Vanta’s annual user conference brings together the leading voices on the intersection of AI and trust Featuring leaders from Box, LangChain, Sequoia Capital, Quora, Ironclad SAN FRANCISCO, November 01, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vanta, the leading trust ...

2023 VantaCon: The Future of Trust in an AI World

All these deals follow Sequoia accepting a minority equity investment in fall 2022 from San Francisco private equity firm Valeas Capital Partners. Valeas did not disclose its ownership stake in Sequoia but did say that it was committing $200 million in ...

Sequoia Financial launches business segment catering to ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families

Washington startup Chainguard banks $61 million in new financing as investors make hefty wagers on software supply chain security companies.

Supply Chain Startup Chainguard Scores $61 Million Series B

including Zeke Capital Advisors and M Capital Advisors in 2023 and WEALTHSTONE ADVISORS in 2021. Sequoia Sentinel clients typically have a minimum account size of $20 million. Sequoia Financial Group offers services to clients across the wealth continuum ...

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Nov. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chainguard, the leader in software supply chain security, today announced it has completed a $61 million Series B round of funding led by Spark Capital and existing investors Sequoia Capital, Amplify Partners, The Chainsmoker ...

Chainguard Raises $61 Million Series B Round as Enterprises Move to Fortify Open Source Software

In a deal announced last week, Stellantis will invest 1.5 billion euros (approximately $1.6 billion) to purchase a 20% stake in Leapmotor. The move will make Stellantis a key shareholder in Leapmotor alongside Shanghai Electric Group and Sequoia Capital.

Stellantis signs deal to export EVs of China's Leapmotor

Don’t be surprised if we see more investment, more regulation and more artificial intelligence defining crypto during the last two months of 2023.

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Social media users in China had pointed out this week that Israel was not explicitly demarcated on Baidu and Alibaba’s online digital maps.

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The company is selling off its remaining product lines and shutting down just over two years after it raised the largest venture capital round at the highest valuation in Ohio history.

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Aerospace pioneer and investor Dómhnal Slattery appointed to Chairman of the SpinLaunch Board of Directors Investor and Bolt General Partner Greg McAdoo joins the SpinLaunch Board of Directors Telecom

SpinLaunch Announces New Leadership Roles to Accelerate the Commercialization of Low-Cost, High-Performance Space Solutions

Sequoia Capital

sequoia-capital

Soothsayer Sequoia Capital warned its portfolio companies in a memo—how can startups stay healthy? “Stay healthy, keep your company healthy.” That was the end of Sequoia Capital’s to its —which includes the likes of Airbnb, Evernote, and MongoDB. With billions of dollars worth of assets under management, Sequoia Capital is one of Silicon Valley’s (and the world’s) leading venture capital firm, with a penchant of being a periodic soothsayer. memo portfolio companies The memo, titled “Coronavirus: The Black Swan of 2020”, was sent to its portfolio companies’ founders and CEOs, in a bid to offer guidance as to how they can navigate this coronavirus outbreak. Much like a similar, ominous missive called “ ” sent during the depth of the 2008 recession, this memo immediately drew attention to many pressing issues startups can face as the effect of the virus ripples. RIP Good Times As the stock market continuously plunges and with wiped off the market, the global economic downturn has led to a series of watershed changes: a worldwide movement into , draconian in the worst-hit nations, and a exacerbated by the virus’s effects. $9 trillion remote working social control measures recurring fear of a recession For startups, the virus is doubly unforgiving. In the U.S., where the Trump administration has moved from “containment” to “ ”, tech earnings have been . According to Goldman Sachs, only the contributed to S&P 500’s year-on-year earnings-per-share growth. US stocks are also deep in a sell-off, with trading even suspended after . mitigation impacted severely big 5 tech companies falling by 7% Startups that are fortunate enough to close a fundraising round during the outbreak will heave a sigh of relief, as venture capital firms after venture capital firms predict that startups will struggle to raise funds. Singapore-based VC fund Velocity Ventures anticipates a of 25% for startups in Southeast Asia (SEA). apart from Sequoia Capital also predict the same for startups throughout the tech world. Zhao Chenxi, a partner of SB China Capital, suggested that startups should even prepare for the worst: where . drop in funding Multiple VCs no venture capital fund will be available for all of 2020 Another Chinese VC even told its portfolio startups to . rely on their cash flow for at least one to quarters In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, some startups are already feeling the pinch. Softbank-backed hotel chain startup Oyo, , is now prepared to in a downsizing effort. WeWork, now a , was forced to in China temporarily, knocking necessary earnings down a notch. deep in its own troubles cut about 5,000 jobs Softbank-owned company close its 100 sites At this point, startups should be hunkering down as soon as possible, or they’ll wind up shuttering instead. When China Sneezes, The World Catches a Cold The impact of China’s economy on the world and how dependent countries are of it has already way before the COVID-19 outbreak. been noted When China plunged into a health crisis, every country saw a rippling effect—the first being countries dependent on . China supply chains When China closed its factories, plants, and ports to contain the virus, the effect was . Automakers depend on parts from China and this loss came at a time where the auto industry is worldwide, from to obvious already struggling Japan the U.S. Fashion companies are scrambling as they for garments, manufacturing, sewing, cutting, trimming, and a host of other productions. lost their sources While the world gets hammered by the , the mounting number of cases in Japan and South Korea are also on top of the Chinese supply chain havoc. Analysts are predicting a second blow to the global industrial chain, especially on Chinese companies. supply chain disruptions threatening to layer For instance, China heavily depends on Japan for semiconductor materials, industrial robots, engine parts, and cameras—a majority of companies are already deeply affected by the coronavirus, according to a , TSR. survey by a local marketing research agency The travel industry is also suffering a blow of similar severity. With travel advisories escalating to full-blown travel bans, the tourism industry suffered over the past few months, especially for countries that depend on Chinese spending. a huge downfall For instance, is comprised of Chinese spending. bookings, and saw earnings decimated by the lack of Chinese tourists, prompting the Japanese government to provide an to keep them alive. 40% of Japan’s tourism economy Tourism spots, local attractions emergency economic stimulus This problem isn’t just unique to Japan—Chinese tourists are amongst the in the world. An increasingly affluent middle class and easing of movement restrictions have led to Chinese spending reaching in 2018 and the for outbound tourism. Behind them, it’s the U.S., with an overseas tourist expenditure only half of what the Chinese have spent. largest spenders US$277 billion globally world’s largest market The sudden plunge in the number of Chinese tourists traveling out of China has caused Southeast Asian countries to feel a huge burn. For Thailand, according to the Tourist Authority of Thailand, it’s a , despite the government giving the for Chinese travellers to enter at the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. $3.1 billion loss green light Other countries like , , and are also suffering billion-dollar losses. Singapore Malaysia Vietnam Like with any crisis, there will be companies that stand to gain—also noted in Sequoia Capital’s memo. For instance, South Korea’s e-book subscription service allowed free access to its library of . It also provided access to quarantined residents through a , in a bid to aid the government in tracking these people who have been ordered to stay at home. Millie’s Library 50,000 titles government app Other startups are helping medical professionals combat the illness in multiple ways. Beijing-based startup Infervision is using AI-based software to help doctors so that medical staff and prioritise those likely to have the virus. Boston-based startup Biofourmis is using AI-based wearable technology to patients, so that the data can be used to provide more effective interventions. diagnose the coronavirus faster remotely monitor infected and suspected Ro, a DTC tele-health company, offers a free digital assessment specifically for COVID-19. When people who think they’ve contracted the illness answer questions about their symptoms, Ro will connect them with a doctor who will provide a free video consultation—essentially, . triaging patients and educating the public Other notable companies like Clorox, Netflix, and Campbell—technically most brands of canned food, toilet paper, and face masks—are . profiting from the crisis For many other startups, they might not be so fortunate. Plum Ventures’ founding partner, Wu Shichun, terms it a “ ” test. Judging from the way the coronavirus outbreak is panning out, it is already becoming one. hell model As such, rather than soldier on with artificial positivity, it is a good time to apply to assess the survivability of a startup. doomsday mentality Running Out of Cash… Startups are notable for bleeding cash and companies like WeWork have shown that it isn’t sustainable at all. Investors are often banking on a final IPO or public listing for an exit, or that one day the company will eventually dominate the market so much so that their lion’s share is enough to profit. With a sputtering economy, startups need to rethink their runway: do they really have as much runway as they think? Essentially, it’s about keeping the business afloat. Things like contingency plans, liquid cash to absorb poor quarters, and trimming expenses are great survival methods. Not every startup can be as lucky as Netflix to experience more growth as more people stay at home, and those who have had their supply chains disrupted will be the worst-hit. This also means that startups have to take a second look at the way they spend their money. …and There’ s None to Found Elsewhere Not in the investor’s pockets, definitely. Private financings will inevitably fall as investors fall back to assess the market and many VCs are already giving ominous predictions. Past indicators are also showing a trend: funds don’t come when there’s a health crisis. According to , fundraising activity plunged during the Zika and SARS outbreak, bouncing back after containment. If they are of any use to predict the future, it’s fairly certain the private financings will have to wait for recovery, likely after the outbreak is successfully contained. CBInsights Forecast Every Sale Like its the Worst Don’t get caught flat-footed with changing spending habits and unclosed deals. Rather, forecast terrible quarters and work with it—anything positive or extra is a bonus. Marketing in a Crisis Sales are dwindling and customer lifetime values are declining. To keep up with customer acquisition efforts and ensure that current customers are constantly coming back for more, startups can consider increasing marketing budgets or driving higher quality in marketing work. Check the Headcount Downsizing, restructuring, however, the startup can name it, it’s a good time to rank employees and find “non-essential” employees. Layoff seasons are already in full swing and it’s a good time for startups to look at themselves and see if they really need that many people. The key is to be productive: having more than one employee being less productive than the others is already a luxury. Being Preventive while Being Reactive Leadership is crucial during such crises as employees look towards the founders and CEOs for guidance. While maintaining a sense of flexibility, it’s also important to adopt a realistic mindset to avoid any trap of not making a contingency plan. Find the Next Bright Idea To lessen the contact between health-conscious customers and delivery couriers, Postmates introduced a delivery option where the outside the door like a stork with a baby. Instacart did something similar as well. If there’s any time to be of a startup, it’s today. Innovate on a current solution or think about how things can be changed in the business to suit the environment today. delivery courier places a food order more Ultimately, startups that can endure these hardships will eventually emerge victorious. As , a General Partner at SOSV, puts it: “It is the cockroaches, the survivors, who can really take advantage of this tough environment that will build the next generation of leaders.” William Bao Bean COVID-19 has been nothing but gloom and doom for not just companies, but societies as well. Nationwide lockdowns, draconian social measures, and companies struggling to work remotely are all risk factors. It will be difficult for companies to climb out of this if they are in already. Hence, it’s a good time to be extremely negative with their numbers: don’t massage the financial sheets, and mark everything down by a notch. That way, even if the worst happens, startups can at least say that they saw this coming a long time ago—then react accordingly.

