Dear hustlers, founders, operators and visionaries,

Klarna’s IPO plans are on hold after the new US tariff regime has sent financial markets into turmoil. Their founders may take solace from Whiskey Bourbon having been exempted from the EU’s retaliatory tariff list. If you prefer the head-in-the-sand strategy in these turbulent times, a YC partner’s new AI-based recipe app may prove a useful distraction: community recipes now feature the Pope’s Diarrhea and Peanut Butter Pancakes. Follow the Gradient and stay tuned.

🫶🏼 Melanie & Christian

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Your talk track for this week’s cocktail party

DeepL to IPO in 2026?

German AI translation startup DeepL, valued at $2bn, is exploring a potential IPO for possibly in 2026, though plans are still early. Founded in 2017 and having raised $300M last year from investors like Index Ventures and Atomico, DeepL serves 100K+ clients including Zendesk, Coursera, and Deutsche Bahn, and is involved in EU policy initiatives supporting startup-friendly regulations.

Amazon to join TikTok bid in extended deadline

Amazon has reportedly made a last-minute bid to acquire TikTok, ahead of an original April 5 deadline for the app to divest from Chinese ownership or face a U.S. ban. In wake of the new US tariff regime, the deadline to find a deal has been extended by 75 days by President Trump. Other potential acquirers include an Oracle-led bid involving Andreessen Horowitz.

AI drug discovery venture raises $600M

UK-based Isomorphic Labs has raised $600M in its first external funding round, led by Thrive Capital and Google Ventures. Founded by DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis, the company uses AI to speed up drug discovery, focusing on oncology and immunology. It has partnerships with Eli Lilly and Novartis.

Freiburg-based Black Forest Labs ends work with xAI

Germany-based Black Forest Labs is no longer partnering with Elon Musk’s xAI. Known for its advanced text-to-image models, the company had helped develop an image tool for the Grok chatbot. The collaboration reportedly ended as xAI moved to its own image model, Aurora, in last December.

What do you meme?

For a honest convo about Founder mental health, go here.

Food for thought

The expense receipt you never had?

ChatGPT’s new imagine generation capabilities found new forms of usage: creating business receipts which never existed. New Tech, new challanges?

US trade tensions: adapt, retaliate or fall behind?

How does the European startup scene look at the current tariff and trade tensions with the US? Reactions and opinions cover a diverse range, as outlined here:

• an opportunity for innovation: Europe may benefit from advanced manufacturing technologies being shifted to the continent

• a new EU Tech sovereignty: talents usually drawn to the US may stay at home, expanding the local pool of human resources

• a call to action for protecting European businesses: the EU is under pressure to take steps and protect its businesses

What is your take?

A “cool down week” to boost your Sales?

Sales teams often see every week, every day as a sprint for survival. Yet every high-velocity team needs a break. Canva’s Jorge Bestard offered this inspiring insight about taking the concept of resting periods from Sports to Sales: take the first week of the quarter for strategic recovery. Focus on mental rest and strategic planning.

Mark your calendar

France

Blockchain Week in Paris, 8-10 April [Program]

Germany

Feel the Fibe in Berlin, FinTech, 9-10 April [Program]

Netherlands

Plant FWD in Amsterdam, 8-9 April [Program]

Spain

Energy Tech Summit in Bilbao, 9-10 April [Program]

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Smart hack

When joining a new team, or taking over new responsibilities, one usually comes across things which strike someone as off in terms of how operations are run.

Nat Bennet of Simpler Machines shared his approach of dealing with this and putting down a “WTF list”:

• note down all the things your team does and which strike you as weird

• continue your observations over a couple of weeks and cross out things which proved “not to be weird” - observe and listen before making changes

• start approaching your team on the items left on the list - by then, you will be able to have an informed opinion on them which helps build acceptance

• over time, you will get to the really sticky issues

One good read

‘Give Away Your Legos’ and Other Commandments for Scaling Startups

Join the entrepreneurial journey

Are you ready to take your first steps into the startup ecosystem or seeking an exciting new opportunity? Below is a curated list of startup job openings across Europe for you to explore.

Internships

Operations Support - Working Student [📍Berlin], Health Tech, Aware [Apply]
Content & Marketing Intern [📍Berlin], AI, Merantix AI Campus [Apply]
Founders Associate [📍London] AI, Portia AI [Apply]
Visiting analyst [📍Berlin], VC, Merantix Capital [Apply, Hiring manager]

Customer Success

VP of Customer Experience [📍Remote, Europe], E-Learning Platform, LearnWorlds [Apply]
Senior Customer Success Manager - German speaking [📍Hybrid, Berlin], Education, Handshake [Apply]

HR & Finance

Junior Accountant - part-time [📍Berlin], BioTech, Cambrium [Apply]
Head of Talent Acquisition[📍Berlin], VC, Project A [Apply]

Marketing & Comms

(Senior) Product Marketing [📍Munich], Robotics, RobCo [Apply]
Head of Marketing [📍Frankfurt, Hybrid], Manufacturing Industry SaaS, Operations1 [Apply]

Sales

RVP Sales - Northern Europe [📍Remote, Europe], Data Security, BigID [Apply]
VP of International Sales [📍Remote, Europe], 2D / 3D Dental Imagery, Pearl [Apply]

Product & Tech

Product Manager Marketplace [📍Munich], Marketplace for Pre-owned Bikes, Buycycle [Apply]
Product Manager - Taxation [📍Remote, Berlin], Fintech, Scalable Capital [Apply]

Final words — take what you need