• Former Warriors player David Lee, who retired from the NBA last week, may be joining VC firm Social Capital, according to Axios. 
• Lee hinted that he had plans to join a Bay Area venture capitalist firm in an interview with NBC Sports last week. 

Former Warriors player David Lee may be following in the footsteps of other elite basketball players and joining the ranks of venture capitalists.

Lee, who retired from the NBA last week, hinted at his interest in working with a Bay Area technology firm in an interview with NBC Sports. Lee stated that he had received a call from a few close friends who run "an unbelievable venture capital firm...in the Bay."

Lee continued, "I decided to roll the dice and to try something new and I'm really excited about my decision."

Today, Axios reported that the firm Lee alluded to is Social Capital, whose portfolio includes brands like Bustle, Slack, Sprig, and Wealthfront. Given that Social Capital founder Chamath Palihapitiya is a minority owner of the Warriors, Lee's choice of VC firms is not entirely surprising.

A representative from Social Capital declined to comment.

SEE ALSO: How Silicon Valley found its favorite team: the NBA champion Golden State Warriors

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NOW WATCH: Some iPhone users can't type the letter 'i' — here's what's going on and how to fix it

• Business Insider polled tech investors about whether Silicon Valley, the birthplace of the iPhone and Google, has lost the innovation crown.
• Most said the exciting startups are less consumer-focused than they once were.
• Others said that consumer startups have left Silicon Valley for cities like New York and Los Angeles.

Pop quiz: What's the hottest consumer tech startup to come out of Silicon Valley this year?

If you struggled to come up with an immediate answer for the next Facebook or Uber, you've identified the current climate in America's longtime capital of innovation.

There's no shortage of money and ambitious entrepreneurs shuffling around San Francisco and its surrounding areas. But in a region constantly looking for the next big thing, the lack of a new breakout gadget or app can be deeply unsettling. Some even wonder if Silicon Valley has become ... boring.

We checked in with six veteran tech investors — inside the Valley and out — for an update on the state of innovation in Silicon Valley and for their thoughts on the merits of the "boring" charge.

One surprising takeaway: Silicon Valley no longer rules the roost when it comes to creating hot consumer tech products. But that's because it's already moved on to the next big cycle of innovation. If you're looking for the next viral camera app or social network as evidence of Silicon Valley innovation, you're missing the bigger picture.

The valley is still a hotbed of innovation, but innovation looks different now.

"The most interesting ideas are usually the non-obvious ones," Jerry Chen, a partner at Greylock Partners, told Business Insider. "By the time everyone is talking about a technology or a trend it’s usually too late!"

The era of consumer startups is over in Silicon Valley

To get a glimpse of the next hot startup, lift your head up from your smartphone and gaze at the vast blue sky. From consumer space travel to artificial intelligence, Silicon Valley's techies are exploring new frontiers.

"It's not that it's less exciting, but the opportunities are in different areas," said Matthew Miller, a partner at Sequoia Capital.

Miller described what he sees as "two waves" in which a lot of similar companies were created. The first wave had a lot of companies being built on the cloud, which led to a lot of startups that replaced classic software. The second was a wave of mobile startups, "which woke us up to all of these opportunities like Uber and Airbnb," according to Miller.

"Now those markets are kind of saturated," he said.

Now Miller is looking to three out-of-sight sectors that he said are booming: outer space, artificial intelligence, and digital healthcare.

Miller thinks artificial intelligence will be the new cloud — a new group of companies that require a lot of work up front but ultimately develop tools that can be used in everyone else's product down the road.

Space startups — perhaps the "sexiest" group in the bunch — include a range, from companies like Orbital Insight, which uses data to predict what will happening geologically on Earth, to a company called Vector, which launches micro satellites.

"It's not quite as big as it was with 'the Uber of' wave, but SpaceX similarly has assumed this leadership position as a pioneer and inspired many other entrepreneurs to build space starts up," Miller said of Elon Musk's consumer space travel company (which is itself based in Southern California).

Finally, there's healthcare — a sector that's seen consumer attention with the uptick in wearables that track various body metrics, but also has a highly lucrative enterprise arm that is creating tech to make hospitals more successful and efficient.

Silicon Valley largely leads the US healthcare sector, holding 41% of the total market share for new deals. The Valley saw 49 funding deals totaling $1.3 billion in the third quarter of 2017, according to the "Q3 Healthcare MoneyTree" report from PwC and CB Insights.

Founders are getting older and working on more complex projects

Shows like HBO's "Silicon Valley" paint an entertaining image of the tech lifestyle, so it's no wonder that the California startup scene is often associated with gaggles of young men starting companies in dingy garages.

Scrappy founding stories make for good corporate folklore, but these days the exciting companies are often created by middle-age founders with many years working on complex pieces of tech, according to Miller.

"Now it's people in their late 40s, early 50s. There's a demographic change," Miller said, adding that the previous wave of cloud computing made it easy for anyone to build a mobile startup.

While Miller said that Sequoia still invests in many young founders, he believes that today's booming sectors require founders with experience, who have "lived through years of research."

Startups in the San Francisco Bay Area still see considerably more venture-capital funding than anywhere else in the US. In the third quarter, San Francisco and Silicon Valley combined saw 385 funding deals, totaling $6.4 billion, according to the "Q3 2017 MoneyTree Report" from PwC and CB Insights.

But the money is spreading to other regions.

The New York City area, which experienced an unusually fat quarter thanks to a mega funding round by the New York City-based company WeWork, saw a total of $4.2 billion across 162 deals, while companies in the Los Angeles area raised $1.1 billion across 93 deals.

Consumer tech has relocated to Los Angeles and New York

Although they might not get much respect in Silicon Valley these days, some of the most visible consumer startups are headquartered in Los Angeles and New York City.

Take Snapchat, which is based in Los Angeles. While the company may be struggling from a business perspective, it has never been more exciting in consumer's eyes — just ask any teenager.

New York City has its own fair share of buzzy companies like Glossier, Casper, and Blue Apron, all of which have set the stage for a startup scene filled with innovative and popular consumer products.

The days when consumer tech like Fitbits, Uber, and Smartwatches were Silicon Valley novelties is long gone. Now, everyone from grandma to Kim Kardashian talks and tweets about the technology they are using, buying, and wearing.

“Consumer tech has become popular culture, and in the US, popular culture is set in New York and Los Angeles, not in the Bay Area,” Jeremy Liew, a partner at Lightspeed Ventures, wrote in an email. “So I’d say that we’re seeing a lot more consumer tech companies there than here."

New York startups are playing to the city's strengths in media, retail, fashion and e-commerce.

“Artificial intelligence and virtual reality in shopping is probably one of the most exciting," said Sapna Shah, an angel investor and principal at Red Giraffe Advisors in New York City.

