Equity

This week, Alex sat down with GGV Capital's Jeff Richards, an investor who has perspective on the last venture boom and the resulting dénouement of that particular saga that we've been covering since the end of 2021. Richards has been an investor since 2008, so he's seen a business cycle or two, which convinced us that he'd be the perfect person to discuss the diverging fates of late-stage startups. Here's what we got into:The idea that all unicorns are in trouble is wrong; some late-stage startups got it right.What this means for some eventual IPOs, and for those that didn't, likely some liquidations as well (some examples here, but the list is longer than that post outlines).We also talked about the existence of unifying characteristics at late-stage startups that are doing well, and how to note early signals that the venture climate is about to molt.As always, Equity will be back on Friday with your weekly news round up, but until then, you can catch us on Twitter @EquityPodFor episode transcripts and more

Today, we are talking about Meta’s latest fines, what’s new in chips, and a few startup rounds that caught our eye!Stocks aren’t moving too much this morning, which could change if the American government voluntarily defaults over some bullshit. Crypto hasn’t moved too much lately, though we are keeping tabs on overall trading volume.Meta was hit with a record fine over how it handled EU user data. Data residency is a big deal and will likely crop up in future conversations concerning generative AI models and where they source their own data and from whom.China has banned some Micron products, irking the United States. The two economic powerhouses are working to distance themselves from one another in key technology areas. Elsewhere in chip-land, Applied Materials is investing in the United States and there are labor concerns regarding the sheer number of chips projects kicking off here at home.Patient21 raised a massive round for its software-and-services healthcare business, while Infinite Uptime raised mor

This week Mary Ann, Becca, and Alex gathered to chew through the biggest news of the week. Here’s what the gang got into today:Vice goes bankrupt: Now is not a great time for media companies. The advertising market is in the toilet, layoffs are rampant, and the end of Vice is like a cherry atop a trash sundae. Mary Ann points out during the show that some operational difficulties were at play at the company. Here’s a real unicorn death for us to stare at.Deal Dive: AI. AI coaching. AI human relationship coaching? It’s a thing, and whether or not it is the future, we have questions.Freshly-Nestle: How often do you see a venture firm sue an acquirer? Not very often. We dig into the what and why of the Freshly suit.Why is Musk buying other companies? What do you do if you buy a company and fire most of its staff? You buy a tech jobs platform, it turns out.NewLimit and the limits of life: NewLimit is a company that Alex likes. Why? Because he doesn’t want to die before he can go to space. Mary Ann and Becca noted

This week, Alex spoke to two guests from the world of Microsoft for Startups -  GM, Hans Yang, and  Senior Director, Tom Davis. We're working to figure out how big tech corporations are playing in the startup sandbox, starting with the launch of Microsoft's Pegasus program.Here's what we got into:Why programs like Pegasus are particularly helpful for startups in a conservative VC marketThe mutually beneficial relationship between the large tech players and startupsThe close relationship between Microsoft and OpenAIAs always, Equity will be back on Friday with your weekly news round up, but until then, you can catch us on Twitter @EquityPodFor episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website. Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more! Credits: Equity is produced by T

This week we talked about media, startup rounds and some Big Money Moves:Stocks are mostly up to start the week while crypto remains within the bounds of its recent trading range. Again.Vice has filed for bankruptcy, again highlighting how hard the media game can be. The company's eventual selling price looks like it will be a fraction's fraction of its once great worth.Foxconn is investing more in India, underscoring how critical it is for major electronics supply chain companies to diversify out of China — and the immense costs involved.Brex took a shot at buying part of SVB's portfolio, TechCrunch reports.Startup rounds: Smart raised $95 million at a slight discount to its 2021-era valuation and M-KOPA secured a pile of equity and debt fundraising.And we closed with the interesting sale of Forbes.Equity will be back on Wednesday and Friday! We'll see you then!For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to u

This week Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex celebrated one final episode as a three, and here's what we got into:Deals of the Week: Alex wanted to talk about the slowing of growth amongst tech companies, Natasha had notes on a brace of new Mayfield funds, while Mary Ann brought Wellthy to the table.Next we discussed pessimism in fintech, if it is near its peak, and how companies like Petal are still forging ahead regardless of market chop.From there we dug into AI, how it will impact certain creative work, and what it could mean for tech workers who traditionally have not organized.And we closed with a very Natasha topic: Accelerators.Natasha led us out of the show with a final Equity sign-off as she announced her time with the podcast, and TechCrunch, is coming to a close. We are going to miss her awfully, but are also her biggest fans and cheering her on!Equity will be back before you know it, but in the meantime, you can catch us on Twitter @EquityPod. And for the early-stage founders out there, don’t forget to a

This week, Natasha spoke to Kristen Anderson, the co-founder and CEO of Catch, an app to provide payroll benefits for people who are self employed, that recently announced it would be shutting down. We're talking about vulnerability, shut downs, building in public and on ramps and off ramps that come with the wild choice to be an entrepreneur.Here's what we got into:Venture capital's role in how a founder buildsMaking the difficult decision to shut down, and why Catch chose to do so publiclyWe end with Anderson's return to building, in fintech, despite what her Twitter followers wish. Seems like being close to peak pessimism in fintech is a good thing for forever builders.As always, Equity will be back on Friday with your weekly news round up - and a big announcement - so don't miss it! Until then, you can catch us on Twitter @EquityPodFor episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website. Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Ov

