New VC Firm CIV Raises $200 Million to Bet on Manufacturing, Energy
A new venture capital firm called CIV has raised an inaugural fund of $200 million to invest in startups tackling projects like nuclear energy and manufacturing — joining a broader movement in Silicon Valley to back physical-world companies with national implications.
The firm's founders include former Coatue Management general partner Abhijoy Mitra and Jeff Rosenthal, the co-creator of the events business behind Summit Series. Its chief executive officer, Patrick Maloney, previously founded Inspire Energy Capital, bought by Shell Plc. The firm is backed by high-profile tech figures like SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell and Union Square Ventures co-founder Fred Wilson, as well as a group of traditional limited partners.
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2 days ago
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Germany's N26 Weighs New Funding Round That Allows Partial Exit
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Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Yahoo
Billionaires Philippe Laffont, Chase Coleman, Terry Smith, and Stephen Mandel All Share the Same No. 1 Holding -- and It's Not Nvidia
Quarterly-filed Form 13Fs offer a way for everyday investors to track which stocks Wall Street's leading money managers purchased and sold in the latest quarter. Billionaire fund managers Philippe Laffont, Chase Coleman, Terry Smith (a.k.a., "Britain's Warren Buffett"), and Stephen Mandel all have differing investment styles. The No. 1 holding for these esteemed billionaire asset managers offers a laundry list of competitive advantages. 10 stocks we like better than Meta Platforms › For many investors, earnings season is the pinnacle of each quarter. It's a six-week period that provides an under-the-hood look at how well a majority of the most-influential public businesses driving the stock market higher or lower have performed. But it can be argued that the quarterly filing of Form 13Fs with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is just as important. A 13F is a required filing no later than 45 calendar days following the end to a quarter for institutional investors overseeing at least $100 million in assets under management. May 15 marked the deadline for money managers to file their 13F with the SEC. This filing details which stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) Wall Street's brightest asset managers have been buying and selling. Even though 13F data can be stale for active hedge funds, they're nevertheless insightful in helping investors weed out which stocks, industries, sectors, and trends have the attention of the world's smartest fund managers. Based on first-quarter 13Fs, an interesting quirk emerged: One stock stood out as the largest holding for billionaires Philippe Laffont of Coatue Management, Chase Coleman of Tiger Global Management, Terry Smith of Fundsmith (aka, "Britain's Warren Buffett"), and Stephen Mandel of Lone Pine Capital. With thousands of publicly traded companies and ETFs to choose from, there's a statistically small probability that four prominent billionaire money managers are going to settle on the same stock as their respective fund's top holding. Things get even weirder when you realize that all four fund managers have differing investment styles: Philippe Laffont oversees $22.7 billion at Coatue Management and is prominently known for his focus on large-cap growth stocks and Wall Street's hottest trends, such as artificial intelligence (AI). Chase Coleman is managing roughly $26.6 billion at Tiger Global and also favors growth stocks, but with more of flair for small caps. Terry Smith is guiding the investment of $22 billion in capital at Fundsmith and is known as a diehard value investor, much like Warren Buffett. Stephen Mandel is managing close to $11.6 billion at Lone Pine and tends to put his fund's capital to work in a mix of growth stocks and companies exacting turnarounds. Most investors would probably be inclined to believe that AI colossus Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) is the company all four billionaires have settled on as their top holding. Nvidia touches on Laffont's love for hot Wall Street trends; it's a growth stock that Coleman and Mandel can rally around; and its shares dipped to a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 19 during the stock market's first-quarter swoon, which is its cheapest forward P/E in years (i.e., Terry Smith would possibly be interested). Furthermore, Nvidia offers a seemingly sustainable moat that top-tier money managers love to put their capital behind. Its Hopper (H100) graphics processing unit (GPU) and Blackwell GPU architecture are the leading options deployed in AI-accelerated data centers. No direct AI-GPU developer has come particularly close to matching the compute abilities or innovation timeline of Nvidia. But Nvidia isn't the correct answer. However, the stock in question is most definitely "Magnificent." Few companies check all the right boxes for billionaires Philippe Laffont, Chase Coleman, Terry Smith, and Stephen Mandel -- but social media maven Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), which is a member of the "Magnificent Seven" alongside Nvidia, fits the mold. Based on the latest round of 13F filings, Meta was the clear No. 1 holding by market value for all four billionaires and respectively accounted for: Coatue Management: 9.55% of invested assets Tiger Global Management: 16.18% of invested assets Fundsmith: 10.19% of invested assets Lone Pine Capital: 8.75% of invested assets Since its initial public offering (IPO) in May 2012, shares of Meta Platforms have increased by 1,570%, as of this writing. These gains have been made possible by four factors, all of which have probably played at least some role in making Meta the No. 1 holding for four highly successful billionaire asset managers. The first variable working in Meta's favor is its foundational social media platforms. Collectively, the company's family of apps, which includes Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Threads, and Facebook Messenger, helped lure an average of 3.43 billion daily active people during March 2025. No other social media company comes remotely close to this figure, which affords Meta a superior level of ad-pricing power. Secondly, but building on this first point, Meta's operating performance and stock tend to ebb-and-flow with the health of the U.S. economy. Almost 98% of the company's net sales can currently be traced to advertising. Since the average U.S. economic expansion lasts considerably longer than the typical recession, Meta's ad-driven core is well-positioned to thrive over long periods. The third variable likely luring all four billionaire investors is Meta's addressable market for artificial intelligence. It's already deploying generative AI solutions into its ad platforms to allow businesses to tailor unique message(s) to users of its apps. But Meta is also investing aggressively in the future, which more than likely includes the company acting as a leading on-ramp to the metaverse -- the 3D digital world where people can interact with each other and their surroundings. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a knack for holding back on monetizing new innovations until the time is right. The fourth and final reason Philippe Laffont, Chase Coleman, Terry Smith, and Stephen Mandel likely piled into Meta stock is the company's cash-rich balance sheet. Meta ended March with north of $70 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, and generated $24 billion in net cash from its operating activities through just the first three months of the year. It can invest in higher-growth initiatives and take risks that few other companies can match. With Meta Platforms expected to sustain a mid-teens sales growth rate, its forward P/E ratio of 22 remains quite attractive. Before you buy stock in Meta Platforms, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Meta Platforms wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $653,389!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $830,492!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 982% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Sean Williams has positions in Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaires Philippe Laffont, Chase Coleman, Terry Smith, and Stephen Mandel All Share the Same No. 1 Holding -- and It's Not Nvidia was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Billionaire Philippe Laffont Just Sold Shares of Nvidia and 2 Other AI Powerhouses and Bought Shares of This Nvidia-Backed Company
Laffont, as founder of Coatue Management, oversees a $22.6 billion portfolio loaded with technology companies and other innovators. His recent AI purchase just soared in the triple-digits. 10 stocks we like better than CoreWeave › The artificial intelligence (AI) boom has driven stock market gains over the past couple of years, but the momentum may be far from over. Not only do analysts predict an AI market of more than $2 trillion by the early 2030s, but current activity in the space supports that. Technology companies from Meta Platforms to Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) have announced billions of dollars in spending to support AI projects. Data center buildout continues. And there are more AI stages to come, such as the moment of AI agents, when companies will apply AI to handle complex real-world problems. All of this is right up the alley of billionaire Philippe Laffont, who as founder of Coatue Management, focuses on innovators and invests heavily in tech companies. In fact, the biggest positions in Coatue's $22.6 billion portfolio are Meta and Amazon, each with weightings of more than 9%. So, it may seem surprising that right now, with so much ahead for AI, Laffont just sold some shares of top AI chip designer Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) and two other AI giants. But, at the same time, Laffont picked up shares of an Nvidia-backed company that could become the next AI powerhouse. Let's take a look at his moves and consider the potential of this newish player. First, as mentioned, it's important to keep in mind that Laffont isn't just dabbling in AI, but is someone who specializes in the technology sector and heavily invests in today's leaders and tomorrow's potential leaders. Laffont holds a computer science degree from MIT and went on to hone his investing skills at Tiger Management, one of the world's first hedge funds. He then became known as one of the "Tiger Cubs," Tiger employees who later launched their own funds -- and he founded Coatue in 1999. It's clear that, considering Laffont's experience and investment priorities, he has his finger on the pulse of the AI market. So, he could offer investors inspiration as they look for AI stocks to buy. In the first quarter of this year, Laffont made the following moves: He sold nearly 15% of his Nvidia position and now holds 8,545,835 shares. He's owned the stock since the third quarter of 2016. He decreased his position in Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) by almost 24% and now owns 3,240,171 shares. He's owned this stock since the first quarter of 2022. He reduced his position in Alphabet class A shares, those that offer voting rights, by almost 38% to 2,010,681 shares. He's held the stock since the fourth quarter of 2022. And he sold all of his shares of Alphabet class C shares, those that don't offer voting rights. And what Nvidia-backed AI stock did Laffont add to his portfolio? CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV), a company that in late March completed its initial public offering (IPO) and has since seen its stock surge more than 160%, bringing the company's market value to more than $50 billion. Laffont made a decent-sized bet on this player, buying 14,402,999 shares. The IPO itself was considered a flop, as the stock stagnated during its first trading session, then fell before eventually gathering some positive momentum. President Donald Trump's import tariff plans weighed on stocks -- specifically growth players -- and that created a difficult environment for CoreWeave's first trading days. Since, though, optimism about trade deals that won't weigh heavily on the economy and the support of Nvidia have helped CoreWeave stock take off. Nvidia recently said it had a 7% stake in CoreWeave as of March 31. These two tech giants are closely linked because CoreWeave's business is tied to demand for Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs). This young company offers customers access to its fleet of 250,000 Nvidia GPUs -- in fact, users can even rent access to them by the hour. So, working with CoreWeave brings customers great flexibility along with the power of Nvidia's top AI chips. This helped CoreWeave report a 420% increase in revenue in the recent quarter to $981 million. It's important to keep in mind, though, that to build up its GPU platform, CoreWeave also built up a considerable level of debt. As of the end of the quarter, current debt totaled $3.8 billion, and non-current debt totaled $4.9 billion. Meanwhile, CoreWeave must continue spending heavily to keep growth going and serve demand -- the company forecasts capital spending of as much as $23 billion this year. And CoreWeave expects annual revenue to reach $4.9 billion to $5.1 billion. It's clear that for a big tech investor like Laffont, it makes sense to lock in some gains from AI giants that have been in the portfolio for a while -- and bet on a new player that's still in its early growth stages. But before you follow Laffont, it's key to consider your investment style. If you're uncomfortable with risk and prefer stability, you're better off sticking with well-established AI players -- such as Nvidia, AMD, or Alphabet. And Laffont, too, continues to believe in their stories as they remain in his portfolio. But, if you're an aggressive investor looking for the next big AI growth story -- and you don't mind some risk and volatility along the way -- you might consider picking up a few shares of CoreWeave. Significant upside could lie ahead as the AI boom continues. Before you buy stock in CoreWeave, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and CoreWeave wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $640,662!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $814,127!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 963% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 168% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Adria Cimino has positions in Amazon. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaire Philippe Laffont Just Sold Shares of Nvidia and 2 Other AI Powerhouses and Bought Shares of This Nvidia-Backed Company was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
