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☆ Ad industry veteran John Nardone and PE firm GTCR are hunting for acquisitions to build the next big adtech rollup
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A little over two years after selling adtech company Flashtalking to Mediaocean for $500 million , John Nardone is on the hunt for his next big adtech exit, he confirmed to Business Insider. Private equity firm GTCR is poised to be the financial sponsor on such a deal. Nardone intends to become CEO of the roll-up company and expects to bring on his own management team. Days before the agreement closed, "Vista swooped in and stole the deal," Nardone said. Before Flashtalking, Nardone sold the adtech company [x+1] to fellow adtech firm Rocket Fuel for around $230 million , and he helped take the digital marketing and research company Modem Media public.

Persons: John Nardone, Mediaocean, GTCR, Nardone, Innovid, — Innovid, Stephen Master, GTCR's Organizations: Business, Vista Equity Partners, Media Locations: Mediaocean, —

☆ Circle confidentially files for IPO following banner year for crypto stocks
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Mackenzie Sigalos | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The public listing is expected to take place once the SEC finishes its review, "subject to market and other conditions," Circle said in the two-paragraph press release Thursday. Founded in 2013, Circle is best known as the issuer of USD Coin, the world's second-biggest U.S. dollar pegged stablecoin, which was launched in 2018. But the SPAC market collapsed in 2022, and Circle ended that agreement in December of that year, just after crypto exchange FTX spiraled into bankruptcy. Coinbase , which took a stake in Circle in August, jumped almost 400% in value in 2023, and other crypto stocks such as MicroStrategy and bitcoin miner Marathon Digital enjoyed hefty rallies. WATCH: SEC approves spot bitcoin ETFs

Persons: USDC, Bitcoin, — CNBC's Rohan Goswami Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, U.S, Concord, Corp, Marathon Digital

☆ Electric scooter company Bird files for bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-20 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A banner for electric scooter rental company Bird is displayed outside of the New York Stock Exchange as the company goes public via a SPAC on Nov. 5, 2021. The electric scooter company Bird , once valued at $2.5 billion by investors, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Florida federal court Wednesday. The company went public via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company in 2021, but its share price tumbled. Bird's bankruptcy proceedings come after the New York Stock Exchange delisted the company in September. Bird Canada and Bird Europe are not part of the company's Wednesday filing and will "continue to operate as normal," according to the release.

Persons: Bird Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Bird, CNBC PRO Locations: Florida

☆ Cramer points to signs the market is broadening beyond the 'Magnificent Seven'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Wednesday suggested the market has renewed interest in smaller cap stocks, expanding outside the "Magnificent Seven" tech stocks that have reigned supreme over the past several months. Larger companies are now looking to buy smaller ones with inexpensive shares, and activist investors are pushing enterprises to improve, Cramer said. Cramer also named activist investor Elliott Management, which he said is working to revive stocks like Crown Castle and Phillips 66 . But even though investors have renewed interest in different sectors, Cramer said that does not mean they are moving on completely from the Magnificent Seven or other tech outfits. Tells you everything you need to know about this suddenly glorious stock market."

Persons: CNBC's Jim Cramer, we've, Cramer, Blackstone, Wednesday's, Elliott, SPAC Organizations: Federal Reserve, Rover, Elliott Management, Phillips

☆ With an intensified focus on AI, VC firm Mayfield is closely watching for 'maturing' early-stage gen AI startups in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In July, the firm announced its first dedicated seed fund focused on AI called AI Start. Prior to launching AI Start, Mayfield had already backed 25 early-stage startups in the space like MindsDB. Reddy's background makes him a perfect fit to lead the $250 million fund, Chaddha told Business Insider. This year, Chaddha tapped him to lead its new AI seed fund. With the AI Start fund, the team plans to double down and lead deals in seed stage and pre-seed generative AI startups, as well as AI infrastructure startups with an enterprise focus.

