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The prestigious venture firm Sequoia Capital likes to say all its partners invest in every sector. But more than anyone, the growth-stage partner Grady, part of Business Insider's 2024 AI Power List, has led the firm's AI strategy, making bets on companies including OpenAI, Harvey, and Hugging Face. Along with another partner, Sonya Huang, Grady also wrote a public blog post on Sequoia's website inviting AI founders to email them their ideas and pitches directly. A successful deal for Sequoia is more about investing in the best people rather than at the best price, Grady told Business Insider last year. "We don't make money by getting a good deal," he said.See Business Insider's full <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://businessinsider.com/ai-power-list-2024">AI Power List</a>

Sequoia Capital partner Pat Grady is redefining AI investments

<ul class="summary-list"><li>VCs are lobbing cash at the presidential election and key congressional races, FEC data shows.</li><li>While most VCs favored Democrats, a16z's crypto giving dwarfed all other donations.</li></ul>America is bitterly divided over politics, and the tech industry — once portrayed as a liberal bastion — is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/election-a-distraction-silicon-valley-wants-to-be-over-2024-8">no different.</a> Among the sector's investor class, these disputes typically play out behind closed doors, with checkbooks rather than <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-political-divide-twitter-elon-musk-kamala-harris-2024-8">angry social media posts</a>.This election cycle, investors at the top venture capital firms have plowed tens of millions of dollars into the election, both backing their favored political candidates and just cannily promoting commercial interests.Business Insider trawled political donation data released by the Federal Elections Commission to see how employees at VC firms have donated by candidates and political entities as the hotly contested race enters its final phase.The data is limited, focusing only on a subjective grouping of 10 high-profile firms, and cutting off at varying points over the summer. More recent FEC donor data will be released in the days and weeks ahead of the November 5 general election, often the most turbulent time in any cycle.The sheer volume of donations captured in the FEC filings underscores the significance of the tech constituency in the political arena, how the Silicon Valley elite has embraced politics of late, and just how flooded by money modern American politics has become.<h3 id="dd94bff4-8a0b-4fe4-8f40-59db1deb3131">The big spenders</h3>For venture capitalists, talking politics can invite scrutiny — or worse, turn off founders seeking funds for what might be the next big thing. It's part of the reason why many firms won't take positions on political issues or push a candidate on their employees.While that hasn't stopped individual investors from voting with their dollars, many VC firms are quick to point out that donations do not represent the organization's political stance.Except when they do.Andreessen Horowitz, or a16z, is the sole firm in our dataset to make political contributions directly. In this election cycle, it contributed $47 million to groups working to elect blockchain-friendly candidates, including Fairshake, a titanic crypto-industry backed super PAC. The firm is all-in on crypto, investing in Solana and Yuga Labs, and launched a $4.5 billion investment fund focused on this area in 2022.While the names of the firm's founders, Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, also appear on filings for donations to these groups, a16z says on its <a target="_blank" href="https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/contributing-to-fairshake-pac/">website</a> that these contributions come from the firm, not the founders personally. Though the distinction a16z draws between itself and its founders might be slightly artificial, given Andreessen and Horowitz created, own, and named the firm after themselves.For all the brouhaha about Andreessen and Horowitz putting <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-vcs-in-silicon-valley-2024-7">millions of dollars</a> behind Trump's latest bid for the White House and Horowitz hedging his bets with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/read-ben-horowitzs-email-a16z-saying-plans-donate-kamala-harris-2024-10">a planned donation to Harris</a>, the data shows the two are a rare breed among venture investors: relatively bipartisan donors.Horowitz sent roughly 59% of his personal political contributions to Republicans and a little under 40% to Democrats, while Andreessen more strongly favored Republicans this election cycle, with 64% of his donations.In the time period covered by the data, a16z even eclipsed Greylock, where outgoing partner and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-billionaires-investors-kamala-harris-mark-cuban-reid-hoffman-2024-8">Democrat megadonor</a> Reid Hoffman has personally pumped nearly $30 million in recorded donations into the presidential election and key congressional races.Investors at Founders Fund, which has backed SpaceX and Palantir, are nearly 100% Republican in donations, though the bulk of contributions came from Keith Rabois, who left the firm in January to rejoin Khosla Ventures. Employees of venerable firm Kleiner Perkins are the opposite, giving almost entirely to Democratic causes, as is the case for Y Combinator, the colossal startup accelerator.Like Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital is largely bipartisan. Unlike a16z, its biggest donors are largely split on party lines. Michael Moritz, who left the firm midway through last year and continues to serve as an advisor to Sequoia Heritage, its wealth management group, gives to Democrats, while Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire donates to Republicans.