Pablo Srugo’s Post

One of crypto venture’s biggest problems is that crypto startups rarely IPO. If VCs want to report returns, they can rely on token allocations, but airdrops being the only exit opportunity for venture capital can cause short-term thinking and bad price action. With the Stripe buy, Bridge just proved there could be a second way for VCs to exit their investments. https://lnkd.in/eTZUX7X4

Stripe Acquires Stablecoin Platform Bridge For $1.1 Billion In Crypto's Largest Acquisition. According to a recent tweet by #TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington, the #fintech company #Stripe has finalised its acquisition of #stablecoin platform Bridge in a $1.1 billion deal. Notably, this is its largest acquisition to date. #Bridge provides software tools that help companies accept payments in stablecoins. It had previously raised $40 million in a Series A round that valued the company at $200 million. The $1.1 billion acquisition deal, therefore, represents a large jump from the company's prior valuation. The acquisition comes less than two weeks after Stripe introduced stablecoin payments on its main payments user interface. https://lnkd.in/e7f8qpwc

Scoop: Stripe is in talks to acquire crypto startup Bridge for $1 billion, sources tell David Jeans and me in Forbes. The deal would likely be the fintech unicorn's largest acquisition to date, as it makes a stablecoin payments push. Forbes colleague Jeff Kauflin asked Stripe president William Gaybrick about the possible acquisition last week. All he would say is that "We are really investing heavily" in stablecoins. "I don’t have any updates for now on that front,” he said of a possible deal. A buzzy player in stablecoin payments, Bridge was previously valued at $200M in its Series A, sources told Forbes, with Series B interest at a higher price tag. Founders Zach Abrams and Sean Yu previously sold a startup to Block and worked at Coinbase, Brex, DoorDash and Airbnb. They teamed up again to launch Bridge in 2022. #fintech #payments #stripe #bridge #bridgexyz #crypto #cryptocurrency #stablecoins #acquisitions #funding #fundraising #MandA #startups #tech #technology #founders #venturecapital #VC

Crypto VCs be like: "we build products", but are only professional sales man that give out tokens. Why are they so obsessed? With tokens they can be liquid with 2-5x profits in record time. These VCs still have equity for the one in ten thousand chance of the team being really down to build and able to go mainstream -> 2nd payday. VCs like tokens. Usually it takes 7-12 years for a startup investment to become liquid usually via buyout or in the rare case a IPO. Tokens allow returns faster. There is nothing needed besides a crowd of people buying in, no business that needs to IPO or be bought by another company. You can disguise way more, there are no disclosure requirements with a token. It is the past of least resistance to more money for the investors. I'd love to see more businesses, but we will likely never get rid of these token scams. Cheers, Samuel

Stripe in talks to acquire Bridge for $1 billion Stripe is in talks to acquire stablecoin platform Bridge for a whopping $1 billion, according to Forbes. The talks are reportedly in advanced stages, although nothing has been finalized. Bridge, co-founded by Coinbase alumni Zach Abrams and Sean Yu, has built an API that helps companies accept stablecoins. The pair raised $58 million from investors like Index Ventures and Sequoia Capital, according to PitchBook. If the deal with Stripe goes through, it would be a huge jump from Bridge’s $200 million valuation, as well as being Stripe’s largest acquisition to date. #bvci#stablecoin#cadt#blockchainventurecapitalinc

Entrepreneurship is a unique journey, especially with the crypto market's ups and downs. Big shoutout to the crypto entrepreneurs who stuck through the rollercoaster of 2020-2023. When the hype shifted towards AI and left crypto, you guys stuck with your belief in web3 potential. 2023 hit hard with stats showing 90% of startups running out of steam without solid backing. But for those who kept going, finding ways to keep the lights on, you're the real OG heros. You've built something solid amidst the chaos, laying down the groundwork for when the tide turns! Now, with a product to show and a core team battle-tested, the tables are turning. Interest from investors and the retail crowd is picking up again. So here's to opening a new chapter, where those sleepless nights, wondering if it was time to jump to AI or start life coaching career, are paying off. We've all been through the wringer, but it's time to celebrate the comeback. Here's to riding the new wave that's gonna make all that bear market grind worth it.

Congratulations to Duke University alumni Sean Yu and Zach Abrams on the recent acquisition of their company Bridge by Stripe for $1.1 billion. Stripe’s largest acquisition to date. What an achievement! Allowing businesses to accept stablecoins can reduce the cost of transacting internationally by >99% (as per Andreessen Horowitz’s latest “State of Crypto” report) and savings on fees from traditional financial pathways can return 3-4% back to small businesses. The average small business in the USA will only make a 3-6% profit margin, which means this is a huge improvement for their financial stability. A strong signal for the growing relevance, demand and adoption of crypto globally. Just last month, Blackrock identified that crypto adoption is growing at a faster rate than the Internet and Mobile historically did. Combined with the efficiencies and product unlocks of AI, as well as the adoption rate of AI itself, the future is extremely exciting and still so moldable.

Stripe just acquired stablecoin platform Bridge for $1.1 billion. Stablecoins are becoming a serious growth area for payments. The timing seems just right, as the discussions around crypto regulation and adoption have been major talking points by U.S. politicians in the upcoming elections. This acquisition is a confidence boost for an industry that has long struggled with M&A valuations. As the Bannister Effect kicks in, we can expect to see more big deals ahead. Once the billion-dollar mark is crossed, the floodgates often open, and 2025 could be a breakout year for valuations. https://lnkd.in/gUGskVuW

🚀 OpenTrade has just secured a $3.2M seed round from top-tier investors including a16z crypto CSX, CMCC Global, Draper Dragon, Plassa Capital, and Ryze Labs to propel the development of our 'RWA Yield as a service' product, which is revolutionizing the ways that digital asset exchanges and neobanks can offer stable, secure yield accounts to their global user bases. David Sutter, CEO of OpenTrade, remarks: “Our vision is to bridge the gap between traditional finance and underserved markets to unlock new ways for generating yield and ensuring global access to United States and European financial markets. With this seed funding, we are poised to expand our product offerings and cement our position as leaders in increasing the global accessibility of stable yield on USDC.” Learn more here: https: //https://lnkd.in/eafNW7Z7

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 $𝟭 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 🚀 Stripe is in talks to 𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 $𝟏 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧, according to Forbes. The talks are reportedly in advanced stages, although nothing has been finalized. Bridge, co-founded by Coinbase alumni Zach Abrams and Sean Yu, has built an API that helps companies accept stablecoins. The pair 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 $𝟓𝟖 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐱 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐨𝐢𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥, according to PitchBook. If the deal with Stripe goes through, it would be a huge jump from 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞’𝐬 $𝟐𝟎𝟎 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, as well as being 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐞’𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞. Read the full story here 👇 https://lnkd.in/dfu6bJ-N