Equity

Equity

TechCrunch, Mary Ann Azevedo, Kell, Theresa Loconsolo, Rebecca Bellan, Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey, Margaux MacColl

The intersection of technology, startups, and venture capital touches everything now. That’s why Equity, TechCrunch's flagship podcast, digs into the business of startups for entrepreneurs and enthusiasts alike. Every Wednesday and Friday, TechCrunch reporters keep you up-to-date on the world of business, technology, and venture capital. Equity is ranked the No.2 podcast in the Top 100 Venture Capital All time leaderboard on Goodpods—As well as No.17 for the Top 100 Finance All time chart and No.32 for the Top 100 Business News All time chart.

AI Wearables 1.0: Was Humane’s AI Pin too ambitious?

AI Wearables 1.0: Was Humane’s AI Pin too ambitious?

Humane’s AI Pin, which promised to replace your smartphone with a sleek wearable device, is officially dead. After a rocky launch, negative reviews, and returns outpacing sales, the startup is shutting down and selling its assets to HP for $116 million – less than half of what it raised. But what’s next for Humane’s tech?On today's episode of Equity, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Max Zeff and Anthony Ha are breaking down the week’s tech and startup headlines, including what HP might do with Humane’s re

Feb 21, • 29:28

How Slow Ventures is giving the creator economy a rebrand

How Slow Ventures is giving the creator economy a rebrand

Last week, the team at early-stage VC firm Slow Ventures launched its new $60 million fund entirely focused on investing in content creators.Today on Equity, Rebecca Bellan sits down with Lightcap to dive into YouTube remains the dominant platform for serious creators,how niche community trust translates into scalable businesses, and what this new fund means for the creator economy.Listen to the full episode to hear more about: How this new asset class has the potential to scale. The firm’s succ

Feb 19, • 23:27

Elon Musk and Sam Altman are basically in a rap battle

Elon Musk and Sam Altman are basically in a rap battle

Tensions are running high in the AI world this week after Elon Musk made a staggering $97.4 billion bid to buy OpenAI, a move that would mark one of the largest tech acquisitions in history – if it actually happens. Sam Altman shut the notion down fast, even going so far as to fire back with a post suggesting he’d buy X for a tenth of the price. But Musk’s bid itself does raise questions about potential roadblocks ahead for OpenAI.Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Kor

Feb 14, • 30:37

Sheel Mohnot says the fintech market is ‘hot again’

Sheel Mohnot says the fintech market is ‘hot again’

“The fintech market is hot again,” said Sheel Mohnot, fintech investor and founder of Better Tomorrow Ventures (BTV). “And we are going to see some more exits in the near future.” According to recent reports, fintech funding is on the rise, with global investment hitting $60 billion in the first half of the year alone, marking a significant rebound from the previous year’s dip. Mohnot – whose X account you’ve likely come across if you follow fintech – has invested in over 100 deals throughout th

Feb 12, • 29:50

Are companies falling out of love with OpenAI?

Are companies falling out of love with OpenAI?

Humanoid robotics company Figure raised eyebrows this week when it announced it would be stepping away from a partnership with OpenAI in favor of building its own in-house AI models. Figure CEO Brett Adcock alluded to a “major breakthrough” in their own process and plans to unveil “something no one has ever seen on a humanoid” in the coming month. Figure isn’t the only company experimenting with non-OpenAI solutions either. Just last week, researchers from Stanford and the University of

Feb 7, • 29:26

From fintech to space tech: Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt is betting on space solar

From fintech to space tech: Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt is betting on space solar

As the interest in both space and solar grows, one startup aims to merge the two industries. By tapping into the momentum of the commercial space industry and the increasing demand for renewable energy, Robinhood co-founder Baiju Bhatt is on a mission to make space-based solar power a reality with his latest startup: Aetherflux.Today on Equity, Rebecca Bellan caught up with Bhatt to talk about his transition from fintech to deep tech and why he believes now is the right time to scatter solar pow

Feb 5, • 25:17

DeepSeek: separating fact from hype

DeepSeek: separating fact from hype

Today, we’re bringing you a bonus episode zeroing in on DeepSeek, the Chinese AI lab that’s recently taken over the news and the app stores, beating out OpenAI's ChatGPT. Max Zeff is talking about it all with Ion Stoica, Professor of Computer Science Division at UC Berkeley and the cofounder and executive chairman of software startup Databricks.Listen to the full episode to hear more about: Why Stoica believes the future of AI lies in "doubling down on open source." Microsoft's decision to host

Feb 1, • 25:50

DeepSeek lights a fire under Silicon Valley

DeepSeek lights a fire under Silicon Valley

DeepSeek, DeepSeek, DeepSeek. We couldn’t escape the headlines around the Chinese AI lab this week. The startup -- which claims to have built its models more efficiently and at a fraction of the cost of competitors -- lit a fire under Silicon Valley after releasing its R1 “reasoning” model and displacing ChatGPT as the App Store’s top app. Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Margaux MacColl and Max Zeff are digging into the latest news, including the reactions from both

Jan 31, • 29:13

Forget ‘Founder Mode,’ what about Customer Mode?

Forget ‘Founder Mode,’ what about Customer Mode?

You might have noticed in your time online that a lot of the services and the websites that you’re using are kind of getting…worse. The good news, though, is that this means that there are different sectors that are ripe for disruption. On today’s episode of Equity, Rebecca's joined by Ed Zitron —CEO of EZPR, host of the Better Offline podcast, and author of Why Everything Stopped Working—to dig into why this shift is happening and what it means for startups.Listen to the full episode t

Jan 29, • 36:49

How are founders positioning themselves for the next 4 years?

How are founders positioning themselves for the next 4 years?

Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Margaux MacColl and Anthony Ha are digging into the latest tech and startup news from inauguration week in the U.S., including the new administration’s approach to startups and the potential transparency challenges that come with it. Listen to the full episode to hear about: TikTok’s rapid return and which apps are waiting in the wings – just in case. What is Stargate, and wh

Jan 24, • 33:15

AI's $100 billion impact: 2024’s venture capital surge and the road ahead for startups

AI's $100 billion impact: 2024’s venture capital surge and the road ahead for startups

Today on Equity, Julie Bort sits down with Crunchbase News’ Senior Data Editor, Gené Teare, to dive deeper into the year’s slight growth in investment, which reached $314 billion, up from $304 billion in 2023. The pair explores how AI became a dominant force in the landscape. As Teare puts it, “Tech rides on bubbles. What bubbles tell you is that if everyone's putting dollars into a certain sector, it means there are very big outcomes coming.”Listen to the full episode to hear more about: The su

Jan 22, • 25:33

$200M woolly mammoths and a farewell to TikTok

$200M woolly mammoths and a farewell to TikTok

The clock is set to run out on TikTok over the weekend, following the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the ban. So, what’s next for the video-sharing app’s 170 million U.S. users?On today’s episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Margaux MacColl and Anthony Ha dive into the week’s biggest stories, including where all the ‘TikTok refugees’ are heading. Many are flocking to Chinese apps like RedNote and Lemon8, with some even turning to Duolingo to brush up on their

Jan 17, • 32:37

'Social media should be built on protocols, not platforms,' according to Mastodon's CEO

'Social media should be built on protocols, not platforms,' according to Mastodon's CEO

Last week, Meta announced changes to its content moderation policy, including the removal of third-party fact-checking across its apps in favor of a crowdsourced community notes feature, similar to X.Today on Equity, Rebecca Bellan caught up with Eugen Rochko, CEO of Mastodon, to explore what these changes mean for users and how decentralized social media platforms like Mastodon could offer a viable alternative to mainstream giants like Meta.Listen to the full episode to hear more about: Mastodo

Jan 15, • 28:02

$5B livestream shopping apps, Nvidia reveals, and the weirdest tech at CES

$5B livestream shopping apps, Nvidia reveals, and the weirdest tech at CES

As CES 2025 comes to a close, TechCrunch’s Equity podcast hosts Kirsten Korosec, Margaux MacColl, Anthony Ha, and Max Zeff are back on the mic to discuss the week's top news, the tech that caught their eye, and the companies still figuring out AI.Listen to the full episode to hear: What's driving Meta's push for “more speech, fewer mistakes” as it ends its third-party fact-checking program. Livestream shopping app Whatnot's $265M raise, and which companies c

Jan 10, • 35:51

The future of AI on wheels, according to Jesse Levinson from Zoox

The future of AI on wheels, according to Jesse Levinson from Zoox

Today on Equity, we're taking you on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt for Kirsten Korosec's conversation with Zoox co-founder and CEO Jesse Levinson. The pair discuss building custom robotaxis, how Zoox's approach compares to that of Tesla, and the 'current and future landscape' of AI on wheels. It's also worth noting that Amazon-owned Zoox recently scooped up some of Tesla’s top talent, bringing on Zheng Gao late last month to lead hardware engineering.Equity will be back on Friday with a full CES r

Jan 8, • 25:53

Robinhood’s 'comeback' and big plans for 2025 with co-founder and CEO Vlad Tenev

Robinhood’s 'comeback' and big plans for 2025 with co-founder and CEO Vlad Tenev

Instead of our usual Friday news rundown, we’re bringing you a conversation about what Yahoo Finance dubbed the “comeback stock of the year” - Robinhood. TechCrunch Editor in Chief and General Manager Connie Loizos chatted with Robinhood’s CEO and co-founder, Vlad Tenev, about the company’s evolution.Listen to the full episode to hear more about: Why Tenev believes the company is poised for significant growth. Robinhood's approach to prediction markets, sports betting, and wealth manage

Jan 3, • 40:49

What’s next for Bluesky? CEO Jay Graber on growth, community, and decentralization

What’s next for Bluesky? CEO Jay Graber on growth, community, and decentralization

Happy new year, Equity listeners! At the end of 2024, all eyes were on Bluesky's rapid growth. According to the social platform’s CEO Jay Graber, however, their goal is not just to recreate Twitter. Today, Rebecca is handing the reins over to TechCrunch senior reporter Max Zeff, who sat down with Graber at our last StrictlyVC event.Listen to the full episode to hear pair dig into the company’s success and why, according to Graber, people need to, “be able to control the social networks they comm

Jan 2, • 22:28

2024: Founder Mode, AI, and the 'Rise of the Broligarchs'

2024: Founder Mode, AI, and the 'Rise of the Broligarchs'

From AI advancements and CrowdStrike's crash to WordPress drama and which startups VCs have their eyes on next, TechCrunch’s Equity podcast is saying goodbye to 2024 with a look back at the year's biggest stories in tech.Listen to the full episode to hear hosts Kirsten Korosec, Margaux MacColl, Devin Coldewey and Anthony Ha dig into: 2024 in a headline. We asked, and you answered!

Dec 27, 2024 • 29:43

Empathy-driven investing with Erin and Sara Foster

Empathy-driven investing with Erin and Sara Foster

Today, we’re bringing you a conversation TechCrunch senior reporter Dominic Madori-Davis had with Sara and Erin Foster along with their advisor at Oversubscribed Ventures, Phil Schwarz. Across their careers, the Foster sisters have co-founded the clothing line Favorite Daughter, co-led creative for Bumble Bizz and Bumble BFF, and currently co-host their own podcastListen to the full episode to hear: How the Foster sisters made their pivot to VC. Which investments excites Oversubscribed Ventures

Dec 26, 2024 • 20:22

Are AI companies just defense tech now?

Are AI companies just defense tech now?

This week, the Equity pod gang — which included newcomer Max Zeff, Margaux MacColl, and Kirsten Korosec — noticed an emerging trend: the worlds of AI and defense tech are colliding. Listen to the full episode to hear about: A new fund is in town. And surprise, surprise, Humba Ventures' $40 million fund is focused on deep tech and defense.  How enterprise AI startup Cohere is unlike all the other AI startups out there, and why they've been so quiet. Particularly in this new deal with Palantir. D

Dec 20, 2024 • 30:49

Building physical tech is back in fashion thanks to AI, robotics, and defense

Building physical tech is back in fashion thanks to AI, robotics, and defense

This week on Equity Wednesday, Rebecca Bellan is joined by Louis, co-founder of America's Frontier Fund, to discuss the pressing trends in tech innovation. From robotics and AI reshaping manufacturing to Silicon Valley's embrace of defense technology, plus Louis shares his main predictions for 2025.Listen tot he full episode for a deeper conversation on: Silicon Valley's deep roots in defense tech The advantages and challenges facing founders seeking government contracts rather than VC funding T

Dec 18, 2024 • 32:39

It's the end of the road for Cruise, and Bluesky is still taking off

It's the end of the road for Cruise, and Bluesky is still taking off

Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha and Margaux MacColl are unpacking the week’s news, including GM’s decision to give up on self-driving startup Cruise. The choice initially came as a shock considering the $10 billion GM pumped into the company over the years, but it became clearer when examining Cruise’s tumultuous 2023 and 2024. Listen to the full episode to hear about: Freysa.ai’s public challenge and what’s motivating users to make the AI chat b

Dec 13, 2024 • 36:18

How much ‘government efficiency’ will Elon Musk be able to pull off?

How much ‘government efficiency’ will Elon Musk be able to pull off?

While the idea that the government “should be run like a business,” is by no means a new one, with Elon Musk in charge of government efficiency, it's worth taking a closer look at whether business principles can be applied to government. Today on Equity, Rebecca Bellan is discussing the intersection of tech, business and politics with Columbia Business School Professor Michael Morris. Morris is also the author of Tribal, how the cultural instincts that divide us could help bring us together, a n

Dec 11, 2024 • 31:20

Who knew you could get a $500 million valuation without launching a product?

Who knew you could get a $500 million valuation without launching a product?

AI agent startup /dev/agents announced a massive $56M seed round, putting the company’s valuation at a whopping $500 million. The amount is impressive given the company won’t have a first version of its product available until at least early next year. The reason behind investors’ trust, however, becomes a bit clearer when you consider the founders’ pedigree:  /dev/agents’ co-founders were both on Google’s Android team during the early days of the smartphone era.The round, as well as whether or

Dec 6, 2024 • 29:57

'If you build it, they won't come': Bison Ventures founders on scaling frontier tech

'If you build it, they won't come': Bison Ventures founders on scaling frontier tech

How can founders scale frontier tech? Today on Equity, Rebecca Bellan is finding out with Tom Biegala and Ben Hemani, the co-founders of early-stage venture firm, Bison. Bison invests in what they call 'frontier tech' companies building in the material science, robotics, biotech, climate, and sustainability verticals.Listen to the full episode to hear Rebecca and Bison's founding team discuss: Why AI isn't a 'silver bullet' for biotech companies, although it is central to modern drug di

Dec 4, 2024 • 30:55

Found: Taking on Nvidia and betting on transformers with Gavin Uberti from Etched

Found: Taking on Nvidia and betting on transformers with Gavin Uberti from Etched

We hope those of you in the U.S. had a Happy Thanksgiving! And as a holiday treat this week, Equity is bringing you an episode of our sister show, Found. AI startups are everywhere, but there can't be any innovation without proper computing power. Found hosts Becca and Dom sat down with Gavin Uberti, co-founder and CEO of Etched, an AI chip startup focusing on developing specialized chips. Gavin shares the bold bet his startup is making on transformer models for AI chips, aiming to take on indus

Nov 29, 2024 • 39:55

Aerospace Corp's CEO talks literal moonshots and Space Agenda 2025

Aerospace Corp's CEO talks literal moonshots and Space Agenda 2025

At this year's TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco,  President and CEO of the Aerospace Corporation Steve Isakowitz and Agency Chief Technologist at NASA A.C. Charanya Charania took the stage to discuss a literal moonshot: how to build a thriving lunar ecosystem. Today on Equity, we’re taking you behind the scenes of TechCrunch Disrupt once again, this time with Devin Coldewey at the helm. For those keeping track, Devin’s kept the Equity podcast crew up to date on space startups over the past fe

Nov 27, 2024 • 12:18

The AI industry's 'next big bet,' and should we just buy Chrome?

The AI industry's 'next big bet,' and should we just buy Chrome?

Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey and Margaux MacColl dig into the week’s tech and startup news, including what a new scaling method could mean for AI startups if it works and for chip providers if it fails.Listen to the full episode to hear about:The DOJ’s latest proposal for Google: it should divest its Chrome browser. While we wait for a break in the monopoly case and a better search alternative to arise, the Equity crew thinks that Wiz might’ve been

Nov 22, 2024 • 30:10

Building trust in crypto with Jonathan Levin of Chainalysis

Building trust in crypto with Jonathan Levin of Chainalysis

Late last week, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler said that he was “proud to serve” the agency, which some are taking as a hint at an upcoming resignation. Gensler has faced heavy criticism for his crackdown on crypto, including a recent lawsuit from 18 states, and is likely to be replaced under President-Elect Donald Trump who has vowed to oust Gensler. On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump is meeting with Brian Armstrong, the CEO of crypto exchange Co

Nov 20, 2024 • 19:39

Ben Horowitz’s cozy relationship with the LVMPD - and why it matters

Ben Horowitz’s cozy relationship with the LVMPD - and why it matters

Over the last few years, VC Ben Horowitz has donated at least $7.6 million to fund police department purchases - including the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s new drones from a16z-backed Skydio. Skydio is not the first of a16z’s portfolio companies to benefit from these donations, either.Today, on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey and Margaux MacColl dug into the implications of Horowitz’s approach and why others in the VC world should maybe h

Nov 15, 2024 • 26:58

Marc Benioff says it’s ‘crazy talk’ that AI will hurt Salesforce

Marc Benioff says it’s ‘crazy talk’ that AI will hurt Salesforce

Today on Equity, TechCrunch Editor Julie Bort is sitting down with Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce and one of the tech industry’s biggest hype men, about his latest work with Time Ventures and Salesforce Ventures, and why he thinks AI agents are the next big thing for enterprise software. Listen to the full episode to hear about: The impact of AI on customer experienceThe application of AI agents in the healthcare space - and what it could mean for data privacyMarc's thoughts on Salesforce c

Nov 13, 2024 • 34:24

Trump's election throws tech regulation a curveball

Trump's election throws tech regulation a curveball

A tech regulation shakeup is on the way with President-elect Donald Trump set to take office in January. Trump has made it clear that he plans to dismantle Biden’s AI policies on "day one," aligning himself with those who’ve pushed back against regulation. Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey and Margaux MacColl  dove into what Trump’s win could mean for AI policy and innovation moving forward.While AI is always on the mind these days, there was so much mor

Nov 8, 2024 • 30:24

How startups can get a foot in the door of government contracts, according to Dcode Capital

How startups can get a foot in the door of government contracts, according to Dcode Capital

Today on Equity, we’re taking you backstage at TechCrunch Disrupt. Rebecca Bellan caught up with  Rebecca Gevalt, Managing Partner at Dcode Capital following their onstage discussion about the boom in national interest startups. Also on the panel was Topher Haddad, CEO of satellite imagery startup Albedo, and Kai Klepfer, CEO of biometric gun startup Biofire. Tune in to hear Bellan and Gevalt dive deeper into how startups can get a foot in the door of government contracts. Check out the full ons

Nov 6, 2024 • 21:06

Rocket Lab Founder Peter Beck's vision for the space industry's future

Rocket Lab Founder Peter Beck's vision for the space industry's future

As the founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, Peter Beck is a familiar face to anyone in the space industry. But the company's ambitions go far beyond its popular Electron launch vehicle.Today, we're bringing you an interview from TechCrunch Disrupt when Devin Coldewey sat down with Beck to discuss his belief that to thrive, perhaps even to survive, space companies will have to become fully integrated one-stop shops.Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every

Nov 1, 2024 • 24:07

Equity Live: Bret Taylor’s $4.5 billion startup and Waymo’s $5.6 billion round

Equity Live: Bret Taylor’s $4.5 billion startup and Waymo’s $5.6 billion round

The Equity crew was live at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024! Hosts Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey and Margaux MacColl took over the Builders Stage to kick off day 2 of Disrupt with no shortage of conference highlights, startups deals and venture news to chew through.Listen to the full episode to hear about:Devin’s plans to go to space thanks to his chat with Rocket Lab Founder Peter Beck.What Sierra, the AI startup co-founded by Bret Taylor, plans to do with its fresh $175 million funds.Waymo’s who’s w

Oct 30, 2024 • 29:11

Stripe's biggest acquisition yet, and what's a16z doing with all of those Nvidia GPUs?

Stripe's biggest acquisition yet, and what's a16z doing with all of those Nvidia GPUs?

It’s no secret that Stripe has doubled down on its crypto offerings, enabling crypto purchases in the EU back in July and announcing a Pay with Crypto feature earlier this month. This week, the fintech giant made its dedication to crypto even clearer with its largest deal to date: its acquisition of stablecoin platform Bridge for an eye-popping $1.1 billion. Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha and Devin Coldewey kicked off the show with their thoughts on the d

Oct 25, 2024 • 31:19

The race isn’t over for European AI startups, according to Accel Parther Philippe Botteri

The race isn’t over for European AI startups, according to Accel Parther Philippe Botteri

“It's a bit too early to say that the race is over,” said Philippe Botteri when asked about European startups’ AI progress. “I think we're just at the very early innings of this race.” Botteri is a partner at early-stage investment firm Accel with over 13 years under his belt at the firm, leading investments in DocuSign, UiPath and more recently Snyk and Chainalysis. Today on TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, host Rebecca Bellan caught up Botteri to dive deep into Accel’s Euroscape 2024 Report. Tappi

Oct 23, 2024 • 26:02

Investor FOMO is back, and what's happening with WordPress and WP Engine?

Investor FOMO is back, and what's happening with WordPress and WP Engine?

Today on Equity, Devin, Margaux and Anthony Ha are rounding up the week's startup and venture news, kicking things off with a look at the $400 million raised by Lightmatter, and the importance of fast networking within the fast growing datacenter industry today — not just in years to come — makes the impressive round a little more understandable.Our Deals of the Week continue with Paladin's drone play for first responders and police, and Abel aiming to reduce the substantial paperwork backlog th

Oct 18, 2024 • 36:39

Tesla’s bot non-disclosure and why humanoid robots are taking off

Tesla’s bot non-disclosure and why humanoid robots are taking off

At Tesla’s robotaxi reveal event last week, several Optimus humanoid robots mingled with guests, pouring drinks and cracking jokes. Impressive technology, but the vocals and some of the gesticulations appear to have been remotely controlled by humans, something Tesla did not disclose. Today on Equity, Rebecca Bellan chatted with TechCrunch’s hardware editor Brian Heater about Tesla’s Optimus bots, the market opportunity for humanoid robots, and other companies that are leading the charge in this

Oct 16, 2024 • 27:34

AI ‘no one wants’ and Google’s potential breakup

AI ‘no one wants’ and Google’s potential breakup

Did OpenAI really ask its investors to avoid backing rivals like Anthropic and xAI? That’s what hosts Devin Coldewey, Margaux MacColl and special guest Anthony Ha wanted to know on today’s episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. The team kicked off the show with a look at OpenAI's $6.6 billion round, which is being called the ‘largest VC round of all time’. Devin broke down what the funding could mean for the company’s path to profitability, and debunked some of the rumors floating around post-a

Oct 11, 2024 • 30:02

Investors are betting on user-generated content, and Gamebeast's founder explains why

Investors are betting on user-generated content, and Gamebeast's founder explains why

Today on Equity, Rebecca Bellan sat down with Zander Brumbaugh, the 22-year-old founder of Gamebeast, a startup that offers Roblox developers tools like A/B testing and LiveOps to modify games without needing to release a new version or interrupt a user’s ongoing game. Gamebeast recently raised a $3.7 million pre-seed round, led by J2 Ventures with participation from a16z’s Speedrun accelerator, which Brumbaugh graduated from in March. Brumbaugh said everything from his experience consulting for

Oct 9, 2024 • 27:38

YC takes a bite out of PearAI, and French startups have a new home

YC takes a bite out of PearAI, and French startups have a new home

Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey, and Margaux MacColl are unpacking another busy week in the tech world, kicking things off with Governor Newsom’s veto of SB 1047, the controversial AI bill aimed at stopping real-world disasters caused by AI systems before they happen. This may not be the last we'll see of the bill, however, as its author has plans to return with a revamped SB 1047 next year.What else went down this week, you ask? Kirsten had us looking to the skies with Joby Aviation’s $500 mill

Oct 4, 2024 • 31:22

Found: Has Rippling won? with Parker Conrad from Rippling

Found: Has Rippling won? with Parker Conrad from Rippling

HR software is big, big business. And no one understands that better than Parker Conrad the CEO and co-founder of Rippling, a global HR company that offers global payroll, onboarding, time tracking, benefits management and more. This week, Equity is bringing you an episode of our sister show, Found. The Found crew talk with Conrad about what goes into building a leading HR tech company—from what it’s like building out features companies love, to dealing with fierce competition in this ever growi

Oct 2, 2024 • 49:47

Green flags for defense tech and Silicon Valley's longevity obsession

Green flags for defense tech and Silicon Valley's longevity obsession

Equity is closing out the week as always with a round up of the week's top startup and venture news. Kirsten, Devin and return guest host Margaux McColl had no shortage of themes to cover: VC karaoke, the SpaceX economy, no moats for AI, OpenAI versus open source.To kick things off, we weighed in on Caroline Ellison's sentencing and deals of the week from Reflect Orbital and Pyka. Of course, we had to dive deep into Y Combinator's Summer 2024 Demo Day cohort from there - including a highlight of

Sep 27, 2024 • 29:18

The hydrogen plateau and IRA funding crutch with Toyota Ventures' Lisa Coca

The hydrogen plateau and IRA funding crutch with Toyota Ventures' Lisa Coca

Today on Equity, Rebecca Bellan sits down with Lisa Coca from Toyota Ventures during Climate Week NYC to discuss a key part of Toyota Ventures' $800 million portfolio - their Climate Fund. The fund's $300 million is laser-focused on climate innovation, but Coca says it casts a wide net beyond just mobility, backing startups from seed to Series A. So far, they’ve invested in companies like AM Batteries, which is cutting battery manufacturing costs by 40%, and Ecoletro, pioneers in green hydrogen

Sep 25, 2024 • 21:30

'Super weird' is the best way to describe this startup's pivot

'Super weird' is the best way to describe this startup's pivot

This week on Equity, the podcast crew discusses several weird things and at least one cool thing.Kirsten Korosec, Devin Coldewey, and Rebecca Bellan first talked about the least weird thing of the week, how nice it is that Cohere co-founder Nick Frosst has a band that people really like.Then we get weird. First the good weird: a helmet that squeezes your head, but for a really good reason. It prevents hair loss from chemotherapy. Devin covered Luminate’s latest fundraise and news, and everyone w

Sep 20, 2024 • 25:50

JP Morgan's head of startup banking says 'Founder Mode' won't get you a unicorn

JP Morgan's head of startup banking says 'Founder Mode' won't get you a unicorn

Today on Equity, Kirsten Korosec is joined by J.P. Morgan’s Head of Startup Banking, Ashraf Hebela. Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, Hebela spent 13 years at Silicon Valley Bank, a bulk of those years dedicated to serving as SVB's head of banking. With over a decade in the startup world, he’s got some serious insights to share.Following the recent release of J.P. Morgan’s Startup Insights report, Kirsten wanted to dive into what it really takes to build a unicorn in 2024, and what parts of the star

Sep 18, 2024 • 32:37

AI's tween years, who's taking over climate tech, and the latest for Fearless Fund

AI's tween years, who's taking over climate tech, and the latest for Fearless Fund

What could be more frightening than Friday the 13th? How about a realization that AI is in its awkward tween stage? At least, it was for the TC Equity pod crew, which this week included hosts Devin Coldewey and Kirsten Korosec along with TC reporters Tim de Chant and Dominic Madori Davis.AI is often a topic over here at Equity Pod; and this week was no different. It seems to be everywhere — and nowhere — all at once. Take Apple, for instance. As Coldewey noted on the show Apple has punted on AI.

