for Life in the Universe
This discovery reinforces the theory that asteroids may have delivered the chemical ingredients for life to Earth billions of years ago. It also raises exciting questions about the potential for life on Mars, Europa, or other celestial bodies.

🔎 Want to learn more? Listen to NASA’s Curious Universe podcast here for a deep dive into this cosmic mystery!

The Crypto State 🐳

Robinhood's Crypto Trading Revenue Soars Post-Election

Robinhood has reported a significant increase in fourth-quarter profits, driven by a 700% surge in cryptocurrency trading revenue. This growth is attributed to heightened trading activity following the recent U.S. presidential election and Bitcoin's approach toward the $100,000 mark. The company achieved over $1 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time, with assets under custody growing by 88% to $193 billion.

Startup Spotlight 🌟

Uscreen

Uscreen, a platform helping influencers build their own apps and manage memberships, has secured $150M from PSG Equity, now its majority stakeholder. The company, founded in 2015, has helped creators generate $600M+ in subscription revenue and plans to expand globally, enhance AI-driven tools, and improve video hosting. As social media shifts with AI and a potential TikTok exit, Uscreen offers creators more direct control over their audience—part of a growing trend alongside Patreon and Substack. Read more here.

That’s a Wrap Slice 🍕

What is VedasLabs.io again?

VedasLabs.io is a Web3 funding and networking platform that incentivizes an active, global community comprising founders, mentors, and investors. Our vision is to create a world where investment, the exchange of knowledge, and collaboration among investors, issuers, and industry experts are secure, instantaneous, and without friction.