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☆ Smaller valuations and a lack of ego helped Spain's startup scene avoid some of Europe's shocking collapse in VC funding, investors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Spain's startup scene has evaded some of the collapse in VC funding that has rocked Europe in 2023. Smaller check sizes and a lack of "ego" has somewhat protected the ecosystem, investors say. Smaller valuations, check sizes, and a distinct lack of ego helped Spain's startup scene evade some of the shocking collapse in venture capital funding that has rocked Europe so far this year. Smaller rounds give Spain's startups an edge in the downturnWhat correction was felt was eased by the fact there is less "ego" in Spain's ecosystem, according to Max Bray, an investor at early-stage firm K Fund. As well as the birth of local growth funds, investors see corporations playing a role in closing the funding gap.

Persons: SoftBank, Catalyst, Pablo Pedrejón, Max Bray, Dalia Silberstein, Pedro Arribas Gridilla, Juliette Simonin, Margarita Albors, Tasmin Lockwood, Bray, Marc Sabas, Fund's Bray, Wallbox cofounders Enric Asunción, Eduard Castañeda, Glovo, Wallbox, Oscar Pierre, Ship2B's Sabas, Danae Vara, Danae Vara Ship2B, hasn't, Sabas, CVCs, There's, Félix Ortega, K Fund's Bray, Sérgio Massano Organizations: Accel, Pedrejón, Venture, Fund, Esade Center, Social, Foundation, Spanish, K Fund, Investors, Danae Vara Ship2B Ventures, Investment, Corporations, Barcelona Activa, Telefónica, BBVA, Proeduca Locations: Europe, Spain, Madrid, France, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Seaya, Bray, Vara, Barcelona, Silicon, London

☆ The High Cost of Losing Elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Andy Kessler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Andy Kessler is the author of Inside View, a column he writes for The Wall Street Journal on technology and markets and where they intersect with culture. He won the 2019 Gerald Loeb Award for commentary. He is the author of several books including Wall Street Meat and Eat People. He used to design chips at Bell Labs before working on Wall Street for PaineWebber and Morgan Stanley and then as a founder of the hedge fund Velocity Capital.

Persons: Andy Kessler, Gerald Loeb, Morgan Stanley Organizations: Wall, Bell Labs, Velocity Capital Locations: PaineWebber

“We’re looking for any kind of enemies everywhere, air, on land and on the river as well,” Captain Anton, his surname withheld for security reasons, says of his mission. It cuts through Ukraine, connecting some of its major cities — such as Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — providing water, electricity and a natural barrier against advancing armies. “The river is a strategic object,” Captain Anton says. “Our mission is to patrol the Dnipro River, since it’s prohibited to use any kind of navigation since 24th of February 2022,” Captain Anton explains. “In cases where Russia is using Shaheds, we can use (these boats) to try and strike them,” Captain Anton explains.

Persons: Captain Anton, Vasco Cotovio, Anton, “, “ We’re, ”, Anton’s Organizations: CNN, Vasco, Dnipro, NATO, US Department of Defense, Moscow, Snake, United Locations: Dnipro, Europe, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, United States, Washington, Russian, “, Moscow, Moskva, Ukrainian

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Amazon, Eli Lilly, Broadcom, Microsoft & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Bank of America upgrades XP to buy from neutral Bank of America said the Brazilian investment company's shares will re-rate higher. JPMorgan reiterates Amazon as overweight JPMorgan reiterated the stock as a top idea and said it sees a runway for more growth for Amazon Prime. " Deutsche Bank adds a catalyst call buy on Walgreens Deutsche says it's bullish heading into earnings next week. Bank of America reiterates Eli Lilly as buy Bank of America said the biopharma company is still one of the firm's favorite ideas. Bank of America reiterates Broadcom as buy Bank of America raised its price target on AI beneficiary Broadcom to $1,050 per share from $950.

