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☆ US bank stocks rise as lenders sail through Fed's stress tests
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Manya Saini | Thomson Reuters | Manya Saini Reports On Prominent Publicly Listed U.S. Financial Firms Including Wall Street S Biggest Banks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Of the six regional lenders that were part of the test, Bank of New York Mellon (BK.N) and US Bancorp (USB.N) added 1.5% and 0.8%, respectively. J.P. Morgan downgraded the bank to 'neutral' in anticipation of an increase in capital requirements hurting its profitability. Citigroup (C.N) rose marginally, but trailed its peers as analysts expect that an increase in its stress capital buffer would hamper its plans to improve profitability. "Citi will now have the highest CET1 requirement among our banks at 12.3%," J.P. Morgan analysts wrote in a client note. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 Banks Index (.SPXBK), tracking a basket of large-cap bank stocks, is up 0.9% quarter-to-date, but has fallen 12.2% so far this year.

Persons: Charles Schwab, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, J.P, Morgan, Raymond James, Manya Saini, Niket Nishant, Arun Koyyur Organizations: JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon, US Bancorp, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Wall Street, RBC Capital Markets, Citizens, Citigroup, Citi, Silicon Valley Bank, Banks, Thomson Locations: Wells Fargo, U.S, Silicon, Bengaluru

☆ Startup studio Fractal created 130 companies in 3 years. Founders say the deal structure has led VCs to 'blacklist' them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Melia Russell | Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

www.fractalsoftware.comOf the dozens of Fractal startups that have raised a seed round of funding, about half had Bienville Capital lead the deal, according to people familiar with the matter. Others say they knew what they were getting into with a venture studio, where a large ownership position is standard. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty ImagesThe biggest draw for some Fractal founders was its plug-and-play approach. The founder of one Fractal startup remembered a time when his company was struggling to grow its customer base. That firm is raising a new $325 million fund to provide additional funding to Fractal companies exclusively, according to a person familiar with the effort.

Persons: Fractal's, he'd, they'd, Andreessen Horowitz, Mike Furlong, Nate Baker, Bienville, —, Brendan Smialowski, Founders, Angela Lee, Furlong, Baker, Ezra Shaw, who'd, who's, It's, Lee, She's, 8VC, Bain, Jeff Greenberg, Omri Bloch, who've, didn't, Stephanie Palazzolo, Melia Russell Organizations: Flatiron Health, Bienville, Insight Partners, Bienville Capital, Getty, Columbia Business School, Alpha, Midwest, Science, Olympic Club, Tiger Global, Craft Ventures, Founders, Vertical Venture Partners, Zag, Crew Capital, Bain Capital, Universal, Foundation, Fifth Locations: Bienville Capital, New York, Bienville, Indio, AFP, Santa Monica , California, Miami, San Francisco, GreenSpark, Columbia, Barti, Aktos, Bessemer, 8VC

☆ Smaller valuations and a lack of ego helped Spain's startup scene avoid some of Europe's shocking collapse in VC funding, investors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Spain's startup scene has evaded some of the collapse in VC funding that has rocked Europe in 2023. Smaller check sizes and a lack of "ego" has somewhat protected the ecosystem, investors say. Smaller valuations, check sizes, and a distinct lack of ego helped Spain's startup scene evade some of the shocking collapse in venture capital funding that has rocked Europe so far this year. Smaller rounds give Spain's startups an edge in the downturnWhat correction was felt was eased by the fact there is less "ego" in Spain's ecosystem, according to Max Bray, an investor at early-stage firm K Fund. As well as the birth of local growth funds, investors see corporations playing a role in closing the funding gap.

