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☆ A startup pitching AI as a way to automate 80% of influencer-marketing tasks gets funding from billionaire Tim Draper
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-08 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Influencer-marketing startup Dreamwell AI raised $2.3 million in a pre-seed round led by Tim Draper. The company uses AI to automate marketing tasks like influencer prospecting and outreach. A new tech startup called Dreamwell AI has its sights set on using AI to make influencer marketing run more efficiently. "First and foremost, we try to understand what's the value of this creator," Khazaal said. Startups and Big Tech alike are adding AI tools to help creators automate tasks like video editing, dubbing, and even coming up with ideas.

Persons: Tim Draper, —, Kazzy Khazaal, Dreamwell, Tim Draper's, Draper, Khazaal, they'd, Prashant Matta Organizations: Service, Business, Draper Associates, Seed Venture Fund, YouTube, LinkedIn, Big Tech, Publicis Groupe

☆ Welcome to the new Fightertown USA: Inside San Diego's AI-powered unmanned aircraft boom
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

But the program has since moved to another station, and its legacy in San Diego is a faint, fond memory. AdvertisementWith such a rich history of aerial dynamism, it's no surprise that San Diego has become a major hub of this technology. Defense, AI, and a warming reception from VCsLong before AI became a household buzzword, Shield AI launched in San Diego. AdvertisementBut San Diego seemed to be a better fit with its access to open land and proximity to the ocean. That pipeline continues to feed into the San Diego tech ecosystem, feeding and driving the aerial innovation it has become known for over a century.

Persons: —, Tom Cruise, Larsen Jensen, Palmer Luckey's Anduril, Brandon Tseng, VCs Long, Tseng, Ryan, presciently, Hivemind, It's, shouldn't, Jensen, Ian Muceus, Muceus, we've, Firestorm's, Firestorm, Glenn Curtiss, Grant Jordan, Andreessen Horowitz, — Jordan, Jordan, SkySafe, Tim Draper, Aleksey Matyushev, Matyushev, Oakland — Natilus, Natilus, General Atomics, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin Organizations: Service, Kawasaki Ninja, hotshot Navy, US Naval Air Station, Business, Navy, Harpoon Ventures, Defense, aha, Navy SEAL, US Department of Defense, Coast Guard, Air Force, Marine Corps, BAT, SpaceX, Marque Ventures, Silent Ventures, US Navy, Soma, Oakland, San Diego International Airport, Brown Field Municipal, Northrop, Lockheed Locations: San Diego, Miramar, Diego's, Diego, Afghanistan, Persian, Israel, Caribbean, Bay, San Diego Bay, West, San Jose, San Francisco, Central Valley, Vallejo, Kona

☆ Emma Roberts says people who call out nepo babies don't see 'all the rejection along the way'
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-26 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewEmma Roberts says even Hollywood's nepo babies don't always have an easy path to stardom. On an episode of the "Table for Two" podcast released on June 25, Roberts spoke to host Bruce Bozzi about the public perception of nepo babies, or "nepotism babies." During the podcast episode, Roberts said it's not always true that nepo babies get everything handed to them on a silver platter. Many nepo babies and even their parents — particularly those in Hollywood — have pushed back against the title and its accompanying critiques. AdvertisementIn December, Meg Ryan defended her son , actor Jack Quaid, against "nepo baby" claims during an interview with Glamour.

Persons: —, Emma Roberts, Roberts, Bruce Bozzi, you'll, Julia Roberts, Eric Roberts, Johnny Depp's, it's, George Clooney, Clooney's, Nick Clooney, Rosemary Clooney, Meg Ryan, Jack Quaid, Lily Allen, Allen, Alfie Allen, Keith Allen, Bernard Arnault, Mukesh Ambani, Tim Draper's, Draper, Gaither, Anderson Organizations: Service, Business, Nickelodeon, New York Magazine, Reliance Industries, Valley's, Applied, Business Insider Locations: Hollywood, British

☆ Inside the world of flying cars, or eVTOLs, which are moving closer to reality
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Source: Alef AeronauticsWhat if flying around in an electric vehicle is a key part of the way you travel in the future? EVTOLs, or electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles, popularly known as flying cars or air taxis, are being developed by firms in the U.S. to Europe and Asia. Four of the most common eVTOLsAn eVTOL aircraft can take off and land vertically. From the technologies they use to take off and land to the fact they're electric, eVTOLs are trying to distinguish themselves from helicopters. While some wealthy individuals may own their electric aircraft, they will more likely be operated in fleets by an operator, as is the case with airlines.

