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☆ Embattled Los Angeles Sheriff spares with his opponent over law enforcement gangs
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Los Angeles Sheriff's candidates took the stage in a heated hourlong debate on Wednesday night. Sheriff Alex Villanueva and his opponent, former police chief Robert Luna discussed law enforcement gangs. The debate was between the two candidates for Sheriff, the incumbent Villanueva, and challenger former Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna. The two emerged as the top two candidates following Los Angeles County's primary held in June. The Long Beach Police Department, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, and Sheriff Alex Villanueva's re-election campaign did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ New Flexport CEO Dave Clark is shaking up the top of Ryan Petersen's $8 billion supply-chain startup
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Amazon boss Dave Clark took his seat as the co-CEO of Flexport on September 1. Petersen told The Verge that Clark will have more direct reports than he did when he was sole CEO. On September 1, former Amazon Global Consumer CEO Dave Clark officially took his spot as co-CEO of the supply chain unicorn. He took the role of senior vice president of operations at Flexport on September 12, and reports directly to Clark. On the podcast, Petersen touted Clark's decisiveness as a key asset.

☆ Cloud salaries revealed: How much $5.25 billion startup Collibra pays engineers, product managers, and other roles, with base pay as high as $230,000.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Tech unicorn Collibra pays some senior staff six-figure base salaries as much as $230,000. Here's how much you can earn in engineering, management, IT and other roles. Cloud startup Collibra pays staff generous six-figure salaries with senior roles earning as much as $230,000 in base pay. Cloud remains a growing area of enterprise tech, and cloud engineers can overall earn base salaries of $200,000 and higher. Here's how much Collibra paid staff across engineering, management, IT and other roles.

☆ Retail tech firm Swiftly just became the latest startup to enter the unicorn club. Meet the 6 other adtech firms that reached $1 billion valuations despite the economic downturn.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Elizabeth Pham Janowski | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Retail tech firm Swiftly is the latest unicorn after a $100 million funding round in September. It was the company's second $100-million funding round in the past six months. SwiftlyUnicorn as of: September 2022Total funding to date: $210 million, according to SwiftlyMost recent valuation: $1.1-1.2 billion, according to SwiftlyFive-year-old Swiftly is the newest adtech startup to enter the unicorn club. Its rise to over $1 billion value came from a $100 million Series C round led by BRV Capital Management, announced Monday. In February, the six-year-old company closed on a $150 million Series C funding round led by Tiger Global Management.

☆ Apartment buildings are all the rage in real estate, and property-management company DoorLoop says it's 'riding that wave.' Here's the pitch deck it used to secure $20 million in funding.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

DoorLoop, a proptech firm, provides property-management systems to landlords. property-management systems to landlords. DoorLoop, a proptech company that provides property-management systems to landlords, is finding itself in the right place at the right time. Alpine Software Group, a part of the private-equity firm Alpine Investors with a stake in the real-estate software company Homebot, provided the newest funding. DoorLoop, founded in 2019, sells its property-management software to both residential and commercial landlord customers.

☆ Mexican used-car startup Kavak lands $810 mln in debt financing
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Kylie Madry | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A logo of used autos platform Kavak is pictured on a car in Mexico City, Mexico, August 25, 2020. The HSBC financing comes in the form of a forward flow agreement, Kavak said, in which the bank will buy collection rights for a set of Kavak's used car loans. Kavak, which calls itself the largest pre-owned car operation in the world, was Mexico's first "unicorn," a startup worth more than $1 billion. The startup for the first time expanded outside of Latin America, launching operations in Turkey, in July. Our debt is cheap, even under a AAA bond on the Mexican stock exchange," he said.

