Next Big Thing Radar — June 4, 2025

Startup discoveries, delivered weekly. 📈

🎉 TABLEONE

  • Sector: SaaS / Hospitality

  • Platform: Wefunder

  • Stage: Seed

  • Valuation: $10M

  • Minimum Investment: $500

What They Do TableOne is an AI-powered restaurant management platform designed to streamline operations for small and medium-sized restaurants, improving table turnover, reservations, and staff management.

Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing With restaurants facing persistent staffing challenges and operational inefficiencies, TableOne's technology meets a real market need. The platform's early users report significant gains in operational efficiency.

Snapshot

  • 60+ restaurants onboarded

  • Monthly recurring revenue (MRR) up 40% in 6 months

  • Founded by a team with experience at OpenTable and Toast

My Take Restaurants run on tight margins. Streamlining operations with AI could be a game-changer, and TableOne is positioning itself early in this digital transformation.

🧵 XAI

  • Sector: AI / Gaming

  • Platform: StartEngine

  • Stage: Pre-Seed

  • Valuation: $12M

  • Minimum Investment: $75,000

What They Do XAI builds AI-powered NPCs (non-playable characters) that adapt and learn from player interactions, creating more immersive gaming experiences.

Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing Gaming is massive, but NPCs are still fairly static. XAI’s tech could redefine engagement and realism in gaming worlds. Early demos show promise, with players reporting a 2x increase in gameplay time.

Snapshot

  • Founders are ex-Epic Games engineers

  • Tech stack includes GPT-4 fine-tuning

  • Partnerships underway with indie game studios

  • Notable Investors: Backed by early investors in Epic Games

My Take AI is infiltrating every sector—gaming included. XAI’s approach to dynamic NPCs could set a new standard for player immersion.

🤖 XAI QP-1

  • Sector: AI / Hardware

  • Platform: StartEngine

  • Stage: Seed

  • Valuation: $20M

  • Minimum Investment: $75,040

What They Do A spinoff of XAI, QP-1 is their custom AI chip built to optimize real-time adaptive behaviors in games and simulations.

Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing Hardware tuned specifically for gaming AI could give developers a big advantage—lower latency and better performance. QP-1’s prototype is already running tests with promising results.

Snapshot

  • Proprietary architecture for AI gaming

  • Targeting both gaming studios and defense simulation

  • Early LOIs (Letters of Intent) signed

My Take Custom chips could be the "next leap" for AI in gaming. QP-1 is still early but worth keeping on the radar.

🌿 JACKALO

  • Sector: Consumer / Kids Apparel

  • Platform: Wefunder

  • Stage: Growth

  • Valuation: $15M

  • Minimum Investment: $100

What They Do Jackalo creates durable, organic children's clothing designed to withstand active play and multiple kids. Think "hand-me-downs" engineered to last.

Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing Parents are tired of fast fashion waste and poor durability. Jackalo’s eco-conscious, quality-first model taps into a growing market of sustainability-focused buyers.

Snapshot

  • 500% revenue growth YoY

  • 90% customer retention rate

  • Certified B Corporation

  • Angel Investors: Backed by mission-driven consumer product angels

My Take Durability and sustainability are trends that won’t fade. Jackalo’s execution and brand ethos give it strong potential.

🌿 CANCERVAX

  • Sector: Biotech / Immunotherapy

  • Platform: StartEngine

  • Stage: Early Clinical

  • Valuation: $30M

  • Minimum Investment: $525

What They Do CancerVax is developing a new cancer immunotherapy aimed at activating the body's immune system to target and destroy cancer cells without damaging healthy tissue.

Why It Might Be the Next Big Thing Immunotherapy has revolutionized oncology, but challenges remain. CancerVax's approach—boosting the immune system while minimizing side effects—has shown early promise in preclinical trials.

Snapshot

  • Preclinical results demonstrate strong tumor regression

  • Collaboration with UCLA researchers

  • Preparing for Phase 1 clinical trials

My Take Biotech is always high-risk, but CancerVax’s science and partnerships are worth watching.

Wrapping Up

Early-stage opportunities don’t come with headlines — they come quietly. That’s why we’re here: to surface the startups worth knowing before the buzz.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, keep your radar tuned and your thinking sharp.

📖 Disclaimer: This newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice or investment solicitation.