Many venture firms, including Lightspeed and Menlo Ventures, are major Anthropic investors, but Spark is the only traditional VC firm named in the filing. And it’s not just a few mentions. Spark is named more than 50 times.
The reason Spark gets the most ink is because Yasmin Razavi has a board seat after being the first institutional investor in the company, leading the $450 million Series C at a $4.5 billion valuation in May 2023.
This was just six months after ChatGPT was released to the public, and the jury was out on whether a rival like Anthropic could catch up. Many balked at the price, calling it too expensive.
“It was a big leap of faith, but this was the team that built GPT-3,” Razavi told Forbes.
The filing says that Spark has invested $777 million in Anthropic across six financings since then, including $75 million in the first pivotal round at $11.22 per share.
Spark was already known for making early bets on Postmates and Discord, but it was the Anthropic investment that transformed the firm’s Silicon Valley reputation from a good venture firm to a great one.
Razavi said she has been continuously wowed by CEO Dario Amodei.
“Every year, he puts out outrageous numbers, but somehow they magically become true,” Razavi told Forbes. “Dario never misses.”
Soon, Amodei will face a greater test: the public markets.
Please send along your tips. Email Ben or Katie anytime or contact them on Signal at benbergman.11 and kroof.26. Sign up for Business Insider’s weekly VC Insider newsletter here.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday that American oil companies were making a fortune on the Iran war.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Trump said on Saturday that American oil companies are making a “fortune” on the Iran war.
Americans, however, are paying record prices at the pump, according to AAA.
Trump made the comments less than two weeks from the midterm elections.
Though regular Americans are paying more at the pump, US oil companies are striking it rich, President Donald Trump said on Saturday.
Speaking at a rally in Georgia, Trump said that oil prices are “temporarily high,” but added that the throttling of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed oil buyers to American companies with operations in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.
“The United States oil and gas business is making hundreds of billions of dollars,” Trump said. “I don’t give a damn, I’m going to say it — we’re making a freaking fortune.”
Indeed, a Q2 report this year from the Oil & Gas Journal, a trade publication, noted that “surging crude prices tied to ongoing Strait of Hormuz disruptions” fueled massive windfalls for North American oil companies.
Year over year, a sample of 38 US producers and refiners collectively grew revenues by about $140 billion, the Oil & Gas Journal reported.
Those profits, however, are not exactly shared by the American public.
AAA reported that the average price of regular gas in the United States is now at $4.29 a gallon. In February, one day before the US and Israel launched surprise attacks on Iran, gas prices were at $2.98.
Diesel prices have also increased precipitously since the American war on Iran began. On Sunday, AAA reported that they sat at $6.35, up from $3.75 a day before the conflict began. Shipping companies rely on diesel to power their boats and trucks. Higher diesel costs are often passed onto consumers in the form of higher prices.
Trump’s comments are unlikely to curry goodwill among an American electorate reckoning with an affordability crisis less than two weeks out from midterm elections. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent on Sunday.
As the midterms approach, Trump has taken steps to lower gas prices.
On October 9, Trump said he reached a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel, which had been heavily sanctioned since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Analysts warned the move could provide a lifeline to the Russian economy as the country seeks to bombard Ukraine into submission this winter.
“I can see just the fake headlines — ‘President Trump is talking about all the money they’re making while people are suffering at the pump,'” Trump said at the Georgia rally. “That’ll be the headline.”
Leslie Hodgin and her husband moved to the Netherlands in January 2026.
Leslie Hodgin
Leslie Hodgin and her husband had dreamed of moving abroad.
They finally took the leap in January, deciding not to waste time in their 50s.
Hodgin said the move was expensive and time-consuming, but she’s been happy with their relocation.
This story is based on an interview with Leslie Hodgin, a 55-year-old marketing consultant who moved from the US to the Netherlands with her husband, John Lyman, 52. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Until 2026, I was living in Richmond, Virginia, with my husband and our cat.
My dad was in the Army, so I grew up all over the world, but Richmond is my adopted home. I lived there for about 10 years.
During that time, I got an offer to move to Seoul, South Korea, for my marketing job. My husband, John, and I were dating at the time. We got married one week before moving to Seoul for two years.
After the contract ended, we returned to the States. I love Richmond, but it did feel small after I had been in Korea.
