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Steve Bowsher, In-Q-TelSteve Bowsher, president and CEO of In-Q-Tel. He made an early bet on Palantir, blowing the doors open for Silicon Valley techies to go after federal contracts. The son of a federal employee who grew up devouring spy novels, Bowsher has always been interested in the work of the government but actually cut his teeth in Silicon Valley. After graduating from Stanford, he worked for three startups and spent eight years at venture fund InterWest Partners. By combining Silicon Valley's swashbuckling ethos with a government agency's mission-driven mentality, Bowsher has helped shepherd some of the biggest defense tech success stories of the past two decades.

Persons: Steve Bowsher, Bowsher Organizations: Magazine, Stanford, InterWest Partners Locations: Menlo Park , California, Silicon Valley

☆ A tax compliance startup raised millions. Then it abruptly shut down, and the founder cut off contact.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Even the human-resources firm retained to help employees with offboarding, Tandem, quit soon after the layoffs because it never got paid. Shannon Flynn Bevers, Tandem's president and founder, said that she tried to help employees but that Johnson stopped responding. "When startups go out of business, they will pay employees their final paycheck. Johnson told employees to take a weeklong furlough and blamed the issue on a technical snafu. She also told employees they could file a claim with their state labor department or hire an employment lawyer.

Persons: Slack, Shiloh Johnson, Johnson, they'd, Benjamin Matthews, Shannon Flynn Bevers, I've, Flynn Bevers, VCs, Josh Felser, Aerin Paulo, ComplYant's, I'd, ComplYant, podcaster David Sacks, Michael Tam, Tam, Matthews, Ryan Cady, Lusely Martinez, Martinez, Cady, paychecks, wasn't, Taliah McGuire, McGuire, what's, Shiloh Luckey, Penelope, We've Organizations: Business, offboarding, . Venture, BI, Craft Ventures, ComplYant, Mucker, Slauson, — Mucker, Fika Ventures, Employees Locations: Los Angeles, Shiloh, San Francisco, Colorado, New York, TikTok

☆ Exclusive: Navan is targeting an April 2025 IPO as it projects to end next year with around $1 billion in annual revenue
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Navan is a travel and expense platform backed by a16z that was last valued at $9.2 billion. The company is targeting an April 2025 IPO, according to a source with direct knowledge. It is projecting to end 2025 with ARR in the billion dollar range, according to the source. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementNavan, a travel and expense platform last valued at $9.2 billion, is targeting an April 2025 initial public offering, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter not authorized to speak publicly.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Navan, EBITA

☆ Caviar, champagne, and IPOs: At the Jefferies Private Internet Conference, tech dealmaking was back
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jefferies hosted a conference to bring together late-stage tech founders, investors and bankers. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementAs bankers and venture capitalists nibbled on caviar sushi and sipped champagne and sake this week at Nobu Malibu, there was a gleeful mood at the beachside closing dinner of the Jefferies Private Internet Conference. After a Covid pause, Jefferies resumed this conference in 2022 to bring together late-stage tech founders, investors, and bankers. Related story"Beyond typical deal considerations, AI has emerged as the single biggest new influence today in tech M&A," according to Greenberg.

Persons: Jefferies, —, Cameron Jefferies, Jason Greenberg, Greenberg, Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, Reddit, Marc Andreessen, Rich Handler, Andreessen Horowitz, Neerav, Goldman, JP Morgan Chase, we've, Lester Organizations: Service, Jefferies Private Internet Conference, Technology, Media, Telecom Investment Banking, Jefferies, Global Technology, Informatica, Epic, Venture, Jefferies Private Locations: Neerav Kingsland

☆ Trump's hush-money trial is set to heat up
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's newsletter, we're looking at the first week of former President Donald Trump's criminal trial and what's at stake. What's on deck:This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. AdvertisementFormer President Donald Trump's hush-money trial — the first-ever criminal trial of a former president — got underway this week with jury selection . We did get a preview of Trump's potential defense: " Some accountant " handled the paperwork he's on trial for, Trump told reporters. AdvertisementThe trial is focused on 34 felonies alleging the Trump Organization's business records were falsified to hide other crimes.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, CHARLY TRIBALLEAU, Drew Angerer, Tyler Le, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Zelei, Loretta Mester, John Williams, Rebecca Zisser, David Lieb, Sundar Pichai, Demis, Google's, BI's Ben Bergman, Eddie Mulholland, Alyssa Powell, Samsung execs, Taylor Swift's, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Service, Business, Getty, Trump, Cleveland Fed, York Fed, …, Bank of America, Google, Android, Bankers, Jefferies, Investor Conference, Samsung, Korea Economic, Disney, Warner Bros, American Express, Procter, Gamble, Poets Department Locations: Israeli, Iran, Israel, Florida, Korea, New York, London

