The Crunchbase Unicorn Board welcomed ten fresh faces in May 2023, doubling April's count, yet trailing behind May 2022's substantial total of 34. These new unicorns were unveiled in an investment climate where leading unicorn investor, [Tiger Global](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/tiger-global), contemplates offloading its private company stakes as unicorn portfolio evaluations continue to be revised downwards.

![](img/знімок-екрана-2023-06-18-о-20.05.57.png)

Of the ten additions, nine different industries are represented with AI claiming two spots at the top. The remaining unicorns each represent a distinct sector, including energy, biotech, robotics, enterprise SaaS, and transportation.

Half of the new unicorns originated from the U.S., with two emerging from China, while Canada, Indonesia, and Japan each contributed one. The month of May saw $5 billion of the total $22 billion global venture funding allocated to these unicorn companies, which is less than half of the $11 billion acquired by unicorns in May 2022. 

![](img/знімок-екрана-2023-06-18-о-20.06.14.png)

The biggest funding for the month was secured by [Shein](https://www.sheincorp.cn/), a fast-fashion e-commerce platform, raising $2 billion in one round at a decreased valuation of $66 billion.

***Here are the newcomers:***

## AI 

Toronto's [Cohere](cohere.com), an AI-based large language model creator for enterprises, raised $270 million in its Series C funding round, led by [Inovia Capital](https://www.inovia.vc/). This has valued the 4-year-old company at $2.2 billion. 

New York's [Runway](https://runwayml.com/), an AI firm specializing in generative video, secured $100 million in a Series D round led by [Google](https://thecymes.com/article/googles-bard-chatbot-made-a-factual-error-during-its-first-demo-the-mistake-cost-the-company-100-billion), achieving a valuation of $1.5 billion.

Another notable AI startup that warrants attention is IDvizer, a facial recognition technology provider striving to revolutionize business security solutions. Their latest offering, IDvizer's Fastest Face ID, is a B2B identity recognition platform that verifies end-users in less than a second, irrespective of the device in use. This product has made waves in the AI industry for its innovative approach to security and its ability to deliver unique user experiences across various fields. [Learn more about IDvizer and its Fastest Face ID in our previous article](https://thecymes.com/article/a-brand-new-way-for-businesses-to-verify-users-idvizer-builds-the-fastest-face-id).

## Energy 

[Ryefield Energy](https://www.fox-ess.com.cn/), a China-based battery energy storage firm, raised $140 million led by [Sparkedge Capital](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/sparkedge-capital), reaching a valuation of $1.4 billion.

## Agtech 

[eFishery](http://efishery.com/), an Indonesia-based developer of IoT feeding devices and an e-commerce platform for aquafarmers, raised $108 million in a Series D round led by Abu Dhabi PE fund [G42 Expansion Fund](https://www.42xfund.com/), reaching a valuation of $1.3 billion.

## Cleantech 

Gradiant from Massachusetts, a company dedicated to aiding water-dependent enterprises in wastewater reduction and treatment, secured $225 million in a Series D round led by BoltRock Holdings and Centaurus Capital, thereby valuing the company at $1 billion.

## Enterprise SaaS 

Restaurant365, an Irvine, California-based restaurant management software firm, secured $135 million, hitting the $1 billion valuation mark. The funding round was led by private equity firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and L Catterton.

## Proptech 

New York-based Avenue One, a proptech firm providing a comprehensive service platform for rental property buyers, raised $100 million led by WestCap. This round valued the company at $1 billion.

## Transportation 

GO, Tokyo's premier ride-hailing app, secured $72 million in a Series D round led by Goldman Sachs, which valued the company at $1 billion.

## Robotics 

Zhiyuan Robotics, a Shanghai-based humanoid robot developer, raised a funding round led by Baidu Capital, achieving a $1 billion valuation. The exact amount raised remains undisclosed.

## Biotech 

Chicago's VectorBuilder, a firm specializing in gene delivery technology, completed a funding round that saw the company reach a valuation of $1 billion.

Correction: Cohere's funding round has been updated to $270 million and its valuation to $2.2 billion based on an updated funding announcement.

[The Crunchbase Unicorn Board](https://www.crunchbase.com/lists/exited-unicorns/9436a996-90a9-40bc-91c0-a7d239de07f1/organization.companies) is a curated list of privately-held unicorn companies valued at $1 billion or more, based on Crunchbase data. Additions are made as companies hit the $1 billion mark during funding rounds. Internal company valuations are not reflected, as these often differ and are usually lower than a priced funding round. Adjustments are not made for investor writedowns, which vary quarterly, as different investors may not consistently value the same company within the same quarter.

Please note that all funding values are in U.S. dollars unless specified otherwise. Foreign currency transactions are converted at the historic spot price even if they were added to Crunchbase long after the event was announced.

Illustration: Dom Guzman\
Photo by [Alex Rybin](https://unsplash.com/@alexrybin?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/images/animals/unicorn?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText)\
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*Note: The information provided in this article is sourced from Crunchbase News, and presents an analysis of the emerging unicorns and investment trends in May 2023*


 Explore the dynamic shift in the unicorn landscape in May 2023, featuring an increase in AI startups, fluctuating venture funding trends, and diverse industry representation. Get detailed insights into the new unicorns' origin, industry, and valuation.

May 2023 Unicorn Expansion | AI Dominance & Global Venture Funding Insights

May's Double-Digit Unicorn Growth Highlights Two AI Players

## 15 Prompts That Can Actually Move Your Business Forward

Forget the noise around “AI productivity hacks.”\
The right prompt doesn’t just make you faster, it makes you clearer. It helps founders, designers, PMs, and engineers turn fog into focus. Below are 15 prompts that do exactly that, ones that help you think sharply, execute smarter, and keep your startup (or creative business) moving forward.

### THINKING PROMPTS – sharpen your strategy and judgment

1. The “blind spot” audit

“Act as an external advisor. Review my company’s strategy below and identify the 3 biggest blind spots – things we’re not seeing that could limit growth or cause risk.”

Why it works: helps you challenge your echo chamber and reveal what’s invisible from the inside.

How it moves your business:\
Tech founders often fall in love with their own logic,  their market assumptions, tech stack, or “obvious” customer pain. This prompt forces AI to act like a strategist with no emotional investment. It reveals weak spots: an untested market segment, overreliance on one client, or a tech dependency that could bite you later.

2. The “decision stress test”

“Here’s a decision we’re considering. Play devil’s advocate and outline the top 3 reasons why this could fail, and what data we’d need to validate or disprove each risk.”

Why it works: brings discipline to gut decisions.

How it moves your business:\
Startups make decisions under pressure, often with incomplete data. This prompt turns AI into a structured skeptic. It doesn’t tell you “don’t do it,” it tells you what to check first. Great for testing pricing changes, hiring plans, or product pivots before you commit code or cash.

3. The “value clarity” exercise

“Based on our website and pitch deck, describe in one sentence what value we actually deliver, and how it’s different from competitors.”

Why it works: clarity beats cleverness.

How it moves your business:\
If AI is trained on billions of examples, can’t articulate what makes you different, chances are neither can your customers. This prompt exposes unclear messaging, bloated copy, and weak positioning. Perfect for refining landing pages, investor decks, or brand narratives.

4. The “innovation reframing” prompt

“List 5 ways companies in totally different industries have solved a problem similar to ours and what we could learn from them.”

Why it works: reframes your challenge through unexpected lenses.

How it moves your business:\
Innovation often hides at the edges. A fintech team might learn from hospitality UX; a SaaS founder might adapt how gaming companies drive retention. This prompt turns AI into a cross-industry connector, helping teams break out of the “everyone in our field does it this way” trap.

5. The “impact map” prompt

“Map our main activities and show where we create the most vs. least value – for users, team, and the market.”

Why it works: visualizes leverage and waste.

How it moves your business:\
In tech, it’s easy to confuse busyness with progress. AI can analyze your roadmap, operations, and output, showing where effort equals actual value. It’s a strategic mirror: which sprint work moves the metrics, and which is just motion.

