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☆ Meet Neema Raphael, the data whiz overseeing Goldman Sachs' army of engineers and scientists key to the bank's AI ambitions
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Bianca Chan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

We always use this code: garbage in, garbage out," Raphael, chief data officer and Goldman partner, told Business Insider. As Goldman goes all-in on AI, Raphael is emerging as a key player impacting the bank's future. How Raphael's data platform team is leading the way for AI innovation at GoldmanEven though Raphael's day can vary greatly, it always starts the same. AdvertisementOne is the data platform team, which oversees the entire data stack, including infrastructure and how people access data. For Goldman, AI is not new.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Raphael, Goldman, It's, SecDB, That's Organizations: Service, Business, Goldman, JPMorgan, UC Berkeley, Engineering SWAT, Curation

☆ Agtech valuations were crushed in 2023. But food security concerns will keep it on the agenda.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Agtech Unicorn Index, which tracks venture-backed startups in the sector worth over $1 billion, recorded a 20% decline in 2023, according to the Morningstar Unicorn Market Monitor Q4 2023 update. Advertisement"There are more software companies that have sprouted over the past decade, but it traditionally requires fairly technical knowledge about plants and biology." London’s vertical farming unicorn InFarm also struggled and shuttered in Europe . Indeed, PitchBook’s Frederick anticipates agtech will outperform the broader VC ecosystem in the near term due to issues around food security, per PitchBook’s Agtech Q4 2023 report. More broadly, the number of companies hitting unicorn status was at its lowest level since 2017, with 81 new unicorns entering the Morningstar PitchBook Global Unicorn Index in 2023.

Persons: —, Alex Frederick, Frederick, Po Bronson, Bronson, PitchBook’s Frederick, agtech, ” Frederick Organizations: Service, Business, Morningstar, US, Farmers Business Network Locations: cybersecurity, Europe, Ukraine, India, California, Spain

☆ Oscars predictions: ‘Oppenheimer’ seems to be the movie awards voters have been waiting for
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A woman poses for a selfie in New York to celebrate the "Barbie" movie on Friday, July 21. Hannah Beier/The Washington Post/Getty Images Cierra Fraser and Joslin Farley pose outside of a theater in Los Angeles on Saturday. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images North America/Getty Images Barbie fan Shannon Douglas poses for a photo Saturday in Somerdale, New Jersey. Hannah Beier/The Washington Post/Getty Images A group of friends gather outside a movie theater in Los Angeles on Friday. Jenna Schoenefeld/The Washington Post/Getty Images A Barbie fan attends a movie showing in New York on Friday.

Persons: CNN — “ Barbie ”, “ Oppenheimer ”, Christopher Nolan’s, “ Oppenheimer, “ Barbie ”, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, ”, “, Stephanie Keith, Britney Stewart, Hannah Beier, Cierra Fraser, Joslin Farley, Jenna Schoenefeld, Maria Plascencea, Daniella Galvan, Plascencea, Daniella, Dania Maxwell, Shannon Douglas, Jasmine Vaughn Perrett, Barbie, Perrett, Sophie Davidoff, Ayan Babayeva, Mia Ilyaich, Ayan, Reece Adineh, James Cameron Organizations: CNN, Screen Actors Guild, Producers Guild of America, Academy, Golden Globes, of America, Academy and Universal Pictures, Academy of Motion Picture Arts, Sciences, CNN The Academy, ABC, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Getty, North Locations: New York, Somerdale , New Jersey, Los Angeles, North America, Iran

☆ The 3 worst things virtual assistants have to deal with and how to avoid them, according to a successful VA coach
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Hannah Dixon, a virtual assistant coach, discusses the three worst parts of the profession. AdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Hannah Dixon, a 36-year-old virtual assistant coach, recruiter, and founder of The Virtual Excellence Academy, living in Mexico. After "falling" into becoming a virtual assistant 10 years ago, I did the job for years juggling admin, tech, and creative tasks for clients worldwide. While virtual administrative assistant work is a very needed service, it's just one piece of a large and ever-expanding puzzle. Are you a virtual assistant and would like to share your story?