Sep 13, 2024 • 34:10

AI illusions and navigating The Money Trap with Alok Sama

AI illusions and navigating The Money Trap with Alok Sama

Today on Equity, Former SoftBank Group International President Alok Sama joins Rebecca Bellan ahead of the launch of his new book THE MONEY TRAP: Lost Illusions Inside the Tech Bubble.  Here's what the pair got into:What Apple's AI announcements could mean for startup innovation and companies like ARM and NvidiaConcerns about the circularity of investments and unusual follow-on rounds led by VCs.IPO alternatives in a slow public marketHigh valuations, the risk of over-investment and how to know

Sep 11, 2024 • 26:30

Equity Shot: Here's what you missed at Apple's 'Glowtime' event

Equity Shot: Here's what you missed at Apple's 'Glowtime' event

Don’t have an hour and forty minutes to devote to watching the replay of Apple’s 'Glowtime' event? As expected, the show was packed with AI announcements, from new chips to creative features. TechCrunch Minute's Amanda Silberling is taking over to catch you up in just a few minutes. Equity will be back with a deeper dive on how startups can compete with Apple's latest move, so stay tuned!Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.

Sep 9, 2024 • 3:12

The AI secondary shares market is giving Beanie Babies economics

The AI secondary shares market is giving Beanie Babies economics

The Equity podcast crew is wrapping up another eventful week, with real estate, AI agents, gambling, and secondary markets — which are, of course, a form of legalized gambling.Mary Ann Azevedo, Becca Szkutak, and Devin Coldewey started off this Friday's episode with the acknowledgment that the X/Twitter ban situation in Brazil is possibly too complicated an issue to even have an opinion on. Let us cook on that for a bit.In the deals of the week, Devin first talked about You.com's $50 million pla

Sep 6, 2024 • 29:52

Inside startup shutdowns with the creator of Layoffs.FYI (re-run)

Inside startup shutdowns with the creator of Layoffs.FYI (re-run)

Today on Equity, we're throwing it back to when Mary Ann interviewed Roger Lee, an entrepreneur who’s spent the better part of a decade building tools for employees and employers alike. Lee is an angel investor as well the creator of Layoffs.FYI and co-founder of Comprehensive and Human Interest.Roger joined us on the show last year in the wake of 2022’s tech layoffs, but this week we’re focusing on the business of shutting down and why investors are lining up to back startups in the space, incl

Sep 4, 2024 • 27:34

Telegram founder's arrest, and who's using acqui-hires to tip-toe around antitrust

Telegram founder's arrest, and who's using acqui-hires to tip-toe around antitrust

Today on  Equity, Devin Coldeway kicked off our Deals of the Week rundown with Piramidal, a startup which offers a foundational model for analyzing brain scan data that just raised $6 million, as his deal of the week. The premise behind the company is a fascinating one in that its technology aims to help complement the work of nurses and doctors in neural ICUs by helping identify signs of things like an epileptic episode, or a stroke.Mary Ann Azevedo wanted to talk about Comun, a neobank serving

Aug 30, 2024 • 31:09

Are Google's monopoly cases 5 years too late or 2 years too early?

Are Google's monopoly cases 5 years too late or 2 years too early?

When US District Court Judge Amit Mehta found that Google had acted illegally to maintain its monopoly in online search, it was seen as a major defeat for Google. The decision could alter the way the tech giant does business, shake up opportunities for search startups, and even change the structure of the internet. While Google plans to appeal either way, there's another antitrust case coming up the pipeline: the DOJ and eight states are accusing Google of creating an advertising technology mono

Aug 28, 2024 • 22:52

AI talent managers, technocapitalist college towns, and a rise in defense tech acquisitions

AI talent managers, technocapitalist college towns, and a rise in defense tech acquisitions

In this Friday’s episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast Mary Ann Azevedo, Devin Coldewey, and Equity's newest voice Margaux MacColl are here to discuss three major deals of the week. First up is the $80 million round for Story, which is trying to apply that ol' web3 magic to AI and talent management. Next, Mary Ann attempts to untangle the knotty, weird term sheet for Bolt: $450 million. But is that real money or "marketing credits"? And the Margaux explained Balaji Srinivasan's private

Aug 23, 2024 • 29:11

Is there a right way to regulate AI? (w. Helen Toner)

Is there a right way to regulate AI? (w. Helen Toner)

What is the right way to regulate AI? There appears to be as many different answers to that as there are regulators. On today's episode of Equity, we're bringing you a live interview from TechCrunch's recent Strictly VC event. Equity co-host Becca Szkutak sat down with Helen Toner, the director of strategy and foundational research grants from the Center of Security and Emerging Technology and a former board member of OpenAI. The pair discussed companies' ability to self-regulate, what impact re

Aug 21, 2024 • 18:20

AI for landlords, Grok-2 unleashed, and the latest attempt at AI regulation

AI for landlords, Grok-2 unleashed, and the latest attempt at AI regulation

This week on Equity Kirsten Korosec and Mary Ann Azevedo were joined by one of TechCrunch’s resident AI experts, Devin Coldewey. They broke down their deals of the week: WeRide, a Chinese autonomous vehicle startup, seeking an initial public offering in the United States at a $5 billion valuation, EliseAI, the company offering AI solutions to landlords, raised $75 million and became a unicorn, and Grok-2 is now available on X but it will cost you.Then the team got into a couple recent s

Aug 16, 2024 • 32:37

Found: Getting realistic about AI’s potential with Nick Frosst from Cohere

Found: Getting realistic about AI’s potential with Nick Frosst from Cohere

Enterprise AI is booming so it’s no wonder that, as companies figure out how to implement it, the industry of AI infrastructure is emerging. This week, Equity is bringing you an episode of our sister show, Found.  Becca and Dom talk to Nick Frosst from Cohere, the AI company building natural language models for enterprise customers. They discuss why Frosst thinks the AI boom isn’t built on a bubble, whether or not AI companies are building toward a “digital god”, and how AI regulation could be a

Aug 14, 2024 • 38:37

Maybe it's a good thing that we're not seeing too many AI unicorns

Maybe it's a good thing that we're not seeing too many AI unicorns

In this Friday’s episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Mary Ann Azevedo and Becca Szkutak kick off the show dissecting a bill which aims to regulate AI at the model level. Naturally, some VCs and founders as well as students and professors are in an uproar about it. But we have to ask, is regulation in the name of safety such a bad thing? Short answer: It depends.Then the trio got into the deals of the week, including OpenAI’s potential new investment in webcam maker

Aug 9, 2024 • 31:44

Flourish Ventures on repeat founders, emerging markets, and when not to hop on the AI bandwagon

Flourish Ventures on repeat founders, emerging markets, and when not to hop on the AI bandwagon

In today’s episode of Equity Podcast, Mary Ann Azevedo talked to Flourish Ventures co-founders Tilman Ehrbeck, Emmalyn Shaw and Arjuna Costa about a variety of topics, including how their investment themes have evolved in the past 5 years and what trends they’re most excited about today. We also got their opinion on M&A deals in fintech, AI and founder wellness, among other things.The trio founded Flourish Ventures in 2019 and now the evergreen firm has $850 million under management

Aug 7, 2024 • 26:37

AI Friends, deepfake foes, and which Tiger Global partner is leaving now

AI Friends, deepfake foes, and which Tiger Global partner is leaving now

On today's Friday news roundup, we just had to talk about AI hardware taking on a new shape with Friend’s $99 necklace. The pendant gives you an AI friend to talk to and…that’s about it. Friend’s pitch is that its wearable can help combat loneliness, but other AI hardware products that have come to market lately – like Humane’s Ai Pin and Rabbit’s r1 – have fallen short of expectations. Even OpenAI, the leader in the space, has come out later than expected with its hyper realistic AI as

Aug 2, 2024 • 31:12

Global startup funding is picking up with AI still in the spotlight

Global startup funding is picking up with AI still in the spotlight

Global startup funding was up 16% in the second quarter, according to Crunchbase data, led by an uptick in mega-rounds. That increase was led, unsurprisingly, by the AI sector. Funding to companies in AI made up 30% of all dollars invested and actually doubled quarter over quarter to $24 billion.On today's episode of TechCrunch's Equity podcast, Mary Ann was joined by Gené Teare, a Senior Data Editor at Crunchbase and Crunchbase News, to talk through the numbers. Teare is a well-known a

Jul 31, 2024 • 25:10

Stripe’s easy-peasy acquisition, and why is Twitch still losing money?

Stripe’s easy-peasy acquisition, and why is Twitch still losing money?

Today’s episode is packed with M&A talk, how one YouTuber succeeded at the creator economy, why Twitch is still losing money and an autonomous vehicle company that is making a comeback.First up, Rebecca took a look at fintech giant Stripe’s acquisition of four-year-old competitor Lemon Squeezy. The buy will allow Stripe to beef up its merchant of record selling “in a big way,” according to Stripe CEO Patrick Collison. Deal terms weren’t disclosed, but Lemon Squeezy has a reputation

Jul 29, 2024 • 11:15

Alphabet is clearly looking to buy, so who's selling, and why did Wiz say no?

Alphabet is clearly looking to buy, so who's selling, and why did Wiz say no?

This week felt like two weeks rolled into one. To kick things off, Mary Ann Azevedo walked everyone through Clio’s huge fundraise. The Canadian legal tech company raised $900 million at a $3 billion valuation — a very large sum anytime, but especially in this market. Impressively, the company is still growing rapidly, which isn't easy to do when you’re at such a late stage. We talked about the drivers behind that growth and how Clio differs from other legal tech startups raising capital these da

Jul 26, 2024 • 33:13

Cracking the AI and consumer code with early Zoom-backer Maven Ventures

Cracking the AI and consumer code with early Zoom-backer Maven Ventures

Maven Ventures General Partner Sara Deshpande has been investing in the consumer tech space for a decade.Over time, the seed-stage venture firm has backed the likes of Zoom, Cruise, Hello Heart, Perplexity and x.AI and has grown to over $200 million in assets under management.Now, with a new $60 million fund — and plans to write six to eight checks of up to $1.5 million each year — Deshpande joined TechCrunch senior reporter Mary Ann Azevedo on Equity to discuss the changes in the consumer lands

Jul 24, 2024 • 26:48

CrowdStrike’s fallout, where Harris stands on tech and Yandex’s rise from the ashes

CrowdStrike’s fallout, where Harris stands on tech and Yandex’s rise from the ashes

On today’s episode of Equity, Rebecca Bellan did a deep dive into the CrowdStrike outage that affected around 8.5 million Windows devices around the world, causing disruptions in air travel, banking, hospitals, media outlets, federal agencies and businesses of all kinds. The outage began when CrowdStrike, a cloud security giant, sent out a defective software update. While CrowdStrike quickly identified the issue and deployed a fix, the fallout continued over the weekend and will probabl

Jul 22, 2024 • 11:26

Silicon Valley's impact on the election and an acquisition making our HeadSpin

Silicon Valley's impact on the election and an acquisition making our HeadSpin

To kick off this week's news roundup, Kirsten walked us through Elon Musk’s recent declaration of his intent to move both SpaceX and X’s headquarters out of California to Texas. Whether or not he’ll see those plans through remains to be seen, but of course, the Equity crew had thoughts.We then got into the deals of the week. First up, we talked about Sequoia Capital’s emailing LPs in funds raised between 2009 and 2011 with an offer to buy up to $861 million worth of shares in Stripe. Th

Jul 19, 2024 • 32:52

If the music stops, what startup gets a chair? Renegade Partners' co-founders are finding out

If the music stops, what startup gets a chair? Renegade Partners' co-founders are finding out

Renegade Partners co-founders Renata Quintini and Roseanne Wincek have seen it all in their careers — notably over the past four years when they launched their first fund as the COVID pandemic took hold and navigated the economic roller coaster that followed. Now, with a second $128 million fund — and a plan to write checks of up to $10 million into 20 startups — Quintini and Wincek join TechCrunch editor Kirsten Korosec on Equity to discuss those early days of their first fund, what they look f

Jul 17, 2024 • 29:15

Google’s talks to buy Wiz, and the gap between AI spending and AI revenue

Google’s talks to buy Wiz, and the gap between AI spending and AI revenue

On today’s episode of Equity, Rebecca Bellan explored Google’s reported talks to acquire Wiz, a cloud security company, for around $23 billion. Wiz provides an “all-in-one approach to cloud security,” pulling data from Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and others, then scanning it all for security risk factors – something that Google might see as a good way to fortify its own cloud business, which grew 28% to $9.57 billion in Q1 this year. We also discussed a letter fro

Jul 15, 2024 • 8:01

There's always something happening to OpenAI's board

There's always something happening to OpenAI's board

Mary Ann was off this week, and Kirsten took the lead with Becca Szkutak and Rebecca Bellan in the co-host seats. This episode is packed with deals, antitrust musings, AI and more, so let's get into it!For our first deal of the week,  one of the many lawsuits Musk faces after firing 6,000 Twitter employees after his 2022 takeover was dismissed. The result may be good news for Musk, but it doesn’t eliminate Musk’s legal troubles. Musk is facing at least one other lawsuit from CEO Parag A

Jul 12, 2024 • 27:38

Floodgate's Mike Maples says startups that people 'don't like' may be the best ones to back

Floodgate's Mike Maples says startups that people 'don't like' may be the best ones to back

Mike Maples Jr. is a prolific angel investor and co-founder of early-stage venture firm Floodgate. Over the years, he’s taken a lot of bets. Some have paid off handsomely (Twitter, Twitch, Lyft and Bazaarvoice, for example). Others have not.On today's episode of Equity, Mary Ann sat down with Mike to dig into a number of topics, including some of his most memorable investments, the one that got away, what he looks for when evaluating startups that pitch him - and what Godzilla has to do with it.

Jul 10, 2024 • 29:17

A new trend for Seed VCs, and the scariest part about OpenAI's data breach

A new trend for Seed VCs, and the scariest part about OpenAI's data breach

On today's episode of Equity, we're taking a look at news you might've missed over the holiday weekend here in the U.S., starting with the recent OpenAI security breach. While it doesn't seem that people have to be too worried about what the hackers actually accessed, the fact that it happened is worth paying attention to. TechCrunch's Devin Coldeway argues that AI companies are treasure troves of data and will likely become more of a target for hackers. Companies that work with the lar

Jul 8, 2024 • 6:11

Jon McNeill on VC 2.0 and creating startups in house

Jon McNeill on VC 2.0 and creating startups in house

What’s the common thread between Tesla, building startups, General Motors, venture capital and Lyft? Jon McNeill, co-founder and partner of DVx Ventures, joins TechCrunch editor Kirsten Korosec on Equity to discuss how Elon Musk’s pay package has influenced founders, when it makes sense to go light on cash and heavy on equity, and his firm’s unique approach to investing that eschews the traditional management fee structure. McNeill describes DVx as VC 2.0. The firm comes up with busines

Jul 3, 2024 • 32:38

AI-powered drug development, VW teams up with Rivian, and DEI is 'bad'

AI-powered drug development, VW teams up with Rivian, and DEI is 'bad'

Mary Ann, Haje and Kirsten are back on the mic for this week's episode, which was is jam-packed with deals, hot topics, and the latest dramaaaaaa in the tech world. For Deals of the Week, Haje wanted to chat about Formation Bio, an AI-focused drug development startup that just raised a whopping $372 million in Series D funding, led by Andreessen Horowitz. Next, Kirsten broke down the surprising partnership between Volkswagen Group and Rivian and how its initial $1 billion investment could grow u

Jun 28, 2024 • 29:52

Y Combinator sets its sights on D.C. with Luther Lowe

Y Combinator sets its sights on D.C. with Luther Lowe

Today, we’re bringing you a conversation from TechCrunch's StrictlyVC event in DC earlier this month, where TechCrunch Editor in Chief & General Manager Connie Loizos sat down with Luther Lowe, who serves as Y Combinator’s Head of Public Policy. Lowe joined the accelerator last fall from Yelp, where he was SVP of Public Policy.Connie and Luther touched on antitrust efforts to reign in big tech, Y Combinator’s impact, leadership and access to talent, and what competition, policy and

Jun 26, 2024 • 21:39

The EU's DMA is coming for Apple, and X bots are on the loose

The EU's DMA is coming for Apple, and X bots are on the loose

In a press release this morning, the European Commission named Apple as the first of tech’s so-called “gatekeepers” to be charged for violating the EU’s Digital Markets Act. Apple is one of six tech giants named by the European Commission as “gatekeepers” last year, alongside Alphabet, Amazon, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft. While we continue to keep our eyes on the EU’s attempts to ensure a competitive marketplace, that’s not all we got into on the Equity podcast this morning. Rebecca B

Jun 24, 2024 • 12:02

Ilya Sutskever's new AI venture, and time to BeReal about bankruptcy

Ilya Sutskever's new AI venture, and time to BeReal about bankruptcy

This week, co-hosts Mary-Ann Azavedo and Haje Kamps were joined by the ever-insightful Kirsten Korosec to dive into the latest and greatest happenings in the startup world. Kicking things off, our trio of hosts break down three major deals of the week. First, there's Waabi, an autonomous trucking startup that just closed a whopping $200 million Series B round. Kirsten Korosec provides an inside look into how Waabi's AI-first approach is setting it apart in the crowded autonomous vehicle space an

Jun 21, 2024 • 33:35

Do co-CEOs make sense?

Do co-CEOs make sense?

Last week, Brex announced that it would be ditching its co-CEO model, and that got Equity hosts Haje Kamps and Mary Ann Azevedo wondering about co-CEO teams and the effectiveness of the structure overall.Brex, founded in 2017 by Pedro Franceschi and Henrique Dubugras, initially thrived under the co-CEO structure, with Pedro focusing on internal operations and Enrique handling external relations. However, as the company grew, this setup began to slow decision-making, prompting a shift to

Jun 19, 2024 • 19:55

Black founders are tailoring the ChatGPT experience, and crypto makes a comeback

Black founders are tailoring the ChatGPT experience, and crypto makes a comeback

This week on Equity, we discussed some big news that really matters: How Black founders are addressing the diversity gap in AI chatbots. We’ve all noticed how OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other AI chatbot tools struggle with cultural nuance, often coming up with answers that reflect a largely Euro-centric worldview. Now, a handful of Black-owned chatbots and ChatGPT versions – like Latimer.AI, ChatBlackGPT and Spark Plug – have cropped up to ensure Black POVs are included in the AI conversation, and tha

Jun 17, 2024 • 13:00

Musk v. OpenAI, and how can startups compete with Apple Intelligence?

Musk v. OpenAI, and how can startups compete with Apple Intelligence?

Welcome back to Friday Equity!In today’s episode Equity podcast, Mary Ann, Haje and Becca dug into three very different but all super interesting deals of the week. Haje wanted to discuss Raspberry Pi’s debut on the public market, and we all agreed that what this profitable company has managed to build – a tiny affordable computer that fits into the palm of your hand – is very neat. Mary Ann then wanted to talk about InScope, a fintech which just raised a $4.3 million seed round of fund

Jun 14, 2024 • 28:38

NEA’s Vanessa Larco says generative AI will change the SaaS pricing model - and that’s a good thing

NEA’s Vanessa Larco says generative AI will change the SaaS pricing model - and that’s a good thing

Vanessa Larco, general partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), believes that Generative AI’s impact on the world of SaaS could be huge.The investor joined Mary Ann Azevedo on Equity to talk through, among other topics, her theories about how GenAI could alter the pricing models SaaS businesses use when charging customers.“I think where [SaaS] people aspire to get to is value-based pricing. This is really, really hard,” she said.  But “I think it's a North Star for a lot of different SaaS pro

Jun 12, 2024 • 27:51

Byju's valuation shakeup and what's ahead for WWDC

Byju's valuation shakeup and what's ahead for WWDC

Apple’s WWDC is just hours away, and we’re gearing up for big announcements on – you guessed it – AI. We're kicking off  today’s episode of Equity with a list of what we can (and can't) expect from the highly anticipated developer conference. But that's not all we talked about this morning. Becca Szkutak also took a look at Byju’s alarming valuation drop. The Indian edtech giant, once valued at $22 billion, might now be worth nothing according to BlackRock. The news may not come as a su

Jun 10, 2024 • 5:38

Robinhood's crypto bet, AI-powered healthcare, and more on the fall of Fisker

Robinhood's crypto bet, AI-powered healthcare, and more on the fall of Fisker

As always, there was a lot happening in startup land this week, and the Equity team had so much fun breaking it down for you.On today’s episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Mary Ann and Rebecca discussed Robinhood’s plans to buy European crypto exchange Bitstamp for $200 million in cash and why they weren’t really surprised by the news.The duo then dug into not just one but two exciting health-care related deals. Rebecca wanted to riff on Sword Health’s innovative AI-powered virtual physical

Jun 7, 2024 • 36:13

Every startup has AI in their pitch deck and they should according to Forerunner Ventures' Eurie Kim

Every startup has AI in their pitch deck and they should according to Forerunner Ventures' Eurie Kim

Consumer startups have taken a hit when it comes to venture funding. But according to Eurie Kim, partner at Forerunner Ventures and founding member of All Raise, consumer is where it’s at.The investor joined Mary Ann Azevedo on Equity to talk through the intricacies of the space. She pointed out that last year, just 7% of seed capital went to consumer startups. Yet, research shows that consumer company performance has outpaced enterprise, Kim contends. Forerunner itself has backed the likes of O

Jun 5, 2024 • 32:07

Inside the demise of EV startup Fisker as X's new rules allow adult content

Inside the demise of EV startup Fisker as X's new rules allow adult content

Welcome to this week's Eqpisode of Equity Monday. We're kicking off the week with a deep dive from this weekend into the demise of electric vehicle startup Fisker at the hands of its founders' whims. Fisker, which was founded by famed vehicle designer Henrik Fisker, is on the brink of bankruptcy after only having delivered a few thousand electric Ocean SUVs. Then, Rebecca Bellan talked about X's new rules to allow adult content (as long as it's "consensually produced," whatever that means), and

Jun 3, 2024 • 12:37

Who's (not) IPO-ing and what's going on with BaaS?

Who's (not) IPO-ing and what's going on with BaaS?

Welcome back to Equity Friday!In this week’s episode, Mary Ann, Becca Szkutak,and Haje Kamps tackled three deals of the week: xAI, Elon Musk has once again proven that his name alone can shake up the investment world, raising a staggering $6 billion for his AI startup. Solutions by Text, The Dallas-based company, which has been bootstrapped for over a decade, secured $110 million in funding. And WeatherXM, which is a company bringing Web3 into the weather forecasting space that raised $7.7 milli

May 31, 2024 • 31:51

Peering into the 'Series A chasm' with Everywhere Ventures' Jenny Fielding

Peering into the 'Series A chasm' with Everywhere Ventures' Jenny Fielding

It’s no secret that the bar for startups to land a Series A has risen, but has it risen too high? According to Jenny Fielding, a co-founder and Managing Partner at Everywhere Ventures, startups are facing what she calls “The Series A Chasm.” In a post on X this month, Fielding said, “there’s a huge backlog of seed stage companies with nice traction – just not $3m ARR + 30% MOM growth kinda traction.” The post sparked a conversation online, and Fielding joined Haje Kamps on Equity to talk through

May 29, 2024 • 25:05

Musk’s xAI raises fresh capital while Synapse’s bankruptcy could impact millions

Musk’s xAI raises fresh capital while Synapse’s bankruptcy could impact millions

We’re kicking off the short week with news about Elon Musk, and no, it’s not about X or Tesla. Instead, we’re talking about Musk’s other other company, xAI. In a blog post this weekend, xAI announced it raised $6 billion in Series B funding, confirming earlier reports that the AI startup was looking to raise at a pre-money valuation of $18 billion. With Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital and Valor among its backers, it looks like Musk is taking steps to catch up and compete with the likes of O

May 28, 2024 • 9:40

The new Equity crew on a proposed AI 'kill switch' and why it's rough out there for VCs

The new Equity crew on a proposed AI 'kill switch' and why it's rough out there for VCs

Say hi to the new Equity  crew! To kick off today's show, Mary Ann invited her new co-hosts - Becca Szkutak, Rebecca Bellan, and Haje Kamps - to introduce themselves and shared a bit more about what they do here at TC. The team then jumped right into the news, starting with Techstars CEO Maëlle Gavet announcing she is leaving the company, just weeks after TechCrunch reporter Dominic Madori-Davis published an in-depth investigative article on what’s been going on behind the scenes at the

May 24, 2024 • 29:08

Here's how startups can crack the US market, according to Australian VCs

Here's how startups can crack the US market, according to Australian VCs

Today, we’re listening back to not one but two interviews from the other side of the globe, thanks to our new co-host Rebecca Bellan, who spent three years in Auckland, New Zealand. Late last year, Rebecca hopped across the Tasman to Australia to report on the startup scene in Australia, and came back to us with a temperature check on VC in the Antipodes.Rebecca spoke to two Aussie VCs: Dan Krasnostein from Square Peg and Gabrielle Munzer from Main Sequence. Rebecca and our guests dug i

May 22, 2024 • 47:44

Maven takes the clout-chasing out of social media as Reddit teams up with OpenAI

Maven takes the clout-chasing out of social media as Reddit teams up with OpenAI

Last week was a big one for AI news, and one thing that stood out to us was OpenAI's deal with Reddit. Per the terms of the deal, OpenAI will get to use content from Reddit like posts and replies to train its AI, and Reddit will get access to some unspecified AI tools. Reddit's stock soared 11% in extended trading following the news.That's not all we talked about on today's episode of Equity. This morning, Rebecca Bellan also walked us through a new social media platform called Maven that wants

May 20, 2024 • 11:04

AI's busy week, and why the heck are so many VCs leaving their firms?