<h3 id="3ae3c5f1-4f98-4417-8e68-d3e367656034">Number-crunching</h3>When a candidate's campaign or other political entity receives political donations, they must report it either quarterly or monthly to the FEC, along with information about the donors, including the donor's employer. The federal agency processes these filings, before releasing them in a searchable format on its website.The data analyzed for this story cuts off on August 31 for entities that report donations on a monthly basis (including presidential campaigns, national party committees, and some PACs), while the cut-off for entities that report quarterly (including Congressional committees and some PACs) is June 30. (The filing deadline for Q3 data for quarterly filing entities was October 15, but this data isn't yet readily available in full online.)Business Insider selected 10 venture capital firms to focus on, taking into account fund size and cultural and industry significance. The list encompasses employees ranging from general partners and firm founders to marketers and executive assistants.The findings should not be interpreted as an exhaustive accounting of all venture capital investors' donations to date, but as a comparative analysis of how some of the industry's most significant players have approached political giving over the summer as the election heated up.Business Insider divided the recipients into three categories: Democrat-aligned, Republican-aligned, and unaffiliated — a grouping that includes both bipartisan groups like Fairshake and independents like West Virginia senator Joe Manchin, as well as organizations like The Lincoln Project, run by self-described Republicans but in practice supporting Democratic causes.<h3 id="383b71f4-35bb-4d3d-9fd8-a1daae48b9df">Hoffman vs. Horowitz</h3>Hoffman, the top individual donor, has developed a reputation as tech's Democratic Party standard-bearer. In this election cycle, records show his efforts include $2 million to help fund an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2024/01/31/billionaire-reid-hoffman-spent-2-million-on-bidens-new-hampshire-write-in-campaign-fec-records-show/">unusual write-in effort</a> for President Joe Biden in New Hampshire, and millions to joint fundraising committees for Harris after Biden dropped out. Hoffman also <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/05/us/politics/nikki-haley-reid-hoffman-donation.html">gave $250,000</a> to a super PAC supporting Nikki Haley, the last major candidate to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination.Most donors more closely resemble Hoffman than Horowitz: clearly partisan, with an overwhelming majority of their donations going to support one party.Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures is another of the biggest donors on the Democratic side of the aisle, with more than $3 million in recorded donations during the time period to recipients including the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Harris' presidential campaign. Khosla's giving puts him just above John Doerr, chairman of Kleiner Perkins and architect of cleantech investing, though he hasn't managed funds for the firm in a decade.Sequoia Capital's Doug Leone is one of VC's most prolific GOP-aligned political donors, giving his almost $3.8 million to the National Republican Committee and other causes.The vehicle of choice for many of these donations is via super PACs, a controversial political fundraising tool that can raise unlimited funds — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/candidate-taking-receipts/contribution-limits/">bypassing FEC limits on donations</a> to candidates and other committees — but cannot directly coordinate with candidates. Asides from Fairshake, some of the biggest super PACs out there favored by VC investors include Future Forward PAC, a tech billionaire-linked Democrat-supporting group, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-trump-america-super-pac-2024-10">America PAC, a right-wing entity founded by Elon Musk</a>.Investors also gave to several joint fundraising committees, which take money for multiple candidates or organizations. They, too, became favored over the years because a joint fundraising committee allows candidates to rake in cash while sharing the costs of fundraising — think website hosting fees, high-end hotels, and catering for splashy Hamptons fundraisers. The most well-loved committees in our dataset were the Harris Victory Fund and Harris Action Fund, the joint fundraising efforts between the Harris campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and state Democratic committees.Reached for comment by Business Insider, none of the named investment firms agreed to make employees available for interviews about their political giving. Perhaps, from the donors' perspectives, they don't need to: They're already putting their money where their mouth is.Have a tip or a story? Connect with Melia Russell via email at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:mrussell@insider.com">mrussell@businessinsider.com</a> or by phone at (603) 913-3085. Reach Rob Price at <a target="_blank" class="" href="mailto:rprice@insider.com">rprice@businessinsider.com</a>. For sensitive matters, use the Signal app on a non-work device for encrypted messaging.

