1.) VC on 🔥
2.) Chinese Tech Going Up in 🔥
3.) Ransomware & JEDI
4.) Instacart & Nextdoor

1.) VC on 🔥: 1H 21 was an all time record for VC fundraising with $288B invested, up 61% from the prior record set..in 2H 20. 17 companies have raised funds >$1B. Tiger Global, Softbank, and others have led the torrential flood into private investing. It’s a brave new world!

2.) Chinese Tech Going Up in 🔥: Didi pulled out of app stores, cyber security reviews, Tencent merger blocked, and variable interest entities that let companies go public in the U.S. are being clamped down on. Big Tech has a whole ‘notha meaning in China

3.) Ransomware & JEDI: speaking of cyber security, Russian hackers are alleged to have launched the largest ransomware attack in history last week. The Pentagon cancelled the JEDI contract awarded to MSFT and plans a new cloud architecture named JWCC which will have multiple vendors to, ya know, combat the hacker thing. Can you imagine the clawback from the MSFT sales team? Yeesh

4.) Instacart & Nextdoor: local social network Nextdoor is going public in a $4.3B SPAC and Instacart has added new CEO Fidji Simo, previously of FB, to their ranks ahead of their inevitable IPO plans. Late stage private growth keeps roaring!