Persons: Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Wells, Bud, Bud Light, Bernstein, Kellogg, underperform Bernstein, Morgan Stanley downgrades Tesla, Morgan Stanley, Tesla, " Bank of America downgrades Dow, DOW, it's, Riley, Expedia, TripAdvisor, Eli Lilly, Lilly, Raymond James, Alcoa, Piper Sandler, Piper Organizations: Bank of America, of America, Deutsche Bank, Anheuser Busch InBev, Deutsche, Nielsen, JPMorgan, Amazon Prime, Kellogg, " Bank of America, Walgreens Deutsche, Microsoft, Apple, Developers, Broadcom, Alcoa, Citi, Boston Scientific Citi, PFA, Card Locations: Brazil

☆ How United Became an Airline
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Andy Kessler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Andy Kessler, Gerald Loeb, Morgan Stanley Organizations: Wall, Bell Labs, Velocity Capital Locations: PaineWebber

☆ Astronomers discover the fastest runaway stars in our galaxy racing away at over 5 million mph
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Astronomers found two renegades, runaway white dwarf stars on an escape route out of our galaxy. These runaway stars are on a one-way ticket out of our galaxy. Runaway stars racing away at breakneck speedsIn the new study, astronomers using data from the European Space Agency's Gaia survey identified two runaway stars with the fastest radial velocities ever seen. Two white dwarf stars orbiting each other can trigger an especially enormous explosion called a D^6 supernova. The first explosion kicks off when one of the white dwarf stars accumulates too much helium gas, which triggers a thermonuclear explosion, reported Starr.

Persons: —, Parker, Juan Ruiz Paramo, Tod Strohmayer, Dana Berry, Chandra X, Michelle Starr, Starr Organizations: renegades, Service, Probe, Parker, NASA, Ray, Science, Astrophysics

☆ MLB roundup: Braves rally, win 10-inning slugfest vs. Mets
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Marcell Ozuna went deep and Travis d'Arnaud hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning that closed the deficit to one run. After the Phillies coughed up the late lead to trail 2-1 in the ninth, they tied it on a sacrifice fly from Brandon Marsh before Clemens' RBI hit off Alex Lange (3-2). Jake Burger hit a two-run homer and Luis Robert and Yoan Moncada hit solo home runs for the White Sox. Mike Clevinger (3-4) allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings for the White Sox. Yonny Chirinos (3-1), recalled from Triple-A Durham earlier in the day, allowed one run on five hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Persons: Ozzie Albies, Dale Zanine, Albies, Tommy Hunter, Austin Riley, Marcell Ozuna, Travis d'Arnaud, Orlando Arcia, David Robertson, Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Alvarez, Zack Wheeler, Kody Clemens, Wheeler, Brandon Marsh, Clemens, Alex Lange, Zack Short, Nick Maton, Jose Ramirez, Ramirez, Will Brennan, Andres Gimenez, Myles Straw's, Cleveland, Boston's Triston Casas, Enrique Hernandez, Jarren Duran, Jose Berrios, Alex Bregman, Framber Valdez, Ramon Urias, Gunnar Henderson's, Keegan Akin, Peter Strzelecki, Owen Miller, Jon Singleton, Jo Adell, Reid Detmers, Drew Smyly, Chicago's Trey Mancini, Michael Conforto, Thairo Estrada, Scott Alexander, Camilo Doval, Nolan Jones, Profar, Clayton Kershaw, David Peralta, Kershaw, Chris Taylor, Matt McLain, Elly De La Cruz, McLain, De La Cruz, Eloy Jimenez, Jake Burger, Luis Robert, Yoan Moncada, Robert, Jimenez, Michael King, Gregory Santos, Willie Calhoun, Billy McKinney, Aaron Judge, Kyle Higashioka, Randy Vasquez, Nestor Cortes, Vasquez, Gavin Sheets, Mike Clevinger, Harold Ramirez, Luke Raley, Josh Lowe, Yonny Chirinos, Carlos Correa, Michael A, Taylor, Alex Kirilloff Organizations: Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Atlanta, New York, Phillies, Tigers, Philadelphia, Detroit, Red Sox, Cleveland, Boston, Blue Jays, Astros, Brandon Belt, Toronto, Houston . Blue Jays, Houston, Orioles, Brewers, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Angels, Cubs, Chicago, Triple, Giants, Rockies, Colorado, Coors Field, Dodgers, Reds, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Kershaw ., Kershaw . White Sox, Yankees, New, White Sox, Rays, Twins, Tampa, American League Central, Thomson Locations: Cumberland , Georgia, USA, Truist, York, Brandon, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Anaheim , Calif, San Francisco, Denver, Los, Kershaw . White, New York, Minnesota, St . Petersburg, Fla, Tampa Bay