Persons: SoftBank, Catalyst, Pablo Pedrejón, Max Bray, Dalia Silberstein, Pedro Arribas Gridilla, Juliette Simonin, Margarita Albors, Tasmin Lockwood, Bray, Marc Sabas, Fund's Bray, Wallbox cofounders Enric Asunción, Eduard Castañeda, Glovo, Wallbox, Oscar Pierre, Ship2B's Sabas, Danae Vara, Danae Vara Ship2B, hasn't, Sabas, CVCs, There's, Félix Ortega, K Fund's Bray, Sérgio Massano Organizations: Accel, Pedrejón, Venture, Fund, Esade Center, Social, Foundation, Spanish, K Fund, Investors, Danae Vara Ship2B Ventures, Investment, Corporations, Barcelona Activa, Telefónica, BBVA, Proeduca Locations: Europe, Spain, Madrid, France, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Seaya, Bray, Vara, Barcelona, Silicon, London

[1/3] Mark Walsh, CEO of Savers Value Village, celebrates his company's IPO on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., June 29, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermidJune 29 (Reuters) - Thrift store operator Savers Value Village (SVV.N) fetched a market capitalization of nearly $4 billion in a strong debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, underscoring a resurgence in the IPO market as investors lap up new listings. Savers Value, owned by private equity firm Ares Management (ARES.N), joins a host of companies that have enjoyed a warm reception in recent months, reviving hopes the frosty IPO market has begun to thaw. So really this (an IPO) was the right smart option for us to move forward," said Savers Value CEO Mark Walsh. Savers Value and Ares raised over $401 million in the share sale on Wednesday.

Persons: Mark Walsh, Brendan McDermid, Avery Spear, Johnson, Ares, Niket Nishant, Sri Hari, Echo Wang, Krishna Chandra Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Ares Management, U.S, U.S . Federal, Renaissance, Rivian, Kodiak Gas Services, Fidelis Insurance Holdings, Canada's Healthcare, Ontario, Norway's Norges Bank Investment Management, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, U.S ., Sri, Bengaluru, Echo, New York

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoJune 29 (Reuters) - Inflection AI, a startup backed by several Silicon Valley heavyweights, said on Thursday it had raised $1.3 billion from investors including Microsoft and Nvidia, amid a boom in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. Inflection released its chatbot Pi last month. Pi uses generative AI technology, similar to ChatGPT, to interact with users through dialogues, allowing people to ask questions and share feedback. Palo Alto, California-based Inflection AI has about 35 employees. Nvidia (NVDA.O), which has stepped up its AI investments recently, Hoffman, Bill Gates and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt also participated in the latest round, Inflection said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Google DeepMind, Mustafa Suleyman, Reid Hoffman, Pi, Suleyman, OpenAI, Hoffman, Bill Gates, Eric Schmidt, Niket, Krystal Hu, Vinay Dwivedi, Conor Humphries Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, Nvidia, Google, LinkedIn, Collision, Thomson Locations: Alto , California, Greylock, Bengaluru, Toronto

☆ There's a big venture capital funding downturn — except for this one set of investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Venture capital funding into startups has drastically slowed. Corporate venture capital grew in 2022 and looks to grow again in 2023, bucking the broader downturn. Continuing a pullback in funding activity in 2022, venture capital into European startups fell by 32.1% in Q1 of 2023, per Pitchbook data. Faced with the prospect of raising down rounds at slashed valuations, startups are turning to an alternative mode of funding — corporate venture capitalists. A corporate venture capital firm, or CVC, is the investing arm of a specific business.

Persons: Ekaterina Almasque, Almasque, Sabrina Maniscalco, Luis Valente, Valente, iLoF, Charlie Bullock Organizations: Corporate, GV, Google, Catalyst, Catalyst Fund, Presidio Ventures, Japan's Sumitomo Corporation, Microsoft, OSRAM Ventures

TOKYO, June 27 (Reuters) - State-backed Japan Investment Corp (JIC) sees potential for more mergers and acquisitions in high-end corners of the chipmaking industry following its planned $6.4 billion buyout of materials maker JSR (4185.T), the head of its private equity arm said. "We see potential in some speciality materials markets where JSR can win dominant positions by combining with other materials makers," Ikeuchi said in an interview. "We believe that we can boost Japanese chip materials makers' global competitiveness by spurring industry consolidation," he added. In the chemicals industry, for example, Japan has "too many players making similar products that were once competitive but are now commoditised," Ikeuchi said. JIC, overseen by the powerful trade ministry, was set up in 2018 to invest in Japanese companies to boost the nation's competitiveness.