Venture capital is going to war over the election. Here's the data to prove it. 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Elon Musk's OpenAI rival, xAI, says it just raised $6 billion in funding from investors.</li><li>The AI startup is backed by VCs like Sequoia Capital and Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Holding.</li></ul><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk">Elon Musk's</a> xAI just took a critical step in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-ai-startup-raising-funding-war-chest-openai-report-2024-1">building up its war chest</a> to take on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-chatgpt-openai-ceo-career-net-worth-ycombinator-prepper-2023-1">Sam Altman's</a> OpenAI.The AI startup said in a <a target="_blank" href="https://x.ai/blog/series-b">blog post</a> on Sunday that it had raised $6 billion for their Series B funding round.The company, which is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-new-company-xai-website-2023-7">barely a year old</a>, counts among its investors prominent VCs like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/andreessen-horowitz-ai-reshuffle-a16z-2023-11">Andreessen Horowitz</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sequoia-capital-generative-artificial-intelligence-boom-venture-capital-2023-5">Sequoia Capital</a> as well as Saudi Arabia's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-kingdom-holding-500-million-russia-energy-2022-8">Kingdom Holding</a>."There will be more to announce in the coming weeks," Musk said in an <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1794964816211087660">X post</a> on Monday morning.The mercurial billionaire said in a subsequent <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1794975702812426595">X post</a> that xAI's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/business-valuation-an-introduction-to-prepost-money-valuation-2011-4">pre-money valuation</a> was $18 billion. The financial term refers to the value of a company before any equity investment is made.Sunday's announcement marks the first time xAI has talked about its fundraising efforts. Musk had <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1748528116127912030">repeatedly denied </a><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1750995501560807465?s=46">earlier reports</a> from <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-20/musk-s-xai-secures-500-million-toward-1-billion-funding-goal">Bloomberg</a> and the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ft.com/content/28983bdc-2a38-4103-beae-08d9542ab69d">Financial Times</a> about xAI's outreach to investors.The influx of funding will be essential for Musk, who has envisioned xAI as an alternative to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/history-of-openai-company-chatgpt-elon-musk-founded-2022-12">OpenAI</a>, a company he'd cofounded with Altman. Musk <a target="_blank" href="https://openai.com/blog/openai-supporters">left the OpenAI board</a> in 2018.The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-chat-gpt-2023-1">ChatGPT</a> maker was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-valued-at-80bn-following-deal-employees-cash-out-report-2024-2">valued at $80 billion or more</a> following a deal that allows staff to cash out their shares, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/16/technology/openai-artificial-intelligence-deal-valuation.html">The New York Times</a> reported in February, citing people familiar with the deal.Musk <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-sues-sam-altman-betrays-openai-mission-chatgpt-2024-3">filed a lawsuit</a> against OpenAI in February, where he accused the company of violating its nonprofit mission by partnering with Microsoft.A year ago, Musk expressed disappointment in what OpenAI had become, saying that it was "<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1626516035863212034?s=20">not what I intended at all.</a>""OpenAI was created as an open source (which is why I named it 'Open' AI), non-profit company to serve as a counterweight to Google, but now it has become a closed source, maximum-profit company effectively controlled by Microsoft," Musk wrote on X.