☆ Companies can be more efficient in lean times by using technology to help existing teams work better, not harder, says the chief product officer of Velocity Global
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Meira Gebel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Velocity Global is a B2B software company that helps businesses hire and pay global talent. Liz Li joined the company as chief product officer after a 12-year tenure at LinkedIn in September 2022 with the goal to “ruthlessly prioritize” efficiency. "Velocity Global has a very strong mission for simplifying work, and technology is a great way for us to actually achieve those goals." But Li believes tech should be viewed simply as a tool — not a save-all when resources are scarce, but a way to help teams work better, not harder. "We're able to discover bigger issues for us to tackle and where we should shift our resources," Li said.

Persons: Liz Li, “, Li, Li's Organizations: LinkedIn, Morning, Velocity Global

☆ I'm an Ancestry exec who plans my day based on my genetics. Here's my daily routine and productivity hacks.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I also reserve mornings — the time when I'm most focused and creative — for tasks that require deep concentration and decision making. I implement two-way-door decision makingThis approach is a staple of how I think and approach decision making. It allows me and my team to move quickly throughout the day, maximizing high-velocity decision making. Here's how it works: I always assess whether a decision I'm making is irreversible — a "one-way door" decision that can't be walked back. Jeff Bezos used to say that around 90% of decisions we make are two-way door decisions, and that not treating two-way door decisions like one-way door decisions is the key to unlocking speed.

Persons: Brian Donnelly, Donnelly, —, It's, I've, Jeff Bezos, I'm Organizations: Service, Amazon Locations: San Diego , California

☆ Can the Climate Heal Itself?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Andy Kessler | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Andy Kessler, Gerald Loeb, Morgan Stanley Organizations: Wall, Bell Labs, Velocity Capital Locations: PaineWebber

☆ Experts are warning A.I. could lead to human extinction. Are we taking it seriously enough?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war,” said the letter, signed by many of the industry’s most respected figures. These industry leaders are quite literally warning that the impending A.I. revolution should be taken as seriously as the threat of nuclear war. It is, however, precisely what the world’s most leading experts are warning could happen. researcher at Duke University, told CNN on Tuesday: “Do we really need more evidence that A.I.’s negative impact could be as big as nuclear war?”

Persons: Sam Altman, Demis Hassabis —, ”, Dan Hendrycks, Robert Oppenheimer, ‘, ’, ” Hendrycks, Newsrooms, Cynthia Rudin Organizations: CNN, Google, Center, A.I, Duke University

☆ This winning fund puts a spin on emerging markets investing with bets from Nvidia to Chinese spirits
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Artisan Developing World Fund (ARTYX) is crushing the market this year by tilting the traditional investing principles in emerging markets. "These are companies that are based in developed markets but economically tied to emerging markets," Kaufman said in an interview. By domicile, Artisan Developing World Fund has just 57% of its portfolio in emerging markets. However, the emerging markets exposure should rise to 70% when looking at the economic exposure by revenue, Kaufman said. Other than those passport companies, the fund also invests in a slew of companies domiciled in emerging markets.

