New York City-based HIFI, which provides API infrastructure for stablecoin payments and settlements, raised a $37M Series A led by Left Lane Capital
THE SO WHAT
Stablecoin rails moving into DTCC tokenized-asset pilots and Visa partnerships—and now pulling in $37M for HIFI’s API stack—mark stablecoins as core financial plumbing, not a side bet. If you touch payments or capital markets, you need a view on where stablecoin settlement fits in your 2–3 year roadmap.
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Startups & VentureSources: Monzo is in talks to be acquired by Nubank parent Nu Holdings in a deal valuing it at £8B-£10B; Monzo also discussed selling a ~15% stake to PE firms
A potential £8B–£10B Monzo sale to Nu Holdings would mark another consolidation step toward a few global consumer fintech platforms. If you’re building in retail finance, assume distribution and data gravity are concentrating—optimize for niche depth or infrastructure plays, not generic neobank features.
Startups & VentureMonzo in talks about a sale to Nubank, reports
A potential Monzo–Nubank deal would consolidate two of the strongest consumer fintech brands into a multi-region challenger with real scale economics. For incumbents, the threat profile shifts from local neobanks nibbling at the edges to a few global consumer platforms with the balance sheet and data to cross-sell aggressively.
I was laid off by Google, then asked to come back. I gave up a 6-figure salary and unvested stock to bet on my startup.
Stories of ex-FAANG talent walking away from six-figure offers and unvested equity to build AI startups are a reminder that the real constraint is founder-quality teams, not capital. If you’re an incumbent, assume your next competitor is a former insider who already understands your infra, pricing, and politics—and adjust retention and spinout strategies accordingly.
We partied with VCs at an astrology app launch. On the menu: anxiety, love, and manifesting money.
VCs showing up for an astrology app launch framed around anxiety, love, and money is a tell that ‘emotional infrastructure’ products still clear the bar for funding. If you’re building AI in consumer, don’t underestimate how much of the spend will chase mood regulation and identity rather than productivity.