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☆ How Bloomberg Beta's James Cham finds the tech founders making a 'dent in the universe'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Cham ended up writing one of the first checks to Weights & Biases after he was convinced Biewald fulfilled his lofty criteria for backing founders. "I am looking for people who are trying to make a dent in the universe," Cham said. Instead of asking founders how they plan to make that dent, Cham prefers to spend lots of time observing them to see what makes them tick. Cham began making his own dent in the world after majoring in computer science at Harvard and becoming a consultant at Accenture. "The reality that the money that we make goes towards Bloomberg Philanthropies is something founders oftentimes find appealing," Cham said.

Persons: James Cham, Lukas Biewald, Cham, Biewald, Jeff Lawson, It's, Bloomberg Philanthropies, who've, James, Shreya Rajpal, who's, Rajpal Organizations: Bloomberg Beta, Business, Harvard, Accenture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Bessemer Venture Partners, Trinity Ventures, Bloomberg

☆ Exclusive: 11x, a London-based AI startup that builds automated digital workers, is raising money from US fund Benchmark
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Callum Burroughs | Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

11x, a London-based AI startup that creates automated digital workers, has raised funding from US investing giant Benchmark Capital. The company aims to provide businesses with "digital AI workers" that can complete repetitive and mundane tasks to free up employees to focus on other things. The startup has raised a Series A round of funding, led by US fund Benchmark, four sources familiar with the discussions told Business Insider. Related stories11x's deal was led by Benchmark general partner Sarah Tavel, who will join the startup's board. The startup created a digital sales worker named Alice and plans to release several other digital workers in the future.

Persons: Hasan Sukkar, Sarah Tavel, Uber, Alice, Slack Organizations: Benchmark, Business, US, Bessemer Venture Partners, Twitter, Benchmark Capital, Google, Project A, Ventures, Tiny Ventures, LinkedIn Locations: London, Syrian, Europe, Syria

☆ UAW reaches milestone in filing for a union vote at second nonunion auto plant
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But while that VW plant has had two votes before this, the Mercedes plant has never reached the threshold of union support that resulted in an election being held. An election at the Mercedes plant has yet to be confirmed by the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees such votes, let alone scheduled. While the UAW has filed for a vote at Mercedes’ Alabama plant, it has yet to file for a vote at its plant in Charleston, South Carolina. A high-profile union organizing vote at an Amazon warehouse in nearby Bessemer, Alabama was defeated in a close vote in 2021. And management of the non-union automakers is likely to fight union organizing efforts.

Persons: Mercedes, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, United Auto Workers, UAW, Volkswagen, VW, National Labor Relations Board, Benz, International, General Motors, Ford, Mercedes, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volvo, GM Locations: New York, Alabama, Chattanooga , Tennessee, VW Chattanooga, Vance , Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Mexico, Edmunds, Tennessee, Mercedes ’ Alabama, Charleston , South Carolina, Bessemer , Alabama

☆ Twilio board shakeup prompts renewed activist scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

On Monday, Twilio announced a settlement with Sachem Head, an activist investor whose involvement in the company had been previously unreported. The agreement resulted in Twilio, which sells communications software, giving a board seat to Andy Stafman, a partner at Sachem Head. Two days later, Twilio said Byron Deeter, a prominent venture capitalist and early investor in the company, would be leaving the board. On March 11, less than a week after Twilio concluded the review, Sachem Head told the company it planned to nominate board candidates. "This issue remains relevant despite Mr. Deeter's departure given the continued directorship of another Bessemer partner," Gupta said.

Persons: Twilio, Jeff Lawson, Anson, that's, Andy Stafman, Byron Deeter, Sagar Gupta, Gupta, Lawson's, Legion, FactSet, Lawson, Sachem, Stafman, Deeter, Bessemer, Jeff Epstein Organizations: Anson Funds, Sachem, Board, Nasdaq, Legion Partners, CNBC, Bessemer Locations: Twilio, Europe, Anson, Bessemer

☆ AI startup Perplexity is in talks to raise more money at a significantly higher valuation just months after its last round
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewOnly months after buzzy AI search-engine startup Perplexity AI raised its last round of funding, the company is yet again raising additional funds, as investors clamor to back tech's next big generative AI startup. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Perplexity is raising this additional money at a significantly higher valuation cap than its previous pricing of $520 million, according to two people with direct knowledge. A spokesperson told Business Insider that the details of the deal were incorrect but did not clarify when asked for further information.

