America’s Most Highly Valued Startup | Biden Property’s Pandemic Boost | Beeple’s Next NFT

Plus:  Politics, Not Science, May Be Behind Suspensions Of AstraZeneca’s Covid Vaccine

Good morning.

Online payment provider Stripe has skirted the public market route to raise capital from private funds, reaching an eleven-figure valuation that makes it America’s most highly valued startup. We’re also looking into how pandemic restrictions boosted the value of beachfront properties like President Joe Biden’s Delaware vacation home, and at digital artist Beeple’s next non-fungible token (NFT)’s auction.

In The News Today

Purdue Pharma’s billionaire owners have pledged more than $4 billion from their personal fortunes to fund lawsuits related to the Oxycontin maker’s role in fueling the opioid epidemic.

Biotech company Moderna has given the first doses of its mRNA Covid-19 vaccine to young children as part of a new study to test how effective the vaccine is in kids.

Top Take-Aways

The public markets are hot, but online payment provider Stripe is not joining the party yet, raising instead $600 million in new funding at a $95 billion valuation that makes the 11-year-old fintech the most highly valued startup in America.

Hollywood is buying into the non-fungible token (NFT) mania, with talent agency UTA creating a digital assets practice. Meanwhile, the digital artist behind last week’s record-breaking NFT sale is working on his next NFT auction—this one is for charity.

Speaking of charity, billionaire investor Bill Ackman announced he had donated $1.3 billion in shares of South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang to his Pershing Square Foundation, to an unnamed donor-advised fund, and to a nonprofit.

Cloud-based software startup Airtable has thrived in the current Covid remote work environment. The company has now raised a $270 million Series E round, more than doubling its valuation since September 2020.

34-year-old psychologist Marie Langer took over the family’s 3D printing business in the fall of 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic caused EOS Gmbh’s revenue to fall more than 20%, but Langer was able to navigate the downturn, with this year’s revenue projections on the up.

Synthetic biology company Amyris’ move from biofuels to skincare, haircare, and baby care was not a straight path, but it offers a test case of how one company–and one CEO–pivoted a business that proved unworkable into one that could succeed.

After his term as vice-president, in 2017 Joe Biden bought a $2.7 million vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Real estate values in the area were improving before the pandemic, but like a lot of vacation spots around the country, they’ve surged since.

Today's Must Read

In Case You Missed It

Among the dramatic revelations from Oprah’s interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was that the Royal family left them responsible for the significant cost of providing for their own security. The couple’s annual security bill could easily reach $2 to $3 million for around-the-clock protection, according to four security experts interviewed by Forbes.

Tips You Can Trust

Track Your Stimulus Check This Way

Want To Get Hired This Spring? Here's Where To Job Hunt

Across Forbes