☆ Inside Andy Jassy's plan for Amazon in the generative AI era
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. By the way, we're wrapping up voting for the championship matchup in our business, tech, and innovation bracket. In today's big story, we're looking at Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's letter to shareholders, which details the tech giant's plan in the age of generative AI . What's on deck:AdvertisementBut first, Amazon, AI, and a letter. The big storyAmazon in the AI ageMichael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng/BIThe generative AI revolution is coming, and Amazon wants in on the ground floor.

Persons: —, We've, Andy Jassy's, Michael M, Chelsea Jia Feng, Andy Jassy, Ana Altchek, Jassy, that's, Andy Jassy Mike Blake, Eugene Kim, Jassy's, Phillip Faraone, Gregor Fischer, Noam Galai, Here's, it's, Morgan Stanley, Ben Bergman, Rebecca Zisser, Adam Neumann, Neumann, Samantha Lee, Bon Appétit, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, Amazon, Getty, AWS, Bridgewater Associates, Pfizer, Reuters, Prime, TechCrunch, Games, New York Times, Visual China, BI, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Coachella Locations: Wells Fargo, New York, London

☆ Adam Neumann opens up about his billion-dollar plan to transform apartment living and explains why he wants to buy back WeWork
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In August 2022, former WeWork cofounder Adam Neumann announced he was back, starting a new company called Flow to transform apartment living. I spoke with residents and staff, but my many requests to speak on the record with Neumann himself were always rebuffed. Whatever happens with Flow, Neumann will always be remembered for WeWork, which he resigned from in 2019. The launch occurs as Neumann is trying to buy back his bankrupt former company for more than $500 million. I think people are skeptical of how Flow is a tech company.

Persons: Adam Neumann, Andreessen Horowitz, Neumann, Neumann's WeWork, it's, We're, we're, It's, WeWork, You've, Ben, Horowitz Organizations: Business Locations: Fort Lauderdale , Florida, South Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Miami

☆ Cybersecurity startup Cyera is set to triple its valuation to as high as $1.55 billion in a new funding round, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Ben Bergman | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Cyera is a cybersecurity startup founded in 2021 by two veterans of The Israel Defence Forces. It is raising funding that values the company at as much as $1.55 billion, three sources told BI. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementCyera, a New York-based data security startup founded in 2021, is raising a new funding round that values the company at as much as $1.55 billion, three sources familiar with the matter told Business Insider. The startup is raising $150 to $200 million in this latest round, according to multiple sources.

Persons: Douglas Leone, — Organizations: Israel Defence Forces, Sequoia Capital, Service, Accel, Business Locations: New York

☆ The rise of 'zombie' VCs puts startups that took funding from them in a difficult spot
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

What's on deckAdvertisementBut first, zombie, zombie, zombie-ie-ie-ie. AdvertisementThat's why zombie VCs pose such a problem for the industry. Sussing out the prudent investor from the penniless one takes time and effort, two things startups can't necessarily afford when times are tough. AdvertisementIs having a zombie VC as an investor the equivalent of a scarlet letter? If a partner jumps ship from a zombie VC, startups they backed will be in a tough spot.

Persons: —, here's, Insider's Ben Bergman, Ben, it's, Alyssa Powell, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Ray Dalio isn't, Sundar Pichai, Marissa Mayer, Yahoo's, Cory Doctorow, He's, Smashmallow, they've, Jack Teixeira, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover, Grace Lett Organizations: Service, BI, Bridgewater, Bank of America, Trading, Google, Canadian, Singapore Locations: There's, Silicon Valley, British, Singapore, Israel, New York, London, Chicago

☆ '2024 will be the year of the zombie VC reckoning.' The first wave of walking-dead venture firms is here and it's already causing headaches for tech founders.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Unlike other businesses, venture firms do not suddenly go out of business. Limited partners such as pensions and endowments that fund venture firms have been choosier, cutting off capital to firms that have not generated acceptable returns. Why it is so difficult to spot a dying fundOpenView Venture Partners announced in December that it was suspending new investments and laying off staff. In a written statement, he later explained that Sinai Ventures has been rebranded to Sinai Capital Partners. Do you know of a venture firm no longer actively investing?

