Akash Pasricha

New York

Reporter at The Information

reporter @theinformation / reach me: akash at theinformation dot com / made in @toronto 🍁

Articles

Creator Startup Funding Hits Highest Level Since 2021

1 week ago | theinformation.com | Akash Pasricha

U.S. creator economy startups raised more money in the first three months of the year than in any quarter since 2021 as investors placed bigger bets on companies tied to music, artificial intelligence and shopping. U.S. creator startups raised $928 million during the first quarter, nearly two and a half times the funds raised in the same period a year ago, according to new data from The Information’s Creator Economy Database. The number of deals fell slightly.
Catching Up With The Next GPs: Backing Brex Alumni, Rollups and AI Apps

3 weeks ago | theinformation.com | Akash Pasricha

Last March, our inaugural list of The Next GPs highlighted investors that could be calling the shots at major venture capital firms in the coming years. Today, as we unveil a new list of up-and-comers, we’re also checking in on our 2024 cohort. Some of their investments have already paid off handsomely. Stripe bought Bridge, a stablecoin startup founded by Brex alumni, for $1.1 billion in February, in one of the biggest-ever crypto acquisitions.
Pro Weekly: AI Agent M&A Heats Up

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Akash Pasricha

6 hours agoTech Leaders Sound a Warning for Coders: AI Is Coming for Their JobsShould software developers be quivering in their digital boots? Maybe, according to some tech CEOs—although nuances remain. The debate about AI replacing people’s jobs has raged ever more ferociously as more sophisticated AI tools from companies like OpenAI, Google, and Salesforce have rolled out …3 hours agoWhat Is An AI Agent?
AI.com Is for Sale. Asking Price? $100 Million

1 month ago | theinformation.com | Akash Pasricha

Deep in Queens, New York, out near John F. Kennedy Airport, Larry Fischer was distraught. One of his favorite Italian joints—Don Peppe, the place where he lunched with Facebook’s lawyers after selling them Messenger.com in 2014—had closed for vacation this past week. It had seemed like a fitting place for our conversation about another domain name deal he’s got in the works that he hopes can be even higher profile. “You don’t know how bummed I am,” he said.
92 Software Startups That Could Be for Sale This Year

1 month ago | theinformation.com | Akash Pasricha

Many startups that sell cloud-based software to companies are struggling with the aftermath of the pandemic’s low-interest-rate period, which encouraged businesses to spend more on tools to help employees work remotely and investors to pour tens of billions of dollars into these startups. Now dozens of them face dwindling choices. They are growing too slowly to be good candidates for initial public offerings, at least for the next few years.
The Sharp Divide Over OpenAI’s Future Value

Jan 23, 2025 | theinformation.com | Akash Pasricha

Readers of The Information are sharply divided on the future value of OpenAI, with roughly one-fourth expecting the value of the ChatGPT maker to soar past $500 billion in three years—and an almost equal number expecting it to plunge below $100 billion. OpenAI was most recently valued at $157 billion in October. Separately, readers are more optimistic about the outlook for tech companies than at any time since February last year.
Creator Economy Startup Funding Rebounds as Industry Matures

Jan 15, 2025 | theinformation.com | Akash Pasricha

Funding for U.S. creator economy startups roared back in 2024, buoyed in part by excitement about artificial intelligence, after two years of decline. At the same time, dozens of startups agreed to be acquired or shut down, signs that the industry is maturing. Last year, funding for U.S. creator economy startups rose 51% to more than $1.58 billion compared with 2023, according to new data from The Information’s Creator Economy Database.
The Airbnb Leaders Charged With Reigniting Growth

Dec 16, 2024 | theinformation.com | Akash Pasricha

Airbnb rebounded strongly from the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, however, revenue is projected to grow less than 12%, down from 40% as recently as 2022. To reignite growth, CEO Brian Chesky a year ago shifted Dave Stephenson, the company’s longtime chief financial officer, to a role plotting new products and international expansion. Stephenson quickly brought in four outsiders—including three Apple veterans—to help.
AI Firms Hunt For CMOs

Dec 11, 2024 | theinformation.com | Akash Pasricha

Before we get to our main item of the day, a note to readers to tune in here tomorrow for reactions to Google’s Gemini 2.0 large language model, which was announced this morning. Now onto our main item…Artificial intelligence developers are realizing they need help standing out in an increasingly crowded market. OpenAI last week hired Kate Rouch to be its first chief marketing officer.
Brex’s Leadership Reset

Dec 2, 2024 | theinformation.com | Akash Pasricha

Brex’s org chart, as it is today, is practically unrecognizable from a year ago. Six of CEO Pedro Franceschi’s seven direct reports stepped into their roles in the past 12 months. Plus, two co-CEOs ran the corporate card company until June, when co-founder Henrique Dubugras exited. This overhauled slate of top leaders is overseeing efforts to jump-start growth and stem cash burn at Brex. The company laid off one-fifth of its workforce in January, focusing heavily on cutting managers.