Takeaways from Sequoia Capital's Black Swan Memo

Four fundraising tips from Rousseau Kazi of Threads.com Rousseau Kazi started his career strong when he landed his first job at Facebook in 2011. But even then, he knew he’d eventually be his own boss. “I knew early on that I was going to leave [Facebook] and do my own thing,” says Rousseau. “It was something that I've always dreamed of.” A few years ago, he did just that when he hatched the idea for , a platform designed to make work more inclusive without compromising efficiency. Threads “We realized that as teams grow, their ability to keep everyone on the same page quickly starts to deteriorate,” he says. “[Discussions] often ended up getting lost in the ether.” Modeled after online platforms that host forums and other large scale conversations, Rousseau designed Threads specifically to expedite worker onboarding, streamline conversations, and benefit marginalized employees who are at higher risk of being left out of the conversation. After building the company for nearly two years, Rousseau raised about $11.4 million over two rounds of funding — including a — with the help of prominent female investors like Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz, GV’s , and Mariam Naficy, CEO of Minted. $10.5 million Series A Jessica Verilli Based on our , here are this first-time founder’s key takeaways for raising capital. conversation The future of funding is diverse Rousseau says that, at its core, Threads’ mission is to “make work more inclusive” by leveling the playing field within the workplace. “We realized that was going to be really hard to do if we didn't have the right representation and advisors helping us grow properly,” says Rousseau. That’s why he prioritizes working with investors from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, like women, black, and Latinx executives who can strengthen the company by casting a light on its blind spots. “The future of work isn't only distributed, but it's also diverse,” he says. “If you're not having these different perspectives help guide you, that's going to be someone else's competitive advantage.” In fact, Rousseau paused his Series A (with the blessing of his lead investor) to add investors from underrepresented backgrounds. Similarly, Rousseau has also intentionally sought out leaders he admires, including executives and founders with a history of scaling large organizations and building great work cultures. Yes, you need investors for their capital. But, Rousseau says, it goes beyond that. “You're finding people to give you advice, you're finding mentorship, you're finding people to help you avoid landmines and capitalize on the opportunities that you don't see.” No ask, no get (aka how to grow your network) Rousseau knows that seeking investors can seem daunting at times, especially if you don’t have many in your inner circle. To counter that problem, he suggests making a list of people who you look up to and asking them to make introductions to begin expanding your network. Rousseau used this approach with people whose careers he’d tracked closely.  He’d approach them with a request like this: “Hey, I'm trying to add more perspectives in my cap table. I'd love to bring people who are typically underrepresented in tech to engage with me here because this is a blind spot.” For Threads’ Series A, the well respected VC firm led the round. The company got lucky here — Rousseau already had a close relationship with Sequoia partner, . The two previously worked together at Facebook. When asked to invest in the early stages of Threads, Rousseau says that Mike got the mission and jumped at the opportunity to help the company along its journey. Sequoia Capital Mike Vernal “The number one thing I was optimizing for was trust with Mike,” says Rousseau. “I know his strengths, I know his weaknesses. He knows mine.” Rousseau believes it’s important to look for those “subjective” qualities in an investor; “We’re not only building a product; we're building a company,” he says. “So it was important that I found someone that I knew was aligned with me, who cared about diversity and inclusion, and who recognized my strengths, but also would push me on my weaknesses.” It is all about timing Rousseau says most VCs he talked to wanted to understand why a company matters . It’s essential to have a compelling answer to the “why now?” question. now “Understand the problem, have the right narrative and have the right understanding of why this problem is big,” advises Rousseau. “This is why [the company] exists. Here are the historical trends that led us here.” Taking the time to identify your mission, scope the competitive landscape, and find the right words to articulate your vision can go a long way. He stresses, too, the importance of “bringing your own background experience into it.” So don’t underestimate the value of introspection and taking the time to reflect on your answers to hard questions. “And make sure you're really buttoned up about it,” he adds. Believe your own hype (and hire really well) Rousseau says that his best advice to new founders is this: “Do whatever you can to increase your confidence by order of magnitude.” He adds, “As long as you keep believing, the chance the company's going to succeed will go up quite a bit.” He recommends testing your product under the “harshest constraints” to determine if there’s really something there. In Threads’ case, they postponed a site redesign to make it “beautiful and polished” until they started seeing people outside their network “live on the product and love the product.” His other core piece of advice is to prioritize recruiting top talent, even if it means spending 200 hours finding and recruiting a single employee who’ll make all the difference. “I don't think people truly see what the ROI of being a great recruiter brings you,” he says. And at the end of the day, recruiting top talent will even come in handy when differentiating yourself from other companies to investors. “I think that the signaling of being able to recruit a strong team is really powerful, especially if you're trying to fundraise.” Nathan Beckord is the CEO of Foundersuite.com which makes software for raising capital. Foundersuite has helped entrepreneurs raise over $1 billion in seed and venture capital since 2016. This article is based on an episode of Foundersuite’s How I Raised It podcast , a behind-the-scenes look at how startup founders raise money.

How Threads Raised A $10M+ Series A Led By Sequoia Capital

The latest edition of One More Thing in AI Newsletter. Technology is best when it brings people together.” – Matt Mullenweg, founder of Auttomatic and developer of WordPress. Hey AI AI-curious reader, Thank you for subscribing to the One More Thing in AI Newsletter. This is specially curated for Startup founders and Business Leaders like you who want to get smarter about AI in less than 5 minutes. It is a snapshot of what I read and learned about AI in the last two weeks. I hope you enjoy reading this edition. Keep learning and applying AI. Best, Renjit Philip Goldman Sachs Experts Weigh In Goldman Sachs has released a report on the massive spending on artificial intelligence (AI). They explore whether this huge investment will pay off. Tech companies are set to spend over $1 trillion on AI in the next few years. The report includes views from experts who are both hopeful and doubtful about AI's economic potential. Key Insights and Arguments Doubts About AI’s Economic Impact
Daron Acemoglu (MIT) thinks the benefits from AI will be smaller than expected. He predicts only a 0.5% increase in productivity and a 1% increase in GDP over the next ten years. He believes AI won't bring significant changes quickly and doubts it will be cost-effective in automating many tasks soon.
Jim Covello (Goldman Sachs) says AI needs to solve very complex problems to justify its high costs. He is skeptical that AI will ever be cheap enough to replace many tasks affordably.