"[We're seeing] everything, from being able to visualize apparel on your body, shop a virtual store, or place furniture and decor objects in your home to see how they look before you buy,” she said.

Shah said she's also seeing a lot of growth around in retail around computer vision — tech that uses AI to help computers understand what's going on in an image.

"Many of these startups are at a very early stage, but there is a lot of promise here," Shah said.

In other words, don't be surprised to see more startup "rock stars" emerge from fashion and entertainment hubs like New York and Los Angeles.

Just keep in mind that the "boring" stuff Silicon Valley's engineers quietly toil on today will eventually become the building blocks for things like AI enabled robots and recreational space travel — and there's nothing boring about that.

SEE ALSO: WeWork just led a $32 million funding round for a female-run startup that's basically a social club for women

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The world's largest pyramid is not in Egypt

• Europe has 5.5 million software developers but companies are battling it out to hire the best ones.
• Germany has the most developers but the UK is close behind in second, followed by France in third.
• These developers are helping European tech startups to scale up into multibillion dollar companies.

A "Battle Royale" for the very best tech talent is raging across Europe, according to a report published on Thursday by venture capital firm Atomico.

There are now 5.5 million software developers across Europe, which is 500,000 more than there were last year. Germany has the most with 837,000, while the UK is close behind with 814,000. France is in third with 467,000.

The tech workforce in Europe is growing three times faster than the overall EU average and there has been a 17% increase in professional developers since 2016, according to the report, which draws on data from LinkedIn, Stack Overflow, and other sources. The hiring surge has been fuelled in part by the fact there are twice as many PhD graduates in STEM subjects being produced in Europe than there are in the US, according to Atomico.

But top tech firms with tens of millions of pounds at their disposal want the crème de la crème, as do government leaders of nations across Europe.

"At a regional wide level there is clearly a competition for talent emerging," Tom Wehmeier, partner and head of research at Atomico, told Business Insider. "The more that we see strong hubs being built through the region the more that tech talent in Europe has optionality in choosing to stay where they are or moving."

Jens Wohltorf, CEO and cofounder of Berlin-headquartered chauffeur service Blacklane, told Business Insider that it's "tough" to find the right people to fill tech roles as international tech giants continue to open offices in Europe. Google, Facebook, and Apple all have a presence in Berlin. 

The UK remains the top talent magnet. In 2017, the UK took 21.5% of all international migrants into European tech, according to LinkedIn.

The "State of European Tech Report," now in its third year, claims that Europe is building its own tech "image" that is built on "deep tech" and different to what can be seen in Silicon Valley and China.

Some $19 billion (£14 billion) is set to be invested into European tech companies this year and the number of $50 million (£37 million) funding rounds across the continent has also picked up, giving startups more runway to scale up into businesses that employ hundreds of people.

The UK remains Europe's leading technology hub in terms of capital invested, with $7 billion (£5 billion) set to be invested into UK tech companies by the end of the year compared to $3.1 billion (£2.3 billion) in Germany, the next biggest hub.

Independent UK tech startups such as TransferWise, Improbable, and Farfetch have all raised big rounds this year that have turned them into tech "unicorns"— a name used to describe a tech firm with a $1 billion (£750 million) valuation.

Brexit has made UK tech founders more pessimistic about the future

But Brexit means UK founders aren't as optimistic about their future as their European counterparts are.

Atomico surveyed 3,500 founders, investors, and people active in the European tech ecosystem as part of the report. Some 18% of UK respondents said they were less optimistic about the future of European tech than they were 12 months ago, which is three times more than in France, Germany, and the Nordics.

"Europe has a strong sense of optimism about the future of its tech ecosystem," said Wehmeier.

He added: "In the UK you see a notably more muted sense of optimism with more respondents saying they're less optimistic than they were 12 months ago. Clearly the big factor there is the UK triggering of Article 50."

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Hackers can gain access to your computer monitor — a cybersecurity expert shows us how easy it is

The booming tech industry has caused an ongoing housing crisis in San Francisco, and longtime middle-income residents have been forced out by sky-high housing costs.

A startup called Starcity is on a mission to alleviate the situation. Founded in 2016, the 18-person team is creating communal housing for middle-income people who don't qualify for government subsidies but still can't afford San Francisco's sky-high prices.

Starcity buys up defunct hotels, retail buildings, and parking garages and turns them into dorm-like living spaces for the city's restaurant workers, teachers, and artists. According to the founder Jon Dishotsky, fewer then 20% of residents work in tech.

Right now, Starcity runs two San Francisco locations — one in the Mission district and one in Soma. There's an 1,800-person waiting list for the two open locations, with nine more locations in the works. We visited the Mission location to see what it's like.

SEE ALSO: Go inside the hottest neighborhood in San Francisco, where home prices have risen 75% in the past 5 years

The Mission Starcity was previously a residence hotel called the Yug, and other than a new paint job the outside has remained the same. "We're not dropping a glass box in the community and walking away," Dishotsky said.

The building's front room is reserved for the surrounding community. When the space first opened in May, it served as an art gallery for Mission-based artists.

The surrounding neighborhood is characteristic of the Mission before the tech boom and is filled with street vendors and mom-and-pop shops.

Before opening a new building, Starcity gets in touch with neighborhood groups to see who in the community is in need of housing. The goal is to build a bridge between the older generations in the city and the new ones — not divide them over $4 lattes.

Startups are getting more recognition than ever before.

As awareness grows, more think about starting their own, and the support — whether from the community or government — is considerably higher than in the past.

And while it seems like a fun idea, with flexible working and being your own boss, startups are hard. The few that succeed have found a "special sauce" and stuck out from the pack.

So what does it take?

We asked seven successful startup leaders, who will be speaking at StartCon on December 1-2, what it takes to succeed, which technologies will be key to growth and scale, and what are the biggest challenges moving ahead.

Here's what they had to say.

SEE ALSO: 9 brilliant leaders, investors, and thinkers share the questions they ask themselves when they're completely overwhelmed

Roshni Mahtani, founder and CEO of Tickled Media and co-founder of the Female Founders Network

"Australian start-ups need to look at themselves as APAC and not just an ANZ play so they disrupt a larger market. There are cultural considerations, but so is there a great talent pool plus potential partners to ease the transition. If language is a worry, Singapore and the Philippines are obvious next steps."

Logan Young, co-founder and VP strategy, Blitz Metrics

"Google and Facebook are a paid duopoly of increasing power. So startups must cater to their algorithms, which favor 'hot' content over direct selling approaches. Thus, startups increasingly are falling for 'get rich quick' stories, instead of using tried-and-true marketing principles.

