Latest news with #ventureCapital
The Verge
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Verge
Posted Jun 18, 2025 at 6:01 PM EDT
Click this suspicious link to claim your free Andreesen Horowitz crypto today! Actually, please don't. The venture capital fund's X account seems to have been hacked. (Update: Andreesen Horowitz later confirmed that their account had been compromised.)
The Verge
12 hours ago
- Business
- The Verge
Posted Jun 18, 2025 at 6:01 PM EDT 7 Comments / 7 New
Click this suspicious link to claim your free Andreesen Horowitz crypto today! Actually, please don't. The venture capital fund's X account seems to have been hacked. (Update: Andreesen Horowitz later confirmed that their account had been compromised.)
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘I'm a millionaire fleeing Britain – a Reeves U-turn would stop me leaving'
I have a spreadsheet open in front of me on my computer, detailing the exact number of days I have left to stay in the UK this tax year. The reason? Labour's changes to non-doms inheritance tax rules. The changes are so costly that they have forced me to reconsider where I live. When my days in the UK run out, I will not spend time in some tax haven; I'll just go back home to South Africa and work out the next steps. If Rachel Reeves reverses the inheritance tax change for non-doms, I would unequivocally stay and grow my venture capital business in the UK. I know so many other millionaires in my situation. Many have left but still have properties here and have not yet completely settled in their new homes. Half of these people would rush back if the rules around paying inheritance tax on worldwide assets changed, because we are all upset to leave and feel forced. But the Chancellor must act quickly before it is too late. I want to keep investing in growth companies like I did with quantum computing start-up Oxford Ionics, which last week sold for $1.1bn (£820m) to a US firm. But after raising £500m to invest in Britain's most exciting start-ups since I arrived here in 2019, my future investment will now be elsewhere. This money will likely help grow companies in mainland Europe instead. It is a shame, as Oxford and Cambridge are where the most exciting cutting-edge projects are happening. But I am sadly certainly not going to bring any more money to the UK if I cannot stay. I know people will say: 'It's just inheritance tax. What does it matter if you are dead?' My businesses are my life's work. I want them to secure my sons' futures. I grew up with very little, fleeing communist Poland as a child refugee with my parents and two siblings when the country started running out of food in the early 1980s. The only way to get out was to flee with fake papers. We spent the whole of 1981 in a migrant camp in Austria, where my parents applied to countries accepting refugees. We ended up in South Africa without knowing anything about the country or the apartheid regime. We didn't speak English and had $500 to our name. In the next years, we were just about surviving. I studied actuarial science at university because that was the only way to get a bursary, and we had no money for schooling. After working for a couple of insurance companies, I realised I'm not diplomatic enough to be a corporate employee. So I ended up in the world of start-ups and decided to start my own company. I gambled everything on it, putting my house up as collateral. It is today one of South Africa's large financial services groups. I came to the UK for security reasons in 2019, after speaking out against corruption in Jacob Zuma's government and being left fearing for my life. London has become my home. I had hoped to live here for the rest of my life. Being forced to leave for reasons outside my control feels much like grief. The impact goes beyond just my own personal circumstances. I have had to let 12 casual household staff go – gardeners, cleaners, builders. While I still have a venture capital firm, Braavos, in Britain, I will not hire anyone new here. Over time, I may have to think about relocating it. I put my flat in Kensington on the market five months ago, but because so many like me are leaving there are hardly any buyers. I'm considering putting my house that I love up for sale too, but for now I am holding out for a miracle. If there is none, I will be forced to go once my 90 days in Britain this tax year are up. I'm leaving on the strong advice of my tax advisers, as the new rules around inheritance are unworkable for me. For one, South Africa has foreign exchange controls. That means if I were to die under current rules, South Africa may refuse to release the funds to settle a huge inheritance tax bill in Britain. Even ignoring the difficulty of getting the money out, my wealth is mainly held in the form of shares in the financial services company Sygnia, which I founded and built in South Africa. My sons would be forced to sell those shares quickly. If you want to sell anything fast, you'll have to do so with a big discount, which would devalue the company. How can this be good for the economy? If Reeves changes her mind, I would immediately cancel my plans to leave. I could rehire all of my household staff, take my property off the market and focus on raising funds for another investment fund to boost British growth companies. My message to the Chancellor is this: you came into power to fix the economy, so don't destroy growth by putting politics before economics. As told to Eir Nolsøe Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