Hopes for AI’s Potential
Joseph Briggs (Goldman Sachs) is more optimistic. He predicts AI could automate 25% of all work tasks, leading to a 9% increase in US productivity and a 6.1% GDP growth over the next decade. He believes the cost savings and the trend of technology becoming cheaper support a positive long-term impact of AI.
Kash Rangan and Eric Sheridan (Goldman Sachs) are excited about AI’s potential, even though there hasn't been a clear "killer application" yet. They believe current spending on AI infrastructure is reasonable and expect long-term benefits as AI becomes more integrated into different industries.


Challenges and Constraints
Chip Shortages: Analysts warn that chip shortages, especially in High-Bandwidth Memory technology, will limit AI growth in the near future.
Power Supply Issues: Analysts highlight that the rise in power demand from AI and data centers could strain the US power grid, potentially limiting AI’s growth. Market Implications
AI Bubble Concerns: Despite doubts about AI’s fundamental value, some experts caution that the AI bubble could last for a while, benefiting infrastructure providers. Utilities might be the next big winners. Long-Term Equity Returns: Only the most favorable AI scenarios, where AI boosts growth and profitability without increasing inflation, will result in above-average long-term returns for the S&P 500. Takeaway The report presents a balanced view, acknowledging both AI investments' potential and challenges. While there is hope for AI’s transformative power and long-term benefits, there are concerns about immediate economic impacts, technological constraints, and market sustainability. This analysis shows the complexity and uncertainty of AI’s future economic contributions. It's worth a read for business leaders! The AI $600B Gold Rush: Where to Next? AI is making waves, and everyone's wondering how it will shape the future. Let’s dive into the latest insights from Sequoia Capital. But the real question is, where's the money going? For every dollar spent on a GPU, another dollar is needed for energy to run it in a data center. If Nvidia makes $50B from GPUs by the end of the year, data center costs will be about $100B. Companies using these GPUs, like Starbucks or Tesla, must make a 50% profit margin (assume that margin, which is a reasonable average). So, for every $50BN worth of chips sold, the companies need to create $200BN worth of revenues to make the purchase viable. The actual gap is $600BN. (Image from Sequoia’s blog) Takeaways from the post: Supply shortage has subsided: Late 2023 was the peak of the GPU supply shortage. Startups were desperate for GPUs, but now, it's much easier to get them with reasonable lead times. GPU stockpiles are growing: In Q4, Nvidia reported that about half of its data center revenue came from large cloud providers, with Microsoft alone likely contributing 22%. Hyperscale CapEx is at historic levels, and Big Tech is heavily investing in GPUs. Stockpiling hardware continues, and a reset will occur when stockpiles are large enough to reduce demand. OpenAI still leads AI revenue: OpenAI’s revenue reached $3.4B, up from $1.6B in late 2023. Most startups are still far behind, with revenues under $100M. AI companies need to deliver significant value to consumers to justify ongoing expenses. Lack of Pricing Power: Unlike physical infrastructure like railroads, which can charge more because there can only be so many tracks, GPU data centers can’t do that. GPU computing is becoming a cheap, hourly service. More companies keep building AI clouds, stopping any single company from controlling prices, so prices drop, like in the airline industry. Investment Losses: Investing in new technologies often leads to big losses. History shows that during technology booms, many people lose money, like with railroads. It’s easier to see which investments will lose money than which will win. Depreciation: Technology like GPUs gets better quickly. Nvidia will keep making better chips, like the B100, which will make current chips lose value fast. People overestimate how long current chips will stay valuable, unlike railroads, which don’t get better as quickly. Last word: Winners vs. Losers: There are always winners, even when there’s too much “building” fuelled by VC money. AI is expected to be the next big thing. Lower GPU costs are suitable for new ideas and startups. While investors might lose money, AI company founders will likely succeed due to lower costs and the lessons learned during this time. Forget about the current costs of AI training and GPUs and start building solutions that add value to end customers. It is still early days of AI. This is an excerpt from my newsletter published on the web at www.onemorethinginai.com The latest edition of One More Thing in AI Newsletter. The latest edition of One More Thing in AI Newsletter. Technology is best when it brings people together.” – Matt Mullenweg, founder of Auttomatic and developer of WordPress. Technology is best when it brings people together.” – Matt Mullenweg, founder of Auttomatic and developer of WordPress. Hey AI AI-curious reader, Thank you for subscribing to the One More Thing in AI Newsletter. This is specially curated for Startup founders and Business Leaders like you who want to get smarter about AI in less than 5 minutes. It is a snapshot of what I read and learned about AI in the last two weeks. I hope you enjoy reading this edition. Keep learning and applying AI. Best, Renjit Philip Goldman Sachs Experts Weigh In Goldman Sachs has released a report on the massive spending on artificial intelligence (AI). They explore whether this huge investment will pay off. Tech companies are set to spend over $1 trillion on AI in the next few years. The report includes views from experts who are both hopeful and doubtful about AI's economic potential. Key Insights and Arguments Key Insights and Arguments Doubts About AI’s Economic Impact
Daron Acemoglu (MIT) thinks the benefits from AI will be smaller than expected. He predicts only a 0.5% increase in productivity and a 1% increase in GDP over the next ten years. He believes AI won't bring significant changes quickly and doubts it will be cost-effective in automating many tasks soon.
Jim Covello (Goldman Sachs) says AI needs to solve very complex problems to justify its high costs. He is skeptical that AI will ever be cheap enough to replace many tasks affordably. Hopes for AI’s Potential
Joseph Briggs (Goldman Sachs) is more optimistic. He predicts AI could automate 25% of all work tasks, leading to a 9% increase in US productivity and a 6.1% GDP growth over the next decade. He believes the cost savings and the trend of technology becoming cheaper support a positive long-term impact of AI.
Kash Rangan and Eric Sheridan (Goldman Sachs) are excited about AI’s potential, even though there hasn't been a clear "killer application" yet. They believe current spending on AI infrastructure is reasonable and expect long-term benefits as AI becomes more integrated into different industries. Challenges and Constraints
Chip Shortages: Analysts warn that chip shortages, especially in High-Bandwidth Memory technology, will limit AI growth in the near future.
Power Supply Issues: Analysts highlight that the rise in power demand from AI and data centers could strain the US power grid, potentially limiting AI’s growth. Doubts About AI’s Economic Impact
Daron Acemoglu (MIT) thinks the benefits from AI will be smaller than expected. He predicts only a 0.5% increase in productivity and a 1% increase in GDP over the next ten years. He believes AI won't bring significant changes quickly and doubts it will be cost-effective in automating many tasks soon. Jim Covello (Goldman Sachs) says AI needs to solve very complex problems to justify its high costs. He is skeptical that AI will ever be cheap enough to replace many tasks affordably. Doubts About AI’s Economic Impact Daron Acemoglu (MIT) thinks the benefits from AI will be smaller than expected. He predicts only a 0.5% increase in productivity and a 1% increase in GDP over the next ten years. He believes AI won't bring significant changes quickly and doubts it will be cost-effective in automating many tasks soon. Doubts About AI’s Economic Impact Jim Covello (Goldman Sachs) says AI needs to solve very complex problems to justify its high costs. He is skeptical that AI will ever be cheap enough to replace many tasks affordably. Hopes for AI’s Potential
Joseph Briggs (Goldman Sachs) is more optimistic. He predicts AI could automate 25% of all work tasks, leading to a 9% increase in US productivity and a 6.1% GDP growth over the next decade. He believes the cost savings and the trend of technology becoming cheaper support a positive long-term impact of AI. Kash Rangan and Eric Sheridan (Goldman Sachs) are excited about AI’s potential, even though there hasn't been a clear "killer application" yet. They believe current spending on AI infrastructure is reasonable and expect long-term benefits as AI becomes more integrated into different industries. Hopes for AI’s Potential Joseph Briggs (Goldman Sachs) is more optimistic. He predicts AI could automate 25% of all work tasks, leading to a 9% increase in US productivity and a 6.1% GDP growth over the next decade. He believes the cost savings and the trend of technology becoming cheaper support a positive long-term impact of AI. Hopes for AI’s Potential Kash Rangan and Eric Sheridan (Goldman Sachs) are excited about AI’s potential, even though there hasn't been a clear "killer application" yet. They believe current spending on AI infrastructure is reasonable and expect long-term benefits as AI becomes more integrated into different industries. Challenges and Constraints
Chip Shortages: Analysts warn that chip shortages, especially in High-Bandwidth Memory technology, will limit AI growth in the near future. Power Supply Issues: Analysts highlight that the rise in power demand from AI and data centers could strain the US power grid, potentially limiting AI’s growth. Challenges and Constraints Chip Shortages: Analysts warn that chip shortages, especially in High-Bandwidth Memory technology, will limit AI growth in the near future. Challenges and Constraints Power Supply Issues: Analysts highlight that the rise in power demand from AI and data centers could strain the US power grid, potentially limiting AI’s growth. Market Implications AI Bubble Concerns: Despite doubts about AI’s fundamental value, some experts caution that the AI bubble could last for a while, benefiting infrastructure providers. Utilities might be the next big winners. Market Implications Long-Term Equity Returns: Only the most favorable AI scenarios, where AI boosts growth and profitability without increasing inflation, will result in above-average long-term returns for the S&P 500. Takeaway The report presents a balanced view, acknowledging both AI investments' potential and challenges. While there is hope for AI’s transformative power and long-term benefits, there are concerns about immediate economic impacts, technological constraints, and market sustainability. This analysis shows the complexity and uncertainty of AI’s future economic contributions. It's worth a read for business leaders! Takeaway The AI $600B Gold Rush: Where to Next? The AI $600B Gold Rush: Where to Next? AI is making waves, and everyone's wondering how it will shape the future. Let’s dive into the latest insights from Sequoia Capital. But the real question is, where's the money going? For every dollar spent on a GPU, another dollar is needed for energy to run it in a data center. If Nvidia makes $50B from GPUs by the end of the year, data center costs will be about $100B. Companies using these GPUs, like Starbucks or Tesla, must make a 50% profit margin (assume that margin, which is a reasonable average). So, for every $50BN worth of chips sold, the companies need to create $200BN worth of revenues to make the purchase viable. The actual gap is $600BN. (Image from Sequoia’s blog) Takeaways from the post: Supply shortage has subsided: Late 2023 was the peak of the GPU supply shortage. Startups were desperate for GPUs, but now, it's much easier to get them with reasonable lead times. GPU stockpiles are growing: In Q4, Nvidia reported that about half of its data center revenue came from large cloud providers, with Microsoft alone likely contributing 22%. Hyperscale CapEx is at historic levels, and Big Tech is heavily investing in GPUs. Stockpiling hardware continues, and a reset will occur when stockpiles are large enough to reduce demand. Supply shortage has subsided: OpenAI still leads AI revenue: OpenAI’s revenue reached $3.4B, up from $1.6B in late 2023. Most startups are still far behind, with revenues under $100M. AI companies need to deliver significant value to consumers to justify ongoing expenses. OpenAI still leads AI revenue: Lack of Pricing Power: Unlike physical infrastructure like railroads, which can charge more because there can only be so many tracks, GPU data centers can’t do that. GPU computing is becoming a cheap, hourly service. More companies keep building AI clouds, stopping any single company from controlling prices, so prices drop, like in the airline industry. Lack of Pricing Power: Investment Losses: Investing in new technologies often leads to big losses. History shows that during technology booms, many people lose money, like with railroads. It’s easier to see which investments will lose money than which will win. Depreciation: Technology like GPUs gets better quickly. Nvidia will keep making better chips, like the B100, which will make current chips lose value fast. People overestimate how long current chips will stay valuable, unlike railroads, which don’t get better as quickly. Investment Losses: Last word: Winners vs. Losers: There are always winners, even when there’s too much “building” fuelled by VC money. AI is expected to be the next big thing. Lower GPU costs are suitable for new ideas and startups. Last word: Winners vs. Losers: While investors might lose money, AI company founders will likely succeed due to lower costs and the lessons learned during this time. Forget about the current costs of AI training and GPUs and start building solutions that add value to end customers. It is still early days of AI. This is an excerpt from my newsletter published on the web at www.onemorethinginai.com