Elon Musk's xAI says it just raised $6 billion in funding, pulling in big bucks from Sequoia Capital and Saudi Arabia

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Health startup Roon is raising $15 million at a $65 million pre-money valuation, BI has learned.</li><li>Sequoia, an existing Roon investor, is set to participate in the round.</li></ul>Health information site Roon is raising a new funding round, Business Insider has learned.The startup is raising $15 million at a $65 million pre-money valuation, according to two people familiar with the efforts.Existing investor Sequoia Capital has recommitted to the funding round, according to those people.Roon aims to replace "Dr. Google" with its website and app for consumers to ask their health questions and get expert answers.The company previously raised a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/12/roon-wants-to-educate-patients-with-freshly-sourced-info-on-their-conditions/">$7.5 million</a> seed round in 2022. Firstmark, TMV, and Sequoia Capital led the round, with SV Angel, Maveron, and M13 participating.Terms of the deal are not finalized and could be subject to change. Roon and Sequoia did not respond to requests for comment.Roon pitches itself as a "trusted guide for health" on its website. The company provides accessible medical information to users and partners with trained medical professionals to answer specific medical questions about users' health journeys.Currently, Roon's site says it can help patients navigating fertility and family building, dementia, the neurological disease ALS, or the brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme.The company initially began by providing medical information on glioblastomas, sourcing experts on the specific condition before expanding to additional topics, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/12/roon-wants-to-educate-patients-with-freshly-sourced-info-on-their-conditions/">per TechCrunch</a>. Roon also offers to connect users with other people experiencing similar health conditions.Roon CEO Vikram Bhaskaran, a former Pinterest executive, founded Roon in 2021 after struggling to find accessible information about his loved ones' medical conditions. He partnered with his former Pinterest colleague Arun Ranganathan, who serves as Roon's CTO, and Rohan Ramakrishna, a trained neurosurgeon and Roon's chief medical officer.Today, expert <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/health">health information</a> isn't always easy to find with a simple Google search. Patients may turn to resources like WebMD, forums like Quora, or even social media for advice on their conditions — with unsurprisingly unreliable accuracy.AI platforms, such as Perplexity and OpenAI's ChatGPT, are increasingly becoming a resource for medical questions as well. However, there have been <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/software-developers-want-ai-to-give-medical-advice-how-accurate-is-it/">concerns around the reliability and accuracy</a> of these platforms' outputs.Consensus, a search engine that helps people parse scientific papers, raised a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://consensus.app/home/blog/announcing-our-11-5m-series-a-fundraise/">$11.5 million</a> Series A led by Union Square Ventures in July to tackle a similar market.Roon aims to differentiate itself with its focus on "medically vetted" information, Bhaskaran told TechCrunch in 2022."There's so much medical misinformation… it's crazy that patients don't have anywhere to go to answer questions," he said.

Exclusive: Health startup Roon is raising $15 million from Sequoia to replace 'Dr. Google'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Doug Leone wrote on X that he will support Donald Trump for president in this year's election.</li><li>Leone previously rebuked Trump, saying he'd incited the riot at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021.</li></ul>Billionaire venture capitalist Doug Leone, a partner at Sequoia Capital who managed the firm until 2022, reversed his previous critiques of Donald Trump on Monday and said he would support the former president and convicted felon's campaign.He joins a growing list of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sequoia-partner-supports-donald-trump-highlighting-shift-silicon-valley-politics-2024-5">Silicon Valley elites</a> backing Trump."I have become increasingly concerned about the general direction of our country, the state of our broken immigration system, the ballooning deficit, and the foreign policy missteps, among other issues," Leone wrote in a post on X. "Therefore, I am supporting <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-happens-to-ai-regulation-under-another-trump-term-2024-6">former President Trump</a> in this coming election."After the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Leone had previously renounced his support for Trump, saying the former president's behavior during the riots caused him to lose "many of his supporters, including me," Leone said in a statement to Vox's Recode at the time.The re-endorsement adds Leone to a growing list of Silicon Valley elites who have said they will be backing Trump following his recent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-guilty-verdict-donors-backing-conviction-2024-5">felony conviction</a> in New York. Among them are Shaun Maguire, a partner at Sequoia, and billionaire venture capitalist David Sacks.Leone and representatives for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Sequoia partner Doug Leone once again supports Trump after previously renouncing him

