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Virtual-events startup Hopin was a pandemic winner when it hit a $7.8 billion valuation in 2021. Now its CEO is stepping down, it's selling off parts of its business, and is set to hand back investor cash. But as vaccinations arrived and the travel restrictions eased, demand for Hopin's platform waned. "The pandemic was an extraordinary time to be investing," one London-based tech investor who had not backed Hopin said. Armed with more than $1 billion in investor cash, Boufarhat opted to make acquisitions.
Persons: Johnny Boufarhat, Boufarhat, Andreessen Horowitz, Catalyst, Slack, Hopin, Johnny ", Hopin Boufarhat, outsized, Streamyard, Badri Rajasekar, Klarna Organizations: Tiger, UPS, RingCentral, University of Manchester, Financial Times, Venture, Founders, Microsoft, Private Locations: London, Australia, Lebanese, US, Dubai, Papua New Guinea, Switzerland, Hopin
Edtech venture capital funding in 2023 may be on pace for its lowest annual total since 2016. The one exception to this edtech funding dropoff is in AI tools for education and upskilling. This puts the estimated total funding for 2023 at only $3.5 billion, the lowest annual total since 2016, according to HolonIQ. Additionally, there has not been a single edtech "mega round," or a startup funding round valued at over $100 million since 2022, with the exception of the Indian edtech unicorn Byju's $250 million fundraise this spring. Pujji and Mushin also indicated that AI edtech deals were the exception in this slowdown period.
Persons: VCs, It's, Vinny Pujji, Iynna Halilou, Leeor Mushin, Avalanche's Katelyn Donnelly, Mushin, they've, Chegg's, Cheggmate, Khan, Pujji Organizations: Left Lane Capital, Global, Bloomberg, Investors
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson could see two of the wealthiest GOP business megadonors, Rebekah Mercer and Peter Thiel, invest in his new media company, according to people familiar with the matter. Mercer has spoken with Carlson since his April departure from Fox News about possibly investing in his as yet unnamed media company, sources told CNBC. Thiel has hinted to allies that he could invest in the venture after hearing from Carlson's side, these people added. Shortly after leaving Fox, Carlson began hosting an episodic show on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Rebekah Mercer and Peter Thiel have for years been separate investors in a diverse array of conservative startups.
Persons: Tucker Carlson, megadonors, Rebekah Mercer, Peter Thiel, Mercer, Carlson, Thiel, Neil Patel, Fox, Devon Archer, Joe Biden's, Hunter Biden, Archer, Hunter, Andrew Breitbart, He's, Donald Trump, Robert Mercer, haven't Organizations: Fox News, GOP, CNBC, Mercer, 1789, Fox, Dominion Voting Systems, Twitter, Wall Street Journal, Republican, Breitbart News, Wall Street, Trump, Summit Locations: Iowa
Joe Steilberg, 27, moved to Tampa with his business partner for a job during the pandemic. I founded Twos, a note-taking and organization app, with my co-founder Parker Klein, before we moved to Tampa . Tampa, Florida. Until someone plugged us into this community called Embarc collective, it's a startup community with 150 startups. Not only for myself, but as an investment, because I am really, really bullish on Tampa, and I think that it will have a similar growth to Miami.
Persons: Joe Steilberg, I've, Parker Klein, Austin, Steilberg, COVID, Let's, Tampa, It's, you'd, we're Organizations: Service, University of South, Tampa Bay Ventures, Dallas, Florida, Google, Clearwater, University of Tampa Locations: Tampa, Florida , South Carolina, Texas, Wall, Silicon, Florida, Atlanta, Miami, Jacksonville, University of South Carolina, Austin, Austin , Texas, Dallas, benedek, Tampa , Florida, East, walkable, San Jose, Tampa Heights, Clearwater Beach, Ixefra, We're, Europe
Billionaire activist-investor Carl Icahn gives an interview on FOX Business Network's Neil Cavuto show in New York February 11, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoAug 4 (Reuters) - Carl Icahn-owned investment firm Icahn Enterprises (IEP.O) on Friday halved its quarterly payout, months after short-seller Hindenburg Research accused it of operating a "Ponzi-like" structure to pay dividends. Hindenburg said on Friday it remained short on the company, in a post on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. "Icahn Enterprises will eventually cut or eliminate its dividend entirely, barring a miracle turnaround in investment performance," Hindenburg said when it had announced its short position. "We do not intend to let a misleading Hindenburg report interfere with this practice (of distributing dividends)," Icahn Enterprises said in a statement.