Where's the AI Revenue? Plus, Will the Trillion-Dollar AI Gamble Pay Off?

LogX, a decentralized trading platform, has announced that it has raised $4 million in its latest funding round, bringing its total capital to $10.1 million. The platform, known for its rapid growth, has hit a major milestone by surpassing $20 billion in trading volume in just ten months since its launch. LogX Network is the first on-chain consumer Super App, providing a seamless trading experience for perpetual markets, leveraged prediction markets, and more. The platform is powered by Arbitrum, Hyperlane, and AltLayer.' The recent funding round attracted significant interest from major Web3 investors, including Hashed Emergent, Cumberland VC, Saison Capital, Gate Labs, DWF Labs, Antler, Coinswitch Ventures, Wagmi Ventures, and Kairos Capital. Several prominent angel investors also participated, such as Charles and Verity from Espresso Systems, and Ryan Lee, CEO of Orderly Network. This latest round follows an earlier $6.1 million seed round, which saw backing from well-known investors like Coinbase Ventures, Sequoia Capital, IOSG, GFC Global Founders, MSA, and Better Capital. Akshit Bordia, Founder of LogX, expressed his gratitude and outlined the platform’s future trajectory. “These latest milestones are a testament to the unwavering trust from our financial backers, partners, and, most importantly, our loyal users,” Bordia stated. “With the capital we’ve raised, our mission is to scale our product line and introduce leveraged prediction markets across 50+ blockchains.” The new funding will primarily fuel LogX’s expansion into leveraged prediction markets, a significant enhancement that will enable users to engage in more sophisticated trading strategies. By leveraging prediction markets across over 50 blockchains, LogX aims to provide unparalleled flexibility and opportunities for traders within the decentralized ecosystem. Moreover, LogX is set to make its debut on the TON blockchain later this year, a move that is expected to bring prediction market trading to an additional 100 million users. This expansion underscores LogX’s commitment to broadening its reach and enhancing the trading capabilities available to its global user base. “These achievements reflect the strong support from our financial backers, partners, and, most importantly, our dedicated users,” said Akshit Bordia, Founder of LogX. “With the new capital, we aim to scale our product line and introduce leveraged prediction markets across more than 50 blockchains.” Since launching in July 2023, LogX has experienced remarkable growth, attracting over 1 million users and achieving over $20 billion in trading volume. The company plans to use the fresh funds to expand its offerings, with a focus on leveraged prediction markets. Additionally, LogX is set to debut on the TON blockchain later this year, bringing prediction market trading to over 100 million users. Don’t forget to like and share the story! Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program. HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR LogX , a decentralized trading platform, has announced that it has raised $4 million in its latest funding round, bringing its total capital to $10.1 million. The platform, known for its rapid growth, has hit a major milestone by surpassing $20 billion in trading volume in just ten months since its launch. LogX LogX Network is the first on-chain consumer Super App, providing a seamless trading experience for perpetual markets, leveraged prediction markets, and more. The platform is powered by Arbitrum, Hyperlane, and AltLayer.' LogX LogX The recent funding round attracted significant interest from major Web3 investors, including Hashed Emergent, Cumberland VC, Saison Capital, Gate Labs, DWF Labs, Antler, Coinswitch Ventures, Wagmi Ventures, and Kairos Capital. Several prominent angel investors also participated, such as Charles and Verity from Espresso Systems, and Ryan Lee, CEO of Orderly Network. This latest round follows an earlier $6.1 million seed round, which saw backing from well-known investors like Coinbase Ventures, Sequoia Capital, IOSG, GFC Global Founders, MSA, and Better Capital. Akshit Bordia, Founder of LogX, expressed his gratitude and outlined the platform’s future trajectory. “These latest milestones are a testament to the unwavering trust from our financial backers, partners, and, most importantly, our loyal users,” Bordia stated. “With the capital we’ve raised, our mission is to scale our product line and introduce leveraged prediction markets across 50+ blockchains.” The new funding will primarily fuel LogX’s expansion into leveraged prediction markets, a significant enhancement that will enable users to engage in more sophisticated trading strategies. By leveraging prediction markets across over 50 blockchains, LogX aims to provide unparalleled flexibility and opportunities for traders within the decentralized ecosystem. Moreover, LogX is set to make its debut on the TON blockchain later this year, a move that is expected to bring prediction market trading to an additional 100 million users. This expansion underscores LogX’s commitment to broadening its reach and enhancing the trading capabilities available to its global user base. “These achievements reflect the strong support from our financial backers, partners, and, most importantly, our dedicated users,” said Akshit Bordia, Founder of LogX. “With the new capital, we aim to scale our product line and introduce leveraged prediction markets across more than 50 blockchains.” Since launching in July 2023, LogX has experienced remarkable growth, attracting over 1 million users and achieving over $20 billion in trading volume. The company plans to use the fresh funds to expand its offerings, with a focus on leveraged prediction markets. Additionally, LogX is set to debut on the TON blockchain later this year, bringing prediction market trading to over 100 million users. LogX LogX Don’t forget to like and share the story! Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program. HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR Vested Interest Disclosure: This author is an independent contributor publishing via our business blogging program . HackerNoon has reviewed the report for quality, but the claims herein belong to the author. #DYOR Vested Interest Disclosure: business blogging program business blogging program

