US Top News and Analysis | Circle raises $222 million from BlackRock, Apollo and others in Arc token presale valued at $3 billion

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Circle Internet Group announced it has raised $222 million in a presale for Arc, the native token of its new public blockchain designed for institutional finance, giving Arc a fully‑diluted valuation of about $3 billion. Andreessen Horowitz led the round with a $75 million commitment, while BlackRock, Apollo Funds, Intercontinental Exchange, SBI Group, Janus Henderson, Standard Chartered Ventures, General Catalyst, Marshall Wace, ARK Invest, IDG Capital, Haun Ventures and Bullish also participated. CEO Jeremy Allaire said Circle is expanding beyond its USDC stablecoin into an “operating system” that combines a multi‑stakeholder distributed network, token‑based governance and app development, aiming to build infrastructure for the future AI‑driven economic system and to give the company more control over the underlying network that powers USDC. The token distribution earmarks 25 % for Circle, 60 % for builders and users of the Arc network, and 15 % for a long‑term reserve, while the company also launched tools for developers to create AI agents that can manage transactions and payments using USDC. The move reflects a broader shift in crypto firms toward more diversified, institution‑focused revenue models and positions Circle to defend its market share amid rising regulatory support for stablecoins and potential competition from banks and fintechs.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/11/circle-closes-222-million-from-blackrock-apollo-for-arc-blockchain.html

#Circle #BlackRock #AndreessenHorowitz #USDC #JeremyAllaire

Macro & A16Z Cultural Leadership Fund Select Seven Filmmakers For Inaugural Epigraph Creator Fellowship
#News #A16Z #AndreessenHorowitz #EpigraphCreatorFellowship #Macro

https://deadline.com/2026/04/macro-a16z-fellows-epigraph-creator-fellowship-1236873153/

Business Latest | At 'AI Coachella,' Stanford Students Line Up to Learn From Silicon Valley Royalty by Maxwell Zeff

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At Stanford, the wildly popular CS 153 course—dubbed “AI Coachella”—has turned into a live podcast‑style forum where Silicon Valley heavyweights such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, AMD’s Lisa Su and others drop in as guest lecturers, offering students rare access to the leaders of frontier AI. Co‑taught by former Andreessen Horowitz partner Anjney Midha and ex‑Apple VP Michael Abbott, the class fills its 500 seats instantly and streams its sessions on YouTube, drawing both admiration for its insider insight and criticism that it prioritizes celebrity talks over “real” coursework. Midha, who also launched a venture fund with Abbott, uses the platform to share inside knowledge about AI infrastructure, chip pricing and startup dynamics, while also urging students to focus on personal relationships and mental health. Students like sophomore Mahi Jariwala and junior Darrow Hartman say the experience provides valuable mentorship, networking and a “fun” complement to more rigorous classes, even as some faculty and peers mock the course’s “AI Coachella” vibe. The phenomenon highlights Stanford’s unique draw of Silicon Valley access amid broader debates about the value of higher‑education credentials in a world where online tools and recorded lectures are increasingly ubiquitous.

Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/stanford-cs-class-ai-coachella-ben-horowitz/

#AnjneyMidha #OpenAI #Nvidia #AndreessenHorowitz #business/artificialintelligence #MichaelAbbott #SamAltman #JensenHuang #SatyaNadella #LisaSu #AmandaAskell #SriramKrishnan #MahiJariwala #DarrowHartman

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At 'AI Coachella,' Stanford Students Line Up to Learn From Silicon Valley Royalty

https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.wired.com/story/stanford-cs-class-ai-coachella-ben-horowitz/

US Top News and Analysis | SpaceX says it can buy Cursor later this year for $60 billion or pay $10 billion for 'our work together'

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SpaceX announced that it has secured the rights to acquire AI‑coding startup Cursor for $60 billion later this year—or to pay $10 billion for the collaborative work the companies are already doing—aiming to build “the world’s best coding and knowledge‑work AI” alongside its own xAI unit. The disclosure followed a New York Times report of a $50 billion purchase price that was later updated, and Cursor’s CEO Michael Truell said the partnership will help scale its Composer model. Valued at over $50 billion and seeking a $2 billion funding round backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Nvidia and Thrive Capital, Cursor offers developers tools to test code changes and capture actions via video, logs, and screenshots. The deal is part of Musk’s broader strategy to position SpaceX/xAI against rivals such as OpenAI’s Codex and Anthropic’s Claude as he prepares a likely record‑breaking IPO for the combined companies, with recent hires from Cursor and an impending high‑profile legal clash between Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman underscoring its strategic importance.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/21/spacex-says-it-can-buy-cursor-later-this-year-for-60-billion-or-pay-10-billion-for-our-work-together.html

#SpaceX #Cursor #MichaelTruell #xAI #AndreessenHorowitz #Nvidia #ThriveCapital #OpenAI #SamAltman #

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