<keyword id="6354630" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="mark-zuckerberg" source="Orion">Mark Zuckerberg</keyword>'s <keyword id="399907" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="meta" source="Orion">Meta</keyword> (formerly Facebook) on Wednesday announced a partnership with VC fund <keyword id="1397792" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="kalaari-capital" source="Orion">Kalaari Capital</keyword> to upskill and scale young, invested businesses in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> by providing them with timely business skilling support. The partnership is a part of Meta's 'VC Brand Incubator Initiative' for the growth of micro, small and medium businesses in the country. "As part of this initiative, Meta has partnered with India's largest VC funds. We are thrilled to now partner with Kalaari Capital that has been instrumental in the growth journey of many startups," said <keyword id="3056724" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ajit-mohan" source="Orion">Ajit Mohan</keyword>, VP and MD at Meta in India. Kalaari Capital is an early-stage, technology-focused venture capital firm based in Bengaluru. "As startups scale, they need to leverage several tools and platforms like Meta to support their growth," said <keyword id="1397790" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vani-kola" source="Orion">Vani Kola</keyword>, Founder and Managing Director, Kalaari Capital. In the last three years, Meta has tied up with 16 VC funds, including Kalaari Capital, and has successfully skilled and mentored more than 500 small businesses at various stages of their growth journey. In April, Meta onboarded <keyword id="122716" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sequoia-capital" source="Orion">Sequoia Capital</keyword>. Other VC firms are Fireside Ventures, Elevation Capital [SAIF Partners], DSG Consumer Partners, Matrix Partners, Anthill Ventures and <keyword id="6306883" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="stellaris-ventures" source="Orion">Stellaris Ventures</keyword>, to name a few. With Kalaari Capital, Meta said it is going to have several young, invested businesses from emerging sectors such as ed-tech, social commerce, gaming, and fin-tech, among others participate in the initiative. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/if-you-place-an-order-youre-accepting-the-service-charge-restaurant-body-says/articleshow/91779455.cms">If you place an order, you’re accepting the service charge, restaurant body says</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/tata-avinya-renders-reveal-the-expected-design-of-the-concept-electric-car/articleshow/91765348.cms">Tata Avinya renders reveal the expected design of the concept electric car</a>

Zuckerberg's Meta partners with Kalaari Capital to upskill young startups in India

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Shaun Maguire announced he'd be <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-guilty-verdict-donors-backing-conviction-2024-5">backing Donald Trump after the former president's felony conviction</a>.</li><li>The Sequoia partner's support highlights a political shift among some in Silicon Valley.</li></ul>Shaun Maguire, a partner at the prominent <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sequoia-capital-distributed-10-billion-in-2023">venture capital firm Sequoia</a>, announced he'll be cutting a $300,000 check to Donald Trump — just minutes after the former president was <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-hush-money-trial-verdict-2024-5">found guilty of 34 felony counts</a>. The timing, Maguire said, was not a coincidence.In a lengthy screed on <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/shaunmmaguire/status/1796293774794268747">X</a>, Maguire, who said he voted for Hilary Clinton in 2016 and did not vote in 2020, outlined his reasoning — including a take about the "double standards and lawfare against Trump."He also acknowledged that it may not be the most shrewd move for business."I know that I'll lose friends for this. Some will refuse to do business with me," he wrote. "The media will probably demonize me, as they have so many others before me. But despite this, I still believe it's the right thing to do."Maguire, who did not respond to a request to comment from Business Insider, may be less alone than he thinks.Following his conviction, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-fundraising-felony-conviction-manhattan-senate-republicans-2024-5">Trump's campaign reported raising</a> a record $34.8 million. And while that amount was mostly from small donors, per the Trump team, some big-money donors and Silicon Valley titans have signaled their support for the former president — and the guilty verdict doesn't seem to have stopped them.Billionaire venture capitalist David Sacks, who is co-hosting a fundraiser for Trump next week, called the trial a "sham." Elon Musk replied in agreement with Maguire. Investor Keith Rabois reposted various takes that criticized the verdict.While Silicon Valley has long been a liberal hub, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-biden-silicon-valley-election-fundraising-gop-cash-gap-2024-5">Trump has been courting the big-pocketed tech executives</a> and venture capitalists there.Chamath Palihapitiya, another venture capital billionaire and Sacks' podcast partner, will also cohost next week's Trump fundraiser at Sacks' home, despite donating six figures to Biden in 2020. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-could-be-donald-trump-advisor-wsj-reports-2024-5">Musk has reportedly been in talks with Trump</a> regarding an advisory role, should he win.Others, like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marc-andreessen-plan-use-ai-save-the-world-regulation-startups-2023-6">venture capitalist Marc Andreeson</a> and Rabois, have not announced their support for Trump but have criticized Biden.The current administration's stance on regulation — particularly the FTC's approach to Big Tech companies — and calls for increased taxes on the wealthy has turned some former Democrats against the party.The members of the monied West Coast class throwing their support behind Trump are mirroring some Wall Street counterparts. Last week, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blackstone-ceo-steve-schwarzman-endorses-donald-trump-2024-5">Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman</a> announced he'd be backing the former president. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-ackman-trump-endorsement-reports-2024-5">Hedge fund giant Bill Ackman</a> is reportedly leaning toward endorsing him, too.Of course, the growing number of influential Silicon Valley voices supporting Trump — Sacks and Palihapitiya have their popular podcast, Musk has his an entire social media platform — are not representative of many of the area's wealthy inhabitants.For example, earlier this month, former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-investor-vinod-khosla-says-he-works-80-hour-weeks-2023-12">venture capitalist Vinod Khosla</a> hosted fundraising events for Biden.Correction: May 31, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated the amount of money Trump's campaign raised following the verdict. It raised $34.8 million, not $34.8 billion.

