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☆ The Farmers Had What the Billionaires Wanted
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Conor Dougherty | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For six years a mysterious company called Flannery Associates, which Mr. Sramek controlled, had upended the town of 10,000 by spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to buy every farm in the area. It sued a group of holdouts who had refused its above-market offers, on the grounds that they were colluding for more. Residents worried it could be a front for foreign spies looking to surveil a nearby Air Force base. The truth was that Mr. Sramek wanted to build a city from the ground up, in an agricultural region whose defining feature was how little it had changed. They and others from the technology world had spent some $900 million on farmland in a demonstration of their dead seriousness about Mr. Sramek’s vision.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Flannery, Sramek, Michael Moritz, Reid Hoffman, Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs Organizations: American Legion, Flannery Associates, Air Force, Silicon, LinkedIn, Emerson, Apple Locations: Rio Vista, Calif, Rio

☆ One health-insurance startup is bucking the industrywide funding slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-04 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewThe insurance startup Devoted Health managed to raise another $175 million last week despite the venture-capital downturn. Devoted has raised more than $2 billion in funding to date. Funding raised by Devoted and other health-insurance startups isn't included in these figures. New funding follows rapid growthDevoted said the Series E funding round came after a year of fast growth. The round was led by a syndicate that included The Space Between, Highbury Holdings, GIC, Stardust Equity, Maverick Ventures, and Fearless Ventures, Devoted said.

Persons: —, Bill Evans, megadeals, Oscar, Andreessen Horowitz, Catalyst Organizations: Service, Business, Rock Health Capital, Rock Health, Bright, Clover Health, Oscar Health, Highbury Holdings, Stardust Equity, Maverick Ventures, Fearless Ventures, Socium Ventures, Emerson, Prime Capital Partners, GreatPoint Ventures Locations: Waltham , Massachusetts

☆ 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

Jan Sramek has spent the past several months in restaurants and conference rooms pitching politicians, environmentalists and labor unions on a plan to erect a new California city on open farmland in an eastern corner of the San Francisco Bay Area. The project is backed by a host of big Silicon Valley names, including the venture capitalists Michael Moritz and Marc Andreessen, the LinkedIn co-founder, Reid Hoffman, and the Emerson Collective founder, Laurene Powell Jobs. At an event Wednesday evening, Mr. Sramek, the chief executive of a company called California Forever, took his case to the Solano County voters. Mr. Sramek took it in stride, patiently answering questions and appearing mostly unruffled. He promised improved infrastructure, employment and middle-class homes for the county’s 450,000 residents.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Michael Moritz, Marc Andreessen, Reid Hoffman, Laurene Powell Jobs, Sramek, ”, “ Flannery Will Ruin Organizations: San Francisco Bay Area, LinkedIn, Emerson Collective, Solano County voters, Vallejo Naval, Historical Museum Locations: California, San Francisco Bay, Solano County

For much of the past year, OpenAI’s board of directors has been criticized as too small and too divided to effectively govern one of the fastest-growing start-ups in Silicon Valley history. On Friday, the board’s dysfunction spilled into public view when four of its members fired Sam Altman, OpenAI’s popular and powerful chief executive. Mr. Altman, 38, returned to the company on Tuesday night, after days of haggling over his job and over the makeup of the board. The board and Mr. Altman’s allies discussed more than a half dozen options for its future. The departing board wanted to be sure the replacements would be independent thinkers and experienced enough to stand up to Mr. Altman.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI’s, Altman, Altman’s, Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs, Brian Chesky Organizations: Emerson Locations: Silicon Valley

☆ Our education system is declining, says Emerson Collective's Arne Duncan
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailOur education system is declining, says Emerson Collective's Arne DuncanEmerson Collective’s Arne Duncan and Khan Academy’s Sal Khan, join 'Power Lunch' to discuss the state of education in America.

