Bonfire Ventures closes $60 million to invest in SoCal B2B startupsLos Angeles is becoming one of the more interesting destinations for startups and the investors that provide money for venture capital firms to place bets on young companies are increasingly starting to take notice. New funds are launching in Los Angeles at a pretty feverish clip, and the latest to plant its flag in the city is Bonfire Ventures, which just closed a $60 million vehicle for new investment. [ Tech Crunch ] The state of the US venture industry in 15 chartsMore than $84 billion was invested in the US VC industry during 2017, the highest amount since the dot-com era. That amount represents 16% growth over 2016's total—and more than double the amount invested in the years following the market crash of 2008-2009. The median and average deal sizes grew to a decade high at every stage, with the average late-stage financing surpassing $30 million. U.S. banks’ Venmo alternative, Zelle, moved $75B last year, says 100,000 people enroll dailyZelle, U.S. banks’ answer to mobile payment services like PayPal and Venmo, claims that nearly 100,000 consumers, on average, are signing up for its service per day. The company also painted a picture of growing traction, noting it processed over 247 million payments in 2017, an increase of over 45 percent year-over-year, totalling $75 billion in peer-to-peer payments, up from $55 billion the year prior. [ Tech Crunch ] 30 startups band together for an ICOThirty startups have banded together for an initial coin offering that aims to fetch $35 million. Why it matters: 22x Fund, as it's called, is akin to a startup index fund, enabling investors to buy into a pool of equity from all the companies. [ Axios ] Blacklane Raises $40 Million: Travel Startup Funding This WeekLaughing all the way to the bank is even more fun when you’re in the back seat of a chauffeured car. The founders of the Berlin-based professional driver service Blacklane have received significant funding from an investor in the Gulf States, a growing regional source of investment for travel companies. [ Skift ] [VC Unlocked] Amit Bhatti, Convertible Securities WebinarHow This Millennial Founder Built A Global Mentorship Community For Women In TechI wanted to help build a community where women learn, inspire one another and can connect from a place of heart. Powerful words from Sarena Bahad, an award-winning community builder, digital nomad, and founder of Women in Tech Inc -- a platform advocating for gender diversity in the workplace that features inspiring career women on its Snapchat and Instagram channels. By galvanizing a global community, Women in Tech Inc. has been able to utilize social media storytelling to empower female voices in the tech industry, and in doing so, amass an incredible digital presence that led to their 2017 Shorty Award for “Snapchatter of the Year.” [ Forbes ] For His Next Act, Ken Chenault Turns His Focus on Silicon ValleyEver since Kenneth I. Chenault announced last fall that he would retire as chief executive of American Express, he has been fielding phone calls from companies looking to hire him. It’s not surprising. Mr. Chenault is one of the most prominent African-American chief executives in the world and the man who led American Express through 9/11 and the financial crisis. When it came to selecting his next act, he was bound to have a wide variety of choices. In the last two weeks, he has announced he was joining the boards of Facebook and Airbnb. And for the last several weeks, he’s been trying to keep one more secret — perhaps his biggest — about his future plans. [ NY Times ] Koch brothers are backing a new firm to invest in disruptive tech in bid to challenge government regulationsPeople are scared of tech because we’re telling them to be scared, says Stripe CEO Patrick CollisonThe only thing people have to fear about tech is fear itself, said Patrick Collison, who was a special guest at Recode and MSNBC’s first townhall event for the series, “Revolution,” which aired on the cable network last night.The CEO of the $9.2 billion-dollar payments startup acknowledged that while it’s easy to “fall into the depths of despair,” the data proves otherwise. “Unemployment is close to all-time lows, and even if we look at middle-aged males, sort of this demographic that’s been reportedly kind of hurt by technology, employment is rising there, as well,” said Collison, who added that over half Stripe’s U.S. users are from the U.S. South and Midwest. Collison’s comments about the potential impact of technology on employment were part of “Revolution,” which will examine tech’s impact on the future of work over the next year. The first episode, with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, was taped recently in San Francisco. [ Re/Code ] Boeing HorizonX invests in Berkeley aerospace battery tech startupMeasure Your Success & Tell Your Story Using SaaS MetricsIndian ride-hail player Ola is taking its fight against Uber global, starting with AustraliaMicrosoft buys gaming services startup PlayFab to bolster its Azure platformThe Future Of Leather (Suzanne Lee, Phil Ross, Michael John Gorman) | DLD 18Robot Sophia, Venture Capital and Two Presidents Full of Optimism: Highlights of Day 3 of Ukraine House DavosGV leads $25M investment in Hover, a computer vision startup that digitizes your homeGold Medal Gymnast Takes On Gender Equality In Silicon Valley: Fighting Bias Through InvestmentMore than $84 billion was invested in the US VC industry during 2017, the highest amount since the dot-com era. That amount represents 16% growth over 2016's total—and more than double the amount invested in the years following the market crash of 2008-2009. The median and average deal sizes grew to a decade high at every stage, with the average late-stage financing surpassing $30 million. [ PitchBook ] Meet the CEO behind Blind, an anonymous chat app that has tech workers talkingAustralia-founded digital identity company ThreatMetrix acquired by Relx Group for £580 million |