Meet Axios’ New Owners: Old-Money Atlanta Billionaires Hungry for the Next Big ThingRead More

Margaux MacColl

Reporter

Margaux MacColl is a reporter for The Information, covering tech culture. Previously, she was a startups/venture capital reporter for Business Insider.

Art by Clark Miller.

The Founder Who Got High on a Rooftop and Came Down With a Business

By Margaux MacColl · Aug. 13, 2022 6:00 AM PDT

Watching the app you built hit the 10 million-download threshold would be a career high for most founders. But for Ben-Zion Benkhin, it’s just another day at the office. Within the last two years, Benkhin, 26, has launched two wildly popular artificial intelligence–based apps. The first was Wombo.ai, which uses AI to create highly... Watching the app you built hit the 10 million-download threshold would be a career high for most...

Venture Capital Culture

Screentime: The Solo VC Who Never Lets Her Phone Battery Die

By Margaux MacColl · July 30, 2022 6:00 AM PDT · 5 comments

About a year after founding her solo venture firm in 2018, Day One Ventures founder Masha Bucher started running her $100 million fund almost entirely from her phone. She’s always on the move, jetting from San Francisco to meet founders, to Zurich to see investors, to Peru for vacation. On some work trips, she even leaves her laptop... About a year after founding her solo venture firm in 2018, Day One Ventures founder Masha Bucher...

Magic Eden’s co-founders Jack Lu (CEO), Sidney Zhang (CTO), Zhuojie Zhou (Chief Engineer) and Zhuoxun Yin (COO). Art by Clark Miller.

The Magic Eden Miracle: How an NFT Marketplace Soared in the Midst of a Crypto Crash

By Margaux MacColl · July 29, 2022 2:00 PM PDT · 1 comment

On May 11, investor Shan Shan of Lightspeed Venture Partners spent two hours walking around San Francisco with Jack Lu and Zhuoxun Yin, the Australian-born co-founders of Magic Eden. It was a clear night on the Embarcadero, with the Bay Bridge twinkling in the distance. The crypto boom was still roaring and their stroll should’ve been a... On May 11, investor Shan Shan of Lightspeed Venture Partners spent two hours walking around San...

Photo courtesy of Atoms. Art by Clark Miller

How an Invite and a Pivot Changed Everything for the Founders of Sneaker Brand Atoms

By Margaux MacColl · July 16, 2022 7:00 AM PDT · 3 comments

Photo courtesy of Atoms. Art by Clark Miller

How an Invite and a Pivot Changed Everything for the Founders of Sneaker Brand Atoms

By Margaux MacColl · July 16, 2022 7:00 AM PDT · 3 comments

In 2015, when married founders Waqas Ali and Sidra Qasim arrived at Y Combinator, they weren’t yet fluent in English. The pair had traveled from Pakistan, where their handmade leather shoe business had become a viral sensation. But at Y Combinator’s famous Demo Day, they looked at all the rival entrepreneurs wearing fashionable... In 2015, when married founders Waqas Ali and Sidra Qasim arrived at Y Combinator, they...

DoNotPay CEO Joshua Browder leads a crypto horde into battle. Art by Clark Miller.

Crypto Wants Its Cash Back: Inside the Small but Mighty Legal Crusade to Win Back Lost Savings

By Margaux MacColl · July 8, 2022 10:03 AM PDT · 12 comments

Before it collapsed on June 12, crypto lender Celsius Network made irresistible promises: Forget storing your money in a boring old bank—join the “unbanked” by holding cryptocurrencies while earning up to 18.6% in interest. Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky bolstered these assurances with populist rallying cries:... Before it collapsed on June 12, crypto lender Celsius Network made irresistible...

Art by Clark Miller

Scene and Heard

‘The Last Great Party’: With Crypto Winter Coming, NFT Lovers Try to Stave Off Reality

By Margaux MacColl · June 24, 2022 2:30 PM PDT · 9 comments

Ten days before NFT.NYC began last Monday in New York, I interviewed the conference’s founder, Jodee Rich, about how the crypto market’s collapse would impact this year’s gathering. It seemed like an obvious topic of discussion: $400 billion in cryptocurrencies’ market value had just vanished in a matter of weeks;... Ten days before NFT.NYC began last Monday in New York, I interviewed the conference’s...

Art by Clark Miller.

