White Star Capital raises new $180M fund to help startups go international Global venture capital firm White Star Capital has closed a second fund of $180 million, money it plans to invest in “transatlantic” companies that need help to go international. The VC already has a presence in London, New York, and Montreal, and as part if its new fund is adding Paris and Tokyo to the list. Oversubscribed from an initial target of $140 million, apparently, White Star says it will invest in around 20 new companies from the new fund, writing opening cheques of between $1 million and $6 million. White Star’s first fund of $70 million closed in 2015 and the VC has backed around 26 startups to date. Notably, the firm has already invested in eight companies from its second fund. [ TechCrunch ] Binance announces $1 billion fund for blockchain and cryptocurrency startupsCryptocurrency and blockchain businesses are scaling rapidly; so much so, that a cryptocurrency business that started less than a year ago is giving away billions of dollars in funding. Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, announced a $1 billion venture fund for blockchain and cryptocurrency startups on Thursday. [ TNW ] Microsoft Will Acquire Coding Site GitHubFor Microsoft Corp., acquiring GitHub Inc. would be both a return to the company’s earliest roots and a sharp turnaround from where it was a decade ago. The software maker has agreed to acquire GitHub, the code-repository company popular with many software developers, and could announce the deal as soon as Monday, according to people familiar with the matter. Microsoft’s origin story lies in the market for software-development tools. Decades before former Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer jumped up and down on a stage, cheering for "developers, developers, developers," Bill Gates and Paul Allen co-founded the company to give hobbyists a way to program a new micro-computer kit, the MITS Altair. [ Bloomberg ] Notable VC's who funded GitHub are Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive Capital, Why SoftBank invested $2.25 billion in CruiseGeneral Motors’ Cruise received a $2.25 billion investment from SoftBank’s Vision Fund. Once that deal closes, GM will invest another $1.1 billion. SoftBank landed on Cruise because it’s one of “a handful that in our view have a meaningful opportunity in front of them,” SoftBank Vision Fund Managing Partner Michael Ronen told TechCrunch. Cruise’s integrated play of hardware and software attracted SoftBank, Ronen said, as well as the fact that Cruise’s spirit, creativity and energy “has not been diminished at all.” [ Tech Crunch ] How Natalie Massenet's new VC firm sees the future of retailTwo years ago, Nick Brown was doing some soul-searching. The then-partner at 14W had been investing in retail’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) revolution on behalf of the firm for some six years. But then he began to think about what the next chapter in his professional life would be. No-fees mobile bank Chime raises $70M Series C, valuing its business at $500M Chime, the San Francisco-based challenger bank known for its consumer-friendly features and lack of fees, has raised $70 million in Series C financing, led by Menlo Ventures. The round, which also included existing investors Forerunner Ventures, Aspect Ventures, Cathay Innovation, Northwestern Mutual, Crosslink Capital, and Omidyar Network, brings the company to over $100 million in total funding to date and values the business at around $500 million. [ TechCrunch ] Naveen Jain, founder and chairman, Moon Express, on moonshots | Code 2018 Uber Turned Down a $3 Billion Investment From Warren Buffett. That's Good News for Uber—Really.There’s so much money in early-stage investing these days that Ron Conway’s firm is scaling backWeights & Biases raises $5M to build development tools for machine learningUW Allen School Colloquium: Emily Chang (Bloomberg) Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley Abstract: Emily Chang will discuss her recent bestselling book "Brotopia," which draws on her deep network of Silicon Valley insiders to explore the "boy's club" culture of Silicon Valley and how to fix it. E825: David Bennahum @getreadyio: extend runway & be frugal for greatest chance of startup successE825: David Bennahum, Founder of the Ready creative building platform (@getreadyio) shares how to extend your runway and be frugal to give your startup the greatest chance of success @ LAUNCH Incubator Clayton Lewis: "Personalized Wellness Era" | Talks at GoogleA competitive Ironman triathlete with a passion for health and wellness, Clayton Lewis loves to win and push the boundaries of what’s possible. In 2014, he partnered with biotech pioneer Dr. Lee Hood to co-found Arivale, a company focused on helping individuals optimize wellness and avoid disease. Lewis’ track record coupled with Hood’s expertise in systems biology, creates a powerful leadership team. Arivale combines personalized data, coaching and action plans that are transforming thousands of lives. Lyft Weighs Purchase of Citi Bike Operator MotivateProtestors in San Francisco are using electric scooters to blockade Google busesCan Women Have It All? Not in Silicon ValleySVOD Live Stream - Day 2 (May 31, 2018))Silicon Valley Open Doors (SVOD), premier Silicon Valley investment conference that brings together startups from all over the world with the prominent Silicon Valley venture capital firms, leading technology companies, and business media. Feds come hunting tech talent in Silicon ValleyEP017: Venture Investment Trends In IIoT - An Interview With CB Insights' Nicholas PappageorgeEP023: Competence Through Collaboration - An Interview With Alchemist Accelerator's Ravi BelaniNew Book Details the Spiral of Elizabeth Holmes From Celebrated CEO to Silicon Valley OutcastThe startup community must defend merit-based immigration VCs Like What They Are Hearing Out Of The Podcasting Sector Scaling Startups Are Setting Up Secondary Hubs In These Cities 8 Private Chinese Unicorns You Need To Know Jason CalacanisWelcome inside the mind of one of the top angel investors on the planet! This full-length video features the Fireside Keynote at the 2018 Young Entrepreneurs Convention. |