David Energy, a New York-based electricity provider, has closed a $20 million Series A led by Union Square Ventures' climate fund and Keyframe Capital, CEO James McGinniss tells Axios.
Why it matters: New York is among the dozen-plus states that have enabled the rise of retail electricity providers, and David deploys software that integrates with customers' distributed energy resources.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) said Monday that alopecia is "not a line in a joke" after comedian Chris Rock mocked actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from the autoimmune disease, at the Oscars.
Driving the news: Rock's joke became a national headline after actor Will Smith, Pinkett Smith's husband, struck him across the face in response.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences said in a statement Monday that it "condemns the actions" of actor Will Smith, who struck Chris Rock during Sunday's Oscars telecast, according to reports.
What they're saying: "We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law," the statement said, per AP.
Interest in the Oscars — and Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock in particular — made the awards show the most-discussed news topic on social media over the last day, according to data from NewsWhip.
Why it matters: Despite a revamped program to combat sagging relevance and ever-declining ratings, it took an unscripted incident to vault the award show back to the top of the national conversation.
At least 15.3 million people watched Sunday's 94th Oscar Awards, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen, up from 9.85 million people that were counted in immediately following last year's show.
Yes, but: The figure still marks the second-smallest Oscars audience in history.
President Biden plans to spend $1.58 trillion of the $5.8 trillion in his proposed 2023 budget to bolster America’s defenses and maintain robust economic growth, while also addressing inflation by lowering the federal deficit and costs for working families.
Driving the news: Biden on Monday is sending Congress his top line tax and spending requests for the next fiscal year, which includes $773 billion for the Department of Defense.
KKR is in advanced talks to buy Spanish fertility clinic chain Ivirma Global for between €2.5 billion and €3 billion, per Bloomberg.
Why it matters: Fertility spent decades as a private market afterthought, but is now receiving intense attention from early-stage startups through multibillion-dollar buyouts. It also could be another example of private debt picking up where syndicated loans fell off, following last week's deal between Thoma Bravo and Anaplan.
Joe Biden isn't a dictionary publisher. But, if he gets his way, the folks in Oxford may need to update their definition of "income."
Driving the news: The White House on Monday will unveil its annual budget proposal, including a minimum tax on unrealized gains for the wealthiest Americans. For the most part, this would mean taxing vested but unexercised stock.
AmplifyMD, a telehealth startup, has raked in $23 million in funding to solve the painful issue of patient access to specialty care within hospitals, the company tells Axios.
Why it matters: No matter the specialty, there’s a scarcity of specialists in American hospitals, whether urban or rural, and that's directly affecting patients.
Russia's Novaya Gazeta newspaper, whose editor was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, announced on Monday that it will temporarily cease all its operations until the end of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Why it matters: Novaya Gazeta, which has been recognized as "the only truly critical newspaper with national influence in Russia today" by the Committee to Protect Journalists, did not shy from covering issues like government corruption and human rights violations.
Sales of NFTs, one of 2021's biggest investment crazes, are but a fraction of what they were at last year's peak.
The big picture: Despite the present doldrums, the market for non-fungible tokens — digital objects built to be provably unique — is very likely here to stay. But it will probably go through several more rounds of hype and disillusionment.
As climate change continues to stifle maple syrup production in New England, different parts of the country — including the Southwest and the Mountain states — are trying to pick up the slack.
Why it matters: If states like New Mexico, Utah and Montana succeed in building up their (very) nascent maple sugaring operations, the nation's supply of the tasty pancake topping could not only grow a bit more plentiful but also have regional taste variations.
Will Smith delivered an emotional speech Sunday while accepting the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Oscars. The acclaimed actor apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees after slapping Chris Rock in the face on stage in the middle of the telecast.
The latest: The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement early Monday it was aware of the incident. "The individual involved has declined to file a police report," the LAPD said, in an apparent reference to Rock.
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