Autonomous Cars, AI Molecules & Next-Gen Docs

Welcome back to another issue of Why Join.

Now, here’s something I think you'll love — six must-read publications:

Alternative Investing Report, The Hustle, A Smart Bear: Longform, TLDR Newsletter, The Neuron, and The Office Party.

Check them out, and thank me later!

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Weekly Startup Spotlight

> Forterra (formerly RRAI) raised $75M in Series B funding led by Moore Strategic Ventures, XYZ Venture Capital, and Hedosophia.

What it does: Forterra develops autonomous vehicle systems designed to enhance operational efficiency and safety in both military and industrial contexts. Their flagship product, AutoDrive, offers comprehensive self-driving capabilities across various environments, including structured and unstructured settings, on-road and off-road locations, and even in GPS-denied areas.

Open positions: C++ Software Engineer - Clarksburg, MD

> Chai Discovery raised $30M in Seed funding led by Thrive Capital.

What it does: Chai creates AI foundation models for predicting biochemical molecule structures and reprogramming their interactions, crucial for developing new medications. Their model, Chai-1, predicts proteins, small molecules, DNA, RNA, and other biomolecular structures, matching or exceeding the performance of models like AlphaFold 3. For instance, Chai-1 achieves a 77% success rate on the PoseBusters protein-ligand benchmark, compared to AlphaFold 3’s 76%.

Open positions: AI Research Scientist - San Francisco, CA; AI Engineer - San Francisco, CA

> Thatch raised $38M in Series A funding led by Index Ventures and General Catalyst.

What it does: Thatch offers a modern healthcare benefits platform that provides a flexible and personalized approach to employee healthcare through an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA). Employers set a budget, allowing employees to choose healthcare options that best meet their individual needs.

Open positions: Operations Specialist, Customer Support Specialist, Software Engineer, Product Manager

> You.com raised $50M in Series B funding led by Georgian.

What it does: Originally a search engine, You.com has evolved into a chat-first AI assistant, functioning as a "productivity engine." It uses advanced language models to assist users with research, problem-solving, coding, and content creation, transforming workflows for knowledge workers.

Open positions: Senior/Staff AI Engineer, Senior/Staff Data Scientist, Senior UX Researcher

> Mintlify raised $18M in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz.

What it does: Mintlify addresses the challenge developers face with documentation by enabling companies to publish high-quality, branded software documentation, including guides, API references, and examples. This improves developer productivity and tool success.

Open positions: Developer Success Engineer - San Francisco, CA; Full Stack Engineer - San Francisco, CA; Founding Account Executive - San Francisco, CA