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☆ Amazon, Meta back Scale AI in $1 billion funding deal that values firm at $14 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Riley De León | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Artificial intelligence startup Scale AI said Tuesday that it has raised $1 billion in a Series F funding round that values the enterprise tech company at $13.8 billion — almost double its last reported valuation. 12 on this year's CNBC Disruptor 50 list, has now raised $1.6 billion to date. Existing investors including Y Combinator, Nat Friedman, Index Ventures, Founders Fund, Coatue, Thrive Capital, Spark Capital, Nvidia, Tiger Global Management, Greenoaks, and Wellington Management also participated in the round. Scale AI is playing a key role in the rise of generative artificial intelligence and large language models, with the data — whether it is text, images, video or voice recordings — needing to be labeled correctly before it can be digested and used effectively by AI technology. Scale AI has evolved from labeling data used to train models that powered autonomous driving to now helping to improve and fine tune the underlying data for nearly any organization looking to implement AI, powering some of the most advanced models in use.

Persons: Elad Gil, Y Combinator, Nat Friedman, Alexandr Wang Organizations: CNBC, Accel, Cisco Investments, Intel Capital, ServiceNow Ventures, AMD Ventures, WCM, Color Genomics, Meta, Ventures, Founders Fund, Spark Capital, Nvidia, Tiger Global Management, Wellington Management Locations: San Francisco, AGI

☆ VCs didn't care about OpenAI's weird board structure. It was all about investing in Sam Altman and its 'transformative' tech.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

OpenAI's venture capital investors weren't thinking about its mission to serve "humanity" by developing artificial intelligence. After Altman's ouster, Vinod Khosla, an early investor in OpenAI, came to his defense despite the criticism. OpenAI's complex and unique corporate governance structure meant that VCs could invest in the capped profit entity, but never earn any influence over the nonprofit board of directors, all of whom were either cofounders or appointed outside AI experts. The board structure and its governance are all likely to change as part of the deal to bring Sam Altman back as CEO of OpenAI. The purpose of the newly formed OpenAI board – consisting of current board member D'Angelo, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor – is to vet and potentially appoint an expanded board of up to nine people, and that Microsoft and Altman want board seats, The Verge reported.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Altman, VCs, Sam, Altman's, Vinod Khosla, Yunus, Khosla, Wesley Chan, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Tasha McCauley, who's, Joseph Gordon, Levitt, Helen Toner, Adam D'Angelo, Karthee Madasamy, it's, David Sacks, D'Angelo, Larry Summers, Bret Taylor – Organizations: Business, Tiger Global Management, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Microsoft, FPV Ventures, Rand Corporation, Georgetown's Center for Security, Emerging Technology, MFV Partners, Qualcomm Ventures, Ikea, Bosch, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Bertelsmann Foundation, Carlsberg Foundation, Craft Ventures Locations: OpenAI, Silicon Valley, Hollywood

Burry also closed out bearish options against the broad S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 Index, the filings showed. His Scion Asset Management’s biggest new position last quarter was in bearish options on an exchange-traded fund focused on semiconductors. He bought put options with a notional value of $47.4 million against the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX.O), according to the filing. The filings also showed that Burry's fund no longer held puts on the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500. Hedge fund Man Group also sold its 1.1 million shares in Nvidia, while Renaissance Technologies LLC sold its entire stake in the company.

Persons: Michael Burry, Burry, George Soros, Carolina Mandl, David Gregorio, Anna Driver, Deepa Babington Organizations: U.S, Nasdaq, iShares Semiconductor, Soros Fund Management, Society, Nvidia, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufactoring, Man, Renaissance Technologies, Tiger Global Management, Eisler Capital, Man Group, Duquesne Family Office, Thomson Locations: U.S, TSMC, New York