Persons: Lilium, Jim Dukhovny, Tim Draper, EHang Organizations: Aeronautics, JPMorgan, CNBC Tech, Aviation, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Federal Aviation Administration, Civil Aviation Administration of China, eVTOLs, Alef Aeronautics Alef Aeronautics, Alef Aeronautics, SpaceX, Theranos Locations: U.S, Europe, Asia, —, eVTOLs, United States, China, Munich, Germany, Spain

☆ Inside Alef Aeronautics, the company trying to build a car you can both drive and fly
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Deirdre Bosa | Cristy Garratt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Alef Aeronautics is in the early stages of developing a vehicle it hopes will both drive on roads and fly above them. We're trying to build a car which can vertically take off and fly efficiently," Jim Dukhovny, Alef Aeronautics' co-founder and CEO, told CNBC Tech: The Edge in an interview. In 2015, the team behind Alef met for the first time in a coffee shop, where Dukhovny scribbled the idea for his flying car down on a napkin. Dukhovny told CNBC there are currently 3,000 customers on its waitlist. Watch the video above for the rest of CNBC Tech: The Edge's interview with Alef Aeronautics' Jim Dukhovny and Director of R&D Oleg Petrov.

Persons: Jim Dukhovny, Dukhovny, Tim Draper, Draper, Tim, Oleg Petrov Organizations: Aeronautics, Alef Aeronautics, CNBC Tech, Alef, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, National, Traffic Safety Administration, SpaceX, CNBC Locations: Theranos

☆ SpaceX-backed startup says preorders for its $300,000 futuristic flying car have reached 2,850
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

watch nowBARCELONA, Spain — Alef Aeronautics, a SpaceX-backed flying car firm, says it has reached 2,850 preorders for its futuristic electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. Dukhovny calls Alef's vehicle the "first flying car in history." "But we always had the idea that it has to be a car, a physical car, a regular car, as you can see it's an eVTOL, an electric car. Alef's car is mainly designed to be driven on the road, but will be able to take to the skies, too. To drive on the road, the car uses four small engines in each of the wheels, and will drive similar to a normal electric car.

Persons: Jim Dukhovny, Dukhovny, David Zorrakino, Tim Draper, Elon Organizations: Spain — Alef Aeronautics, SpaceX, Alef Aeronautics, Boeing, Airbus, Joby Aviation, CNBC, Mobile, Europa Press, Getty, SKTelecom Locations: BARCELONA, Spain, San Mateo , California, Alef, Germany, Korean

Donald Trump’s victory over Nikki Haley in the New Hampshire primary made two things clear: The MAGA wing of the G.O.P. is ready for his coronation, while anti-Trump Republicans believe the race is far from over. From inside Trump’s victory party on Tuesday night, we hear from supporters of the former president and from the stars of his orbit, who see themselves as being on the verge of “obliterating the establishment.” And from Tim Draper, a billionaire venture capitalist who is backing Haley. About ‘The Run-Up’“The Run-Up” is your guide to understanding the 2024 election. New episodes on Thursdays.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Nikki Haley, Tim Draper, Haley, Herndon Organizations: Trump Republicans, New York Times Locations: New Hampshire

☆ Private jets, luxury hotels: For wealthy donors, the Republican debate is a grand ole party
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Republican debate signage ahead of the Republican primary presidential debate hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2022. Wealthy Republican political donors will receive the VIP treatment at Wednesday night's GOP presidential primary debate in Milwaukee, according to contributors and organizers who spoke to CNBC ahead of the event. Andy Sabin, a wealthy New York businessman who backs South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, told CNBC he plans to arrive in Milwaukee by private jet for the debate. During the debate, Sabin said he will be seated next to Gov. Billionaire and veteran venture capitalist Tim Draper will be at the debate to support former South Carolina Gov.

Persons: Andy Sabin, Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Sabin, Kristi Noem, Tim Draper, Nikki Haley, Draper, Haley, Scott, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, Donald Trump, Saint Kate Organizations: Republican, Fox News, Wednesday, CNBC, Carolina, Gov, South Carolina Gov, Florida Gov, New, New Jersey Gov, Milwaukee Fiserv, Republican National Committee, RNC, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Young America's Foundation, Journal Sentinel Locations: Milwaukee , Wisconsin, Milwaukee, New York, South Dakota, New Jersey

☆ The secrets of venture capitalism from a family dynasty
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe secrets of venture capitalism from a family dynastyCNBC Wealth Editor Robert Frank sits down with Silicon Valley investing pioneer Tim Draper and his daughter Jess to discuss their family legacy in venture capital and their secret to success.

