TransferWise announces whopping $280M investment as early shareholders cash inTransferWise, the international money transfer company and one of Europe’s better-known unicorns, has announced $280 million in new investment today. The Series E round is led by asset management firm Old Mutual Global Investors, and Silicon Valley VC firm IVP, and I understand also includes some secondary share dealings, meaning that not all of the cash will register on its balance sheet. A source close to TransferWise, which has been profitable since early 2017, tells me the new funding values the seven-year old company at $1.6 billion. [ Tech Crunch ] Fewer than one in 10 unicorns -- startups valued at more than $1 billion -- were founded by women. But many of those firms are among the world's most innovative. Here's a look at 15 women who launched $1 billion startups, and how they got to the top. Valuations were provided by CB Insights. The first is Houzz, which was founded by Adi Tatarko and husband Alon Cohen after they struggled to communicate ideas to architects and designers during a home renovation. [ CNN Money ] Battery Ventures leads $75M Series D in travel activities platform GetYourGuideRight after Berlin-based travel activities booking platform GetYourGuideannounced its $50 million Series C, one of Europe’s biggest tourist draws, the city of Paris, was rocked by a series of terrorist attacks. The awful events in Paris were clearly not good news for a tourism-dependent business. “We closed the round on the eve of the Paris attacks… which kind of grounded the business for almost two months,” GetYourGuide co-founder and CEO Johannes Reck tells TechCrunch. “In Europe literally no one went on sightseeing tours. “It’s been quite a turbulent journey since the last fund raise.” [ Tech Crunch ] The New York Times is nearing its goal of an $800 million digital businessHey, journalists — some good news (finally, maybe). The paper of record is getting very close to its goal of building an $800 million digital business. That’s astounding, given how the New York Times only six years ago embarked on what many felt was an existentially fraught plan to charge readers for online access for the first time. What’s happened since? The Times’ digital business (advertising and subscriptions) jumped 30 percent through September of this year. That’s a startling expansion, especially considering its online sales had been growing at an average clip of about 16 percent prior to 2017. If the paper keeps pace, it’ll hit about $579 million in digital revenue this year, and over $900 million by 2020 (more on that later). You can (partly) thank Trump for that. [ Recode ] Only in SF: Someone built a graveyard for defunct startups in Dolores ParkTrick-or-treaters passing through San Francisco's Mission Dolores Park met a sorrowful sight Wednesday night: stark gravestones, nearly a dozen of them, in memoriam of existences taken too soon. It was a memorial to short-lived Bay Area startups. Farewell, Juicero, we hardly knew. A Halloween prankster with a San Francisco sensibility devised the stunt, which greeted costumed park-goers and their pups just as candy-seeking kids set out for the night. [ SF Gate ] Bitcoin blasts past $7,000 to reach another record high in 2017Bitcoin’s incredible march continues in 2017 after the cryptocurrency broke $7,000 per coin for the first time. The surge even saw it go on to reach a high of $7,200 on some exchanges. The price reached a high of $7,140 on popular exchange Coinbase, that was up nine percent over the last 24 hours, but it since dropped to $7,075. That last month has been an even crazier rollercoaster — bitcoin surpassed $5,000 on October 12 and it has defied naysayers and continued to increase steadily in recent weeks. [ Tech Crunch ] An open letter to Travis KalanickTravis, I've spent much of yesterday trying to understand if it was you or Benchmark Capital who threw the latest screwball into SoftBank's attempts to launch a tender offer for Uber shares. And as I sorted through the spin from all sides, something became clear: It's time for you to make a clean break with Uber. Before continuing, let me say that I believe you sincerely have Uber's best interests at heart. And, as even your detractors would admit, you were the driving force behind creating not only the most valuable tech startup of all time, but also one that has revolutionized global transportation. The accomplishments cannot, and should not, be erased or minimized. [ Axios ] Jay-Z Backed JetSmarter Weighs IPO in 2019Cryptos Hit All Time Highs As Bitcoin Shines, Alts HoverE774: All #AskJason: pitches, VCs & angels, bootstrapping, SaaS & enterprise, revenue, diversityQuantifying The Driverless Startup BoomBONUS TWiST Breaking News: Big tech testifies to congress over Russia's interference in electionAlibaba Caps $250 Billion Rally With Accelerating GrowthAyla Networks rakes in $60 mln Series D3 things to know about VC investment in edtechThe Implication Of Secular Increases In SaaS CACOver 70 percent of local fintech startups are post-revenue, Fintech Australia census finds |