Persons: Hannah Dixon, Dixon, VAs, —, It's, who've, upskilling —, it's, I've, Logan Organizations: Service, Virtual Excellence Academy, VAs Locations: Mexico, VAs, mlogan@businessinsider.com

☆ Embedded payments fintech Monite just raised $6 million from Peter Thiel's Valar Ventures with this 12-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Berlin-based fintech Monite has raised $6 million in seed funding from Peter Thiel's Valar Ventures. Monite, founded in 2020, works with companies to help streamline payments and reduce manual processing. Still, where this might generally be done across email, spreadsheets, and messaging systems, Monite aggregates a company's bills and invoices and then automates the process on their behalf. The startup has raised a top-up to its seed round, led by Third Prime, in March 2023, taking its total funding to $17.4 million. The funding from Valar Ventures closed in November after Monite opted against looking to raise a Series A, Maryasin said.

Persons: Monite, Peter Thiel's, Ivan Maryasin, Maryasin Organizations: Ventures, Monite, Business, Third Prime Locations: Berlin, Europe

☆ Exclusive: Fertility unicorn Kindbody is offering investor discounts in its latest fundraising push
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Kindbody, last valued at $1.8 billion, is pitching early-stage investors in its latest fundraising. The startup is offering a discount to investors in the round, according to multiple sources. The fertility company was reportedly burning through cash last year. Kindbody's fundraising push is getting complex as the fertility unicorn dangles discounts to potential investors to secure new cash, Business Insider has learned. Now, Kindbody has been forced to broaden its investor outreach and has pitched multiple early-stage VCs, according to two people with knowledge of the effort.

Persons: Kindbody Organizations: Business, Bloomberg

☆ ‘Cute’ exhibition examines the complex power of all things adorable
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Zara Khan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

How cuteness has taken over our world — and why — is a subject being explored in “Cute,” a new (and the first ever) exhibition devoted to the movement at London’s Somerset House. The Industrial Revolution and the rise of mass production allowed cuteness to be unleashed on the world — toys, books and illustrations could, increasingly, be made easily and cheaply. The exhibition — a world first — examines the enduring appeal of the cute aesthetic amongst adults and asks deeper questions about its allure. For Simon May, a professor of philosophy at King’s College London and author of “The Power of Cute,” kawaii is just part of a story which involves the country of Japan more broadly. The Edwardian artist is credited with increasing the cute appeal of our feline friends by giving them human hobbies and pastimes.

Persons: cuteness, Hattie Stewart, David Parry, ”, Somerset, Cliff Lauson, Tim Berners, Lee, Claire Catterall, Andy Holden's, Louis Wain —, Andy Holden’s, Joshua Dale, “, Isabelle Galleymore, Yumeji Takehisa, Simon May, kawaii, Louis Wain's, Kitty, Japan ”, Setsuko Tamura, Rachel Maclean’s, Maclean, ” May Organizations: CNN, London’s Somerset House, Somerset House, Somerset, Cats, King’s College London, Bethlem, panini, Somerset House Scottish, “ Locations: London’s, London, Somerset, Tokyo, Japan, ” Japan

☆ Rippling CEO Parker Conrad dishes on why the startup is sitting on a massive $750 million war chest
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. To this day, Rippling hasn't touched the money it raised in that emergency package, Conrad told Business Insider. Rippling will invest hundreds of millions of dollars from the balance sheet into research and development this year, according to CEO Parker Conrad. Parker Conrad says Rippling hasn't touched any of the venture capital it raised over the last two rounds. Shepherding the startup through this next growth phase is new chief product officer Eisar Lipkovitz, Rippling told Business Insider exclusively.

Persons: Parker Conrad, Conrad, Rippling hasn't, Kleiner Perkins, Rippling, Amy Osborne, Mamoon Hamid, they've, TechCrunch, Eisar Lipkovitz, Lipkovitz, Deel, Melia Russell Organizations: Business, paychecks, Bedrock, Washington Post, JPMorgan, Google Locations: Silicon, San Francisco, Asia, Lyft, Rippling

☆ 'Anyone But You' could spark a rom-com renaissance in Hollywood
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A sleeper hit at the box office, the film is a "healthy sign" for the romantic comedy genre and other mid-budget Hollywood flicks, said Scott Meslow, author of "From Hollywood With Love: The Rise and Fall (and Rise Again) of the Romantic Comedy." In the seven weeks since, the romantic comedy has tallied $170 million globally, including $80 million from domestic theaters, according to data from Comscore. Between 2004 and 2010, Hollywood consistently released between 15 and 25 romantic comedy or romance films each year. Meslow said there was no rom-com "kill shot," a film or series of films that sparked the decline in theatrical releases of the genre. While some films will still be released only on streaming platforms, Hollywood has rediscovered the importance of theatrical as part of overall downstream revenue.