Growth and scale is less about technology and more about platforms to distribute content, of which Facebook is now king. WordPress, social accounts, and a shopping cart are the necessary building blocks most startups need to get the word out.

80% of the effort in Marketing/Technology is in the setup. 20% is in 'storytelling' content that goes through these platforms."

Emma Lo Russo, CEO and co-founder, Digivizer

"Prioritizing what you do, from your long-term vision, through to the strategy you create to win, down to what you do in the next hour, is crucial. I started Digivizer after leaving a COO role at a listed Australian software company, so I had developed these skills in that environment and context. What was different in a new startup was how you have to prioritize everything.

Always consider the implications of the choices you have – including the implications of delaying difficult ones. I thrive on difficult challenges and I use that fear to focus on how to create the strategies I need to take me from where I am today to where I want to be tomorrow.

As businesses grow, they hit inflection points, usually at around 20-30 employees, at which point entrepreneurs needed to think about switching from a control model to an empowerment model, and then at 70 employees, where systems, leadership and culture often need revisions."

• A federal judge rejected an attempt by the Trump administration to delay a rule allowing foreign born startup founders to stay in the US.
• The ruling is a victory for Silicon Valley's tech and venture capital industry.

A federal judge on Friday ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to rescind its delay of a rule that allows some foreign entrepreneurs to stay in the United States to grow their companies, court documents show.

Judge James Boasberg of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of a lawsuit filed by a U.S. venture capitalist group in September challenging a delay by DHS of the International Entrepreneur Rule. 

In the lawsuit, the National Venture Capital Association argued that the Trump administration bypassed proper procedures when it delayed the International Entrepreneur Rule, which had been due to go into effect in July 2017.

The trade group was later joined by several tech start-ups active in the United States that were founded by foreign entrepreneurs who wanted to stay in the country and work with their businesses through the entrepreneur rule but are now unable to.

The rule, proposed by the administration of President Barack Obama, would allow some foreign start-up founders to stay in the United States for up to five years to develop their businesses.

Instead, in July the administration of President Donald Trump pushed back implementation to March 2018, and said it was "highly likely" to ultimately rescind the rule.

Boasberg, in his ruling issued on Friday, agreed with the lawsuit's claim that the government's actions violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires advance notice of new rules.

"This decision is an important reminder that this administration must comply with the law and allow the public to have a voice during the agency rule-making process," Leslie Dellon, an attorney at the American Immigration Council, said in a statement.

SEE ALSO: The ex-Tesla engineer who created an FDA-compliant hangover cure made $1 million in 3 months and was almost thrown out of the country by Trump's immigration rules

Join the conversation about this story »

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• AUrate is a direct-to-consumer site that is making fine jewelry more accessible and transparent. 
• Its ethically sourced and real gold rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings are beautifully simple and add a touch of luxury to your everyday life. 
• You can get many of these pieces for under $500, making them a great gift option. 

When you go jewelry shopping, you pretty much have two options. The first, fine jewelry, is way out of your price range, and you can only lust for it behind a carefully polished glass case as the boutique associate watches you from the corner of his eye.

The second is cheap jewelry you can get at any retail store that's just painted gold or silver and that you could care less about losing. Since I don't have sensitive skin that reacts poorly to less-than-pure substances, I tend to go for the latter and have a healthy collection of Forever 21 and H&M jewelry. I really wish I could own and cherish fine jewelry, but I can't justify paying a few month's rent for a ring. 

Sophie Kahn and Bouchra Ezzahraoui recognized this wide open gap and jumped headfirst into it by starting their affordable fine jewelry company AUrate. Just as the direct-to-consumer model has disrupted many other industries, it's proving to make total sense for the slow-to-change traditional fine jewelry industry.

When you shop at AUrate, you're getting the fair price, no high wholesale markups attached. According to AUrate, traditional jewelry can be marked up to 20 times the cost — that's a ton of money you could be putting elsewhere.

AUrate not only interrupts the chain to get you lower prices, but also ensures materials are sourced ethically.

Materials are sourced in accordance with high standards of social, environmental, and human rights practices, while diamonds and pearls are purchased from conflict-free regions. It's a guilt-free buying experience, for your wallet and your conscience. 

The jewelry itself is beautifully classic and wearable. I personally wore my solid circle necklace ($250) every day for a week because it just went with everything and was the perfect simple finishing touch. Made from real 14k and 18k gold (a couple ways you can tell is by looking for a stamp that marks the karat weight and if it's not magnetic), the rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings all look and feel amazing. Whether you feature it as a dainty standalone piece or layer pieces on top of each other, the jewelry is elegantly versatile. 

As you shop for jewelry this holiday season, look to AUrate for affordable luxury, gorgeous simplicity, and ethically made pieces. See some of the jewelry from AUrate for yourself below.

SEE ALSO: This is the ultimate work bag for professional women

Gold and black onyx necklaces

AUrate Black Stones Necklace, $220

AUrate Mini Charm Circle Necklace, $180

Diamond bezel ring

AUrate Diamond Bezel Ring, $150

X cuff

AUrate X Cuff, $300

The tech bubble isn't going to burst anytime soon, at least according to the majority of venture-backed startup founders interviewed by the venture-capital firm First Round for its annual State of Startups Survey.

This year, the VC firm surveyed nearly 900 startup founders to provide insight into what the startup landscape is like in 2017. Its findings include predictions on how the industry will change, which positions are most difficult to hire for, and whether it's a good time to start a company.

The survey also addresses issues affecting the startup scene today: How prevalent is sexual harassment in the workplace? Does a startup founder's gender influence his or her ability to fund-raise? And who really holds the power in the investor-entrepreneur relationship?

According to the study's findings, the technology industry is in a similar place as it was last year: It's still an ideal time to start a new company, burn rates are increasing at similar rates, and the industry is still largely male-dominated.

But First Round's data reveals some surprising shifts as well. Engineering candidates are no longer as coveted as they were in 2016, and the founder community is increasingly embracing cryptocurrency as a new form of funding.

Read the rest of First Round's findings below:

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• Misen makes premium-quality knives at a price that is refreshingly accessible for the average person.
• The company sent over some knives for us to test, and we found them to be a pretty fantastic option for starter home cooks thanks to their value for price.
• Due to their 15-degree edge blades (most Western-style blades come with a 25-degree), Misen knives were incredibly sharp for their price point.

Getting into cooking for the average person can be daunting. It can feel like you’re faced with the binary choice of the $20 knife set you used in college — which feels more like operating a dull saw — or the crazy price tag of the blade that the chef on your favorite cooking show uses. An in-between would be nice.