LogX Hits $20B Volume Milestone, Expands with Fresh $4M in Funding

LogX ukax $20B Volumen Hito ukar puri, Fresh $4M Qullqichawimp jilxattayi

LogX достигна крайъгълен камък от $20 милиарда, разширява се с нови $4 милиона финансиране

LogX $20B ভলিউম মাইলস্টোন হিট করে, নতুন $4M ফান্ডিং সহ প্রসারিত

LogX dosáhl objemového milníku 20 miliard dolarů, rozšiřuje se s čerstvými 4 miliony dolarů ve financování

Το LogX έφτασε στο ορόσημο όγκου 20 δισεκατομμυρίων $, επεκτείνεται με νέα χρηματοδότηση 4 εκατομμυρίων $

LogX alcanza un volumen récord de 20 mil millones de dólares y se expande con una nueva financiación de 4 millones de dólares

LogX dostiže 20 milijardi dolara količine, širi se s novih 4 milijuna dolara financiranja

LogX-ը հասնում է $20 մլրդ ծավալի նշաձողի, ընդլայնվում է թարմ $4 մլն ֆինանսավորմամբ

LogX が 200 億ドルの取引量を達成、新たに 400 万ドルの資金調達で事業を拡大

LogX sasniedz 20 miljardu dolāru lielu pavērsienu, paplašinās ar 4 miljonu dolāru finansējumu

LogX достигает отметки в 20 млрд долларов и расширяется за счет новых инвестиций в размере 4 млн долларов

LogX yakubise $ 20B Umubare wibanze, Yaguka hamwe na $ 4M nshya mu gutera inkunga

NEW YORK, United States, March 21st, 2024/Chainwire/--zkPass, announced its participation in the BNB Chain . This strategic collaboration underlines a profound commitment to the community, emphasizing the vital importance of rewarding user engagement and loyalty. Airdrop Alliance Program Through this initiative, a total of 4 million zkPass tokens are poised for distribution to both new and longstanding users, showcasing a steadfast dedication to nurturing growth and engagement within the ecosystem. A considerable share of these tokens will be reserved for retroactive users, in a move to honor those who have been instrumental in the network’s journey towards success. The allocation for retroactive users is intricately designed to celebrate early and consistent support, with forthcoming details on the distribution process to ensure utmost transparency and fairness. Empowering the Community Participation in the Airdrop Alliance transcends mere token distribution; it is a heartfelt celebration of user engagement and a significant stride toward fulfilling our mission to empower individuals in the digital landscape. The distribution of zkPass tokens is meticulously designed to equip our community members with valuable assets, fostering their active participation in the flourishing future of our ecosystem. "Stay tuned for our upcoming large-scale airdrop program, aimed at rewarding zkPass early adopters, testnet participants, and active users within multiple ecosystems. Additionally, we'll introduce a unique airdrop approach, uncommon in this space." said Joshua, Strategy Lead at zkPass. About zkPass is a private data protocol leveraging 3P-TLS and Hybrid ZK technologies, providing tools and applications for secure, verifiable data sharing with privacy and integrity assurances. zkPass was incubated by Binance Labs during their Season 5 Incubation Program and has garnered investments from leading firms such as Sequoia Capital, Binance Labs, OKX Ventures, dao5, SIG, Leland Ventures, and more. zkPass Contact Head of Operation Teddy Chow zkPass teddy@zkpass.org This story was distributed as a release by Chainwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here.

zkPass Joins BNB Chain Airdrop Alliance, Commits To Rewarding Network Contributors

is an online community that covers the latest international AI/ML developments. We are fascinated by technological progress and strive to bring a worldwide perspective to AI discussions. Check out our first big project! AIport AIport has put together Volume 1 of the . This is the first generative AI landscape analysis to emphasize regional attributes and encompass nations than other similar editions. Global Generative AI Landscape 2024 four times more Our goal at is to offer a balanced overview of the GenAI sector, showcasing contributions from across the globe, beyond the usual focus on North American and European entities. AIport How We Came Up With the Idea We noticed that many generative AI landscapes tend to focus either on the Silicon Valley giants or the tech powerhouses of Europe, covering no more than 10 countries on average. While this approach does serve its purpose, it can’t really offer a complete picture. To address this, we decided to dig deeper, and this is what we came up with after weeks of research. We believe Volume 1 of our Global Generative AI Landscape 2024 provides an objectively international outlook. About the Research We examined all countries that invest in the AI market, as featured in the by Tortoise. In-house model developers were identified, filtered by the team of editors and data scientists, and subsequently cross-referenced with current GenAI landscapes from , , , and others, before being segmented into ten GenAI categories. 62 Global AI Index Sequoia Capital Antler Base10 As the final step, the data was divided into continental regions: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. The landscape details which players are developing GenAI solutions, their locations, and the specific nature of their contributions. It contains a total of generative models from companies. 128 107 Key Highlights Of the 62 countries listed in the , only 35 develop their GenAI solutions in-house. Roughly 90% of them focus on one model type. Global AI Index Among the top five nations in the Index, South Korea and Singapore are notably absent from our list of top GenAI developers, suggesting these nations prioritize investment in other AI domains. Conversely, Israel, ranked seventh by Tortoise, has secured a spot on our GenAI development shortlist. Regional leaders by the number of active GenAI companies are North America – USA; South America – Argentina; Europe – UK and France; Asia – China and Israel; Oceania – Australia and New Zealand; Africa – South Africa. The average number of GenAI models per company is the highest in North America, being the only region to have at least one model from each of the 10 model categories. Approximately 10% of all companies covered in the study have implemented multimodality in their GenAI models, with a majority of these developers located in the US. This indicates that while multimodality represents an emerging trend, its adoption outside North America still remains in the nascent stages. A total of 11 companies worldwide have developed more than one type of GenAI model. Stability AI leads with five distinct GenAI model types (image, video, audio, 3D, and code), followed closely by OpenAI (chatbot, audio, video, and multimodal) and Google (text, image, audio, and multimodal) – both with four model types. Microsoft, Meta, Tencent, Baidu, and Yandex are among those companies that developed between two to three types of distinct GenAI models. 13 companies have developed multiple models within a single GenAI category. AssemblyAI has two speech-to-text models, MosaicML offers two iterations of its MPT for code generation, while IPOXCap has introduced two chatbots designed for business intelligence applications. to get more insights from the global AI/ML landscape! Subscribe to AIport

Global GenAI Landscape 2024: Roughly Half of Nations That Invest in AI Develop Generative Models

গ্লোবাল GenAI ল্যান্ডস্কেপ 2024: প্রায় অর্ধেক দেশ যারা AI তে বিনিয়োগ করে জেনারেটিভ মডেল তৈরি করে

Globale GenAI-Landschaft 2024: Etwa die Hälfte der Nationen, die in KI investieren, entwickeln generative Modelle

Panorama global de GenAI 2024: Aproximadamente la mitad de las naciones que invierten en IA desarrollan modelos generativos

Paysage mondial de GenAI 2024 : environ la moitié des pays qui investissent dans l’IA développent des modèles génératifs

ग्लोबल जेनएआई लैंडस्केप 2024: एआई में निवेश करने वाले लगभग आधे देश जेनरेटिव मॉडल विकसित करते हैं

Global GenAI Landscape 2024: AI に投資する国の約半数が生成モデルを開発

2024년 글로벌 GenAI 환경: AI에 투자하는 국가의 약 절반이 생성 모델 개발

Cenário global da GenAI 2024: Aproximadamente metade das nações que investem em IA desenvolvem modelos generativos

Глобальный ландшафт генИИ в 2024 году: примерно половина стран, инвестирующих в ИИ, разрабатывают генеративные модели