### ACTION PROMPTS – turn clarity into traction

6. The “clarify the chaos” brief

“Here’s our current to-do list for \[project]. Group these into 3–5 priorities that will have the highest leverage this week.”

Why it works: focus beats volume.

How it moves your business:\
AI is great at pattern recognition; use it to cut through operational noise. Instead of 20 equal tasks, you get 3 that move the system. It’s a micro project manager that helps overworked founders and designers keep velocity without burnout.

7. The “customer pulse” script

“Draft 5 short interview questions to uncover what users actually struggle with, not what they say they want.”

Why it works: translates empathy into data.



How it moves your business:

AI can help you phrase neutral, open-ended questions that elicit real insights. It helps teams replace assumptions with patterns: “people want faster onboarding” turns into “they don’t trust giving access before they understand permissions.” That’s where product breakthroughs happen.

8. The “experiment generator”

“Given our current goal \[e.g. increase retention by 15%], propose 3 low-cost experiments to test which change could have the biggest effect.”

Why it works: prioritizes learning over perfection.

How it moves your business:\
Startups live on experiments. This prompt gets AI to suggest fast, testable actions –landing page variants, feature toggles, micro-campaigns,  so your team learns faster and spends smarter. It’s lean methodology, turbocharged.

9. The “meeting rescue” prompt

“Summarize this transcript into: 1) decisions made, 2) blockers, 3) next steps –  in bullet points.”

Why it works: cuts through meeting fatigue.

How it moves your business: 

AI turns chaotic calls into crisp actions. It gives distributed teams (hello, hybrid chaos) shared clarity in seconds. Add it to your workflow, and meetings become momentum builders instead of energy sinks.

10. The “content that converts” brief

“Write a 100-word social post about \[product] focused on a single emotion (e.g. relief, curiosity, pride) that would resonate with \[target audience].”

Why it works: emotion drives conversion.

How it moves your business:\
In tech, storytelling often dies under jargon. This prompt helps you humanize your message: it translates features into feelings. A small startup with an honest emotional tone often outperforms a funded one with sterile copy.



### VISION PROMPTS –  widen your perspective

11. The “future signals” scan

“Analyze top 5 emerging trends in \[industry]. Which ones could reshape our business model within 2–3 years?”

Why it works: keeps you alert to disruption before it hits.

How it moves your business:\
AI can synthesize global trend data in minutes. For tech founders, it’s an early-warning system: the tool you use for prompts today might become the competitor tomorrow. Use this to align your roadmap with the direction the world is already moving.

12. The “competitor clarity” prompt

“Compare our product with the top 3 competitors in this market. Highlight what they do better — and where our differentiation could be clearer.”

Why it works: competition reveals your blind design choices.

How it moves your business:\
Many teams benchmark emotionally (“we’re better”). AI does it objectively – dissecting pricing, UX flow, messaging, speed, and audience tone. It’s like getting an analyst report without hiring one.

13. The “culture mirror” prompt

“From this internal memo or Slack thread, summarize what this reveals about our team culture, and suggest 2 actions to make it healthier.”

Why it works: surfaces what leaders don’t hear.

How it moves your business:\
Culture lives in the microtone, reaction speed, and feedback loops. This prompt helps founders detect early signs of burnout, misalignment, or communication breakdown before it explodes. Tech runs on humans; a healthy culture is infrastructure.

14. The “founder focus” reflection

“If our company disappeared tomorrow, what problem would the world still need solved, and how else could we solve it?”

Why it works: reconnects vision with purpose.

How it moves your business:\
Every startup hits existential fog. This prompt helps teams remember why they started – not just what they’re building. It’s a sanity check for mission drift and a creative reset when growth stalls.

15. The “north star refresh”

“Rewrite our mission statement in one sentence that a 12-year-old could understand – but that still excites an investor.”

Why it works: simplicity is the highest form of sophistication.