Persons: Emerson Collective's Arne Duncan Emerson Collective’s Arne Duncan, Khan Academy’s Sal Khan Locations: America

☆ Nominate a leader for CNBC's debut Changemakers list: Women transforming business
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Julia Boorstin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Game-changing female leadership is a topic that is close to my heart, and I'm thrilled to announce a new annual list at CNBC, Changemakers: Women transforming business. The list will highlight 40 trailblazing women who have accomplished meaningful achievements in the past year, women from companies and organizations across all sectors of the economy, including philanthropic organizations. Together, we will highlight how today's successful women leaders are taking novel approaches to old business problems and identifying new business opportunities. To help us identify a diverse and inclusive list, we have created an advisory board of experienced leaders across the business and philanthropic space. CNBC Changemakers are the new icons rewriting the rules and shaping the dynamic business landscape.

Persons: I'm, I've, — Joanne Bradford, Desiree Gruber —, Marcela Miguel Berland, Tory Burch, Burch, Emma Carrasco, Corporate Affairs Srikant Datar, Harvard Business School Dean Karen Finerman, Beth Ford, Ken Frazier, Desiree Gruber, Kris Jenner, Oscar Munoz, Laurene Powell, Emerson, Sheryl Sandberg, Stacy Smith Organizations: CNBC, Fortune, Tory, NBCUniversal, Corporate Affairs, Harvard Business School, Metropolitan Capital, Catalyst's Health, Merck, United Airlines, OptionB.org, Annenberg, CNBC Changemakers Locations: Silicon

☆ Curipod helps teachers make interactive lessons using generative AI. Check out the pitch deck it used to raise $4.6 million in seed funding.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"Instead, I wanted this interactive lesson tool where students can express themselves and have agency — the opposite of this lecture model." With Curipod, teachers can create lessons on any school subject using generative AI, first by inputting the subject of the lesson, the grade level, and any additional learning objectives. Curipod is free for teachers and students to use at the moment, with paid tiers for school districts, said Seip. The team only launched its AI product at the beginning of this year, and had not previously sought venture capital funding. Check out the nine-slide pitch deck that Curipod used to raise $4.6 million in seed funding.

Persons: Jens Aarre Seip, Seip, Eirik Hernes Berre, Frikk Fossan, Curipod, GPT3 Organizations: Norwegian School of Economics, Reach, aha, Emerson, Sondo, Edovate Locations: Norway

☆ Silicon Valley billionaires want to build a new city in rural California, but locals are skeptical of the project: 'Their secrecy has caused a lot of problems'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Janie Har | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Silicon Valley billionaires revealed plans to build a new city after buying $800 million in land. The land was quietly purchased in Solano County, a rural area near San Francisco and Sacramento. Most of the land purchased is in the southeastern portion of the county, with parcels stretching from Fairfield to Rio Vista. Billionaires want to build a new city in rural California, but they're encountering wavering support from locals and lawmakers. Solano County homes are among the most affordable in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a median sales price of $600,000 last month.

Persons: Jan Sramek, Goldman Sachs, Flannery, Laurene Powell Jobs, Reid Hoffman, Marc Andreessen, Marc Andreeseen, Lauren Powell Jobs, Michael Moritz, Paul Chinn, Countess, Michael Kovac, Sramek, Mike Thompson, Terry Chea, Princess Washington, Thompson, they're, he's, John Garamendi, Hoffman, Andreessen, Ron Kott, Kott Organizations: Service, FRANCISCO, Flannery Associates, Silicon, LinkedIn, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Getty, Fair, Solano, US Air Force, FBI, of Treasury, AP, San Francisco Bay Area, Travis Air Force Base, US Locations: Solano County, San Francisco, Sacramento, Wall, Silicon, Northern California, Solano, Silicon Valley, California, Fairfield, Rio Vista, U.S, United Kingdom, Ireland, walkable, Terry Chea California, California's, San Francisco Bay, Princess, Suisun City, Travis

☆ Exclusive: Deel, a $12 billion HR startup, is contemplating an acquisition of competitor Papaya Global
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In the letter, Bouaziz says Deel "may contemplate an acquisition offer" of Papaya Global. "The Deel leadership team and I have been following Papaya Global for quite some time now with great interest," Bouaziz wrote to Papaya's board of directors. A spokesperson for Papaya Global said in a statement that the company is not for sale. Papaya Global is an Israel-based payments processing startup that last raised at a $3.7 billion valuation in 2021 in a round led by Insight Partners and Tiger Global. He also floated the possibility of an eventual full takeover of Papaya Global, which would require the approval of its board.