Küresel Yapay Zeka Görünümü 2024: Yapay Zekaya Yatırım Yapan Ülkelerin Yaklaşık Yarısı Üretken Modeller Geliştiriyor

Bối cảnh GenAI toàn cầu năm 2024: Khoảng một nửa số quốc gia đầu tư vào AI phát triển các mô hình sáng tạo

2024 年全球 GenAI 格局：大约一半投资人工智能的国家开发生成模型

I've been neck-deep in the cross-chain tech scene, and something's been bugging me. Everyone's buzzing about , backed by a whopping $293.3M and valued at $3B (crazy!). But are we getting blindsided by the hype and missing the real gems in decentralization? LayerZero Let's break it down: LayerZero's Decentralization Claims: LayerZero's got the tech chops and the , no doubt. But when you dig deeper, their decentralization claims seem a bit shaky. With such massive funding, I can't help but wonder if we're cheering for a centralized giant dressed in decentralized clothing. investor backing Concerns About Layer Zero: I came across some concerning points about Layer Zero. For starters, their security model allows for potential manipulation if a bad actor gains control over the Oracle and Relayer configuration. Plus, monitoring all applications built on Layer Zero for security policy changes is a Herculean task. This , where each app defines its security, seems less robust compared to shared security models like rollups. isolated security model Underrepresented Layer Zero Competitors That Make the Difference There's this underdog, . Hackernoon some months ago. EYWA Protocol covered their tech It is not as flashy or cashed-up as Layer Zero, but their approach to decentralization's got some real street cred... They're boasting a solid setup with 120+ validators in PoA and a whopping 700+ in PoS (Roll-DPos Consensus). Furthermore, EYWA's cross-chain data transfer protocol is designed to minimize trust assumptions, thereby reducing the vulnerability to manipulation or control by any single entity. That's not just tech talk; it's a serious commitment to decentralization and security. All this with 60 times less VC funding compared to Layer Zero! Now, let’s cover another contender: . Axelar Network This player in the cross-chain game is turning heads with its decentralized bridge network, which is like a breath of fresh air in the interoperability space. Unlike Layer Zero, which leans on Oracles and Relayers, Axelar's decentralized approach is more about keeping things tight and secure across a wider range of blockchains. It's like comparing a Swiss Army knife to a single-blade pocket knife – Axelar brings more tools to the table. What really sets Axelar apart is its use of . Think of it as a high-tech lock where the key is split among several validators. You need enough of them to agree to unlock a transaction, making it way harder for any bad actors to mess things up. threshold signature schemes This method is slicker and safer than the usual multi-sig setups, reducing the chances of security breaches. Plus, with a larger pool of validators, Axelar dilutes the risk and makes it tougher for attackers to target specific validators. It's like having a security team spread across the globe, each member holding a piece of the puzzle. How many other underrepresented competitors with better tech solutions are there under the media radar? In the high-stakes game of blockchain innovation, it's easy to get dazzled by the big names and their even bigger funding rounds. But are we, as a community, missing out on the real essence of decentralization and innovation by focusing too much on the glitz? Don’t forget one small fact: Sequoia Capital , Binance Labs, Coinbase Ventures, and many other so-called “tier-1 VCs” . The 2 largest crashes in recent crypto history. backed FTX backed Terra Luna And it doesn’t change the trend: we still see the biggest players teaming up to back the same startups, while smaller VC funds and retail investors blindly follow their investments without questioning the status quo. All this creates a snowball that can easily fall again if we don’t change the trajectory and start looking at the tech aspects, not just the glowing shine. Projects like EYWA, which is still a rising star in its seed stage, and Axelar Network, which got picked by after its Series B funding, are challenging the status quo. They're proving that sometimes, true innovation doesn't just come from deep pockets but from a deep commitment to the core principles of blockchain technology. Mastercard It's high time we shine a light on these under-the-radar projects that are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in DeFi. Let's not just chase the hype; Let's get real about where the true innovation in DeFi is happening. PS: initially, I tried to start this discussion in Reddit’s r/defi, but they deleted it without any notice. Even though I followed all the rules, removed the links, etc. This made me think that Reddit has become so censored these days that if you got used to critical thinking, factual checking, and thoughtful discussions, you may get bored fast there. Discloser:

LayerZero's Hype Train: A Deeper Look Into DeFi's Cross-Chain Tech

Let's learn about via these 37 free stories. They are ordered by most time reading created on HackerNoon. Visit the to find the most read stories about any technology. Silicon Valley /Learn Repo 1. Why is Africa Being Called the Next Silicon Valley? The technological industry is one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors of the global economy. Innovation and novelty within this field have been evident for decades now, as technology is gradually becoming an inseparable part of our daily lives. Our daily activities are almost unimaginable without gadgets and the internet. Everything nowadays is interconnected and technological solutions are substituting a growing number of traditional products and services. 2. How To De-Risk Your Startup And Become ‘Definitely Fundable’ Immad Akhund has invested in 100+ startups and was a Y Combinator Partner. Here are his tips for raising capital. 3. From Bros to Racial Profiling: More Bizarre Interview Stories “I’m so glad we’re getting along,” said the founder while he dry erased the board in the large WeWork conference room for the group waiting outside. “Do you want to have lunch now?” 4. How Threads Raised A $10M+ Series A Led By Sequoia Capital Four fundraising tips from Rousseau Kazi of Threads.com 5. Why You Should Chase Interesting Problems, Not Money Feeling dissatisfied with your career? We grow up with the lie that money makes everything right. And it doesn't. Here's why. 6. Founder Interviews: Rousseau Kazi of Threads What's your background? 7. The Web 3 Data Economy Will Win If It Eats Silicon Valley Even though the values embraced by decentralized Web 3.0 applications resonate with the average Internet user, adoption has been sparse. Network effects of existing platforms mean that services need to offer users more than just an ethically superior solution. That’s why we won’t see a decentralized Facebook or Spotify succeed. Luckily, there’s a much easier way forward. 8. The Ups and Downs of the Theranos Saga Theranos did some things that we should imitate, but it also did some things we should avoid. What should we pick up from the story of Theranos? 9. Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos, and Fake-It-Till-You-Make-It Silicon Valley Startup Culture Did Elizabeth Holmes corrupt Silicon Valley, or was it the other way around? 10. RE: "New Normal" — Today's Thriving Startups Will Be Camels, Not Unicorns Unicorn is the term given to startups that are able to achieve a billion-dollar valuation, although not as rare as they were a decade ago, these startups are still often time the center of Silicon Valley’s obsession with building, finding and funding the next big thing. The majority of Unicorn startups are known for growing tremendously fast and burning cash without any sign of profit or a single dime in revenue. 11. When Burning Man Gets Boring, Silicon Valley Should Worry Burning Man 2002. Photo: Phil Gyford 12. Gonna fly now: why I've left Silicon Valley's lions for Vultr Do you ever feel like an underdog? And that sometimes all that’s left is scraps?
If you can relate, then I think you’ll enjoy my Silicon Valley career story. 13. The Story Behind Raising $59 Million For Pilot As a 3x founder, Waseem had multiple advantages when raising venture capital – yet it still wasn't easy. 14. How Many Is "Too Many" Investors? Brex Founder Henrique Duburas Believes You Should Pack Your Cap Table With As Many Investors As Possible 15. Jason Calacanis Publicly Shot Down Andrew Farah’s Pitch — And It Helped Get His Startup $16 Million The premise of Andrew Farah’s startup is pretty simple. 16. San Diego is Quickly Becoming the Next Silicon Valley San Diego has long been hailed as the home of tech startups. Undeniably, it has become the hotspot for entrepreneurs looking to lay the next big thing's foundation. 17. 5 Prompts to Help You Define Core Values at Your Early-Stage Startup The Tara founding team at San Jose HQ 18. Freelance Developers and Startups: A Love-Hate Relationship in the Silicon Valley There is no such thing as perfect relationships. Especially in business. Especially between startups and freelancers. They meet, they fall in love, they argue, they make up, they fall in love again, and at the end the day they depend on each other badly. But who is the ‘bad guy’ in this story: contractors or entrepreneurs? Who is using whom? Is there a right answer at all? As always, there are two sides to every story. 19. Social Impact Using Your Heart and Mind in Tech My generation has seen a world much less forgiving. We grew up understanding the fundamentals of climate change, and saw rising sea levels and record setting temperatures all over the world. 20. How to Prepare Yourself For Data Structures and Algorithms Interviews at FAANG Written By Esco Obong (@escobyte on Twitter), Senior Software Engineer @Uber, Founder of Algorythm study group on Facebook and Black Software Engineers Career Support Group on LinkedIn. 21. How I Got My Startup Funded By Jason Calacanis This is the story that how I started Remotehour after 5 years of bootstrapping. 22. Here's Everything You Need to Know About Silicon Valley Bank's Collapse March 10, 2023, was a bad day for Silicon Valley Bank customers but not as much as it was for the bank. 23. How Silicon Valley Bank Went Under - And the Tech Execs Who Stepped Up As small-scale startups scrambled to make payroll while the future of the tech industry stood threatened, many of its prominent leaders looked for ways to help. 24. Onlookers Question SVB Executive Salaries Following Collapse CEO Greg Becker received $9.9 million in compensation, while two other executives received $4.6 million and $3.6 million, respectively. 25. The “Techxodus” Is Real: Is Tech Done With The Bay Area? California has experienced increased outbound migration over the past few years with more and more people working remotely. 26. The Noonification: Kaiseki (3/17/2023) 3/17/2023: Top 5 stories on the Hackernoon homepage! 27. We Need to Teach Silicon Valley to Be Ethical The tech industry’s ethics problem is the longest running game of “Not it.” No one wants to take responsibility for teaching men-children millionaires and honestly, that’s fair. We’re not the ones at the forefront of Silicon Valley, however, someone has to do the dirty work. 28. Examining the Risk of a Banking Crisis in the United States Are we heading to a bank crisis in the US? 29. Analyzing SVB's 2022 10-K to Understand Its Failure Silicon Valley Bank has entered into FDIC receivership and has for all intents and purposes has failed. Here, I argue that SVB failed due to a failure to respon 30. Product Expert Sarath Kuruganty Highlights Importance of Community For Marketing Strategy Sarath Kuruganty is a product expert, community builder, and content creator. He is passionate about building communities around self-sustainable communities. 31. Facebook Libra: on the 4 steps road for World Presidency... Something changed on the 18th of June 2019. The day that Libra went public. Facebook’s long rumoured cryptocurrency project, which has rallied 28 world-leading partners, came out of the closet, and with it this new asset class seems to have landed its first concrete, large scale application. With over 2.7 billion users spread across all of its platforms1(Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram), and in response to recent strides into the payment sector and digital wallets by the likes of Samsung, Apple and Tencent, it was time for the group led by Mark Zuckerberg to finally wade into the great cryptocurrency arms race unfolding before us. 32. Technology and Globalization: The 21st Century is Underachieving Technology is the application of scientific knowledge to the practical aims of human life. 33. My Open Letter to Jack Dorsey and Everybody on Twitter Twitter seems like a good product. Even up until the time of this article, I am still using it. However, some questions arise in regards to how Twitter is functioning and even its origin story. 34. Product Management Between Coasts: Adapting to NYC and Silicon Valley Philosophies Product Manager responsibilities can vary depending on the company size, industry, and location.  On 10/16, our NYC chapter launch focused on exploring the unique qualities that define Product Management in Silicon Valley and New York.  Despite heavy rain and the accompanying subway delays, we had a good showing with highly engaged attendees for our discussion on Contrasting PM Disciplines Between Coasts with a distinguished panel of successful women in product who were selected for their experience in operating across both coasts.  The panelists were: 35. Recap: 2020 WebAssembly (Wasm) Summit in Silicon Valley [incl. Links and Resources] The WebAssembly Summit was held in Silicon Valley, on the 10th February 2020. The venue, Google’s newest building at 1625 Plymouth St Mountain View CA. 36. Main Reasons To Vote “No” On Prop 22 Hi readers, today, I’m publishing a letter that I penned with Nate D’Anna, co-founder and co-CEO of Dumpling, about Prop 22 and the status of gig workers. 37. Getting A Job In Top Tech Companies During Pandemic Has Never Been Easier I secured 8 offers with Google, Robinhood, Airbnb, Uber, Tiktok, Microsoft, Scale, and Cloudflare. Then negotiated my way to multiple $300K offers. Thank you for checking out the 37 most read stories about Silicon Valley on HackerNoon. to find the most read stories about any technology. Visit the /Learn Repo