And for that tall order, we give you the moderately priced and super-sharp blades of the startup Misen. Sold direct-to-consumer and funded by Kickstarter, the company is able to use premium materials and invest in research without having to add in the cost of middlemen.

The company recently sent over a box of knives — not the weirdest thing we’ve gotten — to test. A few members of the team took them home, and after a few days of independent testing, our opinion was such:

Misen knives are a fantastic choice for starter home cooks.

Knives are arguably the most important tools in a kitchen, and you can do a lot with only a few quality tools. I tested Misen’s Essentials Knife Set, its iteration on the three most basic building blocks you need for a truly functioning kitchen, and I came away impressed by the versatility and precision of the collection for its price. For $130, the Essential Knife Set includes a chef’s knife, serrated knife, and paring knife.

If you want details, you can find them below, but the short of it is that overall, the Misen knives are really solid options for the average person, but likely not going to stun a top chef. This isn’t a bad thing.

Instead of replacing upper-level knives for a third of their cost, Misen seems to have created a particularly great mid-range knife sold at the cost of a knife of noticeably lower quality. In other words: Misen’s knives are a great deal for the average person.

On the same day that we received the knives, I went and picked up a bunch of groceries and turned the night into a meal prep to rival all others. I used every knife in the set for a few Olympic cooking events each, and was pleasantly surprised with how each handled them.

Even though the chicken I was preparing was still frozen in the middle, it only took one motion with the Chef’s Knife to halve it — which inspired an audible "oh, wow" in my empty apartment. It was smooth, instantaneous, and required little exertion. In comparison, the knife we had been using seems to simply hack at frozen food. It performed similarly well slicing through vegetables.

The reason Misen gives for how much sharper their knives are is that unlike most Western-style knives with angles of 25 degrees, Misen uses a more acute 15 degrees for a sharper cutting face. And while there are many aspects to take into account when actually calculating how "premium" a cooking knife is, it seems that Misen has at the very least been able to deliver on this element.

The serrated blade basically fell through loaves of bread, and the paring knife handled all vegetables and fruits with precision and agility.

For me, the benefits of having a nice set of knives with which to cook was less about the time and effort it spared me (which was noticeable), and more about how enjoyable cooking was when it felt like I wasn’t fighting the food to get it made. Having tools that make you extra-effective in the process makes the entire act of cooking feel more manageable, controlled, and enjoyable.

Cooking can be clumsy with the wrong tools; it can be much, much smoother with the right ones.

Every member of the Insider Picks team who tried the Misen knives received at least a comment or two from somebody else who used them. For me, it was my roommate calling out into the living room that "These knives cut like a dream!" from the kitchen. For Insider Picks editor Ellen Hoffman, it was having somebody use the chef’s knife to cut through a piece of paper in midair.

If you’re looking to upgrade to a new set or know somebody who loves to cook but maybe hasn’t graduated to buying themselves $200 knives, Misen is a great gift for the holidays.

They check most of the boxes: They’re a thoughtful gift, have frequent real-life application, and they both look and feel more expensive than their price suggests. It also doesn’t hurt that Misen is a growing company, and they’re rapidly expanding into other aspects of cookware while keeping the same ethos of an "honest price" for premium performance. If they really like the knives, your giftee can return-shop at a startup that most people haven't found yet. 

For the price, Misen is a great option for the average person. Their knives are incredibly sharp, easy to handle, and priced in a way that delivers a lot of value for a cost that won’t break the budget.

Shop Misen Cookware here >

Below are the two most popular selections currently offered by Misen:

SEE ALSO: 15 kitchen gadget gifts for terrible home cooks that make life easier

Essentials Knife Set

Here is Misen's collection of the three most essential knives needed for a truly functioning kitchen. For $130, you can get a paring knife, a chef's knife, and a serrated knife all with the characteristic 15-degree angle blades for noticeably sharper cuts, sloped bolsters for comfortable grip, and intelligent hybrid blade design. That means you're only spending about $44 per knife.

Misen Essentials Knife Set, $130

Chef's Knife

The Chef's Knife is the most important knife in the kitchen, and Misen's iteration is prepared to hold itself to that standard. Its résumé includes being made out of high-quality Japanese steel, having the hybrid geometry of both Western- and Japanese-style features for an especially versatile blade, a comfortable grip, and a 15-degree blade angle for a sharper cut.

Misen Chef's Knife, $65

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Recently, I've been seeing a luxury handbag company called Senreve all over my social media feeds.

Each time I saw it, I found myself drawn to the crisp lines of the bag and the way it seemed to instantly cinch the wearer's outfit together, whether she was wearing a flowy weekend dress or stylish business casual.

Intrigued by what seemed to be the it bag of stylish women everywhere, I decided to learn more about the company that believes (rightly so) that women can have it all, down to the handbag they choose to carry.

The first thing that's clear is Senreve was made for the modern woman who demands more from everything in her life, professional and personal, and needs accessories that can keep up. Designed for busy multitaskers who breeze from breakfast meetings to cocktail networking events, Senreve handbags are just the solution.

Whether in food, furniture, or fashion, you can't fake craftsmanship. All you have to do is feel any of Senreve's bags to find luxury quality and sturdy construction that just isn't there with brands of similar price points. Made in Italy by craftsman who have been working with top luxury brands for over 50 years, the bags feature an Italian water-resistant genuine leather exterior and a supple, stain-resistant micro-suede interior. The pebbled leather is soft and smooth, yet scratch-resistant and clearly durable.

Though some styles have more color options than others, they're all undoubtedly gorgeous. You can choose from deep and moody colors like forest, merlot, marine, and noir, or opt for soft and neutral tones like cream, blush, and sand.

Senreve's sharp style, quality leather, and beautiful color options have earned the adoration of celebrities including Selma Blair, Priyanka Chopra, Jenna Dewan Tatum, and Jessica Alba, as well as popular bloggers Chriselle Lim and Rocky Barnes. Its a lineup of supporters as versatile as the bags themselves.

The bags and totes range from $125 to $895, so it's not likely to be a quick buck you just drop on a whim. But if you're seriously considering a handbag investment for you or a special someone in your life, a Senreve bag will not disappoint. You can see the best styles from the site below.

Having trouble figuring out what to get people for the holidays? You can check out all of Insider Picks' 2017 gift guides here.

SEE ALSO: 26 gifts your mom actually wants this holiday season

SEE ALSO: I found a gym bag that can keep up with my busy lifestyle — and it makes a perfect gift this holiday season

Maestra

This distinctively boxy bag looks cool no matter how you wear it: as a backpack, a crossbody, over the shoulder, or on the arm. 

Maestra Bag, $895, available in 14 colors

Mini Maestra Bag

A mini version of the Maestra, this bag is great for daytime outings. It has seven interior compartments and the central one can fit an iPad. 

