Mar 21, 2017

WeWork is raising $300 million

Kia Kokalitcheva

WeWork, the office rental company recently valued at $16 billion, is raising $300 million in new funding, according to a legal filing obtained by Axios through CB Insights, an investment database. The company's new valuation is slightly higher than when it last raised funds in March 2016: $51.81 a share, up from $50.19.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing anonymous sources, that SoftBank has invested $300 million in WeWork as part of its upcoming Vision Fund, though documents reviewed by Axios do not name any backers. WeWork declined to comment.

Real estate ambitions: Earlier this month, WeWork also filed a document related to an upcoming investment vehicle to purchase real estate, something the company hasn't done before (it signs long-term leases for the buildings in which it operates). WeWork declined to comment on the filing, but it lists several managing directors from private equity firm Rhone Group, including at least two who specialize in real estate according to their LinkedIn profiles.

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Axios

Coronavirus spreads to more countries, and South Korea ups its case count

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

The novel coronavirus continues to spread to more nations, and the U.S. reports a doubling of its confirmed cases to 34 — while noting those are mostly due to repatriated citizens, emphasizing there's no "community spread" yet in the U.S. South Korea's confirmed cases jumped from 204 on Friday to 433 on Saturday.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed at least 2,362 people and infected more than 77,000 others, mostly in mainland China. New countries to announce infections recently include Israel, Lebanon and Iran.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 16 mins ago - Health
Orion Rummler

Centrist Democrats beseech 2020 candidates: "Stand up to Bernie" or Trump wins

Bernie Sanders rallies in Las Vegas, Nevada on Feb. 21. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Center-left think tank Third Way urgently called on the Democratic front-runners of the 2020 presidential election to challenge Sen. Bernie Sanders on the South Carolina debate stage on Feb. 25, in a memo provided to Axios' Mike Allen on Saturday.

What they're saying: "At the Las Vegas debate ... you declined to really challenge Senator Sanders. If you repeat this strategy at the South Carolina debate this week, you could hand the nomination to Sanders, likely dooming the Democratic Party — and the nation — to Trump and sweeping down-ballot Republican victories in November."

Go deeperArrow1 hour ago - Politics & Policy
Axios

Situational awareness

Warren Buffett. Photo: Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage

Catch up on today's biggest news:

  1. Warren Buffett releases annual letter, reassures investors about future of Berkshire Hathaway
  2. Greyhound bars immigration sweeps
  3. U.S. military officially stops offensive operations in Afghanistan
  4. America's future looks a lot like Nevada
  5. Centrist Democrats beseech 2020 candidates: "Stand up to Bernie" or Trump wins
Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy