*By Jacqueline Corba*
Bitcoin soared back above the [$8,000 mark this week for the first time since May](https://cheddar.com/videos/reddit-co-founder-on-the-state-of-cryptocurrency). The surge comes as more institutional investors look to grab a piece of the still-emerging crypto market.
"From a stored value perspective I'm a Bitcoin maximalist," [Fin co-CEO and co-Founder Sam Lessin](https://cheddar.com/videos/tech-entrepreneur-sam-lessin-authors-childrens-book-on-bitcoin) told Cheddar's Crypto Craze Thursday. "If you look at the broader blockchain and crypto ecosystem, I don't think people fully appreciate how deeply big a deal it is to have an immutable ledger globally."
Lessin, who served as a vice president of product management at Facebook from 2010 to 2014, joins fellow Facebook alum Anthony Pompliano in his bullish outlook on Bitcoin, the largest digital currency by market cap.
"I've got a high degree of confidence that at some point in the future its going to hit $50,000. And I've got some degree of confidence that it will be by the end of this year," Pompliano, who now runs Morgan Creek Digital Assets, told Cheddar.
The factors driving the value up? Human psychology, speculation around a [cryptocurrency ETF](https://www.coindesk.com/bitwise-proposes-etf-for-top-10-cryptos/), and growing institutional interest, said Pompliano.
Facebook itself even wants in on crypto. In May, [Cheddar reported Facebook is developing its own digital currency](https://cheddar.com/videos/facebook-plans-to-create-its-own-cryptocurrency-2).
"I have a lot of respect for the Facebook team," said Lessin. "What they have is a fundamental networkーthe biggest one ever in the history of the world connecting people." He called a Facebook move toward crypto an "obvious play."
For full interview, [click here] (https://cms.cheddar.com/videos/VmlkZW8tMjExNzY=).
Technology companies and banks led a broad rally for U.S. stocks in midday trading Tuesday following solid gains overseas. China took more steps to soften the financial blow of the virus outbreak and its main stock index rose following a plunge a day earlier.
Kabbage is getting into small business payments hoping that it will help the company be a better underwriter in its funding business — the inverse strategy of payments companies like PayPal, Square, and Stripe.
Google parent company Alphabet released its first earnings report since Sundar Pichai took over as CEO in December when founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin stepped down from their management roles.
DirecTV's Spaceway-1 satellite is launching itself into a band of space junk called the graveyard orbit. The emergency measure became necessary after an unexplained battery malfunction in December put it in jeopardy of exploding.
Technology companies led U.S. stocks higher in early trading Monday as global markets mostly calmed down following a sharp sell-off last week over worries about the spreading virus outbreak that began in China.
In this age of personalization, information is collected from your online movements whether you’re aware of it or not. If you feel a bit eerie about it, you’re not alone.
With Roku set to possibly lose Fox channel by the end of Friday, Cheddar looks into alternate ways owners can still watch the Super Bowl on Sunday.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
The membership-based primary care provider came to the table with an ambitious business proposition: that primary care can use technology and high-end customer service to draw in patients willing to pay a little extra.
Cheddar got an exclusive ride in the front seat of a Street View vehicle in New York City -- and sat down with Andrew Lookingbill, engineering director at Google Maps, and Ethan Russell, the director of product management at Google.
