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This week, the 28-year-old venture capital firm debuted a new pair of funds totaling $2.3 billion, a substantial sum during an abysmal time for the industry's fundraising efforts. The European-born firm is structured in a way that investors across continents invest out of the same funds. The new funds include $800 million to invest at the early stage and $1.5 billion to invest in growth. Those figures are slightly down from the firm's last fundraise, when it collected $900 million for an early-stage fund and $2 billion for a growth fund. That year, Index saw seven portfolio companies go public at a market cap of more than $1 billion, including Roblox and Robinhood.

Persons: —, Nina Achadjian, Sofia Dolfe, Ishani Thakur, Vlad Loktev, Erin Price, Wright, Andreessen, Mark Goldberg, He's, Ethan Kurzweil, Kristina Shen, Mike Volpi, Greycroft Organizations: Service, Ventures, Business, San, Labs, Bessemer Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures Locations: San, West Coast, San Francisco, Index's London, New York, London, Europe

☆ Startups are building robots that can perceive the human world. Here's why VC firms like Khosla and a16z say that spatial intelligence will be the next big thing in AI.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Samantha Stokes | Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Spatial intelligence allows robots to navigate and interact with their environment more efficiently, which means that robots can perform more complex tasks with higher precision and adaptability. AdvertisementEven so, investors say that spatial intelligence represents a quantum leap for the robotics industry, a space already benefiting from an AI boom. Lior Susan, CEO and founder of Eclipse Ventures, is betting that the difficulty of building AI with spatial intelligence will yield bigger returns in the future. "You see this boom of generative AI startups that are actually buying a lot of compute that do not have a business model yet," Susan said. Big tech is rolling in, tooBigger tech companies are also gearing up to compete in robotics' spatial intelligence race—both as builders and investors.

Persons: —, Andreessen Horowitz, Catalyst, Howard Morgan, Max Rimple, Erin Price, Wright, Fei, Fei Li, Kanu Gulati, Khosla, –, Gulati, Lior Susan, Susan, Jeff Bezos, Jensen Huang Organizations: Service, Khosla Ventures, Business, B Capital, Catalyst, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue Management, Stanford University, Eclipse Ventures, Intelligence, Lux, Sequoia Capital, Microsoft, Nvidia, Carbon Robotics, AIs Locations: LLMs, OpenAI, Lux Capital, Taipei

☆ America must love Little Tech too if it wants to stay on top, say Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz would like to think startups can play a key role in that process. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementMarc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz have been fretting about 21st-century America. Simply, the agenda is about "Little Tech" startups, as opposed to Big Tech companies such as Apple, Google, and Meta. The opportunities that Little Tech presents — and the threats it faces — must be fully understood if America wants to stay on top, the investors argue.

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, —, A16z Organizations: Service, Tech, Big Tech, Apple, Google, Meta, Little Tech, Business

☆ Chipotle's latest marketing campaign shows how restaurants are getting creative to win your lunch break
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at Chipotle's newest pitch in the big business that is winning your lunch break. Market research firm Future Markets Insights pegged the lunch takeout market at $215.3 billion in 2022 . Chipotle's latest marketing campaign shows how creative restaurants are getting to nab your lunch order. Bitcoin's cooldown might be a warning for the stock market. A Stifel strategist predicted a late-summer stock market decline based on bitcoin's 10% sell-off in the past few weeks.

Persons: —, Chelsea Jia Feng, Keith Lee, Alyssa Powell, haven't, Taco Bell, Tim Hortons, Burger King, sarayut Thaneerat, Tyler Le, Ken Griffin, Bitcoin's, isn't, That's, Jensen Huang's, Satya Nadella's, Marc Piasecki, Elon Musk, They're, Alfie, Alfie Health, Donald Trump, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover, Annie Smith, Amanda Yen Organizations: Service, Business, nab, bros, Chipotle, Getty, Brands, KFC, Taco, BI Citadel, Sunshine State, Congressional, Nasdaq, Apple, Apple Intelligence, Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Elon Locations: Cava, Illinois, Florida, China, New York, London