☆ How 'the dress' broke the internet — and pushed Facebook to force everyone into their own filter bubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Ben Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In 2015, a BuzzFeed staffer posted a picture of a dress with the caption, "What color is this dress?" The following is an excerpt from "Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral" by Ben Smith. Jonah saw it differently. From TRAFFIC: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral by Ben Smith. Copyright © Ben Smith, 2023.

☆ Exclusive: Staff at top U.S. farm research center file complaint alleging unsafe work conditions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Leah Douglas | Thomson Reuters | Washington-Based Award-Winning Journalist Covering Agriculture | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

The Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) near Washington D.C. is the largest research facility owned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and has long been the flagship of U.S. farm research. “Our employees’ health and well-being is our top priority," a spokesperson at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), which oversees BARC, told Reuters. STAFF CUTSFounded in 1910, the BARC facility spans nearly 7,000 acres in Prince George’s County, Maryland, near the nation’s capital. The unreliable conditions are affecting research outcomes, making it at times impossible to complete experiments or replicate their findings, said two research employees. On February 22, several BARC employees met with Thomas Shanower, the director of USDA’s Northeast Area, a division that oversees 15 research centers, including BARC.

☆ Could these Verto air purification towers tackle India’s pollution problem?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Designed by architecture firm Studio Symbiosis, which has offices in India and Germany, the towers contain five air filtration “cubes” stacked inside a geometric shell. Studio Symbiosis said that a construction company in the US has meanwhile ordered around 40 of the towers to tackle dust and fine debris at building sites. Using filters from German firm Mann+Hummel, the Studio Symbiosis architects focused on creating the most efficient shape for the towers, with digital models simulating different wind conditions. “Our core business is architecture — we did not want to get into air purification,” Amit said. Avesh GaurIronically, by using electric fans to suck in air, the towers are contributing — albeit negligibly — to the very emissions they are trying to mitigate.

☆ MLB roundup: Jorge Soler's walk-off HR pushes Marlins past Nats
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Washington's Josiah Gray threw 104 pitches in seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) and striking out five. Miami's Jesus Luzardo, who threw 93 pitches in six innings, allowed one run and struck out seven. Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman allowed three runs (two earned), five hits and two walks while striking out 10 in seven innings. Pirates starter Luis Ortiz (0-2) allowed four runs (three earned) and seven hits in three-plus innings. White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn (2-5) allowed three runs (one earned) and seven hits in seven-plus innings.

In prepared testimony published on Monday by the Senate Banking Committee, Becker said he believed the bank was responsive to regulator concerns about managing risk and working to address issues before an "unprecedented" bank run led to its failure. Becker said he did not believe "that any bank could survive a bank run of that velocity and magnitude." The former executives for New York-based Signature Bank, which also failed in March, maintained the bank could have survived had regulators not chosen to close it, according to separate testimony. California banking regulators moved quickly to shut SVB down on March 10 after depositors withdrew $42 billion in 24 hours. Regulators closed Signature on March 12 after it also experienced liquidity issues following SVB’s collapse.

☆ Former Silicon Valley Bank CEO: ‘I am truly sorry’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“I never envisioned myself or SVB being in this situation,” former CEO Greg Becker writes, adding that he is “truly sorry for how this has impacted SVB’s employees, clients, and shareholders.”Becker is scheduled to testify at 10 a.m. ET Tuesday alongside two former executives of Signature Bank, which collapsed two days after SVB. But SVB’s collapse rumbled across global financial markets and sparked a selloff that has gripped US regional banks for more than two months. In its autopsy of the bank’s collapse, the Fed, which was SVB’s primary regulator, blamed both the central bank’s supervisory shortcomings and SVB management’s missteps. “You have nobody to blame for the failure at your bank but yourself and your fellow executives,” Warren wrote in a letter to Becker in March.

☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Apple, Tesla, Walmart, Chevron, Lumentum, Rivian & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Barclays initiates 10X Genomics as overweight Barclays said in its initiation of the gene sequencing biotech company that it has margin expansion opportunities for 10X. Barclays reiterates Apple as equal weight Barclays said in its analysis of Apple TV+ that "incremental content spend could take some cash away from buybacks." Goldman Sachs reiterates Chevron as neutral Goldman said it's waiting for an "upstream inflection" before getting positive on Chevron shares. Bank of America reiterates Virgin Galactic as underperform Bank of America said it still sees too much uncertainty for the spaceflight company. Bank of America reiterates Rivian as buy Bank of America saidit's standing by shares of the electric vehicle company after its earnings report on Tuesday.

☆ Microsoft agrees to buy electricity generated from Sam Altman-backed fusion company Helion in 2028
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Photo courtesy HelionMicrosoft said Wednesday it has signed a power purchase agreement with nuclear fusion startup Helion Energy to buy electricity from it in 2028. "This is the first time that I know of that a company has a power purchase agreement signed," Holland told CNBC. The potential of fusion is "unbelievably huge," Altman told CNBC. As of Tuesday, this is still his largest investment ever, Altman told CNBC. Carbon-free energy includes hydro, nuclear and renewables for Microsoft, a Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC.

☆ MLB roundup: Down 6, Rays stun Gerrit Cole, Yanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

Cole gave up six runs (five earned) and eight hits, striking out six and walking two in his five-plus innings. The winning pitcher was Michael Tonkin (3-1), who did not allow a hit over two scoreless innings. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered twice, scored four runs and had four RBIs and Christian Walker also homered for Arizona, which had its win streak snapped at three. Pittsburgh starter Roansy Contreras (3-3) allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings, with four strikeouts and three walks. Yarbrough allowed one run on three hits over 5 2/3 innings, his longest start since July last year with the Tampa Bay Rays.

☆ NASA footage reveals 4 types of solar eruptions and 'holes' that could affect Earth as the sun grows more active
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The sun is slamming Earth with solar flares and high-speed eruptions of plasma. Solar flares can have the power of 1 billion hydrogen bombsA solar flare erupts — the bright flash on the bottom right of the sun — on March 28, 2023. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare – as seen in the bright flash on the upper right – on March 3, 2023. CMEs are common culprits of solar storms on Earth, since they can send a powerful flood of solar particles washing over the planet. Coronal holes open a highway for solar windA video from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the massive hole in the sun's atmosphere.

☆ An Ace’s Return Steadies the Ship, Even in a Loss
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Benjamin Hoffman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In Justin Verlander’s first start of the season, he pitched like an ace. And no, the Mets did not win. In a season in which the starting rotations of both New York teams have seemed almost cursed by injuries and ineffectiveness, that was enough to find a ray of sunshine. “You saw his stuff, so to speak, and velocity and crispness kind of get better as the game went on,” Mets Manager Buck Showalter said after the game. “I could tell he was getting after it the last inning.”

☆ Bitcoin breaks its all-time record for daily transactions amid surging interest in new network protocol
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The daily number of Bitcoin transactions jumped to an all-time high on Monday. Many were from Bitcoin Ordinals, a protocol that expands the blockchain's use case. Bitcoin is currently trading at $28,790, up 2.78% in the past 24 hours. Sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on what traders are talking about — delivered daily to your inbox. The daily number of Bitcoin transactions jumped to 682,300 on Monday, according to data provider BitInfoCharts, after hitting a previous high of 568,300 the day before.

☆ What it was like to pilot the supersonic Concorde jet
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +28 min

It’s said that during the aircraft’s 27 years of service, there were more qualified American astronauts than there were British Airways Concorde pilots. Supersonic flyingA photo of Concorde pilot Barbara Harmer, Concorde at the controls for a London to New York flight in 1993. Concorde: When supersonic travel was a reality 02:32 - Source: CNNThe small pool of Concorde pilots also meant everyone knew everyone. It would take him back to the day he stood at Heathrow, watching the first commercial Concorde flight take off. Future of supersonic flightAlmost two decades since Concorde’s final flight, the allure of supersonic flight hasn’t waned, with companies such as Boom Supersonic plotting plans for Concorde’s successor.

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