Unlike most independent venture capital firms that manage downward pressure from LPs to deliver returns, CVCs and their portfolio founders seem to enjoy the perks that come with a greater degree of freedom–including longer-term investments, new product and cost synergies and more.CVCs have become more sophisticated investors over the years, partaking in some of the most high-profile deals with...

On some European waterways a fleet of kayaks has been fitted with an unusual accessory… a trash can. These bright green boats are free to rent, but volunteers are required to work for their trip by collecting floating waste.The initiative is the brainchild of GreenKayak, a Denmark-based environmental not-for-profit with a mission to clean up the continent’s canals, rivers and lakes.Volunteers...

Fear of flying is one of the most common phobias in the world. In the United States, as many as 6.5% of the population suffer from aviophobia, while anything from 20% to 30% of people in general are apprehensive about flying. Fortunately, some help is at hand, since British Airways has announced that it will be offering virtual reality films and headsets to its first-class passengers on select...

America has a culinary deficit, whereas Italy boasts a vast surplus.“THE DESTINY of nations,” wrote Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, an 18th-century French gastronome, “depends on how they nourish themselves.” Today a nation’s stature depends on how well it nourishes the rest of the world, too. For proof of this, consider the rise of culinary diplomacy. In 2012 America’s State Department la...

Whether a yolk gulping fish or a cloud-shaped watering can, peleg design creates highly humorous products that are as functional as they are aesthetically amusing. In a similar fashion, the ‘egguins’ cooking apparatus appears as if a small colony of penguins ready to dive into the water. in fact, after sliding six eggs into the design, it can be used to cook, store and serve hard or soft-boil...

69% of Americans drink 2 or more cups of coffee every day – everything from Folgers to craft coffee roasters carefully curated in a home coffee maker or at the local coffee shop – how did the humble cup of joe come to be such a cultural phenomenon?When is a cup of coffee ever just simply a “cup of coffee?” The history around the humble brew is nearly as rich as the beverage itself and influ...

Ugh, the Gregorian calendar is so boring. That’s why we’re disrupting monthly series with a lunar cycle-based series about the best patents of the last synodic month, picked by the PatentYogi team. Get ready when that moon gets gibbous, y’all. This August-ish roundup lands on the gorgeous Sturgeon Moon!Since my last post, the US patent office issued over 28,451 patents and published over 38,...

Wireless technology has evolved rapidly since the turn of the century. From voice-only 2G capabilities and internet-enabled 3G, today’s ecosystem of wireless activity is founded on the reliable connection of 4G.Fifth-generation wireless network technology, better known as 5G, is now being rolled out in major cities worldwide. By 2024, an estimated 1.5 billion mobile users─which account for 40...

H2O.ai‘s mission is to democratize AI by providing a set of tools that frees companies from relying on teams of data scientists. Today it got a bushel of money to help. The company announced a $72.5 million Series D round led by Goldman Sachs and Ping An Global Voyager Fund.Previous investors Wells Fargo, Nvidia and Nexus Venture Partners also participated. Under the terms of the deal, Jade Ma...