Persons: VCs, Anna Barber, they'll, they're, Roy Bahat, Brian Brackeen, Brackeen, they're reallocating, Beezer Clarkson, Clarkson, Jake Saper, Bahat, Jordan Fudge, Zachary White, Carlos Adame —, Fudge, We're, Paul Weinstein, Weinstein, Ryan Swager, Brandon Zeuner, Alsop Louie, Alsop Louie Partners, Gilman Louie, Stewart Alsop, Jason Preston, Tyler Peterson, Mike Morgan, Robert Patterson, DEFTA, George Hara, Martin Gedalin, Kevin Ober, Divergent's, Hone, Ben Bergman Organizations: Business, Bloomberg Beta, Lightship Capital, Sapphire Partners, BI, Venture Partners, Foundry Group, Sinai Ventures, Sinai Capital Partners, Capital, San, Alsop Louie Partners, Partners, Ventures Peninsula Ventures, LinkedIn Locations: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Alto , California, San Mateo , California, Lumia, Seattle, bbergman@insider.com

☆ '2024 will be the year of the zombie VC reckoning.' The first wave of dying venture firms is here and it's already causing headaches for tech founders.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

AdvertisementUnlike other businesses, venture firms do not suddenly go out of business. Why it is so difficult to spot a dying fundOpenView Venture Partners announced in December it was suspending new investments and laying off staff. With the help of Pitchbook, BI looked through data for hundreds of venture firms. Hinge last raised a $19 million fund in 2021 but has not made an investment since November 2022, according to Pitchbook. Do you know of a venture firm no longer actively investing?

Persons: —, VCs, Anna Barber, they'll, they're, Roy Bahat, Brian Brackeen, they're reallocating, Beezer Clarkson, Clarkson, Jake Saper, Bahat, Jordan Fudge, Zachary White, Carlos Adame, Fudge, We're, Paul Weinstein, Weinstein, Cofounders Ryan Swager, Brandon Zeuner, Louie, Alsop Louie Partners, Partners Gilman Louie, Stewart Alsop, Jason Preston, Partners Tyler Peterson, Mike Morgan, Robert Patterson, DEFTA, George Hara, Martin Gedalin, Kevin Ober, Hone, Ben Bergman Organizations: Service, Business, Bloomberg Beta, Lightship, Sapphire Partners, BI, Sapphire Ventures, Venture Partners, Foundry Group, Sinai Ventures, Sinai Capital Partners, Capital, San, Louie Partners, Partners, Ventures Peninsula Ventures, LinkedIn Locations: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Mateo , California, Seattle, Alto, bbergman@insider.com

☆ It's becoming insane again in venture capital: A tiny AI startup wants investors to pay $100 to book a meeting with its founder.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A couple of days ago, startup founder Dan Siroker set his sights on meeting new investors. Siroker closed the process with 170 bids to sift through. Siroker told Business Insider this week that he isn't actively fundraising. Advertisement"When deals get hot, there is extreme interest," Ben Lerer, managing partner of Lerer Hippeau, an early-stage venture firm, told Business Insider's Ben Bergman late last year. "If you're not there long before the raising, you're not part of the conversation."

Persons: —, Dan Siroker, clamoring, whittle, Siroker, isn't, Andreessen Horowitz, they'd, Pavlo Gonchar, Ben Lerer, Lerer, Insider's Ben Bergman, there's, Dick Costolo, they're, Costolo, he'd Organizations: Service, Business, Getty, Twitter, Google, Nvidia, Boys & Girls Locations: haves, Silicon Valley

☆ The job market for startups and Big Tech is in a weird spot
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The big storyCareer makersInflection AI, Maven, Forage, The GrandWhich startup would you recommend a friend or family member should work at? That was the prompt for Business Insider's VC and startups team as it compiled a list of early-stage companies to bet your career on . The list doesn't have specific parameters, Leena Rao, the deputy editor of BI's VC and startups team, told me. With so much money pouring into AI startups, founders' attention will naturally be drawn to the tech when thinking about their next project. Meanwhile, the volatility among startups comes at a time of broader instability for the tech industry.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, Leena Rao, Maven, Alyssa Powell, Ben Bergman, there's, Moody's, Paul Tudor Jones, We've, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, OpenAI, Samantha Stokes, Andrea Chronopoulos, Bob Iger, Lachlan Murdoch, David Zaslav, Dan DeFrancesco, Hallam Bullock, Jordan Parker Erb, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, Business Insider's, Big Tech, Meta, Flagstar Bank, Facebook, YouTube, Google, BI, ESPN, Warner Bros, Fox, Walt Disney Company Locations: NYCB, New York, London

AbridgeAbridge CEO Dr. Shiv Rao. AbridgeHQ: PittsburghTotal raised: $62.5 millionWhat it does: The medical scribe startup uses large language models to document patient-doctor interactions in electronic medical records. What makes it promising: Easing administrative burdens for providers is top of mind for investors as growing burnout drives more clinicians out of the healthcare field. Abridge is using AI to tackle one of the most time-consuming, burnout-inducing processes in healthcare — clinical documentation.

