Equity

Hello, and welcome back to Equity, the podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Note: Equity will be back on Wednesday, and Friday in some capacity. But keep in mind that this is a holiday week in the United States, so things are going to be a little bit slower than usual.Here’s what we got into on our Monday episode, a weekly kickstart to your week!Stocks are largely down around the world, and crypto prices continue to deflate. Watching both these asset classes lose value in tandem feels like the worst horse-race in history. No matter what you hold, it's a bad Monday.Twitter CEO Elon Musk decided to bring former American president Donald Trump back to Twitter. Ironically, the former president is so far declining the option and wants to stick to his own social network, Truth Social.FTX owes $3.1 billion to its 50 largest creditors.In more positive news, Wove just raised a nearly $3.85 million Seed round, and SponsorUnited's big Series A proves that ni

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.This week, Alex and Natasha discussed the latest and greatest of this consuming news cycle. Our goal with the episode, as always, is to go beyond what you may see in a 140 character-take on [insert big story here]. And in today's recording? That wasn't hard at all.We started with our good news segment: 1) Maven, now valued at $1.35 billion, is answering a countrywide demand: More fertility benefits and 2) Alibaba eyes logistics growth in LatAm as China commerce slows. We love a chance to talk about growth, despite all odds and even trends!Then, right off the heels of our amazing debut crypto conference, we take a minute to talk about the FTX Fall out. Yep, we're talking about how one African Web3 startup got screwed over  and why SoftBank joined Sequoia in marking down its investment in the crypto exchange.We then turn to the latest in layoffs: Amazon's 3% cut, cuts at Mornin

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch's venture capital focused podcast where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Today we have something a bit different for you. In light of the never-ending Musk-Twitter saga, and news that the new social media CEO had cut its corporate communications staff to the bone -- and then some. So to get more perspective on the role that a corporate comms team plays in both startups and public companies alike, we wrangled two folks who have just that experience set:Kelly Boynton, senior director of communications at GustoKeyana Corliss, until recently the head of global communications and PR at DatabricksThe pair discussed the role that comms plays in companies both internally and externally, and why it deserves a seat at the decision-making table. Given the media furor surrounding Musk himself, you can imagine that we had a lot to talk about.Oh, and Keyana has a podcast that Alex was a guest on, in case you want to hear more from her! Regular service return

Hello, and welcome back to Equity, the podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Here's what we got into on our Monday episode, a weekly kick-off of sorts:Stocks are mixed around the world, up in parts of Asia and Europe, but down sharply in the United States to start the week.Crypto prices have recovered modestly, but remain sharply depressed from the last week. The FTX damage continues to reverberate.Speaking of crypto, the FTX saga continues. The latest includes a hack on Friday, and a massive emission of new FTT tokens that was so poorly received that major exchanges pulled deposits of the now-radioactive security.All the exchange drama has led to other exchanges taking fire, and Coinbase looking great in contrast.Elsewhere in tech-land: Fake meat raises a bunch more money, Klarna is doing some neat product work, India has unbanned VLC, which was a head-scratcher to begin with, and e-commerce infra startups are still raising capital!And that’s all

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.We thought that last week was a lot. It was, but this week was somehow more. More chaotic, rapid-fire change at a number of massive tech companies kept us on our toes. So, while our beloved co-host Natasha was out, we couldn't do the recording down a set of hands, so we brought Becca aboard with Mary Ann and Alex.The list of news was so long that we were cutting entire sections up until we hit record, and even still we went over time. If you like longer episodes, this one is for you.Deals of the Week: What's going on with the former Peloton CEO's new rug startup? And how is Tellus going to offer much better consumer savings rates? And, finally, how wrong can Alex get the Harmonic business model until he figures it out live on the show?Mega-layoffs: From there, we had to sit down and discuss the massive Meta layoffs. Our read is that the company is doing right by the folks it

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single person, think about their work, and unpack the rest. This week, Natasha interviewed Nolan Church, the CEO and co-founder of Continuum, about his perspective on the tech layoff wave. While we do indeed get into how his vision of fractional work fits into this conversation, we start with the fact that Church helped conduct Carta's layoffs in 2020 (a low of his entire career, he says) and what that experience taught him about the importance of being direct. Here are a few of the topics we get into:Twitter's recent layoffs, Jack's silence and who should take ownership for whatThe generic CEO statement on macroeconomic challengesStripe's recent layoffsWhat is the best way to conduct a layoff, and how should you communicate with staff? How does that change based on stage?Is the rumor that all startups should just cut 20% o