Persons: Christopher Nolan's, Scott Meslow, Glen Powell, Sydney Sweeney, Meslow, Will Gluck, Gluck, Natasha Bedingfield's, it's Organizations: DC Studios, Hollywood, CNBC, Netflix, Sony, Comcast Locations: Hollywood, NBCUniversal

☆ This Monzo cofounder is set to launch a new startup with Index and General Catalyst in talks to invest, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Monzo cofounder Jonas Templestein is in talks to raise funds for a new startup, sources told BI. Top investors such as Index and General Catalyst are among those in discussions to back the startup. AdvertisementA cofounder of British fintech unicorn Monzo is set to raise funds from a smattering of high-profile investors for a new venture, Business Insider understands. Now, he's primed to raise around $5-6 million at a $50 million valuation cap for a new startup, two sources said. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Jonas Templestein, Catalyst, — Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Monzo

☆ HiBob, a $2.7-billion HR unicorn, is acquiring Tiger Global-backed payroll startup Pento
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewHiBob, a London headquartered HR unicorn, is acquiring UK payroll startup Pento. The company is valued at $2.7 billion, has raised $574 million in funding, and is acquiring Pento to expand its payroll offering. The acquisition came about after seeing the fragmented payroll market in the UK with HiBob opting to go one step further than integration, CEO Ronni Zehavi told Business Insider. AdvertisementLondon-based Pento has raised $54 million in VC funding, including from General Catalyst and Tiger Global. Around 35 Pento staff will join HiBob as part of the deal, which is subject to closing conditions.

Persons: —, Ronni Zehavi, Zehavi, HiBob Organizations: Service, Business, General, Bessemer Venture Partners, General Catalyst, Tiger Global, Dealroom, HiBob Locations: London, Israel

☆ Digital banking giant Revolut is launching phone plans for travelers in the UK
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Revolut is launching a travel eSIM plan in the U.K., in a rare move for a financial services firm. RevolutBritish financial technology company Revolut is launching phone plans in the U.K., the company has told CNBC exclusively, making it the first financial services firm in the country to offer telecom plans, and among the first globally. The cost of using mobile data overseas has increased for Brits in recent years. Revolut has partnered with U.K. mobile network operator 1Global, formerly known as Truphone, to launch its eSIM. Launching phone plans is a rare step from a financial services firm.

Persons: Revolut, Tara Massoudi, Massoudi, we've, it's Organizations: CNBC, Ultra, Brits, BT, Vodafone, European Union Locations: Plenty

☆ These are the most overbought stocks due for a pullback during S&P's run to 5,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Stocks have raced ahead this year, with the S & P 500 trading above the historic 5,000 level. Stocks that have a 14-day RSI greater than 70 are considered to be overbought, meaning they could be at risk of a pullback. Several firms, from Deutsche Bank to Bank of America, walked away from the company's earnings release even more encouraged about its future. On average, analysts have a $111.38 price target on Disney, indicating less than 1% upside from the entertainment giant's last close. Other overbought companies in the S & P 500 are Boston Scientific and Ralph Lauren , which saw shares reach a 9-year high on the company's earnings beat this week.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Morgan Stanley, Eli Lilly's, Wells, Mohit Bansal, LLY, Walt Disney, Berkshire Hathaway, Nelson Peltz, Ralph Lauren Organizations: Nvidia, Dow Jones, CNBC, Stock, Deutsche Bank to Bank of America, Berkshire, Disney, Epic Games, ESPN, Boston Scientific Locations: Zepbound, Fortnite

☆ Sequoia-backed fintech Pennylane just became a unicorn. Check out the 15-slide pitch deck it used to raise $43 million.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

French accounting tech startup Pennylane has raised $43 million in a deal that valued the business at over $1 billion. Founded in 2020, Pennylane works with SMEs and accounting firms to simplify and digitize their accounting processes. The company's SaaS model pulls third-party data from platforms like Stripe and Qonto, to help SMEs with their accounting needs. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. "We've seen very strong growth in users and revenues, without having to grow our sales and marketing spend," Waller told Business Insider.