Persons: Shogo, Ikeuchi, JIC, Makiko Yamazaki, Ritsuko Shimizu, Jamie Freed Organizations: Japan Investment Corp, JIC Capital, Japan, Innovation Network Corp of Japan, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, chipmaking, Japan

NEW YORK, June 26 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) plans to add former Bank of America executive Tom Montag to its board, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday, as Goldman's leadership faces challenges over its strategy. The bank's board is gathering in India this week, a second source said. Montag, who has previously worked at Goldman Sachs, is currently CEO of Rubicon Carbon, a carbon-market venture backed by asset manager TPG. The planned appointment was first reported by Bloomberg News, which said that Montag is an ally of CEO David Solomon. Montag, described by his peers as a hard-charging executive, was formerly a partner at Goldman Sachs and jointly led its securities division until late 2007.

Persons: Tom Montag, Montag, Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, Goldman, Merrill Lynch, Solomon, Saeed Azhar, Manya, Arun Koyyur, Emelia Organizations: YORK, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, of America, Rubicon, TPG, Bloomberg News, Bank of America, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: India, New York, Bengaluru

☆ Factbox: Japan ramps up efforts to strengthen its chip industry
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Below are investments in Japan announced by chipmakers and measures the government is taking to revive its semiconductor industry. Sony Group (6758.T) and auto parts maker Denso (6902.T), which will use the chips TSMC makes, are also investors. It said it would be the first chipmaker to bring EUV technology to Japan for production. It has offered TSMC a 476 billion yen subsidy, or about half the expected cost of the factory. Rapidus secured an initial 70 billion yen of funding from the government, and local media reported in April that the government was finalising a plan to provide an additional 300 billion yen.

Persons: TW, Rapidus, JIC, Makiko Yamazaki, Sam Nussey, Tim Kelly, Miho Uranaka, Miyoung Kim, Jamie Freed Organizations: Semiconductor, chipmakers, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Sony Group, Micron Technology, Samsung Electronics, Reuters, Business Machines, IBM, Samsung, Nikon, Tokyo, Japan Investment Corp, Innovation Network Corp of Japan, Toshiba, Japan Industrial Partners, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Kyushu, Denso, KS, Yokohama, Japan's, Chitose, Hokkaido, Rapidus, U.S, China, State

☆ Check out this $110 million tech campus being built in Lithuania — the largest in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The development, from Lithuanian infrastructure firm Tech Zity, is inspired by British renovation projects like the Battersea Power Station and Tate Modern art gallery. Tech ZityLithuania is building a huge tech campus — Europe's largest — in the capital of Vilnius, as it looks to become the new tech capital of the Baltics. Lithuania's growing tech sceneLithuania's tech ecosystem has grown dramatically over the past decade, Darius Zakaitis, Tech Zity's founder, told CNBC. Tech Zity manages three tech campuses in Vilnius, including Tech Park, Tech Loft, and Tech Spa, which are home to companies like Google, Bored Panda and Kilo Health. Currently occupying 20,000 square meters, Tech Zity plans to reach 80,000 square meters over time, considering new campuses, existing locations, and other projects.