Persons: Abridge, Shiv Rao Organizations: Abridge, Pittsburgh

☆ Exclusive: Organic baby food startup Yumi has slashed its valuation after running low on cash
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Yumi, a startup backed by a long list of prominent Silicon Valley investors that makes high-end organic baby food, is raising a down round that values the company at around $40 million, Business Insider has learned. The funding represents a substantial discount from Yumi's Series B round in 2021, which valued the company at more than $300 million, according to Pitchbook data. It also means Yumi has burned through more than twice as much cash, nearly $90 million dollars, as it is currently worth. Startup fundraising tumbled to a five-year low in 2023 with funding for e-commerce and shopping startups down 60%, according to Crunchbase data. Convoy, the freight startup that was once called the "Uber for trucking" and raised more than $1 billion, shut down in November.

Persons: Yumi, Evelyn Rusli, Angela Sutherland, Gerber, Sutherland, Rusli, Anne Wojcicki, Gabrielle Union, Warby Parker, Goldman Sachs, Christina Minnis, Kelly Coffey, Masha Drokova, Lauren Dillard Organizations: Business, BI, Walmart, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New Enterprise Associates, Uber, City National Bank, One Ventures, Nasdaq, Startup, Convoy, Olive Locations: millennials

☆ Has the LA scene fizzled? SoCal has fallen further behind the Bay Area, NYC and Boston for startup funding: 'People deep in AI are just not in LA'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But last year, the LA tech scene stalled, according to Carta data. Startup funding plummeted everywhere, but nowhere experienced a steeper decline than LA, where funding declined 65% from 2022. CartaLA's startup funding dropped 65% last year, a steeper decline than the Bay Area, New York or Boston. "They're very deep AI companies, but they're being applied to a vertical, which is one of the strengths of LA," Ingersoll said. Bird goes bust and Snap snaps backThere was more bad news for LA's startup scene in 2023 than just the dismal funding numbers.

Persons: Ethan Aldrich, Aldrich, there's, Andreessen Horowitz, a16z, Katia Ameri, Ameri, VCs, Nikita Bier, Bier, Mark Suster, Suster, LA's, we're, Palmer Luckey, Minnie Ingersoll, Ingersoll, Bird, Zillow, Spencer Rascoff, Evan Spiegel ERIC PIERMONT, Ishan Singh, Singh Organizations: Stanford, Business, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue Management, LA Tech, LA, Carta, Honest Company, New, Boston, Microsoft, Clark, SpaceX Locations: Santa Monica, Southern California, LA, Santa, Hayes, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, New York, Boston, Carta, San Diego, Seattle, Hawthorne , CA, Costa, Bay

☆ These are 30 of the most successful early-stage startup investors in the world, according to a proprietary AI model known as 'Moneyball for VC'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Ben Bergman | Samantha Stokes | Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. TRAC , a San Francisco-based early-stage venture firm cofounded by Fred Campbell, Joseph Aaron, Scott Pyne, Steve Marek, and Dick Fredericks in 2020, has set about to take a more systematic approach to venture capital. Advertisement"A SuperForecaster is in the top 1/10th of 1% of all early-stage investors," Aaron told Business Insider. But now TRAC has agreed to name names, revealing a random sampling of 30 of the 287 SuperForecasters in its model. They rarely make follow-on investments.

Persons: —, Fred Campbell, Joseph Aaron, Scott Pyne, Steve Marek, Dick Fredericks, Phillip Tetlock, Dan Gardner's, Aaron, SuperForecasters Organizations: Service, Business Locations: San Francisco

☆ Some of the best early-stage startup investors share a common trait that should be a lesson for Silicon Valley
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In today's big story, we're looking at the best investors when it comes to early-stage companies. The big storyPicking winnersCaterina Fake, Cindi Bi, and Suleman AliInvesting can be a crapshoot, especially when it comes to early-stage companies. AdvertisementThe investors, profiled by BI's Ben Bergman, Samantha Stokes, Rebecca Torrence, and Leena Rao, have an incredible track record for early-stage investing. Silicon Valley can be known to have a herd mentality, especially when it comes to venture investors. And yet, some of the best early-stage investors have proven to have far better success going out on their own.