☆ Prolific unicorn backer Brad Svrluga dishes on the 'lower valuations' and 'long waits for funding' that await founders this fall
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

For Brad Svrluga, cofounder and general partner of VC firm Primary, venture deals are ramping up. Here's why he thinks this new normal is good for founders, who need to set "rational expectations." Startup founders and venture capitalists across the country have begun to see signs of a fall comeback after the first summer slowdown in two years. In 2021, the hyper-competitiveness of the market meant that VCs were offering some startups term sheets in a matter of minutes. Still, for early-stage founders looking to raise today, the days of easy money and competing term sheets are gone.

☆ Cannabis companies are reeling from the market downturn, and they're slashing jobs and reining in spending to survive
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Jeremy Berke | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Cannabis companies from startups to public giants are laying off employees as sales slow. The cannabis industry is in a full-on downturn. Cannabis companies also don't have access to much of the nuts-and-bolts of the banking system like their non-cannabis counterparts. Investment into cannabis companies has dried upThe spigot has slowed to a trickle on the once-plentiful venture-capital and private-equity firehose of investment into cannabis startups. Hauser said that capital for cannabis companies is only getting more expensive and more elusive.

☆ Unicorn salaries revealed: How much 13 of the hottest startups like Revolut, Celonis, and Sorare pay, with base salaries as high as $472,000.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

But analysis of foreign labor hires to the US indicates how much fast-growing firms pay talent. We found European firms willing to fork out generous 6-figure base salaries for roles such as head of crypto at Revolut. The US is taking more steps towards pay transparency. Any company that hires foreign talent on specialist visas to the US must disclose compensation data. The salaries are also likely higher than what European firms might pay domestic talent.

☆ Blake Lively shares pregnancy pics to thwart paparazzi
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Blake Lively decided that if anyone was going to share her pregnancy photos it was going to be her. Over the weekend the actress share photos of her baby bump on her verified Instagram account. “Here are photos of me pregnant in real life so the 11 guys waiting outside my home for a [unicorn emoji] sighting will leave me alone,” the caption read. “You freak me and my kids out.”Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, who married in 2012, are expecting their fourth child together. She also thanked “everyone else for all the love and respect and for continuing to unfollow accounts and publications who share photos of children.”“You have all the power against them,” she wrote.

☆ That's not a real job opening: Some companies are posting 'ghost jobs' but don't actually plan to hire you — or anyone
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Rebecca Knight | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The number of job openings has been sky high over the past year in the red-hot labor market. That could be because some firms are posting "ghost jobs" that they're not actually hiring for. While many employers can't find enough workers, some qualified candidates are applying to open jobs and aren't hearing anything back. Some recruiters say that ghost jobs are on the rise due to the heightened level of uncertainty that's persisted for the past two and a half years. "There are too many jobs posted"Andrew Flowers, a labor economist at Appcast, the recruitment advertising technology company, expressed skepticism that "ghost jobs" are a widespread problem.

Kanye West’s breakup with Gap Inc. reflects a broader trend of celebrities seeking more control over the brands they create or back. But in this instance, Mr. Shabelman said the friction between Mr. West and Gap fits into a larger development in the world of celebrity marketing. Mr. West “doesn’t need those corporations,” said Anjali S. Bal, an associate professor of marketing at Babson College. Mr. West formally notified Gap on Thursday that his Yeezy LLC fashion brand was terminating his partnership with the apparel chain. More recently, tennis champion Naomi Osaka last year began a media company called Hana Kuma in partnership with SpringHill Co., an entertainment firm co-founded by LeBron James.

☆ GoStudent, a $3 billion edtech startup backed by SoftBank and Coatue, is laying off a tenth of its staff
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

GoStudent, Europe's first edtech unicorn, is laying off 200 employees — around 10% of its workforce. The Vienna-based startup is backed by investing giants like SoftBank, Coatue, and Tencent. It joins 23 other edtech companies that have let staffers go amid the global economic downturn. GoStudent, an edtech unicorn backed by some of the world's biggest tech investors, is laying off a tenth of its workforce, the company's CEO said. Japan's SoftBank, Chinese tech investor Tencent, and New York hedge fund Coatue have all backed GoStudent, which is valued at 3 billion euros (around $3 billion).

