Andreessen Horowitz is pocketing a huge win in the $7.5 billion GitHub acquisitionFor all its hype, Andreessen Horowitz has had few mega-exits in its relatively short history in venture capital. But the buzzy VC firm pocketed over $1 billion when its portfolio company, GitHub, was acquired by Microsoft in a $7.5 billion, all-stock deal, according to a person with knowledge of the figures. Andreessen Horowitz invested $100 million into the software startup in 2012, the single largest check it had ever written. The firm owned about 13 percent of the company after that deal, according to Pitchbook, and made sure to take its pro rata rights — or right to follow up with more investment at a later date — when Sequoia Capital valued the company at $2 billion in its own deal in 2015. Those were the only two times that the 10-year-old company ever raised money. [ Re/Code ] YC looks to help more of its companies lock down Series A fundingY Combinator, the popular startup accelerator program, has never been shy about experimenting. Now, in its latest trial, the outfit is launching what it’s calling a Series A program. The idea is to help alums that maybe picked up seed funding after one of YC’s famous Demo Day presentations but that could use some help thinking through how much to raise in Series A funding, and from whom. [ TechCrunch ] Silicon Valley is scrambling for talent, and now Microsoft owns two of the top professional networks
What U.S. Investors Can Learn From An Immigrant Venture Capitalistpital fund Silicon Badia. Namek Zu’bi is the co-founder and managing partner of Silicon Badia, a venture capital fund that makes early investments in B2B startups, namely “the unsexy ones,” as Zu’bi puts it. Based in New York City, Zu’bi launched Silicon Badia in 2012, its Amman division officially launched two years later; totaling a ten-person team. Zu’bi has invested in over 40 U.S. B2B startups operating in sectors like agriculture, construction, waste management and even hair weaves. [ Forbes ] Why startup visas are good for AmericaAs immigrant rights groups and activists continue to fight for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, another Obama-era immigration policy is quietly being dismantled by the Trump administration. The International Entrepreneur Rule, also known as the "startup visa," which gives immigrants the chance to start businesses in the United States, now has an uncertain future. [ CNN ] Winrock and BD Venture Capital sign MoU to cooperate on agro-technologyaWinrock International and Bangladesh Venture Capital Ltd. have agreed to cooperate with a goal to improve the identification and scale-up of agricultural technologies in Bangladesh. To achieve this common goal both the parties signed an MoU on Monday, said a press release. Md. Maksudur Rahman, Country Director, Bangladesh, USAID Feed the Future Asia innovative Farmers Project signed on behalf of Winrock International while Golam Monowar Kamal, Managing Director signed on behalf of Bangladesh Venture Capital Limited. [ UNB ] Crypto start-up Ripple donates $50 million to top universities to boost blockchain adoptionFrom Aborted IPO to Biggest Exit of 2017 Jyoti Bansal, Founder, AppDynamics // Ravi Mhatre, Co-founder + Partner, Lightspeed Venture Partners In the beginnings of a business, you are in survival mode; do we meet the product market fit, how do we get VCs interested, how to we scale? But never under estimate the importance of getting culture right as you build. A business pivots, an entrepreneur evolves. Learn how Founder Jyoti Bansal went from an aborted IPO to the biggest exit of 2017. One-on-One with Max Levchin Max Levchin, Founder + CEO, Arm; Co-founder, PayPal // Jeremy Liew, Managing Director, Lightspeed Venture Partners Max Levchin has founded several successful companies, been on the board of many others, and has learned lessons that any entrepreneur can benefit from. Levchin discusses how his thinking has evolved over the years and the lessons learned by bringing diversity into the workplace. Don't ask yourself "are we hiring the best people we know?" ask yourself "are we hiring the best people that we DON'T know?" Is your business going far enough out of the network to really build the BEST. L'Oréal Buys Silicon Valley Startup, But AR Beauty Is Just The Beginning Says CDOSingapore-founded ShopBack wants to lead a mobile-first approach to ecommerce in AustraliaAs diversity progress in Silicon Valley stalls, advocates call for a new approachLendix raises $37 million for its lending marketplace Carbon Robotics CEO says automation's future looks a lot like the combine harvester | Code 2018Founder and CEO Rosanna Myers presented at Recode's 2018 Code Conference and said she sees a future for industrial automation and it looks a lot like 19th century farming. Early stage investor Nexus Venture raises $313m so far for its $450m new fundFull transcript: WSJ investigative journalist John Carreyrou on Recode DecodeHow Infibeam blazes a trail with crucial pivot, IPO, right acquisitions and surging profitVCs Like What They Are Hearing Out Of The Podcasting Sector TransferWise partners with France’s second largest bank BPCE GroupeLG Electronics Sets Up Venture Capital Firm in Silicon Valley With Brazil Leading The Way, VC Investment In Latin America Has More Than Doubled Music startup Roli adds Sony as investor, eyes up expanded range of hardware and softwareBungie gets $100 million investment from Chinese gaming company NetEasePlayVS, bringing esports infrastructure to high schools, picks up $15 million #FINTECHack: Building a community of experts and driving the Startup ecosystemAsia news roundup: Hellobike joins unicorn club, $1b Binance blockchain fund, and moreHow to Get Startup Capital for a Business: An Unconventional WayIn this week’s podcast I interview Ludwina Dautovic about how to get startup capital for a business, in quite an unconventional way. https://romanceyourtribe.com/how-to-g... Ludwina is the founder of a startup called The Room Xchange. It is an innovative mash of an Air BnB kinda-sorta model with a social enterprise model that creates real social change for the lonely, the homeless, the empty nesters and those who just love cultural exchange. Direct-to-Consumer, Luxury Brand Tamara Mellon Raises $24 Million to Accelerate Growth |