Paradigm has a giant new fund, JPMorgan is suing Tesla, and Rivian is now the world's third most valuable car company

* President Joe Biden signed that $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law today and "it could soon begin to pay dividends for a wide range of businesses and people," including electric vehicle manufacturers, notes the NYTimes.

* Sotheby’s is auctioning off an extremely rare, first-edition printing of the U.S. Constitution, and crypto investors are pooling millions of dollars worth of ether to buy it. If they secure the winning bid, each contributor in the consortium will fractionally own part of the text.

* Rivian is now the world's third most valuable automaker(!), topped only by Tesla and Toyota, thanks to the continuing surge in its shares' price. (Lucid Motors, which went public through a SPAC earlier this year, is meanwhile valued at half as much, but it just won MotorTrend's car of the year award.)

* Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are falling sharply right now, retreating from near-record highs. The driver behind the price movement isn't clear.

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It’s no surprise that Katie Haun is a major proponent of NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. The former federal prosecutor who today co-leads the powerful crypto practice of Andreessen Horowitz, has been a student of the technology since at least 2018, when a16z first backed Dapper Labs, which is now quite valuable.

At the time, Vancouver-based Dapper Labs was known for a collectible digital cat game called CryptoKitties that baffled those outside the crypto community. This year, Dapper broke out thanks to another offering on its blockchain called NBA Top Shot that allows sports fans to buy and sell collectible highlight clips — yet even that is a use case that will seem minor in the grand scheme of things, Haun suggested Thursday night at our StrictlyVC event.

During a wide-ranging sit-down, she explained why she thinks NFTs’ somewhat concentrated user base is about to explode, and she shot down the idea that a relatively small number of creators who turn to NFTs for income will benefit from them. She also explained an innovation that a16z introduced that allows the heavyweight firm to nab a 20% discount on the tokens that now make up 75% of its crypto bets, and she discussed with us whether all venture firms will or should become registered investment advisers as a16z did in 2019. 

Excerpts from that conversation follow, edited for length.

More here.

* Lifen, a six-year-old, Paris-based startup whose software aims to streamline communication between medical professionals and securely transfer data, has raised $58 million (€50 million) in Series C funding co-led by Creadev and Lauxera Capital, with participation from earlier backers Serena and Partech. TechCrunch has more here.

* Mixpanel, a nearly 12-year-old, San Francisco-based maker of self-serve product analytics software that aims to help is customers engage and retain more users, has raised $200 million led by Bain Capital at a $1.05 billion post-money valuation. Notably, the company closed its last round of funding in 2014. TechCrunch has more here. 

* Pigment, a 2.5-year-old, Paris-based startup whose software platform helps organizations better visualize data for business planning and forecasting, has raised $73 million in Series B funding led by Greenoaks, with previous backers FirstMark Capital and Blossom Capital also participating. TechCrunch has more here.

* Podium, a nearly eight-year-old, Lehi, Ut.-based outfit whose software services include communications and payments tools for small and mid-size businesses, has raised $201 million in Series D funding at a $3 billion post-money valuation (doubling where it was valued roughly a year ago, when it last announced a round). The company has now raised roughly $420 million altogether, according to Crunchbase data. YC Continuity led this newest round, joined by Accel, IVP and Sapphire Ventures, among others. Bloomberg has more here.

* Abwaab, a 2.5-year-old, Amman, Jordan-based online learning platform for secondary school students, has raised $20 million in Series A funding. Earlier investor BECO Capital led the round, joined by 4DX Ventures, GSV Ventures, Watar Partners and others. TechCrunch has more here.

* Aplazo, a 1.5-year-old, Mexico-based buy-now-pay-later startup, has raised $27 million in Series A funding led by Oak HC/FT, with participation from earlier investors Kaszek and Picus Capital. The company has now raised a little more than $35 million altogether. TechCrunch has more here.

* Homebase, a 2.5-year-old, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam-based proptech startup that helps people buy homes (it then rents them back until a down payment can be made), has raised $30 million in equity and debt, without disclosing how much of each was secured. Participants in the round included Y Combinator, Partech Partners, Goodwater Capital, Ace and Company, Emies Advisors and Foundamental. TechCrunch has more here.

* Imprint, a year-old New York-based startup that partners with businesses to provide branded rewards cards for customers (they act like debit cards), has raised $38 million in Series A funding round co-led by Kleiner Perkins and Stripe. Other participants in the round include Thrive Capital, Affirm, Allen & Co., "Late Show" host James Corden, former Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein and others. The company has now raised $53 million altogether. TechCrunch has more here.

* Keyway, a 1.5-year-old, New York-based commercial real estate tech platform for small and medium-size business owners --  its first product is a sale-leaseback offering -- has raised $15 million in seed funding led by Canvas Ventures. Other participants in the round included Montage Ventures, FJ Labs, and Crosscut. Commercial Observer has more here. 

* Netography, a 3.5-year-old, San Francisco-based network threat detection and response startup, has raised $45 million in new funding co-led by Bessemer Venture Partners and SYN Ventures, with participation from earlier backers Andreessen Horowitz, Mango Capital, Harpoon Ventures and Wing Capital. The company has now raised $47.6 million altogether. SiliconAngle has more here.

* Sleek, a four-year-old, Singapore-based startup that helps entrepreneurs and investors incorporate their company and manage their corporate, accounting, and tax compliance online, has raised $14 million in Series A funding led by White Star Capital and Jungle Ventures. The company has now raised $24 million altogether. TechCrunch has more here.

