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Virtual social network IMVU raises $35M from China’s NetEase and others

TechCrunch

The line between social networking and gaming is increasingly blurring , and internet incumbents are taking notice. IMVU has raised more than $77 million from five rounds since it was co-founded by “The Lean Startup” author Eric Ries back in 2004. A NetEase spokesperson declined to comment on the investment in IMVU.

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Unbundling the Game Engine: The Rise of Next Generation 3D Creation Engines

Andreessen Horowitz

It becomes an incredibly deep tech investment not just to get to an MVP but to then break through the developer cold start problem. The attractiveness of the UGC business model is why Epic’s investment behind UEFN likely now surpasses that of UE alone.

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Second-Class Investor Citizens: Facebook’s IPO and Dual-Class Equity Structures

Gust

This is nothing new; long favored by family-controlled media empires such as Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation , among Internet firms alone, Google took a dual-class approach when going public in 2004. Options and warrants, when issued, are also typically exercisable for shares of Common Stock.

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“Customer First” Healthcare

abovethecrowd.com

From 2004 to 2014, the average payments for coinsurance rose 107% from $117 to $242. CVS Care Clinic Price Schedule: Benchmark Healthcare Investments. Our venture capital firm, Benchmark, has made four investments consistent with the “customer-first” theme. Also like high deductibles, coinsurance usage in on the rise.

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Restrictions on acquisitions would stifle the US startup ecosystem, not rein in big tech

TechCrunch

Acquisitions contribute to the health of the startup ecosystem, as entrepreneurs who realize liquidity through the sale of their company regularly go on to found innovative new companies and often invest in other startups as angel investors or venture capitalists. since before the dawn of the modern venture capital industry.”