37 Stories To Learn About Silicon Valley

In this piece, I blend MVP development theory with hands-on lessons from my co-founder journey in an EdTech startup. Dive deep, and by the end, you'll uncover the hard-learned dos and don'ts of our MVP journey — insights that might just save you a misstep or two. Content Overview Key MVP Concepts and Strategies Understanding Different Types of MVPs Concierge MVP Wizard of Oz MVP Piecemeal MVP Single-feature MVP Landing page MVP Understanding the MVP Development Process MVP Dos and Don'ts: Lessons from YaizY's Experience Final thoughts Key MVP Concepts and Strategies In today's rapid business world, s are vital. Whether you're a new startup or a seasoned company seeking innovation, an MVP is not just another item on your checklist but a strategic must-have in your product development roadmap. It serves as a concrete first step, paving the way for early feedback and setting the stage for ongoing learning and consistent improvement. MVP EdTech MVP is Essential for Market Validation and Fundraising An MVP serves as a significant link, connecting your entrepreneurial dreams with the real-world dynamics of the market. It plays a dual strategic role: decreasing market risk and supporting fundraising efforts. When launching a new product or service, there's always a fair amount of risk involved. Unknown variables can lead to expensive mistakes, like creating a product that fails to connect with your intended audience. That's where an MVP comes in handy. It lets you introduce a basic version of your product, one that includes only the most crucial features that your users need. The practical, real-world data collected from this MVP launch gives you a wealth of insights about how the market reacts, how customers behave, and how well your product is accepted. It's a reality check for your business idea, helping you decide whether to stick with the current plan or adjust your strategy. Market Validation: The second strategic role of an MVP is in fundraising. Investors are always looking for potential high-growth ventures, but they also have to consider the risks of early-stage investing. An MVP serves as a tangible proof-of-concept, demonstrating your business's potential to generate future revenue. It not only shows that you have a market-ready product but also that your team has the capability to execute the vision. Facilitating Fundraising: Let’s take as an example. Its story perfectly illustrates the role of an MVP in fundraising. Instead of developing a fully functional product right off the bat, the Dropbox team made a simple demo video that showcased the software's functionality. This video sparked interest in the tech community, leading to an influx of sign-up requests for their beta version. This surge was proof to investors that there was significant market demand for their product. As a result, Dropbox secured a $1.2 million seed round from Sequoia Capital, paving the way for its later success. Dropbox Understanding Different Types of MVPs The journey to an MVP is not a one-size-fits-all process. The kind of MVP you develop largely depends on your unique business model, the product or service you're proposing, and the specific market conditions you're up against. To help you figure out the best way forward, let's explore the most popular types of MVPs and when you might want to use them: Concierge MVP In this style of MVP, you manually carry out the services that will later be automated in the final product. By doing this, you can learn directly about customer needs, issues, and usage patterns, confirming the value of your product idea without needing a lot of development work. A good example of a Concierge MVP is . At the beginning, the Airbnb guys would go to hosts' homes, click photos, and put them online. It was all done manually. They helped people list their places and others to book them. This gave them a clear idea of what users wanted and confirmed that their idea of a home-sharing platform could work. It was a key step in their journey to build the Airbnb we know today. Airbnb Wizard of Oz MVP Here, the customer interacts with what seems like a fully functional product. However, behind the curtain, the company manually runs the operations.. The key difference from Concierge MVP is that the user doesn't know about the manual work going on behind the curtain. This model allows you to test and confirm your product idea's core functionality without investing heavily in automation or scalability. Take , for instance. In their early days, they used this approach when starting their online bookstore. Customers believed they were browsing an extensive inventory when in reality, Amazon didn't have a large stock of books. Instead, they'd purchase the book from distributors when customers placed an order, then ship it. This gave them a chance to validate the demand for an online bookstore without huge initial inventory investment. Amazon Piecemeal MVP A Piecemeal MVP is like using Lego blocks you already have to build a new toy. You use existing tools, maybe even mix and match different ones, instead of creating everything from zero. This strategy can significantly cut down on development costs and time, offering a quick and inexpensive way to check if your business idea holds water. Groupon is a classic example of a Piecemeal MVP. In the early days, it was a basic WordPress website that sent daily deals to subscribers. The team manually made PDFs for their coupons and managed their subscriber list using readily available software, allowing them to test the market's interest in a group-buying platform with minimal upfront cost. Single-feature MVP This approach is about building an MVP that delivers a single core feature or function that solves the user's main problem. Companies often use this method when they want to perfect a single feature before adding more to their product. is a notable example of a successful One-Feature MVP. The first product only offered one main feature – syncing files across different computers. Only after validating this key function and gaining traction did Dropbox start to introduce more features, based on user feedback and demand. Dropbox Landing Page MVP This is about creating a straightforward landing page that explains the product's value and invites visitors to sign up or buy the product. It's a fast and cost-effective way to measure market interest and confirm your product idea. Buffer, a social media scheduling tool, began as an Intro Page MVP. They described their proposed solution on a basic webpage and invited visitors to sign up if they found the product intriguing. The interest level and number of sign-ups gave them an initial confirmation of their product concept before they committed to building the full product. Understanding the MVP Development Process The path to developing an MVP is not a straight line, but an iterative journey that is deeply rooted in continuous feedback, learning, and adaptation. It's fundamental to the Lean Startup mindset, wherein the focus is on 'learning by doing' and rapid prototyping. Let's delve into the three crucial stages involved in the MVP development process: The Pre-MVP stage is all about groundwork and strategic planning. Here are some key steps: Pre-MVP: Understand the competitive landscape, market size, and potential opportunities. This research will help you identify your unique value proposition and differentiate your offering. Market Research: Define the demographics, interests, and behaviors of your potential customers. Who are they? What are their pain points that your product can solve? Target Audience Definition: Test the waters before diving in. Conduct surveys, interviews, or focus groups within your network to gauge potential interest in your product. Additionally, a landing page describing your product's value proposition can be set up to gather email sign-ups or pre-orders. This helps in assessing the potential demand for your product. Preliminary Demand Validation: This stage is all about bringing your idea to life in a tangible form that people can interact with. Here are the major steps: Prototype Development: Decide what features to include in the MVP that can solve the primary problem for your users. Remember, the goal is to deliver value with the least complexity. Feature Determination: Develop a working model or prototype of your product that demonstrates its core functionality. Prototype Creation: Conduct testing