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☆ Before politics, JD Vance had a career in venture capital. Here are the startups he's invested in.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( Madeline Berg | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

JD Vance is a man of many careers: attorney, author, senator, vice president-elect, and, perhaps less well-known, venture capitalist. For about six years between graduating from law school and becoming a United States senator from Ohio, Vance held various positions in the space before eventually starting his own fund, Narya Capital. Vance co-founded Narya Capital in 2019After two years, Vance broke out on his own, cofounding Narya Capital in 2019 with investments from Thiel, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and VC veteran Marc Andreessen. According to his vice president and senate disclosure forms, he has a stake in Narya Capital Fund I, Narya Capital Fund II, and Rise of the Rest Seed Fund. AdvertisementHis stake in Narya Capital Fund I is worth between $500,001 and $1 million.

Persons: JD Vance, Vance, doesn't, Peter Thiel's, Steve Case's, Boston —, Thiel, Eric Schmidt, Marc Andreessen, Narya, Vivek Ramaswamy's, Nayra, Luke Schroeder Organizations: United, Narya, Mithril, Narya Capital, cofounding, II, Narya's Capital, US Space Force Locations: United States, Ohio, New York, Silicon Valley, Boston, Narya, ValueBase, PitchBook

That’s why, he said, he invested in AppHarvest, a startup that promised a high-tech future for farming and for the workers of Eastern Kentucky. Despite promising local jobs, the company eventually began contracting migrant workers from Mexico, Guatemala and other countries, numerous former employees told CNN. After about a week on the job, Vance took a meeting with AppHarvest founder Jonathan Webb, as Webb later recounted in a Fox News podcast interview. The company’s health care benefits attracted Morgan, a single father, who told CNN he took a pay cut to join the startup. Such comments ring hollow to some former AppHarvest workers, who argue Vance’s rhetoric as a candidate for vice president doesn’t align with the reality they experienced.

Persons: JD Vance, Vance, “ It’s, it’s, ” Vance, AppHarvest, Donald Trump’s, Kentuckians Vance, weren’t, ”, Anthony Morgan, “, Luke Schroeder, AppHarvest’s, JD, Jonathan Webb, Webb, Peter Thiel’s, Thiel, Steve Case, Vance “, Morgan, ” Morgan, ’ ” Anthony Morgan, Shelby Hester, Hester, ” Hester, Grist, Andrew Miller, David Attenborough, Bethany, Gary Broadbent, “ AppHarvest, Mitch McConnell, Hester’s, Mitch Smith, bigwigs, CNN AppHarvest, Martha Stewart, Broadbent, doesn’t Organizations: CNN, Fox, Republican, US Department of Labor, PayPal, AOL, Fox News, AppHarvest, Morehead State University, Workers, Kentucky’s Education, Labor Cabinet, Kentucky Center, Investigative, Kentucky Republican, Securities and Exchange Commission, Retirement Association, Senate, Republican National Convention Locations: AppHarvest, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky, Mexico, Guatemala, Ohio, Silicon Valley, Morehead, Appalachia, gurneys, Plymouth, Massachusetts, Canada, ”

☆ The incredible oblivion of Judge Marvin Isgur
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Dakin Campbell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +45 min

On a mild Houston day in March 2021, Judge Marvin Isgur prepared to oversee the only case on his docket that morning. In October 2023, the Fifth Circuit Court rebuked Judge David Jones but said that his longtime colleague, Judge Marvin Isgur, had been "unaware" of Jones' inappropriate relationship. "But only Judge Isgur knows what he knew or didn't know about the relationship." Much of this work was in cases before either Judge Isgur or Judge Jones. Isgur can continue to hear the case, he ruled, writing in the December 2023 opinion that lawyers for the creditor "failed to demonstrate much other than that former Judge Jones and Judge Isgur are close friends."

Persons: Marvin Isgur, David Jones, Jones, Elizabeth Freeman, Jackson Walker, Isgur, Michael Van Deelen, he'd, Freeman, Matthew Cavenaugh, Cavenaugh, Michael Van Deelen Van, Judge Jones, who'd, Steve Smith, Smith, Michael Lewis, Van Deelen, I'm, Van Deelen's, Tom Kirkendall, Gary Cruciani, Judge David Jones, Nancy Rapoport, University of Nevada Las Vegas William S, Kirkendall, " Jones, Trump, she's, Sarah, Porter Hedges, —, — Elizabeth Freeman, John Higgins, Whitney Ables, Josh Wolfshohl, Amy Lucas, Porter, Wesley Steen, Fifth Circuit —, that's, Liz, Bruce Markell, it's, Judge William Greendyke, Lynn LoPucki's, Patricia Tomasco, Christopher Lopez, Manges, Greendyke, Albert Alonzo, Alonzo, Jones Isgur, Susan Tran Adams, Matt Cavenaugh, Veronica Polnick, Genevieve Graham, cookout, Graham, Tran, Christina Morrison, David, I, Neiman Marcus, J.C, Penney, Freeman hadn't, hadn't, Jim Wilkinson, Ellis, Kirkland, Ellis —, Veronica Polnick —, Polnick —, Elizabeth, COVID, Jackson, Kirkland Ellis, they'd, — Greendyke, Wilkinson, Judge Isgur, Mike Warner, Eduardo Rodriguez, Rodriguez, Isgur's, Judge Lopez —, Lopez, Alfredo Perez, Weil, Perez, Richard Schmidt, Jack Newsham Organizations: Business, Southern District of, McDermott International, Southern, Houston, Fifth Circuit, Appeals, Department of Justice, Fifth, University of Nevada, Boyd School of Law, Circuit, University of Houston, American Bankruptcy Institute, Emory Law School, Emory, Facebook, Big Law, Reuters, Bloomberg, Northwestern's Pritzker School of Law, Enron, LinkedIn, Southern District of Texas, Judicial Conference, Texas, Chesapeake Energy, Big, Kirkland, Cavenaugh, UPS, Technologies, Candy Club, Omni, Norton Rose, GWG Holdings Inc, Brands, Southern District's, Southern District, US, Former Locations: Texas, Southern District, Southern District of Texas, Houston, New Orleans, United States, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Kirkendall, Galveston, Carolina, Porter, Harris, Nevada, Southern District of Texas , Delaware, New York, Delaware, Weil, Southern, disgorge, Sorrento, Corpus Christi, prefacing

☆ Vertical farming: This GigaFarm in Dubai’s desert could produce 3 million kilograms of food
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —In 2022, Dubai unveiled the world’s largest vertical farm. Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS)“Not just another vertical farm”GigaFarm’s vertical farming solution is supplied by IGS, a Scottish company founded in 2013. “This is not just another vertical farm, this is something completely different,” says Lloyd, adding that the recycling model could be applied to any urban area. And it’s not just the UAE that’s interested in vertical farming: Qatar is investing heavily in smart farming, and agritech companies are expanding into Saudi Arabia. However, it will take another decade before we see widespread adoption of vertical farming, and more research is required to increase the number of crops that can be grown, Sharma adds.

Persons: Dubai’s Al, it’s, Oliver Christof, “, Andrew Lloyd, you’ve, ”, Lloyd, AeroFarms, Lloyd —, It’s, ReFarm, Rohit Sharma, Sharma Organizations: CNN, Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport, UAE, UN, IGS, University of Wollongong Locations: Dubai, Dubai’s, Dubai’s Al Maktoum, Tech, Scottish, Abu Dhabi, UAE, Ukraine, Russia, Carrefour, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, East, Africa

Meanwhile, two indoor farming companies that attracted strong startup money — New Jersey's AeroFarms and Kentucky's AppHarvest — filed for bankruptcy reorganization. Advocates say growing indoors uses less water and land and allows food to be grown closer to consumers, saving on transport. Tom Kimmerer, a plant physiologist who taught at the University of Kentucky, has tracked indoor farming alongside his research into the growth of plants both outdoors and inside. He said some companies may be struggling to scale up, with problems that come from launching in spaces that aren't necessarily built specifically for indoor farming. Several of the companies say they're on the right track.