AI's busy week, and why the heck are so many VCs leaving their firms?

This week, Mary Ann, Becca and Haje dug into three funding deals, proving that bigger is not always better (or more interesting).Becca wanted to talk about Spoor, an Oslo, Norway-based startup using AI to help wind farms mitigate its impact on birds (how cool is that?) while Haje wanted to discuss how fintech Layer is looking to take on QuickBooks in the SMB accounting space. Mary Ann, meanwhile, was excited to look into one Kentucky-based startup’s decision to raise $27.5 million in ve

May 17, 2024 • 33:45

Newchip's bankruptcy is a cautionary tale for founders

Newchip's bankruptcy is a cautionary tale for founders

For months, TechCrunch Senior Reporters Mary Ann Azevedo and Christine Hall have been following the story of Newchip's bankruptcy and its impact on founders and today on Equity, they're joined by Haje Kamps to dig deep into how the accelerator’s fall from grace threatened the cap tables of thousands of startups. In some cases, companies suddenly were so high risk to banks and investors that they had to shut down.The trio also discussed the broader accelerator landscape as a whole, consi

May 15, 2024 • 22:52

OpenAI gears up for a big announcement, and Apple Store workers authorize a strike

OpenAI gears up for a big announcement, and Apple Store workers authorize a strike

Last week was a busy one for some Apple Store employees. Over the weekend, workers at Apple’s Townson, Maryland store — the first Apple retail store to have a formally recognized union — voted to authorize a strike. While the date of the strike is still being determined, the union has been negotiating with Apple since January 2023 over work-life balance, unpredictable scheduling, and wages, among other issues.But that wasn't all we discussed on today’s episode of Equity. This morning, Rebecca Sz

May 13, 2024 • 11:43

Acquisitions are heating up, and Mercury eyes the fintech crown

Acquisitions are heating up, and Mercury eyes the fintech crown

Finally, some good news! This week, we were pleasantly surprised to see that FTX victims would be getting some money back – even if it’s not as much as they might have hoped.That wasn’t all, though: Mary Ann Azevedo, Kirsten Korosec, and Alex Wilhelm had plenty else to talk about this week on Equity.We discussed why investors are drawn to the fact that Amae Health is building an in-person approach to mental healthcare in an increasingly digital space and also how one North Carolina star

May 10, 2024 • 31:43

$450M for Noname, two billion-dollar rounds, and good news for crypto startups

$450M for Noname, two billion-dollar rounds, and good news for crypto startups

Good news, crypto founders: Venture capital activity is picking up in your sector after falling to multi-year lows in late 2023. Put another way, venture folks appear more web3-bullish than before, even if recent tallies are far under highs seen in late 2021.But that was hardly the only news item we had to dig into on Equity this morning. Akamai is spending $450 million for API security firm Noname, a deal that TechCrunch previously reported was looking to get done at around $500 million. The tr

May 8, 2024 • 16:36

Dorsey leaves Bluesky, tech giants do more with less, and the next IPO

Dorsey leaves Bluesky, tech giants do more with less, and the next IPO

News that Jack Dorsey is out at Bluesky caused a stir this weekend. After all, Dorsey is a former Twitter co-founder and CEO, so his investment of time into the rival social network carried weight. The decentralized social networking service said that it is looking for a new board member.But while we had to talk about Dorsey’s latest on Equity today, it was far from the only topic we got to chat about. Past a busy earnings week ahead of us, we also dug into the latest employment news co

May 6, 2024 • 11:12

Inside TC’s Techstars investigation and how AI is accelerating disability tech

Inside TC’s Techstars investigation and how AI is accelerating disability tech

Mary Ann Azevedo, Kirsten Korosec, and Alex Wilhelm had a lot to parse this week. We had notes on wallet-as-a-service’ startup Ansa's latest fundraise, and how Alex initially misunderstood its business model. Then Kirsten talked us through a simply massive deal in the self-driving space, while Alex wanted to riff on Beehiiv and its own funding round. $33 million is no small Series B in 2024!From there, we had a few minutes to discuss Anna Heim's recent reporting on disability tech and how AI is

May 3, 2024 • 34:33

A new venture capital supergroup is forming

A new venture capital supergroup is forming

Startups are not shying away from big projects. That’s my takeaway from news that The Browser Company’s Arc browser is now generally available for Windows users, just as Island raised a massive grip of capital for its enterprise-focused browser tool. It’s very encouraging to see startups going after core pieces of technology, and not just the apps that sit atop platforms.Of course, Chromium still reigns supreme, but unseating that horse might take a while.Elsewhere in startup-land this week on E

May 1, 2024 • 10:32

Musk’s xAI shows there’s more money on the sidelines for AI startups

Musk’s xAI shows there’s more money on the sidelines for AI startups

We’re off to an AI-heavy start to the week. OpenAI has a new deal with the Financial Times that caught our eye. Sure, it’s another content licensing deal, but there appears to be a bit more in the tie-up than just content flowing one way, and money the other.On this early-week episode of Equity, we also dug into the xAI news that TechCrunch broke recently; namely that Musk’s AI enterprise is not looking to raise $3 billion on a $15 billion valuation. No, it’s now looking for $6 billion at an $18

Apr 29, 2024 • 13:14

Good news for Rubrik, bad news for TikTok, and encouraging news for Early Stage startups

Good news for Rubrik, bad news for TikTok, and encouraging news for Early Stage startups

Rubrik’s strong IPO pricing and warm reception by the public markets after its listing add more weight to the perspective that the public markets are not as closed to tech startups as some thought. If Rubrik’s result isn’t enough to break the logjam, well, maybe there’s something else going on.But there was a lot more that happened this week, which meant that the Equity crew had a pile of news to get through as always, with a little bit of our own mixed in. Happily it was all pretty dar

Apr 26, 2024 • 27:17

The TikTok ban clears key hurdle while Perplexity AI continues to shake up search

The TikTok ban clears key hurdle while Perplexity AI continues to shake up search

Well, if you are a big TikTok fan and live in the United States, I have some bad news for you: A bill that would force a sale of TikTok or ban it in the United States passed the Senate. And the President is expected to sign it. Given that China has made noise that it will not allow a sale of the social media company that is headquartered in Singapore, but is owned by Chinese company Bytedance, it’s not looking good for TikTok in the States.But if that has you bummed out, don’t worry, we

Apr 24, 2024 • 12:58

Salesforce's silly deal dies as we keep our eyes on Ibotta and Rubrik

Salesforce's silly deal dies as we keep our eyes on Ibotta and Rubrik

Today we dug into the latest markets news, including upcoming earnings, IPOs, and what impact — if any — the recent bitcoin halving had on its value. But the money news did not stop there.We also had two new venture capital funds to discuss, including a new vehicle from Seraphim focused on space, and TLcom Capital’s new Africa-focused fund. From there, it was time to chat EVs and what impact recent price cuts are having on the value of EV companies.To close out, we dug into the emerging startup

Apr 22, 2024 • 13:39

Notable Capital's Hans Tung on the state of VC and the upside to down rounds

Notable Capital's Hans Tung on the state of VC and the upside to down rounds

This week, Mary Ann talked to Hans Tung, managing partner of Notable Capital (formerly GGV Capital), which is focused on investing in the US as well as in Europe and Latin America. Long-time listeners may recall that Hans, whose portfolio includes the likes of Airbnb, StockX and Slack, joined Equity last year to focus on down rounds, a term often treated like an evil phrase. Today, we're digging into why Hans still believes in down rounds, the importance of long-term thinking and the current sta

Apr 20, 2024 • 25:30

Tesla’s busy week, and is fintech having a moment?

Tesla’s busy week, and is fintech having a moment?

It’s been more than a minute since Tesla went public, but the EV company was inescapable on TechCrunch this week. From layoffs to pricing changes and more, it was a week dyed deeply in Tesla colors so we had to chat through the latest.But that was just one element of what we got into on Equity this week. We also dug into Mary Ann’s reporting about Ramp’s latest round — and up valuation — that fit neatly next to Rippling’s own impending fundraise. If you are handling money, it’s a good time to be

Apr 19, 2024 • 31:57

An $11B bonanza for space startups, and where is all that a16z money going?

An $11B bonanza for space startups, and where is all that a16z money going?

What is worth $11 billion and wants to go to Mars to collect rocks? NASA’s mission to Mars to collect rocks that was expected to cost $11 billion and take ages. So, the U.S. space agency is throwing the doors open to get more input, and that means that startups are looking at an opportunity that is truly out of this world.But that’s not the only thing going on. Today’s Equity episode is focused on all things startups, which means we also got to chat through Two Chairs’ recent and massive Series

Apr 17, 2024 • 10:09

OpenAI plans new Tokyo office as Tesla layoffs arrive

OpenAI plans new Tokyo office as Tesla layoffs arrive

It’s only Monday morning, but it already feels like Thursday given the sheer amount of news that’s flowing in.We have two critical headlines for you today: OpenAI is planning to open an office in Tokyo and launch a new GPT-4 model for the Japanese language. The U.S., EU, and China are all racing for leadership in AI, and OpenAI’s foray into Japan could expand the list of leading blocs and nations. Tesla is cutting more than 10% of its total global workforce. CEO Elon Musk told employee

Apr 15, 2024 • 12:05

Beeper acquired by Automattic, fintech's decline and YC's lack of LatAm founders

Beeper acquired by Automattic, fintech's decline and YC's lack of LatAm founders

Today, the Equity crew dug into Automattic buying Beeper for $125 million. Recall that the WordPress parent company bought Texts.com last year for $50 million. Elsewhere in deal-land, Proton bought Standard Notes, and we recently discussed the Wonderschool-Early Day purchase. More, please!In the Deals of the Week column, Mary Ann chose Payjoy’s massive new run rate, while Alex wanted to riff on the Proxima Fusion round that could help bring the next energy revolution a little bit closer to reali

Apr 12, 2024 • 30:56

A $60M venture fund with a twist, and more startup-on-startup acquisitions

A $60M venture fund with a twist, and more startup-on-startup acquisitions

Today on Equity’s startup-focused Wednesday show, we dug into the Multiverse-Searchlight deal that reminded us of the Wonderschool-Early Day transaction that we covered on the show a few weeks back.We also dug into the latest Guesty round, which was both large and interesting from a financial perspective, the Monad Labs transaction that led us to try and explain the difference between L1 and L2 blockchains, and Cyera’s quick recent megaround. Put more simply, startup news is feeling ver

Apr 10, 2024 • 11:06

Spotify’s new AI playlists, the US’s latest chip deal, and a shot at data privacy

Spotify’s new AI playlists, the US’s latest chip deal, and a shot at data privacy

Now that we are finally past Y Combinator’s demo day — though our Friday show is worth listening if you haven’t had a chance yet — we can dive into the latest news. So, this morning on Equity Monday we got into the chance that the United States might pass a real data privacy law. There’s movement to report, but we’re still very, very far from anything becoming law.Elsewhere, the U.S. and TSMC have a new deal, there’s gaming news to consider (and a venture tie-in), and Spotify’s latest A

Apr 8, 2024 • 9:53

What we've learned from the women behind the AI revolution

What we've learned from the women behind the AI revolution

The AI boom, love it or find it to be a bit more hype than substance, is here to stay. That means lots of companies are raising oodles of dollars, a healthy dose of regulatory concern, academic work, and corporate jockeying. For startups, it means a huge opportunity to bring new technology to bear on a host of industries that could use a bit of polish.But if you read the news, you might notice that men are the far and away most cited, and discussed players in AI today. So, TechCrunch’s

Apr 6, 2024 • 20:55

From YC to IPO: Winter 2024 Demo Day, Rubrik and Ibotta

From YC to IPO: Winter 2024 Demo Day, Rubrik and Ibotta

What a week, everyone. Two full days of Y Combinator demo day activity kept us busy, but the latest accelerator cohort’s launch was far from the only big story in startup-land. Today on the Equity’s Friday news roundup, Mary Ann, Becca, and Alex gathered to dig into favorites from the hundreds of new YC companies that pitched, and a new venture capital fund that wants to become “the investment and innovation arm of the autism community.”Becca wanted to talk about Seso and its fascinatin

Apr 5, 2024 • 30:56

Nvidia might be clouding the funding climate for AI chip startups, but Hailo is still fighting

Nvidia might be clouding the funding climate for AI chip startups, but Hailo is still fighting

This is our Wednesday show, when we take a moment to dig into a raft of startup and venture capital news. No big tech here!Keep in mind that Y Combinator's demo day kicks off today, so we're going to be snowed-under in startup news the rest of the week. Consider today's show the calm before the storm.AUDIOOn the podcast this morning we have BlaBlaCar's new credit facility and how it managed to land it, how PipeDreams could be onto a new model of startup construction, GoStudent's rebound and prof

Apr 3, 2024 • 10:30

Ads on Discord, AT&T passcode resets, and podcast changes for Android users

Ads on Discord, AT&T passcode resets, and podcast changes for Android users

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 Monday show, where we dig into the weekend and take a peek at the week that is to come. We’ll talk more about Wednesday, but this is Y Combinator Demo Day week, so expect a deluge of startup news.On the podcast today we dug into the latest news from Discord that indicates it is moving towards opening its gates for advertisements. As I wrote back in

Apr 1, 2024 • 11:44

SBF's sentencing, Databricks' GPT rival, and who's investing in the "underdog" founders

SBF's sentencing, Databricks' GPT rival, and who's investing in the "underdog" founders

As the week comes to a close, we're also shutting the book on the trial of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, the erstwhile crypto baron who is heading to prison for 25 years. But while the SBF news was a big deal, there was so very much more to cover on today's news roundup episode of Equity.With Kirsten Korosec, Mary Ann Azevedo, and Alex Wilhelm aboard this week, the crew dug into Robinhood's new credit card and what it can tell us about the strategy of major tech companies, Fisker's

Mar 29, 2024 • 31:49

Why a16z-backed Wonderschool is acquiring EarlyDay

Why a16z-backed Wonderschool is acquiring EarlyDay

This is our interview show, where we sit down with guests, think about their work, and unpack the rest. This week, Wonderschool, a startup that works with individuals and local governments to spin up more childcare businesses by providing software and other support, has acquired EarlyDay. EarlyDay, another venture-backed startup, operates a early childhood educator marketplace.Alex caught up with EarlyDay’s two former CEOs, Emma Harris and Melissa Tran, and their new boss, Chris Bennett at Wonde

Mar 28, 2024 • 33:16

Spotify throws its hat in the edtech ring

Spotify throws its hat in the edtech ring

Today on the show we had a lot of ground to cover: Stocks around the world are in retreat to start the week, while crypto prices have themselves given back some recent gains. The biggest news item that we covered this morning was the exit of Stability AI’s CEO, the company’s revenue growth and burn rate have come into question before, making the move all the more newsy.Over in the EU, a number of U.S.-based tech companies are under inquiry thanks to the new Digital Markets Act. At some

Mar 25, 2024 • 11:13

A $700M SAFE, more IPOs, and how one venture fund is transcending borders

A $700M SAFE, more IPOs, and how one venture fund is transcending borders

This week we had Mary Ann, Becca, and Alex aboard. Here's what the crew got into:Deals of the Week: Mary Ann wanted to talk about Onyx, a neobank aimed at wealthy early-to-middle career adults. It's pivoting to B2B and is not, despite what the Internet said, dead. Alex wanted to discuss Montauk Climate, a climate incubator set up by the former co-founder of Casper and the recent Marc Lore/Wonder deal. The climate isn't doing well, in case you've missed the news. So, projects like this are welcom

Mar 22, 2024 • 32:14

Astera Labs going public and the Inflection-Microsoft AI saga

Astera Labs going public and the Inflection-Microsoft AI saga

Today we have a grip of startup stories, and a venture capital item that isn’t as bad of news as it seems at first blush. Here’s the rundown:Astera Labs is going public after pricing above-range. We’ll see how it trades today, but it’s good news that the first real tech IPO of the year set its share price at $36, higher than even its raised price interval.TigerEye’s $35 million round for business intelligence gives us a peek at how tech could help businesses navigate the future. There’s a YC con

Mar 20, 2024 • 13:38

LinkedIn wants a piece of Wordle’s success

LinkedIn wants a piece of Wordle’s success

This is our Monday show, in which we take a look back at the weekend and what’s ahead in the week. We’re coming to the end of earnings season, which means that there are just a few weeks left in the first quarter.With spring in the air, here’s what we got into this morning: Apple may tap Google for AI: Sure, Apple is working on its own AI tech, but Google’s Gemini model could be headed for an iPhone near you. Bloomberg broke the news. Grok goes open source: As promised, xAI’s LLM Grok

Mar 18, 2024 • 12:45

How to avoid all the IPO work without annoying investors

How to avoid all the IPO work without annoying investors

Hello, and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. The podcast turns seven this week, so in honor of its birthday drop us a review? More, newer reviews helps more folks discover the show, and makes our corporate parent happy!Today our beloved Mary Ann was off on well-deserved break, so our friend and fellow-podcaster Rebecca Szkutak was kind enough to bring her insight and humor to the podcast this fine Friday

Mar 15, 2024 • 30:31

Startups are hiring fewer workers and paying out less in equity comp

Startups are hiring fewer workers and paying out less in equity comp

This is our Wednesday episode, in which we dig into critical startup news to stay abreast of what founders and venture capitalists are working on.Today on the podcast, we got through the following:New data from Carta digging into startup compensation, and how it is changing;How one startup is profiting off death, but in a way that is actually great;Bear Robotics, and its killer new round for cute serving robots;New stuff from BlueSky (all about moderation and choosing one’s own adventure) and Br

Mar 13, 2024 • 12:01

Musk’s Grok goes open-source and Reddit updates its IPO filing

Musk’s Grok goes open-source and Reddit updates its IPO filing

This is our Monday show, in which we take a look back at the weekend and what’s ahead in the week. Over the weekend, we dropped an interview with Roger Lee that is well worth your time, and here's our take on Reddit's IPO financials.Here's what we got into today:Crypto is taking flight, with bitcoin and ethereum notching big gains in recent days as the crypto winter fades to a fresh spring.Reddit dropped a new IPO filing, which includes a price range target of between $31 and $34 per share. That

Mar 11, 2024 • 11:35

How many startups shut down last year compared to the year before? A lot.

How many startups shut down last year compared to the year before? A lot.

This is our interview show, where we sit down with a guest, think about their work, and unpack the rest. This week, Mary Ann interviewed Roger Lee, an entrepreneur who’s spent the better part of a decade building tools for employees and employers alike. Lee is an angel investor as well the creator of Layoffs.FYI and co-founder of Comprehensive and Human Interest.Roger joined us on the show last year in the wake of 2022’s tech layoffs, but this week we’re focusing on the business of shutting down

Mar 9, 2024 • 27:38

What's the Deel with Remofirst, and why are VCs playing musical chairs?

What's the Deel with Remofirst, and why are VCs playing musical chairs?

Today on the pod, Mary Ann and Alex dug into a whole mess of news, including:Mews' massive new round is proof that vertical SaaS + payments remains a great way to build a big business, and earn a unicorn valuation at a time when those are growing rarer.The global companies taking on Carta, including QuotaLab in South Korea. An acquisition has helped QuotaLab expand its product remit to founders, investors and their LPs.Deel's purchase of Africa’s PaySpace got us talking about how acquisitive the

Mar 8, 2024 • 31:43

OpenAI fires back at Musk, and Monzo raises a megaround

OpenAI fires back at Musk, and Monzo raises a megaround

This is our Wednesday show, focused on startup and venture capital news that matters. If you are a founder or an investor, this one is for you!Here’s the day’s rundown:OpenAI fires back at Musk: In the wake of a lawsuit from former backer Elon Musk, OpenAI is bringing receipts and an argument that Musk wanted to run the company’s for-profit arm. Hard to argue against something that you wanted to run, yeah?Monzo raises megaround: Monzo’s latest round is proof that the worst of the fintech slump i

Mar 6, 2024 • 11:08

Apple’s €1.84B fine, new AI rules in India, and the latest pre-IPO round

Apple’s €1.84B fine, new AI rules in India, and the latest pre-IPO round

This is our Monday show, in which we take a look back at the weekend and what’s ahead in the week. Over the weekend we had a great chat with Nubank’s CEO, which you can find here. Ok, onto the show notes! Stocks and Crypto: With some indices reaching fresh record highs, the good times are also rolling along in crypto where token prices are also on the ascent. Apple and the EU: Apple has been hit by a massive fine in the EU, which it intends to appeal. Spotify, which was the progenitor

Mar 4, 2024 • 10:56

The tourist VCs in LatAm have gone home

The tourist VCs in LatAm have gone home

This week, Mary Ann talked to  David Vélez, the co-founder and CEO of Nubank, the $50 billion São Paulo, Brazil-based digital bank that offers credit cards, checking accounts and life insurance to consumers. How Nubank has managed to increase its market cap by over 40% in eight months’ time. Why some investors are sticking it out in LatAm, and why it’s a great place to still put venture dollars. Which startups in LatAm have been the most resilient and what other regions can learn from t

Mar 2, 2024 • 19:36

Will we reach AGI before Stripe goes public?

Will we reach AGI before Stripe goes public?

Here’s what Mary Ann and Alex got into:Stripe’s valuation recovers: As part of a tender offer, Stripe is now worth $65 billion. The company’s valuation has been on an up-and-down path in recent years as the company works to make its massive bulk fit into the private markets. Alex has thoughts on when it should go public, as you might imagine.Fervo Energy’s $200M+ round: What if the solution to our energy problems was not in the stars, but beneath our feet? And no, I am not talking about carbon-b

Mar 1, 2024 • 33:00

Microsoft invests in yet another AI company

Microsoft invests in yet another AI company

This is our Wednesday show, focused on startup and venture capital news that matters. We pull the top stories from the week thus far, and give them the Equity treatment to put them into proper context.On the show today: Microsoft invests in Mistral AI: Sure, it's not the biggest check, but as regulatory oversight hovers over Microsoft's shoulder, the deal makes sense. Thrasio files for bankruptcy: What happens if you raise billions to pursue a market opportunity, but the market shifts

Feb 28, 2024 • 10:07

Why some VCs are pulling back from Europe, Google’s AI push, and who is the CEO of Byju’s?

Why some VCs are pulling back from Europe, Google’s AI push, and who is the CEO of Byju’s?

This is our Monday show, which looks back at the weekend and ahead to the week. We are back bright and early this week, but we also had an extra episode this weekend digging into the Reddit IPO; you can find that here.On the pod this morning, here’s what we got into:Stocks are mixed around the world as crypto prices gyrate; it’s a big earnings week including data from Workday, Zoom, Unity, Coupang, Klaviyo, Salesforce, Snowflake, Okta, and Duolingo among other names.Google, and its work to bring

Feb 26, 2024 • 11:42

Equity Shot: All about the Reddit IPO!

Equity Shot: All about the Reddit IPO!

Hello, and welcome to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Weekend team, we have something both short and sweet for you: A dig into the Reddit IPO filing that came out just after we recorded our final, regular episode of the week. Since we could not wait until Monday to talk about the numbers, we have an overview here for your delectation.If you want to read along:Reddit IPO filing, first look, written by Mary Ann and AlexI

Feb 24, 2024 • 9:01

Match Group’s deal with OpenAI is just business with AI glitter on top

Match Group’s deal with OpenAI is just business with AI glitter on top

This week Mary Ann, Kirsten, and Alex gathered to chat through a massive sheaf of news. A note before we get to the rundown that Reddit filed to go public after we had recorded this episode, so notes on its IPO filing are not included in this particular episode. Don’t think that we won’t discuss its S-1, it just came too late for this particular entry. More to come!Here’s the rundown:Deals of the Week: PermitFlow raised $31 million to bring software to the construction permitting market, one man

Feb 23, 2024 • 31:51

Could Reddit’s upcoming IPO reward its power users?

Could Reddit’s upcoming IPO reward its power users?