Persons: Carl Icahn, Neil Cavuto, Brendan McDermid, Hindenburg, Icahn, Niket, Milla Nissi Organizations: FOX Business, REUTERS, Icahn Enterprises, Hindenburg, Enterprises, Thomson Locations: New York, Bengaluru
Forthcoming restrictions should cover US participation in Chinese public markets, he said. "If American capital continues to flow to Chinese military companies, we are at risk of funding our own destruction." A "sizable portion" of that money goes directly to tech companies with ties to China's military and the Chinese Communist Party, he added. His comments follow earlier US efforts to curb Chinese access to critical technologies, such as semiconductors, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, foreign investors have been souring on China in recent months as the country's post-COVID economic rebound has disappointed.
Persons: Mike Gallagher, Biden, , Gallagher, BlackRock Organizations: Service, Financial Times, White, Chinese Communist Party, Communist, Government, Wall Street, BlackRock Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Wisconsin, MSCI
"When we think about the back half, in Q3, we'll still see some pressure on transaction margin performance. PayPal's adjusted operating margin for the quarter came in at 21.4%, missing its forecast of 22%. PayPal's total payment volume surged 11% in the second quarter to $376.5 billion, benefiting from resilient consumer spending trends. PayPal forecast adjusted profit per share for the current quarter to be in a range of $1.22 and $1.24, above analysts' estimates of $1.22. PayPal posted revenue of $7.3 billion in the second quarter, compared with $6.8 billion last year.
Persons: Dado Ruvic, we'll, Gabrielle Rabinovitch, Dan Schulman, Kevin Kennedy, Schulman, Sri Hari, Manya, Maju Samuel Organizations: PayPal, REUTERS, PayPal Holdings, Apple, Reuters, Banking, Sri, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru
Paper, an edtech unicorn focused on online tutoring for K-12 students, has laid off staff. The cuts come as edtech startups are facing increasing pressure amid a downturn. The Canadian online tutoring startup Paper has laid off 106 employees, or 4% of staff, Insider has learned. Unlike other online tutoring companies, the bulk of the startup's online tutors are categorized as employees, not contractors, according to Paper's website. Other prominent edtech startups including Byju's, GoStudent, and Degreed have also cut jobs in the past year.
Persons: Slack, we've, Cutler Organizations: Employees, SoftBank Investment, Sapphire Ventures, Los Angeles Unified Locations: Canada, Los Angeles
Venture capital funding was cut in half in the first six months of 2023, according to Crunchbase. The dropoff has triggered an uptick in pre-empted deals, where investors back the most exciting startups. Payrails, Cello, and ElevenLabs are among the startups to close pre-emptive deals this year. Venture capital funding to startups has continued to collapse in 2023. The slowdown has led to something of an uptick in pre-empted funding rounds, where investors come forward with deal terms to exciting early-stage businesses before they even begin fundraising.
Persons: VCs, Tom Mendoza Organizations: Venture, Crunchbase, Energy, EQT Ventures Locations: London, Berlin
Peter Thiel paid staff an extra $1,000 a month if they lived near the office, a former worker said. The billionaire investor offered it so staff "were more likely to stay late," Michael Gibson wrote. Gibson made the claim in his book "Paper Belt on Fire: The Fight for Progress in an Age of Ashes." Peter Thiel offered his staff a monthly bonus of $1,000 if they lived close to the office, according to a former employee of the billionaire investor. It also offered employees with families a one-off payment of at least $15,000 for housing.
Persons: Peter Thiel, Michael Gibson, Gibson, Thiel, Meta, Davis Polk, Wardwell, they're, Insider's Aaron Mok, Meta didn't Organizations: Employees, Palantir Technologies, Guardian, Bloomberg, Facebook, Street Journal, ARC Locations: San Francisco, Menlo Park, Silicon Valley, ZipRecruiter
REUTERS/Benoit TessierJuly 27 (Reuters) - Visa (V.N) and Mastercard (MA.N), which bet on China to boost travel spending, have had to contend with a disappointing first half of the year as post-COVID momentum in the world's second-biggest economy loses steam. In their earnings calls this week, both card giants said travel in China was nowhere near pre-pandemic levels. "Looking at Mainland China specifically, cross-border travel continued to improve but remains well below 2019 levels," said Vasant Prabhu, Visa's chief financial officer. His counterpart at Mastercard, Sachin Mehra, also said there was further room for travel recovery in China. Reuters GraphicsInbound cross-border travel to China stood at nearly 50% of 2019 levels, while outbound travel was nearly 70%, the company said.