Persons: AppHarvest —, Jacob Portillo, Eden Green, that’s, ”, It's, they’re, Tom Kimmerer, “, Kimmerer, Hannah Burrack, you’re, ” Burrack, Evan Lucas, he's, Lucas, Eden, Eddy Badrina, Arama Kukutai, Matt Ryan, Curt Covington, isn't, “ It's, ” Covington, ___ Walling, Joshua A, Bickel, ___, Melina Walling Organizations: Eden Green Technology, Kroger, University of Kentucky, Michigan State University, Northern Michigan University, Eden Green, Walmart, AgAmerica, Associated Press, AP Locations: CLEBURNE, Texas, Dallas, Eden, Cleburne, California, Detroit, Elmwood, Farm, Lexington , Kentucky, Plenty, Chicago, Georgetown , Kentucky, Georgetown, ___

☆ Amazon's Whole Foods to triple shelf space for vertical farmer Bowery
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Ophelia Anwah | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Bowery, a vertical farming company that grows crops indoors, is getting more shelf space at Amazon 's Whole Foods, with a deal to triple the stores stocking its salad kits. Currently, Bowery's salad kits and a selection of greens are carried at 50 Whole Foods Market stores in the Northeast. The deal comes amid challenges for both vertical farming and Amazon's efforts to expand its grocery footprint. The vertical farming industry, meanwhile, has been under pressure, like many formerly high-flying, heavily VC-funded startup niches. According to PitchBook, through the first quarter of 2023, vertical farming deals declined by 91% year-over-year.

Persons: Matt Williams, Zesty Caesar, Balsamic Vinaigrette, romaine, Andy Jassy, Jassy Organizations: Foods, Bowery, CNBC, Walmart, Albertsons, Westside, FreshDirect, Amazon Locations: Northeast, Westside Market, Brooklyn, East Coast, Florida, Virginia, Tennessee , North Carolina, Charlotte, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami

☆ Bowery: 2023 CNBC Disruptor 50
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Founded in 2015 in New York City, Bowery is among several urban plant factories that are changing food supplies, and attracting substantial funding. The need to grow produce more efficiently, and closer to end markets, is represented in Bowery and the concept of vertical agriculture. Early last year, Bowery secured a $150 million credit investment from KKR & Co. Overall, Bowery increased its retail distribution 40% in 2022, with supermarket chains Albertsons, Giant Food, Walmart and Whole Foods on board. Almost a decade on from its founding, the idea behind Bowery remains novel, but skeptics say vertical farming remains closer to a DIY niche than a grown up, globally scalable agtech industry.

☆ This week's jobs report will help determine if this nascent March rally has legs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Where the market heads next will once again depend on inflation data — especially this week's highly anticipated jobs report. No portfolio companies report earnings next week. However, with mortgage rates bouncing back in recent weeks, it remains to be seen if the strong monthly report will see any follow up. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

☆ The Fed, earnings, jobs and China: How we think about this week's deluge of data
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

It is very premature, in my view, to think about or be talking about pausing our rate hikes. The news sent those stocks reliant on China for growth — Starbucks, Estee Lauder and Wynn Resorts, among many others — higher. Or bad news could just be bad news if weak data signals a recession ahead. And good news could be good news: for example, if China reopens and U.S. companies exposed to the region see a boost in demand. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade.

☆ An indoor farming startup is valued at $2.3 billion after a historic fundraising round as climate change concerns become more urgent
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-26 | by ( Alex Hickey | Morning Brew | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

This story is from today's edition of Morning Brew, an awesome daily email publication read by 2.5 million next-generation leaders like you. The startup, now valued at $2.3 billion, grows produce using indoor vertical farming setups. Sci-fi farming is catching onClimate change concerns and a renewed focus on the food supply chain have contributed to increased investor appetite for indoor farming. Last year, global VC investment in indoor farms tripled to almost $1.9 billion. Zoom out: The indoor farming sector is growing but is still just a wee seedling.

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