Persons: —, clamor, Jeff Bezos, Perplexity, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Bard, Aravind Srinivas, It's, Elad Gil, Nat Friedman, Fred Wilson, aren't Organizations: Service, Google, Business, Institutional Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Bessemer Venture Partners, Nvidia Locations: OpenAI

☆ Here's the playbook tech companies like AllTrails, Canva, and Kayak are using to dominate the charts in OpenAI's new GPT Store.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Its GPT, which generates images from text prompts, is currently ranked second overall on the GPT Store. And all three companies' GPTs have been highlighted at the top of the GPT Store website as "OpenAI's Picks." Advertisement"Sometimes finding trails can be overwhelming because there are so many different places to go," Graham told Business Insider. In addition to GPT Store, companies are thinking more broadly about how AI fits into their business models. "Now we're also investing time in using AI to make our team faster and more efficient, too."

Persons: —, OpenAI, Canva, Anwar Haneef, Matthias Keller, James Graham, Sam Altman, Graham, GPTs, Sam Altman's, Keller, we're, Haneef Organizations: Service, Business, Uber, Sequoia Capital Global, Bessemer Venture Partners, Greenoaks, Booking Holdings, OpenAI, Economic, Canva Locations: Davos, Canva, ChatGPT

☆ HiBob, a $2.7-billion HR unicorn, is acquiring Tiger Global-backed payroll startup Pento
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewHiBob, a London headquartered HR unicorn, is acquiring UK payroll startup Pento. The company is valued at $2.7 billion, has raised $574 million in funding, and is acquiring Pento to expand its payroll offering. The acquisition came about after seeing the fragmented payroll market in the UK with HiBob opting to go one step further than integration, CEO Ronni Zehavi told Business Insider. AdvertisementLondon-based Pento has raised $54 million in VC funding, including from General Catalyst and Tiger Global. Around 35 Pento staff will join HiBob as part of the deal, which is subject to closing conditions.

Persons: —, Ronni Zehavi, Zehavi, HiBob Organizations: Service, Business, General, Bessemer Venture Partners, General Catalyst, Tiger Global, Dealroom, HiBob Locations: London, Israel

☆ Tiger Global-backed Productboard conducts third round of layoffs in two years, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Now, Productboard has begun another round of layoffs, the scale of which is unknown as yet, the former staffers said. Startups and Big Tech companies alike have slashed their wage bills as the high-interest rate environment encourages businesses to prioritize sustainability over growth. AdvertisementIn January alone, 76 tech companies have laid off 21,370 employees, according to tracker site Layoffs.fyi.

Persons: —, Productboard, Daniel Hejl, Hubert Palan, Kleiner Perkins, Palan, Productboard's headcount Organizations: Service, Business, Tiger Global, Dragoneer, Microsoft, Volkswagen, Sequoia, Bessemer Venture Partners, Index Ventures, Big Tech, Bloomberg, LinkedIn Locations: San Francisco, Czech Republic, Silicon Valley, Sequoia Capital, Productboard

☆ Twilio CEO Lawson steps down after bruising activist battles
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The move comes as Twilio grapples with two activist investors who have been pushing for significant changes. In a regulatory filing announcing the move, the company also said Twilio expected fourth-quarter revenue and income to come in above its prior guidance. Lawson will also step down from Twilio's board, where he had served as chairman. "I am honored to step into the CEO role," Shipchandler said in a release. We look forward to continuing to engage with Twilio's Board and management team going forward," he added.

