Vice Valued at $5.7 Billion With $450 Million TPG InvestmentVice Media Inc. got a $450 million investment from private equity firm TPG, valuing the irreverent chronicler of youth culture at $5.7 billion. The funding will help Vice produce more video through a new in-house studio, and create online subscription services to sell those videos to consumers, Chief Executive Officer Shane Smith said in a statement. The company continues to consider an initial public offering, Smith said in an interview on CNBC. [ Bloomberg ] Mark Zuckerberg is skipping Trump's big meeting with tech executives againPresident Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and other members of the White House will meet with executives from the biggest tech companies on Monday to discuss modernizing the government. And out of the nearly 20 companies scheduled to attend, one glaring absence is Facebook. [ Business Insider ] Casper, Mattress Maker, Raises $170 Million and Plans I.P.O.Several months ago, Casper, the most prominent of a new generation of mattress makers that rose to prominence through e-commerce, held talks to sell itself to Target. Those talks fizzled as the two sides failed to agree on terms. Instead, Target is now leading a new investment in Casper — as the mattress maker aims for an initial public offering down the road. [ NY Times ] Ensuring foreign-born founders can grow their startups in the U.S.Most venture capitalists can recount examples of immigrant entrepreneurs who have built great companies that delivered jobs and outstanding products and services to the American public. Those same VCs can also recount examples of immigrant entrepreneurs who have been distracted, frustrated, and burdened by our antiquated immigration system that prevents foreign-born entrepreneurs from staying in the country to build their companies. [ Tech Crunch ] Blue Apron’s Up IPO Not A Wild Surprise As Unicorns Fare Well In 2017 Blue Apron’s IPO moved closer to reality this week as the firm set a price range for its shares. The company is set to go public at a higher IPO price than its last private round, undercutting worry that future unicorn IPOs may only point one direction: down. The meal-kit startup may IPO at a price between $15 and $17. [ CrunchBase ] Aspect Ventures is raising its second fund $175 millionAspect Ventures, the San Francisco-based early-stage venture firm founded in 2014 by longtime VCs Jennifer Fonstad and Theresia Gouw, has begun raising its second fund, and the outfit is looking to raise up to $175 million, shows an SEC filing. [ Tech Crunch ] [ SEC ] Microsoft launches a new AI startup program at Station F in ParisMicrosoft is rethinking its strategy when it comes to startup acceleration in Paris. The company is going to focus on artificial intelligence. This will lead to a new program for AI startups at Station F. Microsoft has had a startup accelerator in the Sentier neighborhood for a few years now. Nestle Leads $77M Funding Round In Meal-Delivery Startup FreshlyMeal-delivery startup Freshly has raised $77 million in new funds, financing that was led by Swiss-based food giant Nestle. On Tuesday, Freshly announced a new Series C funding round that also was supported by existing investors including Highland Capital Partners, Insight Venture Partners, and White Star Capital. [ Fortune ] Qunar co-founder Fritz Demopoulos says startup success in China requires a 10-year commitmentKicking off Tech Week, Jared Kushner rallies tech leaders against floppy disksDrivers have filed a lawsuit against New York ride-hail player Juno for securities fraudSusan Wojcicki Has Transformed YouTube—But She Isn’t Done YetPowerhouse Ventures is an investment firm collaborating with universities to commercialise researchKlarna obtains full banking licence from Swedish authoritiesStitch Fix has hired a new CFO. An IPO probably comes nextSoftware startup abandons Trump’s U.S. for ‘welcoming’ TorontoPresident Trump wants a ‘sweeping transformation’ of government tech, he says at a White House meeting with execs'Most VCs are full of sh*t:' meet the anti-venture capitalist with more than 1,600 startupsElon Musk suggests L.A. Mayor open to Boring Co. tunnel networkFull transcript: Facebook Messenger head David Marcus on Recode Decode |