A Sequoia partner announced he's backing Donald Trump following his felony conviction, highlighting a political shift in Silicon Valley 

B9 Beverages Ltd, Bira 91's parent company, on Wednesday said it is raising $25 million in new funding from <keyword id="20841250" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tiger-pacific-capital" source="keywords">Tiger Pacific Capital</keyword>, an Asia-focused fund headquartered in New York and Hong Kong. The new investment is part of a $50 million round raised by the company, with participation from its existing investor, <keyword id="20635955" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kirin-holdings" source="keywords">Kirin Holdings</keyword> of Japan, and Tiger Pacific Capital from New York, it said in a statement. "As Bira 91 takes next steps to drive growth across markets and strengthen its supply chain, this new partnership will strengthen the company's balance sheet considerably," said <keyword id="20841253" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ankur-jain" source="keywords">Ankur Jain</keyword>, Founder and CEO, Bira 91. With this capital, "we will expand our manufacturing footprint to new regions, including Uttar Pradesh," he added. The company has six large-scale manufacturing plants in the country. Bira 91 is now the fourth largest beer company in <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="india" source="keywords">India</keyword>, behind only multinationals like Heineken, AB-Inbev and Carlsberg, and has experienced strong double-digit growth since its inception 9 years ago. The company also owns the country's largest beer-focused pub chain, The Beer Cafe. "We are excited to partner with emerging companies in India, especially brands like Bira 91 with a unique understanding of the new Indian consumer, and a strong local manufacturing footprint," said <keyword id="20847970" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="run-ye" source="keywords">Run Ye</keyword>, Founder of Tiger Pacific Capital. Founded in 2015, B9 Beverages is backed by leading investors including Japan's leading beer company, Kirin Holdings, Japan's largest bank, MUFG Bank, Sofina of Belgium, and Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia India). SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/nothing-phone-2a-smartphone-debuts-in-india-priced-starting-at-23999/articleshow/108240037.cms">Nothing Phone (2a) smartphone debuts in India, priced starting at ₹23,999</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/electric-two-wheeler-sales-grow-by-24-in-february-2024-ola-electric-leads-with-over-40-market-share/articleshow/108227956.cms">Electric two-wheeler sales grow by 24% in February 2024, Ola Electric leads with over 40% market share</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/xiaomi-14-to-launch-in-india-on-march-7-to-take-on-the-galaxy-s23-and-oneplus-12/articleshow/107841326.cms">Xiaomi 14 to launch in India on March 7, to take on the Galaxy S23 and OnePlus 12</a>

