Is there a next act for one of Silicon Valley’s top investors after Uber? Benchmark and Bill Gurley are about to find out.Benchmark is one of tech’s most powerful venture capital firms, and, at 6’9”, Bill Gurley is literally one of its biggest celebrities. So as his firm prepares for its next chapter and a new pool of money, there are a number of questions that Silicon Valley has not been able to put to rest, despite endless fascination within the industry about one of its most aggressive investors. Such as: Who’s staying and who’s calling it quits in a band that is famously close-knit? What happens to investors when they are too successful? And, more universally, can major tech players — not just venture capitalists — retain their star power while also trying to develop a younger generation to take their places? These are particularly intense issues as Benchmark moves on from an exhausting fight over the leadership of Uber, which demanded most of its attention in 2017. The firm took unprecedented, divisive steps to oust Travis Kalanick, the CEO of its most valuable portfolio company, and ill will from that ugly battle still lingers. [ Recode ] Fintech friends: Monzo partners with TransferWise for international payments“So what’s going on here then?” I ask. “Two good friends just got even better [friends],” replies TransferWise co-founder Kristo Käärmann laughing, while Monzo co-founder Tom Blomfield, who is also on the video call, smiles approvingly. “Sorry for spoiling your news,” I tell the pair, who I’m interviewing ahead of an announcement today that the two companies are working together. VC Brian O’Malley jumps from Accel to Forerunner VenturesBrian O’Malley may be the most-poached venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. While rising through the ranks at the global investment firm Battery Ventures, where O’Malley had led deals in Hotel Tonight among others, he was plucked out of the firm by Accel Partners in 2013, where both O’Malley and Accel thought he could be even more successful. [ Tech Crunch] What I'm Grateful ForEarlier this week, Redpoint announced its 7th stage fund of $400M. Over the past 10 years that I’ve been Redpoint, I have seen our firm learn, evolve and grow in many different ways - important ways - that fill me with gratitude and pride. [ TOMASZ TUNGUZ ] The art of venture capital with Paul BassatPaul Bassat is the CEO and Founder of a venture capital fund called Square Peg Capital. Alan Kohler gave him a call to find out more about the venture capital space. [ The constant investor ] Matrix Partners China raises $750m for fifth venture capital fundMatrix Partners China, the Chinese arm of U.S. venture capital firm Matrix Partners, has raised $750 million for its fifth venture capital fund, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund saw participation from about 53 limited partners (LPs), the filing said. Matrix Partners China raised $500 million for its fourth China-focused fund in February 2016, less than two years after raking in $350 million for its third fund to invest in the country’s technology, media and telecommunications sectors. [ Deal Street Asia] BDB closes $100m venture capital fundThis Blockchain-Powered Podcast Allows Listeners to Pay for Content That Matters to ThemFifth Wall launches $400M RE tech fundRapid ExperimentationStablecoin Project Secures Backing From Peter Thiel, Coinbase, 40 OthersImmigrants Founded Or Lead About Half Of Most-Funded US Unicorns The Rise of Algorithmic VCAnnouncing Work at a StartupToday we’re talking about a project Jared, Matt, and several other people at YC have been working on. It’s called Work at a Startup - https://www.workatastartup.com/ - and it’s like a common application for engineers to apply to many YC companies simultaneously. CHM Live | Techtonic Shift: China's Rise in Venture Capital and TechRemember when "Made in China" was synonymous with a cheap toy or electronic knockoff? Those days are long over. Chinese tech firms, once seen as quaint or copycats, now have Alibaba, Tencent, and Ant Financial counted in the world's top 10 most valuable internet companies, alongside Alphabet, Facebook, and Amazon. And the country's tech economy is taking on, and beating, global rivals. VW charges up San Jose electric battery unicorn with $100M fundingThe Ugly Pie, Marc Andreessen, and the Most Important Lesson for Small-Town Entrepreneurs |