Tech Newss

Joe Lonsdale’s 8VC seeking $1B for new fund

8VC, a venture firm led by Palantir founder Joe Lonsdale, is seeking nearly $1 billion for its sixth fund, according to a regulatory filing. The Austin-based firm's latest fund aims to raise nearly 14% more than its previous $880 million flagship vehicle, which closed in February 2023. TechCru

Tata acquires 60% stake in Apple partner Pegatron’s India unit

Tata Electronics has acquired a 60% controlling stake in the Indian arm of Apple assembly partner Pegatron as the conglomerate expands its iPhone-manufacturing capacity in the country. Taiwan-based Pegatron operates three iPhone production plants in India, including one near Chennai in India’

Madrona just announced its biggest fund ever, closing on $770M as other venture funds grow smaller

Seattle-based Madrona Ventures is celebrating its 30 years in business by raising $770 million in fresh capital. This is the firm’s largest fundraise to date, exceeding $690 million across two funds Madrona closed in 2022.  While an 11% capital pool upsize may not seem significant, any

Microsoft’s head of venture has resigned

Chris Young, Microsoft’s head of business development and its venture unit, resigned from his role on Wednesday, the company said. Young led Microsoft’s M12 venture fund, and was what’s known as a named officer. Microsoft’s other named officers include CFO Amy Hood, top law

Hindustan Unilever to acquire Peak XV-backed Minimalist for over $340M

Hindustan Unilever has agreed to acquire beauty startup Minimalist for about $342 million, as the consumer goods giant seeks to expand in India’s fast-growing premium skincare market. Hindustan Unilever will initially acquire a 90.5% stake in the direct-to-consumer brand through secondary bu

How African VC firm Oui Capital returned its first fund with Moniepoint’s unicorn exit

At a recent investor meeting, early-stage African investor Oui Capital informed limited partners that it had returned its $4 million debut fund following the sale of some shares in the business banking platform Moniepoint. The African fintech unicorn has so far proven to be a standout investment f

From recruiting for Palantir to landing a plane on Highway 85: meet defense tech's wildest power broker

In 2023, defense tech recruiter Peterson Conway VIII pulled up to the offices of nuclear fusion startup Fuse in a black Suburban, donning his signature cowboy hat. He picked up a recent Fuse hire and proceeded to regale her with stories of his old recruiting days. One story involved prostitutes att

Despite VCs investing $75B in Q4, it's still hard for startups to raise money, data proves

After two years of relatively muted investment activity, it seems that VCs are starting to pour capital into startups at pandemic-era levels once again. But a closer look shows that they aren't really. In the fourth quarter of last year, investors funneled $74.6 billion into U.S. startups, a s

Climate tech matured in 2024 as investors favored bigger rounds, later stages

Climate tech may have had a down year in 2024, but new data also shows a maturing sector with larger deal sizes. Venture investment in the climate tech sector was down 7% to $12.9 billion, $1 billion shy of 2023's tally, according to data in a new PitchBook report. The report found that round

Defiant is a new European VC firm that uses data and products to make better investments

Defiant is a new early-stage VC firm focused on B2B SaaS and fintech coming out of stealth Thursday. Joseph Pizzolato (pictured right) and Cam Rail (pictured left), the duo at the helm of the firm who met when they were six years old, have already secured $30 million and plan to raise as much as $7

VC investment in emerging markets plummeted by over 40% last year

VC investments in emerging markets such as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) plummeted by over 40% compared to 2023, according to a new report. The data mirrors the wider global trend of reduced VC funding in the last two years, especially for non-AI companies. The total raised across the ma

Silicon Valley is so dominant again, its startups devoured over half of all US VC funding in 2024

For all the chatter about the decline of San Francisco, data repeatedly shows that the Bay Area, including the city itself, is still the best place for venture-backed startups. Startups located in the Bay Area vacuumed up $90 billion of VC investment in 2024, which was 57% of the $178 billion of U

South Park Commons is raising $40M for an India-specific fund

South Park Commons, a Silicon Valley collective of engineers, founders, and researchers, is raising an India-specific fund over six months after entering the South Asian market in June, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week. The exact size of the fun

What will this year bring in VC? We asked a few investors

A new year brings with it hope for a better tomorrow — kind of, at least. In the world of venture capital, nothing is quite predictable. The number of firms in the U.S. has taken a sharp dip as risk-averse institutional investors splash money on only the biggest names in Silicon Valley, as report