Persons: Darius Zakaitis, Zakaitis, Tech Zity, Daniel Ek, Tom, Kevin, Vineted Organizations: Tech, Battersea Power, Tate, Tech Zity, New, Vilnius, Tech Zity's, CNBC, Nord, Google, Kilo Health, Tech Zity U.S, Netflix, Spotify, Nord Security, Summit, Accel Locations: Lithuanian, Battersea, Tech Zity Lithuania, Vilnius, Baltics, Lithuania, Paris, Europe, Baltic, Nord, France, Germany, Lisbon, Portugal, EQT, Russia

☆ The co-leader of an AI-driven quant fund shares 2 stocks his model is betting the most on right now — and a simple way individual investors can use AI technology to pick stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An easy way to harness the power of AI quant models is to look at top holdings of ETFs, he said. But it's a tall task for individual investors — let alone institutions — to develop AI models for stock picking, Oh said. Oh said that the Qraft's momentum fund's top two holdings right now are Amazon (AMZN) and Meta (META). While it was the model that picked Amazon and Meta, Oh said they're solid fundamental plays. As for Meta, Oh said it's well-positioned for the AI boom as is one of the leaders in the space.

Persons: Francis Oh, —, ChatGPT, I'm, Google's Bard, Oh Organizations: Vanguard's Hong, Qraft Technologies, Apple, Nvidia, AI, Equity, BTD, Fund, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Gamestop, Dow, Industrial, SolarEdge Technologies, Dow Inc, Enphase Energy, Meta Locations: Asia, Pacific, Vanguard's, Vanguard's Hong Kong

June 20 (Reuters) - Private equity firm KKR (KKR.N) has agreed to purchase a substantial portion, or up to 40 billion euros ($43.71 billion), of payments company PayPal's (PYPL.O) buy now, pay later (BNPL) loans in Europe, the companies said on Tuesday. After the deal closes, PayPal expects to allocate roughly $1 billion to incremental share repurchases in 2023, contributing to an updated outlook of about $5 billion in total share repurchases so far this year. PayPal last year processed more than $20 billion of BNPL payment volume globally, up nearly 160% from 2021. Since launching its BNPL service in 2020, PayPal has issued more than 200 million loans to more than 30 million customers globally. The company said it will continue to remain responsible for all customer-facing activities, including underwriting and servicing associated with its European BNPL products.

Persons: BNPL, Brett Horn, Horn, Manya Saini, Hannah Lang, Arun Koyyur, Will Dunham Organizations: KKR, PayPal, Morningstar Research Services, Thomson Locations: Europe, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, Bengaluru, Washington

June 16 (Reuters) - Customers Bancorp (CUBI.N) said on Friday it acquired a $631 million venture banking loan portfolio from U.S. regulator Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) at about 85% of the book value. The portfolio belonged to failed lender Signature Bank, which was put under FDIC receivership in March, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Customers Bancorp shares rose on the news to their highest level since early March, and were up 3.3% at $30.23 at midday. On March 12, state regulators closed New York-based Signature Bank, marking this year's second high-profile bank collapse sparked by an exodus of depositors seeking higher returns and safer institutions. Following the bank's closure, the FDIC had announced in April the marketing process for the roughly $60-billion loan portfolio retained in receivership from Signature Bank.

Persons: Michael Perito, Keefe, Perito, Manya Saini, Saeed Azhar, Shailesh Kuber, Richard Chang Organizations: Customers Bancorp, Deposit Insurance Corporation, Signature Bank, Reuters, FDIC, Bancorp, Loans, Bank, New York Community Bancorp, Thomson Locations: Austin, Boston, Southern California, Chicago, New York, Bengaluru

☆ China's VCs look to the Middle East for a U.S. dollar lifeline
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

China's ties with the Middle East have warmed since Saudi Arabia and Iran restored diplomatic relations earlier this year — through discussions brokered by Beijing. Those tensions and increased regulatory scrutiny in both countries prompted many U.S.-based investors to hold off on investments in Chinese venture capital funds. Middle East capital is looking to step in, especially as countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar look to diversify from dependence on fossil fuels. However, many potential investments in Chinese funds are still in discussion, the venture capital funds said. Preqin data showed the share of Middle East sovereign wealth funds' investment in alternative assets worldwide roughly doubled between 2021 and the first half of 2022.