How Canned Iced Tea Became a Viral Crypto Project

By Margaux MacColl · June 17, 2022 2:00 PM PDT

When the value of the terra stablecoin started to plummet last month, things looked grim for the crypto market. Artists Brian Moore, Mike Lacher and Chris Baker decided to create a stablecoin whose value would never waver. The three of them, who are collectively known as Mossy, created a stablecoin pegged to AriZona Iced Tea, the sugary beverage... When the value of the terra stablecoin started to plummet last month, things looked grim for the...

Art by Clark Miller.

Screentime: LearnVest’s Founder Thinks the Future of Finance Is on Your Phone

By Margaux MacColl · June 11, 2022 7:00 AM PDT

Art by Clark Miller.

Venture Capital Crypto

Screentime: LearnVest’s Founder Thinks the Future of Finance Is on Your Phone

By Margaux MacColl · June 11, 2022 7:00 AM PDT

Welcome to Screentime, where tech leaders divulge their most personal phone habits. Inspired Capital partner Alexa von Tobel loves crypto, and the proof is all over her phone. From trading currencies on Gemini to admiring her non-fungible tokens on the POAP app, von Tobel has fully bought into the idea that the financial technology of... Welcome to Screentime, where tech leaders divulge their most personal phone habits. ...

Art by Clark Miller

Tokens for We but Not for Thee: How a DAO Turned Against One of Its Earliest Investors

By Margaux MacColl · June 10, 2022 2:00 PM PDT · 2 comments

On May 20, Honey Barrel, whose online bio describes them only as a “vanquisher of non-frens,” woke up and chose chaos. They’re a member of Merit Circle DAO, a decentralized autonomous organization worth over $370 million that loans non-fungible tokens to people who play crypto games but can’t afford the buy-in, according... On May 20, Honey Barrel, whose online bio describes them only as a “vanquisher of...

Photo Sheridan Clayborne. Art by Mike Sullivan.

The Child Prodigy Turned Founder Who Wants to Loan You Some 401(k) Cash

By Margaux MacColl · May 28, 2022 7:00 AM PDT · 8 comments

Sheridan Clayborne is used to being the youngest person in the room. He was 15 when he got into Northwestern University, 17 when he made his first million, and 19 when he landed a job at Dropbox. Now, at 22, he’s raised $24 million for his startup, Lendtable, which helps people fulfill their employer’s 401(k) matches. Founded in... Sheridan Clayborne is used to being the youngest person in the room. He was 15 when he got into...

Art by Clark Miller

Venture Capital Culture

Screentime: How Venture Investor Rex Woodbury Finds Inspiration on His Phone

By Margaux MacColl · May 14, 2022 7:00 AM PDT · 5 comments

Welcome to Screentime, a new series from The Weekend in which tech leaders divulge their personal phone habits, from their most recent texts, to midnight scribbles in the Notes app, to whatever’s popping up on their TikTok For You page. For Rex Woodbury, a partner at Index Ventures, it’s practically a job requirement to be on his... Welcome to Screentime, a new series from The Weekend in which tech leaders divulge their personal...

Art by Mike Sullivan.

The University of Indecision: For Some High School Seniors, TikTok Is the New College Counselor

By Margaux MacColl · May 7, 2022 7:00 AM PDT

Art by Mike Sullivan.

The University of Indecision: For Some High School Seniors, TikTok Is the New College Counselor

By Margaux MacColl · May 7, 2022 7:00 AM PDT

It was almost May 1-–the ominously named Decision Day when high school seniors across the U.S. must commit to a college—and undecided teenagers were getting desperate. After touring campuses, studying college websites and asking their families for advice, there was only one option left: making a TikTok. “Everyone comment I have... It was almost May 1-–the ominously named Decision Day when high school seniors across the...

Art: Clark Miller. All photographs: Rosie Nguyen

“She Has Always Played Life on Hard Mode”: A Female Founder on Battling Poverty, Online Harassers and Tim Cook

By Margaux MacColl · April 22, 2022 3:13 PM PDT · 1 comment

“This account is a safe space for horny women,” Rosie Nguyen announced to her 156,000 Twitter followers earlier this week. “You are loved and seen.” The sentiment was actually a bit tame for Nguyen, who’s gained a large and loyal social media following for her often racy tweets posted under the handle... “This account is a safe space for horny women,” Rosie Nguyen announced to her 156,000...

Art by Clark Miller

Can Peace Last Between Crypto’s Visionary Rivals?