Persons: —, we've, Caterina Fake, Suleman Ali, BI's Ben Bergman, Samantha Stokes, Rebecca Torrence, Leena Rao, Joseph Aaron, cofounders, Tanja Ivanova, isn't, Chanos, Elon Musk, Jim Chanos, Tesla, Musk, Dan Ives, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Brittany Hosea, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Philipp Schindler, Google's, Alyssa Powell, Michelle Obama, Betty White, Steve Harvey, Muhammad Ali, Benjamin Franklin, Al Capone, Calvin Harris, Charles Schwab, They've Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters, Getty, Elon, Tesla, Apple, Microsoft, Google, BI Locations: pant, San Francisco, Brittany, China, Davos, ChatGPT's

☆ McDonald's is in the midst of some big changes that show the changing tides in the world of fast food
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-11 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In today's big story, we're looking at some of the recent big changes at McDonald's, including the launch of a new restaurant concept. AdvertisementCold foam and oat milk are big business, as drink modifiers add up to roughly $1 billion in revenue for Starbucks. McDonald's app has grown over the years, with over 57 million active members, but it still leaves much to be desired. To be sure, 10 CosMc's is not even a drop in the bucket of McDonald's 40,000-plus restaurant empire.

Persons: —, I'm, Joe Ciolli, Iman Jalali, Nancy Luna, It's, McDonald's, Nancy, CosMc's, Jamie Dimon, Jerome Powell, Jose Luis Magana, Ryan Detrick, Niklas Halle'n, Rebecca Zisser, Jeff Bezos, OpenAI's Ilya Sutskever doesn't, Sam Altman's, hasn't, Elon Musk's, Ben Bergman, Adam Neumann's, Insider's Ben Bergman, Z, Donald Trump, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, Starbucks, Nancy, McDonalds, McDonald's, Reserve, Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, Capitol, Carson Group, Getty Images, San, Sutskever, Visual China, Getty, Fort, Trump Organization, Trump Organization . Golden Globe Locations: Chicago, , Illinois, Texas, Washington, AFP, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, New York City, San Diego, London, New York

☆ A formfitting blazer and Chelsea boots, or jeans and high-top sneakers? Here's how the 2023 rising stars of VC put together their 'power outfits.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | Ben Bergman | Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Many of this year's VC rising stars told Business Insider that their go-to power outfits included apparel like tailored sport coats or Chelsea boots, and more casual pieces like hoodies and well-fitting jeans. Very few investors are wearing collared shirts with their jackets, opting instead to pair it with a t- shirt and jeans. Nmachi Jidemna told Business Insider that for her everyday wear, her go-to was "usually a structured blazer with a relaxed pair of jeans." Lori Harvey (left) and Heidi Klum (right) wearing red outfits. Black flowy trousers, black turtleneck, and chunky black boots."

Persons: that's, Laura Bock, Nmachi Jidemna, Javier Grevely, Ralph Lauren, Tobi Coker, Janelle Teng, Patron's Amber Atherton, Jason Yeh, Ashley Paston, Justin Williams, VCs, Mahati Sridhar, Grady Dick, Michelle Farsi, Pear, Vivien Ho, Lori Harvey, Heidi Klum, Valentina Frugiuele, Bauer, Griffin, Luci Fonseca, RTFKT, Brandon Hoffman, JL, Sarah Wu, Emerson, Fiona Huang, Demi Obayomi, Natalie Borowski, Daisy Wolf, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Business, Wellington Management, Converse, Seae Ventures, Getty, GV, Nike, Sunset Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures Locations: London, Chelsea

☆ From bouldering to silent meditation retreats: Here's how this year's rising stars of VC are keeping their wellness on track while hunting down deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Madeline Renbarger | Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

And these rising stars of the VC world are at the forefront of the trend, with many adopting various wellness routines. Business Insider asked this year's rising stars to name their best wellness hack that keeps them at the top of their game. Find ways to get movingMany rising stars in VC have a relationship with exercise that goes beyond an obligatory hour at the gym or a forced jog around the block. "It's amazing how taking just 10 minutes out of my day helps set the pace and structure for the rest of the day so well," she told Business Insider. she told Business Insider.