Persons: Mayfield, Vijay Reddy, who's, Reddy, Navin Chaddha, Mayfield's, Chaddha, He's Organizations: Business, Intel Capital, Cisco, Clear Ventures, Mayfield Locations: Mayfield

☆ Investing in Space: Deutsche Bank draws investors, companies for NYC for summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Yesterday Deutsche Bank held a Space Summit conference here in New York City. Investors want to invest in space, but investors understand that this is a long investment cycle," Lohiya said. In general, the space sector is "much more rationalized" than bubble times of two or three years ago, Lohiya noted. Lohiya said the space sector is different than other fast-growing American industries, such as electric vehicles, clean energy or fintech. There's no doubt of a liquidity crunch that reaches beyond the space sector.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, I've, Lohiya, There's Organizations: Deutsche Bank, CNBC, Rocket Lab, Deutsche, Investment Banking, Space Locations: New York City, New York

☆ Donald Trump's Truth Social loses tens of millions of dollars this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump launched Truth Social after he was banned from X/Twitter following the January 6 riots. AdvertisementDonald Trump's social media platform, Truth Social, has lost tens of millions of dollars this year, according to SEC filings released Monday. AdvertisementDigital World has now asked investors to extend the deadline for the Truth Social deal. Although the former president's X account has since been reinstated, he's upheld an exclusivity deal to post first on Truth Social. AdvertisementHowever, Truth Social has struggled to attract the same level of interest compared with social media platforms.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Donald, Trump, Devin Nunes, he's Organizations: Service, SEC, World, Corp, Truth Social, Trump Media, Technology, Department of Justice, Truth, CNBC, Twitter, Big Tech, Social, Trump, Forbes

☆ ‘Substantial doubt’ the owner of Trump’s Truth Social will survive, accountants warn
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Former President Donald Trump’s social media venture Truth Social is burning cash and piling up losses so rapidly that accountants warn it might not survive unless it soon completes a long-delayed merger, according to corporate filings. Trump Media and Digital World said the filing of the financial documents on Monday mark a key step forward towards finalizing their merger. That merger is key for the survival of Trump Media as it would unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. The SEC filings indicate Trump Media lost $59.1 million in 2021 before posting a net profit of $50.5 million in 2022. Still, Digital World, the blank-check firm seeking to merge with Trump Media, is bullish on the venture.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Elon Musk, Trump, “ TMTG, ”, Devin Nunes, ” Trump, Matthew Kennedy, TMTG, ” Kennedy, Kennedy, Matthew Tuttle, Donald Trump, Donald J, CNN’s Chris Isidore Organizations: New, New York CNN, Trump Media & Technology, SEC, Social, Trump, Trump Media, ” Trump Media, Big Tech, Renaissance, Tuttle Capital Management, Facebook, Securities and Exchange Commission Locations: New York

☆ Trump's Truth Social reports $73 mln net loss since launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dave Sanders/Pool via REUTERS//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 13 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump's social media platform Truth Social has lost $73 million since its launch in early 2022, a securities filing by Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC.O), the SPAC that plans to merge with the company, showed on Monday. Trump had announced the launch of his social media app in Oct 2021, saying it would "stand up to Big Tech" companies such as Twitter and Facebook that previously barred him. In 2022, Truth Social posted a loss of $50 million, with net sales of just $1.4 million. It lost $23 million in the first half of this year, with net sales of $2.3 million. Trump Media & Technology Group's (TMTG) independent registered public accounting firm has indicated that the financial condition raises substantial doubt as to its ability to continue as a going concern, according to the filing.

Persons: Donald Trump, Dave Sanders, Donald Trump's, Trump, TMTG, Maria Ponnezhath, Nivedita Organizations: U.S, Trump Organization, Court, REUTERS, Former U.S, World, Big Tech, Twitter, Facebook, Trump Media & Technology, Digital, Thomson Locations: New York, Manhattan, New York City, U.S, Former, Bengaluru

☆ Lloyd's of London SPAC venture scrapped due to volatile markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view shows the Lutine Bell during an event to mark accession of Britain's King Charles at the Lloyd's Building in the City of London, Britain, September 15, 2022. The special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) had unveiled plans to combine with London Innovation Underwriters (LIU) and raise additional funds to deploy in the Lloyd's of London insurance market. The SPAC has an end of year deadline to use funds raised for a takeover, and said it would not seek an extension. LIU said it would consider exploring alternative options to pursue its strategy of accessing the Lloyd's of London insurance market. The failed effort comes amid a dearth of new listings in London and concerns over its appeal as a capital markets hub, despite profits at Lloyds of London which are booming thanks to rising prices for insuring commercial risks.

