VWB #14: A New Chapter for VWB! + The News You Need to Know

Happy Wednesday!

The past few months have been an exciting journey and we sincerely thank you for joining us on this adventure. As we have tested various styles of posts and gathered feedback from you, our valued readers, we are excited to debut a refreshed and refocused newsletter to bring you more predictable and, what we hope is, very impactful reporting and analysis. 

We will continue to post on a weekly cadence, but each month we will follow the following schedule. In the first week of the month, we will gather and report on all the news you need to know in a roundup. In the second and fourth weeks of the month, we will spotlight an innovative, exciting global startup, bringing attention to overlooked or underestimated verticals, geographies, and founders who have true market defining potential. In the third week of the month, we will dive deep into a specific topic at the intersection of global venture, international affairs, and capital markets.

We hope you enjoy this new version of Venture Without Borders! Please feel free to reach out with any thoughts, questions, or comments. We always appreciate hearing from you.

With that, let’s jump into our week one news roundup!

-Paula + James

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The Big Story 📰

Our big story today is focused at home, with millions of Americans hitting the polls yesterday to cast their vote. Super Tuesday 2024 has unfolded with significant implications for the political landscape, showcasing a pivotal moment in the race for presidential nominations, albeit with an outcome that was very much expected. Candidates across the spectrum competed for delegates in a series of state primaries and caucuses, each aiming to solidify their standing as the frontrunner. As of this morning, it is relatively clear that Republican Donald Trump and Democratic incumbent Joe Biden will win their respective party’s nominations. The results from this day of civic engagement offer insights into voter sentiment and the evolving priorities of the American electorate. As war and conflict escalate throughout the world, inflation impacts the markets, and climate change creates new challenges with every unprecedented storm, the results of Super Tuesday will be telling of what the American public values most (and is worried about).

From a Venture Without Borders perspective, our focus is on how these political shifts might influence policy areas relevant to innovation, startup ecosystems, and global tech ventures. The outcomes of Super Tuesday are crucial for the tech and venture capital communities as they may herald changes in the regulatory and economic environment impacting businesses. On one side of the aisle, Donald Trump is seen as a “pro-business” free market capitalist. On the other, President Biden has crafted a track record of guiding the stock market to record highs while simultaneously managing inflation and challenging Big Tech monopolies. As the GOP and Democratic nominees are finalized and the presidential race kicks off in earnest, the candidates' policies on technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship could significantly influence the operational landscape for startups and established tech companies alike. From a crypto boom to SPAC-fest 2020, Presidents Trump and Biden have both faced unique economic and technological challenges during their tenures. While it remains to be seen what challenges the next president will face, we can be sure that successful policymaking and governing must be done with flexibility, adaptability, and conviction at the forefront.

Also in the News 🗞️

Maybe we Don’t Need to be Worried about Election Misinformation on Facebook, After All… 📥

On Tuesday morning, Meta's leading social apps, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, experienced outages, presenting users with error messages or login issues. The issues began after 10 a.m. ET, stirring concerns given its coincidence with Super Tuesday, a crucial day for primary elections in the U.S. This outage was notable due to Meta's significant role in political communication, particularly as a source of misinformation and potential election interference from US adversaries like Russia. It is also quite unusual for such a large network to experience such a widespread outage. Meta quickly addressed the technical glitch, resolving the outage in a few hours, and reassured users through a post on X, emphasizing the issue was technical and not related to a security breach. The timing is fairly coincidental if not wholly suspicious and is worth monitoring as election season heats up.

To the Moon! 💎

Bitcoin's value surged to a new peak of over $69,000, energized by the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. in January and the impending bitcoin halving to come next month. This significant rise reflects a 60% monthly and 205% annual increase, with bitcoin's market dominance reaching 52% of the total $2.55 trillion crypto market cap. After a tumultuous year in the crypto market with wide fluctuations in value and numerous scandals, this all-time high value for Bitcoin is a strong indicator of restored faith in crypto. The anticipation of the halving event, which is expected to reduce mining rewards by half, alongside the influx of institutional and retail investments through the newly approved ETFs, which we at VWB covered in earnest previously, have catalyzed this upward momentum for Bitcoin. Are diamond hands for real? Or is crypto as a whole nothing more than a technological innovation with little real-world applicability?

Open(Sea) the Flood Gates 🖼️

Leading NFT marketplace OpenSea has teamed up with the cultural phenomenon music festival Coachella to launch three NFT collections offering both virtual and real-life VIP experiences, marking a significant evolution in the utility of NFTs. The collections, powered by Avalanche, signify a shift towards NFTs with tangible benefits, expanding their appeal beyond digital collectibles to include real-world applications like VIP experiences and merchandise access. This initiative not only exemplifies the potential for NFTs to provide a connection between the physical and digital worlds, but also highlights the growing trend towards simplifying access to NFTs for a broader audience beyond early adopters and internet stans. Let’s hope that NFT hype can begin to translate to IRL utility.

That’s it for this week! We hope you enjoy our new structure and focus.

Be well out there ✌️

-Paula + James