Picking out the future's biggest business winners in a crowded startup space isn't easy, but Sequoia Capital has been able to spot tech darlings such as Airbnb, Stripe, Instacart, and Dropbox. Bryan Schreier, Partner at Sequoia, was with us to give us the hottest trends in VC.
Schreier identified the common trait that these best-of-breed companies embody. He said these companies are going after "greenfield market opportunities" that tend to be new or ripe for disruption.
The venture capitalist is excited about the potential of virtual reality. He is also taking a look at a lot of cryptocurrency opportunities. Although still in the early days, Schreier said cryptocurrency technology reminds him of the beginning stages of the internet. Scheier says that he sees real estate as one of the industries ready to be disrupted by blockchain.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