Mini Maestra, $695, available in 7 colors

Crossbody

Trade the leather strap for a chain, detach the removable Bracelet Pouch, or even swap the Bracelet Pouch for a different color when you want to change up the look and feel of this bag. 

Crossbody, $575, available in 8 colors

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• Cotopaxi, an outdoor gear and apparel company, recently launched their Allpa 35L Travel Pack through Indiegogo. 
• Thanks to its incredible storage space, versatility, and comfort, it has become my most valuable travel accessory.
• While it can fit 35 liters' worth of stuff, it fits airline restrictions for a carry-on and can function easily as either a duffel or backpack.

I spend a lot of time traveling.

While my family home — and family — still reside in the Midwest, I’ve been living on the East Coast for the last five years, which means that I spend a good amount of time shuttling back and forth on an airplane. Until recently, my best friend also lived out of state, making trips by train or bus a monthly fixture. 

As a frequent traveler, I’ve become particular (a nicer word might be "efficient”) regarding what does and does not work well whilst traveling.

Cordless headphones, portable battery packs, collapsible water bottles all make the best value list. And, now, thanks to outdoor gear startup Cotopaxi, so does a comfortable and seemingly bottomless carry-on.

The company sent the Allpa 35L Travel Pack for me to test a few months back, and I haven't gone on a single trip since without using it as my primary carrier. It's so good at fitting a never-ending amount of things that it has pretty much negated my tendency to overpack, simply because it fits surplus for a carry-on-sized weekend incredibly well.

The Allpa is easily the best travel accessory I own. It seems bottomless while I'm packing, but also somehow fits airline restrictions for a carry-on. 

It fits a ton of stuff (35 liters' worth), which is great on its own, but its design is what makes the most of all that space. The main zipper allows the bag to splay completely open, so you don't have to dig from top to bottom the way you do with a traditional backpack. The large internal mesh compartments make it easy to see what's inside a particular layer and function as helpful organizers. The back panel unzips to helpful padded laptop and tablet sleeves to store your gadgets, with a 15-inch laptop fitting comfortably. And in case you just need to grab your phone and don't want to unzip the whole thing, there's a shallow pocket on the exterior for the essentials. There's also a shortcut zipper so you can get into the main compartment without taking the pack off. 

It can be worn as a backpack or as a duffel thanks to its tuck-away straps, and this is one area where the background in outdoors gear comes in handy. The backpack straps are contoured for comfortable wear, the hip belt is padded and adjustable, and the low-profile harness feels like a backpacking pack, helping to evenly distribute the weight you're carrying to places in the body best equipped to handle the load. The back panel is also made out of mesh, so you won't wind up with an overly sweaty back. In other words, it's really comfortable to wear even when it feels like it shouldn't be.

On top of great storage space and versatility, the Allpa is also rugged enough to seemingly last years.  The exterior is made from a blend of tough, TPU-coated 100D polyester and durable 1680D ballistic nylon paneling.

For those looking to use the bag for "roughing it," there's even a highly visible rain cover that packs down within the pack, since the material may be water-resistant but the seams are not.

As an extra security measure, all the external zippers have a pretty cool feature: theft-proof webbing sewn across the openings, so a quick pick-pocket and run isn't exactly feasible.

After using the bag for a few months, I can say that at least as a user it feels as if Cotopaxi has thought of nearly everything while designing the pack. So if you're looking to take the bus for a weekend trip away or plan to go backpacking on a multi-city Euro trip, I can't recommend the Allpa 35L enough for either trip. 

Buy a Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Travel Pack for $199.95

SEE ALSO: 26 things we always pack when we travel

Join the conversation about this story »

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Nine seasons in and hundreds of products later, the show "Shark Tank" continues to entertain us as well as the panel of celebrity investors with creative pitches. However, that doesn't always mean the products are actually good. Some end up being a little too creative or out-there and border on plain gimmicky or "Who would even use that?"

We looked through all the "Shark Tank" products available for purchase and came away with a selection of star products for the home that made us curse and ask ourselves, "Why didn't we think of this earlier?"

Many solve for the wasteful design of many common products you already use, while others address the annoying inconveniences that everyone experiences. 

Check out the "Shark Tank" home products that are worth buying below.

SEE ALSO: The 20 best gifts that got their start on ‘Shark Tank’

A spring-loaded laundry hamper

This hamper drops down as you add clothes and rises as you remove them, meaning doing laundry will no longer be that uncomfortable chore you never look forward to. It eases the strain on your lower back, so it's especially great for expecting mothers, people with bad backs, and the elderly. 

Household Essentials Lifter Hamper, $29.99, available at Amazon

A self-cleaning dog potty

If you've already tried many indoor potty training systems, your search ends here with the world's first self-cleaning dog potty. You can adjust the timer to automatically change a dirty pad one, two, or three times a day, or manually change it with a push of a button. The machine will wrap and seal the waste, keeping your home clean and odor-free. It's best for dogs under 25 pounds. 

BrilliantPad Self-Cleaning & Automatic Indoor Dog Potty, $159.99, available at Amazon

A rapid ramen cooker

Granted ramen is already a pretty convenient meal to make, this tool makes the process even easier. The water line stops you from overfilling the bowl, the bowl doesn't get overly hot, and you don't need to use a pot and stove. It's perfect for anyone who doesn't have access to a kitchen, including students living in dorms and office workers. 

Rapid Ramen Cooker, $6.99, available at Amazon

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

As part of an ongoing series, Insider Picks features products or stores poised for big things. The subject of this spotlight is a direct-to-consumer fine jewelry company called Mejuri.

Most women associate getting fine jewelry with special occasions, like anniversaries, engagements, and birthdays.

But that doesn't have to, and frankly shouldn't, be the case if you ask Noura Sakkijha and Justine Lançon, the cofounders of Mejuri, a Toronto-based jewelry startup.

Sakkijha and Lançon launched Mejuri in early 2015 with the idea that women don't need to wait for someone else to give them fine jewelry; instead, they wanted to put the purchasing power in the hands of women, giving them the opportunity to buy contemporary, fine jewelry for accessible prices.

"We wanted to create a class of jewelry for women who shop for themselves the way they shop for their shoes and bags," Sakkijha told Business Insider. "Women don’t want to spend their whole paychecks on high-quality jewelry; they want to have a choice to buy high-quality, non-overpriced jewelry for their day-to-day lives. And we are giving them that choice."

Women currently account for 89% of the company's transactions. As a woman, I totally get why it's resonating with this demographic so well.

The jewelry market looks crowded, but if you pay close attention, it’s mostly divided into very classic and expensive fine jewelry or affordable costume jewelry that won’t last. Women want something in the middle, and Mejuri fills the gap with its delicate collection of rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets, which retails for as low as $30 for an edgy gold ear cuff to as high as $365 for solid gold and diamond flower-shaped studs.