* Virtuoso, a 2.5-year-old, U.K.-based SaaS software testing platform, has raised $13.3 million in Series A funding led by Paladin Capital, with participation from Mubadala Capital and earlier backers Crane Venture Partners, Forward Partners and Downing Ventures. TechCrunch has more here.

* Writer, a 15-month-old, Bay Area-based startup that makes an AI writing assistant for companies, has raised $21 million in Series A funding led by Insight Partners. Other participants include Gradient Ventures, the Todd & Rahul Angel Fund, operator-investor Scott Belsky, and numerous other angel investors. TechCrunch has more here.

* Zoomo, a four-year-old, Sydney, Australia-based startup that builds e-bikes and offers micromobility subscriptions to gig workers and couriers, has raised $30 million in Series B funding co-led by Grok Ventures, Skip Capital and ArcTern Ventures. Other backers in the round include AirTree Ventures, Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Contrarian Ventures and Maniv Mobility. The company also secured $30 million in debt funding from Viola Group. TechCrunch has more here.

* Doola, a 1.5-year-old, New York-based startup that aims to help global entrepreneurs form a U.S. business and specifically through the incorporation process, has raised $3 million in seed funding led by Nexus Venture Partners. TechCrunch has more here.

* Fireside, a months-old, San Francisco-based interactive audio platform that invites creators to share their stories with audiences through live and virtual shows, is in advanced stages to close new seed round of funding, says TechCrunch. The startup, founded by Falon Fatemi (she previously founded, and sold, Node), has already received commitments from The Chainsmokers, HBSE, Goodwater Capital, Animal Capital and NFL stars Larry Fitzgerald, Kelvin Beachum, and Baron Davis. TechCrunch has more here. 

* Irreverent Labs, a three-month-old, Seattle-based startup that says it's building blockchain-based games where users will be able to own characters that can be bought and sold, has raised $5 million in funding led by Andreessen Horowitz. Other backers include Mantis VC, Advancit Capital, Unlock Venture Partners and Keen Crypto, a new crypto-focused fund founded by tech vet Andy Sack. GeekWire has more here.

* Mimica, a three-year-old, London-based startup whose first product earns patterns from employee clicks and keystrokes in order to help inform the process of robotic process automation, has raised  $6 million in Series A funding from Khosla Ventures. TechCrunch has more here.

* Nomod, a 2.5-year-old, London-based startup that says it's enabling its customers, including businesses in emerging markets, to accept card payments on the their phones, has raised $3.4 million in seed funding. Global Founders Capital led the round in the recent YC grad; Kingsway Capital, Goodwater Capital, and numerous angel investors also joined the round. TechCrunch has more here.

* SOS, a four-year-old, Bay Area-based maker of smart vending machines that promise just-in-time necessities (think face masks, hand sanitizer, tampons), has raised $3.4 million in seed funding. For Later, the investment arm of a Boston-based retail incubator called For Now, led the round, joined by numerous angel investors. TechCrunch has more here.

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Paradigm, a crypto VC firm founded in 2018 by Coinbase co-founder Fred Ehrsam and former Sequoia Capital partner Matt Huang, has closed its latest fund with $2.5 billion in commitments, which is even larger than the massive $2.2 billion crypto-centric fund that Andreessen Horowitz announced this summer. “This new fund and its size are reflective of crypto being the most exciting frontier in technology,” the firm’s co-founders wrote in a blog post announcing the fund’s debut. TechCrunch has more here.

* After all those podcast ads, the boxed mattress company Casper is selling to a private equity firm. The Verge has more here.

* Twitter announced today that it’s acquiring Threader, an app that lets people compile Twitter threads and share their favorites, making it easier to help people find long threads on the platform. When users reply to a thread, tag Threader’s profile, and write the word “compile,” the Threader bot creates a link that presents the thread in an easier-to-read, article-like format. Terms of the deal aren't being disclosed. TechCrunch has more here.

* Rocket Lab, an aerospace manufacturer and small satellite launch service company that began trading publicly in August after merging with a blank-check company, has acquired Planetary Systems Corporation, a Maryland-based spacecraft separation systems company, for $42 million in cash and stock. TechCrunch has more here.

* Shares of data-analytics software maker Splunk fell 18% today after the company said CEO Doug Merritt is stepping down and Graham Smith, its board chair, is taking over as interim CEO, effective immediately. Splunk has been trying to transition from a company that sells on-premises software to a cloud company. 

* Elon Musk picked a fight with Senator Bernie Sanders over Twitter this past weekend, and he was back at it earlier today.

* "We have been seeing quite a few seed rounds getting done in and around $100mm post-money and that concerns me for a few reasons," says VC Fred Wilson. Here are those reasons.

* Peloton has filed  lawsuits against two of its rivals, iFit (owner of NordicTrack) and Echelon. It alleges that the companies are violating up to four patents it holds related to on-demand classes, one of which it only obtained last week. Peloton is seeking a court order to block sales of the devices until the patents expire, in addition to compensation. In both suits, Peloton accuses competitors of attempting to “free ride” off its technology. More here.

* The world's biggest bank and the world's most valuable automaker are preparing to duke it out. JP Morgan Chase today filed suit against Tesla alleging breach of contract over stock warrants that came due this year. The financial institution says it is seeking to recover more than $162 million through the case. More here.

* Form Energy, one of the buzzier battery tech companies in Silicon Valley, has offered more of a window into its work following accusations that it's too secretive.

Pretty soon, Tesla is going to come out with its own programming. 

* "Dads with dogs they didn't want."

* A bitter divorce produces big bucks for Sotheby's.

* Inside San Ho Won, San Francisco’s most hotly anticipated new restaurant.

* A jet that thinks it's a yacht.

* A candy bar that think it's a pie.

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