Persons: Robert Frank, Tim Draper, Jess Organizations: CNBC

☆ Many family offices suffer from 'group think' investing, says VC leader Tim Draper
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Even as family offices explode in size and number, they're increasingly prone to "group think" when it comes to investing, according to Tim Draper, a leader in early-stage venture capital. "There is a little bit of group think that happens in family offices," said Draper, founder of Draper Associates . "One leading family office says 'we're going to do middle market buyouts' and then they all do it. Family offices in recent years have quickly piled into certain asset classes, like private credit, direct deals and secondary private-equity, as they follow larger family offices. "In some ways we are are a family office, its just a decentralized family office."

Persons: they're, Tim Draper, Draper, Jesse, Adam, Jesse Draper, Draper's, Tim Organizations: Draper Associates, Skype, Ventures

☆ After an 80% rally for bitcoin, market experts predict where it's going next in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Bitcoin made a stunning jump in the first half of 2023, hitting $30,000 again for the first time in months. Five market experts responded to CNBC questions via email, and three said they expect bitcoin to reach the $50,000 level by the end of 2023. That is a net annual reduction in selling of BTC 250,000 — a large number relative to bitcoin market turnover." "We previously predicted that this driver would add USD 10,000 to the bitcoin price," he added. Mobius said he expects bitcoin to climb to $40,000 by the end of 2023, citing investor "belief" in the digital coin.

Persons: Bitcoin, Carol Alexander, Geoff Kendrick, Kendrick, Antoni Trenchev, wouldn't, Mark Mobius, Tim Draper, Mobius, bitcoin, Draper didn't, —, Kevin Schmidt Organizations: BlackRock, CNBC Pro, CNBC, Sussex University, SEC, British, Chartered, Standard Chartered, BTC, Federal Reserve, Mobius Capital Partners, Draper Associates, Trust, Fidelity, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission Locations: Terra, Binance

☆ Tech's ultimate nepo babies: Meet the Drapers, the first family of Silicon Valley
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The billionaire Tim Draper is part of a lineage often lauded as Silicon Valley's premier VC family. As far as powerful professional networks go, it's hard to top the Draper family tree. Draper's venture-capital career began in the 1950s at his father's own trailblazing firm, Draper, Gaither, and Anderson, an early entrant in a new field. Meet the Draper family, the ultimate tech nepo babies and Silicon Valley royalty. Jesse DraperJesse Draper founded Halogen Ventures, which counts her father as an advisor.

☆ New Year, new rally: Why bitcoin is up 26% this month after a tumultuous 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"The most important macro data investors are focussing on is the weak services PMI and the trending down of employment and wage data. 'Whales' buying BTCLarger purchasers of digital coins known as "whales" may be leading the latest rally in bitcoin, according to Kaiko. Several bitcoin miners have been flushed out by the drop in prices. Bitcoin miners, who use power-intensive machines to verify transactions and mint new tokens, have been squeezed by the slump in prices and rising energy costs. That's historically a good sign for bitcoin, according to Ayyar.

CNBC rounds up some of the boldest price calls for bitcoin in 2023. Bitcoin miners, who use power-intensive machines to verify transactions and mint new tokens, are being squeezed by the slump in prices and rising energy costs. "In prior down markets, miner capitulation has usually indicated major bottoms," Ayyar told CNBC. However, Mobius told CNBC that he is sticking for his $10,000 price call in 2023. "There will be a managed bull market in 2023, not a bubble -- so we won't see the price overshooting as before," she told CNBC.

The events of the year took many investors by surprise and made the task of predicting bitcoin's price that much harder. The crypto market was awash with pundits making feverish calls about where bitcoin was heading next. When asked about his $250,000 target earlier this month, the Draper Associates founder told CNBC $250,000 "is still my number" — but he's extending his prediction by six months. The entrepreneur says he's also done making bitcoin price predictions. Buehler said lack of risk management in the crypto industry, missing regulation and fraud have also been major factors affecting prices.

☆ VC investor Tim Draper: Bitcoin is 'decentralized, open and transparent'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailVC investor Tim Draper: Bitcoin is 'decentralized, open and transparent'Tim Draper, founder of Draper Associates, said people will want to be holding bitcoin to stem the impacts of high inflation.

☆ Tim Draper predicts bitcoin will reach $250,000 next year despite FTX collapse: 'The dam is about to break'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Venture capitalist Tim Draper thinks bitcoin will hit $250,000 a coin by the middle of 2023, even after a bruising year for the cryptocurrency marked by industry failures and sinking prices. $250k is still my number," Draper told CNBC via email. Last week, veteran investor Mark Mobius told CNBC that bitcoin could crash to $10,000 next year, a more than 40% plunge from current prices. Nevertheless, Draper is convinced that bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency, is set to rise in the new year. "I expect a flight to quality and decentralized crypto like bitcoin, and for some of the weaker coins to become relics," he told CNBC.