Persons: Jeff Lawson, Spain Twilio, Twilio, Lawson, Khozema, Shipchandler, Jeff Epstein, we've, Jeff Lawson's, Sagar Gupta, Gupta, Partner's Organizations: Twilio, Mobile, Congress, Bessemer Venture Partners, Anson Funds, Legion Partners, CNBC, Qatalyst Partners, Twilio's, Partners, Twilio's Board, CNBC PRO Locations: Barcelona, Spain, Twilio

☆ Amazon broke federal labor law by calling Staten Island union organizers 'thugs,' interrogating workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Annie Palmer | In Annierpalmer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Senator Bernie Sanders, an Independent from Vermont, left, speaks next to Christian Smalls, founder of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU), during an ALU rally in the Staten Island borough of New York, U.S., on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Amazon and consultants for the company violated federal labor law by interrogating and threatening employees regarding their union activities, and racially disparaging organizers who were seeking to unionize a Staten Island warehouse, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled. In April 2022, employees voted to join the Amazon Labor Union, a grassroots group of current and former workers, becoming the first unionized Amazon facility in the U.S. The judge in New York heard testimony from Amazon employees, managers and labor consultants in virtual hearings that went on for almost a year. Amazon continues to challenge the JFK8 election results, as well as the NLRB and the union's conduct during the drive.

Persons: Bernie Sanders, Christian Smalls, Judge Lauren Esposito, Esposito, Daequan Smith, Bradley Moss, Moss, Smith, Natalie Monarrez, Monarrez, Monarrez . Moss, Chris Smalls, David Zapolsky, Amazon's, Smalls Organizations: Amazon Labor Union, National Labor Relations, NLRB, Amazon, Huffington, Department of Labor, BHM1, Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union Locations: Vermont, Staten Island, New York, U.S, JFK8, unionizing, Bessemer , Alabama, Monarrez

BESSEMER CITY, North Carolina, Nov 30 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Thursday she believes the U.S. economy does not need further drastic monetary policy tightening to stamp out inflationary expectations and was on track to achieve a "soft landing" with strong employment. "We don't need that now," Yellen said. "I believe the signs are very good that we will achieve this soft landing with unemployment stabilizing more or less we're where it is in this general vicinity, and growth slowing to a sustainable level. So my hope is that Americans gradually will see that things are getting better," Yellen said. Reporting by Howard Schneider, writing by David Lawder, editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Yellen, Howard Schneider, David Lawder, Chris Reese Organizations: BESSEMER CITY, . Treasury, Federal, Thomson Locations: North Carolina, U.S

Yellen will tour a Livent Corp (LTHM.N) facility in Bessemer City, North Carolina, that processes lithium hydroxide, a key ingredient in electric vehicle batteries. The plant near Charlotte is doubling its capacity due to increased demand for electric vehicles spurred by consumer tax credits of up $7,500 approved in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. These include $142 billion in EVs and batteries and $71 billion in clean energy manufacturing, and she attributed much of the investment to tax credits in the inflation reduction act. The Biden administration in coming days is expected to release new guidance on the levels of Chinese content that EV batteries can have and still qualify for IRA tax credits. It will take time for this to fade and for people to feel the benefits of higher wages, he added.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Joe Biden, Yellen, Biden, Donald Trump, Larry Sabato, we're, Sabato, David Lawder, Howard Schneider, Chizu Organizations: . Treasury, U.S, Livent Corp, Midwest, EV, University of Virginia's Center, Politics, Thomson Locations: North Carolina, Bessemer City , North Carolina, Charlotte, EVs, Argentina, Canada, U.S

☆ A minor ChatGPT update is a warning to founders: Big Tech can blow up your startup at any time
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementDid OpenAI just kill a bunch of startups by making a small update to ChatGPT? Specifically, he referred to "wrapper startups." AdvertisementAdvertisementIt isn't necessarily the case that founders who build AI wrapper businesses are doing this to exploit a weakness in ChatGPT. In May, data scientist Alex Reibman announced ChatOCR , a ChatGPT plugin that "reads text from PDFs, including scans and handwriting." Following the ChatGPT update at the weekend, he ran a poll on X that asked users what would happen to his plugin "now that ChatGPT has built in PDF processing."