☆ Anti-vaxxers evaded social-media content bans by replacing the word 'vaccine' with a carrot emoji, BBC investigation finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

One large Facebook group used the carrot emoji to replace the word vaccine, per the BBC. The shot glass emoji was also used to replace the word "shot" and disparage vaccines. Per the BBC, several social media groups were using the emoji as a code for the word "vaccine." He said in a Twitter thread on Sunday the carrot emoji symbol was used to replace the word vaccine "presumably to evade censorship. Turqay Melikli/Getty imagesThe BBC flagged the group using the emojis as code to Facebook's parent company Meta, which took them down.

☆ Sword Health wants to do some M&A as business picks up. Here's what the physical-therapy startup is looking for.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

After a year of growth, Sword Health is looking to expand through mergers and acquisitions. CEO Virgílio Bento said he's looking for startups with solid healthcare partnerships and teams. As merger-and-acquisition activity in healthcare heats up, Sword Health has some of its own irons in the fire. Since October, the startup has grown its employer base from 150 to more than 1,400, Insider has learned exclusively. Instead, Bento said Sword wanted to accelerate how it grows, including by exploring more M&A opportunities.

☆ Heinz, Waitrose, and over 800 other brands lost rights to use the royal coat of arms on products after the queen died. Now they must prove the royal family uses their products to get it back.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Heinz, Waitrose, and hundreds of other brands have to redesign products with the royal coat of arms. The brands had a Royal Warrant to use the coat, but it became void after Queen Elizabeth II died. Now, they have to reapply under King Charles III, by proving the royal family uses their products. Products from around 875 brands feature a royal coat of arms on them that is now void, according to the Royal Warrant Holders Association. The Royal Warrant is granted for up to five years, and can be reviewed for renewal the year before it expires.

☆ The rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, the former Theranos CEO found guilty of wire fraud and conspiracy, whose sentencing has now been delayed
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Avery Hartmans | Sarah Jackson | Áine Cain | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Later, technology flaws were exposed, resulting in a months-long trial where Holmes was found guilty on three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. As she awaited trial, Holmes reportedly found the time to get engaged — and married — to a hotel heir named Billy Evans. In January, jurors found Holmes guilty on three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Since her conviction, Holmes has become the subject of a Hulu limited series, "The Dropout," based on the ABC News podcast of the same name. The show stars Amanda Seyfried as Holmes as it chronicles the meteoric rise and fall of Theranos and Holmes herself.

☆ Science has figured out why Silicon Valley keeps forking over millions to charismatic screw-ups like WeWork founder Adam Neumann
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-07 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

And in and around Silicon Valley, they're the informational coin of the realm. Silicon Valley, after all, prides itself on being an ultrarational place for data-driven decisions, made by people with the brains and intestinal fortitude to identify disruptive winners. But the more solid research puts the lie to the idea of Silicon Valley as a utopia of empiricism. Its unfettered belief in freewheeling, big-ticket plays, in fact, is what sets Silicon Valley apart from other tech ecosystems. To the movers and shakers of Silicon Valley, a startup isn't merely a business.

☆ These LGBTQ TikTokers have made the platform a treasure trove of queer content
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-06 | by ( Ellie Rudy | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

But the good news is, for those in need of a pick-me-up, the internet treasure trove that is TikTok has a seemingly endless supply of LGBTQ creators serving up fun and informative queer content. Here are 10 TikTokers to follow if you’re looking to brighten up the (literally) darker days ahead. Queer Chameleon on TikTok is an adorable pocket of the internet where cartoon chameleons, sporting various queer flags, talk about the gay experience. Some of the videos use other queer influencers’ audio, while others use original audio made by the artist behind the chameleons. Basically, if you’re looking for extra cute content that you’ll find super relatable, Queer Chameleon is the spot to go.

