Meet 26 fintech venture capitalists who are still bullish on the sector
Hi again — Jordan Parker Erb here. Insider caught up with 26 fintech VCs who are still bullish on the sector, despite the market downturn. Plus, Apple could owe you up to $395 after it settled a lawsuit over its notorious "butterfly" keyboards.
C'mon, let's dive in.
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1. Meet rising star fintech VCs who are still bullish on the sector. Insider caught up with two dozen venture capitalists who are excited about what's next for fintech, even amid a market and investing pullback.
- Fintech startups have been hit hard by the market downturn and growth in subsectors has slowed — but some VCs are still enthusiastic about the sector.
- Some, like Mercedes Bent, a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners, said that even during a market downturn, fintech is still a "big need for the everyday person."
- Mark Fiorentino of Index Ventures described the market downturn as a "fintech hangover" — but added that "some of the most interesting opportunities are found when the markets are in a downturn."
Here's what other top VCs are saying about fintech.
In other news:
2. Apple will pay some customers up to $395 after settling a class-action lawsuit. After the company agreed to a $50 million settlement over its "butterfly" keyboards, customers who have had to replace a keyboard since 2015 should be eligible for a payout. Here's what you need to know.
3. A TikToker and his pet ducks made about $178,000 from brand deals on Pearpop — and that is just a fraction of his overall income. "TooTurntTony" explains how he went from uploading a few posts a day in 2020, to landing big brand deals. Meanwhile, other creators say low payouts from TikTok's Creator Fund are affecting their mental health, and some are quitting entirely.
4. Not all of Netflix's content will be immediately available on its ad-supported plan. Netflix has hundreds of original shows and movies on its platform — but don't expect its ad-supported plan to have the full catalog when it launches. We explain why.
5. This résumé landed a 24-year-old a Google internship — without even applying. After participating in a two-day program run by Google, a recruiter found Canisha Chakadya's résumé and invited her for an interview, without even submitting an application. See the résumé and Chakadya's tips for standing out.
6. Meta is being sued by a VR company — that's also named Meta. The 12-year-old VR company is suing Facebook's parent company, accusing the tech giant of stealing its name for its metaverse rebrand. Get the full rundown here.
7. A 25-year-old earns $30,000 a month from his Shopify apps. Mat De Sousa, an entrepreneur in France, runs two Shopify apps, WideBundle and WideReview, that he says together generate thousands of dollars each month. Read his tips for becoming successful in the space.
8. Tesla has cashed out most of its bad bitcoin bet. The company said it sold 75% of its massive bitcoin stake, converting $936 million worth of the cryptocurrency into fiat between April and June. What to know about Tesla's ten-figure bitcoin bet.
Odds and ends:
9. See the superyacht Elon Musk vacationed on in Greece. After photos of a shirtless Musk went viral, we took a look at the yacht he was spending time on — and found it's a 24-meter luxury vessel, named Zeus, that can be chartered for over $7,000 a day. Here's a peek inside the superyacht.
10. A retro gaming console is coming this fall. The Sega Genesis Mini 2, a miniature replica of the classic gaming console, will come with more than 50 games already installed. It'll launch on October 27 — here's what you need to know.
What we're watching today:
- Snap, AT&T, and others are reporting earnings. Keep up with earnings here.
- Redefine Tomorrow, a DeFi & Web 3.0 virtual summit, takes place today and tomorrow.
- TC Sessions: Robotics kicks off today.
- Comic-Con International starts today in San Diego.
- Google's new Pixel 6a smartphone is now available for pre-order.
- London-based tech company Nothing's new smartphone is officially available.
Keep updated with the latest tech news throughout your day by checking out The Refresh from Insider, a dynamic audio news brief from the Insider newsroom. Listen here.
Curated by Jordan Parker Erb in New York. (Feedback or tips? Email jerb@insider.com or tweet @jordanparkererb.) Edited by Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.