Persons: Britain's King Charles, Sarah Meyssonnier, LIU, Huw Jones, Sinead Cruise, Jason Neely Organizations: City of, REUTERS, Financials, London Innovation Underwriters, Company, Corp, Lloyds of, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain, London, Lloyds of London

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 9 (Reuters) - OpenAI's announcement on artificial intelligence "apps" do not spell the death knell for nascent startups building AI products, two OpenAI investors said at a Reuters NEXT conference on Thursday. Investors are still hunting for new AI products that could help consumers interact better with the technology and address deep tech issues such as brain computer interface, they said. We're in an intermediary step in a decades-long revolution," Konstantine Buhler, partner at Sequoia Capital, told the conference. Avery Klemmer, investor at Thrive Capital, which recently increased its investment in OpenAI, also said she sees opportunities for the rise of consumer applications beside ChatGPT. Despite recent frenzied investments into the technology by companies and venture capital firms, analysts and investors say development of AI products is still in the early stages.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Konstantine Buhler, Avery Klemmer, ChatGPT, Klemmer, Jill Chase, Krystal Hu, Sayantani Ghosh, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters NEXT, Sequoia Capital, Sequoia, Microsoft, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, New York

Google and Character AI did not respond to requests for comment. The demographic is helping the company position itself as the purveyor of more fun personal AI companions, compared to other AI chatbots from OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard. Character.AI is also in talks to raise equity funding from venture capital investors, which could value the company at over $5 billion, sources said. The talks with Google are ongoing and terms of the deal could change, said the sources, who requested anonymity as the discussions are private. Anthropic uses Google's cloud services as well as its latest version of TPUs.

Persons: Character.AI, Noam Shazeer, Daniel De Freitas, Billie Eilish, Character.AI's, Google's Bard, Andreessen Horowitz, Lina Khan, Krystal Hu, Anna Tong, Jeffrey Dastin, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Google, Reuters, Microsoft, . Federal Trade Commission, Thomson Locations: OpenAI, ., San Francisco, New York

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 9 (Reuters) - OpenAI's announcement on artificial intelligence "apps" do not spell the death knell for nascent startups building AI products, two OpenAI investors said at a Reuters NEXT conference on Thursday. Investors are still hunting for new AI products that could help consumers interact better with the technology and address deep tech issues such as brain computer interface, they said. We're in an intermediary step in a decades-long revolution," Konstantine Buhler, partner at Sequoia Capital, told the conference. Avery Klemmer, partner at Thrive Capital, which recently increased its investment in OpenAI, also said she sees opportunities for the rise of consumer applications beside ChatGPT. Despite recent frenzied investments into the technology by companies and venture capital firms, analysts and investors say development of AI products is still in the early stages.

☆ Astra founders offer to take company private at value of about $30 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The founders of struggling space company Astra have offered to take the company private at a value of about $30 million, according to a securities filing Thursday. That price is a 103% premium to Wednesday's closing price of 74 cents a share, which represents a market value of about $16 million. "We believe that Astra's strategic objectives and business prospects will be best served as a private company. Kemp and London are also "open to certain accredited investor stockholders of the Company rolling their equity into the transaction." The company is running out of cash, with its acquired spacecraft propulsion business yet to drive meaningful quarterly revenue.

Persons: Chris Kemp, Adam London, " Kemp, Kemp Organizations: Astra, San, Company, London, CNBC PRO Locations: San Francisco Bay, Alameda , California, London

☆ SoftBank has lost more than $14 billion by betting on WeWork
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Tech conglomerate and investor SoftBank has lost $14.4 billion so far on WeWork. SoftBank was one of WeWork's most bullish backers, predicting it would be worth $100 billion. AdvertisementAdvertisementSoftBank has lost a cumulative $14.4 billion through its disastrous bet on the now-bankrupt WeWork , per the group's July-September earnings. SoftBank overall posted a loss of $6.2 billion (¥931.1 billion) for July to September, compared a profit of $20 billion the same period last year. AdvertisementAdvertisementFuelled with conviction from SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son and billions in investment, WeWork sailed to a colossal $47 billion valuation at its peak in 2019.

Persons: SoftBank, —, Masayoshi Son, WeWork, Adam Neumann, Neumann, Son, Jack Ma, Alibaba . Son Organizations: Service, WeWork, Alibaba, Visual China, Getty Locations: Alibaba .