Some events happened in both of our families that made us want to move abroad again sooner rather than later. My dad died. My husband’s mom died. We had a couple of dear friends pass away. It was all very quick. And it made me think, “What are we waiting for? We don’t have promises for tomorrow. Now is the time.”
We don’t have kids, so that wasn’t holding us back. We had some money in the bank to move, which I know is a privilege. It was like, “Let’s just go and live our lives. We shouldn’t just keep hoping for someday because there may not be someday.”
Moving to the Netherlands
John had gone to graduate school in the Netherlands, so we’d visited before. Through my work in advertising, I also had a fairly large network of people living there.
There’s a visa for Americans called the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT) that allows freelancers and entrepreneurs to live in the Netherlands. It made the country seem like a great choice for us.
The couple moved in January 2026.
Leslie Hodgin
My husband works for himself, so it was easier for him to pick up and go anywhere. I started my own consulting business and left my agency. I knew there was an advertising community in the Netherlands, and I planned to freelance if my consulting business wasn’t doing well.
My husband’s dad is in his 90s, and my mom just turned 80. Moving far from them was probably the hardest part of the decision. I have a little guilt for that, but they’re excited for us. I’ve promised my mom that I’ll be home for any big family and important events.
That’s a hard thing to do, but we felt it was right for us not to put our lives on hold.
Downsizing our lives
We moved in January. We did it in six months. We’d sold our house about a year before moving and were living in an apartment.
We decided to sell almost everything we owned to keep costs as low as possible. We shipped a half-crate over, which is quite small, so we had to get rid of a lot of stuff. We made close to $12,000 selling everything and used it to pay for the visas and help with some of the moving costs.
When we moved, we had nine suitcases, including a large piece of art. It was the largest oversize item that would fit on an airplane, and we had a special museum-packing company pack it. And our cat, of course, came on the plane with us.
They sold most of their belongings before moving.
Leslie Hodgin
We live in a two-bedroom apartment. It’s an old, old building, but the apartment is newly renovated and has a patio.
We do feel lucky that we found a place because there is a housing shortage, and it’s quite hard to find housing, particularly if you’re American or from another country and you don’t have Dutch income. We had to pay six months’ rent upfront to secure our rental.
Life in Europe
It still feels surreal that we live here. My husband and I will frequently look at each other and say, “Oh my God, I can’t believe that we’re here.” I never want to lose that feeling.
Business seems to be going really well. I also already knew some friends, but I’ve met so many amazing people through social media and made some great friends with our neighbors.
They love life in the Netherlands.
Leslie Hodgin
We love the sense of community. I appreciate the social contract that people afford each other in the Netherlands, from the opportunities the government provides to the respect and trust they show each other in general.
Recently, there was Open Monumentendag, or Open Monuments Day, with over a thousand monuments, churches, houses, farms, and historic places across the Netherlands open to the public for free. They do that every year, and it feels so special. It seems like every other weekend there’s a festival.
There are always challenges. I’m very slow to pick up the language. Most people speak English, but I feel like I need to be better.
Moving also costs a lot more than you plan for. Even if you’ve tried to pad all the numbers, it still costs more than anticipated. Because our work was quite slow earlier in the year, we were like, “Gosh, what have we done?”
Our cost of living is fairly similar to what it was in the US. We don’t have a car, so we don’t have that expense. We would be paying double the rent in New York City for this same apartment.
A fresh start
I feel alive again. I felt a little stagnant in Richmond after living overseas, and moving has opened a lot of doors for my creativity.
On social media, I’ve documented trying one new thing a week. It’s gotten us out to meet people and have some interesting experiences.
It’s a new chapter.
Leslie Hodgin
There’s a risk in moving abroad. You have to get yourself over the hump, and you have to be brave.
Believe in yourself. If there’s something you want to try, like moving overseas, going on a solo trip, or taking a cooking class, take a chance on yourself. You’re never going to regret trying it if it doesn’t work out. If you don’t ever put yourself out there, you’re going to look back in 20 years and be like, “That would have been great. Why didn’t I give that a shot?”
One of the world’s largest investment firms isn’t bullish on AI.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Only tech companies are seeing growth from the AI boom, Apollo Global Management says.
Apollo says that though some big companies are spending big on AI, they may soon pull back.