Alex is back with the latest in tech news from the weekend and what’s making headlines early in the week. Today, we are talking about meme coins, unicorns and the latest from India!The global stock market started the week on pretty good footing. Also, the crypto world is suffering modest indigestion thanks to a new meme coin.On the regulatory front, it appears Coinbase is going to stick with the U.S. Elsewhere in Industry Land, Qualcomm is going shopping, Alibaba's logistics IPO is targeting the Hong Kong market, and the UK is digesting the fact that a local legend is going to list in the United States.From there, it was time to check in on some news, bad and good, from India.We are going to see some interesting earnings results this week, so stay tuned! Equity will be back Wednesday morning!For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch als

This week Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex got right into it with:An update on a startup banking partner collapse that wasn't the First, and probably won't be the LastA section dedicated to sunsetting Poparazzi and a Databricks acquisition (points to whoever can guess how we transitioned from one deal to the next)Next up, we spoke about Finix's latest announcement to go head to head with Stripe, before talking more about the rise of down roundsWe ended with BlueSky. Although some of us feel grey about it. And regardless, this piece by Morgan Sung will have you thinking smartly about the new Twitter competitor started by the ol' Twitter boss.We'll be back before you know it, but in the meantime, you can catch us on Twitter @EquityPod. And for the early stage founders out there, don't forget to apply for the Startup Battlefield 200 cohort at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023! For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website. Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to u

This week, Natasha Mascarenhas interviewed Sam Chaudhary, the founder of ClassDojo, and Chris Farmer, the founder and CEO of SignalFire, a venture firm that recently announced a $900 million fund to back tech startups. This interview is structured a bit differently as it was actually recorded as a TechCrunch Live session, our weekly show that focuses on helping people start better venture backed businesses.We'll hear from the trio about:What an outsider advantage looks like in startups, per a top investorWhy ClassDojo doesn’t see itself as an edtech companyHow Sam landed early traction with a difficult-to-capture consumerHow both Sam and Chris are thinking through the AI question brewing in every officeIf you want to check out the full video of today's conversation, including a round of Pitch Practice hosted by Matt Burns, head to our YouTube channel and stay tuned for more TechCrunch Live!As always, the full Equity crew will be back on Friday, but you can keep up with us in the meantime @EquityPod.For episod

Alex is back on the mic for your Monday rundown and  digging into OpenAI, earnings, First Republic Bank, and ARM. Oh, and startups as well!It's another big earnings week, and we're excited to see how Uber, Coinbase, Apple and Hubspot have performed!First Republic Bank is no more. It wasn't shocking to see JPMorgan swooping it up, but we are once again seeing a small bank shutting shop and a big bank getting bigger. Not good!OpenAI is now even richer thanks to a $300 million investment from venture capitalists. It's amazing that the company sold just 1.1% of its equity for nine figures.And Alison raised capital just as AMD filed privately to go public. It's a busy start to the week!Hugs, and we'll be back Wednesday and Friday.For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one t

This week Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex were especially chattery as they waded through a busy week in tech and startups. We're talking AI. We're talking layoffs. And we're talking coffee.Here's what we got into:Three deals of the week from copyright requests around "-GPT" to Ansa, a wallet ready to make you even more loyal to your local cafes to First Republic Bank's tanking share price and all the thoughts that feel all too reminiscent of our reporting just six weeks ago.Fintech venture layoffs, and the state of startup hiring more generally. Based off of Mary Ann's scoop, we got into the nitty-gritty of just how much staff a venture firm needs, and why.Earnings! Alex has spent more time than is healthy reading through recent financial disclosures from tech companies big and small. The result? Decent news for startups.We end with notes on coffee. How does coffee fit into Equity? Well, when it's venture backed and growing, we don't care if it powered by beans or AI.We'll be back in your ears again on Monday to c

This week, Natasha interviewed Ankur Nagpal, the entrepreneur behind Teachable, Ocho, and Vibe Capital - Ankur's $70 million venture fund, raised last year from over 200 investors.Today, we're talking about:The future of Solo GPs and Ankur's choice to shrink Vibe Capital's fund sizeHow Ankur built, sold, pivoted and launched in publicThe upside of building in public vs building in privateThe importance of brand and successionOf course, we ended with a lightning round of questions - including the meaning behind Ankur's tattoo.As always, Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann will be back for our weekly news roundup on Friday, but you can follow us on Twitter @EquityPod for live updates and more.For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website. Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotifyand all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together

Today Alex Wilhelm is talking about Twitter Blue, Lyft, a few startup rounds, and what could kick off the next crypto supercycle.Several major tech companies are reporting earnings this week, strap in for some big news and perhaps even bigger share price movements.The Twitter Blue saga took new turns this weekend, with Musk's personal social network staying in the news once again. If the overall result of said news for the company is good or not remains to be seen.Alex had a few thoughts on what has happened to a number of tech-enabled companies that went public, and have since seen their value evaporate. More here.And then it was time to check in on Super.com's big new round, and the latest from Span!Equity is back Wednesday and Friday! Chat soon!For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotifyand all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that inte