Persons: Pennylane, Arthur Waller, Waller, it's, Visma Organizations: Business, Sequoia Locations: Paris, Pennylane

☆ Premarket stocks: Main Street is still investing like it’s 2023
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Before the Bell spoke to Joe Mazola, director of Schwab Trader Education, about the growing importance of retail investors in markets, where Main Street is investing and why people are still enamored with Elon Musk. Why is it so important to single out retail investors and track where they’re putting their money? Is there a big difference between what retail investors and institutional investors are doing right now? That means the Fed is due to cut rates in 2024, which officials themselves projected in December. We just want some more confidence before we take that very important step of beginning to cut interest rates,” he told “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley.

Persons: Elon Musk’s, Tesla, Charles Schwab, Schwab, Bell, Joe Mazola, Elon Musk, Joe Mazzola, it’s, they’re, there’s, They’ve, Powell, Jerome Powell, “ We’ve, ” Powell, ”, Price, “, Scott Pelley, Read, 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, ” Wojcicki, they’ve, Wojcicki Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Tesla, Big Tech, Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, Devices, Schwab Trader Education, Elon, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Investors, CBS, Fed, Nasdaq, CNN Locations: New York, Street, Silicon Valley

☆ 23andMe is low on cash and its stock is worth pennies. The CEO wants another chance
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Just three years ago, DNA testing company 23andMe was the golden child of Wall Street and Silicon Valley. In 2018, 23andMe agreed to a five-year exclusive drug development partnership with GSK (formerly GlaxoSmithKline). Genetic testing company 23andMe, once valued at $6 billion, is facing the possibility of delisting from NASDAQ. Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesSo far, the partnership between GSK and 23andMe has produced more than 50 new drug targets. But drug discovery is a very long process and it can be anywhere from 10 to 15 years on average from target discovery to an FDA-approved drug.

Persons: New York CNN —, 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, ” Wojcicki, “, Susan Wojcicki, Sergey Brin, Kyle Grillot, Wojcicki, they’ve, ”, we’re, “ We’ve, Steven Mah, TD Cowen, Mah, they’re, Justin Sullivan Organizations: New, New York CNN, Nasdaq, CNN, Stanford, Palo Alto High School, YouTube, Google, 23andMe Inc, Bloomberg, Time Magazine, P Biotech ETF, GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, NASDAQ, Big Pharma, it’s Locations: New York, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles , California, U.S, London, Sunnyvale , California, United States

The pay data includes salaries ranging from a data scientist position that offers $170,000 per year at Discord to a staff engineer role that earns $250,000 or more at Patreon. AdvertisementHere are the annual salaries for a job at FaZe Clan:Legal Counsel: $142,273 median starting range; from $133,308 to $194,437FaZe Clan did not respond to BI's request for comment. At LTK, a senior software engineer would make $130,000Courtesy of LTKLTK, formerly known as RewardStyle, is an affiliate-marketing and social-commerce platform used by influencers across Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. At Teachable, a level II senior software engineer would make $190,000Teachable is a platform where creators can build and sell online courses and coaching programs. Here are annual salary ranges for several jobs at Teachable:Data Analyst : $69,826 to $85,000: $69,826 to $85,000 Senior Software Engineer : $160,000 to $180,000: $160,000 to $180,000 Senior Software Engineer - Core : $150,000 to $170,000: $150,000 to $170,000 Senior Software Engineer II : $190,000: $190,000 Software Engineer: $125,000 to $135,000Teachable did not respond to BI's request for comment.