This is our Wednesday show, in which we talk through the week’s leading startup and venture capital news. This is short week, but there’s still a lot to talk about: Loora’s $12 million round is a reminder that AI is going to find purchase in a host of new markets. The company wants to use AI for conversational language training. Sure, humans are good at that, but they are also expensive. Software aims to be more affordable. Dili is building an AI service to help investors handle their

Feb 21, 2024 • 9:15

The regulatory clock is ticking for TikTok

The regulatory clock is ticking for TikTok

This is our weekly kick-off show, coming to you Tuesday morning as yesterday was a holiday here in the States. Here’s the rundown: Crypto prices are up, and we’re looking at another busy earnings week. Palo Alto Networks, Sprout Social, Nvidia and Block will report this week. Planity has put together a $48 million Series C, which is a super neat vertical SaaS deal. Software and payments make for a tasty combo, and Planity wants to bring those benefits to salons in Europe. The EU is afte

Feb 20, 2024 • 12:28

Foundry is shutting down in slow motion

Foundry is shutting down in slow motion

On today's news round up, Alex, Mary Ann and Karyne are looking at: Deals of the Week: Rasa’s $30 million Series C had our tongues wagging. The startup is building finservice-focused conversational AI tools. Karyne wanted to talk about the latest round at the intersection of AI and crypto, while Alex wanted to riff on Hippo Harvest’s $21 million round for indoor robot farming. Venture capital’s year of transition: After OpenView called it quits, and Countdown Capital returned funds to

Feb 16, 2024 • 31:30

OpenAI board member Bret Taylor has a new AI startup

OpenAI board member Bret Taylor has a new AI startup

Welcome to our Wednesday show, in which we talk through the week’s leading startup and venture capital news. Today we have an absolute pile of material, so let’s get to work:Bret Taylor’s new startup is turning heads: Known for his work at Facebook, Salesforce and OpenAI, Taylor’s new startup Sierra is building conversational AI agents. It has raised a mountain of capital to date, which it might need given that it’s not alone in its niche.FlowFi’s counter-cultural decision: FlowFi is building so

Feb 14, 2024 • 10:15

Peak XV's AI field trips, and why we don't set self-driving cars on fire

Peak XV's AI field trips, and why we don't set self-driving cars on fire

This morning we have an interesting mix of stories, which bring technology, politics and AI together in interesting ways. To work:Stocks: It’s another big week for earnings, including Hubspot, Instacart, Monday.com, and Cisco. We should learn a lot about the state of software and hardware sales as last year ended, and what some critical tech names see for the rest of the year.Crypto: Prices are up in the crypto world over the last week. Coinbase reports this week as well, which should give us a

Feb 12, 2024 • 11:40

Adam Neumann's bid for WeWork's scraps

Adam Neumann's bid for WeWork's scraps

Here’s the rundown:Deals of the Week: Adam Neumann wants to buy WeWork from bankruptcy, Starship Technologies raised $90 million for a product that 100% of the crew love, and Ambience Healthcare’s massive $70 million round also got a warm reception for its target market.LatAm Rising: We love Latin America here at Equity, but have been a bit puzzled why its venture capital totals have fallen as far as they have. New data makes it plain that startups in the region are doing rather well. What gives

Feb 9, 2024 • 37:01

Fintech, edtech, and SaaS are not dead

Fintech, edtech, and SaaS are not dead

This is our startup-focused Wednesday episode, so we’re taking a deep look at a number of startup fundraisings, and the latest from the world of venture capital itself. Startups and capital, it’s our jam!Here’s what we got into on the show today:Goodshuffle raised $5 million, showing that vertical SaaS is far from kaput, even if software valuations remain under strain.SUMA Wealth put $2.2 million into its own accounts, showing that audience-tuned fintech products still have legs. SUMA Wealth’s t

Feb 7, 2024 • 9:56

Yandex takes a big hit to get rid of Russian assets

Yandex takes a big hit to get rid of Russian assets

This is our Monday show, in which we look back at the weekend and the week ahead. A big thanks to Maggie for stepping back into the Equity seat while Theresa is out today.Here’s what we got into:Stocks are mixed around the world as investors digest the possibility of high interest rates persisting for longer.Crypto price movements seem to have eased in recent weeks in the wake of bitcoin spot ETF launches.Yandex’s parent to exit Russia: At a huge cost, it turns out. Given Russian sanctions, owni

Feb 5, 2024 • 14:17

The feast and famine cycle of tech

The feast and famine cycle of tech

The amazing Mary Ann Azevedo was out this week, so Kirsten Korosec, Karyne Levy and Alex Wilhelm took to the mics to chat through the most important tech news of the week. And if you haven't already, head here to listen to our interview with founder and former VC Anshu Sharma about building competitive products and defining new markets.Here's what we got into on the show today: The latest Congressional hearing went about as expected: Poorly. Deals of the Week: Zum has raised $140 millio

Feb 2, 2024 • 33:04

Why one founder thinks the Apple Vision Pro is going to make it

Why one founder thinks the Apple Vision Pro is going to make it

This is our interview show, where we sit down with interesting, knowledgeable folks and dive deep into what they are building, designing, or thinking about.Today, we have Anshu Sharma back on the podcast. Last time, the Skyflow CEO riffed with us on interest rates and business cycles. This time, we wanted to talk to him about a theory he recently wrote up for TechCrunch: The Innovator’s Dilemma.Or perhaps, a partial solution to that dilemma. The gist is that instead of using lower-cost

Feb 1, 2024 • 30:24

Meet the startup taking on Nvidia

Meet the startup taking on Nvidia

This is our startup-focused, Wednesday episode, so today we’re counting down important venture rounds and chatting our way through other startup and VC news. Here’s the rundown:Plex raises $40M, targets profitability: The media streaming company thinks that it can reach black ink by the end of this year, or early 2025. Not bad for a very expensive industry.Rebellions raises $124M to take on Nvidia: What is designing new AI chips and is partnered up with Samsung? Rebellions, which is now quite a

Jan 31, 2024 • 10:05

How a browser startup is taking on Google search

How a browser startup is taking on Google search

Here's what we got into today:Massive earnings week ahead: Big tech companies are dropping their quarterly results in the coming days, so we'll hear from Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet and Amazon. Other companies are reporting as well, but the bigger the market cap, the bigger the splash.Arc's new mobile app is a cool search concept: Best known for its desktop browser, The Browser Company has a new mobile app that could change how we search on the go.Reddit could target $5 billion valuation in its I

Jan 29, 2024 • 13:52

How can venture capital survive a three-year liquidity drop?

How can venture capital survive a three-year liquidity drop?

This is our interview show, where we sit down with an interesting, knowledgeable guest and dive deep into their favorite topics. For this weekend’s Special Equity Edition, we invited Gené Teare to come back on the podcast. Longtime listeners will recall that we’ve had Gené on a time or two to chat venture capital data with us, and she’s back to do the same this week!We’re back to dig into Q4 2023 venture capital results and what’s coming up this year. For backing data, here’s Gené’s Crunchbase N

Jan 27, 2024 • 32:40

Brex and the curse of having too much money

Brex and the curse of having too much money

Here’s what we got up to on our Friday show:Deals of the Week: Plural has a new $432 million fund, Vroom is no longer in the car selling business, oddly, and we chatted through the Fantuan-Chowbus deal.From there we turned to fintech (generally) and Brex (more specifically). In short, Brex is a big company today but not one that is having a lot of fun at the moment, it appears. With reports indicating that its growth has slowed and its burn remained sticky, it recently cut staff.To close, we dug

Jan 26, 2024 • 31:48

Who knew M&A would be the thing we couldn’t shut up about?

Who knew M&A would be the thing we couldn’t shut up about?

This is our startup-focused, Wednesday episode, so today we're counting down important venture rounds, and chatting our way through other startup and VC news.Here's what we got into:Artisse AI's seed round caught our eye for two big reasons: First, its selfie app is cool; and second, despite competing in a crowded space, it's seen revenue climb rapidly. It's gotta be doing something right.Elsewhere, Bilt Rewards is proof that fintech is still alive and kicking, and Kittl is another example of a

Jan 24, 2024 • 10:29

It’s 2021 for AI while the rest of the startup market is stuck in 2024

It’s 2021 for AI while the rest of the startup market is stuck in 2024

Here's the rundown:The Q4 2023 earnings cycle will kick off this week with names like Intel and Visa reporting results. The largest tech companies will start to report next week.Crypto is not enjoying a post-ETF boom for reasons that are yet to be nailed down. Then again, when have crypto price movements ever made complete sense?ElevenLabs is the newest AI unicorn. With $80 million in fresh capital, the synthetic voice startup now has oodles of cash to try and run its market.Canva is big! Who kn

Jan 22, 2024 • 10:46

The other side of AI hype

The other side of AI hype

This week, Mary Ann Azevedo and Alex Wilhelm took to the mics to chew through funding rounds and trends galore. Enjoy, and don’t forget that our interview with Aileen Lee is here.Pomelo: $40 million more dollars for Latin American fintech? It’s the perfect Mary Ann story. Even better, we got growth data from the company to noodle on. It turns out you can raise up rounds in 2024!Tandem: Alex chose the Tandem Seed round for his deal of the week, even if he doesn’t want to use it. In short, couples

Jan 19, 2024 • 25:57

Back in the Unicorn Club with Cowboy Ventures’ Aileen Lee

Back in the Unicorn Club with Cowboy Ventures’ Aileen Lee

This is our interview show, where we sit down with interesting, knowledgeable folks and dive deep into their favorite topics. This time around, we invited Cowboy Ventures’ Aileen Lee to chat through her massive new article concerning the unicorn world. If you didn’t know, it was Lee who initially coined the term “unicorn” in a TechCrunch article back in 2013.Lee talked us through the data and taught us all sorts of new terms. You can sort of understand what one means when they say “unic

Jan 18, 2024 • 32:50

AI versus SaaS, EV charging, and a new $250M fund

AI versus SaaS, EV charging, and a new $250M fund

Here’s what we got into this morning:Vertice raises $25M: The bet here is that companies are willing to pay to have another company, Vertice in this case, to help them find savings in their existing software and cloud spend.Electra snags $330M: Charging EVs is big business, and Electra is wagering that building out its own charging network will pay dividends for a long time into the future.Build a Rocket Boy collects $110M: This is a big round for a company with unlaunched gaming titles. That sa

Jan 17, 2024 • 11:14

See? Fintech isn’t doomed, it just needs more time

See? Fintech isn’t doomed, it just needs more time

Here's what we got into: Stocks are down around the world to start a week that only features a single key earnings report, TSMC this Thursday. Next week really starts the tech reporting deluge, so get ready. In crypto, bitcoin's price failed to pump after its ETF products launched, which surprised some. Also surprising was the value jump that the Ethereum blockchain offers. Buy the rumor, sell the news? (Elsewhere, a crypto exchange raised around $100 million. In 2024! Who would have ex

Jan 16, 2024 • 10:23

When it comes to startups’ flight to quality, have we swung too far in the other direction?

When it comes to startups’ flight to quality, have we swung too far in the other direction?

This is our interview show, where we sit down with a guest, think about their work, and unpack the rest. This week, we talked to Jenny Fielding, co-founder and managing partner at Everywhere Ventures, a founder collective and early-stage (think pre-seed) venture firm. Jenny and I discussed a wide variety of topics, including startups’ flight to quality in 2024 and how smaller firms are competing with larger firms in the current investment landscape.We also dug into the “great VC resigna

Jan 13, 2024 • 28:24

CES, Circle-ing back to IPOs and why we're over the moon about Overmoon

CES, Circle-ing back to IPOs and why we're over the moon about Overmoon

Today, Alex Wilhelm and Mary Ann Azevedo dig through the key stories from the week. Then, Kirsten Korosec and Haje Jan Kamps are aboard to bring us the latest from CES! Deals of the Week: Shimmer raised $2.2 million to bring one-on-one ADHD care at a lower price point; Alex chose this one because mental health care startups that try to expand access are cool. Overmoon's recent fundraising and business progress were Mary Ann's choice for the week, showing that proptech is not dead yet!

Jan 12, 2024 • 36:32

AI hardware, fintech woes and venture capital's shedding phase

AI hardware, fintech woes and venture capital's shedding phase

This is our newly revamped Wednesday episode, and we’re going to be digging deep into critical startup and venture capital news. If you are a long-time Equity listener, you will note that this is not the same interview show that we used to run mid-week! Don’t worry, we are still going to do interviews, so keep an eye out for those on Saturdays.Here’s what’s we got into on the show today: PhotoRoom is raising more money. French startup PhotoRoom is raising $50 million to $60 million at

Jan 10, 2024 • 10:37

Equity Monday: Bitcoin ETFs, Carta’s latest mess, and let’s go to the Moon

Equity Monday: Bitcoin ETFs, Carta’s latest mess, and let’s go to the Moon

Here’s what we got into on the show today: Stocks and Crypto: Tech stocks aren’t moving too much this morning as the market digests the Boeing mess. In crypto-land, the price of bitcoin is up. Bitcoin ETFs: And this is why. A rush of new filings this morning showed that bitcoin spot ETFs are targeting a very low-fee structure as they compete for investor dollars. These investment vehicles are expected to get approved this week, or at least some of them, so expect a little market turbu

Jan 8, 2024 • 11:03

Are megafunds squeezing out small VCs and distorting the seed market?

Are megafunds squeezing out small VCs and distorting the seed market?

Here’s what we got into:Deals of the Week: Ruth Foxe Blader is leaving Anthemis, albeit slowly; Exponent has a second fund set up, but without a pure fintech focus; and Alex wanted to talk about why 2024 could be a pretty alright year for crypto.Layoffs, shutdowns: Frontdesk laid off 200 people and is shutting down, which makes for a good conversation about its business model. Countdown Capital is also throwing in the towel, due in part to larger multi-stage funds inflating the entry point for h

Jan 5, 2024 • 29:02

How Duly is shaking up the Indian sexual wellness market

How Duly is shaking up the Indian sexual wellness market

Today — ahead of the relaunch of our Wednesday episode that we discussed earlier this week — we have an interview to share featuring TechCrunch’s very own Morgan Sung and Shruti Dwivedi, the co-founder and CEO of health-tech startup, Duly.Duly took part in TechCrunch Disrupt’s 2023 Battlefield cohort, showing a global audience its contraceptive care platform that is initially targeted at the Indian market.Why India? The company cites a large, young population in the country with more th

Jan 3, 2024 • 9:37

AI versus copyright, and why you shouldn't put all your eggs in one NFT basket

AI versus copyright, and why you shouldn't put all your eggs in one NFT basket

We're covering the latest in tech news from the weekend and what’s making headlines early in the week. This being the first week of the year, we had to go over a thing or two that broke just as 2023 gave up the ghost. Here's what we have on deck for you! Financial updates: Global stock market news, and the latest from crypto. On the decentralized front, strong price movements are driving trading volume. That's good news for exchanges around the world. AI versus Copyright: The New York

Jan 2, 2024 • 10:39

The Equity crew predicts we'll see a lot less VCs in 2024

The Equity crew predicts we'll see a lot less VCs in 2024

It's time to brush the dust off of an Equity tradition that stretches back into the years: our predictions episode.As we try to do every year, we brought in a number of voices to ensure that we covered a good amount of ground. And, we went back and vetted our predictions from last year as well, in case you wanted to see how off we were!Who took part? Alex Wilhelm, Mary Ann Azevedo, Kirsten Korosec, and Becca Szkutak. The voices you heard the most on the podcast this year! (A big thanks to Theres

Dec 29, 2023 • 26:17

Equity down under: How Australian startups can crack the US market

Equity down under: How Australian startups can crack the US market

Today, we’re spinning the globe with not one but two interviews, thanks to our friend and colleague Rebecca Bellan, who’s been in Auckland, New Zealand for the past three years. She recently hopped across the Tasman to Australia to report on the startup scene in Australia, and is coming back to us with a temperature check on VC in the Antipodes.Rebecca spoke to two Aussie VCs: Dan Krasnostein from Square Peg and Gabrielle Munzer from Main Sequence. Rebecca and our guests dug into why early stage

Dec 27, 2023 • 48:27

VCs are entering 2024 with “healthy paranoia”

VCs are entering 2024 with “healthy paranoia”

Today, Alex got Deepka Rana from Northzone on the mic to chat through a bevy of key topics for the new year: Where venture capital is heading in the new year The prognosis for startups at different stages of maturity Why 2023 was the year of adjustment, and 2024 could be the new venture-startup normal And, the fate of AI in the EU where regulation is afoot. (n.b. When we recorded this, the EU's first-draft of AI regulation had not yet dropped). We think that every person in startups and

Dec 26, 2023 • 30:19

SVB, SBF and (more) OpenAI: The 2023 chronicles, pt. 2

SVB, SBF and (more) OpenAI: The 2023 chronicles, pt. 2

This is the second of a two-part series looking back at 2023. Mary Ann and Alex called on two colleagues to help us chat through some of the year’s biggest events. Here’s what we got into! The decline, fall of SVB: It’s a bit hard to believe, but the chaos at Silicon Valley Bank happened earlier this year. Yes, much has happened since, but the sudden, and shocking collapse of what was effectively the family bank of tech sent waves throughout the global technology landscape. Venture was

Dec 22, 2023 • 30:33

AI-driven gaming with Hilary Mason from Hidden Door

AI-driven gaming with Hilary Mason from Hidden Door

Today, we’re bringing you a special mini episode led by TechCrunch senior reporter and co-host of our sister podcast, Found, Dominic Madori-Davis. During this year’s Disrupt, Dom caught up with Hilary Mason from Hidden Door, an AI-driven narrative game engine. Dom and Hilary got into how generative AI is changing online gaming, building a team of creatives, fundraising in the gaming space, and more.Connect with Equity on X and Threads @EquityPods, and keep up with all of TechCrunch's podcasts @T

Dec 20, 2023 • 16:06

Startup Shutdowns and AI Showdowns: The 2023 chronicles

Startup Shutdowns and AI Showdowns: The 2023 chronicles

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 the first of a two-part series that we built for you going back over critical themes from 2023. It was a very, very busy year in the worlds of technology, startups, and venture capital. This is the first of a two-part series that we built for you going back over critical themes from 2023. It was a very, very busy year in the worlds of technology, startup

Dec 18, 2023 • 32:04

Cruise layoffs, exosuits, and why French startups are bubbling up

Cruise layoffs, exosuits, and why French startups are bubbling up

This is our very last regular news roundup of the year. We still have a lot planned for you, though, with special interviews, guest appearances, and predictions. But that’s all to come. This time ’round we once again had Mary Ann Azevedo and Alex Wilhelm together to hammer through the key news from the week: Cruise layoffs: Breaking as we went to record, self-driving company Cruise is cutting a simply massive number of staff. Deals of the Week: Prevu’s $6 million Series A and why prop

Dec 15, 2023 • 32:40

Why Automattic spent $50M on Texts.com

Why Automattic spent $50M on Texts.com

This week we brought Matt Mullenweg, the CEO of Automattic and co-founder of WordPress onto the show, along with Kishan Bagaria, the founder of Texts.com. Automattic bought all-in-one messaging app Texts.com for $50 million back in October. Well, we had questions, not only about the deal, but also the state of the written word online. A few notes before you hit play. First, Automattic is more acquisitive than you thought. A look at its history of purchases is critical context for our conversatio

Dec 13, 2023 • 30:13

Equity Monday: TikTok loves ecommerce and VCs think Mistral AI will be fine (potential EU regulatory overhang or not)

Equity Monday: TikTok loves ecommerce and VCs think Mistral AI will be fine (potential EU regulatory overhang or not)

Our Monday show covers the latest in tech news from the weekend and what’s making headlines early in the week. Here's what Alex got into:The end of earnings: With just Adobe and Oracle from the tech world reporting this week, we have finally (mostly) wrapped up earnings season for Q4 2023, and thus the year.Crypto’s doing things again: Recent price appreciation is driving another massive spike in trading activity.TikTok forms joint venture: Teaming up with Tokopedia, the Bytedance company has it

Dec 11, 2023 • 10:42

Chain Reaction: Crypto VC space may be on the cusp of recovery (w/ David Pakman)

Chain Reaction: Crypto VC space may be on the cusp of recovery (w/ David Pakman)

This week on Chain Reaction, Jacquelyn interviewed David Pakman, managing partner and head of venture investments at CoinFund.Before CoinFund, David spent 14 years at the venture capital firm Venrock. He also led the Series A and B rounds at Dollar Shave Club which was acquired by Unilever for $1 billion. And in 1991, David co-created Apple Music when he was a part of Apple’s system software product marketing groupWe discussed the state of the crypto VC environment, areas he’s focusing on for in

Dec 9, 2023 • 33:00

SaaS goes to space as some software startups are in a race to survive

SaaS goes to space as some software startups are in a race to survive

This week Mary Ann Azevedo, Kirsten Korosec, and Alex Wilhelm gathered to hash out the news over some coffee and good times. Here’s what the gang got into today: Deals of the Week: Simply Homes raises $22 million for an interesting property play, SoftBank buys majority share of connected-vehicles company Cubic Telecom, and OurSky raises $9.2 million for its space-viewing software system. Troubles in Fintech: With ZestMoney shutting down, and layoffs at Navan (fka TripAction) it seems

Dec 8, 2023 • 34:59

No-code for creators and how regular folks can build an online business

No-code for creators and how regular folks can build an online business

Today, we’re bringing you another conversation from TechCrunch Disrupt 2023, when Alex sat down with Serhii Bohoslovskyi, the founder of no-code app-builder Trible. Trible is a no-code software product that helps folks construct online courses. We love Disrupt because it gives us lots of room to chat with founders that we might otherwise have missed. We even had a dedicated podcasting area! Expect even more of this sort of chat in the future.Here’s what we got into with Bohoslovskyi:The state of

Dec 6, 2023 • 15:40

Equity Monday: Bitcoin is on the move as Spotify cuts staff, and more money floods AI

Equity Monday: Bitcoin is on the move as Spotify cuts staff, and more money floods AI

Our Monday show covers the latest in tech news from the weekend and what’s making headlines early in the week. And we had a lot to cover this morning! Crypto prices are rising, which is good news for the decentralized economy, as increasing prices track with heightened trading activity and consumer interest. We have another busy week of SaaS companies reporting quarterly results, which will hopefully provide a useful temperature check for tech valuations. CoreWeave's new $7 billion valu

Dec 4, 2023 • 10:40

Big wins for Latin America, climate tech momentum and Rover’s $2.3B sale

Big wins for Latin America, climate tech momentum and Rover’s $2.3B sale

Here's what the Equity crew got into today: Self-driving setbacks: Cruise is set to slash its costs in the wake of a safety mess, and greater scrutiny from regulators. Alex hopes that the current set of news items doesn’t slow down the progress of self-driving tech. Webull snaps up Flink: Free trading is not just a business model that is popular in the United States. Webull is taking the Latin American market more seriously with its purchase of Flink. Uber <3’s taxis: What are Lon

Dec 1, 2023 • 36:37

What founders can escape venture's no-man's land? (w. Anu Hariharan update)

What founders can escape venture's no-man's land? (w. Anu Hariharan update)

Anu Hariharan, who previously led YC Continuity, has partnered with two of her former colleagues and former Brex executive Lucas Fox to launch a new fund, Avra. The fund aims to raise about $350 million and operate a program that some are referring to as a “YC for growth.” In light of the news, we’re throwing it back to a conversation we had with Anu earlier this year:Alex spoke to Anu back in August, after she tweeted about how "great" founders were successfully guiding their companies

Nov 29, 2023 • 37:31

How soon can I get a computer-brain implant?

How soon can I get a computer-brain implant?

You might be glad to know today was not all about OpenAI. Instead, we took on a bunch of news from the weekend that had to do with other companies:It’s a big earnings week for software companies, which means we’re about to get a bushel of information on how things are shaping up for SaaS startups in the latter half of 2023.On the crypto front, price movements have slowed as the industry digests the recent Binance verdict.Neuralink has raised more capital, which is great news for nerds like mysel

Nov 27, 2023 • 11:44

Special Episode: Who's betting on fashion tech?

Special Episode: Who's betting on fashion tech?

Today on Equity, we’re bringing you two bonus conversations all about sustainability in fashion from TechCrunch Disrupt 2023. First up you’ll hear our very own Harri Weber sit down with three guests: Jim Ajioka from Colorifix, Beth Esponnette from unspun and Julie Willoughby from Circ. They are all powerhouses in sustainable fashion and they all happened to join Harri on the Sustainability Stage. Watch their full conversation here. In part two, we have a great conversation between TechCrunch’s M

Nov 24, 2023 • 39:08

Will the OpenAI chaos boost open-source models?

Will the OpenAI chaos boost open-source models?

We’re discussing the recent turmoil in the AI market today. OpenAI has kept the journalistic corps busy, but we also need to consider what the latest twists and turns in the l’affaire Altman may bring for startup founders.So, I rallied TechCrunch’s own Kyle Wiggers, and Supervised founder and former Equity host Matthew Lynley to help me dig into the latest. Here’s the show rundown: What has happened to OpenAI since Monday morning when we last recorded the podcast? What do the two expert

Nov 21, 2023 • 31:24

Catching up on OpenAI’s wild weekend

Catching up on OpenAI’s wild weekend

Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.Hello, and welcome back to Equity, the podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Our Monday show covers the latest in tech news from the weekend and what’s making headlines early in the week. This past weekend was all about the massive shakeup at OpenAI, and the high-impact machinations that the last few days brought. We discussed the following:The timeline that brought us to today regarding O

Nov 20, 2023 • 11:08

The future of M&A and why founders are getting whiplash

The future of M&A and why founders are getting whiplash

This week Mary Ann and Alex covered a host of news events. Here's the rundown:Fintech + AI = ? News that Ramp and Brex are working to lever AI in the wake of reporting that Brex's growth this year on a sequential-quarterly basis slowed had us thinking. Can AI help fintech startups grow more quickly? The fintech sector could use a boon at this juncture, perhaps this is it.Help I drink too much: Alex dug up a recent venture round in the sobriety space. This time it was Sunnyside, which just raised

Nov 17, 2023 • 31:09

What you need to know about Google's search antitrust case

What you need to know about Google's search antitrust case

This week we brought TechCrunch’s own Rebecca Bellan onto the podcast to help us better understand Google’s search-related anti-trust case that is currently ongoing in the United States.There are a number of major legal cases involving tech giants and their in-market heft and behavior, from Google v. Epic to what’s going on in the EU and the U.S. government’s adtech-related suit against Google, but our focus is search.Catch up on the state of affairs with Bellan’s reporting here.Now, th

Nov 15, 2023 • 28:32

Equity Monday: Are we at the start of a new crypto bull cycle?

Equity Monday: Are we at the start of a new crypto bull cycle?

Here’s what we got into on this very cold November morning:Crypto’s melt-up is continuing, with rising trading volumes following in the wake of the price gains. For web3 believers, it’s great news.The FT has a great interview with Sam Altman about how AI training is going to stay expensive for a long while; Microsoft is probably not worried about the costs, however.Didi’s earnings dropped, kicking off a busy week for Chinese tech companies including Alibaba, NetEase, and Tencent Music.The Block

Nov 13, 2023 • 10:00

OpenAI's DevDay, reinventing the REIT and good actors in crypto

OpenAI's DevDay, reinventing the REIT and good actors in crypto

This is our Friday show, and we’re talking about the week’s biggest startup and tech news. This time ’round we had Kirsten Korosec, Mary Ann Azevedo, and Alex Wilhelm on the job to chat through a massive pile of news: For everyone who listened to our fintech deep-dive, here are Affirm’s results. Deals of the Week: $105 million for May Mobility, $3.6 million for Mogul Club, and Microsoft’s latest startup wooing trend. WeWork is bankrupt, and we are Not Shocked. All things from OpenAI’s d

Nov 10, 2023 • 34:36

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen such positive signals in fintech

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen such positive signals in fintech

Today, Mary Ann and Alex  dove deep into encouraging signs from the fintech startup market: Solid results from Klarna are on top of Alex’s mind. The company’s ability to continue growing while staying profitable is a reminder that one down-round does not a company kill. Fintech fundraising results were on Mary Ann’s mind as we wait for venture capitalists to re-accelerate their investments in the space. Sure, no one wants to return to 2021-era insanity, but after so long in the valuatio

Nov 8, 2023 • 30:16

Equity Monday: The race to build tomorrow’s AI models, and signs of life in the crypto markets

Equity Monday: The race to build tomorrow’s AI models, and signs of life in the crypto markets

Here’s what we got into on this fine morning:Stocks and crypto: Stocks are higher in Asia, lower in Europe, and nearly flat in the United States. More interestingly, crypto prices are continuing their ascent. Even NFTs are picking up a little bit!It’s another busy week on the earnings front, meaning we’ll hear from Uber and Lyft and Hubspot, among others.On the AI front, TechCrunch is tracking 01.AI in China, which is now a unicorn, and the latest offering from Elon Musk’s X.AI service. The latt

Nov 6, 2023 • 10:13

'Buy now, pay later' is just another way of saying 'debt'

'Buy now, pay later' is just another way of saying 'debt'

We’re talking about the week’s biggest startup and tech news with Mary Ann, Becca, and Alex. Here's what we got into:What happened to WeWork? As the shared office space company struggles to stay alive, we had a lot to say.Deals of the Week: Mary Ann wanted to chat about Charlie, which is building a neobank for seniors; Alex wanted to talk about an interesting non-profit-ish model to get startups and others access to H100s; Becca brought Almouneer to the table, an interesting healthtech play in t

Nov 3, 2023 • 36:02

When does a startup know it’s time to spread its wings?