The model, codenamed as “Olympus”, has 2 trillion parameters, the people said, which could make it one of the largest models being trained. OpenAI's GPT-4 model, one of the best models available, is reported to have one trillion parameters. As head scientist of artificial general intelligence (AGI) at Amazon, Prasad brought in researchers who had been working on Alexa AI and the Amazon science team to work on training models, uniting AI efforts across the company with dedicated resources. It has also partnered with AI model startups such as Anthropic and AI21 Labs, offering them to Amazon Web Services (AWS) users. Training bigger AI models is more expensive given the amount of computing power required.

Persons: OpenAI's, Rohit Prasad, Andy Jassy, Prasad, Krystal Hu, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Reuters, Alexa, AI21 Labs, Amazon Web Services, Amazon, Thomson Locations: San Francisco

☆ There's a new theory that Adam Neumann will buy back WeWork
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ousted CEO Adam Neumann issued a statement saying it has been "hard to watch from the sidelines." Sources told Newcomer that they believe he will try to buy back or return to the company he founded. AdvertisementAdvertisementImprobable as it might seem, there's a theory floating around that WeWork founder Adam Neumann might buy the company, which filed for bankruptcy this week. Now, on Eric Newcomer's Substack, people who are familiar with Neumann and WeWork are speculating that the founder may be planning to take the company back. Neumann's own statement this week about the bankruptcy filing.

Persons: WeWork, Adam Neumann, —, Neumann, Eric Newcomer's Substack, texted, Jared Leto, it's Organizations: Service, Forbes

Nov 7 (Reuters) - Enable, a startup that sells rebate software to trading partners, has raised $120 million in a latest funding round that valued it at $1 billion, the company said on Tuesday. Its previous capital raise over a year ago had put Enable's value at over $800 million. The fresh private funding in a slowing market for growth stage financing comes as the software firm more than doubled its revenue, according to the company. Founded in the UK in 2016 before relocating its headquarters to San Francisco in 2020, Enable offers cloud-based software to manufacturers, distributors and retailers to manage the rebate program in their supply chain. "Given the gap in the market, they're able to persist and grow despite a lot of the macro (economic conditions).

Persons: We've, Andrew Butt, They're, Arsham Memarzadeh, Krystal Hu, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Lightspeed Venture Partner, Schneider, Lightspeed, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, U.S, Canada, Europe, Australia, The U.S

☆ Here's how much WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann made before the company's bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

WeWork's dizzying rise and protracted fall into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday largely hinged on one man: Adam Neumann. By the time it filed for bankruptcy protection, WeWork was worth a mere $45 million. "As the co-founder of WeWork who spent a decade building the business with an amazing team of mission-driven people, the company's anticipated bankruptcy filing is disappointing," Neumann said in a statement to CNBC. In all, despite being removed from a management role years earlier, Neumann reportedly collected around $770 million in cash from the 2021 SPAC process alone. Neumann also still retained a stake in the company valued at around $722 million when WeWork debuted in 2021, Bloomberg reported.

Persons: Adam Neumann, WeWork, Neumann, who'd, outsized, SoftBank, it's, Andreesen Horowitz, there's Organizations: CNBC, Bloomberg Locations: WeWork, U.S

☆ Read the email the CEO of WeWork sent to US-based members as the company filed for bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

WeWork filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US on Monday. WeWork CEO David Tolley assured US-based members in an email that its spaces remain open. AdvertisementAdvertisementOn Monday, WeWork CEO David Tolley wrote an email to the company's US-based members, writing that WeWork spaces will continue with their operations and that their membership agreements will not be affected by the filing. He added the bankruptcy protection filing will allow WeWork to continue to restructure its financial position while continuing day-to-day operations. Throughout this process, WeWork spaces will continue to be operated to the highest standard.

Persons: WeWork, David Tolley, —, Tolley, David Organizations: Service, U.S Locations: Canada

☆ WeWork commanded a $47 billion valuation at its peak. It's crashed over 99% since then - and could now file for bankruptcy, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

WeWork is planning to file for bankruptcy, according to multiple reports. The commercial real-estate start-up achieved a $47 billion valuation in 2019, after receiving investment from SoftBank. But its shares have cratered 99% since it made its stock-market debut in March 2021. WeWork reached a peak valuation of $47 billion back in January 2019, after netting $5 billion worth of direct investment from SoftBank. Between January 2019 and now WeWork's market capitalization has fallen from $47 billion to just $140 million – a staggering $46.9 billion wipeout that could extend even further if the bankruptcy reports prove to be true.