Persons: —, Sam Altman's, ESFt7bpGyy — Rowan Cheung, OpenAI, Alex Reibman, they've Organizations: Big Tech, Service, Investors, ChatGPT, LinkedIn, Bessemer Venture Partners Locations: There's

☆ Climate fintech is exciting investors right now. Here's why it's primed to be the next red-hot sector.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Startups operating at the intersection of climate tech and fintech are attracting a lot of investor attention right now. The so-called "climate fintech" sector is another such area that has seen investment tick up against the backdrop of the broader malaise that has hobbled the startup ecosystem, according to investors. Fintech-focused venture firm CommerzVentures defined climate fintech as companies that speed up decarbonization or help manage and adapt to climate risks. Climate fintech is also a software play so it has the ability to scale quickly and efficiently, which is a sweet spot for most VC investors, Morgenthaler added. "Clear and simplified renewable energy contracts, energy invoices, and tariffs in turn allow consumers to access the cheapest energy from multiple renewable sources," Bessemer investor Aia Sarycheva said.

Persons: Paul Morgenthaler, Morgenthaler, Jeremy Brown, fintech, It's, Sarycheva Organizations: " Venture, Morningstar's, Equity, Energy, Bessemer Locations: Europe, Anthemis, Bessemer

☆ Dollar General took back job offers from applicants with high blood pressure and poor eyesight, a federal agency lawsuit claimed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Dollar General rescinded job offers to applicants with high blood pressure or poor eyesight, an EEOC lawsuit claims. AdvertisementAdvertisementDollar General violated disability-discrimination laws by rescinding job offers to some applicants with high blood pressure or poor eyesight, a federal agency said in a lawsuit. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe retailer rescinded job offers for some qualified individuals with disabilities, even when these wouldn't affect their ability to safely carry out the job, the EEOC's suit claimed. "Any alleged discriminatory or otherwise unlawful behavior imputed to Dollar General was neither intentional, knowing, reckless, nor malicious," the retailer said. Insider contacted Dollar General for comment, but did not immediately receive a response, outside regular US business hours.

Persons: —, EEOC, GINA, Madeline Hughes Haikala, Bradley Anderson Organizations: Service, Commission, Dollar, Court, Northern, Northern District of, Disabilities Locations: Bessemer , Alabama, Bessemer, Alabama, Northern District, Northern District of Alabama, Birmingham , Alabama

☆ Bessemer's Byron Deeter talks movement in the IPO market
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBessemer's Byron Deeter talks movement in the IPO marketByron Deeter, Bessemer Venture Partners Partner, joins 'Closing Bell Overtime' to talk the IPO market, Birkenstock's recent valuation announcement and more.

Persons: Byron Deeter Organizations: Bessemer Venture Partners

☆ Apron, a fintech founded by an ex-Revolut staffer, just raised $15 million in a round backed by Index Ventures with this 19-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Apron, a fintech startup that simplifies invoice payments for small businesses, has raised $15 million in a round led by Revolut-backer Index Ventures. The London-based company, founded in 2022, has developed a payments platform that pulls invoices into one place and enables firms to batch-pay their suppliers. Apron takes fees on associated interchange charges and also offers a three-tier subscription model. The $15 million in funding was led by Index Ventures, alongside Bessemer Venture Partners and Visionaries Club, and follows a $5.5 million seed round from July. Apron's new capital will go towards strengthening its team of 20 employees and doubling down on product and marketing capabilities.

Persons: Bogdan Uzbekov, we've Organizations: Revolut, Ventures, Index Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Club Locations: London, Revolut

☆ Silicon Valley fund Bessemer Venture Partners expands European investment team with hire of ex-SoftBank VP
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Silicon Valley fund Bessemer Venture Partners has expanded its European investment team with the hire of former SoftBank vice president Justina Chung. Chung has joined Bessemer's London office, which is led by partner Alex Ferrara who opened the fund's European operations in 2020. Bessemer made its first European investment in 2004 and has continued to back startups in the region, including German fintechs Upvest and Mambu as well as British neobank Zopa. Chung was a vice president at SoftBank's Vision Fund, where she served on the boards of temp staffing agency Jobandtalent and second-hand designer fashion marketplace Vestiaire Collective. "It's clear that great founders begin their journey here, in Tallinn or Stockholm, London, Paris or Berlin," Chung, who is now a vice president at Bessemer, told Insider.

