300m

Berlin-based World Fund has filled its coffers with €300M, in what it claims to be the largest first-time fund raised by any climate tech VC in European history.  Founded in 2021, World Fund invests in startups building tech to decarbonise industries from energy and buildings to transport and agriculture. It has already backed 15 early-stage companies, including SpaceForge, which manufactures materials in orbit, and Slovenian startup Juicy Marbles, which makes fake meat whole cuts.  “We look…

Partech has closed its second Africa fund, Partech Africa II, at €280 million ($300 million+), just one year after reaching its first close. At that size, Partech Africa, which originally targeted €230 million before its fundraising efforts started, solidifies its position as the largest fund dedicated to African startups.  Amidst a backdrop of global VCs and institutional investors pulling back from Africa, Partech Africa’s recent fund closure is significant. The continent witnessed a notable decline in investor…

Defense tech startup Shield AI has expanded its latest funding round with another $300 million in equity and debt, bringing its total Series F to $500 million, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. This total amount reflects $200 million in equity closed in November, $100 million in new equity raised at the Series F price, and $200 million in debt. The debt provider is Hercules Capital; Shield declined to specify the source of the additional equity. The company’s valuation now stands at $2.8 billion, up from $2.7…

May 4th 2023 New Story4m by @sheharyarkhan Too Long; Didn't ReadThe latest round of funding values OpenAI at between $27 billion and $29 billion, which would mean it's now more valuable than eBay (~$24.6B), Roblox (~$22B), Snap Inc. (~$14B), and even Dropbox Inc. (~$7.1B). May 4th 2023 New Story4m by @sheharyarkhanToo Long; Didn't ReadThe latest round of funding values OpenAI at between $27 billion and $29 billion, which would mean it's now more valuable than eBay (~$24.6B), Roblox (~$22B), Snap Inc. (~$14B), and…

Updated to note that the Microsoft investment closed in January. The money from VCs reported here, part of a tender offer, is separate to that. OpenAI, the startup behind the widely used conversational AI model ChatGPT, has picked up new backers, TechCrunch has learned. VC firms including Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Thrive and K2 Global picking up new shares, according to documents seen by TechCrunch. A source tells us Founders Fund is also investing. Altogether the VCs have put in just over…

US computer storage giant Seagate has been fined $300 million for shipping over 7 million hard disk drives to Huawei despite a Commerce Department ban prohibiting exports to the Chinese tech company. The fine marks the largest penalty lodged against a company for doing business with Huawei since it was added to the trade blacklist and comes amid a rapidly escalating tech war between the US and China.A Transformer Is Headed to the MoonThe Commerce Department claims Seagate sent 7.4 million hard disk drives (HDDs) to…

UK-based EV startup Arrival has garnered a fresh $300 million in equity financing in hopes it can slow the financial bleeding that has plagued it in recent months. As previously announced layoffs and cost cuts take effect, Arrival expects the funding to help slow its cash-burn rate, but says it will need to raise even more in order to begin Van production in the US next year. Arrival ($ARVL) is an UK-based startup focused on delivering urban-centric mobility by way of its last-mile Arrival…

Financial Times: Interviews detail FTX and SBF's lavish spending, aided by minimal internal controls, including $300M+ on Bahamas real estate and chartering Amazon deliveries — When crypto exchange FTX moved its headquarters to the Bahamas from Hong Kong last year, employees discovered that Amazon did not deliver to the island. Financial Times: Interviews detail FTX and SBF's lavish spending, aided by minimal internal controls, including $300M+ on Bahamas real estate and chartering Amazon…

(Source: Singtel)Six carriers have teamed up to build a $300 million subsea cable system that seeks to boost connectivity between Southeast Asia and China. Spanning 6,000 kilometres, the network will link up Singapore, Hong Kong, Brunei, the Philippines, and China. Called the Asia Link Cable (ALC) system, the cable network is expected to be competed by the third quarter of 2025, according to Singtel, which jointly leads the consortium with China Telecom Global. The group also comprises the Philippines' Globe Telecom…

The co-developer of a $300 million resort in Keystone says $8 million went missing from the project and the firm was then pushed out for revealing the other developer’s bank fraud. That developer accused of fraud says the other developer is a liar, sham and grifter who committed a federal crime while running a scam that cost the project $72 million. The Kindred Resort, which broke ground earlier this year and is expected to open in 2025, will be a ski-in, ski-out hotel and condo complex on four acres. Its 95 condos range…