☆ Exclusive: A16z-backed Knownwell is buying AI-powered Alfie Health to supercharge its obesity care
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

With that market shaking out this year, one obesity care startup just scooped up another. Knownwell, which provides obesity-centered primary care and weight management, has acquired Y Combinator startup Alfie Health, Business Insider has learned exclusively. But many investors leaned away from backing obesity care startups as the virtual prescription-focused model clashed with medication shortages. AdvertisementKnownwell has taken a different approach to weight management, with in-person providers alongside its virtual care services, and primary care in addition to obesity care. Alfie HealthGetting obesity care rightBoyarsky Pratt founded Knownwell alongside Dr. Angela Fitch, the president of the Obesity Medicine Association and the former associate director of Massachusetts General Hospital's weight care center.

Persons: —, Alfie, Alexander Singh, Ozempic, Knownwell, It's, Andreessen Horowitz, Alfie Health, Y Combinator, Nina Capital, Brooke Boyarsky Pratt, Boyarsky Pratt, it's, Angela Fitch, Vineeta, Kindbody, Agarwala Organizations: Service, Health, Business, Alfie Health, Knownwell, Flare Capital Partners, Nina, Obesity Medicine Association, Massachusetts, Oak, Carbon Health Locations: WeightWatchers, Plenty, Needham , Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Dallas, Minneapolis

☆ Decagon raises $35 million from Accel and A16z to build AI customer support agents. Here's an exclusive look at the pitch deck it used.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Sri Muppidi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

AI startup Decagon builds AI agents to automate customer support for enterprise customers. Founded in July 2023, Decagon uses generative AI to automate customer support for enterprise customers. The company has emerged from stealth and raised $35 million in funding for its seed and Series A rounds. Accel led the company's $30 million Series A, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, A*, and Elad Gil. A16z led the company's $5 million seed round.

Persons: Andreessen Horowitz, —, Jesse Zhang, Ashwin Sreenivas, Zhang, Elad Gil, A16z, Decagon, Aaron Levie, Howie Liu Organizations: Accel, Service, Decagon, Business

☆ 2 former Instagram staffers left their jobs to create a new social-media app that's grabbed the tech world's attention
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-31 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Advertisement"We always have loved this idea of a super simple product that's really just for you and your friends," Sharp told BI. "There's not any real public discovery surface inside of Retro," Sharp said. Advertisement"What's most important to us is that we build a sustainable business, whether that's venture scale or not," Sharp said. "You can complete your feed in Retro," Olson said. Courtesy of Retro"There are a few places where we've chosen comfort over — or perhaps to the detriment of — the growth of the product or the business," Olson said.

Persons: —, Nathan Sharp, Sharp, Ryan Olson, Olson, that's, Mike Krieger, Kevin Systrom, Sam Lessin, A16z's Andrew Chen, Adam Mosseri, Retro's, It's, Olson didn't, you'd, Marissa Mayer's Organizations: Service, Retro, Business, Lone Palm Labs, Retro's, Facebook, Meta, Instagram Labs Locations: Silicon

☆ CNBC Daily Open: Dow briefly tops 40,000 for the first time, meme stocks down but not out
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Abid Ali | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CNBC Daily Open brings investors up to speed on everything they need to know, no matter where they are. Dow breaks through 40,000 barrierThe Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly passed the 40,000 mark for the first time before ending lower. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also hit record highs but ended the session in negative territory. The Dow has climbed nearly 6% in 2024, while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 are up 11% each. [PRO] New S&P 500 targetsWall Street's recent record highs have prompted market analysts to revise their S&P 500 year-end price targets.