How it moves your business:\
AI helps you strip away buzzwords and return to the essence. When your mission is both clear and contagious, it aligns product, marketing, and hiring. Every great brand has a sentence everyone can repeat.

### Final thought

AI isn’t your intern – it’s your mirror.  It doesn’t replace intuition; it refines it.\
The real power of prompts isn’t automation –  it’s alignment: turning your chaos into clarity, your data into direction, and your ideas into action. The future of business won’t belong to those who type the most prompts,  but to those who ask the right ones!

Stop wasting time with generic prompts. We reveal 15 high-impact prompts designed for founders and product teams to expose blind spots, optimize focus, and align their mission—turning AI into a true strategic advisor.

15 AI Prompts for Founders: Strategic Clarity, Decision Stress Tests, and Execution

The Entrepreneur’s AI Mirror: Essential Prompts to Sharpen Strategy, Stress-Test Decisions, and Turn Operational Chaos into High-Leverage Action.

Beyond the Hacks: 15 Prompts That Actually Move Your Business Forward

Stop worrying about AI taking your job. Start using it! Discover 5 must-have, beginner-friendly tools (MailMaestro, Canva, CapCut, Notion, Workable) that help modern entrepreneurs work smarter, not harder.

5 Essential AI Tools for Entrepreneurs: Boost Productivity & Master Your Workflow

Beyond the Hype: 5 Essential, Easy-to-Use AI and Tech Solutions for Optimizing Communication, Visuals, Video Editing, Task Management, and Hiring.

The AI Toolkit Every Modern Entrepreneur Needs to Save Time and Scale

## **Introduction**

Volkswagen, a renowned automotive manufacturer, is leading the charge in electric vehicle (EV) technology by harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D printing. In collaboration with the University of Tennessee and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Volkswagen's researchers have developed a groundbreaking lightweight composite material that has the potential to revolutionize battery protection in electric vehicles. This innovative approach not only enhances efficiency and sustainability but also showcases the immense potential of AI in material science and manufacturing processes.

## **Revolutionizing Battery Protection with AI and 3D Printing**

![Photo from kjpargeter on FreePik](img/ai-and-3d-printing "Photo from kjpargeter on FreePik")

P﻿hoto from *kjpargeter* on *FreePik*\
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The interdisciplinary team of Volkswagen researchers turned to AI and 3D printing to devise an ingenious solution for EV battery protection. By leveraging the resources of the University of Tennessee and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, they successfully developed a lightweight composite material based on a modular repeating structure of tiny pyramid shapes. This novel material boasts exceptional strength, with the ability to hold 30,000 times its own weight while surpassing the energy absorption capabilities of steel. Moreover, by replacing heavy steel frames with this lightweight composite, Volkswagen achieves a remarkable 60 percent reduction in weight, resulting in improved vehicle efficiency and increased range.

## **The Role of 3D Printing in Prototyping**

To bring their vision to life, the Volkswagen researchers employed 3D printing to create prototypes of the lightweight composite material. This additive manufacturing technique allowed for precise and intricate constructions, enabling the realization of complex pyramid-shaped structures that form the basis of the composite material. Through iterative prototyping, the researchers refined the design, ensuring optimal performance and functionality.

## **Future Prospects for Mass Production**

![Photo from rawpixel.com on FreePik](img/future-prospects "Photo from rawpixel.com on FreePik")

P﻿hoto from *rawpixel.com* on *FreePik*\
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While 3D printing proves invaluable for prototyping, the researchers aim to find viable solutions for mass production. Volkswagen envisions utilizing injection molding or compression molding techniques in the future. These processes are commonly employed in large-scale manufacturing, offering the potential for cost-effective and efficient production of the lightweight composite material. By overcoming the challenges associated with mass production, Volkswagen aims to integrate this innovative material into its EV lineup, further enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of their vehicles.

