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☆ How Rak Garg became Bain Capital Ventures' youngest partner at just 27 years old in less than 3 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-02 | by ( Sri Muppidi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

After spending two years building products at Atlassian, Garg quit his job to start his own company. However, through his efforts to start a company, Garg met Enrique Salem, a board member of Atlassian and partner at Bain Capital Ventures, the multi-stage venture fund managing over $10 billion in assets and a unit of Bain Capital. In response, Garg helped start Atlassian Access, a new identity management product that scaled to thousands of customers. AdvertisementBecoming BCV's youngest partner in under 3 years"I didn't know anything about venture," Garg said. "We are very high-touch in how we work with these companies," Garg said.

Persons: —, Garg, Enrique Salem, Salem, Rak Organizations: Service, Business, Bain Capital Ventures, Bain Capital, BCV, UCLA, Atlassian, Viso Trust, BCV Labs Locations: Atlassian, Delhi, Bay, ideating

But, not all AI startups are created equal. AdvertisementBusiness Insider surveyed nine VCs who invest in AI startups at firms like Bain Capital Ventures, Flybridge, and Sapphire Ventures. Startups building AI's "picks and shovels" are a better bet than yet another LLMStep aside, OpenAI and Anthropic. In contrast, unstructured data encompasses various formats such as text documents, images, audio files, emails, social media posts, and videos. Some AI investors say they're shying away from point solutions—think online payment processing or project management—in favor of full-stack solutions.

Persons: —, Harvey, Navin Chaddha, Chip Hazard, they're, Kahini Shah, there's, Rak Garg, Garg, Shah, Lauri Moore, Moore, Chaddha, Capital's Moore, she's Organizations: Service, Accel, Business, Bain Capital Ventures, Flybridge, Sapphire Ventures, Google, Meta, Mayfield Fund, Flybridge Capital Partners, Obvious, Investors, Obvious Ventures, Foundation, Dig Ventures Locations: Mayfield, Hazard, Flybridge

☆ Thaksin Shinawatra: Ousted Thai PM's Life in Politics
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's controversial billionaire former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released on parole on Sunday after serving six months in detention. 1998Thaksin founds the Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party. In September, the military launches a coup against Thaksin while he is overseas, citing the need to end the protests. 2011New elections are won in a landslide by another new pro-Thaksin party, Pheu Thai. Thaksin applies for a royal pardon and his eight-year jail term is commuted to a year by the king.

Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin, Love Thais, Thais, Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin's, Srettha Thavisin, Nick Macfie, Martin Petty Organizations: Thai Rak Thai, Thaksin, People's Alliance for Democracy, Shin Corporation, Temasek, English Premier League, Manchester City, Power Party, United Front for Democracy, Democrat Party Locations: BANGKOK, Thai, Singapore, Thai Rak Thai, Britain, Bangkok, Thailand

☆ Factbox-Thailand's Polarising Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

(Reuters) - Thailand's billionaire former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released from detention on Sunday, enjoying freedom in his country for the first time since fleeing into exile nearly 16 years ago to avoid jail. - Thaksin ran several failed businesses with his wife before getting his break in the 1980s leasing computers to the police. In 2010, a court seized $1.4 billion worth of Shinawatra assets, concluding Thaksin had concealed his Shin Corp shareholdings and tailored policy to benefit his business. - Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was also prime minister and suffered an almost identical fate as him. - Thaksin's youngest daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 37, is Pheu Thai party leader and eligible to become prime minister.

Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Chiang Mai, Thaksin, Yingluck Shinawatra, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Srettha Thavisin, Martin Petty, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Reuters, Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky Fried, Thailand's, Shin Corporation, Shin Corp, English Premier League football, Fulham, Manchester City, Forbes, Thai Rak, Thai Rak Thai, People Power Party, Srettha Locations: Thai, Chiang, Kentucky, Singapore, Thailand, Liverpool, Dubai, Britain, Montenegro, Thai Rak Thai, Thai Rak, Bangkok