Persons: Justina Chung, Chung, Alex Ferrara, Bessemer, Jobandtalent, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Bessemer Venture Partners, LinkedIn, Bessemer's London, SoftBank's Vision, Sorare, SoftBank, Credit Suisse, Bessemer, US Locations: San Francisco, Tallinn, Stockholm, London, Paris, Berlin, Europe, Mistral

☆ Israeli cyber firm Legit Security raises $40 million in private funding
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JERUSALEM, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Israeli cybersecurity firm Legit Security said on Wednesday it raised $40 million in a private funding round led by venture capital fund CRV. Since its founding in September 2020, Legit has raised a total of $77 million. It noted that its customer base includes brands such as Google, the NYSE, Kraft Heinz and Takeda Pharmaceuticals. On Tuesday, Israeli cyber firm Cato Networks said it raised $238 million in a late stage funding round, valuing the company at $3 billion. Israel has emerged as a global leader in cyber security in recent years.

Persons: TCV, Kraft Heinz, Takeda, Steven Scheer Organizations: Bessemer Venture Partners, Google, NYSE, Kraft, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Cato Networks, Thomson Locations: CRV, Israel

☆ Cybersecurity startup Legit Security just raised $40 million in a Series B round led by CRV with this 12-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Cybersecurity startup Legit Security has raised $40 million in a round led by Airtable and DoorDash-backer CRV. The Palo Alto-based company has developed a platform that enables companies to spot vulnerabilities in their software supply chain. The startup provides companies with visibility over the delivery of software applications from initial code onwards. The $40 million Series B was led by CRV with participation from existing investors Cyberstarts, Bessemer Venture Partners, and TCV. Legit said developers were increasingly using AI-generated code but that they also introduced a "rapidly expanding class of new security threats."

Persons: Airtable, CRV, Kraft Heinz, Roni Fuchs, " Fuchs, Fuchs Organizations: Google, New York Stock Exchange, Fortune, CRV, Bessemer Venture Partners

Competition for buy-side jobs, including at private equity firms and hedge funds, can be fierce. Insider identified the 13 recruiting firms aspiring dealmakers and traders should know for a buy-side job. The buy-side hiring spree is expected to continue despite a slowdown in mergers and acquisitions — a cornerstone of private equity investing. BellCast Partners works with mega funds, middle market funds, infrastructure funds, impact funds, real estate private equity funds, sector-focused funds, sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and credit funds. Today it does searches in private equity, growth equity, distressed, credit, venture capital, hedge funds, family offices, and select investment banks.

Persons: headhunting, Brain O'Callaghan, John Arbolino, Arbolino, Amity, Pamela Esterson, Susanna Nichols, Nichols, Esterson, Danielle Caston Strazzini, Alison Bellino Johnson, BellCast, Caston Strazzini, Jill Pierce, Spencer Stuart, Pierce, —, Brian O'Callaghan, it's, Renee Hylton, Keith Mann, Josh Grauer, Grauer, Mann, Adam Zoia, Annette Krassner, Katie Cunningham, Sarah Armstrong, Cunningham, Armstrong, Anna Brady, Janelle Matthews, Beth Grossman, Brady, they've, Morgan Stanley Eleni Henkel, Henkel, Leah Trabich, HSP, Carlyle, Warburg Pincus, Adam Kahn, Kahn, Anthony Keizner, Keizner, Nina Swift, Marty Brady, Vedica Qalbani, Qalbani, Lindsey Mead, Jessica Wu, Michael Garmisa, SearchOne, Sheri Gellman, Gellman Organizations: Citadel, nab, Boothroyd, Co, Wall, Amity Search Partners, Palm Beach Staff, SG Partners, Bain Capital, Centerbridge Partners, Trian Partners, BellCast, Charlotte Staff, CPI, BellCast Partners, Investor Relations, Nashville, San Francisco, Wharton, Harvard, Stanford, New York Staff, Partners, San Francisco Staff, Los Angeles Staff, TPG, Thoma Bravo, Bessemer Venture Partners, EQT, Elliott, Equity, KKR, ICONIQ, Spectrum Equity, Henkel Search, Search Partners, New York, Oxbridge, Nashville Staff, Time Warner, Indiana University, SG Locations: New York, San Francisco, Austin, San Diego, Chicago, Los Angeles , New York, Phoenix, West Coast, Los Angeles, NYC, California, United States, Boston, Dallas, Atlanta, Columbia, Latin America, Asia, Europe, San Francisco , New York, Bay, Gold, Los Angeles , Greenwich, Nashville, Amity, South Florida