Persons: WeWork, —, Adam Neumann, Vivek Ranadivé Organizations: Service, Street Journal, Reuters, SoftBank, Sacramento Kings Locations: SoftBank, Wednesday's premarket

The special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) unveiled plans earlier this year to combine with London Innovation Underwriters and raise additional funds to deploy in the Lloyd's of London insurance market. The deal by Financials Acquisition Corp differs from a typical SPAC merger because the company has set up London Innovation Underwriters itself. It is not the first time that public market investors in London have backed a new insurance venture. In 2020, Conduit Holdings (CRE.L) listed on the London Stock Exchange, subsequently starting reinsurance activities. UBS and HSBC are joint global coordinators to the Financials Acquisition deal.

Persons: Britain's King Charles, Sarah Meyssonnier, William Allen, Lloyd's, Beazley, Carolyn Cohn, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Anousha Organizations: City of, REUTERS, Financials, London Innovation Underwriters, Lloyds, Innovation Underwriters, Conduit Holdings, London Stock Exchange, UBS, HSBC, Thomson Locations: City, City of London, Britain, London, Lancashire, Lloyd's

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. October 28, 2023. REUTERS/Steve Marcus Acquire Licensing RightsLAS VEGAS, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Longshot U.S. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed to Reuters on Saturday that Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk attended a fundraiser for him in Northern California. Puck, a digital media group, reported this month that Musk had recently attended a fundraiser in Silicon Valley hosted by prolific SPAC investor Chamath Palihapitiya. Asked about whether Musk could donate to him, Ramaswamy said "my only discussions with Elon have been about... cultural direction for the country." Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has also been seen to be courting Musk, whom Forbes says is the world's richest man with an estimated $222 billion in wealth.

Persons: Vivek Ramaswamy, Steve Marcus, Elon Musk, Ramaswamy, Musk, Chamath Palihapitiya, Elon, Palihapitiya, Ron DeSantis, Forbes, DeSantis, Alexandra Ulmer, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Republican U.S, Republican Jewish Coalition, Leadership, REUTERS, LAS VEGAS, U.S, Republican, Reuters, Tesla Inc, Republican Jewish, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, Northern California, Las Vegas, Silicon Valley, Florida

An illuminated Google logo is seen inside an office building in Zurich, Switzerland December 5, 2018. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 27 (Reuters) - Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google has agreed to invest up to $2 billion in the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, a spokesperson for the startup said on Friday. The company has invested $500 million upfront into the OpenAI rival and agreed to add $1.5 billion more over time, the spokesperson said. Amazon.com (AMZN.O) also said last month it would invest up to $4 billion in Anthropic to compete with growing cloud rivals on AI. Anthropic, which was co-founded by former OpenAI executives and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, has shown efforts to secure the resources and deep-pocketed backers needed to compete with OpenAI and be leaders in the technology sector.

Persons: Arnd, OpenAI, Dario, Daniela Amodei, Krystal Hu, Chavi Mehta, Jeffrey Dastin, Anil D'Silva, Devika Syamnath, Chris Reese Organizations: REUTERS, Google, Microsoft, Big Tech, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Amazon, Street, Anthropic, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Anthropic, New York, Bengaluru

NEW YORK, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The founder of the world's biggest chipmaker, Morris Chang, said on Thursday that increasing tensions over technology between the United States and China will slow down the global chip industry. The company has helped the democratically governed island of Taiwan become the world's leading producer of advanced chips. Chang, 92, said that cutting off China's chip industry from the rest of the world would affect other players beyond China. Of course, the immediate purpose is to slow China down, and I think it's doing that," Chang said. Born and raised in China, Chang built a career in the U.S., where he become a naturalized citizen in 1962, before being recruited to build the chip industry in Taiwan.

Persons: Morris Chang, Chang, Krystal Hu, Stephen Nellis, Sandra Maler Organizations: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Asia Society, Huawei Technologies, U.S, Thomson Locations: United States, China, New York, Taiwan, U.S, Arizona, San Francisco

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