☆ Investors increase holdings of weight-loss drug makers’ shares in Q3 -filings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Some big investors showed increased appetite for weight-loss drug makers in the third quarter, piling in to shares of Eli Lilly (LLY.N) and Novo Nordisk amid growing demand for their product, securities filings showed on Tuesday. Shares of Eli Lilly rose 14.5% in the third quarter and are up 67% this year. Some investors also bought more American Depositary Receipts of Novo Nordisk, including Fidelity Investments, Lazard Asset Management, T Rowe Price and Soros Fund. Novo Nordisk on Saturday presented data showing that the heart protective benefits of Wegovy are not solely due to weight loss, which could make it easier for healthcare insurance reimbursement in the future. Still, other investors trimmed their exposure to Eli Lilly, such as Wellington Management Group, California Public Employees Retirement System and Bridgewater Associates.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, JPMorgan Chase, Eli Lilly's, Rowe Price, Marshall Wace, LSEG, “ Stocks, ”, Vincent Aita, Carolina Mandl, Ira Iosebashvili, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Novo, JPMorgan, Vanguard, Sigma, Tiger Global Management, Coatue Management, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, Bank of America, Fidelity Investments, Lazard Asset Management, Soros Fund, Wellington Management Group, California, Bridgewater Associates, Marshall, Renaissance Technologies, Capital Management, Pfizer, Carolina, Thomson Locations: BlackRock, U.S, New York

Instead, he's a co-founder of a $400 million food delivery company. Tsao launched the company, Caviar, with four of his best friends from the University of California, Berkeley in 2012. Building "Groupon for food" didn't work, "so we were like, 'Let's be the Uber for food.'" 'We just blew up'At the time, most of today's food delivery apps didn't exist yet. Five college friends founded Caviar in 2012, at a time when GrubHub and Seamless were the only major online food delivery businesses.

Persons: Shawn Tsao, he's, Tsao, Jack, Uber, Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Abel Lin, Andy Zhang, Richard Din, Jason Wang, —, Munch, Groupon, didn't, Postmates, DoorDash, Andreessen Horowitz, Wang Organizations: University of California, CNBC, Investors, Tiger Global Management Locations: Berkeley, Francisco, U.S, Miami

☆ Revolut strikes share deal with SoftBank to remove barrier to UK licence - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of SoftBank Group Corp is displayed at SoftBank World 2017 conference in Tokyo, Japan, July 20, 2017. Revolut and SoftBank had been locked in months of negotiations, with the Japanese investor demanding stiff compensation for giving up its priority class of shares, the report said. The fintech startup can only win a UK banking license if it gets rid of preference shares held by investors including SoftBank. The standoff was one of the reasons Revolut could not immediately get a banking license. The BOE and SoftBank did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the report, while Revolut and the FCA declined to comment.

Persons: Issei Kato, Revolut, SoftBank, The BOE, Akanksha, Maju Samuel Organizations: SoftBank, REUTERS, Financial Times, Bank of England, Tiger Global Management, Balderton, Ribbit, Financial, Authority, The, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, TCV, Bengaluru

On Friday, Tiger Global reached out to its investment partners about the document, which has been seen by venture capitalists, hedge funds and in media circles. “These attacks are packed with lies, which we strongly believe were written and pushed by a disgruntled former employee with whom we parted ways,” Tiger Global said in its letter to investors. It was unclear how far the document has spread, but the Tiger Global letter said the firm has been aware of it for several months. Tiger told investors it had engaged "experts" to help it respond to the allegations in the document, without providing further details. Tiger Global has roughly $50 billion of assets under management, but saw its portfolio significantly trimmed last year as tech stocks faltered.

Persons: Tiger, Helen Coster, Greg Bensinger, Kenneth Li, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Investment, Tiger Global Management, Meta, Spotify, Reuters, New Yorker, Tiger Global, Global, Thomson

☆ Investors pummeled by tech in 2022 make new bets on sector in second quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Raindrops hang on a sign for Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S., October 26, 2020. The deadline for so-called 13-F filings for the second quarter is on Monday. 2023 has been a better year for investors, with the S&P 500 (.SPX) stock market index up 16% in the first half after a 20% drop in full-year 2022. IPhone maker Apple (AAPL.O), retailer Amazon, electric vehicle maker Tesla (TSLA.O), chip maker Nvidia and technology company Meta are among the group that accounted for 73% of the market's gains. Second-quarter filings suggest many hedge funds ramped up their bets on technology stocks that suffered last year.