☆ Ukrainian heavy artillery inflicts 'hell' on Russian lines near Bakhmut
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Anna Voitenko | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Ukrainian servicemen fire a RAK-SA-12 small multiple launch rocket system towards Russian troops near the front line town of Bakhmut, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine July 10, 2023. Buoyed after the capture last week of the key village of Klishchiivka, Ukrainian troops have lauded the 155 millimetre howitzers as key equipment being provided by the United States and its NATO allies. Unit commander Oleksandr said Ukraine's armed forces "very much rely" on heavy artillery, including the Polish-made Krab gun and the U.S.-made M109 self-propelled howitzer. Oleksandr, 30, described Klishchiivka - a village on the heights south of the devastated town of Bakhmut - as "one of the places they (the Russians) were clinging to." The gains have been among the most significant in Ukraine's counteroffensive, which began in June and has struggled to break through entrenched Russian lines.

Persons: Sofiia, Oleksandr, Ukraine's, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Anna Voitenko, Ronald Popeski, Max Hunder, Mike Harrison Organizations: REUTERS, West, Reuters, NATO, Thomson Locations: Bakhmut, Ukraine, Donetsk region, BAKHMUT, Russia, Klishchiivka, United States, U.S, Klischiivka, West

☆ Ukraine war: NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warns there will be no quick ending
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that the war in Ukraine could be long, as Kyiv’s counteroffensive against Russia continues to make only marginal gains. Therefore, we must prepare ourselves for a long war in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said in an interview with German newspaper Berliner Morgenpost published Sunday. If President Putin and Russia laid down their weapons, we would have peace,” the NATO chief said. On the possibility of Putin using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Stoltenberg said: “Putin’s nuclear rhetoric is dangerous and ruthless, but NATO is prepared for every threat and challenge. “The point of NATO is to prevent war – not least nuclear war.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, “, Zelensky, Putin, Stoltenberg, Sofiia Gatilova, Stepanov, ”, Mark Milley, Budanov Organizations: CNN, NATO, Berliner, Reuters, Getty, Russia, United, United States ’, Joint Chiefs, Staff, BBC Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Bakhmut, Reuters Ukrainian, Chernihiv, AFP, Moscow, Andriivka, United States

☆ A new PM and a fugitive's return: here's what Thailand's political future holds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is expected to be arrested upon his return as he ends almost two decades of self-imposed exile, waves at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, Thailand August 22, 2023. RThe return of Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra after years of self-exile could mark the end of a chapter in the country's politics, even as some analysts believe he will still be pulling some political strings — albeit from behind. The founder of Pheu Thai party and widely seen as its de facto leader, Thaksin returned to Thailand on Tuesday after 15 years in exile, and was sentenced to eight years in prison upon his return. But he will be the key person driving Pheu Thai Party behind the scenes," said Kasem Prunratanamala, head of Thailand research at CGS-CIMB. Pheu Thai is the latest iteration of his old party Thai Rak Thai after several before were disbanded by the courts.

Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin, Srettha Thavisin, Kasem Prunratanamala Organizations: Thai, Chulalongkorn University's Institute of Security, International Studies, CNBC, Thai Party, CGS, Thai Rak Thai Locations: Don Mueang, Bangkok, Thailand, Thai, Pheu, Thai Rak

BANGKOK, Aug 22 (Reuters) - When Thailand's deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra went into self-imposed exile in 2008 facing a raft of corruption charges following his ouster in a military coup, he issued a hand-written note. Thaksin has been Thailand's most prominent politician for decades, retaining outsized influence despite the years away. "It closes a crucial chapter in Thailand's politics," Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University, said of Thaksin's return. A shrewd operator who rarely minces his words, an increasingly wealthy Thaksin entered politics in the mid-1990s, initially serving as foreign minister and then deputy prime minister. But the brash Thaksin, who called himself Thailand's first "CEO prime minister", faced royalist accusations that he was undermining the revered monarchy, which he denied.

Persons: Thailand's, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin, Thaksin's, Yingluck Shinawatra, Critics, watchdogs, Chalinee, Chiang Mai, Love Thais, Devjyot Ghoshal, Chayut Setboonsarng, Panu, Robert Birsel Organizations: Thaksin, Chulalongkorn University, Thai, REUTERS, Rights, Shin Corporation, Thai Rak Thai, Singapore's Temasek, Premier League, Manchester City, Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, Bangkok, Thailand, Chiang, United States, Thai, Britain

☆ The PR manager for Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok on the downsides of the job, why backpackers are the bane of his existence, and how 'The White Lotus' changed his workday
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

He loved "The White Lotus" despite its exaggerated versions of industry extremes. And for those wondering: There's still no word on whether those rumors about the next season of "The White Lotus" are true. Dan is also the regional director of public relations for the Four Seasons hotels and resorts for Asia-Pacific. I have to ask: How has the show "The White Lotus" changed your job? Two of our properties have been featured on "The White Lotus."