☆ Startup backed by Tesla investor promises $300,000 flying car by 2025: 'This is not more complicated than a Toyota Corolla'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Alef Aeronautics wants to start delivering its $300,000 Model A flying car to customers by 2025. It's the timing: The company says it plans to begin delivering the vehicles to customers by the end of 2025. In a statement in October, Dukhovny referenced "road conditions, weather and infrastructure" as potential reasons to briefly take flight. But for a flying car to actually appear on highways anytime soon, a lot needs to happen, experts say. The FAA even reportedly gave another flying car concept, Samson Sky's Switchblade, the go-ahead for flight testing in July.

☆ Tim Draper Touts Decision to Pull Out of China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Joyu Wang | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

TAIPEI— Tim Draper , a venture capitalist known for his early bets in Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. and SpaceX, is feeling good about his decision to stop investing in China. In an interview in Taiwan, where he is pursuing new investments, Mr. Draper slammed China’s Xi Jinping , whom he called a “weak leader,” saying the country is going backward after more than four decades of former leader Deng Xiaoping’s “reform and opening up” policy.

☆ Elizabeth Holmes scheduled to be sentenced on Friday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Rachel Metz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of failed blood testing startup Theranos who was convicted of fraud earlier this year, is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday morning by a judge in court in San Jose, California. The list includes Holmes’ partner, Billy Evans, many members of Holmes’ and Evans’ families, early Theranos investor Tim Draper, and Sen. Cory Booker. Elizabeth Holmes (L), founder of Theranos, and her partner, Billy Evans (R), leave the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building and US Courthouse in San Jose, California, on October 17, 2022. “The effects of Holmes and Balwani’s fraudulent conduct were far-reaching and severe,” federal prosecutors wrote in a November court filing regarding Holmes’ sentencing. “Elizabeth Holmes is never going to run a big company again,” he said.

☆ Googlers are making memes to deal with the looming threat of job cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Matt Weinberger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Meanwhile, former Yahoo CEO and one-time Google exec Marissa Mayer is sounding the alarm bell that the web itself could be degrading in quality. Google employees meme past the graveyard. Elon Musk fired as many as two dozen Twitter employees this week who had criticized his leadership style. Now, Twitter employees are deleting internal Slack messages they fear Musk won't like, so as to avoid his wrath. A Twitter exec went so far as to warn employees to use Slack "wisely."

☆ Elizabeth Holmes' friends and family filed 130 letters asking for lenient sentencing, written by everyone like Cory Booker and Tim Draper to David Sokol and ex-Theranos staff — here are some highlight
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"This process is a string of unlikely events that lawyers, advisors and board members all told her would never come to be." He wrote: "Liz has been called an incredible salesperson, that she wooed investors, partners, and employees with a sales pitch so compelling that they couldn't help but to be involved. Evans also shed some light on goings-on in Holmes' life during the trial. He says Holmes is, in fact, pregnant, as one witness hinted at in a recent evidentiary hearing. "The price Liz and our family pays for this process is not just the potential incarceration that you will decide.

"He's probably going to spend more time on Twitter than any Tesla investor feels comfortable about." Sales of Musk's own Tesla shares - totaling $20 billion since he disclosed his Twitter stake - have added to the pressure. "I think he's finally reached a point where he's really challenging himself. 'MINIMAL TIME'The Tesla board has expressed concerns about Musk's commitment to SpaceX and several smaller companies. So I think Tesla would continue to do very well even if I was kidnapped by aliens or went back to my home planet maybe."

☆ Tech investor Draper sours on China, says it has left the free market
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] U.S. venture capitalist Tim Draper speaks to Reuters on his way to visit the National Space Organization in Taipei, Taiwan, November 14, 2022. REUTERS/Ann WangTAIPEI, Nov 15 (Reuters) - China is no longer a place to invest and has left "the free market" under President Xi Jinping, said U.S. venture capitalist Tim Draper, an early investor in Elon Musk's Tesla and SpaceX. "I used to be an investor in China," he told Reuters late on Monday after arriving in Taipei. "Then I got an early indication that China was going to leave the free market and I decided that that was not a place I wanted to invest," Draper said, without elaborating. "I'm just hoping that President Xi hasn't lost his mind completely," Draper said, referring to a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan.

☆ Flying car by California startup Alef attracts early Tesla investor
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Paul Lienert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Oct 19 (Reuters) - The concept of a flying car is not new - inventors have been trying to add wings to wheeled motor vehicles for decades, with only limited success. Jim Dukhovny, founder of Alef Aeronautics, hopes to change that equation. One feature that sets the Model A apart from earlier versions of flying cars is how it flies. Most other recent attempts by competitors resemble giant drones - and are not capable of wheeled travel on the ground. Alef estimates a driving range of 200 miles (322 km) and a flight range of 100 miles.

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