Persons: Mike Segar, Meta's, Philippe Laffont, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Wall, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Amazon.com, Meta, Coatue Management, Microsoft, Tiger Global Management, Nvidia, Investment, Securities and Exchange, Apple, Svea, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, New York

☆ Tiger Global cuts largest holdings, doubles down on Nvidia, Apollo Global Management
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Coleman lowered his exposure in six of his top 10 holdings, including some of the largest technology stocks. 2 holding Microsoft by $82.5 million, or 4.4%, and slashed his stakes in Amazon.com, his seventh-largest holding, by 61%. Coleman raised his stake in Nvidia by 1,300%, which was worth about $194.9 million. Coleman raised his position in the stock by 492%. Coleman, who was one of the so-called Tiger Cubs who worked under Julian Robertson at Tiger Management, also doubled down on his stake in alternative asset manager Apollo Global Management.

Persons: Chase, Coleman, Eli Lilly, Uber, Julian Robertson Organizations: Tiger Global Management, Nvidia, Microsoft, Novo Nordisk, Tiger Cubs, Tiger Management, Apollo Global Management, Intuit

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party sent letters to four separate U.S. venture capital firms, including Qualcomm's venture arm, expressing "serious concern" about their investments in Chinese tech startups. The letters, which were made public on Wednesday, were sent to GGV Capital, GST Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, and Walden International. Qualcomm Ventures, for example, made 13 investments in Chinese A.I. Walden, a smaller firm, was identified as a particularly significant backer of Chinese AI companies. He said at the time he found there was "broad support" among venture capitalists and others to keep U.S. asset managers from investing in Chinese AI firms.

Persons: Mike Gallagher, Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Janet Yellen, Antony Blinken, Gallagher, Krishnamoorthi, SenseTime, GGV, Didi, Megvii, Abu, Walden, Intellifusion, Neil Shen helming Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Chinese Communist Party, GGV, Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Walden International, Wisconsin Republican, Treasury, New York Times, Qualcomm, Tiger Global Management, Tiger Global, Denglin Technology, Georgetown's Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Macquarie Group, GSR Ventures, Center for Security, Horizon Robotics, Silicon Valley, CNBC, U.S . Commerce Department, Street, Sequoia Capital, Sequoia Locations: Illinois, China, U.S, Silver, Denglin, Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Megvii, Sequoia China

☆ Exclusive: Blackstone's Horizon head Scott Bommer to leave company
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Bommer, a former hedge fund manager, joined Blackstone in 2021 as a senior managing director when the company was overhauling its $81 billion Blackstone Alternative Asset Management hedge fund unit known as BAAM. The Blackstone Horizon platform will now be run by an investment committee led by BAAM Global Head Joe Dowling, the sources said. Before coming to Blackstone, Bommer ran hedge fund SAB Capital for 17 years investing in stocks, debt and mortgages. Bommer was the first big hire brought in by Dowling, after he joined Blackstone in early 2021 to help overhaul the hedge fund unit. Last year Tiger Global Management lost 56% while Whale Rock Capital Management ended with a 43% loss, Reuters reported previously.

Persons: Blackstone, Scott Bommer, Joe Dowling, Bommer, Dowling, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Diane Craft, David Gregorio Our Organizations: YORK, Blackstone, Management, BAAM Global, SAB Capital, Tiger Global Management, Whale Rock Capital Management, Reuters, Svea, Thomson

☆ Investors who showed Q1 bets on Nvidia may have got boost as it joined $1 trillion club
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

They may not reflect current holdings, as fund managers may have added or sold shares since then. Many investors have piled in to the chipmaker that has quickly become one of the biggest winners of the AI boom. In the previous quarter, Nvidia was not part of GQG's portfolio. Among prominent investors who sold Nvidia's shares before its recent jump is ARK Invest. California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) sold roughly 1 million shares in Nvidia, but remained with about $1.2 billion in shares in the first quarter.

Persons: Cathie Wood, Carolina Mandl, Megan Davies, Matthew Lewis Organizations: YORK, Nvidia, GQG Partners, Fort, GQG Partners Inc, Nvidia Corp, Tiger Global Management, Wellington Management Group, Moore, ARK, California Public Employees, Carolina, Thomson Locations: U.S, Australia, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, India's, California, New York

☆ Here are big Wall Street investors' favorite A.I. bets, other than Nvidia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

But it's not just Nvidia the smart money is betting on to power AI growth. Dan Loeb's Third Point also purchased Alphabet in the first quarter, making it the fund's fifth-biggest holding. Shares of Alphabet have rallied almost 40% this year as investors grew optimistic about the company's AI capabilities. AI software Druckenmiller revealed recently his Microsoft stake was also a bet on AI. Another AI software maker, Palantir, lately attracted buying from Ark Invest's Cathie Wood.