By Margaux MacColl · April 15, 2022 1:15 PM PDT · 5 comments

Last October, an image appeared on Twitter of a crypto Mount Rushmore: a drawing of four men etched in stone, looking out onto a valley of trees. There was Dorian Nakamoto, rumored to be the pseudonymous creator of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. There was the distinct, angular jawline of Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, the world’s... Last October, an image appeared on Twitter of a crypto Mount Rushmore: a drawing of four men...

Art by Clark Miller.

Play Games, Earn Crypto: For Children of Blockchain Pros, Play-to-Earn Gaming Opens a Brave New World

By Margaux MacColl · March 26, 2022 7:00 AM PDT

Michael Bacina’s daughter knew her father worked in the crypto industry, and she wanted in. Bacina, a lawyer at Piper Alderman in Sydney specializing in blockchain law, recalled a fateful day in a cafe two years ago, when his daughter, then 7 years old, turned to him and asked, “When are you going to buy some [bitcoin] for us?”... Michael Bacina’s daughter knew her father worked in the crypto industry, and she wanted in....

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Paris Hilton, Bored Apes and the Making of a Hollywood Crypto Clique

By Margaux MacColl · March 18, 2022 12:00 PM PDT · 2 comments

Art by Mike Sullivan.

Entertainment Crypto

Paris Hilton, Bored Apes and the Making of a Hollywood Crypto Clique

By Margaux MacColl · March 18, 2022 12:00 PM PDT · 2 comments

“Did you see our NFT stunt on Fallon that went viral this week?? Ha,” venture capitalist Carter Reum joked over email. Reum was referring, of course, to his wife, Paris Hilton, and her Jan. 24 appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Perhaps you saw it. The “stunt” opened with Hilton, glittering... “Did you see our NFT stunt on Fallon that went viral this week?? Ha,” venture...

Art by Haejin Park

The Boys Who Cried ‘Dox!’

By Margaux MacColl · Feb. 18, 2022 11:00 AM PST · 6 comments

When Danny Casale tells me he is “completely, fully doxxed,” a series of nightmare images flash through my mind: videogame designers bombarded with rape and death threats, SWAT teams swarming the homes of innocent people, journalists inundated with crude photos. For me, and I imagine for most people familiar with the term,... When Danny Casale tells me he is “completely, fully doxxed,” a series of nightmare...

Art by Haejin Park.

Crypto Startups

Crypto’s Town Square Has Become “a Scammer’s Paradise.” Why Isn’t Discord Doing More to Clean It Up?

By Margaux MacColl · Feb. 11, 2022 1:00 PM PST · 3 comments

Kat Heart’s home was on fire. It was July 2021 and Heart, a part-time outdoor education instructor, was 3,000 miles away in White Plains, N.Y., teaching children how to forage for food and survive bear encounters. Meanwhile, an electrical flame crawled up the walls of her duplex in Arlington, Wash., collapsing the roof and destroying... Kat Heart’s home was on fire. It was July 2021 and Heart, a part-time outdoor education...

Art by Mike Sullivan, Shutterstock

A Survivor’s Guide to Braving the Crypto Winter

By Margaux MacColl · Jan. 29, 2022 6:00 AM PST · 2 comments

There’s a cold front in the metaverse. Stoked by investor fears of rising interest rates and dried up liquidity, the price of cryptocurrencies plummeted this week, with the market shedding a trillion dollars from bitcoin’s all-time high in November. The swoon is giving crypto diehards flashbacks to 2018. That was the last time the... There’s a cold front in the metaverse. Stoked by investor fears of rising interest rates...

Photos courtesy Delian Asparouhov and Nadia Eghbal.

Meet the Couple Who Got Surprise-Married at Peter Thiel’s Hereticon Conference

By Margaux MacColl · Jan. 22, 2022 7:00 AM PST · 8 comments

Photos courtesy Delian Asparouhov and Nadia Eghbal.

Scene and Heard

Meet the Couple Who Got Surprise-Married at Peter Thiel’s Hereticon Conference

By Margaux MacColl · Jan. 22, 2022 7:00 AM PST · 8 comments

This year, Peter Thiel’s Hereticon conference changed lives. Some attendees left with fresh tattoos and piercings, others with a newfound belief in UFOs. But Delian Asparouhov and Nadia Eghbal arguably made the greatest leap of all: Between speeches about sex rings and sessions on hypnosis, the couple squeezed in a wedding. From the start,... This year, Peter Thiel’s Hereticon conference changed lives. Some attendees left with fresh...