To that end, Sakkijha and Lançon told me Mejuri has already exceeded over $1 million dollars in year two of operation and reports 20-30% of monthly transactions are from repeat customers. "We've established a great level of loyalty with customers in a product category that is perceived as a non-frequent purchase," said Lançon.

The company's direct-to-consumer business model, which allows it to keep price markups low, and its commitment to customer service are largely to credit. Since launching, Mejuri has relied heavily on customer feedback to improve its jewelry. 

"We involve our customers in product feedback, since this helps in the evolution of our quality and choosing what we introduce to the market," Sakkijha and Lançon told me. "We also give them the ability to reach out to us via email and text, and will be integrating more and more technology to speed up our response times. We’re really driven to provide a luxury experience to every single customer."

After getting to wear a few pieces from Mejuri's current fine jewelry collection for a few weeks, I'd recommend the company as one of the best places to buy fine jewelry online. Not only is Mejuri constantly putting new pieces into production (it's established a lean and quick supply chain that allows it to get products from concept to store in 3-4 weeks), its message, high quality, and transparent prices are all things I can get behind. 

The company sent me a pair of hoop earrings ($129), choker-style necklace ($255), and ring ($175) so I could get a sense of the jewelry's overall quality, and each piece feels and looks a lot nicer than its price suggests. They're my new everyday go-tos, and I'm already eyeing a couple other pieces I want to eventually buy for myself.

Mejuri is smart addition to the jewelry market and one that's going to be great for customers, be they women who are shopping for themselves, or people who are looking to find great gifts for the women they love that don't put a huge dent in their wallets.

Have a closer look at some of my favorite jewelry from Mejuri below: 

DON'T MISS: This is the work bag professional women everywhere have been looking for

Stacking a few dainty rings together adds some extra sparkle to your outfit and looks cool. Feel free to mix metals, too — yellow, rose, and white gold all play well together. 

Diamonds Line Ring White Gold, $195 | Solo Diamond Ring, $175 | Beaded Ring White Gold, $69 

These elegant threader earrings don't have backs to them, so you can adjust where and how they fall.

Edged Threader Earrings, $145 

These hoop earrings offer women a modern, sophisticated silhouette, and they're perfect for everyday wear.

Twist Hoops, $129

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

• Innovative women's workwear company MM.LaFleur has developed a wool trench coat that packs the warmth of a ski-jacket without the bulk.
• The exterior is tailored and professional, but the interior of insulated down keeps you comfortable in cold weather.
• For its versatility, innovation, and overall elegance, the Prospect Puffer is one of the best winter workwear buys you could make.

I grew up in Minnesota, so I can remember quite a few frigid mornings in which my mom would have to duck and run against the cold on her way to work, since a trench coat was more appropriate for her morning meeting, but a giant, Michelin-man style puffer was more appropriate for the weather.

Luckily, women-owned company MM.LaFleur has made a name for itself by designing workwear made for women’s actual needs — and this year they’ve created a sleek, office-ready trench coat with the heat of a ski-jacket.

The company has so far created an almost peerless line of elegant clothes that don’t offer comfort up for collateral — and the Prospect Puffer isn’t going to break that pattern. 

The tailored wrap coat has a fitted wool exterior and a down-insulated interior. You’ll get the slimming, streamlined silhouette of a trench coat without sacrificing your warmth or comfort in the name of professionalism. It’s the best kind of innovation — something the average workingwoman would truly want to own.

The trench comes with classic details for a sleek silhouette like angled lapels and a sash waist, but has thoughtfully deep front pockets for essentials like keys and gloves. 

It doesn’t come cheap at $595, but it's helpful to note that name brand tailored wool trench coats can run into the $600s alone, so getting both a trench and puffer for the same price winds up being a pretty great deal. It also doesn't hurt that coats tend to have a longer retention rate than other items in your closet, so you might be paying $595 for a coat that you'll be wearing for years to come — and wearing often, thanks to its versatility.

If you're looking for a seriously warm winter coat that doesn't need help transitioning to the office or might know somebody who would appreciate the gift of one, the Prospect Puffer won't disappoint — and it's not likely to have very much competition. 

Buy or gift the MM. LaFleur Prospect Puffer for $595

Having trouble figuring out what to get people for the holidays? You can check out all of Insider Picks' 2017 gift guides here.

SEE ALSO: 26 gifts your mom actually wants this holiday season

Join the conversation about this story »

• Andrew Mason will always be remembered as the founder of Groupon ousted not long after a spectacular IPO, but he's been busy since then.
• Business Insider recently caught up with Mason to talk about his new startup, Descript.
• We also asked him about the bizarre rock album he released after he was fired and about his thoughts on staying motivated.
• He hasn't lost his trademark, deadpan humor or his attitude of gratitude.

2013 was an epic year for Andrew Mason. He was ousted from Groupon, the company he founded and led to a spectacular IPO; he launched a new startup called Detour; and he released a rock album called "Hardly Working."

At the time, the tech industry couldn't figure out if the album was done in earnest or if it was a parody. The lyrics of the songs covered topics like getting promoted, avoiding bad product design, and there was even an innuendo-filled track about listening to employees, called "My Door Is Always Open," featuring a duet with a female vocalist.

In the now-deleted blog post promoting the album, he wrote, "Sure, you can just leave copies of Hardly Workin’ on your employees’ desks and achieve an incremental increase in productivity and morale but ... try ending your next all-hands meeting with ‘It’s Up to Us,’ for example."

Years after the album debuted, we asked Mason about the story behind the album during an interview about his latest startup, Descript.

"That's about the best thing I'll ever do in my life," he deadpanned. 

"I just felt like there were a lot of kids out there that that wanted to learn about business, and it's increasingly difficult to get people to read books, but people still love rock music. So I felt like taking some of the things I learned and distilling them into musical form would be an effective way to have a have an impact," he explained.

Did it have an impact?

"There was an all-hands meeting that occurred at Twitter," he said, quoting a Business Insider story about a pep talk given at the company. "There's a song on the album called 'It's up to us' which is very much about that same concept."

He also noted that the album had a track called "Stretch" about how to set goals and "I hear all the time about companies that are setting goals."

Then he jokingly credited the album with fixing the US economy, noting that before he released it, the economy was stagnant but in the years since, it's been robust.

So, yes, the album was definitely an expression of his deadpan humor, even if he did also have something real to say about business on it.

It's about the gratitude

When we asked Mason what inspires him to launch new startups from scratch after Groupon left him a wealthy guy, he grew more sincere.