Persons: it's, Stanley Druckenmiller, Dan Loeb's, Bill Ackman's, Philippe Laffont’s Coatue, Stephen Mandel’s, Druckenmiller, David Tepper, Daniel Sundheim, Meta, Laffont’s Coatue, —, Samantha Subin Organizations: Nvidia, Wall Street's, Billionaire, Duquesne, Office, Google, Bill Ackman's Pershing, Capital Management, Taiwan Semiconductor, Tiger Global Management, Coatue Management, Devices, Stephen Mandel’s Lone Pine Capital, Microsoft, Meta Locations: Wall

☆ Stanley Druckenmiller piles into these A.I. plays and other technology stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller bought into a few stocks tied to artificial intelligence last quarter, while piling into a handful of other names in the tech sector, according to a new regulatory filing. Druckenmiller said last week these two bets were his way of getting exposure to the booming AI space. He thinks that AI could be a fruitful opportunity for investors, especially when the economy comes out of what he thinks is an imminent downturn. The investor also built a sizable stake in Alphabet, another AI play, making it one of his top 10 holdings. Amazon was another new bet for Druckenmiller, who built an $84 million stake at the end of March.

☆ Tiger Global makes new bets on Apple and Taiwan Semi in the first quarter
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tiger Global Management made a new bet on Apple in the first quarter, while expanding positions in some major technology players that posted a strong start to the year. Tiger also upped its stake in technology leaders Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft in the first quarter. The latest securities filings also showed Tiger exited small positions in Roblox , Warby Parker and Pinduoduo parent PDD Holdings . Coleman founded Tiger Global in 2001. He is widely known as one of the Tiger Cub hedge fund managers who worked at Tiger Management under Julian Robertson.

☆ Buffett sheds stake in TSMC, while Macquarie, Fidelity buy shares -filings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Macquarie added roughly 78 million new American Depositary Shares (ADRs) of TSMC to an existing position, and ended March with $7.3 billion in the company. Fidelity bought 14.1 million new shares, increasing its bet on the company to nearly $4 billion. Coatue Management, founded by Philippe Laffont, built a new position in the chipmaker as it bought 5.9 million shares, worth $548.9 million. U.S.-listed shares of TSMC have gained nearly 14.5% this year. Reporting by Carolina Mandl, in Sao Paulo; Editing by Ira Iosebashvili and Anna DriverOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ TSMC added by Macquarie, Fidelity and Coatue after Buffett cut stake -filings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Their moves come roughly three months after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) unveiled it cut its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd last year. Macquarie added roughly 78 million new American Depositary Shares (ADRs) of TSMC to an existing position, and ended March with $7.3 billion in the company. Fidelity bought 14.1 million new shares, increasing its bet on the company to nearly $4 billion. Coatue, founded by Philippe Laffont, built a new position in the chipmaker as it bought 5.9 million shares, worth $548.9 million. Reporting by Carolina Mandl, in Sao Paulo; Editing by Ira Iosebashvili and Anna DriverOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ TikTok ban is the least palatable of options
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Montana is following a movement around the United States to try to keep Americans from using TikTok. That has consequences: The United States has never pulled a platform used by so many people to communicate. China, which before TikTok had never cracked the U.S. market with a successful social media network, is unlikely to let ByteDance part with TikTok. More recently the company had been working with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to ease concerns. TikTok users in the United States could still binge on short videos, but the company – and its rivals – would face tougher constraints.

