Start-up
She dropped out of culinary school at 21. Today, she teaches dumpling-making for a living
Samantha Mui, 34, is the founder of Thirsty Dumpling. Courtesy of Samantha Mui Samantha Mui has always been a bit of a rebel. Growing up, she knew she hated school but loved being creative and cooking. As a kid, she said, she played hooky by pretending to be sick so she could stay home and […]
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‘Fail fast, learn fast’: She built a property startup from her garage. It’s raised over $75 million
Dayu Dara Permata, 36, is the co-founder and CEO of Indonesian property transaction platform Pinhome. Courtesy of Pinhome It’s no secret that building a successful startup often involves risk, iteration and failure. Dayu Dara Permata knows this well. The 36-year-old is the co-founder and CEO of Indonesian property transaction platform Pinhome. Over the course of […]
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Meet the sustainable fashion startup backed by H&M and Amazon
An H&M store in New York City on Nov. 19, 2024. Charly Triballeau | AFP | Getty Images When Gilberto Loureiro spent summers working in a textile factory as a teenager growing up in Portugal, he discovered that he felt “hate and love” for how clothes were produced. The work was tough: Loureiro’s job was […]
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Millennial entrepreneur raised $2 million for a money-saving app for immigrants
Nina Mohanty, founder of Bloom Money. Bloom Money One millennial entrepreneur raised $2 million to build a financial app catered to traditional money-saving methods used by immigrant communities in the West. Silicon Valley native Nina Mohanty founded Bloom Money in 2021, a fintech app designed to support U.K.-based immigrant communities to save money collaboratively, also […]
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I took a 2-day ‘vibe coding’ class and successfully built a product. Here are my biggest takeaways
I challenged myself to a two-day “vibe coding” bootcamp. Courtesy of Ernestine Siu As someone who chats with startup founders for a living, I’ve always admired the “builders.” I have a lot of respect for their technical ability to dream up an idea and code it into existence, but it’s not something I could ever […]
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From unicorns to brick-and-mortar: VCs in Southeast Asia get cold feet as they switch bets
Funding by VC investors in tech-based companies has declined by about 79% between 2022 and 2024, from around $10.1 billion to approximately $2.2 billion, according to data intelligence platform Tracxn. Koumaru | Istock | Getty Images Venture capitalists typically have a strong appetite for risk, but some investors in Southeast Asia are becoming increasingly cautious. […]
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Adobe takes stake in Synthesia, startup behind AI clones for corporate videos
An Adobe sign hangs along Main Street during the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 27, 2025 in Park City, Utah. David Becker | Getty Images LONDON — Adobe has invested in Synthesia, a British artificial intelligence startup, in a bet that the technology will transform video production. Synthesia told CNBC that Adobe’s venture capital […]
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With IPOs on hold even longer, tariffs spell trouble for private tech investors
A VIX volatility index chart on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Federal Reserve officials held their benchmark interest rate steady for a second straight meeting, though they telegraphed expectations for slower economic growth and higher inflation. Photographer: Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | […]
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Many senior venture capitalists are leaving big firms. Insiders boil it down to a few reasons
“Big firms have gotten much, much bigger,” said Alexandre Lazarow, managing partner of Fluent Ventures. “At the same time, there’s been an explosion of [small] venture capital firms … so I think we’ve seen the rise of specialization and the rise of regionalization in tech.” Johnnygreig | E+ | Getty Images The venture capital industry […]
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French fintech Pennylane doubles valuation to $2.2 billion as Alphabet’s venture capital arm takes stake
Seksan Mongkhonkhamsao | Moment | Getty Images French accounting software firm Pennylane has doubled its valuation to 2 billion euros ($2.16 billion) in a new 75 million euro funding round. Pennylane told CNBC that it raised the fresh funds from a host of venture funds, with Sequoia Capital leading the round and Alphabet’s CapitalG, Meritech […]
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