Corporate America is starting to see AI spending not as a source of growth, but as a cost center.
One of the world’s largest investment firms says that only tech companies are getting a share of the AI pie.
In an economic analysis published on Saturday, Apollo Global Management said that while the Magnificent Seven — a group of established tech companies that includes Nvidia and Meta — are seeing revenue growth during the AI boom, this growth isn’t being shared by other industries.
“Mainstream corporate America is pulling back and starting to view token spending not as a source of growth but as a cost center that weighs on margins,” Torsten Slok, a partner and chief economist at Apollo, said in the report. “The technology has delivered zero financial payoff to corporate America outside of tech.”
In a series of graphs, Slok measured three main metrics that have boomed for tech companies but not for regular companies: revenue per worker, profit margins, and productivity growth.
Since 2022, revenue per employee figures have skyrocketed for tech companies — rising from $550,000 to nearly $800,000 today. Meanwhile, that figure hasn’t changed much for everyone else in the S&P 500, lingering around $550,000 for the last seven years.
Similarly, while profit margins soared among tech companies since 2022, they’ve stagnated at about 10% for everyone else.
And across the economy, AI hasn’t yet dramatically increased productivity growth as some AI optimists have predicted.
Apollo’s research portends a dark shadow over a US economy throwing massive amounts of dough toward AI tools and companies, whose leaders have promised that an “age of abundance,” where people won’t have to work as much, will soon be upon us.
“The question looking ahead is whether, even as models become commoditized, mainstream corporate America can turn increasingly cheap intelligence into higher revenue growth and higher profit margins,” Slok said.
In the 1940s and ’50s, Route 66 was one of America’s most popular highways, driving business to small towns from Chicago to Santa Monica. But today, the road and its people have been largely forgotten. Ghost towns, empty motels, and abandoned gas stations line its path. Chief correspondent Abby Narishkin grew up along the road. In celebration of its 100th anniversary, she drove down the old route herself to visit the people and businesses still keeping this Americana legacy alive.
Many interior design “rules” should be challenged and sometimes even broken.
alvarez/Getty Images
I’ve been an interior designer for years, and I believe some design “rules” are worth breaking.
A room not working doesn’t mean you need to make it bigger or completely remodel it.
Don’t avoid using furniture that’s “too nice,” or do open shelving just because it’s in magazines.
In my years working in interior design, I’ve had many clients approach me looking for definitive “rules” for decorating their homes.
They want to know how to make their home look good and function better, assuming there is a set of guidelines to help them get there.
Certainly, there are building codes, safety requirements, and circulation considerations that must be met. However, much of what we think of as design and decorating is guided by rules of thumb, best practices, and even cultural assumptions.
The longer I practice design — over 20 years now — the more I learn that there are very few set rules to follow. Although some can be a good starting place, they often overlook the people who actually live in the space we’re designing.
Here are a few design “rules” I think are worth breaking and why.
If you’re remodeling your kitchen, you definitely need some open shelving.
Kirpal Kooner/Getty Images
Open any shelter magazine, and you will likely see open shelving as a prominent kitchen feature.
Open shelving is beautiful, often breaking up a wall of cabinetry, making a kitchen feel lighter and more open while creating a place to display dishes, glassware, cookbooks, or other collected personal effects.
Although I, too, am drawn to open shelves, I question whether it’s the right choice for every client. Those beautifully styled shelves require you to decide what stays visible, keep some degree of order, and deal with more dust and kitchen grime.
For some people, that’s no problem — or even enjoyable. For others, it’s one more thing to maintain.
Before my clients make this design choice, we talk through what would actually live on those shelves and whether they want the responsibility of keeping them looking the way they imagine.
After all, a trend can show you a new possibility, but it can’t tell you whether that possibility fits your life.
Your interior style should match your home’s architecture.
Your home’s exterior doesn’t necessarily need to match its interior style.
Lisa5201/Getty Images
I have many clients who make this assumption: If my home has a traditional architectural character, my new kitchen or bathroom must also have more traditional elements — think Shaker cabinetry, crown molding, and bronzy hardware.
Although I agree that architectural continuity can create cohesion, the architecture of your home is context, not a mandate.
When someone doesn’t identify with their home’s traditional character, I think it’s important to honor the individual. I have seen many contemporary interiors set within traditional homes, and the juxtaposition can be breathtaking.