☆ The bank taking over SVB's venture-debt business doesn't seem to know a lot about venture debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But first, can you explain what venture debt is? The venture debt community, which has grown considerably as equity funding has dried up, is skeptical that First Citizens is the best firm for the job, Insider's Darius Rafieyan reports. Reporting from the first annual Venture Debt Conference in New York, which First Citizens seemed to be absent from, Darius details how attendees and panelists questioned the family-run regional bank's ability to take over the complex and nuanced business that is venture debt. I'm all for learning on the job, but that type of knowledge seems like a prerequisite for buying a business with more than $70 billion in venture debt. But, if First Citizens is as ill-equipped to take over SVB's venture-debt business as some believe, that only further complicates the matter.

☆ China's Shein set to raise $2 billion in new funding round, aims for U.S. IPO later this year, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters reports the fast fashion retailer is targeting a U.S. IPO in the second half of 2023. Shein cut its valuation to $64 billion in this fundraising, down by a third from a funding round a year ago, according to six sources with knowledge of the matter. All sources declined to be identified as the information was confidential. Shein said it does not currently have plans for an IPO and declined to comment further. Shein, founded by Chinese entrepreneur Chris Xu, has grown into one of the world's largest online fashion marketplaces since its 2008 launch in Nanjing.

A CHINESE COMPANY? Those rules followed a regulatory crackdown that has slowed U.S. listings by Chinese companies to a trickle. Chinese companies raised only around $230 million in U.S. listings last year, a massive drop from $12.9 billion in 2021, according to Refinitiv data. It was not immediately clear if SHEIN is planning to officially seek Chinese regulatory approval for its IPO. The moves were designed so that SHEIN could bypass seeking Chinese regulatory approval for the listing, sources have previously said.

☆ Embark shares tank as autonomous trucking firm mulls 'shutting down completely'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Investors and industry watchers have also been concerned about billions of dollars that have been poured into the self-driving technology sector in a short span of time to commercialize it. "Over the next handful of weeks, we will work closely with the Embark Board of Directors to evaluate our options, including selling assets, restructuring the company or shutting down completely." Embark went public in 2021 through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal and is backed by Mubadala Capital, Sequoia Capital and Tiger Global Management. The company expects to incur charges of $7 million to $11 million related to the workforce reduction, which spans about 230 employees. Shares of Embark closed down 32.8% lower at $2.56 on Monday, giving the firm a market capitalization of $60 million, compared with the over $5 billion in market value when it went public.

☆ Meet the top 8 lawyers helping startups patent artificial intelligence and comply with rules on privacy and safety
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AI startups must secure patents and manage concerns about bias, safety, and security risks. Artificial-intelligence startups are continuing to draw venture-capital support, pulling in some $72 billion in 2022, according to data from PitchBook. For one thing, AI poses questions around the kind of privacy and safety issues that can be subject to regulation and government oversight. Meanwhile, novel uses of AI technology have already brought unusual legal questions up to the courts. That kind of work also often leads to more work for regulatory, litigation and other attorneys with expertise in AI technology, who can advise on procurement contracts, risks involving software, and cybersecurity.

☆ TSMC out of favor with slew of funds alongside Berkshire, filings show
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The announcement drove shares in TSMC down 6% on Wednesday, although they remain up 23.5% this year. Equity long-short hedge fund Tiger entirely sold its 1.3 million shares in TSMC in the fourth quarter, a stake worth $119 million at current prices. Fund manager Capital Group also sold over 9.5 million shares in the chipmaker, regulatory filings showed. JPMorgan and BlackRock dumped roughly 4 million shares in TSMC each. On Tuesday, Charles Munder, a director and vice-chairman of Berkshire, said TSMC is the "strongest semiconductor company on earth," without elaborating on the reasons for the sale.

☆ Tiger Global Management trims top tech holdings, adds new position in ZoomInfo
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Jesse Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Tech-focused hedge fund Tiger Global Management sold large chunks from several of its biggest positions in the fourth quarter , but investor Chase Coleman didn't completely turn his back on the market. Tiger Global trimmed its stake in most of its top holdings, according to securities filings and VerityData's InsiderScore.com. Elsewhere, Tiger Global eliminated positions in RingCentral and Li Auto that were worth about $99 million and $396 million, respectively, at the end of the third quarter. Coleman is one of the so-called Tiger Cub hedge fund managers who worked under Julian Robertson at Tiger Management. Tiger Global was one of the tech-focused hedge funds that was caught offsides by last year's sharp pullback for growth stocks.

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