COMING WEDNESDAY
School leadership reflects on how COVID-19 restrictions and distance learning have impacted students’ social and emotional needs. Read this story in Eednesday’s Sentinel and online at santacruzsentinel.com.
Wind whips up spray as a surfer tames a wave at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz on Monday. The National Weather Service reported northwest winds 18 to 20 mph locally on Monday, with gusts as high as 25 mph. The winds will lessen significantly on Tuesday, but the northwest swell is forecast to build to provide clean and surfable sets in the coming days.
Supervisor Manu Koenig wants to know what voters think about the Live Oak Parking Program. Public works has presented its program proposal for the 2021 season to the County Planning Department.
The proposal will come before the Supervisors for a vote on April 13.
Koenig has started a survey to gauge the view of voters. To participate in the survey, visit surveymonkey.com.
The online payment company Stripe continues to attract investors, raising $600 million in funding to reach a whopping company valuation of $95 billion.
Stripe is by far the most valuable private fintech company in the world. Robinhood, the trading platform recently making headlines, just raised $3 billion to reach a valuation of around $11.2 billion.
The company which makes software that allows companies to accept online or in person card payments said it will use the capital in the latest round of funding to invest in its European operations, particularly its Dublin headquarters. Stripe has two headquarters, the other location is in San Francisco.
Stripe will also expand its global payments and treasury network. Some of its clients include Jaguar Land Rover, Maersk, Deliveroo and Klarna.
Companies that enable online payments have thrived in the pandemic. Stripe’s valuation has almost tripled in a year.
“The pandemic taught us many things about society, including how much can be achieved—and paid for— online, but the internet still isn’t the engine for global economic progress that it could be,” said Dhivya Suryadevara, Stripe’s chief financial officer.
Jack Dorsey’s rival company, Square, has pushed far beyond point-of-sale technology to create an economic ecosystem for smaller businesses that help them with their books and payroll.
Stripe said Sunday that the latest round of funding includes investments from Allianz X, Axa, Baillie Gifford, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Sequoia Capital, and Ireland’s National Treasury Management Agency.