## **The Promising Intersection of AI and Material Science**

The successful collaboration between Volkswagen researchers, AI, and material science exemplifies the potential for transformative advancements in various industries. AI plays a pivotal role in material science, offering several avenues for progress and innovation:

1. **Predicting Material Properties**: AI-driven models can analyze existing experimental and computational data to accurately predict material properties. This reduces the time and cost associated with traditional testing and screening methods.
2. **Designing De Novo Materials**: Generative models enable the creation of novel structures and compositions that optimize specific objectives or constraints. This opens up possibilities for discovering entirely new materials that were previously inaccessible.
3. **Uncovering New Mechanisms and Phenomena**: Explainable AI models help unravel the underlying physical and chemical principles governing materials. This deepens our understanding and inspires novel design strategies.

## **Harnessing the Power of AI and Material Science**

![Photo from FreePik](img/power-of-ai "Photo from FreePik")

P﻿hoto from *FreePik*\
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The future of AI and material science holds immense promise, with numerous potential scenarios awaiting exploration:

1. **Creation of Smart Materials**: AI can facilitate the development of materials that possess self-healing properties, shape-shifting capabilities, or programmable responses to environmental stimuli.
2. **Exploration of New Material Domains**: AI can accelerate breakthroughs in domains such as quantum materials, nanomaterials, and biomimetic materials, paving the way for innovation across various industries.
3. **Advancement of Green Materials**: AI can contribute to the development of environmentally friendly materials, including biodegradable plastics, carbon capture materials, and renewable energy materials, reducing the impact of human activities on the environment.
4. **Collaboration and Communication**: AI acts as a catalyst for collaboration and communication among stakeholders involved in material design, fostering innovation and streamlining processes.

## **Ensuring Ethical Use of AI in Material Science**

While AI brings immense potential, it is crucial to ensure its ethical use in material science. Several measures can be implemented to promote responsible and transparent practices:

1. **Development of Ethical Guidelines**: Establishing ethical principles and guidelines, such as UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, provides a global framework for protecting human rights, advancing fundamental values, and guiding policy actions.
2. **Transparency and Accountability**: Ensuring transparency and accountability of AI systems and processes within material science, including disclosure of AI usage in scientific manuscripts and mechanisms for monitoring, auditing, and rectifying any harm or errors caused.
3. **Fairness and Inclusivity**: Mitigating biases and discrimination in data, algorithms, and applications while fostering diversity and inclusivity in the design and development of AI systems to address potential social justice and human dignity concerns.
4. **Innovation and Sustainability**: Encouraging the responsible exploration of new domains and phenomena, supporting the development of green materials and processes, and striking a balance between AI's benefits and risks for the environment and ecosystems.

## **Conclusion**

Volkswagen's utilization of AI and 3D printing to innovate lightweight composite materials for EV battery protection exemplifies the company's commitment to enhancing efficiency and sustainability in the automotive industry. Through their collaboration with the University of Tennessee and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Volkswagen researchers have successfully developed a lightweight composite material based on a modular repeating structure of tiny pyramid shapes. This material surpasses steel in energy absorption while reducing weight by 60 percent. The integration of AI and 3D printing in the prototyping process has enabled Volkswagen to refine the design and explore possibilities for mass production using techniques such as injection molding or compression molding.

The convergence of AI and material science holds tremendous potential for future advancements. AI can aid in predicting material properties, designing novel materials, and uncovering new mechanisms and phenomena. This opens up avenues for the creation of smart materials, exploration of new material domains, development of green materials, and improved collaboration among stakeholders. However, the ethical use of AI in material science must be prioritized to ensure transparency, accountability, fairness, and sustainability.

Volkswagen's innovative approach exemplifies the transformative power of AI and material science, paving the way for advancements in electric vehicle technology and beyond. By harnessing the potential of these technologies, Volkswagen is driving the automotive industry towards a more efficient and sustainable future.

Discover how Volkswagen researchers are leveraging AI and 3D printing to revolutionize electric vehicle battery protection. Learn about their lightweight composite material that surpasses steel in energy absorption while reducing weight by 60%. Explore the future prospects of AI in material science and the ethical considerations surrounding its use.

Volkswagen's Innovative Approach: AI and 3D Printing Revolutionize Electric Vehicle Battery Protection

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