Persons: Dan Schacter —, Dan, Bangkok . Dan, Ken Seet, wouldn't, Taylor Mahon, Michael, we've, Dan Schacter, Sakuragawa —, I'm, Jennifer Coolidge — Organizations: Service, Bangkok, Rak, Social, Bangkok isn't, Creative, Michelin, Google, HBO Locations: Wall, Silicon, Bangkok, Thailand, Bangkok ., Asia, Bhutan, Hokkaido, Kyoto, Japan, Hawaii, Taormina

☆ Thailand's Parliament is about to pick a new prime minister — and a generation's hopes are at stake
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat addresses supporters ahead of the July 13 parliamentary vote to elect Thailand's next prime minister, in front of Central World in Bangkok on July 9, 2023. The installation of Wan Noor as a compromise candidate after second-placed party Pheu Thai had objected to Move Forward's choice, was just the beginning. "It puts the Pheu Thai Party in an advantageous position if Mr Pita fails to get sufficient votes from the senators to back him as prime minister." Limjaroenrat needs 376 votes to become prime minister. Pictured in this May 18 photograph are (from left) Sudarat Keyuraphan, leader of the Thai Sang Thai Party; Pita Limjaroenrat, prime minister candidate and leader of the Move Forward Party; and Cholnan Srikaew, leader of Pheu Thai Party.

Persons: Pita Limjaroenrat, Thailand's, Tananchai, Wan, —, Party —, Limjaroenrat —, Prayut Chan, Wan Noor, Thai, Mr Wan, Syetarn Hansakul, Mr Pita, it's, Sudarat Keyuraphan, Cholnan Srikaew, Forward's, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Prapanth Koonmee, Nomura, EIU's, Limjaroenrat, Napon Jatusripitak, ISEAS, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Thaksin Shinawatra, — he's, Pheu, Thaksin, He's, he's, Pavin Chachavalpongpun Organizations: Forward Party, Afp, Getty, Thailand's, Representatives, Party, Harvard, Thai Party, Economist Intelligence Unit, National Assembly, Thai Sang, Pheu Thai Party, Limjaroenrat's, ISEAS Yusof, Institute, Chulalongkorn University, CNBC, Prachachat Party, Kyoto University's Center, Southeast Asian Studies, Thai Lawyers for Human Locations: Bangkok, Thai, Thai Sang Thai, Thailand, Singapore, Thai Rak Thai

☆ VCs have swapped out tennis rackets and golf clubs for pickleball paddles. Here's why the sport has become one of the hottest hobbies in Silicon Valley.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Pickleball has exploded in popularity in recent years, becoming America's fastest-growing sport. From building relationships to escaping stress, here's why VCs are obsessed with the sport. In the background, pop music floated through the air as the group prepared for a trying battle of wits and athletic prowess — pickleball. Once reserved for the quiet neighborhoods of suburbs and 55-plus retirement communities, pickleball has exploded onto the tech and VC scene in recent years, investors say. A networking toolAnd other aspects of the sport make it an ideal pick for a hobby or networking tool, VCs added.

☆ North Korea says missile tests were practice to attack South and U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea’s military said Monday its recent barrage of missile tests were practice to “mercilessly” strike key South Korean and U.S. targets such as air bases and operation command systems with a variety of missiles that are likely nuclear-capable. Almost all other North Korean missiles launched last week were likely short-range, many of them nuclear-capable weapons. They place key military targets in South Korea, including U.S. military bases there, within striking range. Later Monday, South Korea’s military disputed some of the North’s accounts of its missile tests. On Saturday, the final day of the air force exercises, the United States flew two B-1B supersonic bombers over South Korea in a display of strength against North Korea, the aircraft’s first such flyover since December 2017.

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