Scoop: How Lime is pitching its scooter biz to investorsE-scooter company Lime wants to expand its business into areas like ultra-compact electric cars, local merchant promotions and delivery, according to a confidential fundraising deck obtained by Axios. Background: Axios previously reported that GV, a venture capital affiliate of Google parent company Alphabet, is leading a $250 million equity round into Lime at around a $1 billion post-money valuation. [ Axios ] WeWork in Talks With SoftBank to Double Valuation to as Much as $40 BillionSoftBank Group Corp. is in discussions to invest another giant slug of capital in WeWork Cos., with a deal that would value the shared-office company at $35 billion to $40 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Such an investment would roughly double WeWork’s $20 billion valuation, set last August when SoftBank invested $4.4 billion in the company. It would make the New York firm the second-most-valuable privately held, venture-backed U.S. startup behind Uber Technologies Inc. [ WSJ ] Why This VC Believes Immigrant Founders Represent A Strong Investment OpportunityImmigrants have played a large part in making the US a leader in innovation. Unshackled Ventures, which has been backing immigrant entrepreneurs since it was founded in 2014, realizes just how important their thesis is to continue to support the deep talent pool immigrants represent ,as well as leverage the unique perspectives they bring. Maria Salamanca, who immigrated to the US when she was 17, double majored in Public Policy and Legal Studies at UC Berkeley, and is now a Principal at Unshackled VC, shares her unique background and how it has influenced her work in VC. [ Fortune ] Regulatory Support for Startups Comes Into VogueWhen Julie Lein and Clara Brenner set out five years ago to invest in companies addressing urban challenges, venture capitalists were writing blog posts about how startups should avoid highly regulated industries. But since that time, Uber Technologies Inc., Airbnb Inc. and WeWork Inc. have become some of the most highly valued private companies in the world. More venture capitalists are seeking ways to support startups in sectors with heavy read tape, an area Ms. Lein and Ms. Brenner have focused on since starting the accelerator... [ WSJ ] Why bitcoin may be worthlessThe Bank for International Settlements isn't exactly a household name. Based in Basel, Switzerland, and founded nearly 90 years ago, it's the central bank of the world's central banks, fostering cross-border capital flows and monetary policy cooperation. Help Us Help You: The importance of board re-educationHere are three simple truths about your board of directors:
As a founder and/or CEO, you’re living and breathing your business 24/7. You know it inside and out, all of its nooks and crannies, the things that make it special and the things that are less than special. As the business has gone through various twists and turns, you’ve had your hands on the wheel every second, sometimes not even realizing that a long, gradual turn has led you down a materially different trajectory. [ Primary.vc ] Inertial Sense Partners with DataTribe to Revolutionize Autonomous NavigationInertial Sense, creators of the world’s smallest, high-performance precision GPS-Inertial Navigation Systems, today announced that it has closed a $2 million round of seed funding led by DataTribe and supported by Atomic Ventures. Inertial Sense will use the funds to accelerate their market-leading position and advanced development of additional micro-navigation solutions and 3-D motion sensors. [ PRWeb ] A look at the boom in VC funding for mental health startupsBack in 2009, venture capital investors backed seven companies in the mental health space. Jump to this year, and VCs have already completed 30 deals for companies working to help people improve mental health and mindfulness. The latest recipient is Calm, which offers an app for meditation and sleep. The company has announced a $27 million Series A that gives it a post-money valuation of $277 million. Insight Venture Partners led the financing, with participation from Ashton Kutcher's Sound Ventures and One Direction frontman Harry Styles. [ PitchBook ] How We Launched Our Own Venture Capital Fund At 21 And 23-Years-OldIn January 2018, Nandeet Mehta and I announced our first ever venture fund, Prototype Capital, a distributed venture capital firm and studio with scouts all over the country investing $5 million over the next 18 months. Raising the fund and launching it is unlike anything we’ve ever done and much unlike fundraising for a startup. [ Forbes ] China’s VIPKID, which links English tutors with online learners, raises $500M at $3B+ valuationThe online language school market is continuing to heat up, and a startup that connects English teachers with an audience of students spanning China and 35 other countries for live language tutorials, is helping fan those flames. VIPKID, based out of Beijing, today announced that it has raised $500 million in funding — a Series D+ round that values the startup at over $3 billion. [ Tech Crunch ] VCs are bullish on bitcoin—stillTim Draper, wearing a purple tie emblazoned with the bitcoin emblem, performed a rap about the glory of digital currencies in front of both a large audience and cameras at a conference last month. The fight between Airbnb and and New York City is heating upSilicon Valley's questionable ethics are finally being challenged... by its employeesCryptocurrency Hedge Fund Gets VC Fred Wilson's Backing Amid Bitcoin SlumpVC Boosts Assistive Tech Startups To Make The World More Accessible In a push into Europe, WeWork competitor Knotel acquires Ahoy!BerlinBega Valley receives funding from Incubator Support Program to develop innovation hubBayer Closes US$63 billion Monsanto DealUber drivers made more than $600 million in tips in one yearThe New Startup SouthTaste test: Burger robot startup Creator opens first restaurantDrip Capital raises $15 mn from Accel, Sequoia and othersSwiggy raises $210 million in latest fundingPayPal to buy Simility, a specialist in AI-based fraud and risk management, for $120M Australian venture capital firms partner to write moral code of conduct for startup community |