Ant Is Worth 50% More Than Goldman With $150 Billion ValuationAnt Financial’s latest round of funding, reported to involve Singapore’s Temasek Holdings Pte, is said to value the Chinese provider of mobile payments at about $150 billion -- 50 percent more than Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s market capitalization. [ Bloomberg ] Jerry Yang: I was my favorite Yahoo! CEOOne of my favorite interviews we’ve done was with Yahoo! Co-Founder Jerry Yang. Not just because of what he’s done, but because of the time we did it. There are a lot of interesting moments in history to interview Yang– ours was just after Alibaba went public in the largest global IPO in tech history. This was a massive vindication for Yang, who originally brought the deal to Yahoo!, and argued against Yahoo! selling half of its stake off years later. He needed the vindication: Yang was supposed to be the Steve Jobs founder hero coming in to save Yahoo! back in 2008. He initially turned down a $40 billion acquisition by Microsoft, was eventually ousted as CEO, and Yahoo!’s long slide continued... [ Pando ] A cryptocurrency startup is investing cryptocurrency in a cryptocurrency fund that invests in other cryptocurrency startupsAs the world of investing in cryptocurrencies grows more interwoven and sophisticated, expect to see more stories like this: Ripple, the company behind the digital currency XRP, said Wednesday that it would invest $25 million in one of the leading venture capital funds that specializes in blockchain-related deals, Blockchain Capital. [ Recode ] TravelPerk grabs $21M to make booking business trips suck less TravelPerk, a Barcelona-based SaaS startup that’s built an end-to-end business travel platform, has closed a $21 million Series B round, led by Berlin-based Target Global and London’s Felix Capital. Earlier investors Spark Capital and Sunstone also participated in the round, alongside new investor Amplo. [ Tech Crunch ] Sequoia and Lightspeed's seed bets on Snap and Dropbox brought in billionsIn the era of SoftBank, it's easy to brush aside $500,000 rounds. But seed financings, like those that got companies including Uber and Snap off the ground, remain an essential
part of the evolving venture lifecycle. For a founder, seed deals can be the difference between operating a company out of a parent's basement and securing actual office space. For an investor, the right bet—no matter how small—can lead to a billion-dollar payout. E810: Clara Brenner Urban Innovation Fund-Forming a Board; Domingo Guerra Appthority-Founder LessonsE810: Clara Brenner, Urban Innovation Fund: "Forming a Board: Why & When (or, To Board or Not to Board) & Domingo Guerra, Appthority "Founder Lessons from Seed to Series B" @ Founder.University. [ Youtube ] Uber users will be able to book e-bikes, buy public transit tickets and rent a car via the Uber app — and it’s all part of a bigger planUber isn’t just a ride-hailing service anymore — or at least the company is trying not to be. Today, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced that the company would soon allow customers to buy public transit tickets and rent a car in Uber’s app, via a series of partnerships. Uber has long billed itself as much more than a ride-hailing service. But this signals the next big step in its evolution into a broader transportation platform. Uber wants to own a piece of every trip that happens in cities, from e-bikes to public transit — even if it’s not an Uber-operated service. [ Re/Code ] Revolut, the payments startup, will see its valuation jump five times to $1.4 billion after a financing round led by DSTThe valuation of Revolut, an international payments startup, is set to quintuple in less than a year due to a new fundraising round, according to people familiar with the matter. DST Global, an investing firm founded by Russian venture capitalist Yuri Milner, is expected to lead a round that values the company at about $1.4 billion, not including the new cash, the people said. Revolut has been pitching investors in recent months on a deal that would raise about $150 million, but the total amount collected could now climb to $250 million. The round is not yet closed. [ Re/Code ] Bloglovin’ becomes Activate and names Kamiu Lee as its new CEO In Q1 2018, Austin Carries Texas In Dollars Raised And Deals MadeReal Estate Community Backs Knotel in $70 Million Series B RoundCoca-Cola Amatil partners with BlueChilli to launch accelerator program XcelerateTheranos reportedly lays off most of its remaining employees as it tries to avoid bankruptcy In Q1 2018, FinTech Startups Raise Record Amounts While Deal Counts FallBiopharma Software Company Aetion Announces $36 Million in Series B FundingVenture Capital Funding Report Q1 2018Insurance giant Allianz confirms $35M investment in Asian ride-sharing unicorn Go-Jek How Alibaba-Backed Startup Qupital Is Helping Hong Kong SMEs Fix Their Cash FlowMedical Device Startup Confirms B2B Sales StrategiesA visual representation of US PE activity in 1QChinese venture capital firm leases floor of Hammacher Schlemmer Building |