Persons: Dow, John David Rainey, We've, Armour, Armour's, Kleiner Perkins, Bob Pisani Organizations: CNBC, Dow Jones Industrial, Nasdaq, Walmart, GameStop, AMC Locations: North America, Sequoia

☆ How one rising Miami VC raised more money for his first fund. Other emerging investors haven't been so lucky.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Evans is the founder of Exceptional Capital, which launched in 2022 among the many emerging VC firms that sprouted during the fundraising boom years. Before pursuing a life in venture capital and tech, Evans hoped to make it to the NFL as a linebacker at the University of Michigan. And then in 2022, Evans decided to launch Exceptional Capital and invest as a solo VC. Exceptional CapitalBecause he's been able to increase the size of his fund, Evans has been able to expand his team. "I could see that for Marell as well, just his work with Exceptional Capital and kind of his determination there."

Persons: —, Marell Evans, Evans, he's, Dave Brandon, Brandon, Ben Horowitz, Andreessen Horowitz, Horowitz, A16z, Okta, Owen Van Natta, Hustling, Melissa Morano Aurigemma, Graham Stoddard, Andrew Van Nest, I've, Cody Coleman, Coleman, what's Organizations: Service, Exceptional, Business, NFL, University of Michigan, NCAA, IBM, Facebook, Vision, SV Angel, A16z, Exceptional Capital Locations: Miami, Michigan, San Francisco, Okta, Silicon Valley, SoftBank, —, Bessemer

Dylan Field, co-founder and CEO of Figma, speaks at the startup's Config conference in San Francisco on May 10, 2022. Figma, a cloud-based design tool company, said Thursday it will allow investors, including current and former employees, to sell their shares in a tender offer that values the company at $12.5 billion. That's up 25% from the valuation at which the company fundraised in 2021, but below the $20 billion acquisition offer Adobe made in 2022. Adobe and Figma called off the planned acquisition in December following regulatory scrutiny. In December, a regulatory filing said Adobe would pay Figma a $1 billion breakup fee.

Persons: Dylan Field, Kleiner Perkins, Salesforce, Figma, Morgan, CNBC's Jordan Novet Organizations: Figma, Adobe, Microsoft, Google, Oracle Locations: San Francisco, Sequoia

☆ Apple wants to give the iPad a boost
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The tech giant's event will reportedly showcase a new family of… iPads and iPad accessories. But Apple's event , which kicks off at 10 a.m. EST, is looking to give the iPad a boost. iPhone sales have noticeably dipped, which is why you're hearing Apple tout its "services" business , writes BI's Peter Kafka. And the new product Apple wants you to be excited about — the Vision Pro — hasn't lived up to the hype. a16z joins the Big Tech "fake work" debate.

Persons: —, Tyler Le, they're, iPads, Antonio Villas, Boas, BI's Peter Kafka, Peter, hasn't, Katie Notopoulos, Wall, Lauren DeCicca, Tim Cook, Katie, aren't, I'd, we'll, I'm, Alyssa Powell, Danielle DiMartino Booth, James Devaney, Roger Kisby, Jack Dorsey's, Elon, Dorsey, Elon Musk, Satya Nadella, OpenAI, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, a16z, Emily Sundberg, Andreessen Horowitz, David Ulevitch, Vladimir Putin, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Service, Business, Apple, Google, Getty, US Treasury, National Bureau of Economic Research, Images, Penske Media, Microsoft, Tech, Paramount, Berkshire, Big Tech, Walt Disney Company Locations: BREIT, New York, London

☆ Tesla's earnings report was worse than expected, but Elon Musk has a plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at Tesla's earnings report and what comes next for the EV maker. The big storyTesla's turnaround planJADE GAO/AFP via Getty Images; Chelsea Jia Feng; BIBad news: Tesla's earnings report was worse than expected. AdvertisementPerhaps that's why Musk spent so much of the earnings call discussing autonomy and the progress made with Tesla's Full Self-Driving software . Musk told analysts on the earnings call that Tesla is the majority of his work . If investors vote against the package at Tesla's annual meeting in June, who knows where Musk — and his AI ambitions — will end up .