Persons: upstarts, we're, Justin Kenna, they've, ByteDance, Teachable, Konstantin Savusia, James Nord, Brandon Brown, Ryan Brown, Brian Mechem, Warby Parker, Grin, Amanda Perelli, Anthony, Alex Zaccaria, Nick Humphreys, Linktree's, Amber Venz, Baxter, Read, Sydney Bradley, economy's, Patreon, Chris Best, Jason Henry Substack Organizations: YouTube, Business, FaZe, Safety, Software, Security, Enterprise Security, FaZe Clan, Fohr, Inc, Grin Technologies, Facebook, Keli Network Inc, Business Affairs, Jellysmack, Linktree, Ops, RewardStyle Inc, Networks, Mighty Networks, Mighty Software, Engineering, Sydney, Sydney Bradley One, BI, Staff, Social, Data Engineering, Trust, Quality Assurance, Hotmart, & $ Locations: California, New York, Texas, FaZe, Fohr, Jellysmack, Karat, Linktree, LTK, Instagram, Dallas , Texas, Teachable

☆ Microsoft and OpenAI are in talks to inject $500 million into humanoid robotics startup Figure AI, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Microsoft and OpenAI could be investing in a humanoid robotics startup, Bloomberg reported. The companies might be putting up to $500 million in Figure AI, the report says. AdvertisementMicrosoft and OpenAI are said to be exploring options to invest up to $500 million in a humanoid robotics startup, Bloomberg reported. OpenAI has previously invested in another humanoid robot startup called 1X Technologies, per Bloomberg. Figure AI was founded in 2022 by CEO Brett Adcock, per an Axios report.

Persons: —, OpenAI, It's, Brett Adcock, He's, Jim Fan Organizations: Microsoft, Bloomberg, BMW, Service, Technologies, Boston Dynamics, Robotics, Nvidia, Business Locations: Tesla, LLMs

☆ SoftBank-backed education startup GoStudent conducts another round of layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

SoftBank-backed education startup GoStudent has initiated another round of layoffs, affecting over 100 people, Business Insider understands. Austrian company GoStudent, billed as Europe's first edtech unicorn, offers one-to-one video tutoring. GoStudent did not confirm the scale of the layoffs when approached for comment by BI. The business and strategy adjustments aim to make GoStudent fully profitable and cashflow positive "as quickly as possible," he said. The fresh round of layoffs is GoStudent's third following cuts in September and December of 2022, all previously reported by BI .

Persons: GoStudent, Felix Ohswald, I've, Ohswald, Studienkreis Organizations: Business, LinkedIn, BI Locations: Austrian, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, DACH

☆ Alibaba-backed Xreal, rival to Apple's Vision Pro, claims it's now an AR glasses unicorn
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

That valuation gives the startup unicorn status, the first in the AR glasses industry, Xreal claimed. Augmented reality (AR) technology allows digital images to be imposed over the real world. Xreal's latest AR glasses model, the Air 2 Ultra, is set to start shipping in March. On Jan. 8, Xreal said it had shipped 350,000 AR glasses since the company was launched in 2017. The startup said it plans to use the latest funding for research and development, as well as factory expansion.

Persons: Xreal, — CNBC's Arjun Kharpal Organizations: Xreal, Air, Vision Locations: BEIJING, U.S

☆ Wondercraft wants to be the AI-driven 'Canva of audio.' Check out the 9-slide pitch deck it used to raise $3 million.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An AI audio startup founded by former Palantir and Acast staffers has raised $3 million in a seed round backed by investors, including Y Combinator and Diary of a CEO host Steven Bartlett. London-based Wondercraft, founded in 2022, aims to become the "Canva of audio." Nikolaou said he likened the startup to Canva because he wanted to "empower everyone to be an audio creator." With the fresh funding, Wondercraft will develop the platform further and extend a wider range of features to its users. Check out the 9-slide deck used to raise the fresh funds:

Persons: Y Combinator, Steven Bartlett, Dimitris Nikolaou, Youssef Rizk, Oskar Serrander, Nikolaou, Serrander, Wondercraft Organizations: Business, Will Ventures Locations: London, Boston

☆ Moneyball-Plus: What Happens When Investors Treat Athletes Like Startups
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Joseph Bien-Kahn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +27 min

What if athletes could sell a percentage of their future earnings to investors, the same way tech entrepreneurs offer a stake in their promising new ideas in return for venture capital? "We look at the game very, very differently than everyone else," Schwimer tells the pitcher. Finlete is launching a fund that allows fans to buy shares in a prospect's future earnings. What if you could sell a share of your future earnings, he asked, for $10,000? Today, he says, more than 80% of the players BLA has invested in are outside the league's top 300 prospects.