Persons: Faisal bin Farhan al, Saud, Hu Chunhua, Fayez Nureldine, Morgan Stanley, Khalid Al, CNBC's Dan Murphy, Falih, PIF, Massimo, Aysar Tayeb, Prosperity7, Tayeb, Abu Organizations: Saudi, Political Consultative, China Business Conference, Afp, Getty, BEIJING — Venture, U.S ., CNBC, Public Investment Fund, Investment, Conference, Prosperity7 Ventures, Business, of, Local Locations: Riyadh, BEIJING, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Beijing, U.S, Qatar, Middle East, Asia, East, Saudi, Al, Aramco, Hyperview, Shanghai, UAE, of Dubai, Abu Dhabi

☆ China's cabinet discusses ways to improve economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, June 16 (Reuters) - China's cabinet met on Friday to discuss measures to improve the state of the economy, state media reported, passing plans to step up financing support for technology companies and draft rules for supervising private funds. China's overall economic operation is recovering, the report added, while also pointing out that a slowdown in global trade and investment has had a direct impact on the recovery of the world's second-largest economy. Policymakers pledged to roll out policies in a timely manner when the conditions are right and to take more forceful measures in response to changes in the economic situation, the report said. These will include expediting the introduction of specific policies to promote the development of venture capital funds, providing more support to technology startups and introducing measures against illegal financing. Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Andrew Cawtorne, William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Cash, Andrew Cawtorne, William Maclean Organizations: Thomson Locations: BEIJING

☆ Bank of America makes $500 million equity push for minority- and women-led funds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Yuheng Zhan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Bank of America has committed to giving more than $500 million in equity investments to minority- and women-led fund managers to support diverse entrepreneurs, the bank announced Thursday in a press release. The program started in 2020 and so far, more than 150 funds have used the equity to invest in upward of 1,000 companies, collectively controlling $7 billion of capital, Bank of America said. This translates to support for 1,500 diverse entrepreneurs and the employment of more than 21,000 people. Bank of America is also separately working with the National Football League and National Black Bank Foundation to support Black- and minority-owned banks, CNBC's Frank Holland reported. "We're very focused on supporting our fund managers," Nguyen said.

Persons: Nguyen, Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC's Frank Holland Organizations: of America, Bank of America, National Football League, National Black Bank Foundation Locations: Crunchbase

☆ Some venture capitalists were probably a bit too hopeful about hitting fundraising goals this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Vishal Persaud | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Insight Partners and TCV are reportedly scaling back the size of huge venture funds they planned. The amount of money VC firms raised themselves hit $170.8 billion in 2022, according to PitchBook data, up from $158.5 billion in 2021. And it's also evident in two gigantic firms that had lofty fundraising goals but are now scaling back: Insight Partners and TCV. The firm has raised about 50% to 75% less for a $5.5 billion fund it planned for last year, The Information reported. Last month, Mayfield Fund announced that it raised $955 million across two new venture funds.

Persons: VCs, —, it's, they're, whittle, It's, Insider's Melia Russell, Brian, Lisa Sugar, Turner Novak, Monique Woodward, Navin Chaddha, who's, Chaddha Organizations: Insight Partners, Morning, Insight, Bloomberg, Financial Times, Tiger, Tiger Global, Street, Sugar, Banana, Cake Ventures, Mayfield Fund Locations: Mayfield, Silicon Valley

June 15 (Reuters) - Mediterranean restaurant chain Cava Group (CAVA.N) notched a valuation of $4.7 billion in a stellar market debut on Thursday, signaling the IPO market was gaining momentum after a lull in 2022. Shares opened at $42 apiece on the NYSE, nearly double the IPO price of $22, last up 89%. Cava sold about 14.4 million shares in the offering, raising $318 million. “We think the markets are always welcoming long-term sustainable growth stories, especially category defining brands, as we try and define the Mediterranean category,” Cava Co-founder and CEO Brett Schulman said. Cava was founded by three friends with Greek roots — Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos and Dimitri Moshovitis — and opened its first restaurant Cava Mezze in Rockville in 2006.