Persons: —, Chelsea Jia Feng, Elon Musk, Tesla, Musk, hasn't, Insider's Linette Lopez, Matt Anderson, Tyler Le, JPMorgan's Marko Kolanovic, Kolanovic, Cathie, Stocks, Goldman Sachs, Gerard Julien, Elon Musk's, Carl Godfrey, Joe Biden, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover Organizations: Business, Service, Getty Images, Tesla, Getty, EV, Musk's, Intel, Micron Technology, Microsoft, BI America, Amazon, Boeing, Meta, IBM, US Locations: Delaware, Outflows, United States, China, Idaho, New York, London

☆ Exclusive: Navan is targeting an April 2025 IPO as it projects to end next year with around $1 billion in annual revenue
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Navan is a travel and expense platform backed by a16z that was last valued at $9.2 billion. The company is targeting an April 2025 IPO, according to a source with direct knowledge. It is projecting to end 2025 with ARR in the billion dollar range, according to the source. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementNavan, a travel and expense platform last valued at $9.2 billion, is targeting an April 2025 initial public offering, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter not authorized to speak publicly.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Navan, EBITA

☆ Drone startup Zipline hits 1 million deliveries, looks to restaurants as it continues to grow
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Kate Rogers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Autonomous delivery drone startup Zipline said Friday that it hit its 1 millionth delivery to customers and that it's eyeing restaurant partnerships in its next phase of growth. The San Francisco-based startup designs, builds and operates autonomous delivery drones, working with clients that range from more than 4,700 hospitals including the Cleveland Clinic to major brands such as Walmart and GNC. The company said its zero-emission drones have now flown more than 70 million autonomous commercial miles across four continents and delivered more than 10 million products. The push into restaurant partnerships marks an "obvious transition" he said, due to the continuing growth in interest in instant food delivery. Zipline deliveries for some Panera locations in Seattle are expected to begin next year, the Panera franchisee's chief operating officer Ron Bellamy told CNBC.

Persons: It's, Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, Rinaudo Cliffton, Ron Bellamy, I'm, Bellamy Organizations: Cleveland Clinic, Walmart, Sequoia Capital, a16z, Google Ventures, CNBC, Memorial Hermann Health Locations: San Francisco, Ghana, Seattle, Houston, Detroit

☆ One of the largest FTX creditors is trying to recoup millions for victims
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Bruch is one of the largest individual FTX creditors and has been tapped by the US Department of Justice to serve as one of nine on the FTX Creditors’ Committee, where he is working to recoup the funds lost by customers. DOJ-appointed creditor committees ordinarily consist of people and companies who hold the seven largest unsecured claims against the debtor (in this case, FTX), according to the agency. Before the Bell spoke with Bruch about Sam Bankman-Fried, FTX, MyPrize and the future of crypto. I feel for all of the creditors and am doing everything I can to help recoup what was taken from us. I’ve worked at some of the largest crypto trading desks in the world and then also started trading my own book of capital and grew to become one of the largest individual crypto traders.

Persons: Sam Bankman, Fried, Zach Bruch, Bruch, MyPrize, Bell, Sam Bankman Fried, —, ”, Sam Bankman Fried’s, Bitcoin, I’ve, Elisabeth Buchwald, Jerome Powell wasn’t, ” Powell, Powell, Christopher Waller, Evan Gershkovich, Evan Gershkovich’s, Radina Gigova, Anna Chernova, Antonina Favorskaya, Alexey Navalny, Favorskaya, Gershkovich Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, US Department of Justice, ’, DOJ, Arrington Capital, Department of Justice, Federal, Commerce Department, San Francisco Fed, ” Fed, CNN, Wall Street Locations: New York, Russia, Yekaterinburg

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBitcoin prices recover after retreating from new record: CNBC Crypto WorldCNBC Crypto World features the latest news and daily trading updates from the digital currency markets and provides viewers with a look at what's ahead with high-profile interviews, explainers, and unique stories from the ever-changing crypto industry. On today's show, Chris Dixon, founder and managing partner of a16z crypto, discusses his new book on blockchain technology, blockchain use cases and Ethereum's next big upgrade from ETHDenver.