When does a startup know it’s time to spread its wings?

This is our Wednesday show, where we sit down with a guest, talk about their work and dive deep into the rest. Mary Ann and Alex invited Marisa Warren onto the show. You may remember that we discussed her new fund — ALIAVIA Ventures’ first — on the show the other week.We wanted to talk with her to go over a few key topics that we care a lot about: The current state of venture investment in women; why the numbers aren’t changing, and what she thinks could make a difference. When startups

Nov 1, 2023 • 32:07

Equity Monday: Governments are getting their AI-regulating boots on

Equity Monday: Governments are getting their AI-regulating boots on

Our Monday show covers the latest in tech news from the weekend and what’s making headlines early in the week. Here’s what we got into today:It's a massive earnings week, unlocking a massive wave of new data concerning the performance of tech public tech companies. We're hoping to learn more about the market that startups are selling into in the process.The recent crypto rally is helping bolster spot trading results, good news for Coinbase ahead of its own earnings report.The Biden administratio

Oct 30, 2023 • 10:09

Bonus episode: What we learned from SBF's testimony with Jacquelyn Melinek from Chain Reaction

Bonus episode: What we learned from SBF's testimony with Jacquelyn Melinek from Chain Reaction

Happy Saturday! We have a special bonus episode for you from our sister pod, Chain Reaction.  Alex joins Jacquelyn Melinek go over the FTX/Sam Bankman-Fried trial before getting into his testimony from Thursday and Friday. They talked about: Why the judge had the jury leave the courthouse for SBF’s testimony Thursday The general feeling of the courthouse on the fourth week of the trial A possible timeline for next week and what to look out for as the prosecution gets a chance to cross e

Oct 28, 2023 • 24:55

AI is going to make Big Tech even bigger, and richer

AI is going to make Big Tech even bigger, and richer

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 Friday show, and we’re talking about the week’s biggest startup and tech news. Mary Ann and Alex were lucky enough to have Kirsten aboard for the roundup, which means we got to tackle an even wider array of stories than usual:Updates from the trial of former FTX CEO SBF, more here from our own Jacquie.Deals of the Week: Mary Ann was very interested i

Oct 27, 2023 • 37:40

The Theory Ventures venture theory with Tomasz Tunguz

The Theory Ventures venture theory with Tomasz Tunguz

Hello, and welcome back to Equity, the podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.This is our Wednesday show, where we sit down with a guest, talk about their work and dive deep into the rest. This week, we had Theory Ventures founder Tomasz Tunguz on the show. As long-time readers of his work, having the former Redpoint investor on the show was a no-brainer.While it would have been fun to spend our time chatting about the ups and

Oct 25, 2023 • 30:44

Equity Monday: Here’s hoping genAI can make Siri better

Equity Monday: Here’s hoping genAI can make Siri better

Hello, and welcome back to Equity, the podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Our Monday show covers the latest in tech news from the weekend and what’s making headlines early in the week. Here’s what we got into today:Stocks are down around the world, while the value of crypto tokens is heading higher. Crypto trading volume is also trending north.It’s a huge week for earnings with names like Microsoft, Alphabet, Spotify, Snap, Meta, I

Oct 23, 2023 • 9:17

We're sending a cake to the next fintech startup that goes public

We're sending a cake to the next fintech startup that goes public

This is our Friday show, and we’re talking about the week’s biggest startup and tech news. Mary Ann and Alex ran as a pair this week, and here's what they got into: Deals of the Week: Allara raised $10 million for women's hormonal health, Agnikul raised $26.7 million for its orbital launch technologies. Beef in the (leased) boardroom: WeWork is irked by Codi, which is hammering the well-known shared-office giant in an advertising campaign. Meanwhile, Anyplace raised more capital to fu

Oct 20, 2023 • 32:31

The venture market is overcorrecting

The venture market is overcorrecting

This week Gené Teare from Crunchbase and Crunchbase News joined the podcast. She's a well-known analyst of the global venture capital market, and was instrumental to Crunchbase's early life and remains one of its more tenured staffers.So, what did the three of us get into? Here's the rundown: The big picture: What should we think about when we consider the Q3 2023 venture capital market as a whole. (More on Latin America here, Canada here, and global data here from TechCrunch+.) Here's

Oct 18, 2023 • 32:58

Equity Monday: Investors have not given up on web3 gaming

Equity Monday: Investors have not given up on web3 gaming

Here's what we got into today:Earnings season is here, and we'll hear from Tesla and Netflix this week. Expect a lot of new data to drop in the coming weeks.If we bundle a number of headlines together, it's clear that running a social media company in the modern era can be a very expensive proposition. Though, what you think about regulation may color how you view the situation.Funding to web3 gaming companies declined in Q3, but it's not all that bad.The U.S. may not see IPOs happening, but the

Oct 16, 2023 • 9:40

The FTX co-founder and Alameda CEO didn’t hold back at SBF’s trial (Chain Reaction)

The FTX co-founder and Alameda CEO didn’t hold back at SBF’s trial (Chain Reaction)

This week, we have a bonus mini episode where Jacquelyn talks with TechCrunch+ editor-in-chief Alex Wilhelm to dive back into the Sam Bankman-Fried trial and what has transpired in its second week. Major witnesses who were involved in the downfall of FTX and its sister company Alameda testified like Gary Wang, CTO and cofounder of FTX, and Caroline Ellison, CEO of Alameda. The two of them plead guilty to a number of charges and could face maximum sentences of 50 to 110 years, respectively. It’s

Oct 14, 2023 • 10:54

How do you pronounce IaaS?

How do you pronounce IaaS?

Mary Ann and Alex were joined by Kirsten once again to parse the week’s news and call out the biggest stories in startups and venture:California passed a law that will require venture firms to disclose certain market data concerning whom they are investing in. Some investors and venture groups are opposed to the law.ALIAVIA Ventures has put together a new fund to invest in women building tech companies in Australia and the United States, with a focus on helping Aussie companies reach the America

Oct 13, 2023 • 33:40

Why Medium is opting out of AI

Why Medium is opting out of AI

This week we had Medium CEO Tony Stubblebine, the CEO of Medium.com, a publishing platform that he has helmed for more than a year.Medium has gone through a number of versions over the years. Pivots, if you will. But what has been a steady focus in Medium's life in recent years has been its subscription business. Medium offers a paid membership tier that costs $5 per month or $50 per year. And, Tony was willing to share, it's growing once again and is heading toward a pretty key milesto

Oct 11, 2023 • 30:47

Equity Monday: The AI race, crypto doldrums, and the future of fake fish

Equity Monday: The AI race, crypto doldrums, and the future of fake fish

This time around we had a bit of a theme. See if you can spot it:Stocks are down around the world in the wake of Hamas' attack in Israel. Crypto is similarly in the red.China is working to bolster its national computing and data infrastructure. You know, the things that make AI function. In other words: the AI race between China and the United States is far from over.This Anthropic paper is a potentially big deal. The more that we understand LLMs, the better we can use them, right?Changes at YC!

Oct 9, 2023 • 9:56

The whole venture merry-go-round is decelerating

The whole venture merry-go-round is decelerating

This week, Mary Ann and Alex had the pleasure of having TC reporter extraordinaire Dominic Madori-Davis as a guest on the show.  Here’s what we got into: A quick update on the SBF trial, which quite frankly, has us all riveted. An Atlanta-based fintech startup called Rainforest’s $8.25M equity raise and how it is hoping to take market share away from the likes of Stripe. A bunch of new fund raises this week, including At One’s $375M climate-focused raise; Section 32’s $525M fund close a

Oct 6, 2023 • 34:59

SBF's trial has started, and here's what you missed (Equity x Chain Reaction crossover)

SBF's trial has started, and here's what you missed (Equity x Chain Reaction crossover)

This time, we teamed up with the Chain Reaction podcast and Jacquelyn Melinek to talk about the ongoing trial of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, also known as SBF.The rise of FTX and its later implosion rocked the crypto world when the formerly massive crypto exchange went under last year. In the aftermath, the company's executives have been charged with financial crimes. Many have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with the government. SBF is not.Here's TechCrunch's reporting on the trial thu

Oct 5, 2023 • 33:54

Equity Monday: Where fintech is strongest as SBF heads to court

Equity Monday: Where fintech is strongest as SBF heads to court

Welcome to Q4 2023, the period in which we are all going to pretend to have gotten enough done this year.Here’s what we got into on the show today: Stocks are mixed around the world while crypto tokens are enjoying a nice price-upswing in recent days. A recent article argues that Apple has all the ingredients it needs to build a search engine to take on Google and Microsoft. At issue? The fact that Apple makes so much money not having a search engine. For startups, more competition here

Oct 2, 2023 • 9:19

YC, OpenAI and the trough of disillusionment

YC, OpenAI and the trough of disillusionment

Here's what Mary Ann, Alex and Kirsten  got into this week: The writer’s strike is over, and we have thoughts about its implications on AI. OpenAI is allowing some shareholders to sell stock, and the resulting valuation could be pretty darn high. Electric boat startup Arc has raised about $70 million? We aren’t about to drop the coin needed to buy one of those, but the idea is neat nevertheless. Alex wanted to talk about fluctuations in the venture and stock markets. Is the mini-tech re

Sep 29, 2023 • 36:39

Don't forget to jargon check your AI

Don't forget to jargon check your AI

This week on Equity, Alex was joined by Nathan Baschez, the CEO and founder of Lex, an AI-infused online writing tool that recently raised capital. Together, we're talking through a few key topics that have been top of mind in recent months: How many AI-powered, or AI-using writing tools can the market support? How far into the generative AI moment we are, and how much we should anticipate in the form of technology improvements? And then we discussed the nuts and bolts aspects of pricin

Sep 27, 2023 • 31:44

Equity Monday: Everyone loves Anthropic

Equity Monday: Everyone loves Anthropic

Equity is back from Disrupt and  fired up for the rest of the year. Here’s what Alex got into today: Stocks are not peppy to start the week, while crypto prices have also moderated in recent days. Alex could not not talk about the Cisco-Splunk deal, mostly to promise that he’ll finish that post today come hell or high water. The Amazon + Anthropic news is the biggest item of the day. A $1.25 billion deal that could stretch to $4 billion is no small fee. And with Google and Amazon and An

Sep 25, 2023 • 9:34

Are you feeling Disrupted?

Are you feeling Disrupted?

The Equity crew is back with another live recording from the Moscone Center in San Francisco for TechCrunch Disrupt 2023. Alex, Kirsten and Becca sat down to recap a very busy (and dare we say successful) event, and walk through our favorite moments for the listeners who couldn't make it out this year.Here's what we got into:Providing early liquidity to founders and employeesWhat advice VCs are giving their early stage founders Why Cruise might join the call to ban human drivers in city centersA

Sep 22, 2023 • 22:27

Equity Live: Self-flying helicopters, AI and the battle of the features

Equity Live: Self-flying helicopters, AI and the battle of the features

We were live at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023! Yes, even though our dear friend and colleague Mary Ann had to handle a family emergency, the larger Equity family rallied to put on a rollicking early-morning show at the venue. From the Builders' stage where Alex had to introduce himself, Kirsten Korosec and Becca Szkutak rounded out our hosting crew and we had a blast.Here's the rundown: Instacart went public! Finally, at last, at long last, Instacart is a public company. It priced at $30, th

Sep 20, 2023 • 29:38

We'll probably retire before Databricks IPOs

We'll probably retire before Databricks IPOs

Here's what Mary Ann, Alex and Kirsten got into: More layoffs at Divvy Homes: More cuts at a company that was once richly valued and heavily venture-backed. Rising interest rates are having a ripple effect across startup-land. Databricks is big, and now richer: With $500 million in a new Series I, Databricks is now worth more money and has fresh capital to continue working on AI. Lime, just go public already: What is profitable and private and a tease? Lime. Well, that last bit is a

Sep 15, 2023 • 32:58

What’s more venture capital than space lasers?

What’s more venture capital than space lasers?

This week, we brought TechCrunch+ senior climate reporter Tim De Chant on to talk climate tech, hardware breakthroughs, and why we have a whole stage this year at Disrupt focused on sustainability.On that last point, perhaps you have gone outside recently. Extreme weather around the world, warming oceans, fires — it's a mess out there. That's the bad news. The good news is that a number of startups are working hard to build new technologies that could shoothe our struggling planet. And perhaps m

Sep 13, 2023 • 30:53

Equity Monday: Instacart, Klaviyo and the art of the unicorn haircut

Equity Monday: Instacart, Klaviyo and the art of the unicorn haircut

Here's what we got into on the show today: Instacart IPO: We have a first price range for Instacart! And the company is going to take a roughly $30 billion haircut on the valuation it raised at back in 2021. Still worth north of $7 billion by our math , Instacart is set to raise a lot of money at a multi-billion price. Hard to get too worried about that. (Even more, the company's fully-diluted valuation range is, if we are doing our sums correctly, $8.6 billion to $9.3 billion.) Klavi

Sep 11, 2023 • 9:39

Who shuts down the shut down-ers?

Who shuts down the shut down-ers?

Here's what Mary Ann, Alex and Kirsten got into:Mentra wants to help neurodivergent jobseekers find ideal jobs: We love a startup that is doing good for itself and doing good for others. This deal that Mary Ann wanted to chat through seems to check both boxes.SimpleClosure raises $1.5 million: What happens if your startup dies, and you need to wind down? You might need a simple way to close things up, right? Enter SimpleClosure.Argo AI founders are building something new: What just raised more t

Sep 8, 2023 • 39:06

Y Combinator is still paranoid (re-run)

Y Combinator is still paranoid (re-run)

While the Equity crew prepares for another Y Combinator Demo Day, we're throwing it back to when Natasha and Alex caught up with current YC Partner and Managing Director of YC Early Stage, Michael Seibel. The main question on the pair's mind was how is YC evolving to meet a changed market? Seibel doesn't often do press -- and neither does YC -- so the interview was used to connect the dots on news from the accelerator, cross check top trends from the 2022 summer batch and ask about some

Sep 6, 2023 • 51:45

Equity Tuesday: Arm's IPO won't resurrect private-market liquidity

Equity Tuesday: Arm's IPO won't resurrect private-market liquidity

Here's what Alex got into this morning: Earnings Season Never Ends: Gitlab, Asana, UiPath, Docusign, Rent the Runway and others will report this week. Crypto Down Bad: Prices for major cryptoassets are flat this morning, while the crypto venture picture is looking up to some degree. Arm Sets IPO Range: Shares of Arm are expected to sell for $47 to $51 per share, according to the company. The question for investors is whether to value the company on its trailing results, or future pro

Sep 5, 2023 • 9:55

What’s the opposite of a lean startup?

What’s the opposite of a lean startup?

Here’s the show rundown:Teamshares: Here’s an interesting one. Teamshares has raised a lot of money and is buying a lot of SMBs. But that’s just the start. It also plans to allow employees of those companies to buy most of their stock over time, while serving up centralized fintech services to all its sub-companies. Who doesn’t love to chat about a new model?MoonPay’s new venture arm: Crypto payment infra company MoonPay is getting into the venture game, with a focus on crypto, gaming, and finte

Sep 1, 2023 • 32:00

What founders can escape venture's no-man's land?

What founders can escape venture's no-man's land?

This week, Alex spoke to Anu Hariharan, who’s previously worked with a16z, sits on Brex’s board, and more recently has been investing in later-stage companies at Y Combinator. She's also working on something new.Hariharan recently tweeted about how "great" founders were successfully guiding their companies towards cash flow positivity. Since that very interesting post, both Instacart (a former Y Combinator company) and Klaviyo have filed to go public. And both have super strong cash flo

Aug 30, 2023 • 36:43

Equity Monday: IPOs are back and the Equity crew is feasting

Equity Monday: IPOs are back and the Equity crew is feasting

As a small heads up, we had a bonus show over the weekend that is well worth your time! Alright, here’s what’s on the show this morning: Stocks are up around the world: A good note to start the week on, of course. In the meantime, the crypto market is still dragging. We’re back to minimal week-over-week price movements. Tech IPOs are back: After a drought that will be talked about for years, it’s raining tech IPOs again! Instacart and Klaviyo have filed their Form S-1s to go public, a

Aug 28, 2023 • 8:48

Gen-Z is rewriting the rules of the Internet, and here's how startups should respond

Gen-Z is rewriting the rules of the Internet, and here's how startups should respond

Why the extra edition? Because Battery Ventures dropped an interesting report on Gen-Z and we wanted to talk about it.Alex got Courtney Chow, a vice president at Battery and one of the report's authors to chat about it. You can read the report itself here.This is what we got into:The fracturing of culture: Gen-Z is large, and very diverse. The trend away from monolithic cultural primacy that began years ago has accelerated with the generation, making culture itself more personal, and more distin

Aug 26, 2023 • 22:31

Startups that are Ramp-ing up, and startups that are full of sh**

Startups that are Ramp-ing up, and startups that are full of sh**

This is our Friday show, and we’re talking about the week’s biggest startup and tech news. Here's what Mary Ann, Alex and Kirsten Korosec got into:Nvidia blew the doors off with its earnings report. We talked through some of the high-level numbers and marveled at the company's growth. TechCrunch has more on the matter here.Ramp raises $300M: In this market, a multi-billion-dollar valuation is a win for a fintech, even if Ramp's new price tag is a bit lower than it was previously. So, while Ramp

Aug 25, 2023 • 37:03

LatAm 'plays on hard mode' according to VC Mercedes Bent

LatAm 'plays on hard mode' according to VC Mercedes Bent

This week, Mary Ann spoke with Mercedes Bent, Partner on the early stage team at Lightspeed Ventures and co-lead of Lightspeed’s LatAm region and angel fund. The pair chewed through a number of topics, including: How and why Mercedes started investing in Latin America, and why she thinks the region is more resilient than others Why we're early in the hype cycle when it comes to the intersection of AI and fintech Why generative AI and fintech aren't always the best combination and much m

Aug 23, 2023 • 26:55

Equity Monday: Robotaxis hit a speed bump and IPOs are back on the menu

Equity Monday: Robotaxis hit a speed bump and IPOs are back on the menu

Our Monday show covers the latest in tech news from the weekend and what’s making headlines early in the week. Here’s the rundown from this morning, with real news from the crypto-front, and even a neat startup round to round it out! Stocks are up in most of the world, China apart. The Chinese economy is a real topic of conversation lately, mostly centered around concerns regarding credit appetite, debt levels, housing costs, and government activity. In the crypto-world, prices are shar

Aug 21, 2023 • 8:59

Some good news, some Better.com news

Some good news, some Better.com news

This week Mary Ann and Alex were joined by our regular guest host Kirsten Korosec.Here's what the gang got into: FTX's former CEO SBF is heading to jail: We struggled to find much pity for the former celebrity executive. Better.com is going public: After much controversy Better.com's SPAC merger is a go. The deal is a fundraising mechanism by our understanding, though we had a bit of a tough time coming up with a bull case for the company in the present moment. Monday.com's growth: A

Aug 18, 2023 • 33:49

The software market, AI moats, and when to go public with Amplitude CEO Spenser Skates

The software market, AI moats, and when to go public with Amplitude CEO Spenser Skates

This week, Alex had Amplitude CEO Spenser Skates on the show to talk about the SaaS market journey since his company  went public in late 2021, which happened to be right before investor sentiment changed.After a successful IPO, Amplitude warned analysts and investors alike in early 2022 that it was seeing some macroeconomic pressure, which led to its stock being sharply repriced. (That happened to most companies eventually, to be fair.)Since then, the digital analytics company has shaken up its

Aug 16, 2023 • 37:31

Equity Monday: Another $100M for AI, why not

Equity Monday: Another $100M for AI, why not

Here’s the rundown from this morning: Worries about the Chinese economy dragged down Asian shares this morning; the equity picture was more mixed in Europe and the United States. Meanwhile, why is crypto so slow lately? What happened to price volatility? On the earnings front, we're looking ahead to Monday.com, Getty, Cisco, Bill.com and Palo Alto Networks this week. News that Anthropic is raising another $100 million got us talking about a few other AI rounds that are in the pipeline;

Aug 14, 2023 • 10:07

Ladies and gentlemen: the dregs of the SPAC boom

Ladies and gentlemen: the dregs of the SPAC boom

This week Mary Ann and Alex got into a mix of growth stories, and some less-than-winsome on the startups that are not having the best 2023:How Lula went frugal and set itself up for a massive up-round in 2023: Mary Ann's recent reporting on Lula was perfect Equity material as it dealt with capital in motion, and a quickly-growing startup. Even more notably, Lula is in the insurtech space, part of the fintech world that has had an up-and-down few years.Weights & Biases raises $50M: Back in the da

Aug 11, 2023 • 32:42

Maybe we shouldn't sue away DEI in venture

Maybe we shouldn't sue away DEI in venture

This week, Dominic-Madori Davis came back on the show to chat with Mary Ann and Alex about two of her latest pieces:A lawsuit targeting a grant program that provided small checks to Black women small-business owners. The context here is that there's a movement in the United States to curtail programs that seek to provide access, or opportunity to underrepresented peoples in business and education. Given venture's somewhat embarrassing investment demographics, we struggled to understand the seemi

Aug 9, 2023 • 30:26

Equity Monday: Have we reached peak smartphone?

Equity Monday: Have we reached peak smartphone?

Here’s the rundown from this morning, which saw Alex catching up from a few days off last week: Earnings season is slowing down, while global stocks slip to start the week. Crypto is not doing too much to start the week, but do recall that Coinbase earnings came last week. Peak smartphone? In the wake of Apple earnings, questions linger regarding just what is ahead for smartphones and what could get that market moving again. Thankfully for Apple shareholders, the company has done yeoman

Aug 7, 2023 • 9:09

Chain Reaction: Ripple’s chief legal officer talks SEC lawsuit, XRP ‘win’ and future regulation (w/ Stu Alderoty)

Chain Reaction: Ripple’s chief legal officer talks SEC lawsuit, XRP ‘win’ and future regulation (w/ Stu Alderoty)

Today, we're bringing you an episode of our sister podcast, Chain Reaction. Chain Reaction unpacks and dives deep into the latest trends, drama and news in crypto with some of the biggest names in the industry to break things down block by block for the crypto curious.  Jacquelyn interviewed Stu Alderoty, chief legal officer of Ripple Labs. Stu spent most of his career working for traditional financial institutions in legal roles at firms like CIT Group, American Express and HSBC and le

Aug 4, 2023 • 23:11

Yeah, but is that venture backable?

Yeah, but is that venture backable?

This week, Alex and Mary Ann had Sara Mauskopf on the show, the CEO and co-founder of the childcare marketplace, Winnie, and a former Postmates and Twitter denizen. Here’s what we got into: The progress of Winnie over time, and how it found its niche in the childcare market The state of care as a venture-backable category, and where startups can find the most impact and business results The reported issues at Papa and the pressures of fundraising-driven growth in care-oriented markets A

Aug 2, 2023 • 35:20

Equity Monday:  Twitter's rebrand is a go, and we're Blazing Our Collective Glory

Equity Monday: Twitter's rebrand is a go, and we're Blazing Our Collective Glory

Our Monday show covers the latest in tech news from the weekend and what’s making headlines early in the week. Here’s the rundown from this morning!Stocks are higher around the world today, but the real story in equities is earnings. This week we are going to hear from AMD, Uber, Pinterest, Shopify, PayPal and Block, Apple and Amazon, Alibaba and Airbnb, Coinbase and Cloudflare. It’s a lot.In crypto-land, things are muted, but it appears that the Coinbase-SEC lawsuit had a bit more behind it tha

Jul 31, 2023 • 8:54

It's always earnings season if you look hard enough

It's always earnings season if you look hard enough

We had our friend and colleague Kirsten Korosec on the podcast this week, meaning that Mary Ann and Alex got to stretch their legs a bit and talk things that move and beep and boop. Here's what we got into: Deals of the Week: AngelList bought Nova, taking the well-known venture service into the more traditional private equity realm; Waymo is focusing on self-driving cars instead of trucks, which has Mary Ann worried; and Alex wanted to talk about interest rates. On the subject of Earn

Jul 28, 2023 • 35:37

What’s next for social media from someone who’s Extremely Online

What’s next for social media from someone who’s Extremely Online

This week, Alex had Washington Post columnist Taylor Lorenz on to chat about her upcoming book, Extremely Online, the history of online platforms, and the rise of creators.We've covered the creator economy a few times on the podcast over the years, but this addition to our historical coverage is more than worth inclusion. Here's what we got into:All the cool kids are pre-ordering Lorenz's book, which you can find here.Why online work has always been treated like a sideshow: While culture is ofte

Jul 26, 2023 • 31:55

Please re-xeet this podcast episode

Please re-xeet this podcast episode

Here’s the rundown from this morning: Stocks are mixed around the world: Chinese equities sold off while American shares were set to rise at the open. A massive run of earnings this week should shake up the stock market for tech companies and their traditional brethren alike. In crypto-land, prices are back to where they were pre-XRP decision. I don't know what to make of that, but do know that Worldcoin is still a thing and is now actually out. Twitter's new brand: All hail X, I suppos

Jul 24, 2023 • 9:09

That's capitalism, baby!

That's capitalism, baby!