This week we recorded at Early Stage, TechCrunch's event for founders who are building startups from the ground up.Sadly, our dear friend Natasha Mascarenhas took ill, and we had to lean on Alex for the episode. Happily, though, Darrell from the TechCrunch team was sitting next to us on the show floor so we tagged him in for some rocket knowledge.Anyhoo, here's the run of show!All things Early Stage: Notes from the show floor, what we can infer about attendance and a vibe check.Elon's new, larger rocket went up (very good) and then went "boom" (not as good). Happily for the space race, the overall result of the launch was good. Rockets have a tendency to go boom when they are new, and it's a bit of the, well, testing process to have them do so. Sure, a non-boom result would have been better, but SpaceX wasn't planning on trying to reuse the parts anyway.Tesla's earnings came out and investors are not that pleased. While there was some good stuff in the numerical set, price cuts at the company and moderating c

 Alex invited Janelle Teng from Bessemer Venture Partners on the program to riff with us on the state of the cloud.That's also the title of Bessemer's latest data dump concerning cloud stocks, startups, AI, and more. Teng, a co-author on the report, walked through some of key bits with us to better explain her firm's perspective, and to answer our critical commentary regarding Figma and why startups should always kill Goliath, instead of joining him for a round of grapes and lounging.You can find the report that we chatted about here, and our early notes thereof here. Finally, a rundown of topics:Is the valuation massacre that startups have survived since late 2021 finally over?Why is investor preference swinging back towards growth from profitability?What is the state of runway at late-stage startups?Is the M&A pause nearly over?And, naturally, AI and SaaS and where VCs see the pair heading!See you at Early Stage tomorrow!For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.Equity drops

Today we are talking about space, birds and startups! Here’s what Alex got into:Earnings season is coming back! That means Netflix and Tesla this week, and a huge number of big tech companies next week. Data cometh.We were very excited about the launch of SpaceX's massive rocket. It got scrubbed after we recorded, but you can still enjoy our hype about the potential event. We'll have more on the matter when the rocket actually does go up.Rovio is selling to Sega. Yeah, we had to digest that one as well. The sale price shows just how tough it is to be a games company.There's a lot of regulation going on out there in the world.And we wrapped with notes on Loopin and Fleet!See you at Early Stage later this week!For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website. Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotifyand all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how o

This week Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex enjoyed the warming climate and the fact that there are some positive vibes in the venture market as well. Hell, we even had a nine-figure round to chew on!Here's the show rundown:Alex wanted to discuss the latest FTX docs and the recent X.com (formally known as Twitter) news.Natasha brought a new edtech venture fund to the table.Mary Ann wanted to talk about Clear Street's impressive fundraise.From there, we discussed that while the pace at which unicorns are being funded is in freefall, there are still some mega-IPOs coming from select late-stage startups. We will relish the return of S-1 season when it comes.From there it was time to chat AI. Natasha recently went to an AI event in San Francisco, helping us grok the on-the-ground dynamics at play. That, when crossed with different regulatory postures around the world made for a pretty darn interesting segment.And we closed with the opportunity that opportunity funds may afford venture firms. While Lux is still pursing a

This week, Natasha spoke with a founder, a psychiatrist and a venture capitalist about founder mental health, a topic that has been a conversation in Silicon Valley for as long as we can remember. The theme has gained renewed momentum due to the startup and venture downturn in general, and exacerbated by a bank failure that still has some folks reeling.It's time for a check-in. Here's who we spoke with for today's show:Pioneer Mind's Naveed Lalani gave us the founder perspective on how to "hustle responsibly" with The Founder Mental Health Pledge, a call to action for investors to support founders in looking at their mental health as a business priorityPsychiatrist Dr. Saumya Dave reminded us of the differences between - but also overlap of - therapy, executive coaching and group sessionsGraham & Walker's Leslie Feinzaig helped us close out the show with the VC perspective and her own tools for wellnessThis is, of course, a conversation we want to continue. If you have a story you want to share, or if the

Today, we are talking about crypto, Uber, and how to be petty at scale. Here's what Alex got into:Around the world of capital, we're most confused at certain bits of price stability in the cryptocurrency markets. It feels a bit faux, if that makes sense.Where prices are less steady is the world of YC startups, where, once again, there's complaints amongst venture investors about the valuations that some of the earliest-stage tech companies out there are commanding. Perhaps a greater discount given the state of the world was anticipated.Uber is selling part of Careem in a deal worth $400 million. Uber wants to do things on wheels. A super app company, at least in the Middle East, it is not. But it is about to have a huge new bankroll.The Musk v. Substack battle took up much weekend oxygen, showing that it is often hard to retain one's free speech bonafides when you just don't want to anymore.All that and there are new FTX docs! Huzzah! Let's have a good week, y'all.For episode transcripts and more, head to Equ