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Stocks are up around the world, which is a nice thing to wake up to. Crypto prices are down a smidgen, but nothing majorThere's FTX-Binance drama afoot, in case that's your jam.On the Twitter beat, in the wake of rehires Musk is tweaking his work on moderation policies regarding impersonation, verification appears to be on hold, and more.PhotoRoom raised $19 million, the Unity megadeal is complete, no matter what we thought about it, and Yassir just raised $150 million from Bond. Has Bond been quiet lately? Not sure but dang, this round was a big one.There's an election tomorrow in America.And that’s our show! More Wednesday!Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday and Wednesday, and at 6 a.m. PT on Fridays, 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

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Oh what a week. What a week. Things are busier than ever at TechCrunch, where we're coming out of our post-conference stupor and charing straight back into a packed news cycle. Sure, Musk is still making waves, but there are startup rounds to cover, layoffs to chew on, earnings coverage, unicorn reports, new data, and more.After cutting back sharply on material and still going long, here's what Mary Ann, Natasha, and Alex got into this week:Rewind wants to help people with their memory. We talk about how the startup, which launched this week, uses recording technology to help you get what you see, hear and say at your finger tips.We talked about Onward, a startup that wants to help divorced or separated parents fight less about money and how it just raised nearly $10 million despite being pre-revenue.The somewhat odd, possible Byju's IPO-spinoff of Aakash, a tutoring company

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic, think about a question and unpack the rest. This week, Natasha and Alex interviewed one of their favorite reporters, Business Insider's Melia Russell! The trio chatted through how the role of a venture capitalist is changing. That means we spoke about emerging fund managers, seasoned operators, and, of course, Russell's latest story about how some investors are re-writing the playbooks when it comes to maternity leave policies at their firms.I don't want to tease out all the hot takes, but let's just say that this dispatch is a tad blunt. For one, apparently, no one thinks that venture firm M&A is a thing other than us. Anyways, we think you'll love the episode, learn something new about how venture is changing, and probably have a take on whether this is natural job cycle stuff or true structural changes.

It's official - Elon Musk has sealed the deal on Twitter, and we're bringing you a bonus episode to talk through it all. In case you missed it, Alex took to Twitter Spaces  on Friday with Darrell Etherington, Amanda Silberling, Anita Ramaswamy, and Taylor Hatmaker to process some of what’s gone down, and what comes next on a special joint Equity/TechCrunch Podcast episode, so have a listen and be sure to read all about the Elon era at Twitter on TechCrunch.We'll talk to you again on Wednesday!Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday and Wednesday, and at 6 a.m. PT on Fridays, 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 Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Stocks are mixed around the world, notably lower in China on the back of some negative economic data, and down in the United States ahead of what is expected to be another rise in interest rates thanks to the Federal Reserve. Crypto prices have held onto recent gains.A busy weekend of Twitter leaks lead the news cycle. Precisely if, and if yes, how much, Twitter can charge for verified accounts to keep their badge is now a point of conversation. Other reports of development deadlines with termination held as a threat if they are not met are likely doing great things for staffer morale.It turns out that self-driving cars are still far away. I am crying.Startups Zebra Labs and Invygo raised money, showing that the global startup investment market has not frozen, and that there is still funding for more future-facing efforts like Zebra in the metaverse.Finally, we're keeping clo

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.We hope that you are in good form this Friday, alive, well and ready to rock. We certainly were. And in a change of pace, as our dear Mary Ann was off this week, the excellent Anita Ramaswamy joined Natasha Mascarenhas and Alex Wilhelm on the mics. (Theresa, as per usual, held down the production front!)What did we merry three get into? The following:Quick Hits: Launch House is shaking up its legal team as it sifts through what is left of its reputation; Sequoia India is still making big edtech bets; and BeReal is wealthy and, in our view, pretty cool. But does it have the staying power it will need?Twitter layoffs: When we prepped for the show, it seemed that massive Twitter layoffs could impact up to 75% of the company's staff. Since then, the figure has come down some. How much? That's not clear, but what is is the fact that Twitter's new chapter is supposed to begin, and

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic, think about a question and unpack the rest. This week, Natasha is bringing one of her favorite Disrupt panels to your ears. She sat down with Chief co-founders Lindsay Kaplan and Carolyn Childers to talk about the future of their private membership club for women in leadership positions. (Shout out Bryce for this amazing live illustration he did while we were all on stage!).The conversation touches on outlasting competitors, pandemic-defined community, the duality unicorn valuations and the word girlboss. If you love the conversation, share it with a friend. And if you want more on Chief, read a recap post that my colleague Ron Miller wrote about all things membership community and waitlists. Equity drops every Monday at 7 a.m. PT and Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. PT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Ove