Persons: They're, Michael Schwimer, —, Schwimer, BLA, haven't, Fernando Tatis Jr, We've, it's, Daniil, David Liberman, Garrett Broshuis, he'd, He'd, Houdini, Christian Petersen, Erik Kratz, Kratz, Cole Hamels, Hamels, Sean M, Marvin Bush, George W, Bush, Paul DePodesta, bankroll BLA's, Bill Miller, Miller, HBO's, Michael, Jeff Bezos, Bezos, I'd, I'm, Steven Duncker, Goldman Sachs, Elly De La Cruz, Dylan Buell, phenom, Scott Boras, Yermín Mercedes, Francisco Mejía, countersue Mejia, Gervon Dexter, they're, Dexter, Wharton, He's, he'll, isn't, scoffing, he's Organizations: Philadelphia Phillies, Big League, San Diego Padres, Benchmark Capital, Sports, Wharton Sports Business, MLB, University of Virginia, Partners, Phillies, Getty, AAA, Arizona Fall League, Ritz Carlton, Cleveland Browns, Dodgers, Cleveland Indians, Big League Advance, Chicago Bears, University of Florida, Huntsman, NCAA Locations: Maryland, Philadelphia, United States, baseball's, Latin America, America, Dominican Republic, Cleveland, Florida

☆ Tiger Global-backed Productboard conducts third round of layoffs in two years, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Now, Productboard has begun another round of layoffs, the scale of which is unknown as yet, the former staffers said. Startups and Big Tech companies alike have slashed their wage bills as the high-interest rate environment encourages businesses to prioritize sustainability over growth. AdvertisementIn January alone, 76 tech companies have laid off 21,370 employees, according to tracker site Layoffs.fyi.

Persons: —, Productboard, Daniel Hejl, Hubert Palan, Kleiner Perkins, Palan, Productboard's headcount Organizations: Service, Business, Tiger Global, Dragoneer, Microsoft, Volkswagen, Sequoia, Bessemer Venture Partners, Index Ventures, Big Tech, Bloomberg, LinkedIn Locations: San Francisco, Czech Republic, Silicon Valley, Sequoia Capital, Productboard

☆ Jack in the Box's first new burger in 8 years sold out so fast you can't find it anywhere right now
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Nancy Luna | Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewJack in the Box wants the Smashed Jack to be the "best burger" in the fast-food industry. "We're sold out," Ryan Ostrom, Jack in the Box's chief marketing officer, told reporters at a media event Wednesday at the chain's San Diego headquarters. Jack in the Box's Smashed Jack burger took two years to develop. A Bacon Double Smashed Jack, a burger with two patties and bacon, will also be available. AdvertisementJack in the Box is hoping for the same kind of buzz with the Smashed Jack.

Persons: —, Jack, We're, Ryan Ostrom, McDonald's, Ostrom, Nancy Luna, It's, Anneta, Bacon, Burger King Organizations: Service, Business Locations: San Diego

☆ Some of the best early-stage startup investors share a common trait that should be a lesson for Silicon Valley
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In today's big story, we're looking at the best investors when it comes to early-stage companies. The big storyPicking winnersCaterina Fake, Cindi Bi, and Suleman AliInvesting can be a crapshoot, especially when it comes to early-stage companies. AdvertisementThe investors, profiled by BI's Ben Bergman, Samantha Stokes, Rebecca Torrence, and Leena Rao, have an incredible track record for early-stage investing. Silicon Valley can be known to have a herd mentality, especially when it comes to venture investors. And yet, some of the best early-stage investors have proven to have far better success going out on their own.

Persons: —, we've, Caterina Fake, Suleman Ali, BI's Ben Bergman, Samantha Stokes, Rebecca Torrence, Leena Rao, Joseph Aaron, cofounders, Tanja Ivanova, isn't, Chanos, Elon Musk, Jim Chanos, Tesla, Musk, Dan Ives, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Brittany Hosea, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Philipp Schindler, Google's, Alyssa Powell, Michelle Obama, Betty White, Steve Harvey, Muhammad Ali, Benjamin Franklin, Al Capone, Calvin Harris, Charles Schwab, They've Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters, Getty, Elon, Tesla, Apple, Microsoft, Google, BI Locations: pant, San Francisco, Brittany, China, Davos, ChatGPT's

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