Here's what we got into today:Deals of the Week: Layoffs at Cameo, where fintech valuations are today and where they are going, and Egnyte's slow-burn path to an IPO.The end of VanMoof: Raising a lot of money doesn't necessitate a startup's success. Such is the case with VanMoof, which raised nine-figures and built and sold e-bikes. Now it is no more, and we have questions.CEO turnover: As the CEO of OnlyFans steps down, the gang dug into when a CEO can or should step down. Certainly some compan

Jul 21, 2023 • 33:01

Venture's Q2 was calm (and that's not good)

Venture's Q2 was calm (and that's not good)

So, what happened in venture capital-land during Q2 2023? A lot, and not very much. We got PitchBook venture guru Kyle Stanford to come back on the podcast to riff with us on the good, the bad, and the late-stage.Here's what we got into:How did American venture perform in Q2 2023? Welcome to the new normal, and why that's actually bad news.How are Seed deals faring, and what about later-stage transactions?How bad is the slow pace of exits today, and what impact will they have on venture capital

Jul 19, 2023 • 33:54

Equity Monday: Intel backs robotics startup, Twitter loses money, and fintech shows signs of life

Equity Monday: Intel backs robotics startup, Twitter loses money, and fintech shows signs of life

Hello, and welcome back to Equity, the podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Our Monday show covers the latest in tech news from the weekend and what’s making headlines early in the week. Here’s the rundown from this morning! Stocks are largely down around the world following weak Chinese economic data for the second quarter. We’re also heading back into an earnings cycle, so get ready to hear from Tesla and Netflix this week

Jul 17, 2023 • 7:46

We're in the pruning phase of tech layoffs

We're in the pruning phase of tech layoffs

Here's the rundown from Mary Ann and Alex:A new Chinese AI model had us wondering who is really going to win the AI war and whether governments will play a role — perhaps not the role that they are expecting.A founder that Founders Fund funded is now funding other founders at Founders Fund: Yep.Sticking to the venture theme, is it possible for AI models in venture to actually create a less biased landscape for entrepreneurs? Connetic Ventures thinks so!Two bits of good news: Tech layoffs have dr

Jul 14, 2023 • 32:19

Is ChatGPT the iBeer of LLMs?

Is ChatGPT the iBeer of LLMs?

This week we had a very special guest on the podcast: Matthew Lynley, one of the founding hosts of Equity and a former TechCruncher. Since his Equity days, Lynley went off and started his very own AI-focused publication called Supervised.We brought him back on the show to ask him questions in a format where we can all learn together. Here’s what we got into:From Transformers to GPT4: How attention became so critical inside of neural networks, and how transformers set the path for modern AI servi

Jul 12, 2023 • 32:01

Equity Monday: People like Threads

Equity Monday: People like Threads

Here’s the rundown from this morning:The global stock market is looking mixed, with the leading piece of financial news dealing with inflation data in the Chinese market.On the crypto side of things, there are no massive price movements in key tokens to examine. That said, the NFT market has been turbulent in the last few days due to incentive changes as a key marketplace.An FYI: We are back in earnings season, but there’s little to report on the tech side of things this week. Expect the pace to

Jul 10, 2023 • 8:51

Hey, stuck startups, reducing growth could make you less fundable

Hey, stuck startups, reducing growth could make you less fundable

We're switching things up and bringing you two interviews this week, so let's niche down to a single person, think about their work and unpack the rest.Mary Ann took the lead this time, and she sat down (virtually) with Immad Akhund, the CEO and co-founder of Mercury. For those who are unfamiliar, the fintech made headlines earlier this year for how it stepped in to help fill the business banking void left in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's collapse. Here's what the pair caught up on:Mercury's

Jul 7, 2023 • 28:58

Steering through venture's global correction with the GPCA's CEO

Steering through venture's global correction with the GPCA's CEO

Long-time Equity listeners and TechCrunch readers should be familiar with LAVCA, and association of capital managers in the Latin America region. We have reported on its data a number of times. Well, it turns out that LAVCA is part of the larger Global Private Capital Association, which keeps tabs on a host of markets that we're working to cover more carefully as startup activity becomes an increasingly global phenomenon.So to cap off the second quarter, and to get our claws into what is going o

Jul 5, 2023 • 36:29

Well done, Pismo and Visa! You gave SoftBank a win

Well done, Pismo and Visa! You gave SoftBank a win

Mary Ann and Alex are back for another busy news week chock full of deals to chew through.Here's the rundown:Deals of the Week: We think that the idea behind the recently-funded Honey Homes is excellent, but we're split about the cost. We also went over Gusto's latest financial achievements and its plans to team up with Remote.Fintech M&A: The biggest deal of the week in fintech was Visa's purchase of  Pismo. We haven't had unicorn-level acquisitions lately, so this one was welcome. Elsewhere in

Jun 30, 2023 • 37:11

Nubank's CEO explains what the US could learn from LatAm fintech

Nubank's CEO explains what the US could learn from LatAm fintech

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single person, think about their work and unpack the rest. Mary Ann is taking over today's interview with David Vélez, the co-founder and CEO of Nubank, the $35 billion Sao-Paulo, Brazil-based digital bank that offers credit cards, checking accounts and life insurance to consumers.Equity listeners know that digital banking has been on our minds for some time now, so naturally we were excited to have David on the show. Here's what we g

Jun 28, 2023 • 27:46

Equity Monday: Crypto ticks higher, fintech gets interesting again and fraud is still bad

Equity Monday: Crypto ticks higher, fintech gets interesting again and fraud is still bad

Here's the rundown for the very last Equity Monday of Q2 2023: Crypto's mini-boom in the last week comes after a brutal few weeks of negative headlines; for the crypto-faithful, it must be a breath of fresh air. Startups: IRL was a digital fraud, Vanta is a unicorn to watch after quick ARR growth and a resulting valuation has grown into, and TreasurySpring is riding a changing macroeconomic climate to rapid fintech growth. As Amazon pledges more investment in India, we're seeing a lot o

Jun 26, 2023 • 8:44

Dropbox hearts AI, the creator-platform wars and why we’re bullish on fake booze

Dropbox hearts AI, the creator-platform wars and why we’re bullish on fake booze

Mary Ann and Alex are back, and once again this week they tapped the TechCrunch roster for expert input. This week were lucky enough to have Kirsten Korosec back on the podcast. She's TechCrunch's mobility lead, hosts a podcast of her own, and is one of our favorite humans.Here's the rundown:Deals of the Week: Mary Ann wanted to talk about Robinhood buying X1, a deal that seemed inexpensive but we lack enough numbers for full confidence; Alex wanted to riff on Dropbox's new AI fund, even if it d

Jun 23, 2023 • 33:53

The startup boom failed to build a creator utopia

The startup boom failed to build a creator utopia

Before we get started: all the cool kids are filling out the Equity listener survey. We want to hear from you! On today's episode, Alex had Eric Silver, Head of Creative at the podcast collective Multitude on the show to help us sort through:What the hell happened with Spotify's big podcast push, and its resulting layoffs.Why tech platforms have not yet found a way to make creative work lucrative enough to engender a new 'creator middle class.'The state of the ad market, and its impacts on creat

Jun 21, 2023 • 32:03

Alibaba shakes up its leadership, OpenAI lobbies EU regulators, and the late-stage market is a mess

Alibaba shakes up its leadership, OpenAI lobbies EU regulators, and the late-stage market is a mess

This time 'round we are here on a Tuesday due to an American holiday! Here's the rundown from Alex:Stocks are mixed the world around as central banks tinker with interest rates to try and tune their domestic economies. The crypto world remains muted.Alibaba's shakeup: The CEO of the Chinese tech conglomerate is leaving that role to run its cloud business, which is one of the pieces of the company that will be spun out.Intel managed to extract a handsome package from Germany in exchange for build

Jun 20, 2023 • 10:00

Sequoia does to itself what the Biden administration wants to do with Google

Sequoia does to itself what the Biden administration wants to do with Google

All the cool kids are filling out the Equity listener survey. We want to hear from you!It was a hectic week, with little in the way of the traditional Summer Slowdown making itself known. So, here's what Alex and Mary Ann covered with some help from our dear friend Jacquie Melinek:WWDC in a nutshell: In case you missed it, Apple had a big event this week. On tap were the usual run of software updates, and improved computers in both laptop and desktop format. And, you know, that other thing.Affir

Jun 9, 2023 • 31:19

Charting the future of the early-stage venture market with Carta’s CEO

Charting the future of the early-stage venture market with Carta’s CEO

This week, we had Carta CEO Henry Ward on to chat through the early-stage market with us. Alex had a grip of data and a sheaf of questions, so here's what we got into: The current state of the early-stage venture capital market: From Ward's perspective, the early-stage market is in better shape than many folks think. It's the later-stages of venture capital that are the most moribund. We also riffed on the quality of startups that are raising today, and how much pain is coming for young

Jun 8, 2023 • 30:45

Equity Monday: Revenge of the Mutual Funds

Equity Monday: Revenge of the Mutual Funds

Here’s what Alex got into today:Stocks are mixed around the world this morning while crypto stays pretty flat. Earnings this week that we’re excited about include Gitlab, Couchbase, Yext, Smartsheet, and Hashicorp. (We’re also keeping an eye on the Atomic Wallet hack.)Reddit’s proposed API changes (charges, more like) are having a pretty big impact on the service’s userbase; there are calls for a blackout of certain forums in response to the proposed updates. Reddit, on the other hand, is a busi

Jun 5, 2023 • 10:07

Okay startup names and why fintech is rebounding

Okay startup names and why fintech is rebounding

Mary Ann and Alex were a busy pair this week, so much so that they tagged in Dominic-Madori Davis from the TechCrunch+ crew to help out.Before we kick things off, our listener survey is back! If you can, please take a moment to let us know what you want more of, what you want less of, and how we can make this the kind of podcast you want to come back to every week.Now, here's what we got into:Fraud is bad: Elizabeth Holmes is in jail, and the SEC wrapped insider trading charges against a former

Jun 2, 2023 • 27:04

SecureSave's secret weapon: Suze Orman

SecureSave's secret weapon: Suze Orman

This week, Mary Ann hopped on the mic with number one New York Times best selling author, producer, personal finance thought leader, and host of the Women & Money podcast, Suze Orman. We’re following up on Suze’s not-so-surprising-startup debut with SecureSave, what the company’s been up to and how Suze is thinking about protecting employees in today’s economy.Here’s what we got into:How little money many Americans have saved for emergencies and how SecureSave wants to change thatHow inflation m

May 31, 2023 • 37:34

Equity Monday: AI can do everything, but can crypto do something?

Equity Monday: AI can do everything, but can crypto do something?

This week, crypto prices are static, unlike a particular valuation and Alex is still mad about SPACs. Here's the rundown:Stocks around the world are happy that America is once again going to avoid a default; congrats, United States.At the same time, the crypto market is a bit boring right now, due in large part to muted trading volumes as the crypto winter tests new low temperatures.No one knows what Byju's is worth, but Blackrock is marking its price in one consistent direction.Serve Robotics i

May 30, 2023 • 8:53

Daylight's sunset and Meta's year of focus

Daylight's sunset and Meta's year of focus

Mary Ann and Alex were a dynamic duo this week, and here's what they got into:The fascinating backers of Checkmate, and the future of online shopping: Mary Ann covered a very interesting Series A for Checkmate, a startup that not only has shown real legs on the competitive App Store, but also on social media platforms far and wide.Cava's IPO won't save the IPO market, but it could help all the same: Alex is so IPO-deprived that he's drawing connections between anything that files and the startup

May 26, 2023 • 31:00

When will the paper unicorns fold?

When will the paper unicorns fold?

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-

May 24, 2023 • 36:57

Equity Monday:  Meta and data, chips and dips, and crypto and meltdowns

Equity Monday: Meta and data, chips and dips, and crypto and meltdowns

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

May 22, 2023 • 8:10

The billionaires are trying to live longer… again

The billionaires are trying to live longer… again

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 rela

May 19, 2023 • 36:09

In a more conservative venture capital market, will big tech step up?

In a more conservative venture capital market, will big tech step up?

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

May 17, 2023 • 34:26

Equity Monday: Vice files for bankruptcy, Foxconn's investment in India, and two fascinating startup rounds

Equity Monday: Vice files for bankruptcy, Foxconn's investment in India, and two fascinating startup rounds

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

May 15, 2023 • 8:09

Venture-backed everything for real world problems, please

Venture-backed everything for real world problems, please

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 certai

May 12, 2023 • 41:54

How do you know when it’s time to shut down?

How do you know when it’s time to shut down?

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 e

May 10, 2023 • 33:08

Equity Monday: Shrinking unicorns and the embarrassment of meme coins

Equity Monday: Shrinking unicorns and the embarrassment of meme coins

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

May 8, 2023 • 9:31

Aaron Burr’s tech angle, blue skies, and no photos at this time

Aaron Burr’s tech angle, blue skies, and no photos at this time

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

May 5, 2023 • 35:37

The outside advantage that your investor may be interested in

The outside advantage that your investor may be interested in

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 to

May 3, 2023 • 30:00

Equity Monday: Hey look, OpenAI is even richer now

Equity Monday: Hey look, OpenAI is even richer now

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 ventu

May 1, 2023 • 9:02

Is First Republic just a victim of SVB’s collapse?

Is First Republic just a victim of SVB’s collapse?

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, a

Apr 28, 2023 • 30:37

A modern take on what an entrepreneur can, and should, spend their time on

A modern take on what an entrepreneur can, and should, spend their time on

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 size How Ankur built, sold, pivoted and launched in public The upside of building in public vs building in private The importance of brand and succession Of course, we ended with a lightning round of questions -

Apr 26, 2023 • 29:27

Equity Monday: Unpacking the Twitter blues

Equity Monday: Unpacking the Twitter blues

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 thou

Apr 24, 2023 • 9:48

Early Stage 2023: IRL is B-A-C-K

Early Stage 2023: IRL is B-A-C-K

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

Apr 21, 2023 • 8:12

Who captures the most value after the SaaS-acre? Enterprises or Startups?

Who captures the most value after the SaaS-acre? Enterprises or Startups?

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 fin

Apr 19, 2023 • 35:58

Equity Monday: What's an Angry Bird worth?

Equity Monday: What's an Angry Bird worth?

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

Apr 17, 2023 • 10:46

Unicorns are rare, but what about real?

Unicorns are rare, but what about real?

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 whic

Apr 14, 2023 • 32:55

Founders shouldn't have to choose between mental health and grit

Founders shouldn't have to choose between mental health and grit

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 ho

Apr 12, 2023 • 42:04

The petty shall inherit the pennies

The petty shall inherit the pennies

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 giv

Apr 10, 2023 • 9:06

Don’t ever leak data, but especially if you’re building this type of startup

Don’t ever leak data, but especially if you’re building this type of startup

This was Y Combinator week in a sense, with the well-known accelerator showing off hundreds of startups over a two-day period. We had some thoughts about that. But! There was a lot more for Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex to dig into, so we have a little something for everyone today.Here's the show notes, enjoy:First, support our sibling podcasts Found and Chain Reaction in the Webbys! They deserve it, and we're voting for them too.For our Deals of the Week, we had: Monument and Tempest shared patien

Apr 7, 2023 • 38:07

How hard was it to raise venture capital in Q1?

How hard was it to raise venture capital in Q1?

Alex filled in for Natasha as host this week, and to celebrate the end of Q1 2023 and the start of another earnings cycle, we invited PitchBook Senior Analyst Kyle Stanford onto the show. Stanford and his company are key providers of data concerning the domestic and global venture capital markets making him a perfect guest to help kickstart our look at recent venture results, and trends.We had a lot to talk about: Where early-2023 venture aggregates are trending, including a chat about

Apr 6, 2023 • 29:26

Welcome to Q2, Equity family

Welcome to Q2, Equity family

Alex is back with the first episode of our Q2 run. Welcome to the new tranch of 2023!On the show today we riffed through the stock market and crypto sector. The gist? Shares are mixed here in the United States while major crypto tokens are not doing too much.In startup news, Paris is cracking down on e-scooters after a vote, Zamp Finance raised nearly $22 million for a neat way to keep startup cash safe and yield-friendly, and Fourthline reminded us that applied AI is a sentence that we are goin

Apr 3, 2023 • 9:05

Burn, community, burn

Burn, community, burn

AI? Crypto? Equity crowdfunding and former startup founders trying to bribe China? We had it all this week, friends, so please strap in and get ready for another catchup with your besties Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex. Here's the show rundown in case you want to play along as you listen:Deals of the Week: How Seed Checks could disrupt early-stage fundraising, notes on StellarFi's latest capital raise, and the end of the Lyft founders' operational saga.All about Substack and its equity crowdfunding

Mar 31, 2023 • 35:45

AI's moral compass with the responsible AI expert behind CredoAI

AI's moral compass with the responsible AI expert behind CredoAI

This week, Natasha interviewed a Jack of all trades in the AI world with a focus on governance: Navrina Singh. Navrina is the founder and CEO of CredoAI,  a governance platform helping organizations monitor, measure and manage AI-introduced risks.We're talking about: Navrina's wedge into the world of AI, and when governance went from a lonely conversation to a global focus.  Her experience with Microsoft, observing how the EU AI Act's legislation is coming together, and her work as a me

Mar 29, 2023 • 30:27

Not all unicorns are in trouble, just a lot of them

Not all unicorns are in trouble, just a lot of them

Alex had a lot of ground to cover from the weekend, so let's get started. Here's the rundown: The global stock market is mixed today, if leaning positive. Some concerns about global banks appear to be settling. In contrast, things are quiet on the crypto front. Salesforce is getting a reprieve from certain activist pressure after it took a cleaver to its staffing. The Silicon Valley Bank crisis is slowly coming to a close. TechCrunch has the latest on the sale of the former startup-frie

Mar 27, 2023 • 8:38

Not-so-fake dry powder, AI and the future of DAOs

Not-so-fake dry powder, AI and the future of DAOs

What did Mary Ann and Natasha and Alex dive into? Here's the rundown:A quick update on TikTok: The CEO of the popular social media service went before Congress today. It was a pretty darn hostile meeting. Alex caught a chunk of it live, and also has a few thoughts on the matter.From there it was time for our 'deals of the week' section, which today included Duolingo's new music product, a new DAO fund, and the latest eToro investment.Then it was time to talk payroll. We started with the Rippling

Mar 24, 2023 • 36:12

One of venture’s most iconic duos wants to have a word with you

One of venture’s most iconic duos wants to have a word with you

Natasha interviewed one of venture's most iconic duos: Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein of Kapor Capital. The investors recently published a book, "Closing the Equity Gap: Creating Wealth and Fostering Justice in Startup Investing," connecting scrappy stories of entrepreneurs to their investment thesis to the returns that other venture capitalists are clamoring to land.In today's episode, we're talking about: Their book and why the pair chose to do it now Mitch and Freada's broader

Mar 22, 2023 • 38:54

As banks totter, crypto is busy racking up gains

As banks totter, crypto is busy racking up gains

Alex is here to do our Monday show, a kickoff for the week that covers startup news, tech news and a little bit of the money that powers both. After a hectic few weeks, are we done with banking news? No, but there's some good news in the offing, at least.Banking stocks are whipsawing this morning, in the wake of the UBS-Credit Suisse deal, and First Republic's continued woes.The crypto markets have had a good few weeks, leading to asset price appreciation that has reignited crypto-Twitter.News t

Mar 20, 2023 • 8:38

Don’t use Sam Altman and AI hype in the same sentence

Don’t use Sam Altman and AI hype in the same sentence

This week, Alex and Natasha took the mic to talk about the slowest news cycle we've had since the beginning of the grocery delivery wars and WeWork. Just kidding. Here's what we got into: The M&A spree that includes updates from Qualtrics, Cvent, and Mint Mobile. We're happy to see some M&A, even if we'd rather see more startup deals and IPOs. GPT-4. GPT-4. GPT-4. What's in a name and more from the world of AI, including where we're seeing companies race to build the new tech i

Mar 17, 2023 • 30:50

One founder's account of what is left behind from SVB's crash

One founder's account of what is left behind from SVB's crash

This week, Natasha interviewed Series CEO Brexton Pham, who has been building a full-stack enterprise platform for institutions and enterprises since March 2021. Brexton was pushed out of stealth this week in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank's crash, which of course was the main topic of our conversation. What else did you expect?Here's what we got into:How much trust do our banks deserve today, and how much has reasonable trust fallen in recent weeks?How startups can (and should) start diversify

Mar 15, 2023 • 22:11

The one where Alex and Natasha catch the Equity audience up on SVB

The one where Alex and Natasha catch the Equity audience up on SVB

This is Alex and we are here to do our Monday show, a kickoff for the week that covers startup news, tech news and a little bit of the money that powers both. Given how bonkers the last few days have been, this is not a normal show. Sure, we're talking money up top, but I also dragooned Natasha into running us through her amazing reporting from over the weekend on all things SVB. (Please excuse the Friends joke in the headline, we are very tired!)Here's what we got into: The stock marke

Mar 13, 2023 • 15:02

Flat is the new up, down is the new flat, dead is the new down

Flat is the new up, down is the new flat, dead is the new down

This week Mary Ann Azevedo, Natasha Mascarenhas and Alex Wilhelm gathered to riff through the week’s biggest startup and venture news:At the top of the show, we riffed about the situation at Silicon Valley Bank - which, of course, kicked off a little more after we wrapped our recording. So, more to come there. But we had other stories to get into: Deals of the Week: Roami (taking on Airbnb), Qualtrics (will it finally find its forever home?), the latest on the VC-AI affair (Upfront Sum

Mar 10, 2023 • 38:25

Dear startups, your developers and engineers are on an island

Dear startups, your developers and engineers are on an island

This week, Natasha interviewed Lizzie Matusov, the co-founder and CEO of Quotient, which wants to fix the "leaky pipeline problem" in tech onboarding that doesn't set up engineers for success. Yes, that's right, this week we're talking about the work needs, habits and aspirations of developers.Here's a few topics we get into:The stereotype of a coder, and where collectivism contrasts with those characteristics.How Quotient is using research, not just aspiration, to fuel its onboarding processThe

Mar 8, 2023 • 31:31

Equity Monday: We'd give an arm and a leg for an ARM IPO filing

Equity Monday: We'd give an arm and a leg for an ARM IPO filing

Alex is here to do our Monday show, a kickoff for the week that covers startup news, tech news, and a little bit of the money that powers both. Sound good? Here's what we have for you this morning:Money: Stocks are mixed around the world, and the crypto world is muted after some price swings last week.IPO news: ARM, the chip design concern, may go public in the United States this year, raising $8 billion in the process. Given the importance of chips these days -- you may have heard! -- the compa

Mar 6, 2023 • 8:42

Bonus Episode: Say Hello to the Startup Battlefield Winner

Bonus Episode: Say Hello to the Startup Battlefield Winner

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for—the winner is announced! In this episode, we get to know the winner of the 2022 Startup Battlefield competition. We’ll hear what’s next for their company and get insight from TechCrunch staff, VCs, and audience members on why they were the right choice.Be sure to check out all of the other podcasts in the TechCrunch Podcast Network: Found, Equity, The TechCrunch Podcast, Chain Reaction and The TechCrunch Live Podcast. Credits: Equity is produc

Mar 6, 2023 • 32:33

Why hasn’t generative AI come up with something easier to say than “generative AI”?

Why hasn’t generative AI come up with something easier to say than “generative AI”?

Mary Ann, Becca, and Alex  gathered to riff through the week's biggest startup and venture news. A big thank you to Becca for stepping in while Alex was on leave, and a note before we dive into topics that Natasha Mascarenhas will be back on the podcast next week!Now, here's what we got into:Deals of the Week: Divert's $100 million round to tackle food waste, Trust & Will's $15 million round, and what's happening in the land of NFT sales.Boston: TechCrunch held a Boston City Spotlight this week,

Mar 3, 2023 • 34:51

This is fintech's 'Noah's Ark Year'

This is fintech's 'Noah's Ark Year'

Mary Ann is taking over while Natasha attends a summit in LA, and this week, she interviewed Mark Goldberg, partner and fintech lead at Index Ventures. Since 2015, Mark has spent his time investing in - and sitting on the boards of - financial services companies including Plaid, Persona, Lithic, Cocoon, and Pilot.The duo talked about: The party that was 2021 and the hangover that was 2022 Mark's Twitter prediction that raised some eyebrows on Twitter Why 2023 will be a survival of the

Mar 1, 2023 • 30:06

Bonus Episode: Getting to know the Battlefield 200

Bonus Episode: Getting to know the Battlefield 200

Inside Startup Battlefield is back in our feed with episode three. There are 180 companies solving crucial problems that didn’t make it to the Disrupt stage, but that doesn’t mean they’re making any less of an impact. TechCrunch writers Devin Coldewey and Harri Weber take us on a walk through the Expo Hall and let us listen into their conversations with a handful of the most interesting companies in the Battlefield 200.New episodes of Inside Startup Battlefield drop every Monday. Be sure to chec

Feb 27, 2023 • 14:49

Equity Monday: Who still loves fintech?

Equity Monday: Who still loves fintech?

Alex is back! After taking some time to learn how to care for tiny humans, he's returned and is more than fired up to get back to podcasting. That means early mornings to get the Monday show off the page, and into your ears, made worth it thanks to the startup economy proving incredibly interesting thus far in 2023.Now, what did we get into? The following:Stocks are largely up today, but only after a terrible week last week. So, a little plus/minus there. Cryptos are not too changed in the last

Feb 27, 2023 • 8:50

Scooters and social media companies are surprising IPO candidates

Scooters and social media companies are surprising IPO candidates

This week Natasha, Mary Ann, and Becca Szkutak were joined by the returning Alex Wilhelm, back from paternity leave. Yes, we had the whole gang back together today to dig through the week's pile of news -- and you can definitely tell how exciting it was by how fast we all talked through news (sorry to our dear producers!)Now, the news. Here's what we got into:Amazon has invested heavily in an Indian meat delivery company. No, not lab grown meat or plant-based meat. Just meat, delivered. Also in

Feb 24, 2023 • 37:18

Female check-writers alone aren’t enough to close the female fundraising gap, data shows

Female check-writers alone aren’t enough to close the female fundraising gap, data shows

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 Kaisa Snellman, an economic sociologist and an associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and Academic Director of the INSEAD Gender Initiative. We know, we know, it's a flex.We’re going to talk about: Kaisa’s recent

Feb 22, 2023 • 35:01

Bonus Episode: Making the Pitch Perfect

Bonus Episode: Making the Pitch Perfect

Inside Startup Battlefield is back in our feed with episode two. In the second episode of Inside Startup Battlefield, we take a trip to TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 to hear pitches from the top five companies: Aaron Hall from Intropic Materials, Elizabeth Lawler from App Map, Chad Mason from Advanced Ionics, Sheeba Dawood from Minerva Lithium, Tim Lichti from Swap Robotics. We get to know the companies and the unique problems they’re solving through their pitches and the judges’ follow-up questions.