Persons: Base10, Justin Williams, Fiona Huang, Huang, Laura Bock, Amanda Herson, Taylor Brandt, Luci Fonseca, It's, Vivien Ho, VCs, journaling, Ashley Paston, Ahmed Mirza, who's, Amber Atherton, Brandon Hoffman, Tobi Coker, Wellington Management's Javier Grevely, Natalie Borowski, I've Organizations: Business, Seae Ventures, Ventures, Headline, Base10 Investors, Meritech, Sunset Ventures Locations: New York, Eastern, Brooklyn

2023 was a tumultuous year for the venture capital industry. This year, Business Insider asked the most important VCs across the US to name the most promising VCs in their cities. Business Insider also asked the general public and last year's rising stars who they thought should make the cut. And just like last year, more of this year's rising stars are women than men, indicating that more women are being brought into the pipeline of the traditionally male-dominated venture capital industry. Scroll to see 2023's rising stars of venture capital, organized alphabetically by the investor's name.

Organizations: Silicon Valley Bank, Tech, Business

☆ Andreessen Horowitz is in the midst of a reshuffle to sharpen its focus on AI, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Ben Bergman | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Andreessen Horowitz is reshuffling parts of its investment organization to sharpen its focus on artificial intelligence, according to people with knowledge of the situation. The changes will center the venture capital firm on two main themes: AI applications and AI infrastructure, the people said. The AI applications group is being headed by general partner Alex Rampell, according to the sources. General partner Martin Casado, who focuses on enterprise deals, will oversee another group investing in AI infrastructure, the people said. Do you have information about A16z or another venture firm?

Persons: Andreessen Horowitz, Alex Rampell, Rampell, Martin Casado, Margit Wennmachers, Casado, Jeff Jordan, Databricks, A16z, Pretzels, Vinod Khosla, Khosla, Ben Bergman, Melia Russell, mrussell@insider.com Organizations: US, A16z, VMware Locations: Silicon Valley, Airbnb, bbergman@insider.com

☆ How Whitney Wolfe Herd's fateful deal with a Russian mogul deprived early Bumble employees of a stock windfall when she became a billionaire
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +23 min

I'm fucking done," she told a reporter at Time, who described Wolfe Herd as "blinking back tears" during the interview. "My hands are tied," Wolfe Herd told the audience, according to several people who were in the room. Wolfe Herd once called him her biggest mentor, saying, "He's become my family and one of my best friends." Some early employees said they only found out about the shadow-equity program, and who received it, years later. Based on the current share price, Wolfe Herd is no longer a billionaire, though her fortune still sits at an estimated $627 million.

Persons: Whitney Wolfe Herd, Andrey Andreev, Wolfe Herd, Bumble, Whitney Wolfe, Wolfe, Bumble wasn't, Charley Gallay, I've, Robbie McKay, McKay, Jerod Harris, Sarah Mick, Bumble's, That's, Mick, Justin Mateen, Tinder, Antoine Antoniol, Andreev, What's, He's, —, Jody Thelander, Alexandra Williamson, Samantha Fulgham, Chelsea Maclin, Caroline Ellis Roche, Michael Herd, they'd, Taylor, they're, Vivien Killilea, didn't, Charles Elson, Elson, Blackstone, Forbes, Ben Bergman Organizations: Worldwide Vision, Nasdaq, Carlton, Getty, Fortune, Andreev's, TechCrunch, Southwest, telltale, Founders, Chelsea, Austin, Ritz, Mailchimp, Intuit, University of Delaware, Twitter Locations: Russian, Austin, Los Angeles , California, Bumble, Northern California, Deer Valley , Utah, Punta Mita , Mexico, Tinder, London, Bermuda, WVL, San Francisco, Texas, Positano, Italy, Bay, Atlanta, MagicLab, Badoo, bbergman@insider.com

☆ The CEO of UNest, a college savings app, stepped down after she said the company was 'insolvent.' Here's what customers need to know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

UNest is a startup that makes it easier for people to save up for major life expenses like college. Ksenia Yudina, founder & CEO, stepped down last month and warned the company was "insolvent." download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . As Insider previously reported, Ksenia Yudina, founder & CEO, stepped down last month and warned the company was "insolvent." "The board, remaining management, and investors are working closely together to secure additional funding for the company," he said.

Persons: Ksenia Yudina, —, Franklin Templeton, Star Baron Davis, Laura Dern, Michael Doniger, UNest, Ben Bergman, bbergman@insider.com Organizations: Service, Artemis Fund, Anthos, Northwestern Mutual, Star, Vanguard, Blackrock, Apex Clearing Locations: Anthos Capital, Apex

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