His company Detour, which creates audio tours, employs 8 people and has, by his own admission, been "an uphill battle." It also inspired him to launch a new company on Tuesday called Descript, which makes an audio-editing tool and represents a "pivot" for the company.

After all, instead of the struggle of building a new company, he could do the typical weathly, former tech exec thing: invest and advise. Or he could do the aristocratic thing: nothing.

"I just feel really lucky to get to do the kind of work that we get to do," he said. "For me, making money, that was kind of a wonderful accident.  So it never occurred to me to stop. It's so fun."

He added that working hard to build a company is a way to "learn so much about yourself" by "being constantly tested ... it's a way to improve yourself."

Mason said that another attraction to the life of an entrepreneur, particularly in San Francisco, is surrounding himself with smart people.

"It's such a wonderful experience to get to see people who are so good at what they do, and how it's so humbling to work alongside those people and have them choose to work with you. I just love that," he said.

All of this echoes the honest and almost cheerful note to Groupon employees he wrote back in February, 2013 when he announced, "I was fired today. If you're wondering why... you haven't been paying attention. ... For those who are concerned about me, please don't be. ... I'm OK with having failed at this part of the journey."

SEE ALSO: Groupon founder Andrew Mason is back with a cool new startup

SEE ALSO: No one used to call Okta’s CEO before trying to squash his business — now Amazon and Google give him a heads-up and that's ‘progress’

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A guy who reviews gadgets for a living spent a week with the iPhone X and the Pixel 2 — the winner was clear

• Over the course of 2017, Uber went from one of the most admired companies in Silicon Valley to one of the most vilified.
• Many executive heads have rolled including former CEO Travis Kalanick.
• But investors also have responsibility in how a company is run, one famous VC and former Facebook exec argues. He applauds Uber's biggest VC, Benchmark, for the drastic steps it took this year. 

The wave of scandal and controversy that washed over Uber this year has been nothing short of spectacular. But the sad truth is, almost any Silicon Valley startup could be the next Uber.

That's because every startup is encouraged to begin operating with the same "growing at all costs" playbook that Uber relied on, says Chamath Palihapitiya, the outspoken founder of venture capitalist firm Social Capital. Palihapitiya is a successful VC whose firm has backed companies like Box, Slack, SurveyMonkey, Yammer. He's trying to disrupt the VC world by doing things like investing in startups automatically, without ever meeting them and taking them public in a novel way, too.

But Palihapitiya is perhaps best known as an early manager at Facebook who helped that company navigate through many of its own early-days of scandals. 

He recently said he feels "tremendous guilt" about Facebook's role in the world these days saying that social networks are "destroying how society works," and adding, "In the back, deep, deep recesses of our mind, we kind of knew something bad could happen." (Facebook shot back at Palihapitiya, noting that the company was much different when he left six years ago)

Now, as a VC, he believes that while the CEO and executives should shoulder the blame for a startup's questionable decisions, VCs also play a part. They fund the startups, sit on the boards and advise these CEOs. 

Uber is the ultimate example. It's fall from grace this year is "the great American tragedy playing out in a company," Palihapitiya recently told Business Insider. 

All startups must 'grow at all costs' – at first

All successful company go through several chapters and the first chapter is always about survival, an "existential ... I am going to die ... fight or flight" stage, Palihapitiya says.

In this first stage, "Everybody’s order is to grow at all costs," he says. 

"Most companies fail because they’re run by people who do not have the wherewithal to fight through the fear [of failing]." 

Uber was a "superb" example of how to find a market and grow, says Palihapitiya.

But a chapter of success in the Valley is followed by one he calls "the fall."

"What you have to do in Chapter 2 is deal with the real world implications of Chapter 1," he says.

In Facebook's early days, "there were a lot of moral implications. The big deal was related to privacy and an emerging understanding of information and the use of information for things like how to target ads."

He believes Facebook is still grappling with these implications. 

For Uber, "It was not about data privacy issues, or issues with wages for drivers. They were dealing with fundamental safety/security issues for passengers and employees, a culture riddled with sexism and all sorts of behaviors people thought were utterly unacceptable."

As these issues came to light through press reports and lawsuits, Uber's biggest investor Benchmark went to war within the company. It led an investor revolt that caused CEO Travis Kalanick to resign, and then it doubled down by suing Kalanick to try and block his potential return.

They didn't turn a blind eye in Chapter 2

The lawsuit by Benchmark, a major Uber investor and board member, was an extreme measure, even by Silicon Valley standards. Many tech industry insiders wondered whether the move would tarnish Benchmark's reputation and future business prospects among startups and entrepreneurs. 

But Palihapitiya is adamant that Benchmark did the right thing. 

"We can blame them [as board members] all day long, and chastise them for what was happening during the growth phase, but they were playing by a set of rules defined by everyone when you grow. But the important thing is they didn’t turn a blind eye in that Chapter 2," he says.

He adds,"When bad things are happening, it doesn’t matter what the economic incentive is, you have a moral obligation to stand up for what you believe," Palihapitiya says.

Suing a cofounder CEO may scare other startup founders away from working with Benchmark, Palihapitiya notes. "But I’m glad they did something because it would be morally reprehensible if they didn’t."

Uber is now in Chapter 3, the rebuilding phase. "And we are going to have to see. Can [new CEO] Dara [Khosrowshahi] really rewrite a culture where it’s almost as if there’s an entire population of people that corrupted what was acceptable and what was not?"

Time will tell, Palihapitiya says. But one thing is for certain, the mentality that drove Uber to grow at all costs was not unique to Uber. Maybe Uber will serve as a warning sign to others. Then again, maybe it will be a beacon.

SEE ALSO: An early Facebook exec explains why investing in startups without meeting them is the future of venture capital

SEE ALSO: No one used to call Okta’s CEO before trying to squash his business — now Amazon and Google give him a heads-up and that's ‘progress’

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: France's $21 billion nuclear fusion reactor is now halfway complete

Building a house by hand can be both time-consuming and expensive. Some homebuilders have chosen to automate part of the construction instead.

A new Ukrainian homebuilding startup called PassivDom uses a 3D printing robot that can print parts for tiny houses. The machine can print the walls, roof, and floor of PassivDom's 410-square-foot model in about eight hours. The windows, doors, plumbing, and electrical systems are then added by a human worker.

When complete, the homes are autonomous and mobile, meaning they don't need to connect to external electrical and plumbing systems. Solar energy is stored in a battery connected to the houses, and water is collected and filtered from humidity in the air (or you can pour water into the system yourself). The houses also feature independent sewage systems.

Since the startup launched in spring 2017, it has received more than 8,000 preorders in the United States for its homes, which start at $64,000. The first 100 ones will be delivered in January 2018.

