Core Insights - Rippling, an HR software startup, raised $450 million in Series G funding, achieving a valuation of $16.8 billion, focusing on global revenue growth over immediate profitability [1][4][5] Funding and Valuation - The funding round included participation from notable investors such as Y Combinator, Elad Gil, Sands Capital, GIC, and Goldman Sachs Growth [2] - The new valuation of $16.8 billion marks an increase from the previous valuation of $13.5 billion in early 2024 [4] Employee Equity and IPO Plans - Rippling plans to repurchase up to $200 million of equity from current and former employees through a tender offer, which may become an annual event [2][3] - The CEO stated that the company does not have immediate plans for an IPO, emphasizing the need for profitability before considering going public [4][6] Business Performance and Strategy - Rippling has surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue and serves over 20,000 customers with a suite of more than 20 products [5] - The company is prioritizing growth over profitability, indicating a strategic choice to expand rapidly rather than slow down for immediate profit [6] Legal Challenges - Rippling is involved in ongoing legal disputes with competitor Deel, including allegations of corporate espionage, which have raised questions about competitive practices in the tech industry [7][8]

At Vega North we write about investments and portfolio construction for readers who care more about process than predictions. We test ideas with open data (FRED, filings, index/factor libraries) and reproducible notebooks, focusing on position sizing, regime-aware risk, and the psychology of holding through drawdowns. Each piece moves from base rates to a simple model—returns, volatility, and correlations—then ends with a decision checklist: what to own, how much, when to rebalance, and what could go wrong. ...

Energy markets are experiencing their biggest supply disruption in decades due to the war with Iran. The country has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping lane for the energy sector. Before the war, 20% of the world's oil and 20% of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply passed through the Strait each day. Today, that's down to a trickle. As a result, energy prices have spiked. Prices could continue rising if the war escalates further or tumble if there's a peace deal. That's leading me t ...

Energy is sort of like ice cream. Both come in lots of flavors. When anyone talks about the energy sector, they're referring to a broad spectrum of companies.With oil and gas prices soaring amid the conflict with Iran, most energy stocks are trouncing the broader market so far in 2026. Brookfield Renewable (BEP +1.02%) (BEPC 0.13%) and Enterprise Products Partners LP (EPD +0.46%) are two examples from very different parts of the energy sector. Which of these two is the better energy stock to buy now? The ca ...

Once upon a time, Salesforce (CRM 3.50%) was the poster child for growth. The company pioneered cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) systems. However, Salesforce's share price has declined over the last five years, a period in which the S&P 500 (^GSPC 1.67%) soared nearly 70%. The significant gap between Salesforce's performance and the S&P 500 widened amid the widespread sell-off of SaaS stocks this year.But is now the time to buy Salesforce stock? Here's what the numbers reveal.NYSE : CRMSal ...

Bank stocks have started to rebound a bit after a rocky start to 2026. During the past two weeks or so, bank stocks have ticked up about 2%, according to the KBW Nasdaq Bank Index, which tracks the performance of the 24 largest U.S. bank stocks. But still, the index is down about 7% year to date. There are certainly some cheap bank stocks out there right now, but are they good values or value traps? It depends on where you look, because a weak economy is not conducive to strong growth for banks.It may be pr ...

As we move deeper into 2026, selling pressure continues to build against software stocks. Investors who were used to having upward multiples re-ratings drive the majority of stock gains over the past few years are nowWith combined experience of covering technology companies on Wall Street and working in Silicon Valley, and serving as an outside adviser to several seed-round startups, Gary Alexander has exposure to many of the themes shaping the industry today. He has been a regular contributor on Seeking Al ...

Argentina scored a major victory as a US appeals court reversed a ruling ordering it to pay $16.1 billion over the seizure more than a decade ago of state-run oil company YPF SA. The Manhattan judge who issued the award wrongly ruled in favor of former shareholders who said they were harmed by the nationalization of the Argentine oil company, the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday in a 2-1 ruling. "It's obviously incredibly important to Argentina, to President Milei and to the country's recovery ...

The Value Investor has a Master of Science with specialization in financial markets and a decade of experience tracking companies via catalytic company events. As the leader of the investing group Value In Corporate Events they provide members with opportunities to capitalize on IPOs, mergers & acquisitions, earnings reports and changes in corporate capital allocation. Coverage includes 10 major events a month with an eye towards finding the best opportunities. Learn more. Analyst's Disclosure: I/we have no ...

I predict that the Trump bull market will soon end. But there are two somewhat troubling issues with this prediction that need to be addressed right off the bat.First, less than three months ago, I predicted that the S&P 500 (^GSPC 1.67%) would deliver a single-digit gain in 2026. However, an important part of Bayesian statistics is that you should "update your priors." In other words, you should change your initial assumptions in light of new data or evidence. My new prediction reflects an update to my pri ...