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☆ Burger King's owner just opened a delivery-focused food hall where customers can order from Popeyes, Firehouse Subs, and other chains. The company is one of many expanding the ghost kitchen model to r
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Burger King's owner recently opened its first ghost kitchen, or digital food hall, in Miami. And recently, the parent of Burger King, Restaurant Brands International, opened its first ghost kitchen in Miami. Wonder is part ghost kitchen, part food delivery van, part meal-kit provider. These ghost kitchens on wheels, outfitted with cooking equipment and chefs, can be hailed through an app. The company, which ended its partnership with Miami-based Reef Technology this year, is not labeling the facility as a ghost kitchen.

☆ Ukraine looks to technology to help rebuild its economy amid Russia’s onslaught
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

An attendee passes by the Ukraine stand at the Web Summit 2022 tech conference in Lisbon, Portugal. Ukraine had a notable presence at Web Summit, where it sought support from the global tech community to bolster its fight against Russia. In 2021, Ukraine had a small booth at Web Summit, Krasovsky said. Ukraine Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov (right) and First Lady Olena Zelenska (center) attend the Ukraine booth at Web Summit 2022. SID Venture Partners, a venture fund set up by Sigma and fellow Ukrainian tech firms Ideasoft and Datrics, has so far invested in 10 startups with Ukrainian founders, Krasovsky said.

☆ Thousands of tech workers were laid off last week. Experts say it's just the beginning.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Jordan Parker Erb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

We've got a lot to get to today, so I'm going to get straight into the news, starting with why experts are warning that tech layoffs are just beginning. Thousands of workers were laid off last week. A Tesla alum used this pitch deck to raise a $2.5 million seed round for his startup. We got a look at the pitch deck its founder used to raise seed funding — check it out here. Plus, check out our full, searchable pitch deck database here.

☆ Thousands of workers were laid off this week as tech companies and startups brace for an economic crash. Investors, founders, and recruiters explain why this is just the beginning.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Rob Price | Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Amid growing economic uncertainty, layoffs in the technology industry, both for public companies and for startups, have been escalating this Fall. While plenty of tech companies were still flying high in early 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February accelerated global economic turmoil. More than 17,000 tech workers lost their jobs in both May and June, while July and August saw another 29,000 cuts, according to layoff tracker Layoffs.fyi. Davis, the VC at Interplay, explained that cost-cutting and layoffs are happening across the board, not just in the tech industry. But public tech companies as well as early- and growth-stage startups will face additional challenges, he said.

☆ Tiger Global-backed Mesh Payments raised $60 million in a bid to help companies make better decisions around travel, HR, and other spending
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Emilia David | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mesh Payments raised $60 million from Alpha Wave, Tiger Global, TLV Partners, and Entreé Capital. Mesh Payments, one of the few companies Tiger Global has funded this year, has big plans for the next year. The fintech dealing with corporate payments and issuing corporate virtual cards raised $60 million in September from Tiger Global and other investors. Mesh Payments' founder and CEO, Oded Zehavi, said the company was focusing on refining its products and developing new ones. Alpha Wave led its $60 million Series C funding round in September, along with Tiger Global, TLV Partners, Entreé Capital, and Meron Capital.

☆ Shopify's startup investments this year include millions into companies that focus on NFTs, Web3 apps, customer-engagement, and financial services
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Madeline Stone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

In its press release announcing the new funding, Wati said the investment was Shopify's first in a startup operating in Southeast Asia. The goal is to make Thirdweb's tools available to Shopify merchants who want to bring Web3 products and experiences to their online stores. Shopify recently participated in Gorgias' $30 million Series C round, which valued the startup at $710 million. According to the company, merchants using its technology report a 96% increase in sales on average. Flexport announced it had received a strategic investment from Shopify as part of its $935 million Series E on February 7.

☆ The Future of Disruption Must Be More Diverse
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | 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 EmailThe Future of Disruption Must Be More DiverseBy now, the case for investing in more women and minority-led startups has been well established, but progress remains slow. And in 2022, rising interest rates and recession fears have actually caused a slowdown in venture funding of diverse-led firms, reversing the incremental progress that was starting to be made. 14:30 3 hours ago

A report says Midwest startups took in over $15 billion in funding from July 2021 to June 2022. This list showcases the top investors across the Midwest from cities like Chicago and St. Louis. It hasn't been an easy year for tech startups as valuations have tanked and funding has dried up, resulting in widespread layoffs. For this list, we asked venture capitalists from across the country about the Midwest investors to know. To qualify, an investor needed to be a resident of the Midwest, but their firms and portfolio companies could be anywhere.

☆ How a hospitality startup founder hooked Google's VC firm to lead its $5.8 seed round with a 4-minute pitch
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Ellen Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Jason Shames founded Skipper in 2020 and raised $5.8 million in seed funding this August. Before raising an official seed round for the company, Shames received investments from family, friends, and Pear, an early-stage venture fund based in California. After the presentation, Shames told Insider, 70 lead firms reached out — including an investor at Gradient Ventures, Google's venture fund focused on early-stage companies primarily in the AI space. Wen-Wen LamIn August, Skipper announced a $5.8 million seed round led by GV. Shames knew Lam from his days running the travel company Jetaport.