Persons: Philippe Bouaziz, Bouaziz, Deel, Eynat Guez, Dovi Frances, Guez, Francis, onboarding, Andreessen Horowitz, Emerson, Alexis Ohanian, Elad Gil, Y, Goldman Sachs, Adam Schiff, Julie Su Organizations: Insight Partners, Tiger Global, Global, Coatue Management, Nike, Labor Locations: San Francisco, Israel

☆ 13 Hollywood production companies making brand films that streamers like Netflix and Apple want to buy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

said Marc Gilbar, who runs the brand division at Imagine Entertainment. Some are also looking to brand films to offset some of the revenue they're losing in the dual Hollywood strikes. (Brand films are often unscripted and thus aren't governed by the Hollywood unions.) They also see brand work being a positive for below-the-line workers who are idled by the work stoppage. Led by EVP Kate Oppenheim, Tribeca Studios' projects have included "We Could be King" (ESPN2) for Dick's Sporting Goods and P&G's Queen Collective series (BET).

Persons: Ben Silverman, Issa Rae's Hoorae, Kevin Hart's Hartbeat, Julian Jacobs, we've, Marc Gilbar, Samuel L, Jackson, Emma Stone, Zac Ryder, Olivia Wilde, Laurene Powell Jobs, Caitlin McGinty, It's, James Gay, Rees, Paul Martin, Kevin Hart's, Hart, Hartbeat, Brian Price, Chase Sapphire, Procter, Reese Witherspoon, Zoe Fairbourn, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer's, Ron Howard's, Bryce Dallas Howard, Gilbar, Rocco DiSpirito, General Mills, Rupert Maconik's Saville, Werner Herzog, Barry Levinson, Sugar23, Oscar, Michael Sugar, Trevor Noah's, he's, Kennedy, Matt Rotondo helms, Sugar, Mike Beck, Alexa Conway, Trevor Noah, Kate Oppenheim, HBO Max, Paul McCartney, Mary McCartney Ventureland, Kerstin Emhoff, Paul Hunter, John Battsek, Stacy's Pita Chips, Will, Jada Pinkett, REI, Gargi Organizations: Hollywood, Brands, Mattel, Netflix, Apple, UTA, Imagine Entertainment, Producers, Adobe, IBM, Anonymous, HP, Afghan Girls National Soccer Team, Showtime, Pepsi Boardwalk Pictures, Relativity Media, Super, Pepsi, REI, Unilever, Marriott, Surf League, Major League Soccer, Sam's, Gamble, Weinstein Co, Hulu, Imagine, Paramount, Saville Productions, Disney, Time Studios, Procter & Gamble, Anheuser, Busch, InBev, CAA, Studios, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, Tribeca Studios, Dick's Sporting Goods, HBO, CNN, Mobile, Stacy's, Everest, Vice Studios, Westbrook Media, Meta, Logitech, Samsung Locations: Hollywood, Subway, Magnolia

☆ Meet Reed Jobs, the Apple cofounder's son who just launched a VC fund to invest in cancer treatments
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Reed Jobs, the son of Steve Jobs, launched Yosemite, a VC firm that will invest in cancer treatments. Reed Jobs, Steve Jobs's oldest son, is striking out on his own. Jobs, one of three children of the Apple cofounder and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, is launching Yosemite, a venture capital firm that will invest in new cancer treatments, according to a press release. The 31-year-old was inspired by his father to start the fund after Steve Jobs died from complications of pancreatic cancer in 2011, he told The New York Times. Jobs's latest business venture will build on his previous work as a managing director at the Emerson Collective, the mission-driven corporation founded by his mother.

