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☆ Wall Street is hooked on Zyn. Here's how it is handling the shortage.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Over on Wall Street, the shortage — dubbed the "Zynpocalypse" — has not always been easy, according to finance-industry workers who spoke to BI about their love of Zyn. The sidewalk kiosk sells everything from gum to magazines to the latest New York City tabloid newspapers and is frequented by Wall Street workers, he said. Mark MoranAs Business Insider reported in January, the product has been hot across Wall Street, with sell-side traders ordering it in bulk, so it's always around. Alex NicollMoran quit Wall Street in 2021 and currently runs investor relations firm Equity Animal. "Some of these kids are just doing it because it's become a staple of Wall Street," Moran said of junior bankers in their early 20s.

Persons: —, Philip Morris, Emmanuel Babeau, Phillip Morris, I'm, Morgan Stanley, Nihal, Zyn, Alex Nicoll, Mark Moran, it's, Moran, Lazard, Alex Nicoll Moran, I'd Organizations: Service, Phillip Morris International, Wall Street, Business, BI, Barclays, Sixth, Velo, Lazard, North America, Washington, Equity Locations: Manhattan, New York City, Washington ,, Kentucky, Colorado, Swedish

☆ In Silicon Valley, Where Trump Made Inroads, Democrats Are Now Invigorated
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( Erin Griffith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In recent weeks, many Democrats in Silicon Valley had kept uncharacteristically quiet as prominent technology leaders — including Elon Musk and the investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz — endorsed Donald J. Trump for president. Even though Democrats had long been a dominant force in Silicon Valley, some were unenthusiastic about supporting President Biden, who was unpopular in the tech industry. They wanted to see if Mr. Biden could change the narrative around his struggling campaign. And those who were vocal in their support — such as the tech investor Reid Hoffman — faced attacks. Across the tech industry, the floodgates immediately reopened.

Persons: Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz —, Donald J, Trump, Biden, Reid Hoffman —, ”, Nihal Mehta Organizations: Elon, Mr, Democratic, Eniac Ventures Locations: Silicon Valley, New York

☆ 'Flat is the new up:' As three tech unicorns go public, it's less a call to arms and more a shoulder shrug
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But instead of a full-throated battle cry to go public and prosper, Silicon Valley got more of a shoulder shrug. Instacart shares are down more than 23% from their trading debut, hovering just above their IPO price of $30 per share. Earlier today Arm was trading below its $51 per share IPO price, meaning that even the privileged insiders who got access to shares before the general public are under water. Klaviyo is trading slightly above its IPO price of $30 per share but is still down 6% from its opening trade. He says he wouldn't be surprised if IPO markets don't return to normal until 2026 or 2027.

Persons: Klaviyo —, Rowe Price, Howe Ng, Ng, it's, Peter Hebert, Brian Hirsch, wouldn't, David Kaufman, Thompson Coburn, JP Morgan, Nihal Mehta, haven't, Mehta, Instacart, Klaviyo didn't Organizations: Federal, Fidelity, Apple, Pepsico, BlackRock, Lux Capital, Tribeca Venture Partners, JP, Morgan's, Eniac Ventures Locations: Silicon, York

☆ More than 110 VC firms, led by General Catalyst, are banding together in support of Silicon Valley Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-11 | by ( April Joyner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

More than 110 venture capital firms have signed a statement in support of Silicon Valley Bank. "Silicon Valley Bank has been a trusted and long-time partner to the venture capital industry and our founders," a joint statement from more than 110 firms reads. Hemant Taneja, the CEO of the VC firm General Catalyst, which led the effort to organize support for SVB, tweeted the statement on Friday evening. Alongside General Catalyst, 12 other firms signed the initial statement, including Accel, Greylock, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Upfront Ventures. Some VC firms, including Founders Fund, Y Combinator, and Union Square Ventures, advised their portfolio companies to pull the bulk of their funds out of the bank.

☆ Adam Scott, Naomi Campbell, Aubrey Plaza among the celebrities honoring this year’s CNN Heroes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN’s Anderson Cooper and ABC’s Kelly Ripa will co-host the 16th Annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute, premiering live at 8 p.m. The 2022 CNN Hero of the Year will be revealed during the live broadcast, selected by CNN’s audience from this year’s Top 10 CNN Heroes. ET on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español or on CNNgo, the online streaming platform available on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TV and Android TV, and on CNN mobile apps. Supporters can make online donations to the Top 10 CNN Heroes’ nonprofit organizations directly from CNNHeroes.com. Keep an eye on CNN.com/heroes and consider nominating that person as a CNN Hero in 2023.

☆ 4 college friends turned $1 million into a New York venture-capital empire backing tech's hottest unicorns. Here's how they did it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Founded as the side project of four college friends, Eniac Ventures has become a major player in VC. They named the firm Eniac Ventures, after the first electronic computer, developed at the University of Pennsylvania's engineering school, where the four had met. What started as the side hustle of four college buddies has become a powerhouse of the venture-capital industry, backing some of tech's hottest unicorns. And Eniac has invested alongside some of the biggest names in venture, including Y Combinator, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and New Enterprise Associates. Vasen met the Eniac partners at an event they hosted for prospective founders at a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco.

☆ Tiger Global, Coatue, and other hedge funds tried to upend venture capital. It backfired and now they're 'licking their wounds,' VCs say.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

New investments by Tiger Global and Coatue fell 60% and 67%, respectively, this year. "They're licking their wounds," said Nihal Mehta, a founding partner at Eniac Ventures, whose portfolio includes the marketing-tech startup Attentive, a crown jewel of Tiger Global and Coatue's portfolios. Speaking to founders, Mehta hears crossover funds come up less and less in conversation, and partners at some crossover funds tell him they're pulling back from new deals, though crossover funds haven't disappeared altogether. Crossover funds found themselves with billions of dollars in deployed capital and few exits in sight. Last month, Tiger Global and Coatue both revealed they are seeking to raise new funds earmarked for early-stage startup deals.

☆ Sequoia Capital took a $213 million bath on FTX after the crypto exchange imploded. That's not that bad, VCs say.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

FTX investor Sequoia Capital has marked down its position to $0 as the crypto exchange crumbles. Sequoia Capital now views its $213.5 million investment in FTX as worthless as the crypto exchange teeters on the brink of collapse after an eleventh-hour deal to salvage the business fell apart. "Somehow Sequoia capital turned a FTX write down to zero into a humblebrag. It invested $150 million into FTX through its third growth fund, which Sequoia said totaled less than 3% of that fund's capital commitments. In its letter to investors, Sequoia said it does "extensive research and thorough diligence" on every investment it makes.

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