Bira 91 raises $25 mn to expand manufacturing footprint

Homegrown micro-blogging platform <keyword id="3518161" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="koo" source="Orion">Koo</keyword> on Tuesday said that it has laid off 15 employees, or 5 per cent of its workforce, and not 40 as earlier reported in the media. In a fresh statement to IANS, the Twitter rival said that 15 positions "have been made redundant or removed due to performance issues". "This is completely aligned with the industry standards of hiring and retrenchment. At the same time, Koo continues to hire talent in its monetisation, product and engineering teams," a company spokesperson said. The additional hires, said Koo, will help it gear up for the next phase of growth and monetisation. Aprameya Radhakrishna, Co-founder and CEO, Koo, was recently in London for an industry event for Indian entrepreneurs. The company spokesperson said that she "did not meet any funders or high net worth individuals (HNIs) in London and did not engage in any fundraising activity". Koo has raised $44.1 million to date. The company said it is "well capitalised, is focused on growth and enhancing innovation, driving digital inclusion and attaining 100 million downloads". Launched in March 2020, Koo is currently available in 10 languages -- Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali and English. According to the platform, it has over 45 million downloads and is actively leveraged by 7,000 high-profile people from across the spectrum. Koo is backed by <keyword id="526777" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="tiger-global" source="Orion">Tiger Global</keyword> and early stage investors like Accel, <keyword id="1397792" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="kalaari-capital" source="Orion">Kalaari Capital</keyword>, Blume Ventures and Dream incubator. In February this year, Koo raised $10 million through Indian family offices. The investors included Capsier Venture Partner, <keyword id="13085219" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ravi-modi-family-trust" source="Orion">Ravi Modi Family Trust</keyword>, <keyword id="2988161" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ashneer-grover" source="Orion">Ashneer Grover</keyword>, FBC Venture Partners, <keyword id="14870685" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="adventz-finance" source="Orion">Adventz Finance</keyword> etc, according to regulatory filings. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/explained-whats-the-ethereum-merge-and-how-it-can-change-eth-value/articleshow/94020891.cms">Explained: What’s the Ethereum Merge and how it can change Eth value</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/22-engineers-officers-found-guilty-in-lucknow-hotel-fire-probe/articleshow/94018692.cms">22 engineers, officers found guilty in Lucknow hotel fire probe</a>