☆ Livestreaming's explosion has shaken up the creator economy. Here are 12 innovative startups changing how influencers use live video, from commerce to sports.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Tanya Chen | Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

By 2023, Insider Intelligence forecasts there will be 163.4 million viewers of live video in the US alone – a substantial leap over the 126.7 million viewers it estimated in 2019. Beyond de facto streaming platforms like Twitch, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, a bevy of startups are seeking to capitalize on this proliferating viewership. As Twitch did for gaming, other players are seeking to create live programming hubs for different interest niches. Moment hosts live podcast recordings from the likes of Tiny Meat Gang, while Philadelphia-based Switchboard Live helps users post their streams on multiple platforms simultaneously. Insider looked at the space to determine the most innovating livestreaming startups today.

☆ How fintech super-connector Rex Salisbury went from A16Z's first fintech team hire to solo capitalist with a $20 million debut fund
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Salisbury's deal flow comes from a community of fintech founders he's cultivated over the years. That surprised Salisbury, the lone partner at new fintech firm Cambrian Ventures, given that he'd never met the OatFi founders before. Though, Salisbury defied the first-time fund manager's curse when he closed $20 million for his inaugural fund in June. "I want people to have gotten value in some sense before we invest, or even if we never invest," Salisbury told Insider. When Salisbury left the firm, he took a part of the brand with him.

☆ 12 companies shaking up the livestreaming sector, from social shopping to digital events
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Tanya Chen | Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Companies are trying to cash in on the practice, and grow it into a viable and stable industry. Here are 12 of the most innovative livestreaming companies to look out for. By 2023, Insider Intelligence forecasts there will be 163.4 million viewers of live video in the US alone – a substantial leap over the 126.7 million viewers it estimated in 2019. Others are looking to provide a space for the kinds of live events that have waned amid COVID. Insider looked at the space to determine the most innovating livestreaming startups today.

☆ For the first time in years, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter are 'weak' and VCs are eager to back alternatives, they say.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Darius Rafieyan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

VCs see an opportunity to back the next big social network and take on existing giants. "Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, they're weak, and they're just losing that edge," one investor said. And there may be room for even more young social media companies to rise. For her, identity verification and responsible content moderation are non-negotiable in any new social platform that she backs. "There is a sense of decline for some of these large social media platforms," Lee said.

☆ A pair of European VCs just closed the first tranche of a $50 million social impact fund. Here's the 7-slide LP deck Redstone and EnjoyVenture used to raise the funds.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

European VC firms Redstone and EnjoyVenture have closed the first tranche of their social impact fund. We got an exclusive look at the 7-slide LP deck it used to raise the first tranche of the fund. He agreed, but only if he could set up his own venture fund. Paul said he had seen a flurry of activity around environmental impact investing but less so around social impact. "The idea was really to have a holistic understanding of social impact," he said.

☆ Sequoia Capital’s Roelof Botha Predicts Success for Elon Musk at Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Berber Jin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Roelof Botha , the head of Sequoia Capital, said he thinks there are large improvements to be made for Twitter current business and that Elon Musk’s takeover bid for the social-media company will be a success. Mr. Botha, speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference, said he thought Twitter could find better ways to make money beyond advertising and improve its product. Sequoia has committed $800 million for the deal. The funding is set to come from Sequoia’s main venture funds, its wealth management business called Heritage, and its crossover fund Sequoia Capital Global Equities.

☆ How 32-year-old Katherine Homuth built the Y Combinator-backed startup behind the 'indestructible' Sheertex tights that are taking the hosiery industry by storm
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Homuth had to find a brand new fiber and build her own supply chain to create Sheertex tights. At least that's what SRTX founder and CEO Katherine Homuth, whose core product line is Sheertex tights, thought back in 2017. Before founding SRTX, Homuth had gained tons of supply chain experience starting another company in 2011 called ShopLocket, which focused on ecommerce sales support. It took another year-and-a-half, but by the end of 2019, Sheertex tights were finally as comfortable as Homuth had originally intended. These days, Homuth is focused on expanding SRTX's product line, so that the company is known for more than just making Sheertex tights.

☆ 3 things not to do when pitching your startup to a VC, according to a partner at a $750 million crypto venture firm
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Marc Weinstein, a partner at VC firm Mechanism Capital, has cut 100 checks as an angel investor. The crypto venture firm grew from $500,000 to a peak AUM of $750 million in two years. But venture firms like Mechanism Capital say there are still tons of deals to be made. Founders who are 'catching the latest fad'The Mechanism Capital partner is focused on the team's backgrounds and what they've accomplished in the past. The firm, Weinstein included, looks for a certain level of consistency in their potential portfolio companies.