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.We are back from Disrupt, which means we're picking up the pieces of our work lives, getting back on track. Equity is now on its regular schedule, which is good. A big thanks to the entire podcast production crew for making last week happen.Now! What did we get into this morning? The following:Stocks rallied around the world, but fell in China. Chinese equities suffered under investor pessimism at the cementing of Xi Jinping's authority over the country's economy. Elsewhere, hope that central bank policies would not carry as much teeth in the future as we have seen in recent months sent stocks higher.The finalists from the recent Startup Battlefield competition were all pretty freaking great, especially the focus that several had on making our home planet a bit cleaner, or better. Commercial solutions will be required for us to do any damn thing about the planet, so, here's t

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.While the crew recovers from an incredible week in SF for TechCrunch Disrupt, we dug through the archives for a conversation you may have missed. Natasha was joined by TC+ reporter Rebecca Szkutak to wade through the news of the week. It was frantic, it was full, and forgettable it was not!Here's what we got into:Quick note from Becca on Neumann's return and if follow-on funding will be a possibility for Flow -- given some investors reactions.Our two deals of the week include an innovative step for hearing aid startups and a new take on international money transfer.For hearing loss tech, a new FDA ruling allows hearing aids to be sold over the counter. We dove in to how this regulatory change helps open the door for startups to innovate in the category.Speaking of regulatory pains, we spoke about how employee-benefits startups might escape cost cuts as companies seek to retai

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. And for the first time in the history of the show, the TechCrunch pod that opened up Disrupt on the big stage. Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann got to be together to record in person for the first-time ever, and it went exactly as wild as you thought it would (we forgot this is what make up feels like!).We started with a deal of the week, which, in typical Equity style, had to be about a snarky comeback story and inequity. Then we spoke about our three themes of the year, ranging from reputation checks to scrappy requests to, of course, grace as a leadership style.Natasha wanted to talk about, in her own words, the nuance of reputation but more importantly when it matters versus when it’s ignored.Alex wanted to riff on starting being forced to learn how to be scrappy, after a long period of being perhaps over-stuffed.And, finally, Mary Ann wanted to discuss the importance of humil

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Don’t forget that the code “EQUITY” can save you money on Disrupt tickets and TechCrunch+ access. And it makes us here on the show look good!Hell yeah, this is our Monday show. And heck yes, we are recording Equity live tomorrow morning at Disrupt. Get super stoked, because we are hype. That said, we did have a lot to get news done for you this morning. Here's what Theresa and Alex went through this morning:Stocks are up in many parts of the world, including the United States, where software shares are ripping north as the week begins. Very kind of the market to kick off Disrupt with some good news.Crypto is quieter, with prices not changing much and the general vibe of the market not evolving a whit.Kanye West, also known as Ye, is buying niche social network Parler in a deal that will see the musician, fashion mogul, and controversy generator buy the service — but not the i

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. Before we get into this week’s show notes, some programming items:First up, use code “EQUITY” for a special listener discount for Disrupt tickets. We’re mere days away, and you should come hang out with us when we record on opening day!We also have a special for those impacted by layoffs. If you were laid off, go here to get a free ticket to TechCrunch Disrupt’s Expo!That behind us, what did Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex get into today? A whole host of things. Here's the rundown: Getaway and Pacaso: What happens if you mix Airbnb, vacation homes, timeshares, and REITs? A very interesting startup cluster, it turns out. These two companies brought Mary Ann and Natasha into the same reporting space and gave us a good chance to discuss the luxury market.The Muse gets acquisitive: One of the most interesting deals we saw in the last week was The Muse buying Fairygodboss, a recruitin

Sarah Guo isn't late to the AI party, but she did just raise a $101 million fund to bet on the appetizers.Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single person, think about their work, and unpack the rest. This week, Natasha and Alex interviewed Guo, who worked at Greylock for nearly a decade, and her launch of Conviction. We spoke about the self-correcting venture market, what made her leave Greylock, and even rewound to her last episode with us (recorded almost exactly three years ago). There was also an especially fruitful conversation about the opportunity in artificial intelligence right now, and how she's defining Software 3.0. (Warning: We talk about SaaS!) We also dug into why she started a fund, the LP market, and more. The conversation ran a bit long, but it felt reasonable to keep going given the sheer breadth of stuff that we wanted to get through.Do

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Don’t forget that the code “EQUITY” can save you money on Disrupt tickets and TechCrunch+ access. And it makes us here on the show look good!We're gearing up to take the show on the road in short order, but don't worry about that this week. Service will continue as usual until we kick off Disrupt next Tuesday!Today, we got into the weeds about:Markets: Stocks are down in most of the world, albeit somewhat mixed in Europe. Crypto is mostly flat, with the XRP breaking the trend by being interesting. The Block reports that crypto volumes ticked higher in September, which could bode well.Startups: Clerkenwell Health just raised a couple million pounds for testing alternative medications for mental health conditions. We're excited about that. And Trendsi raised a $25 million Series A, which is no small deal, as we had expected to see smaller early-stage rounds this year. Good on T