sessions with potential users to gather feedback about the product's usability, functionality, and overall experience. User Testing: Based on the feedback received, refine and enhance your MVP. This is a crucial step in the Problem-Solution Fit, where you tweak your solution until it effectively solves the problem for your users. MVP Refinement: This is the stage where you introduce your functional product into the market. Here are the significant tasks: Minimum (Commercially) Viable Product (MVP or MCVP): Develop a fully functional version of your product based on the refined MVP. This version should be ready to be used by your first set of paying customers. Functional Development: Release your product into the market. This could be a soft launch (to a limited audience) or a full-scale launch, depending on your strategy. Product Launch: Begin your marketing efforts to attract your first customers. Continue to gather user feedback to understand what's working and what's not. User Acquisition and Feedback Loop: Use the feedback from your paying customers to refine and enhance your product. This stage is part of the Product-Market Fit process, where you adjust your product until it resonates with a larger audience in your target market. Product Refinement: Remember, the The iterative nature of this process is the key to effectively applying the Lean Startup methodology, allowing you to minimize risk and maximize your chances of building a product that truly meets the needs of your target market. MVP development process is a cycle, not a one-time event. It's about iterating and improving your product based on continuous learning from real-world feedback. MVP Dos and Don'ts: Lessons from YaizY's Experience Finally, drawing from our hands-on journey, here are pivotal do's and don'ts for MVP development: DOs It's imperative to launch a demo or beta version as soon as feasible. This enables you to gain valuable customer feedback and real-world insights, which can guide your development and refinement efforts. The goal isn't to deliver a perfect product out of the gate, but rather, a functional one that adequately represents your core concept and can be tested in the market. Launch a Testable Product Swiftly: In the pursuit of building an MVP, prioritize features that are most essential to your product's value proposition. Avoid the temptation of adding many features at once. Instead, target those that align directly with the core functionality of your product. Once these are validated and refined based on user feedback, additional features can be considered. Focus on Key Features: While it's important to be open to new ideas and approaches, keep a strategic focus on your product's core. Always aim for profitability and sustainable growth. Any experimentation should be data-driven and anchored by your product's main objective. Experiment Strategically: DON'Ts An MVP is meant to be a cost-effective way to validate a product idea, not a financial drain. Be mindful of your budget and manage your resources wisely. Remember, the goal is to learn about the market's reaction to your product, not to deliver a fully-fledged product. Overspend on MVP Development: While outsourcing can be useful in certain situations, it's essential to maintain a strong internal understanding and control over your product's development. If you outsource too much, you risk losing touch with the nuances of your product and may find it harder to make fast, informed decisions. Over-Depend on Outsourcing: A common pitfall in MVP development is to make the product overly complicated. Remember, the "M" in MVP stands for "minimum" - your goal is to create a product with just enough features to attract early adopters and validate the product concept. Strive for simplicity and clarity in design and functionality. Overcomplicate Your MVP: Aim to create an MVP that's as simple and effective as possible. Utilize existing tools and platforms to minimize coding and expedite the development process. This approach not only saves time but also enhances the reliability of your product at the initial stage. Write Unnecessary Code: While scaling is an exciting phase, it's crucial not to rush into it. Thoroughly test your product and use the gathered feedback to refine your MVP before considering any aggressive expansion. Scaling too soon can lead to amplified mistakes, which are often more challenging and costly to fix than in the MVP stage. Rush to Scale: Final Thoughts As our journey at YaizY advances, we continue to keep our minds open to new insights, learnings, and chances for refinement.  With these insights and principles in mind, we hope to inspire and guide other startups on their journey to develop a successful MVP. Remember, the road to a successful product is a marathon, not a sprint. Stay patient, stay focused, and keep learning. Your MVP is just the beginning of your product's journey!

Winning the MVP Game: The Tech Startups' Guide to Success

There are mixed feelings about the US Economy currently. On one hand, the US dollar terrain against six major currencies, marking a three-week high. These positive gains came against the backdrop of relatively strong data on the US manufacturing and construction sectors. gained On the other hand, Fitch decided to the US Government credit rating from AAA to AA+, citing probable fiscal challenges over the next three years. The decision was (not surprisingly) met with criticism from the US Government, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen terming it ”'arbitrary and based on outdated data”. downgrade SEC Back on the Heels of Crypto In earlier letters, we've again and again the likelihood of the SEC's crusade against crypto to continue and this the SEC allegedly communicated to Coinbase that all other assets than were to be considered securities. stated BTC The story does not appear all too credible although Brian Armstrong made comments to the . Financial Times Amidst this development, the SEC has also Richard Heart and 'three unincorporated entities that he controls, Hex, PulseChain, and PulseX,' for raising over $1 billion by offering unregistered crypto asset securities. sued DeFi Security in Question The security of the DeFi ecosystem has once again come into question following the exploit of Curve Finance, one of the pioneer DeFi protocols, resulting in an $47 million in losses withdrawn from several stablepools. estimated While the damage has since been contained, there is still a looming arising from Curve's founder, Michael Egorov's $100 million CRV-backed loan that could potentially be liquidated should the underlying collateral fall significantly in value. risk Noteworthy Mentions Crypto VC Behavior Of 2023: Weathering The Winter The crypto VC landscape has continued to face headwinds this year, with more investors shying away from the digital asset industry. In our latest research piece, we highlight some of the major trends, including where VCs are investing funds and which projects are attracting capital, among other behaviors. For more context, check out the full article . here Industry Shakers Tether Reports $850 Million Q2 Profit Tether Holdings Limited, the issuer of the , reported a Q2 profit of $850 million, resulting in total excess reserves of $3.3 billion. According to a spokesperson for Tether, "The $850 million represents the retained profits of this quarter, which have contributed to increasing Tether's excess reserves. It's basically additional capital sitting in the company to further strengthen Tether.” USDT stablecoin Sequoia slashes its crypto fund by 66% after industry collapses Sequoia Capital recently made adjustments to its cryptocurrency fund, reducing its size from $585 million to $200 million. This decision comes amidst a liquidity crunch and a strategic pivot towards smaller players in the crypto market. The move was aimed at better reflecting the changing market conditions and aligning the fund's strategy with the evolving landscape of the cryptocurrency industry. FTX Plans to Restart Crypto Exchange for International Customers Defunct crypto exchange FTX has put forth a proposal to categorize its creditors into distinct classes of claimants, while also presenting an option for one class of claimants to potentially relaunch the FTX exchange with the involvement of third-party investors, provided the group reaches an agreement. Also published here.

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