Top Nike Exec Resigns, Robinhood Reportedly Secures $5.6 Valuation
A top Nike executive is stepping down over misconduct allegations. Brand president Trevor Edwards will resign from his position immediately but will stay on with the company through August. It was not immediately clear what sort of misconduct Edwards had engaged in. Nike sent an internal memo to employees saying it had received reports of behavior that was not in line with the company values of inclusivity, respect, and empowerment. Edwards, who's been with the company since 1992, was seen as a potential successor to the current CEO Mark Parker.
The popular stock trading app Robinhood is reportedly now worth $5.6 billion. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the company just get a new funding round of around $350 million from Russia's DST Global. That would make Robinhood worth $5.6 billion dollars, four times the amount its previous valuation of $1.3 billion. The app was introduced just three years ago and currently has 4 million users.
Benefits brokerage, Nava Benefits, raised $40 million in a Series B round. Nava says it's on a mission to fix healthcare, one benefits plan at a time. The startup is working to bring benefits to small business that are normally available to only Fortune 500 companies. Brandon Weber, Co-Founder and CEO of Nava Benefits, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The electric vehicle maker filed a proposal for a three-for-one stock split, increasing the accessibility of shares for investors for a stock trading at around $700 a share. The move comes not long after tech giant Amazon announced a 20-for-one split. The number of authorized shares rises from two billion to six billion. It was also revealed that board member Larry Ellison does not intend to stand for reelection as it pertains to Tesla.
President Biden proposed a new rule that would add 500,000 chargers for electric vehicles nationwide. The proposal comes amid the rapid shift to EVs with dozens of automakers announcing plans for all-electric fleets within the next decade. But with the new surge will the U.S. have the proper infrastructure to keep up? Scott Painter, founder and CEO of Autonomy.com joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss. "I really think the idea of standardization is a big deal. Standardization certainly makes it much better for everybody to be able to get a charge when they need one," he said.
API platform RapidAPI recently became a unicorn with a $1 billion valuation after raising $150 million in a Series D funding round led by Softbank Vision Two Fund. Microsoft's Venture Fund, M12, and Andreessen Horowitz also participated. RapidAPI says it provides the world's largest API hub which enables millions of developers and companies to build software faster. Iddo Gino, founder and CEO of RapidAPI, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