☆ Warehouse startups that rode the e-commerce boom to the top are recalibrating for a cool down by cutting jobs and delaying fundraising
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The pandemic boosted e-commerce and the startups that pack and ship orders. Startups that once rode the rocket ship of the pandemic e-commerce boom are adjusting to solid ground again. In the fulfillment space just 18 months ago, startups were opening new facilities and making acquisitions at a furious pace. Along with e-commerce growth, the pace of venture funding has slowed, especially as the economy wobbles. (He said ShipHero had been profitable, but went into a growth phase after the first venture round.)

☆ U.S. hedge fund Third Point opens Tel Aviv office to scout investments
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Loeb's $14 billion New York-headquartered hedge fund Third Point LLC is opening an office in Tel Aviv on Monday, creating an outpost in a city known for its booming technology sector. For Third Point, one of the hedge fund industry's most successful firms, the Tel Aviv office will become its first international location. Sapir Harosh, who worked in military intelligence and joined TPV from Israeli firm Pitango earlier this year, will head the Tel Aviv office. In April, New York-based General Atlantic, opened its Tel Aviv office. Third Point finished raising its first dedicated venture fund in 2021 and is currently taking in cash for its second venture fund, a person familiar with the fundraising said.

☆ Although the crypto hype is fading, 3 VCs say there's still 'low-hanging fruit' opportunities in Web3 security and compliance. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( April Joyner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Despite the crypto winter and a funding slowdown, several VCs remain interested in Web3 security. Like in most other areas of the market, venture funding for cybersecurity has dropped this year. These are prime areas, in his view, for security startups to step in. In September, Solidus Labs made Insider's list of the most promising crypto startups of 2022. Crypto security, according to Seewald, is not so different from security for other tech applications.

☆ Vista's Robert Smith says investing in DEI businesses vitally important in a bear market
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Robert F. Smith, chairman and CEO at Vista Equity Partners, said investing in businesses and managers that emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion remains vital, especially in a bear market. The billionaire investor, who spoke with CNBC's Frank Holland at the Disruptor 50 Summit, said that venture capital and private equity funding should continue to expand to minority-owned businesses. The recent drop in venture capital funding, due to growing recession fears, has disproportionately hit African American, Latinx business owners and founders, he said. They're seeing some outsized reductions in their funding," Smith said. Some venture capital firms that he said are effectively identifying opportunities include the New Voices Fund.

☆ Executives from Google, NBCUniversal, Uber, and others have poured $7 million into a new fund to turn 15 women-led companies into billion dollar businesses
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Princeton classmates Lynda Clarizio and Joy Marcus are aiming to create a new ecosystem for funding women-led businesses. The $7 million fund is still raising money to help 15 women-led businesses have a chance at success. Clarizio and Marcus hope to fund women-led companies around media, advertising, and content — areas that they both know well. The98 also hopes to create even more proof in the market that women-run businesses can be billion dollar companies, said Marcus. In the first half of 2022 start-ups with female founders raised $20.8 billion of venture funding, according to Pitchbook.

☆ 15 venture capitalists that early-stage sports tech, health, and wellness founders should know if they're looking to raise capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Matthew Kish | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Other recent investments include Bumble, Goop, Spring Health, Chief, Found, Daily Harvest, and Blueland. Recent investments include the sneaker-trading platform Tradeblock, which touts itself as an alternative to StockX and Goat. Recent investments include AnyDistance, Balanced, and Juna. Her recent investments include Calibrate, DUOS, Dutch, and Buffalo Market, a food distributor focused on plant-based and organic foods. Recent investments include pickleball products company Revolin, live-sports artificial-reality company Quintar, recovery products company Alleviate, and community cycling app Preem.

☆ The female venture capitalist creating billions in a new world of work beyond the office
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Rebecca Fannin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Worklife Ventures holds weekly meetings for its portfolio company founders to seek advice from successful Silicon Valley operators. You have to have an eye out for people and for new tools," Kimmel said. Worklife Ventures is betting on good returns from its 50 investments in startups, and with nine of them as unicorns, the stakes are high. With venture funds typically having a 10-year life cycle before investment returns are tallied, Worklife Ventures still has a ways to go. Join us October 25 - 26, 2022 for the CNBC Work Summit — Dislocation, Negotiation, and Determination: The World of Work Right Now.

☆ Digital-Health Venture Funding Pulls Back from Last Year’s Rush
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Brian Gormley | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Venture-capital investment in digital health is down from last year’s record pace and increasingly focused on startups to help healthcare providers operate more effectively, an industry report said. U.S. startups in digital health—including telemedicine, software-based therapeutics and technology to help medical practices function more efficiently—secured $2.2 billion in venture capital during the third quarter, according to Rock Health, a San Francisco-based venture investor and advisory firm. It was the slowest quarter for digital-health investment since the fourth quarter of 2019, when companies raised $2.1 billion, Rock Health said.

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