Persons: Benoit Tessier, Vasant Prabhu, Sachin Mehra, Edward Jones, Logan Purk, Manya Saini, Niket, Krishna Chandra Organizations: REUTERS, Mastercard, Reuters, U.S, Reuters Graphics Visa, Thomson Locations: China, Mainland China, U.S . Federal, Bengaluru
Jason Lee | ReutersBEIJING — China-focused venture capital and other private investment funds have had a slow start to the year and are set to drag down Asia-Pacific fundraising to the lowest in 10 years. Alternative assets include venture capital, but not publicly traded stocks and bonds. watch nowChina-focused venture capital funds raised $2.7 billion in the second quarter, a drop of more than 50% from the first quarter, Preqin said. That dragged down overall VC fundraising in Asia-Pacific to $4.5 billion in the second quarter, the lowest in at least five years, the report said. In China, new rules for private investment funds are set to take effect Sept. 1, with a stated goal of "guiding" venture capital investment for long-term investment in "innovative startups."
Persons: Jason Lee, Angela Lai, Preqin, Andrew J, Sherman, Brown Rudnick, Lai Organizations: Reuters, U.S, D.C, CNBC, Partners Locations: Reuters BEIJING — China, Asia, Pacific, Preqin, China, U.S, Sherman , Washington, India, Japan
M12, Microsoft's venture firm, is offloading some of its portfolio on secondary exchanges, sources say. The fund's shares in startups are taking haircuts of between 30% and 70%, three people said. Microsoft's corporate venture capital fund, M12, has been offloading some of its $1 billion portfolio on secondary exchanges, five people familiar with the matter told Insider. One of the people familiar with the sales said M12 sold one large position this month at a 50% discount. A secondary sales boomSecondary sales are becoming more common in the market in general.
Persons: there's, PitchBook, Ashley Stewart, Ben Bergman, bbergman, Darius Rafieyan Organizations: Microsoft, Vertical Aerospace, Google, Investors, Tiger Global
July 26 (Reuters) - PacWest Bancorp's (PACW.O) shares rose nearly 38% in premarket trading on Wednesday, a day after smaller rival Banc of California (BANC.N) agreed to buy the lender for $1.1 billion in an all-stock deal. Banc of California's shares jumped nearly 13% after the lender said it would pay 0.6569 share to PacWest stockholders for each share they own. PacWest stock was trading at $10.47, higher than the offer price of $9.60 per share, per calculations based on Banc of California's closing price on Tuesday. "The deal marks a structural transformation for BANC and accelerates its evolution, with a much improved profitability profile exiting 2024." Private equity firms Warburg Pincus and Centerbridge Partners have agreed to invest $400 million in Banc of California's buyout deal.
Persons: Raymond James, David Long, Long, Ares Management, PacWest, Omar Fahmy, Fahmy, Warburg Pincus, Niket Nishant, Manya, Shinjini Organizations: Reuters, PNC, Western Alliance, Warburg, Centerbridge Partners, Manya Saini, Thomson Locations: California, Banc, U.S, Los Angeles , California, Bengaluru
July 26 (Reuters) - Mastercard (MA.N) has told financial institutions to stop allowing marijuana transactions on its debit cards, dealing a blow to an industry already on the fringes of the financial system in the United States. Most banks in the country do not service cannabis companies as marijuana remains illegal at the federal level despite several states legalizing its medicinal and recreational use. "The federal government considers cannabis sales illegal, so these purchases are not allowed on our systems," the spokesperson added. Sunburn Cannabis CEO Brady Cobb said in a statement that "this move is another blow to the state-legal cannabis industry and patients/consumers who want to access this budding category." The SAFE Banking Act is a crucial legislation that would make it easier for the cannabis industry to access banking services.
Persons: Brady Cobb, Darren Weiss, John Cornyn, Chuck Schumer's, Niket Nishant, Arun Koyyur, Krishna Chandra Eluri Organizations: Mastercard, Republican, Bloomberg News, Thomson Locations: United States, Washington, Bengaluru
JERUSALEM, July 23 (Reuters) - Nearly 70% of Israeli startups have taken action to relocate parts of their business outside Israel, a survey released on Sunday by an Israeli non-profit organisation on the government's planned judicial overhaul found. The survey, completed by professionals representing 521 companies, said 68% of Israeli startup companies "have begun taking active legal and financial steps, like withdrawing cash reserves, changing HQ location outside Israel, relocation of employees and conducting layoffs." Additionally, 22% of companies said they have diversified cash reserves outside Israel and 37% of investors say companies in their portfolios have withdrawn some of their cash reserves and moved them abroad. "Concerning trends like registering a company abroad or launching new startups outside Israel will be hard to reverse," said Start-Up Nation Central CEO Avi Hasson. The survey was released as lawmakers began debating a bill that would prevent the Supreme Court from quashing legislation on the grounds of manifest "unreasonableness".
Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Avi Hasson, Emily Rose, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Nation Central, Thomson Locations: Israel, Israeli
The dollar index dipped below the 100 level on July 14, marking its lowest level since mid-April 2022. "So there's just a dynamic where the overall access to capital funding improves when there's a weaker dollar in emerging markets, and vice versa. The Swiss bank found that the MSCI Emerging Markets index is trading near a 36% discount to the S & P 500. The three largest are: Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF , iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF . Core MSCI is higher by 9.6% in 2023, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets is up 8.2% and Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets has gained 7.4%.
Persons: Shannon Saccocia, Yung, Yu Ma, there's, Ma, Xingchen Yu, Yu, , Michael Bloom, Sarah Min Organizations: U.S, UBS, Neuberger Berman, Wealth, Research, Wealth Management, Vanguard FTSE, Markets Locations: outflows, U.S, India, Vietnam, Swiss, America, South, Southeast Asia, Central, Eastern Europe
The results follow a tumultuous first quarter in which Silicon Valley Bank and two other lenders failed. Signs of a revival in the investment banking sector, as higher rates and economic uncertainty have hampered deals and trading, also drove share gains. The upbeat results sparked a rally in bank stocks with the S&P 500 Banks Index (.SPXBK) gaining 9.3% and the KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) rising 13.7% month-to-date. Here are three charts on mid-sized banks' second-quarter results:DEPOSIT LEVELSReuters GraphicsWhile regional bank earnings in recent days have reassured investors that the crisis has subsided, regional banks are being squeezed as they pay customers more to retain their deposits. The KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) has rallied 13.7% month-to-date but remains down 13.6% so far this year.
Persons: Banks, Manya Saini, Michelle Price, Barbara Lewis, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Bank, Banks, Federal, Reuters Graphics, Bank of America, Graphics, Graphics Bank, Thomson Locations: Silicon, KBW, Bengaluru
"Results were strong, though spending growth is moderating from unsustainably high rates in 2022," said Edward Jones analyst Kyle Sanders. These worries took the shine off a record quarter in which spending surged to $426.6 billion despite rapid interest rate hikes by the U.S. central bank ushering in an end to easy money. "Our base is changing in terms of more Millennials and Gen Z who will grow with us. Millennial and Gen Z were its fastest-growing customer base as their combined spending surged 21% in the U.S. from a year ago. Despite that, AmEx just reaffirmed its per-share profit forecast of $11 to $11.40 for 2023 after reporting a market-beating profit of $2.89 per share.
Persons: Edward Jones, Kyle Sanders, Gen Z, Stephen Squeri, Gen, Jeff Campbell, AmEx, Campbell, Christophe Le Caillec, Manya Saini, Anil D'Silva, Arun Koyyur Organizations: American Express, U.S, RBC Capital Markets, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru
NEW YORK, July 19 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs' (GS.N) profit dropped 60% in the second quarter, missing estimates, as the bank's retreat from consumer businesses and declining real estate investments weighed on earnings. The results were the worst for the Wall Street giant since the second quarter of 2020, when it took writedowns over corruption scandal linked to Malaysian state fund 1MDB. "It definitely feels better over the course of the last six, eight weeks," Solomon told analysts on a conference call. "This moment in the economic cycle creates meaningful headwinds for Goldman Sachs," Solomon said told analysts on a conference call. Net earnings dropped 62% to $1.07 billion in the second quarter versus $2.79 billion a year earlier.
Persons: Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, Solomon, Goldman, Keith Horowitz, Goldman's Marcus, Marcus, Morgan Stanley, MS.N, headcount, Niket Nishant, Noor Zainab Hussain, Saeed Azhar, Johann M Cherian, Arun Koyyur, Nick Zieminski, Anna Driver Organizations: YORK, Analysts, Citigroup, Goldman, Revenue, JPMorgan Chase, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Malaysian, writedowns, Bengaluru, New York
Moritz, 68, will now focus on Sequoia Heritage, a $15 billion wealth management fund that he helped launch in 2010. The fund will be independent from Sequoia Capital, with focus on a diversified range of assets, according to the letter. A spokesperson for Sequoia Capital confirmed Moritz's exit and declined to comment on details. Sequoia Capital has been going through a generational transition as partner Roelof Botha took on the firm's global leadership position in July 2022. Economic challenges and geopolitical tensions have made venture capital fundraising and investment difficult, and eaten into global venture funds' returns.