Persons: Cava, Matthew Kennedy, Johnson, Brett Schulman, Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos, Dimitri Moshovitis —, Morgan, Jefferies, Manya Saini, Savyata Mishra, Echo Wang, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: NYSE, Renaissance Capital, Reuters, Rivian, ”, Restaurant Brands, Cava, Citigroup, Thomson Locations: Cava, CAVA, United States, ” Cava, Rockville, Bengaluru, Echo, New York

REUTERS/Caitlin OchsJune 13 (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. banks rose on Tuesday after inflation data backed the view that the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged on Wednesday while leaving the door open for more hikes later that will further boost interest income. The data lifted the S&P 500 Banks Index (.SPXBK) 1.5%, while the KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) gained about 1.6%. Higher net interest income has helped cushion a slump in the banking sector's market-sensitive business units such as investment banking and trading. On Tuesday, Wells Fargo CFO Mike Santomassimo said the lender expected an upside to interest income this year going ahead. Missing the rally were shares of Zions Bancorporation (ZION.O) after executives said at a conference that interest income at the regional lender was trending toward.

Persons: Caitlin Ochs, Wells, Mike Santomassimo, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Zions, Manya Saini, Sriraj Organizations: JPMorgan Chase Bank, REUTERS, Federal Reserve, Banks, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, PacWest Bancorp, Western Alliance, Comerica, U.S . Bancorp, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, KBW, Monday's, Wells Fargo, Bengaluru

☆ Scoop: The founders of PopSugar raise $33 million for their second VC fund, and launch a bespoke investment bank to advise startups on M&A
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Brian and Lisa Sugar, the married founders of PopSugar, have raised a second venture capital fund. The $33 million fund will invest in consumer brands and software powering the future of retail. The eponymous firm, Sugar Capital, began to raise the sophomore fund a year ago and closed in May, Brian Sugar told Insider. For her part, Lisa stepped back from managing PopSugar in 2021 and joined Sugar Capital as a partner in 2022. Sugar Capital set out to raise $75 million for its second fund and reduced the target size last summer, Sugar said.

Persons: Brian, Lisa Sugar, Brian Sugar, MrBeast's Feastables, Will Hawthorne, Krista Moatz, PopSugar, Hawthorne, Sugar, Sam Altman, Jason Calacanis, Everlane, Ben Lerer's, Lisa, Brian Ach Organizations: PopSugar, Sugar Capital, Avid Capital Advisors, Avid, Sugar, JPMorgan, Advisors, Sequoia Capital, Nine Media, Bain Capital, Pritzker Group Venture, Consumer Locations: Olive

☆ France's Mistral AI raises 105 mln euros shortly after being set up
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Sudip Kar-Gupta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The fund-raising highlights the rapid growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) sector as well as Europe's desire to create rivals to Silicon Valley companies such as Microsoft-backed (MSFT.O) OpenAI and Google's (GOOGL.O) DeepMind. Paris-based Mistral AI was set up by former Meta (META.O) and Google artificial intelligence researchers Timothee Lacroix, Guillaume Lample and Arthur Mensch. Mistral AI's fund-raising was led by international venture capital fund Lightspeed Venture Partners. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is also a shareholder in Mistral AI. "Bravo to the start-up Mistral AI which has raised 105 million euros just a month after its creation: a record!"