"It's just a very high level of uncertainty," said Amit, who is registering his artificial intelligence-based cloud security firm Gomboc in Delaware. Michael Fertik, founder of Heroic Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based early-stage venture investor, has invested in more than a dozen Israeli startups since 2015. He insists on Delaware incorporation and existing Israeli startups seeking a new funding round from him must switch. But the Israeli government's judicial overhaul is casting a shadow for some. Adam Fisher, a partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and long-time investor in Israeli startups, has been happy to invest in Israeli-based tech firms over the past decade.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Benjamin, Ian Amit, Amit, Ami Applebaum, Yair Geva, Herzog, Fox, Neeman, Ronen Feldman, Michael Fertik, Adam Fisher, Fisher, Ayal Shenhav, Steven Scheer, Emily Rose, Mark Potter Organizations: U.S Embassy, REUTERS, Entrepreneurs, Reuters, Israel Innovation Authority, Ministry of Innovation, Science, Technology, Startup Nation, Heroic Ventures, Delaware C Corp, Bessemer Venture Partners, Gross, Co, TechAviv, Partners, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, JERUSALEM, United States, Delaware

☆ Leaked photos show a Dollar General store with rat-chewed products, a dead rodent, and fecal matter covering the stockroom floor.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Photos at a Dollar General store in Texas show evidence of a rat infestation. It's the latest Dollar General store to face problems with rodents — and resulting health hazards. Rat waste is seen on the floor of the stockroom at the Dollar General store in Texas. A worker said he found this dead rat at the Dollar General store in Texas. On Tiktok, Dollar General workers and customers have also complained about products contaminated by rodents.

Persons: Timothy Organizations: Service, Dollar, Cities Health District, Employees, US Food and Drug Administration, CNN, New York Daily News Locations: Texas, Wall, Silicon, East Texas, Hutto, Austin, Williamson County, Maryland, Massachusetts, Bessemer , Alabama, West Memphis , Arkansas, New York's Queens

☆ Meet the contrarian VC: Why Mayfield's Navin Chaddha is writing more checks than ever before while other investors pull back
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The longtime VC firm just announced a new $250 million seed fund focused on AI. In tough economic times, the firm's leader, Navin Chaddha, believes it's a prime time to invest. That has essentially been Navin Chaddha's mantra since he took over the reins at venture-capital stalwart Mayfield Fund in 2009. With a dedicated $250 million AI seed war chest, Mayfield is now prepared to lean in even more. "We believe that AI will emerge as our teammate and that the Gen.AI wave will create many iconic companies," Chaddha said in a press release.

Persons: Mayfield, Navin Chaddha, it's, Navin, that's, Chaddha, – who's, Forbes, –, Vijay Reddy, Reddy Organizations: VC, Mayfield Fund, Mayfield, Tiger, Insight Partners, Clear Ventures, Intel Capital, Wing Venture Locations: Bessemer, Sequoia

Investors poured more than $40 billion into AI startups in the past six months, the data showed. That includes a $10 billion investment by Microsoft (MSFT.O) in OpenAI and $1.3 billion in funding for rival Inflection AI. "I haven't written any checks in the past 18 months," said Kevin Colleran, a co-founder at early-stage firm Slow Ventures. PitchBook said large investors weren't actively participating in venture funding and outsized deals that had pushed deal values to records were no longer happening. Venture capital funding globally hit an annual record of $745.1 billion in 2021.

Persons: PitchBook, OpenAI's ChatGPT, Kevin Colleran, weren't, Mary D'Onofrio, Krystal Hu, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Venture, Investors, Microsoft, Slow Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, America, U.S, Europe, New York

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