Homegrown Twitter rival Koo says laid off 15 employees, not 40

<ul class="summary-list"><li>VC firm <keyword id="13647765" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sequoia-capital-india" source="Orion">Sequoia Capital India</keyword> has spoken out about fraud allegations at multiple <keyword id="6362513" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="startups" source="Orion">startups</keyword> it's backed.</li><li>The firm said it was difficult to conduct due diligence on early-stage businesses.</li></ul><keyword id="11904329" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sequoia-capital" source="Orion">Sequoia Capital</keyword> India, a major investor in Southeast Asian startups, has said due diligence on early-stage startups is tough as four of its portfolio companies face fraud or misconduct allegations.<a href="https://india.sequoiacap.com/build/corporate-governance-the-cornerstone-of-an-enduring-company/">In a blogpost not attributed to a particular author</a>, the firm said: "Recently some portfolio founders have been under investigation for potential fraudulent practices or poor governance. These allegations are deeply disturbing."The post added: "It is easy to think of this issue as ascribed to poor due diligence. But let's remember that when investments are made at seed or early stage there is hardly a business to diligence. Even later stage investors can face negative surprises, post investment, if there is willful fraud and intent."<keyword id="12116150" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sequoia" source="Orion">Sequoia</keyword> didn't name check any firms, but one of these negative surprises has been <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zilingo-ceo-suspended-accounting-probe-singapore-startup-report-2022-4">Zilingo</a>, a Singapore-based fashion e-commerce startup first backed by Sequoia in 2015 and estimated to be worth $970 million. <keyword id="13616941" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="zilingo" source="Orion">Zilingo</keyword> earlier this month suspended its cofounder and CEO Ankiti Bose amid a financial probe into its accounting practices. A lawyer acting for Bose called her suspension "unfair" in <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-14/sequoia-s-singh-leaves-zilingo-board-amid-accounting-probe">a statement to Bloomberg</a>.Sequoia and another backer, Temasek, raised their concerns with Zilingo's board. Sequoia's Shailendra Singh subsequently resigned as director of Zilingo's board, Bloomberg reported.Three other Sequoia-backed startups are also under scrutiny.In mid-March, Indian news media reported that EY India was investigating social e-commerce platform <a href="https://inc42.com/buzz/trells-founders-under-scrutiny-for-financial-irregularities/">Trell</a> for alleged financial irregularities. The same month, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/tax-officials-raid-zetwerks-offices-founders-homes-suspecting-tax-evasion/articleshow/90293975.cms?from=mdr">Zetwerk Manufacturing</a> was reportedly raided by Indian tax officials over alleged tax evasion concerns. Also in March, financial platform <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/ashneer-grover-loses-singapore-arbitration-bharatpe-probe-to-continue/articleshow/89887218.cms">BharatPe's</a> cofounder Ashneer Grover was <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/01/bharatpe-founder-ashneer-grover-siphoned-off-money-fintech-startup-says/">accused of misappropriating funds</a> by the firm and quit as CEO. Sequoia in its post called for better "guardrails" for the startup ecosystem, such as agreeing new rules around corporate governance, and said startup "boards can only work with the information shared with them" to uncover wrongdoing.Sequoia's post highlights the risks of investing in early-stage startups, where <keyword id="11897927" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="venture-capital" source="Orion">venture capital</keyword> firms plow cash into unproven companies, often trusting in a founder's vision more than the solidity of their business model. The firm wrote that a startup's board "is not responsible to investigate on an ongoing basis" for potential bad behavior unless it's explicitly flagged up.But some regional investors shot back at suggestions that the wider ecosystem was at fault."Sequoia India, caught with their pants down with 4 portfolio companies. Decides to blames the 'eco-system,'" wrote Sam Gibb, managing partner of Singapore-based fintech investor Resolution Ventures, <a href="https://twitter.com/samngibb/status/1515837214499827714">on Twitter</a>. He said that bigger investors encourage a "growth-at-all-costs" mentality at startups, leading founders to step "over gray lines" to hit metrics."The interests of career VCs (where a bulk of remuneration is fixed) diverge from founders as status is more important to them than building lasting economic value," he wrote.Sequoia could not be reached over the phone for further comment.

Big-name investor Sequoia says startup due diligence is hard as 4 of its Asian portfolio companies face allegations of fraud or misconduct

Homegrown micro-blogging platform <keyword id="3518161" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="koo">Koo</keyword> on Wednesday said it has raised $30 million in Series B funding, led by Tiger Global. Koo has garnered nearly 60 lakh downloads in just a year of operations. "We have aggressive plans to grow into one of the world's largest social media platforms in the next few years. Every Indian is cheering for us to get there soon. Tiger Global is the right partner to have on board to realise this dream," said Aprameya Radhakrishna, <keyword id="170488" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="co-founder">Co-Founder</keyword> and CEO of Koo. Koo's existing investors <keyword id="144381" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Accel-Partners">Accel Partners</keyword>, <keyword id="1397792" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kalaari-Capital">Kalaari Capital</keyword>, <keyword id="592779" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Blume-Ventures">Blume Ventures</keyword> and Dream Incubator also participating in the round. IIFL and Mirae Assets are other new investors who have come on board the cap table with this round, the company informed. Koo last week said it has met the compliance requirements of the new IT (Intermediary Guidelines) Rules 2021 ahead of its May 25 deadline set by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Koo said earlier this month announced to launch a unique feature that will help users speak and type messages without using the keyboard in regional languages, apart from English. Called 'Talk to Type,' the feature will help Koo users speak out their thoughts and the words will show up on the screen at the click of a button. Founded last year, the vernacular micro-blogging platform Koo crossed 60 lakh users within no time and aims to garner 10 crore users by the end of this year. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-moves-the-delhi-high-court-against-indias-new-it-laws-says-report/articleshow/82965251.cms">WhatsApp moves the Delhi High Court against India’s new IT laws, says report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/cyclone-yaas-will-unleash-its-fury-for-another-12-to-18-hours-after-making-landfall/articleshow/82964922.cms">Cyclone Yaas will unleash its fury for another 12 to 18 hours after making landfall</a>

India's micro-blogging app Koo raises $30 million led by Tiger Global

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