Check out the homes below.

SEE ALSO: A startup invented this $10,000 house that can be built in one day

PassivDom's smallest model measures 410 square feet and ranges from $64,000 to $97,000, designer Maria Sorokina told Business Insider.

The 775-square-foot model ranges from $97,000 to $147,000.

Here's what the house looks like when you walk in the front door. It's a large open space with a small kitchen and floor-to-ceiling windows.

• Many associate startup founders with young 20-somethings.
• A presentation from researchers at The National Bureau of Economic Research found the average exit age of successful silicon valley startup founders was 47.

When you think of successful Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who sell their startup or take it public, you'd be forgiven if you thought they were typically in their 30s, or even their 20s.

The average exit age of successful Silicon Valley startup founders between 2007 and 2014 was actually 47. That's according to to a post from July on Digitopoly by entrepreneurship professor Joshua Gans citing a paper from the NBER Summer Institute.

Gans also quoted investor Paul Graham in a 2013 interview with The New York Times, who said, "The cutoff in investors' heads is 32 … after 32 they tend to be a little skeptical."

With that mindset, investors could be missing out on golden opportunities. Indeed, the bright star of youth is certainly alluring, but nothing beats experience.

Gans says the finding is from basic data results and the research is still developing, but it's still worth the consideration of Silicon Valley investors who tend to gravitate toward younger entrepreneurs.

SEE ALSO: The $13.7 billion Whole Foods buy has turned the whole world against Amazon — and we'll see the sparks fly next year

DON'T MISS: Here are the ages you peak at everything throughout life

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: The secret to Steve Jobs' and Elon Musk's success, according to a former Apple and Tesla executive

• The company that makes the HQ trivia app has been taking meetings with investors, hoping to raise money at a $100 million valuation.
• But some investors are concerned about the startup's management, including one cofounder's behavior at a previous job, which reportedly made them decide not to participate in the funding round.

Intermedia Labs, the maker of the hot trivia app HQ, was seemingly on track to raise money at a $100 million valuation, but some investors decided they're not interested after hearing about a cofounder's allegedly "creepy" behavior toward women during his previous job at Twitter, according to Recode's Kurt Wagner.

From the Recode report:

"At least three prominent investors have decided against funding the startup after finding troubling conduct on the part of the founders they uncovered during due diligence, multiple sources say."

The Recode report says investors were worried about HQ cofounder Colin Kroll's behavior while he was working on the Vine team at Twitter. There were no specific details regarding his behavior, according to Recode. Kroll was a Vine cofounder along with HQ's other cofounder, Rus Yusupov. Both men started Intermedia Labs, HQ's parent company. Yusupov is also the CEO of Intermedia Labs.

Recode reports that investors also pointed to Yusupov's recent tirade against a Daily Beast reporter as concerning. We've reached out to Yusupov for comment on the report and the allegations of inappropriate behavior against Kroll.

Jeremy Liew, a venture capitalist and board member for Intermedia Labs, told Recode in a statement that he conducted an investigation into Kroll's past behavior and "did not find evidence that warrants his removal from the company."

Read more details on Recode.

Curious to see how HQ Trivia works? Read our walkthrough here.

SEE ALSO: The FCC repealed net neutrality — here's what that means for you

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Here's why Boeing 747s have a giant hump in the front

For startups on the path to success, there's often one key moment or decision that catapults them from obscurity to the big leagues.

This year on Business Insider's podcast, "Success! How I Did It," founders of companies such as PayPal, Lyft, and Dropbox shared how they built their companies into massive successes. And while a lot goes into building a company, the leaders we've interviewed all had surprising stories.

Sometimes it's an inspired decision that leads to success; other times it's luck and timing.

Listen and read below for the key moments that turned Zillow, Tinder, Warby Parker, and others into household names.

If you're hunting for more career advice, inspiration, and stories of getting to the top, subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts,Google Play, Radio Public, or wherever you listen.

Here's the master class episode in which top founders talk about the moments that changed everything for their companies:

The following interview excerpts have been edited for clarity.

Zillow launched with an innovative feature, the Zestimate. It was the first time anyone could look up the current value of their home, and their friends' homes. This feature alone got the company a ton of launch press, and a million visitors within its first 24 hours.

Rascoff: We said: "Let's try to figure out what every house in the country is worth. How do we do that?" Most of this information — bed, bath, square footage, tax assessment, sale history — is available in county courthouses, but we had to go acquire it, digitize it, and then build the data layer, the Zestimate, that sits on top of that.

And when we launched in, I think it was February 2006. We got about a million visitors within the first day. I still don't think any other service — Snapchat, Facebook, whatever — I don't think anyone else has had a million users in day one. Because it's so cool and so innovative to say, "Oh, my god, I can grab my kid's school roster and I can Zillow everybody at my kid's school and see what everyone's house is worth, see what everyone paid for the home." That was just, like, this, "Oh, my God" kind of thing that launched the company in 2006.

Tinder turned a college student's birthday with 500 attendees into a "Tinder party." The students were not allowed to board the party bus until a bouncer made sure they had downloaded Tinder's app.

Rad: Justin's younger brother was throwing a birthday party for his best friend at USC, and he had a bus going from USC to his parents' home. The bus was going back and forth, so a total of about 500 students. Justin called me one day and said, "Let's pay for the bus and call this a Tinder party." So we paid for the bus and put a bouncer at the door and told every student that they couldn't walk in unless they downloaded Tinder. You'd literally have to show Tinder on your phone. So about 400 people downloaded Tinder at USC. They went home and opened the app and started matching with each other. It really created a phenomenon within USC.

Immediately after that, every afternoon the whole team would leave the office, get in a car, and we would drive by every fraternity and sorority in Los Angeles, then San Diego, then Orange County, and every school we could cover.

In the beginning of January we had about 20,000 users, and at the end of January we had 500,000 users, all organic. The growth curve was unimaginable. It was pretty amazing.

TheSkimm was featured on 'Today' after the founders send a blind email to Hoda Kotb, and actually got a response.

Weisberg: We emailed every news anchor out there. We were like, "We're former NBC-ers, thought you would love this, thought you would appreciate the need that we're solving." Hoda Kotb responded, and she said, "I'll check it out!" We didn't know her. We followed up with her two more times, but got no response. Day four of us in business, she said we were one of her favorite things — on air — and it totally changed our life.

We went from, at that point, let's say, under 1,000 users to thousands. All of a sudden, we had geographic diversity. And all of a sudden, we had huge pockets of the country paying attention to what we were doing.

Shontell: Wow. What does a Hoda bump do to your newsletter subscribers?

Zakin: It crashed our site. It crashed our email inbox. We got a few thousand people from it. It was life-changing.