☆ After I was laid off by Amazon aggregator Thrasio, I panicked — but it ended up being a blessing in disguise
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-01 | by ( Julie Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Thrasio, the Amazon aggregator, hired him, but he fell victim to its layoffs in May. After studying abroad in Spain and living in Berlin, while pursuing several business ventures, Amazon aggregator Thrasio hired Ritter in July 2021 to their German-market team. The higher-ups gave me a portfolio of five brands that Thrasio had already acquired, including sports-gear brands, a car-accessory brand, and a paint-supply brand. When Thrasio laid me off in May, I wasn't really surprisedThere had been a lot of rumors going around. The difference between working as an entrepreneur and working for Thrasio is that now, it's all up to me.

☆ Volocopter is an 'air-taxi' startup that makes electric vertical take-off-and-landing aircraft. Check out the pitch deck it used to raise $170 million.
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-27 | by ( Fiona Mathewson | Nathan Rennolds | Business Insider Deutschland | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Volocopter is a German air-taxi startup that makes electric vertical take-off-and-landing aircraft. It raised a $170 million Series E round that it will use to enter more international markets. Volocopter is a German air-taxi startup that manufactures electric vertical take-off-and-landing, or eVTOL, aircraft. The latest round of funding was a $170 million Series E in March 2022, which WP Investment led. Insider has an exclusive copy of the pitch deck that Volocopter used to raise the funds.

☆ My startup makes $100 million in annual recurring revenue. Here are 4 things we did to scale it from $1 million ARR in less than 6 years.
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-26 | by ( Ellen Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The private company hit $100 million in annual recurring revenue, reaching "centaur" status. We became a unicorn in 2021 and went from $1 million to $100 million in annual recurring revenue within six years, even faster than Shopify. Going from $0 to $100 million in annual recurring revenue put Aircall in the "centaur" status club this July. Annual recurring revenue is a metric for subscription-based companies that measures how much money the company's subscription contracts generate yearly. Centaur status is a rare title reserved for private software-as-a-service companies that achieve more than $100 million in annual recurring revenue.

☆ 'Crazy stuff is happening at my work': Silicon Valley engineers are really freaking out right now
▼ + stars: | 2022-06-01 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Silicon Valley, perhaps even more than the rest of corporate America, has long been engaged in a two-sided battle over the pursuit of happiness. In the Silicon Valley that emerges on Blind, the engineers who strive for work-life balance are just as burned out as the late-night grinders. But Silicon Valley has always overindexed for Optimizers. If this is Silicon Valley today, nobody's happy, and everybody's burnt. Stereotypically, Silicon Valley engineers are grinders.

☆ India's young investors prefer crypto to gold and 'boring' stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-03 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New Delhi CNN Business —Indian businesswoman Swati Daga first bought bitcoin in 2017, when the cryptocurrency was trading well under $3,000. “I find stock markets boring,” she told CNN Business, adding that she enjoys the “thrill” and “recklessness” that comes with investing in volatile currencies. The growth is driven by younger investors — mostly under the age of 35 — and many of them are coming from smaller cities and towns, founders of two of India’s biggest crypto exchanges told CNN Business. WazirX also has over 10 million users, and called 2021 a “phenomenal year” for crypto trading in India. On-again, off-again relationshipThe excitement over crypto is rising in India despite the country’s on-again, off-again relationship with digital currencies.

☆ India's got the next big thing in tech, and it could be worth $1 trillion
▼ + stars: | 2021-09-09 | by ( Diksha Madhok | Cnn Business | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Now, Asia's third largest economy is ready for the next big frontier in tech: Coming up with a new generation of software companies like Zoom or Slack. Of India's 10 SaaS unicorns, six reached that milestone in 2020, and investors around the world are paying attention. Thanks to the rise of India's IT industry, software engineering has become one of the most sought-after career options in the country. Despite the euphoria, there are some hurdles Indian companies have to overcome before they can deliver on the $1 trillion promise. SaaS companies, on the other hand, have to say no to 99% of [potential] customers, he added.

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