If your home isn’t working, you need more space.
John Keeble/Getty Images
When a space feels cramped or isn’t functioning well, I often see clients immediately assume they must add square footage.
Sometimes an addition is the right answer, but often the problem lies in how the existing space is being used.
For example, I had a client who was considering an addition to their kitchen. As we studied the existing space together, it became clear that the kitchen already had plenty of room, but the current layout wasn’t making good use of it.
Rather than expanding the footprint of their home, we focused on reorganizing the space they already have so it functions better for them.
Before assuming more space is needed, identify where the friction is coming from: difficulty moving through a room, belongings that pile up in unwanted places, or things stored far from where they’re used.
It’s impossible to solve a problem you don’t fully understand.
Some furniture is too nice for everyday use.
miodrag ignjatovic/Getty Images
If you’ve ever invested in beautiful or expensive furniture, you may have worried about how you’ll protect it from getting “ruined” by daily life.
But here’s the rub (pun intended): When protecting furniture starts interfering with actually living in your home, we may have a problem.
Think about the white sofa featured in the aspirational home decor imagery in magazines or on social media. It’s beautiful. It’s pristine.
However, every Friday night, it needs to be covered with a blanket before anyone settles in to watch TV with a glass of red wine and a piece of chocolate. At some point, the needs of the furniture began to take priority over those of the person using it.
Here is the truth: Furniture is meant to be used, and a home is meant to be lived in.
Your kitchen trash can should be next to the sink.
Robin Gentry /Getty Images
This is a pretty standard kitchen-planning rule of thumb: Put waste collection close to the area where food prep and cleanup happen.
However, this is based on an assumption about how people use their kitchens. Sometimes, there are better layouts depending on your situation.
For example, many of my clients compost most food scraps. One such client keeps a small compost container on her counter, which is convenient during food prep and clean-up. Between composting and recycling, her regular landfill garbage gets very little use.
Once we uncovered how little this client uses the conventional trash can in her kitchen, we decided to relocate it elsewhere, freeing up valuable cabinet space near the sink and dishwasher.
This may not follow the design “rule,” but it’s a more practical arrangement for her space.
Empty spaces should be filled.
The Good Brigade/Getty Images
Sometimes an empty wall, shelf, or corner of a room can make a space feel unfinished, and our natural inclination is to fill it.
However, is empty space actually a problem that needs to be solved? No … at least not immediately.
I often encourage my clients to experiment with leaving something empty as part of the design process. It gives you an opportunity to live with the space and discover what — if anything — you actually need there.
You may discover a function you hadn’t anticipated, eventually find something you genuinely want there, or realize that the room works better without anything at all.
If a room isn’t working, it needs a makeover.
Small interventions can have a big impact.
Jacek Kadaj/Getty Images
If a space feels unfinished, disjointed, or just “off,” we often believe it needs a substantial change — new furniture, different finishes, or even a remodel.
And with so many dramatic reveals and before-and-afters, it’s no wonder we think meaningful improvements require meaningful (and expensive!) interventions.
Rather than replacing everything, sometimes small, thoughtful changes can alter how a whole space feels.
For example, I had a client whose guest bathroom was remodeled several years ago. The materials, fixtures, and finishes were beautiful, but they didn’t quite come together as a whole.
Rather than replacing them, we added a single wall of peel-and-stick wallpaper, a DIY project the client could tackle over a weekend. It connected what was already there and made the room feel cohesive.
Your interior designer has better taste than you.
Your preferences and opinions matter when it comes to the design of your home.
Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images
Because an interior designer has professional expertise and experience, homeowners assume their aesthetic judgment is more valid — or that the designer has the “right” design answer, and they do not.
Designers understand proportion, scale, color, materials, and composition, but clients know more than they give themselves credit for. They notice when a color feels wrong, have strong reactions to particular materials or furnishings, and can identify what they prefer even if they don’t have the design vocabulary to explain why.
Although a designer can help you understand those preferences and translate them into a cohesive space, your own sense of what feels right should be part of the design process.
After all, expertise isn’t about applying rules indiscriminately — it’s about knowing when they serve the person in front of you and when they don’t.
I have a saying in my practice: “You do you!” You are the expert in how you live, what you like, and what makes you feel at home.