Persons: explainers, Chris Dixon Organizations: CNBC Crypto, CNBC Locations: ETHDenver

☆ Why 7 prominent VCs are investing millions in new social startups like Diem, Lex, and 222
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Mervana Parekh is a principal at Acrew and has invested in social startups like Diem, Afterparty, and Anything World. Best Nights VC. Nichols is a founding managing partner at MaC, which recently invested in social startups like Spill and Swsh. Boyce has backed a slew of new social startups, including Diem, Lex, Koodos Labs, and Swsh, alongside associate Rhian Horton. In 2024, Best Nights is looking to invest in companies that facilitate travel experiences after hearing people say their best nights have happened during trips or vacations, said de Silva.

Persons: —, Connie Chan, Mervana Parekh, Peter Boyce II, Marlon Nichols, Catalyst, Web3, Peter, Diem, Afterparty, Lorrain de Silva, Andrew Kahn, Miley Cyrus, Lorde, Kahn, Aaron Matusow, Dan Kruchkow, Nichols, Elizabeth Weil, Kevin Weil, John Smothers, Boyce, Lex, Rhian Horton, Lorrain, Silva, BestNights, Aaron Leithäuser, Gen Z, Peter Boyce, de Silva, Acrew Organizations: Service, Business, Acrew, Stellation, MaC Venture, VCs, Stanford University, Startup, Pudgy Penguins, Crush Ventures, VC, Crush, MaC Venture Capital, MaC, Catalyst, Koodos Labs, Big Tech Locations: 1kx, San Francisco , New York, Lisbon, Acrew, San Francisco, Berlin, Los Angeles and New York, Los Angeles, New York, Rythm

☆ Former Disney star Bridgit Mendler is now the CEO of a space startup. Here's what she has been up to since 'Good Luck Charlie' ended.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Ayomikun Adekaiyero | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Former Disney star Bridgit Mendler is now the CEO and cofounder of a space satellite startup, to the surprise of some of her fans. Mendler is best known for playing Teddy Duncan in all four seasons of the Disney show "Good Luck Charlie," but has recently moved away from performing. On Monday, CNBC exclusively reported that Mendler is launching the startup Northwood Space with business partner Shaurya Luthra and her husband, Griffin Cleverly. Northwood Space aims to mass-produce ground stations and antennas that connect to satellites, making them more accessible for space companies, CNBC reported. In 2017, Mendler started working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Media Lab.

Persons: —, Mendler, Teddy Duncan, Charlie, Shaurya Luthra, Griffin, @foundersfund, Barbie, lace", endler, egan Organizations: Service, Disney, CNBC, Space, Northwood, ince Locations: @NorthwoodSpace, ath

Apple | Spotify | Amazon | YouTube Listen and follow ‘Hard Fork’Layoffs are hitting newsrooms and publishers again, as tech platforms, ad markets and artificial intelligence reshape the internet. Kevin Roose and Casey Newton have ideas for solutions. Then, one of the most influential investors in crypto companies lays out where the industry went wrong, and why he still thinks blockchains are the future. And finally, a round of HatGPT with the week’s tech headlines, including a spicy LinkedIn post and an A.I. test that disturbs Kevin and Casey’s sense of reality.

Persons: Kevin Roose, Casey Newton, Kevin Organizations: Apple, Spotify, YouTube

☆ Has the LA scene fizzled? SoCal has fallen further behind the Bay Area, NYC and Boston for startup funding: 'People deep in AI are just not in LA'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Ben Bergman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But last year, the LA tech scene stalled, according to Carta data. Startup funding plummeted everywhere, but nowhere experienced a steeper decline than LA, where funding declined 65% from 2022. CartaLA's startup funding dropped 65% last year, a steeper decline than the Bay Area, New York or Boston. "They're very deep AI companies, but they're being applied to a vertical, which is one of the strengths of LA," Ingersoll said. Bird goes bust and Snap snaps backThere was more bad news for LA's startup scene in 2023 than just the dismal funding numbers.

