Clouds by joni mitchell

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Monica Desai Weiss is an investor at Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, where she focuses on fintech and blockchain. Previously, she led operations and strategy at digital wallet startup Blockchain and was a bond trader at JPMorgan. Forbes spoke with her about the past year in fintech and her top predictions for 2020. The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity. Forbes: For fintech in 2019, what events or milestones stand out as the most important? Desai Weiss: There were a few big themes. Financial services incumbents took notice of fintech startups, and some parts of the fintech industry matured. There were several mergers and acquisitions around payment processors [like Fiserv acquiring First Data]—these companies are coming to terms with Stripe and Square’s success in payments. There was also a great reckoning around trading fees. Schwab, TD Ameritrade and Etrade all dropped their … [Read more...] about Five Fintech Predictions For 2020, According To Kleiner Perkins

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Have you seen the “green comet” yet ? If not, you had better get your skates on because this weekend presents the last good opportunity to easily see comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) in a dark moonless sky from the northern hemisphere (though do use binoculars and don’t look directly at it !). After all, comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) won’t be back for about 55,000 years. It’s what's called a long-period comet. It comes from a distant region around the edge of the solar system called the Oort cloud, where it hangs out with billions of other relics left over from the formation of our solar system. If you’re struggling to remember the name of the “green comet,” you’re not alone. Comets are cataloged when they're first spotted, typically taking the name of the telescope or observatory they were spotted with. However, there is one comet that's extremely well-known—and for which 2023 is a significant year. Halley’s comet … [Read more...] about Halley’s Comet: Why 2023 Is A Big Year For The Only Naked Eye Comet That Can Appear Twice In One Human Lifetime

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin F resh off a blockbuster earnings report that shattered Wall Street expectations, shares of AI-enabled fintech lender Upstart Holdings skyrocketed Thursday, minting a new billionaire out of Dave Girouard, the firm's cofounder and CEO. While the broader stock market plunged over concerns about sky-high valuations, Upstart's stock ended the day up a staggering 89%, lifting the fortune of 54-year-old Girouard, who cofounded Upstart in 2012 and owns about 14% of shares, to an estimated $1.3 billion, according to Forbes. After the market closed on Wednesday, the San Mateo, Calif.-based firm reported fourth-quarter earnings that nearly tripled average analyst expectations and posted full-year 2020 revenue of $233 million, 42% higher than in 2019. The company now sports an eye-popping market capitalization of $8.3 billion, or 20 times trailing revenues. "Last quarter was monumental for us as we took the company public in … [Read more...] about CEO Of Fintech Lender Upstart Now A Billionaire After Shares Soar 89% In One Day