Priceline Founder Raises $50 Million for New VentureOne of the pioneers of online travel booking is back with a new startup that seeks to bring a bit more competitive pressure to the industry dominated by Priceline Group Inc.and Expedia Inc. Jay Walker, the founder of Priceline.com, has raised $50 million for Upside.com, a website that tries to find discounts for small business travelers by suggesting alternative travel routes and accommodation and bundling flights and hotels together. The financing values Upside at more than $200 million and includes investments from marketing tech company Red Ventures and investment firm Leucadia National Corp.[ Bloomberg ] Guru to Silicon ValleyEmily Van Hoorickx, an equity compensation specialist at UBS, helps clients offset the risk of concentrated positions in company stock. [ Barrons ] More than 30 million people in the U.S. have an eating disorder, yet most insurance denies treatment. How tech is working to fix that. [ Fast Company ] Upfront’s Mark Suster: The Next Couple Years Will Be Very Good For VCsWinter isn’t coming, according to Mark Suster of VC firm Upfront Ventures. Following the heady years of 2013-2015, when VC investments spiked and valuations rose even faster, many predicted that a harsh winter was coming. Instead, private markets continue to show strength. Funding may be down from 2015′s highs, but it has far from cooled off. [ CB Insights ] Meet Alexa von Tobel, Who Dropped Out of Harvard and Built a $350 Million Financial Planning EmpireAlexa von Tobel, who founded LearnVest at the age of 22, discloses the one question she asks every job applicant, how much sleep she gets running a company as a new mom, and the first thing she bought after she sold LearnVest. [ Inc. ] My cofounders and I were 21 and 22 when we started Next Big Sound, and by far the biggest challenge we faced was in convincing investors they should trust us with their money. That was in 2009, and around that time Mark Zuckerberg was one of the youngest founders to have ever raised venture capital, at 19 years old. Whatever encouragement we drew from that knowledge, it still wasn't easy pitching people 20 to 40 years older than we were. [ Fast Company ] Startup Books Every New Founder Should ReadNatalie Bartlett of General Catalyst
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