Persons: Schmidt, Xavier Niel, Rodolphe Saade, Timothee Lacroix, Guillaume Lample, Arthur Mensch, Mensch, Mistral, Eric Schmidt, Jean, Noel Barrot, Bravo, Sudip Kar, David Evans, Leslie Adler Organizations: Lightspeed Venture Partners, Microsoft, Meta, JCDecaux, Italy's Exor Ventures, Mistral, Paris, Twitter, Thomson Locations: PARIS, Silicon, DeepMind, Paris, France, Europe, New York , California, London

[1/3] Signs of JP Morgan Chase Bank, Citibank and Wells Fargo & Co. bank are seen in this combination photo from Reuters files. The S&P 500 Banks Index (.SPXBK) rose 1.14%, while the KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) gained about 2%. JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N), Wells Fargo (WFC.N), Goldman Sachs (GS.N), Morgan Stanley (MS.N), Citigroup (C.N) and Bank of America (BAC.N) advanced between 1% and 2%. Higher net interest income has helped cushion a slump in the banking sector's market-sensitive business units such as investment banking and trading. Zions Bancorporation (ZION.O) shares fell 0.56% after its executives forecasted a slowdown in net interest income.

Persons: JP Morgan, Wells, Mike Santomassimo, Jack Janasiewicz, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Zions, Manya Saini, Sriraj Kalluvila, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: JP Morgan Chase Bank, Citibank, Wells Fargo & Co, Federal Reserve, Labor Department, Traders, Natixis Investment, Banks, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, Comerica Inc, Comerica, Bancorp, Western Alliance, U.S . Bancorp, National Bancorp, Thomson Locations: U.S, Wells, KBW, Monday's, Wells Fargo, Bengaluru

☆ Accenture looks to power AI efforts with $3 billion investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 13 (Reuters) - Accenture said on Tuesday it will invest $3 billion over three years into its data and AI practice, doubling the number of employees that are working with the cutting-edge technology at the IT consulting firm. The company, which consults and services various clients on generative AI projects, said it will have 80,000 people working on AI as it hires, buys other companies and trains more employees. Accenture did not say by when it would hit that number, but added that the investment was aimed to help companies across 19 industries. The firm's move underscores a rush among companies to burnish their offerings with generative AI - technology that the likes of Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Alphabet (GOOGL.O) say will change the way many jobs are done. On Monday, Salesforce (CRM.N) doubled its venture capital fund for generative AI startups to $500 million and unveiled an AI Cloud service that hopes to attract enterprises by offering its AI-powered products under one umbrella.

Persons: Tiyashi Datta, Nivedita Organizations: Accenture, Microsoft, Enterprise, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

Adenza was created in 2021 when Thoma Bravo merged Calypso Technologies with AxiomSL and is expected to generate about $590 million in revenue this year. As part of the Adenza deal, Thoma Bravo will get a 14.9% stake in Nasdaq, making the private equity firm one of the company's biggest shareholders. Nasdaq said buying Adenza is expected to increase the medium-term organic revenue growth outlook for its Solutions Businesses, which designs and develops financial software for investors, from 7%-10% to 8%-11%. Goldman Sachs & Co and J.P. Morgan Securities are financial advisers to Nasdaq, while Qatalyst Partners is lead financial advisor to Thoma Bravo and Adenza. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is serving as legal adviser to Nasdaq, while Kirkland & Ellis is serving as legal adviser to Thoma Bravo and Adenza.

Persons: Thoma, Adena Friedman, Morningstar, Michael Miller, Friedman, Adenza, Andrew Bond, Holden Spaht, Thoma Bravo's Spaht, Goldman Sachs, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, Ellis, Manya Saini, Anirban Sen, John McCrank, David French, Milana, Michelle Price, Sruthi Shankar, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Nick Zieminski, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Thoma Bravo, Nasdaq Nasdaq, Nasdaq, Calypso Technologies, REUTERS, OMX, International Securities Exchange, Rosenblatt Securities, Solutions, Goldman Sachs & Co, Morgan Securities, Qatalyst, Rosen, Kirkland, Adenza, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Adenza, Bengaluru, New York, Washington

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