Persons: Michael Moritz, Moritz, Roelof Botha, OpenAI's, Mike Vernal, Krystal Hu, Kanjyik Ghosh, Nilutpal, Saumyadeb Chakrabarty, Will Dunham Organizations: Sequoia Capital, Reuters, Sequoia Heritage, Google, PayPal, Sequoia, Venture, Silicon, Thomson Locations: Sequoia, United States, Europe, New York, Bengaluru
INVESTMENT BANKING GAINSInvestment banking was a standout, with net income surging 76% to $2.7 billion. The gains were driven by higher interest payments and leasing revenue, the company said. In another surprise bright spot, the bank's sales and trading revenue outperformed expectations to post a 3% increase in revenue to $4.3 billion. Revenue from fixed income, currencies and commodities trading rose 7% to $2.7 billion from a year earlier. The financial health of consumers underpins BofA's consumer banking unit, where revenue rose 15% to $10.5 billion.
Persons: Wells, Brian Moynihan, David Fanger, BofA, Alastair Borthwick, Borthwick, Manya Saini, Saeed Azhar, Lananh Nguyen, Anil D'Silva, Nick Zieminski Organizations: YORK, Bank of America's, Wall, U.S, . Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Federal Reserve, " Bank of America's, Investment, Bank of America, Thomson Locations: U.S, dealmaking, Bengaluru, New York
July 18 (Reuters) - Bank of America (BAC.N) beat Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit on Tuesday as it earned more from customers' loan payments, while its investment banking business fared better than expected. The bank reported a 7% rise in investment banking fees to $1.2 billion, driven by higher interest payments and leasing revenue, the company said. The bank reported a profit of 88 cents per share in the second quarter, beating analysts' average expectations of 84 cents, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. BofA's net interest income (NII) rose 14% to $14.2 billion in the second quarter. The financial health of consumers underpins BofA's consumer banking unit, whose revenue rose 15% to $10.5 billion.
Persons: Brian Moynihan, Wells, JPMorgan Chase's, Jeremy Barnum, Manya Saini, Saeed Azhar, Lananh Nguyen, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Federal Reserve, JPMorgan, U.S, Thomson Locations: U.S, Refinitiv, dealmaking, Bengaluru, New York
London CNN —BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, said Monday it has appointed Amin Nasser, chief executive of oil giant Saudi Aramco, to its board of directors — despite the New York-based firm’s pledge to accelerate investment in climate-friendly companies. Nasser joined the state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco in 1982 as a petroleum engineer, rising up the ranks to become CEO in 2015. Saudi Aramco is the world’s largest oil producer, with a market capitalization of 7.8 trillion Saudi riyal ($2.1 trillion). But, like other fossil fuel companies, pressure has built on Saudi Aramco to take more drastic action to curb its greenhouse gas emissions. President and CEO of Aramco Amin Nasser attends the Energy Asia conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia June 26, 2023.
Persons: Amin Nasser, , Bader Alsaad, Larry Fink, Nasser, Hasnoor Hussain, ” Nasser, BlackRock’s, Jeff Sonnenfeld, Nasser “ Organizations: London CNN — BlackRock, Saudi Aramco, New, BlackRock, Arab Fund for Economic, Social, Saudi, , Energy Asia, World Petroleum Congress, Yale School of Management, CNBC, Aramco, CNN Locations: Saudi, New York, , Ukraine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, decarbonize, United States, BlackRock
Across the country, in Silicon Valley, the situation isn’t quite as good. For decades Silicon Valley has been a dominant contributor to the US economy and an integral part of the country’s culture. Bankruptcy filings…less so.”Pitchbook and The National Venture Capital Association’s most recent report on the industry also takes a pessimistic view of the situation. What it means: While startups are certainly far from extinct, there has been a serious culling in Silicon Valley that will likely continue on for some time. Just 19% of venture capital deals were made with startups based in the Bay Area this year; that’s down from 22% in 2020.
Persons: haven’t, Tom Loverro, IVP, Pitchbook, , dealmakers, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, they’ll, they’re, Elizabeth Warren, Tesla, Elon Musk, Ramishah Maruf, Elon, , ” Warren, funneling Tesla, Warren, Gary Gensler, Linda Yaccarino, Musk, CNN’s Justin Gamble, Bill Clinton, Jonah Bryson, “ We’ve, Michael D, Smith Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Apple, Microsoft, Venture, National Venture Capital, Goldman, Center for Research, Bank, SEC, Twitter, Securities and Exchange, AmeriCorps, CNN Locations: New York, Silicon Valley, Silicon, Massachusetts, America
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