‘I'm a millionaire fleeing Britain – a Reeves U-turn would stop me leaving'
I have a spreadsheet open in front of me on my computer, detailing the exact number of days I have left to stay in the UK this tax year. The reason? Labour's changes to non-doms inheritance tax rules. The changes are so costly that they have forced me to reconsider where I live. When my days in the UK run out, I will not spend time in some tax haven; I'll just go back home to South Africa and work out the next steps. If Rachel Reeves reverses the inheritance tax change for non-doms, I would unequivocally stay and grow my venture capital business in the UK. I know so many other millionaires in my situation. Many have left but still have properties here and have not yet completely settled in their new homes. Half of these people would rush back if the rules around paying inheritance tax on worldwide assets changed, because we are all upset to leave and feel forced. But the Chancellor must act quickly before it is too late. I want to keep investing in growth companies like I did with quantum computing start-up Oxford Ionics, which last week sold for $1.1bn (£820m) to a US firm. But after raising £500m to invest in Britain's most exciting start-ups since I arrived here in 2019, my future investment will now be elsewhere. This money will likely help grow companies in mainland Europe instead. It is a shame, as Oxford and Cambridge are where the most exciting cutting-edge projects are happening. But I am sadly certainly not going to bring any more money to the UK if I cannot stay. Refugee to millionaire I know people will say: 'It's just inheritance tax. What does it matter if you are dead?' My businesses are my life's work. I want them to secure my sons' futures. I grew up with very little, fleeing communist Poland as a child refugee with my parents and two siblings when the country started running out of food in the early 1980s. The only way to get out was to flee with fake papers. We spent the whole of 1981 in a migrant camp in Austria, where my parents applied to countries accepting refugees. We ended up in South Africa without knowing anything about the country or the apartheid regime. We didn't speak English and had $500 to our name. In the next years, we were just about surviving. I studied actuarial science at university because that was the only way to get a bursary, and we had no money for schooling. After working for a couple of insurance companies, I realised I'm not diplomatic enough to be a corporate employee. So I ended up in the world of start-ups and decided to start my own company. I gambled everything on it, putting my house up as collateral. It is today one of South Africa's large financial services groups. I came to the UK for security reasons in 2019, after speaking out against corruption in Jacob Zuma's government and being left fearing for my life. Pushed out London has become my home. I had hoped to live here for the rest of my life. Being forced to leave for reasons outside my control feels much like grief. The impact goes beyond just my own personal circumstances. I have had to let 12 casual household staff go – gardeners, cleaners, builders. While I still have a venture capital firm, Braavos, in Britain, I will not hire anyone new here. Over time, I may have to think about relocating it. I put my flat in Kensington on the market five months ago, but because so many like me are leaving there are hardly any buyers. I'm considering putting my house that I love up for sale too, but for now I am holding out for a miracle. If there is none, I will be forced to go once my 90 days in Britain this tax year are up. I'm leaving on the strong advice of my tax advisers, as the new rules around inheritance are unworkable for me. For one, South Africa has foreign exchange controls. That means if I were to die under current rules, South Africa may refuse to release the funds to settle a huge inheritance tax bill in Britain. Even ignoring the difficulty of getting the money out, my wealth is mainly held in the form of shares in the financial services company Sygnia, which I founded and built in South Africa. My sons would be forced to sell those shares quickly. If you want to sell anything fast, you'll have to do so with a big discount, which would devalue the company. How can this be good for the economy? If Reeves changes her mind, I would immediately cancel my plans to leave. I could rehire all of my household staff, take my property off the market and focus on raising funds for another investment fund to boost British growth companies.