Feb 20, 2023 • 31:31

Outsized seed rounds, neobanks and booming M&A? Well hello, 2023

Outsized seed rounds, neobanks and booming M&A? Well hello, 2023

Natasha, Mary Ann and Becca got on the mic to talk startups, pet peeves and focaccia. What else did you expect?Here's what we got into:Descope landed a $53 million (!) seed round, a Phenomenal new venture fund and a neobank out to make credit more accessible to young people in Mexico.Then we pivoted to talk about buy now, pay later (BNPL), which included some chatter about Affirm's recent woes and which areas of BNPL that do seem to be growing despite questions around whether this is the end of

Feb 17, 2023 • 31:36

Caretakers, ageism and other topics venture needs to stop overlooking

Caretakers, ageism and other topics venture needs to stop overlooking

This week, Natasha interviewed Elana Berkowitz, founding partner at Springbank Collective and an early-stage investor working to close the gender gap.Following with our theme of covering the silent changemakers in tech, Berkowitz has done much more than invest: she’s an advisor at Eric Shmidt’s office, a social entrepreneur who was a former innovator in residence at CARE, former Obama Administration technology policy official across the Obama-Biden Transition Team.We spoke about:Building a ventu

Feb 15, 2023 • 32:28

Bonus Episode: The Startup Battlefield Basics

Bonus Episode: The Startup Battlefield Basics

Check out the newest podcast from the TechCrunch Podcast Network: Inside Startup Battlefield, the four-part series that takes you behind TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield competition. In this episode, our host and Startup Battlefield Editor Neesha Tambe breaks down how the Battlefield companies are selected for the TechCrunch Disrupt stage. Then we take a deep dive into what makes a pitch perfect with pitch coach and TechCrunch writer Haje Jan Kamps and Startup Battlefield judge and VC Nisha Dua.

Feb 13, 2023 • 31:41

Wait a secondary

Wait a secondary

This week, Natasha, Mary Ann, and Becca got on the mic about:Our deals of the week included a look at a large new fund focused on Africa, a startup raising big bucks to address the nursing shortage and Rebellyous raising in a crowded and struggling space toward its effort to 'rethink the nugget.'We took a few to chat through the latest around FTX, which is attempting to take back its political donations at the same time Robinhood is trying to buy back the 7.6% stake that an SBF entity acquired l

Feb 10, 2023 • 32:29

The individual mistake that tech startups are collectively making

The individual mistake that tech startups are collectively making

This week, Natasha interviewed Cleo’s former CEO and current chief business officer, SJ Sacchetti. We spoke about nearly every theme most founders and chief executives are too scared to talk about: ego, setting boundaries, stepping down and becoming a "statistic" and why a company needs to succeed without you. We talk about failure - or the fear of it, at least - and really, where things go wrong when we talk about how success is celebrated in tech.As always, the full Equity crew will be back on

Feb 8, 2023 • 35:10

Equity Monday: SoftBank's vibe shift is using silence loudly

Equity Monday: SoftBank's vibe shift is using silence loudly

Here's what Natasha got into: Big tech: SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son will be skipping the Japanese conglomerates' earnings call, reports the Economic Times. We knew the flashy presentations were going away, but the silence may signal just how seriously SoftBank wants to shift its external perception. Speaking of perception, there's nothing quite like a delisting warning to get people talking about you. I talk about Getaround's less than $1 trend, and why it may be off the public markets

Feb 6, 2023 • 10:01

The impact investor and climate correspondent walk into a bar

The impact investor and climate correspondent walk into a bar

This week Natasha Mascarenhas and Becca Szkutak took to their mics to sing a duet about this week's startup news. Just kidding! But we did highlight some fun companies raising capital and talked through some VC themes that look likely to be relevant throughout 2023.Here's what we got into: For our deals of the week we talked about Artifact, the new startup from the previous co-founders of Instagram, Spill, a new Twitter alternative that raised pre-seed funding, and Disclo, a startup loo

Feb 3, 2023 • 32:56

Be relevant, or get downturned

Be relevant, or get downturned

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, Mary Ann interviewed Hans Tung, prolific investor and managing partner of GGV, a venture firm with more than $9 billion in assets under management.The pair had a great conversation on: How Hans is advising portfolio companies to wea

Feb 1, 2023 • 29:46

Equity Monday: If (and only if) McDonald's had an appetite for acquisitions

Equity Monday: If (and only if) McDonald's had an appetite for acquisitions

Here's what Natasha got into on today's Equity Monday: Big tech: Marqeta's nine-figure acquisition of a two-year-old fintech, and which bucket of deals I think it falls into. Plus, Stripe's whole 12-month timeline thing and my edit for your incoming thought pieces.  Big idea: Natasha's latest Startups Weekly column is all about the latecomer advantage. She talks about the idea, and its nuance, in the context of building startup rivals. Big innovation: We end with a look at Atomos, whic

Jan 30, 2023 • 10:53

You could be Wasted and not even know it

You could be Wasted and not even know it

This week, Natasha, Mary and Becca got into: For our deals of the week, we talked about why tracking app Strava's purchase of Fatmap, a high-resolution 3D global map platform for the great outdoors, seems like a smart move, how Wasted wants to make port-a-potties less gross and more useful and All Raise CEO's decision to step down after less than one year in the role. Then we got into how the feds are scrutinizing Google's alleged ad tech monopoly and the implications for startups, befo

Jan 27, 2023 • 33:12

All is fair in love and moderation

All is fair in love and moderation

This week, Natasha interviewed Sarah Oh, the co-founder of T2, a Twitter rival, and Twitter's former Human Rights advisor. We get into a lot, not limited to but including: What her job title really encompasses The danger of going viral Re-building a clone Generative AI We also talk about what moderation 3.0 looks like and T2 daring to dream when building a Twitter-like company with safety at its core. Oh is clearly is a change maker, considering that the 30 minutes Natasha spent with he

Jan 25, 2023 • 32:14

Equity Monday: All that VC dry powder is damper than you think

Equity Monday: All that VC dry powder is damper than you think

Here's what Natasha got into now that she's back in The Bay:Big tech: Real quick, you should know that Elliott Management took a multi-billion stake in Salesforce, while Thoma Bravo scooped up a digital forensics company for $1.34 billion. Beyond that, the big tech news this week is Microsoft's multi-billion dollar, multi-year investment in Open AI. The extended partnership comes with lots of resources, quirks and legal headaches. Big idea: we're still thinking about this Anna Heim analysis, "Th

Jan 23, 2023 • 11:57

Gas, Slay, what’s next? Fire?

Gas, Slay, what’s next? Fire?

Natasha Mascarenhas, Mary Ann Azevedo and Rebecca Szkutak had fun on this week's recording:Deals of the week included a new Trust Fund, a $29M raise from a proptech started by the co-founders of cloud computing company DigitalOcean and a $27M bet by some U.S.-based VCs on an African gaming startup, Carry1st.Then we got into the state of fintech funding in 2022. Spoiler alert: It wasn't pretty. We compared fintech's year to that of global startups as a whole, and Becca gave us a lesson on the di

Jan 20, 2023 • 32:29

What's next for the entrepreneur behind Layoffs.FYI

What's next for the entrepreneur behind Layoffs.FYI

This week, Natasha interviewed Roger Lee, an entrepreneur who's spent the better part of a decade building tools for employees and employers alike. Lee is the creator of Layoffs.FYI and co-founder of Comprehensive and Human Interest.Here's what we got into:Roger's introduction to entrepreneurship during the dot-com bubbleHow the pandemic de-stigmatized layoffsHow Comprehensive - described as the inverse of Layoffs.FYI - is helping employees level-upThe importance of crowdsourcing and to monetize

Jan 18, 2023 • 31:40

Equity Monday: Twitter rivals, unicorn trivia and valuation homework

Equity Monday: Twitter rivals, unicorn trivia and valuation homework

Here's what Natasha chatted about today: Big tech: Good news for Bitcoin and Ethereum, even as late-stage companies in the space cut to stay afloat. Big idea: I had two ones to get through. First, Africa had no new unicorns last year, despite record fundraising raising. What's that all about? Second, I want to talk about Stripe's internal valuation cut, yet again, and what that news means on the outside. Big innovation: I talk about yet another Clearco executive shake up and yet another

Jan 17, 2023 • 11:33

Frank-ly, the Kardashian method won’t work for SBF

Frank-ly, the Kardashian method won’t work for SBF

This week, Natasha was joined by Mary Ann Azevedo and Rebecca Szkutak to talk about the latest and greatest in tech: Deals of the week include Inflow, which has developed a self-help app designed to help people manage their ADHD, Cartograph Ventures, a new venture fund run by an ex-Juul operator, and the latest lawsuit and layoffs happening over at Carta The plethora of fintech M&A that took place this week, including Fidelity's acquisition of a startup called Shoobx (we couldn't pr

Jan 13, 2023 • 32:44

Will what happened at CES stay at CES?

Will what happened at CES stay at CES?

This week, Natasha chatted with Haje Kamps and Brian Heater about CES which took place last week over in the ever-exciting Las Vegas area. All of our fantastic CES coverage can be found on the site, but for the purposes of today's show, we tried to keep it analytical, chatty and, at times, even a bit robotic. (You'll see what we mean).Here's what we got into:Post-CES feelings and why the show has stayed relevant after all these yearsHow expectations of the show compared to the reality, robot pil

Jan 11, 2023 • 34:45

Equity Monday: Generative AI's Magic Leap

Equity Monday: Generative AI's Magic Leap

Here's what we got into for this week's Monday episode:Big Tech: Vista Equity Partners scooped up Duck Creek for $2.6 billion, and that's not the only billion-dollar figure we've seen from them over the past twelve months. Enterprise deals to start off the year? Take notes, startups.Big Idea: I'm thinking all about generative AI, especially thanks to Rebecca Szkutak's latest piece: "Whoops! Is generative AI already becoming a bubble?" I talk through the thesis of the piece, why venture always ne

Jan 9, 2023 • 8:54

CES, NYE, SBF and FTX. Lol.

CES, NYE, SBF and FTX. Lol.

To start off the year, we are welcoming Rebecca Szkutak as a returning host who will be joining us while Alex is out on paternity leave. We're lucky to have her for a few months, so give her a warm welcome!With that, Natasha, Mary Ann and Becca returned to the mic to unpack the latest and greatest on this first week back. 2022 was a dreary, relentless storm at times, but it also surprised us with how much innovation continues to brighten up this downturn. The start of 2023 has been no different.

Jan 6, 2023 • 31:42

Equity Monday: Remember how this whole working thing works?

Equity Monday: Remember how this whole working thing works?

Happy New Year and welcome to 2023! As promised, Natasha is taking over Equity Monday for the beginning of this year as Alex is out on paternity leave. Big hugs to his growing family!We're starting the year with big post-PTO energy, because there's no other way we know how to do it. Here's what we chatted:Tesla missing expectations, Meta doing its let's-just-acquire-smart-talent thing, and a debut in the S&P 500 that caught our attention.A big idea that is running around over at Matrix. TC's Pau

Jan 3, 2023 • 8:19

2022's best and worst dinner guest: Elon Musk

2022's best and worst dinner guest: Elon Musk

In honor of 2022 finally coming to a close, the Equity crew is getting reflective. We dug through the archives, and this week, we're listening back to Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann's coverage of the biggest stories of the year as they unfolded.Here's what the trio got into with help from guest hosts, Becca Szkutak and Anita Ramaswamy:How Alex jinxed us from the start when he asked for more tech drama (TC+) back in JanuaryEarly signs of the downturn to come with Better.com and the human cost of layo

Dec 30, 2022 • 51:31

Failure is a choose-your-own adventure for startups (re-run)

Failure is a choose-your-own adventure for startups (re-run)

Following a parade of headlines and news that Fast shut down back in April, Natasha and Alex asked: What are we missing when we talk about startup failure?The question comes after one of Natasha’s Startups Weekly columns, where she looked into the complexity of startup failure, fallacy of takedown stories, and importance of diversity in newsrooms. Here's an excerpt:"There’s the argument that startup tensions are inevitable and common, so should we spotlight every time something bubbles

Dec 28, 2022 • 27:29

Special episode: Augmenting creativity with Alice Albrecht from re:collect (Found)

Special episode: Augmenting creativity with Alice Albrecht from re:collect (Found)

The Equity crew is kicking off your week with a special episode from our sister podcast, Found, the stories behind the startups. Co-hosts Darrell Etherington and Becca Szkutak spoke with Alice Albrecht from Re:collect, a software tool that augments creativity by helping people focus, recall, and connect their ideas. The conversation covered a lot of ground from how to hone your pitch when your product is so cerebral, how technology can help creativity but Alice argues will never replace it, and

Dec 27, 2022 • 58:59

Special episode: How to pitch a Series A (TechCrunch Live Podcast)

Special episode: How to pitch a Series A (TechCrunch Live Podcast)

This week, the Equity team is spotlighting one of our sister podcasts: TechCrunch Live.  Matt Burns hopped on the mic with Jenny Lefcourt from Freestyle Partners and Guillaume de Zwirek, CEO and co-founder of WELL Health, to talk all about raising a Series A and specific steps for founders to follow.As you’ll hear from Lefourt and de Zwirek, there are notable differences between raising a seed round and a Series A round. Investors look at different aspects of the company, and the founde

Dec 23, 2022 • 54:37

Brex's 2022 reality

Brex's 2022 reality

This week, Mary Ann is taking the reins with another favorite from the TechCrunch Disrupt stage. She sat down with Brex CEO and co-founder, Henrique Dubugras, and Anu Hariharan, YC’s managing director for continuity and an early Brex investor, to expose the context around this whirlwind of a year.The conversation candidly uncovers details behind the fintech's pandemic pivot, layoffs, and going remote. If you love the conversation, share it with a friend. And if you want more on Brex, Ma

Dec 21, 2022 • 37:31

Special episode: SBF doesn't need SPF where he's going and other TC news (The TechCrunch Podcast)

Special episode: SBF doesn't need SPF where he's going and other TC news (The TechCrunch Podcast)

Darrell talked with Tim De Chant about his coverage of fusion energy and what feels like a rare hopeful story in renewable energy tech. And Jacquelyn Melinek walks us through Sam Bankman-Fried’s alleged crimes and confirmed arrest.  Plus he goes over the top stories in tech from the week.  And as always, Darrell breaks down the biggest stories in tech.Articles from the episode: World-record fusion experiment produced even more energy than expected FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has been

Dec 19, 2022 • 28:26

Equity's 2023 predictions on the future of building, crypto and AI

Equity's 2023 predictions on the future of building, crypto and AI

To end the year, we are bringing back our predictions episode with the entire Equity crew: Alex, Natasha, Mary Ann, Theresa, Maggie, and Becca. Grace couldn't make the mic but we have a feeling she'd agree with at least 2% of our predictions, anyways.Let's not ruin the episode, but to give you a taste, here's what topics we based our predictions on:Startup building and culture trendsM&A and the return of secondariesThe future of media and how social will shiftDeep tech and generative AIAnd, of c

Dec 16, 2022 • 35:14

The impact of hype with Clubhouse's Paul Davison

The impact of hype with Clubhouse's Paul Davison

This week, Natasha is bringing one of her favorite panels from Disrupt to your ears. She sat down with Clubhouse co-founder and CEO, Paul Davison, to talk about the core of Clubhouse, competition, and the impact of hype.The conversation touches on the company's hyper growth, celebrity power, and navigating social platforms and social patterns, with a round of questions from the audience at the end. If you love the conversation, share it with a friend. And if you want more on Clubhouse, Natasha d

Dec 14, 2022 • 29:50

Special episode: AI art? More like AI fart and other TC news (The TechCrunch Podcast)

Special episode: AI art? More like AI fart and other TC news (The TechCrunch Podcast)

Hey, Equity family! While we're off preparing more end-of-year special episodes for you, we wanted to share an episode from our sister pod: The TechCrunch Podcast.This week Darrell Etherington talks with Taylor Hatmaker on to talk about Lensa AI and the possible ramifications for artists. Then we’ll hear from some attendees at the TC sessions: Space event  And as always, Darrell breaks down the biggest stories in tech.Articles from the episode: Lensa AI, the app making ‘magic avatars,’

Dec 12, 2022 • 31:55

2022: The good, the bad, and the wake-up calls

2022: The good, the bad, and the wake-up calls

We are nearly at the end of the year, so your friendly, local podcast crew is trying to make sense of just what happened in 2022.We started the year on a venture capital high which quickly turned into a downturn. Startups kicked off the year hiring and wrapped the year shedding staff. The stock market kept going down. A crypto winter kicked off. We saw some PE deals but very few IPOs. And the world saw a bit more geopolitical upheaval than we might have anticipated.There were elections and shutd

Dec 9, 2022 • 35:33

Ego-ish: how tech's main characters are all a bit different

Ego-ish: how tech's main characters are all a bit different

This week, Natasha chatted with Alex about ego, how recent news from Sam Bankman-Fried and Elizabeth Holmes gives us a window into how it works, and impacts on the tech and venture landscape.We talked about: What Holmes and Bankman-Fried have in common, from centralized ownership to a cult of personality The differences between the two entrepreneurs, and why their stories tend to blur together How Adam Neumann, Elon Musk and others fit into the conversation Learning lessons from startup

Dec 7, 2022 • 33:32

Is this what good news feels like?

Is this what good news feels like?

Stocks in China are ripping higher on news that its drastic COVID-related policies could be starting to ease. It's a long way from a reopening, but after years of hard-edged lockdowns, Chinese tech companies are breathing a sigh of relief — at least in valuation terms. Shares are down in Europe and the United States.How much are Chinese equities rallying? Bilibili is in the lead, up around 16% in pre-market trading. The day's gains won't cover all prior losses, but for the nation's beleaguered t

Dec 5, 2022 • 8:29

Are we bullfighting in Spain? Because that's a red flag

Are we bullfighting in Spain? Because that's a red flag

For the last time in 2022, the whole Friday gang got together to chat through the latest and greatest in the world of technology and startup news:ResortPass raises money. Mary Ann explains the business model.Post.News raises money. Alex digs into what he likes and doesn't like about the new Twitter competitor.SBF wants you to know he had no idea what was going on. We are not so sure.Venture red flags are great in hindsight, but would have been more useful last year.Layoffs at DoorDash and Kraken

Dec 2, 2022 • 33:41

How tech PR's job changed in 2022

How tech PR's job changed in 2022

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 Vijay Chattha, a startup comms leader who has spent over 20 years in the storytelling world. Chattha is the CEO and founder of VSC and founding partner of VSC Ventures, a $21 million investment vehicle to back startups. H

Nov 30, 2022 • 36:20

What's next on crypto's chopping block?

What's next on crypto's chopping block?

It's me! Hi! (I'm not the problem, just the podcast's host, here to bring you the latest greatest in startup and tech news this fine Monday morning). Welcome back to Equity, the podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. And for those of you who hummed the first sentence of this post, extra points to you.I'm starting things off this week as a test run before Alex heads on paternity leave. We have lots to get to, so shake off the holiday f

Nov 28, 2022 • 8:22

Party rounds are either the dinner party of your dreams or the one where no one shows up (re-post)

Party rounds are either the dinner party of your dreams or the one where no one shows up (re-post)

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 Equity crew unwinds from Thanksgiving here in the U.S., we're bringing you one of our favorite conversations from this year:Natasha, along with Alex's help, asked: Who should be raising Party Rounds? The episode was inspired by Natasha’s recent Startups Weekly column, “When the party has confetti but no allergen-friendly appetizers" and the co

Nov 25, 2022 • 28:36

Tech’s homogeneity problem

Tech’s homogeneity problem

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 Karla Monterroso, a long time leadership coach, racial equity advocate and the founder of Brava Leaders. We talked about her route into the leadership coaching space, but mainly sought to answer questions about t

Nov 23, 2022 • 32:29

Good morning, assets are selling off

Good morning, assets are selling off

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

Nov 21, 2022 • 9:07

Pick your poison: recruitment or retention?

Pick your poison: recruitment or retention?

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 answerin

Nov 18, 2022 • 34:01

Corporate comms for the startup soul

Corporate comms for the startup soul

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 jus

Nov 17, 2022 • 30:47

Cleanup, aisle FTX

Cleanup, aisle FTX

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

Nov 14, 2022 • 8:27

It’s not a rug pull if it’s an accident

It’s not a rug pull if it’s an accident

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

Nov 11, 2022 • 37:55

Tech layoffs may get worse before they get better

Tech layoffs may get worse before they get better

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

Nov 9, 2022 • 34:05

One day all tech news will merely be updates to Twitter moderation policies

One day all tech news will merely be updates to Twitter moderation policies

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 major There'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

Nov 7, 2022 • 8:00

Most of the unicorns aren’t

Most of the unicorns aren’t

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

Nov 4, 2022 • 35:39

Investors are either ghosting, quiet quitting or rewriting their entire playbook

Investors are either ghosting, quiet quitting or rewriting their entire playbook

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 ope

Nov 2, 2022 • 30:01

Elon Musk and Twitter Close Deal: Hot Takes (Bonus Episode)

Elon Musk and Twitter Close Deal: Hot Takes (Bonus Episode)

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 Wed

Oct 31, 2022 • 33:52

Twitter is a startup again, I guess

Twitter is a startup again, I guess

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

Oct 31, 2022 • 9:41

I regret to inform you that Elon has something to do with this

I regret to inform you that Elon has something to do with this

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:

Oct 28, 2022 • 34:57

Yes, Chief

Yes, Chief

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 o

Oct 26, 2022 • 28:40

Seeing startups tackle the health of our planet is giving me life

Seeing startups tackle the health of our planet is giving me life

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

Oct 24, 2022 • 10:07

Will your company cut your benefits or your coworkers first? (re-post)

Will your company cut your benefits or your coworkers first? (re-post)

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

Oct 21, 2022 • 31:13

Well, that was Fast: Equity Live at TechCrunch Disrupt

Well, that was Fast: Equity Live at TechCrunch Disrupt

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 sty

Oct 19, 2022 • 29:12

Good morning! We regret to inform you that the wealthy are at it again

Good morning! We regret to inform you that the wealthy are at it again

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 w

Oct 17, 2022 • 8:47

What’s the TAM of the 1%?

What’s the TAM of the 1%?

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 TechC

Oct 14, 2022 • 35:26

Sarah Guo isn’t late to the AI party

Sarah Guo isn’t late to the AI party

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-c

Oct 12, 2022 • 38:23

It would be nice to not talk about Elon Musk for a bit

It would be nice to not talk about Elon Musk for a bit

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 ar

Oct 10, 2022 • 9:32

Musk and Kardashian remind us to stop crying for the wealthy

Musk and Kardashian remind us to stop crying for the wealthy

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 notes:First up, use code “EQUITY” for a special listener discount for Disrupt tickets. We’re mere weeks 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

Oct 7, 2022 • 30:58

What's next for creator-focused startups now that the venture boom is over?

What's next for creator-focused startups now that the venture boom is over?

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, Alex asked: How are platforms responding to the new creator landscape? (Don't worry, the Wednesday show is still Natasha's to lead, she was just a little under the weather this week!)Happily, Alex was not running solo, as TechCrunch'

Oct 5, 2022 • 22:15

Welcome to Q4, crypto fans and Tesla stans

Welcome to Q4, crypto fans and Tesla stans

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!Markets: Stocks are largely down around the world, yet set to rise here on American exchanges. Perhaps the domestic selloff is pausing? Elsewhere in the world of money, cryptocurrencies are boring in the last week.Startups:

Oct 3, 2022 • 8:21

We’re all just a Hop, Skip and a Drive away from a better Hustle

We’re all just a Hop, Skip and a Drive away from a better Hustle

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 notes: First up, use code “EQUITY” for a special listener discount for Disrupt tickets. We’re less than one month away! 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. Ok, now to the show. This week, Natasha

Sep 30, 2022 • 39:18

Building startups in public has an end date

Building startups in public has an end date

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 asked: How does the "build in public" mindset impact the way that startups are built? Alex and Natasha chatted through the difference between building in public, going direct, startup PR, and just straight-up hype.We spoke about the c

Sep 28, 2022 • 31:25

Hey, look, some startups are still raising money

Hey, look, some startups are still raising money

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!Markets: Stocks are mostly down around the world today, taking especially large hits in Asia. U.S. shares are set to fall as well when they begin to trade. Major cryptos are also off in the last 24 hours, but not enough to

Sep 26, 2022 • 9:41

When VCs fund the thing you didn't think they'd ever fund

When VCs fund the thing you didn't think they'd ever fund

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Coming to hang with us at Disrupt, where Equity is kicking off the entire event? Use code 'EQUITY' to save 15% on your tickets. Hell yeah, and see you there!Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann jumped on the mic, with Theresa running production, to talk through the biggest headlines from the week! Deals of the Week! This time 'round we had Polywork raising $28 m

Sep 23, 2022 • 38:13

Network isn't a dirty word

Network isn't a dirty word

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 asked: What does breaking into venture capital look like today, and how is it changing? Alex and Becca jumped on the mic to discuss this and start with a refresh on our latest op-ed: "4 views on unpaid venture internships."

Sep 21, 2022 • 31:47

Line goes down

Line goes down

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!Here's what we got into this Fine Monday Morning:Stocks are down around the world, while crypto-assets are down even more; post-Merge you might have anticipated better performance from tokens, but it has not yet come to be.