Persons: Reed Jobs, Steve Jobs, Jobs, mother's Emerson, Steve Jobs's, Laurene Powell Jobs, John Doerr, Emerson, —, Walter Isaacson, Yosemite Organizations: VC, Apple, New York Times, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, Times, Emerson, Emerson Collective's, Stanford Locations: Yosemite, Hawaii

☆ A California state senator is calling for a labor investigation into $12B HR startup Deel over 'brazen employment misclassification' after Insider's reporting
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

$12 billion HR startup Deel is facing calls for a California Secretary of Labor investigation. Multiple California state senators criticized Deel for misclassifying workers, citing reporting from Insider. The company is heavily reliant on independent contractors, Insider previously reported. A California senator is calling for the state's Secretary of Labor to investigate Deel, a buzzy San Francisco-based HR startup valued $12 billion, over "brazen employment misclassification." 17 current or former Deel workers had told Insider in March that they had concerns the company may be misclassifying contract workers' employment status.

Persons: Deel, Stewart Knox, Stephen Padilla, Andreessen Horowitz, Emerson, Alex Bouaziz, Padilla, Dave Cortese, María Elena Durazo, We've, Thomas Lenz Organizations: Labor, Morning, Labor and Workforce Development Agency, Contractors, Senate Labor, Public, Global Employment, University of Southern California Gould School of Law Locations: California, San Francisco, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Brazil, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Nigeria

☆ Jeff Zucker reportedly compared his firing from CNN to a gunshot wound: 'I gave them a gun, and they shot me with it'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Alison Brower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Jeff Zucker compared his firing from CNN to a gunshot wound, according to a New York Times report. Jeff Zucker compared his firing from CNN to a gunshot wound, according to a New York Times report — in part a self-inflicted one. "I gave them a gun, and they shot me with it," Zucker reportedly said. Zucker was an immensely popular leader at CNN, and his firing was a staggering shock to its newsroom and the media industry. Licht and Zucker met a few months after Zucker's firing, over a lunch in the Hamptons arranged by other media stakeholders, the Times reported.

Persons: Jeff Zucker, Zucker, Chris Licht, Allison Gollust, Tim Alberta, Gollust, Andrew Cuomo, Risa Heller, Heller, Zucker's, David Zaslav, Laurene Powell Jobs, Emerson, WBD, Licht, Don Lemon, Donald Trump, Zaslav, David Leavy Organizations: CNN, New York Times, Yale University, Times, Atlantic, WarnerMedia, Warner Bros, Discovery, Hamptons Locations: WarnerMedia, New York

☆ Deel Speed: The inside story of a $12 billion HR startup's breakneck growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

Insider spoke with more than 30 current or former Deel workers about the HR company's extraordinary rise, and the unconventional tactics that made it possible. "I think if you talk to anyone, they would say that Alex is the face but all decisions run through Phillipe," one former Deel worker told Insider. "They lose every employment and labor protection," Valerio De Stefano, a professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, said of independent contractors. Alex Bouaziz, Deel on Centre Stage during day two of Collision 2022 at Enercare Centre in Toronto, Canada. The company didn't have an internal human-resources team until sometime in 2021, by which point it had grown to hundreds of people.

☆ From a horseback-riding model to a secret daughter: Meet the children of Apple cofounder Steve Jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Grace Kay | Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Steve Jobs left the bulk of his fortune to his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, when he died in 2011. Later, he had Reed Jobs, Erin Jobs, and Eve Jobs with his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs. Meet Jobs' four children and his widow Laurene Powell Jobs, and see how his legacy helped his loved ones succeed. Erin Siena JobsErin Siena Jobs is the most private of Steve Jobs' children. Vianney Le Caer/Invision/APTwenty-four-year-old Eve Jobs, the youngest of Steve Jobs' children, is a model and an accomplished equestrian.

