Lacework valuation went from 8.3B $ to just 150M

- Google is reportedly planning to acquire Wiz, a cloud cybersecurity startup, for $23 billion, making it the largest acquisition in Google's history. - Wiz, based in New York City, offers advanced security tools for enterprise cloud infrastructure, partnering with giants like Amazon and Oracle. - The acquisition is seen as a strategic move to bolster Google's cloud security capabilities, especially in light of recent security breaches at Microsoft. - Google Cloud's Thomas Kurian is leading the acquisition effort, which follows previous significant investments in cloud security, including the purchase of Mandiant. - While the deal appears likely, it faces potential regulatory scrutiny from US authorities, given the current administration's focus on antitrust actions. Source: The Verge

- WhizHack has secured $3 Mn in its Pre-Series A funding round from SAAA Capital, valuing the startup at $100 Mn. - The fresh capital will be used to enhance R&D through collaborations with universities in India and the US. - The startup plans to raise a larger Series A round in early 2025 to expand into North America and Europe. - WhizHack has seen over 200% annual growth in business from enterprise and government clients, and a 50X increase in shareholder value over the past three years. - Founded in November 2020, WhizHack competes with Kratikal, Hicube, and Skylark, and counts IITs, NPTI, and Microsoft among its partners. Source: Inc42

- Wiz has decided to forgo a $23 billion acquisition offer from Google, opting instead to pursue an initial public offering (IPO) as originally planned. - Co-founder Assaf Rappaport cited antitrust and investor concerns as key reasons for rejecting the deal, emphasizing the company's focus on achieving $1 billion in annual recurring revenue. - The decision is a setback for Google, which aimed to bolster its cloud security offerings to compete with Microsoft and Amazon. - Venture firms like Index Ventures and Sequoia, which have invested heavily in Wiz, may view the collapse of the deal as a disappointment given the rarity of high-value exits in the current market. - Wiz has shown rapid growth, hitting $350 million in annual recurring revenue in 2023, and remains committed to its IPO ambitions. Source: CNBC

- Investor 360 One estimates VerSe's worth at $2.9B, down from $5B in April 2022 - VerSe operates news aggregator Dailyhunt, backed by major investors like Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan - 360 One owns a 2% stake in VerSe, disclosed valuation in June update to investors - VerSe spokesperson claims business has grown exponentially since last funding round - Trend aligns with global investors marking down startup valuations, like Fidelity's cuts to X and Gupshup Source: [Techcrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/30/dailyhunt-parent-verses-valuation-gets-slashed-42-to-2-9b-investor-note/)

Nvidia stock has 6x in the last 5 years, going from 57 USD to over 450 USD now. Similar stocks that had great growth include AMD (3x) , Tesla (15x !!) , making those employees who joined before the bullrun millionaires. Now the question is what are new Nvidia or Tesla whose stocks have a good chance to 3x or more in the next 5 years timeline?

Perplexity raises $73.6M from the likes of some big names like Jeff Bezos, Naval, Balaji, NVIDIA. Just last month Mistral raised more than $400M in its second funding. AI based startups are the future I guess? https://twitter.com/AravSrinivas/status/1742918329797574709?t=MtMOF8D3AX6GodNE13pNBw&s=19