Persons: Ethan Aldrich, Aldrich, there's, Andreessen Horowitz, a16z, Katia Ameri, Ameri, VCs, Nikita Bier, Bier, Mark Suster, Suster, LA's, we're, Palmer Luckey, Minnie Ingersoll, Ingersoll, Bird, Zillow, Spencer Rascoff, Evan Spiegel ERIC PIERMONT, Ishan Singh, Singh Organizations: Stanford, Business, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Coatue Management, LA Tech, LA, Carta, Honest Company, New, Boston, Microsoft, Clark, SpaceX Locations: Santa Monica, Southern California, LA, Santa, Hayes, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, New York, Boston, Carta, San Diego, Seattle, Hawthorne , CA, Costa, Bay

☆ Today's GenAI models are cost and energy pigs. Quantum tech could fix that.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Julie Bort | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Zapata, a startup spun out of Harvard, uses quantum physics math to train GenAI models with less data. AI models must be regularly fed. AI models also require hefty, energy-consuming GPU chips. Since founding that year, Zapata has 18 patents and patents pending on its AI tech, it says. And quantum tech could be among the alternatives.

Persons: Zapata, Andretti, —, Guido Appenzeller, Christopher Savoie, Mario, Michael Andretti's SPAC, it's, GenAI Zapata, OpenAI, hasn't Organizations: Andretti Racing, Service, America, Intel's Data, CNBC, Nvidia, Andretti Global, Andretti, Corp, Zapata, BMW, Computer, Fujitsu, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, Comcast Ventures, Ventures, Bloomberg Locations: Harvard, Zapata, Savoie

☆ Marc Andreessen says student loan forgiveness is a 'bailout.' Ben Horowitz thinks college is mostly 'a scam.'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Marc Andreessen thinks student loan borrowers who received loan forgiveness are akin to companies and banks that got government bailouts rescuing them from bankruptcy. In a two-hour podcast titled "Crisis in Higher Ed & Why Universities Still Matter," published by his firm Andreessen Horowitz, Andreessen took issue with people having some or all of their outstanding student debt erased in actions by the Biden administration. Andreessen Horowitz is a major SVB customer, and the bank also invested billions in the firm's funds. The Biden Administration also had a broader student debt relief plan struck down by the US Supreme Court last year, and it has moved forward with targeted relief programs based on specific borrower criteria. In response to Andreessen's issue with student loan forgiveness, A16z cofounder Ben Horowitz responded with the argument that, although the action provides relief for some, it does not address "the real issue."

Persons: Marc Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz, Andreessen, Biden, they've, wouldn't, Ben Horowitz, Horowitz, they'll, That's, A16z Organizations: Service, Business, Legal, Bank, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Biden Administration, US

☆ Yieldstreet is raising cash to shore up two Nashville deals it owns with Adam Neumann's new a16z-backed startup
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Publicly launched in 2022 but built with assets from Neumann's own family office, Flow received the largest check Silicon Valley venture capital heavyweight A16z has ever written. Yieldstreet, a crowdfunding platform that has facilitated over $4 billion in alternative investments as of the end of 2023, has already pumped tens of millions of crowdfunded cash into the Nashville deals as the majority equity owner. These two properties are facing the same squeeze as many others in commercial real estate amid sky-high interest rates and inflationary pressures. The latest fundraising effort provides a rare look at how commercial real estate investors are dealing with the challenging environment. "Both partners are funding as the JV agreement calls for and as happens in every standard real estate JV deal."

Persons: Adam Neumann, he's, Flow, A16z, Neumann Organizations: Business, Publicly, Flow, Nashville, Facebook, Twitter, BI, JV Locations: WeWork, Nashville , Tennessee, Nashville

☆ 16 VCs that are funding the future of entertainment by backing generative AI and other disruptive tech
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

AdvertisementAfter a period of "wild west" investing in AI, Blank believes activity will favor AI companies that respect artists' consent and compensation. It recently co-led a $1 million seed round in Conduiit, which centralizes entertainment companies' production finance operations. Endeavor Venture InvestmentsEndeavor Venture Investments is the venture arm of entertainment and sports behemoth Endeavor. SWaN & LegendThe Virginia-based VC firm has a broad consumer portfolio that includes a number of entertainment investments. With Hollywood in contraction, SWaN has largely hit pause on new entertainment investments to get its portfolio companies on a strong footing.

Persons: Michael Blank, Blank, Jon Miller, Miller, Slack, Garnet Heraman, BDMI, Urs Cete, Michael, TMRW, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Elysian Park Ventures Jay Adya, Grant Lamos, Tom Brady, Gotham Chopra, Michael Strahan, Jay Adya, Morgan, Kushaan Ahuja, Drew Glover, Glover, Alex Harris, they've, Noah Doyle, Payback India, Jed Katz, Rich Greenfield, Rich, Ilya Pozin, Jamie Seltzer, LightShed, Steve Cohen's, it's, Sri Chandrasekar, Tripp Shriner, Ishan Sinha, That's, Wondery, Ian Doody, Raine, Gordon Rubenstein, Joe Ravitch, Jeff Sine, ‐, Fred Schaufeld, SWaN, that's, Oscar, Jose, Schaufeld, Sam Wick, Alex J, Investcorp, Paul Yoo, Edgar Bronfman Jr, Daniel Leff, Waverley, Leff Organizations: Service, Creative Artists, Connect Ventures, Business, Hollywood, Veteran, TPG, Integrated Media Co, Advancit, CAA, Bertelsmann, Waverley, Octopus Ventures, Accel, Facebook, Venture, Aperture Venture, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, Fremantle, Connect, CAA Connect Ventures, New Enterprises Associates, TMRW Sports, Disney, Universal, Elysian Park Ventures, Elysian, Sports, Endeavor Venture, Endeavor Venture Investments, behemoth Endeavor, Dapper Labs, Fiat Ventures, Fiat Ventures Fiat Ventures, Fiat, Payback, Rent, LightShed, Rich Greenfield Influential, LightShed Ventures, Pluto, Apple, Octopus Ventures Octopus Ventures, Investments, Corp, Etsy, Re, Point72 Ventures New York Mets, Range Media Partners, Point72 Ventures, Sri, Powerhouse, Athletic, The New York Times Co, Evolution Media, Creative Artists Agency, Astro, Rave Digital Media, Accel Entertainment, Jose Andrés Media, Berliner, UTA Talent, UTA, UTA Ventures, Ventures, VR, Amazon, PFL Locations: blockchain, —, Conduiit, fintech, London, Australia, Papercup, Los Angeles, Virginia, UTA.VC

☆ The CEO of an A16z-backed healthcare startup is pitching a better way to save money on obesity care
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-29 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Boyarsky Pratt said about 35% of Knownwell's patients come for primary care, while the rest see the company's providers for their metabolic health. They can prescribe GLP-1 drugs, but they're just one tool the company uses to treat obesity, Boyarsky Pratt said. It's also planning to partner with more health systems to help them expand access to weight care. It partners with one large system in Massachusetts now, but Boyarsky Pratt declined to disclose which one. "The data shows that the earlier patients get into a comprehensive treatment, the better for the long-term course of the disease," Boyarsky Pratt said.

Persons: —, Brooke Boyarsky Pratt, Andreessen Horowitz, Boyarsky Pratt, Knownwell, Angela Fitch, Berkadia, Fitch, Needham, Boyarsky Platt, they'd, Michael Siluk, It's Organizations: Service, Business, GLP, BMI, Medicare, Obesity Medicine Association . Obesity Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard Business School, Berkshire Hathaway, Obesity Medicine Association, Weight, Flare Capital Partners, Staff, Getty, American Academy of Pediatrics Locations: Boston, GLP, Massachusetts, Knownwell, Needham , Massachusetts, telehealth

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