☆ HR startup Deel striving to be more than a well-funded flash in the pan as it confirms $12 billion valuation and touts five-fold jump in annual revenue
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

HR startup Deel, which lets employers hire remotely, has raised capital at a $12 billion valuation. The funding round more than doubles the company's previous $5.5 billion valuation. The founder of HR startup Deel has insisted the company is more than just a "well-funded flash in the pan" as he confirmed a long-mooted funding round that more than doubled its valuation to $12 billion. Deel also automates payroll, benefits, compliance, and other HR functions through an API to help companies scale remote teams. The company previously raised $425 million at a $5.5 billion valuation in a round led by Coatue in October 2021.

☆ Steve Jobs' nepo babies: From a model to a secret daughter, here's everything we know about the Apple cofounder's kids
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Grace Kay | Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Steve Jobs left the bulk of his fortune to his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, when he died in 2011. Later, he had Reed Jobs, Erin Jobs, and Eve Jobs with his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs. Apple, Laurene Powell Jobs, and Reed Jobs did not reply to requests for comment, nor did representatives for Lisa Brennan-Jobs and Eve Jobs. Since Jobs' death, Powell Jobs has been active in philanthropy and founded Emerson Collective in 2004 as a "social change organization." Erin Siena JobsErin Siena Jobs is the most private of Steve Jobs' children.

☆ 10 money managers who quietly control the vast fortunes of Jeff Bezos, Sergey Brin, the Waltons, and other big-name billionaires
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +24 min

Many über-rich people don't outsource their wealth — they hire their own chief investment officers. He left SAC in 2005 for Dune Capital Management, but stayed in touch with Steve during his five-year term at the investment firm. Andrew oversees CPV's portfolio, which primarily comprises direct private investments such as Collectors Universe, a collectibles-authentication company, and the New York Mets. In 2011, Wildcat Capital Management was launched with Potter as president and chief investment officer. Since November 2021, Carland has also served as the interim chief investment officer for Builders Vision's asset arm.

☆ Ben Feigin, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ executive producer, dies at 47
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Ben Feigin, an award-winning producer on “Schitt’s Creek” and founder and CEO of Equation Unlimited, LLC, died Monday of pancreatic cancer. Feigin served as executive producer on “Schitt’s Creek,” serving as a key force in the series’ development and launch. For the final season of “Schitt’s Creek,” Feigin received an Emmy for outstanding comedy series, a Producers Guild Awards for outstanding producer of episodic television for a comedy and a Golden Globe for best musical or comedy television series. Feigin also received a GLAAD Media Award for best comedy series in 2020 and 2021. Feigin joined Anonymous Content in 2006, founding their comedy and enterprise divisions, in addition to continuing work as a producer.

Laurene Powell Jobs doesn’t tend to court the limelight. Over the past decade, she’s given only 10 interviews for publication. So why speak now, when there’s hardly a pressing reason for her to take the public stage? “My main reason is to cut through the misunderstanding and misconceptions,” says Powell Jobs—the ones about her 11-year-old organization, Emerson Collective, which is part philanthropy, part Sand Hill Road venture-capital powerhouse, part artistic patronage and part immigration-education-environmental advocacy group. It doesn’t help that most of Emerson’s giving has been anonymous, she says.

☆ NYC Mayor Eric Adams asks tech executives at private dinner to keep companies in the city
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

At a private dinner Wednesday at New York's swanky Le Pavillon, New York City Mayor Eric Adams called on tech executives to keep their companies in the city, even as industry leaders raise concerns to city officials of soaring rents and an increase in violent crime. He told the more than two dozen tech leaders: "New York City needs and wants technology companies," another attendee said, adding that city officials want tech companies to "help grow the economy of this city." Adams' spokesman Fabien Levy confirmed the mayor spoke to the tech executives, but said, "Mayor Adams wasn't there for dinner." "While we don't discuss private conversations, Mayor Adams always welcomes and encourages businesses to come to NYC," Levy said in an email. Conway said in an interview, noting that it's important for tech leaders and companies to be civically engaged.

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