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How AI And Permanent Capital Are Reshaping Private Markets
Pierrick Bouffaron, Operating Partner for Entropia Capital , a global investor in technology with offices in Hong Kong, Luxembourg and NYC. getty A quiet yet profound transformation is reshaping private equity and late-stage venture capital: the convergence of AI, operational value creation and long-hold ownership models. At the core of this evolution are AI-fueled roll-up strategies and the rise of permanent capital vehicles, both of which appear to be increasingly favored by firms ready to move beyond the rigid timelines of traditional fund cycles. We are entering a new era where algorithmic leverage, not just capital, is driving the next wave of scalable, operational value creation. Over the past decade, I've worked at the intersection of deep tech investing, corporate innovation and startup acceleration, advising and co-building technology ventures across the U.S., Europe and Southeast Asia. I've seen firsthand how data infrastructure and operational control are becoming essential tools for private market outperformance. Roll-ups, where investors acquire and consolidate smaller businesses in fragmented sectors, have long been a private equity favorite. They can deliver efficiencies through scale, help negotiate better contracts, centralize functions and ultimately allow the group to be sold at a premium. But executing a roll-up is hard. It requires deep market knowledge, relentless due diligence and seamless post-deal integration. That's where AI is rewriting the playbook. Modern AI systems can crawl thousands of databases, parse regulatory filings and analyze web content to surface ideal acquisition targets using natural language processing. Machine learning models can flag customer churn risk, uncover margin levers and benchmark operational key performance before a term sheet is signed. After closing, AI can help facilitate faster onboarding, workflow automation, supply chain optimization and digital transformation across units. This is no longer theory. Thrive Capital, an investor behind OpenAI and Stripe, has been fundraising for Thrive Holdings, a $1 billion permanent capital vehicle to acquire and operate 'everyday' businesses, including homeowner associations and accounting firms, with AI as the operational backbone. The idea is to use algorithms and automation to drive improvements in margins and service across legacy sectors. And Thrive isn't an outlier. This playbook builds on a proven model seen in industries like dental chains and plumbing services: Standardize systems, share overhead and scale intelligently. What's new is that the engine now runs on code. The Acceleration Of AI In Private Equity AI in private markets may seem recent, but the data revolution has been gaining steam for decades. In the early 2000s, quantitative hedge funds like Renaissance Technologies led the way (paywall). Private equity generally followed with caution until firms like Two Six Capital began using data science to evaluate portfolio companies. Two Six participated in more than $27 billion worth of deals using these analytics. The pace accelerated in the 2020s, with some studies indicating that firms investing in data science capabilities outperformed their peers (paywall), highlighting a link between analytics and business success. One example is Paris-based Jolt Capital, which developed an AI platform that's been in use since 2016, according to the platform's website. It scans the web to spot under-the-radar investment opportunities in tech firms. It tracks patent filings, executive shifts, market sentiment and financial signals, which can offer an edge in sourcing and diligence, particularly in Europe's fragmented deep tech landscape. Another example is EQT, also in Europe, which uses its internal AI engine, Motherbrain, to help source investments. Shaping Long-Term Plays The other major trend I'm seeing reshape private markets is the rise of permanent capital vehicles (PCVs), investment structures without fixed exit deadlines. In my view, their popularity is likely increasing thanks to their compatibility with operationally intensive strategies like AI-led roll-ups. Traditional funds must return capital in seven to 10 years, in my experience. PCVs allow firms to take the long view, reinvest gains and build durable, cash-generating businesses over decades. It's a model tailor-made for transformations that take time, like deploying AI across dozens of acquired companies. Sequoia Capital helped pioneer this approach (paywall) in 2021 by launching The Sequoia Fund, a structure designed to hold public stocks indefinitely. Instead of being forced to exit positions in winners after an initial public offering, Sequoia now retains long-term upside and strategic optionality. Andreessen Horowitz took a similar approach in 2023 with its a16z Perennial Venture Capital Fund. No public tally exists for how many firms run PCVs, but I'm seeing the trend accelerating. From my observations, top-tier firms with operational muscle and AI ambitions are increasingly choosing flexible timelines over forced exits. Capital Meets Code: A Strategic Convergence Together, AI-powered roll-ups and permanent capital vehicles signal a structural shift in how investment firms deploy capital and build value. I believe the boundary between late-stage venture and traditional private equity is fading, as operational control becomes the new priority. Firms are hiring engineers as core team members, building proprietary tooling and behaving less like investors and more like operators. A new class of fund is emerging: They aggregate assets, standardize them with AI and create long-term cash flow engines. To me, this means the competitive edge is increasingly found in the data stack. This isn't a tactical update; it's a redefinition of what happens after the deal closes. For other firms looking to adapt to these shifts, start by embedding technical talent—such as data scientists, machine learning engineers and AI product leads—into your core deal and operations teams. Second, consider piloting internal tools that can track portfolio performance, not only financially but also operationally, and layer in data streams that surface risks and opportunities in real time. I believe those who adapt could not only see better internal rates of return but also build a compounding, self-improving edge that defines the next generation of value creation. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