Sep 19, 2022 • 8:44

Chain Reaction x Equity talk the Ethereum Merge

Chain Reaction x Equity talk the Ethereum Merge

If you are into web3, the biggest news of the week in tech was not the massive Figma-Adobe deal. No, the leading story of the last few days -- arguably even the last few weeks -- has been the Ethereum Merge.The Merge, an upgrade to the Ethereum blockchain that moved it from a proof of work (PoW) to a proof of stake (PoS) system of consensus was a long-awaited shift that finally took place this week. And as the change in technology is expected to reduce the carbon footprint of the popula

Sep 17, 2022 • 37:01

Where's the center of the startup world? Depends on which VC you ask

Where's the center of the startup world? Depends on which VC you ask

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann jumped on the mic, with Theresa on backup, to talk through the biggest headlines.We started with a look at the Figma-Adobe deal, worth some $20 billion. TechCrunch's news coverage is here, and Alex has more notes here.Deals of the Week: Maven, Patreon, and Modulous.We also spoke about the Launch House issue, and what to make of the mod

Sep 16, 2022 • 38:54

Y Combinator is still paranoid

Y Combinator is still paranoid

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 asked: How is YC evolving to meet a changed market? The question is fresh off of Demo Day last week, where Team TC and TC+ banded forces to cover the twice-a-year event that sees hundreds of startups launch to the public.Thes

Sep 14, 2022 • 50:57

The ETH merge cometh

The ETH merge cometh

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 ticketsand TechCrunch+ access. And it makes us here on the show look good!Now, what did we get into today? Stocks are higher around the world, while major cryptos have risen sharply in the last week. The Ethereum update known as the 'Merge' is just around the corner. The change in consens

Sep 12, 2022 • 7:48

Stanford moonshot promises near-term profitability with no-code magical mushrooms, ft. Plaid of X

Stanford moonshot promises near-term profitability with no-code magical mushrooms, ft. Plaid of X

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. As you can tell by the headline of this episode, this is a bonus episode all about Y Combinator Demo Day (and the terms we heard most often during the two-day affair).Natasha and Alex jumped on Twitter Spaces to talk through our favorites of the batch, geography changes, and diversity shake-up that included less women getting funded batch over batch. Below are

Sep 10, 2022 • 32:01

Kim Kardashian and the financialization of trendsetters

Kim Kardashian and the financialization of trendsetters

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.What.A.Week.Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann jumped on the mic, with Theresa on backup, to talk through the biggest headlines. For our Apple coverage, click here. For our YC coverage, click here.All that aside, here's what we got into on today's episode:Kim Kardashian surprised us all -- yet again -- with the news that she is co-founding a private equity firm. We also

Sep 9, 2022 • 37:10

As the economy falters, tracking the money behind the money

As the economy falters, tracking the money behind the money

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 and unpack the rest. Today we asked: How is the economic downturn and startup slowdown impacting VCs, and the folks who finance venture capital funds?Unlike our usual mid-week episodes, Natasha was not at the helm. Instead, Alex stood in for her and brought along TechCrunch+ venture capital report

Sep 7, 2022 • 29:57

Welcome to YC and Apple week

Welcome to YC and Apple week

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 on a Tuesday instead of a Monday thanks to an American holiday, which means we are looking at a compressed week. But don't let the shorter window for news fool you -- it's going to be busy.Stocks are largely higher today, but off the back of some rough trading weeks so don't read too much into the bounce. The world of crypto appears pretty quiet, as

Sep 6, 2022 • 7:53

We Reali don't know when real estate will get Better

We Reali don't know when real estate will get Better

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.This was a Live Week, meaning that Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann recorded the show on Twitter Spaces, hanging out with a bunch of the Equity family. Good times were had! We also disclosed that we are recording live at Disrupt this year! Yes, so come hang out as we tape the show on opening day, full of coffee and enthusiasm.Now, to the show notes. Here's what we hav

Sep 2, 2022 • 35:52

Party rounds are either the dinner party of your dreams or the one where no one shows up

Party rounds are either the dinner party of your dreams or the one where no one shows up

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, along with Alex's help, Natasha asked: Who should be raising Party Rounds? The episode was inspired by Natasha’s recent Startups Weekly column, “When the party has confetti but no allergen-friendly appetizers" and the companion TechCrunch+ pi

Aug 31, 2022 • 26:11

Does venture capital need a shot in the arm?

Does venture capital need a shot in the arm?

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 was back with Grace and our new producer Theresa Loconsolo to kick off the week. This Monday morning we recorded right before Garry Tan announced that he was heading back to Y Combinator as its President. Dang.But we still had a good sheaf of things to talk about!Stocks are not having a good day around the world, after having a pretty tough last F

Aug 29, 2022 • 7:41

Press and Law v. Adam and Elon

Press and Law v. Adam and Elon

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Want to save some dosh on TechCrunch+? Use the code 'EQUITY' at checkout for a big discount on annual subscriptions!Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann are back and as a three were in good spirits with more than a bit of news to parse. Grace, Theresa, and Kell made the magic happen, for which we're thankful. Here's what we got into:Just what OrangeDAO is, and why it matt

Aug 26, 2022 • 31:26

Black Girls Code's developing story offers a complicated look at lots of different things

Black Girls Code's developing story offers a complicated look at lots of different things

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 asked: What happens when a Black founder was ousted? Alex was back on the mic after a week away, and we brought on Dominic-Madori Davis (follow her on Twitter and Instagram) to talk us through the topic. After all, the core q

Aug 24, 2022 • 27:59

What's a crypto exchange worth?

What's a crypto exchange worth?

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 was back with Grace and our new producer to kick off the week. Now that we are through earnings season, things are a little quieter on the forecast front, but that didn't mean that we were short on material:Stocks are down around the world, while crypto prices remain depressed in the last week; NFT volume continues its negative drift.CNBC got FTX

Aug 22, 2022 • 8:58

Will your company cut your benefits or your coworkers first?

Will your company cut your benefits or your coworkers first?

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, 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 in

Aug 19, 2022 • 30:28

Let's officially stop comparing Adam Neumann and Elizabeth Holmes

Let's officially stop comparing Adam Neumann and Elizabeth Holmes

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. And, I mean, are you surprised what we're working with this week? Of course we're talking about Flow, Adam Neumann's a16z-fueled return to real estate that is already reportedly valued above $1 billion.This week, Natasha asked: Is the return is a result

Aug 17, 2022 • 33:06

Startup yachts, Adam Neumann and wait what year is it again?

Startup yachts, Adam Neumann and wait what year is it again?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Natasha took over Equity Monday this week alongside Grace, as Alex enjoys some always-deserved vacation. Thankfully, there was way too much to get into. So much so that I recommend you listening to this podcast immediately before a whole news cycle breaks.Here's what we got into: Morning markets update, which is somewhat a story about reaction to China'

Aug 15, 2022 • 11:32

So, when is the SoftBank Execution Fund III dropping?

So, when is the SoftBank Execution Fund III dropping?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann worked with Grace to record yet another weekly round up on all the tech news that may have flown past your radar. Or bumped into it so hard that you're still dizzy and looking for more information. Regardless of where you're at, here's what we got into: For our deals of the week, we spoke about QED making its first African inv

Aug 12, 2022 • 35:10

Founders, whales, and the sea change in the entrepreneurial energy

Founders, whales, and the sea change in the entrepreneurial energy

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 asked: Despite all the dollars and deals out there, does a drop in activation energy change how many entrepreneurs we'll see in the early-stage market?But, we're not alone! Found co-hosts Jordan Crook and Darrell Eth

Aug 10, 2022 • 31:38

How to lose money, SoftBank edition

How to lose money, SoftBank edition

Alex and Grace are back to cover the biggest and most interesting technology, startup and markets news. This morning was a fun mix of stuff that we don't always get to, so strap in for the following: Stocks and cryptos are mostly higher today, meaning that most listeners of the show are now richer than they were Friday. Congratulations! Coinbase earnings on the horizon, but we got word today from Palantir and SoftBank. Palantir's stock is off due to a guidance miss, while SoftBank repor

Aug 8, 2022 • 8:59

Robinhood's hangover, YC's reduction and Uber's return to form

Robinhood's hangover, YC's reduction and Uber's return to form

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann got together with Maggie and Grace this week for our weekly roundup show, and per usual, there was a lot to talk about, including the fact that there were even more topics than usual to pick from as the summer slowdown seems to be fading away. What else did we get into? The following: To kick off our Deals of the Week, we disc

Aug 5, 2022 • 32:57

Is it the bootstrapper’s time to jump on the venture treadmill?

Is it the bootstrapper’s time to jump on the venture treadmill?

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 asked: Is it the bootstrapper’s time to jump on the venture treadmill?The episode was inspired by Natasha's recent Startups Weekly column, "The bootstrapped are coming, the bootstrapped are coming" and the companion

Aug 3, 2022 • 23:39

Public tech's espresso shot is quite literally The Cloud

Public tech's espresso shot is quite literally The Cloud

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Last week we said that you needed to pay attention to the public markets, and we weren't kidding. It was a huge week for earnings -- with notes from all over including the ad market and cloud spend. But this week's Monday show was more than just another entry in the series, it was an experimental live show! Natasha joined Alex for the fun, and this is what they

Aug 1, 2022 • 27:50

Crypto and securities, back of the postcard version

Crypto and securities, back of the postcard version

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann got together with Grace once again this week for our weekly roundup show, and hot dang was there a lot to talk about. So much so that we actually had to cut one topic from our notes, any guesses what that may have been?Regardless, here's the rundown:We had a big fintech theme this week, kicking off with the huge news that Jack Ma is gi

Jul 29, 2022 • 31:22

A niche facet of startup employee pay, explained

A niche facet of startup employee pay, explained

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 Anita asked:When is a company taking internal valuation cut a good thing?Normally, when we hear about valuations going down, that's a red flag that things aren't going well at a given company or in the market at large. We

Jul 27, 2022 • 31:56

Why you have to pay attention to the public markets this week

Why you have to pay attention to the public markets this week

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex and Grace are back to cover the biggest and most interesting technology, startup and markets news. Sitting as we are on the precipice of a huge data dump, we had lots to chat through!Stocks are mixed around the world, while crypto selloff modestly after some recovery gains. In general, the value of securities are down in recent weeks and months, and now, fr

Jul 25, 2022 • 8:59

Thanks to Amazon, One Medical and Whole Foods are on the same dang shelf

Thanks to Amazon, One Medical and Whole Foods are on the same dang shelf

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann got together with Grace once again this week for our weekly roundup show, and as often happens, news broke as we were gearing up to record. So we had to touch on the huge Amazon-One Medical deal to get started. Naturally we all had thoughts.What else did we get into? The following:Crunchbase raised $50 million! Yes, our former employer

Jul 22, 2022 • 35:36

OK, don't fear: the long shots are still getting venture funding

OK, don't fear: the long shots are still getting venture funding

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 asked: How do founders hold two ideas in their heads: both that there is an economic downturn, but also that things are looking up for many industries?After a series of episodes about the tensions within the downturn

Jul 20, 2022 • 29:54

When will India make up its mind about crypto?

When will India make up its mind about crypto?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex and Grace are back to cover the biggest, and most interesting technology, startup, and markets news. Today was a fun day in that we didn't start off with just bad news -- what a change! Stocks are up around the world, and cryptos have rallied in the last week. The positive price movement in crypto-land, however, doesn't appear to be lighting a fire

Jul 18, 2022 • 11:28

Building the future of robotics

Building the future of robotics

Hello and welcome to a special edition of Equity!Today, Alex sat down Brian Heater, a long-tenured TechCrunch denizen, our hardware editor, podcast extraordinaire, and genial chap. He also put together a really neat robotics-focused event that we're hosting next week. The event is online, and free, which means that everyone can come and hang (that means you!)The confab was also a good excuse to snag time with Heater, and have a bit of a natter about robotics, how the self-driving hardware stack

Jul 16, 2022 • 22:11

Wordle, hurdles and Sally’s early retirement

Wordle, hurdles and Sally’s early retirement

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann enjoyed yet another edition of Equity Live this week, hopping on Twitter Spaces to chat everything from Musk’s meme suit to a new take on Wordle that landed Spotify’s attention. When we stopped recording the episode, news broke that Stripe is cutting its internal valuation by 28%. Luckily, we do this three times a week to stay tuned fo

Jul 15, 2022 • 38:27

Roe's reversal will shake up how startups are built

Roe's reversal will shake up how startups are built

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 asked: How does Roe’s reversal impact the ways that companies are built?The question was inspired by a recent TechCrunch+ column, "Roe reversal weighs heavily on emerging tech cities in red states." The reporters behind the p

Jul 13, 2022 • 25:34

Cost cutting, layoffs remain leading startup themes

Cost cutting, layoffs remain leading startup themes

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex and Grace are back to cover the biggest, boldest and baddest technology news. After some holiday weeks, we are back on an actual Monday! What a treat. Here's what we got into:Stocks are off around the world, partially due to government action, partially due to the complex web of negative factors that we've discussed for months now.Cryptos are more staid; if

Jul 11, 2022 • 7:04

Cauldrons, Bolts and sour markets: Welcome to Halloween in July

Cauldrons, Bolts and sour markets: Welcome to Halloween in July

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.It doesn't feel like a short week, does it? Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann got on the mic to bring an especially packed episode full of big news, fire transitions and even a pun or three.Deals of the week: Maolac raises $3.2 million to bring breast milk nutrition to adults, Peakflo raises a few million to scale its billpay tech in South East Asia, and Cauldron raise

Jul 8, 2022 • 33:52

Why build a tech mafia when you can just build each other?

Why build a tech mafia when you can just build each other?

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 asked: Why is tech full of copycats, and what’s the next full circle moment we can expect?The question was inspired by Natasha's recent Startups Weekly column: "YC makes a Product Hunt, Product Hunt makes an a16z, a16z makes

Jul 6, 2022 • 27:38

Contrarian bets in a downturn

Contrarian bets in a downturn

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex and Grace are back to cover the biggest, boldest and baddest technology news. We are back on Tuesday, as the United States was off yesterday. So a day late, but hopefully not a dollar short, here's what we got into today: Stocks are mixed around the world, and set to fall in the United States at the open. At the same time, the crypto market has bee

Jul 5, 2022 • 9:03

When do layoffs matter? Trick question - always

When do layoffs matter? Trick question - always

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.This was a live week on the podcast, meaning that Mary Ann and Alex and Natasha and Grace teamed up with the fine audio and visual folks from our mothership Yahoo to not only record the show, but to do so in front of, well, all of you! It's fun to record live, and we'll do it again in two weeks!What did we get into? The following: Deals of the Week: Ho

Jul 1, 2022 • 35:33

Understanding the not-so-fine print of 2022 term sheets

Understanding the not-so-fine print of 2022 term sheets

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic, think about a question and unpack the rest. This week, Natasha asked: What’s in the fine print for term sheets these days, and what does that tell us about who is going to be in control during the downturn? The question was inspired by a recent story by Becca Szkutak - one of TC's newest venture reporters - about how deal terms look different in a downturn. Of course that means we had to bring on Szkutak to talk about he

Jun 29, 2022 • 27:18

Leverage, red flags, and a changing venture landscape

Leverage, red flags, and a changing venture landscape

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex and Grace are back to cover the biggest, boldest and baddest technology news. This week we are not recording on a Tuesday as it's a regular week. Though we would add that Equity will be live on Thursday, when we record our Friday episode. So if you wanted to come hang, make sure that you are following the show on Twitter.Right, so what did we get i

Jun 27, 2022 • 10:17

All this startup news, and we didn’t even talk about Juul

All this startup news, and we didn’t even talk about Juul

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Today Natasha and Alex were on the mics, kicking back and riffing through the biggest technology stories of the week. Our dear Mary Ann was off this week, but will be back in short order.What did we get into? A bevy of blistering bromides, naturally:Accel has a new $4 billion fund, focused on the late-stage, which is at once a pile of duckets and a fascinating timing f

Jun 24, 2022 • 32:27

Fintech's fever can't make up its mind

Fintech's fever can't make up its mind

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 asked: After a multi-year fundraising boom, what is the current health of the fintech startup market?The episode was inspired by a rigamarole of news, including but not limited to Klarna's potential valuation haircut

Jun 22, 2022 • 22:26

The fintech funding market is not dead

The fintech funding market is not dead

Alex and Grace are back to cover the biggest, boldest and baddest technology news. This is our Monday show, coming to you this week on a Tuesday as, hey, yesterday was a holiday for many American workers, in honor of Juneteenth. So, we're doing our weekly kickoff one day later than usual. Here's what we got into:Stocks are higher globally, while the crypto market is somewhat quiet after a tumultuous few weeks.We're coming up on the end of Q2 2022, which means that we're at once heading into earn

Jun 21, 2022 • 9:45

This feels like a SoftBank deal from 4 years ago

This feels like a SoftBank deal from 4 years ago

Equity is back in the saddle this week, with Mary Ann and Alex and Grace powering through a busy week's news. And while much of the news in startup-land is a bit lacking these days -- you may have noticed a sentiment shift on Twitter! -- we did find some good tidings as well.Here's the rundown:Sesame, which operates an online medical care marketplace, raised $27 million to help people without insurance or those with high deductibles get affordable health care. Interestingly, its lead investor al

Jun 17, 2022 • 31:23

We're entering an era of, um, creative accounting in startups

We're entering an era of, um, creative accounting in startups

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 brought on TechCrunch reporter Haje Jan Kamps, who, prior to and in between his journalism careers, spent years as a founder and a venture capitalist. Together, the trio asked: How might companies use math in the com

Jun 15, 2022 • 27:14

Crisis! On the blockchain

Crisis! On the blockchain

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Alex and Grace are back to cover the biggest, best, and baddest technology news. We are back once again here with your weekly kickoff! Here’s what we got into: Stocks are down around the world, with nearly every major index that we checked falling 2% or more. Crypto prices are in the tank, with bitcoin and ether losing double-digit percentage points in

Jun 13, 2022 • 8:52

Looking back at the venture market of one year ago

Looking back at the venture market of one year ago

The show is largely off this week, which means that we don't have our usual deluge of new startup news covered for you. But, we didn't want to leave you with nothing at all on this lovely Friday, so we went to the time machine to see what we could find.The episode in the feed today is the same episode we put out nearly exactly one year ago today (June 11, 2021) to give some flavor and context to what was going on a now a year past. The idea was that we've spent so much time talking about how 202

Jun 10, 2022 • 29:41

The early signs of startup layoffs to come

The early signs of startup layoffs to come

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic, think about a question and unpack the rest. As the team takes a break this week, we decided to replay an old yet prescient episode from earlier this week. In February, Natasha and Alex asked: What can startups learn from the rise, and now struggles, of Hopin? For companies that grew like weeds, what’s next?Hopin was one of the first tech companies to conduct layoffs in 2022; and as we said then, while it is is perhaps a

Jun 8, 2022 • 28:52

Sheryl Sandberg, Substack and the art of still raising money for groceries

Sheryl Sandberg, Substack and the art of still raising money for groceries

This was another live week from the Equity crew, meaning that the towering Mary Ann, the inimitable Natasha, and the somewhat fungible Alex were all chatting in real time, thanks to Grace and Julio having the script and tech in place to allow for it. And as we were live, we also wound up taking a little bit more time per story than usual, which was good fun.What did we get into? A lot: The end of an era: Sandberg steps down from Meta COO role. Deals of the Week: Affirm ties up with Stri

Jun 3, 2022 • 37:09

How investors are playing offense right now (their words, our two cents)

How investors are playing offense right now (their words, our two cents)

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, we're trying something new. Natasha spent a good chunk of last week at the All Raise VC summit, an annual off-the-record event that brings together some of the best and brightest in the investment community. After the summit, she sat

Jun 1, 2022 • 38:31

Faster ML models, crypto M&A, and what's ahead for on-demand pricing

Faster ML models, crypto M&A, and what's ahead for on-demand pricing

It’s Monday, which means that Alex and Grace were back as a team to cover the biggest, boldest and baddest technology news. We are once again back with your weekly kickoff! Here’s what we got into:More on the potential M&A boom this week, in light of this recent CNBC piece that got my mind turning. Sure, this is kinda like the CVC story we've been tracking but a bit more focused.China's venture capital market is taking body-blows, albeit from recent highs. Still, it is more than easy to track th

May 31, 2022 • 7:24

A ping-pong match between bulls and bears

A ping-pong match between bulls and bears

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.Happily we were once again at full strength this week, with Alex Wilhelm, Natasha Mascarenhas and Mary Ann Azevedo chatting, and Grace handling production.You can tell from the topic list today that we are in an odd time. There are myriad signals that the startup market is slowing down. And there are some counter-narrative data points that paint a more complex p

May 27, 2022 • 33:16

We think founders need a quick Heart to Heart about the market

We think founders need a quick Heart to Heart about the market

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 asked: How are early-stage founders thinking about this downturn? The inimitable Alex teamed up with her to interview Joshua Ogundu, the founder and CEO of Heart to Heart about this timely topic.The question comes after Natasha’s rece

May 25, 2022 • 34:40

Will falling tech valuations kick off a M&A boom?

Will falling tech valuations kick off a M&A boom?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.It's Monday, which means that Alex and Grace were back as a team to cover the biggest, boldest, and baddest technology news. We are once again back with your weekly kickoff! Here's what we got into:The stock market may not vomit all over itself today, which would be a nice break from recent weeks.Broadcom is working on buying VMware in what would prove to be a m

May 23, 2022 • 9:18

A Twitter Bot Wrote This

A Twitter Bot Wrote This

The whole team was back together this week, which was pretty darn good as there was a lot to get through. Alex Wilhelm, Natasha Mascarenhas and Mary Ann Azevedo were on the mic, with Grace handling production.What did we get into? A better question might be what did we not get into: We started with an update from the TechCrunch Mobility event, thanks to Natasha who is on-site and up in the air. From there it was time to talk deals, with the crew parsing Arrived's latest round, and why

May 20, 2022 • 38:14

Is there hope for digital health startups post-Roe?

Is there hope for digital health startups post-Roe?

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic, think about a question and unpack the rest. This week, Natasha asked:  How do digital health startups build in a post-Roe world?The question comes after Natasha’s recent Startups Weekly column, "When your startup’s core mission is set to be overturned." The piece explores the ripple effects of the looming Roe v. Wade overturn, specifically in how it impacts startups. But, let's not hypothesize. We brought on Kiki Freedma

May 18, 2022 • 23:44

What's ahead for crypto startups?

What's ahead for crypto startups?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week.What was on our minds this morning? The following:Global markets are generally down, albeit nothing too terrifying. The American stock market is trying to regain its footing after weeks of selling.What's ahead for crypto startups in the wake of the Terra/Luna me

May 16, 2022 • 8:29

How close are we to understanding what's going on?

How close are we to understanding what's going on?

This week we recorded live, which is always good fun, meaning that we took some questions from the audience. If you want that version of the show, we have a YouTube archive of it here.For those of you more into audio, we have you covered here. Natasha, Alex, and Grace teamed up with Julio and Yashad to host the shindig, allowing us to cover the following: The end of iPod, a time to reflect on technology trends. The exit of a Modern Fertility co-founder, and the MARA round bringing more

May 13, 2022 • 40:31

Tech layoffs don't happen to companies, they happen to people

Tech layoffs don't happen to companies, they happen to people

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 asked: What does the most recent wave of layoffs mean for tech workers?The question comes after Natasha’s recent Startups Weekly column, "The Great Resignation, meet the Great Reset." In the piece, which included a round up of recent tech layoffs, she explored the idea of employee whiplash, and why this moment in pullback is different than what we saw in Marc

May 11, 2022 • 26:45

The dominoes are falling

The dominoes are falling

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week.Happily once again we did not start the day by talking about Elon Musk and Twitter, though the news was not really very good:Stocks are down sharply around the world. And crypto prices, which track larger asset prices, are also sharply lower in the last day, and

May 9, 2022 • 8:42

Stripe is playing checkers with Plaid

Stripe is playing checkers with Plaid

The crew was back at full-speed, and maybe even full excitement meets exhaustion, this week.  Alex Wilhelm, Natasha Mascarenhas and Mary Ann Azevedo were on the mic with moral and edit support from the wonderful Grace. If we had to give this episode it's own autobiography we'd call it: "Drama, tech twitter and therapeutic moments in between."We got into a whole ton of news including:Musk's new best friends back his $44 billion bid for Twitter - and why one of them are probably experiencing deja

May 6, 2022 • 36:46

Ok, this one is for the crypto-curious

Ok, this one is for the crypto-curious

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 asked: What do the crypto-curious need to know to be more savvy about the space? Better than our question, though, was our company: we brought on Anita Ramaswamy and Lucas Matney, the minds behind TechCrunch's newest podcast Chain Reaction. The crypto-focused pod launched a few weeks ago and already has a lot of folks' attention. We highly recommend a listen,

May 4, 2022 • 27:10

How to failwhale the blockchain

How to failwhale the blockchain

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week.Thankfully we did not start this episode by talking about Elon Musk and Twitter! You are welcome!Instead we started with bleak Chinese economic news, that segued into falling venture capital totals for a key startup sector in that country. It turns out that a ma

May 2, 2022 • 8:31

Does it smell like teen spirit, or teen bankruptcy?

Does it smell like teen spirit, or teen bankruptcy?

This was a live week! Which meant that Mary Ann Azevedo was on the mic with Alex Wilhelm, and Grace Mendenhall, our ever-trusty producer, helped us power through. A big shoutout to Dennis, Julio, and Yashad for getting all the tech working well.Right, what did we dive into during our live taping? A lot! The latest from the Elon Musk-Twitter saga, including the social media company's earnings and how it is somewhat sensitive to market sentiment; Musk won't have infinite room with which t

Apr 29, 2022 • 29:21

Yes, we're talking about Elon

Yes, we're talking about Elon

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic, think about a question and unpack the rest. This week, Natasha was out due to a family matter, so Alex and Amanda came together to chat through the larger Elon Musk-Twitter saga.Yes, the TechCrunch crew got together on Tuesday for a very long, fun, and relaxed Twitter Space when the news broke. However, instead of going back through all that audio to just pull out the key bits, we decided to focus ourselves down to the core eleme

Apr 27, 2022 • 19:11

What will Elon actually do if he buys Twitter?

What will Elon actually do if he buys Twitter?

Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week. Stocks are down, and cryptos not looking too impressive as the world gears up for a packed week of mega-tech earnings. The Twitter-Elon Musk deal could happen soon? As soon as today? It appears that after Musk dropped a filing indicating that he actually had the funds to buy the deal, talks shook loose. What's ahead? I have precisely and exactly no idea. Hopin is perhaps enduring some t

Apr 25, 2022 • 9:27

If you could go to Andreessen Horowitz or YC as a startup, which would you choose?

If you could go to Andreessen Horowitz or YC as a startup, which would you choose?

This week was a good week because we had the full team back together. Natasha Mascarenhas was on hand, Mary Ann Azevedo was on the mic, and Alex Wilhelm was around as well. Grace, our ever-trusty producer and lead on the Friday show, was on the dials.As with nearly every week this year, we had to cut and cut to make the show fit into its allotted time. This is what we got into: Brief updates on SoftBank, Better.com, and Elon's quest to buy Twitter. On the deals front, we talked about M

Apr 22, 2022 • 32:40

More money doesn’t mean more growth, and other startup myths

More money doesn’t mean more growth, and other startup myths

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic, think about a question and unpack the rest. This week, fresh off of a reunion that included pasta and green rooms, Natasha and Alex asked: What are some startup assumptions that get it wrong?The question comes after one of Natasha’s recent Startups Weekly column, "Let’s stop pretending there are silos in startup land." In the piece, which was teased out in her newsletter, she talked about how separations between late-stage and ea

Apr 20, 2022 • 25:43

Are poison pills really that bitter?

Are poison pills really that bitter?

Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week.We are sitting on the precipice of a very busy few weeks, so let's get right to work! Stocks are mixed around the world to start the day, cryptos are off a little more but nothing too scary. Didi will vote on leaving the US public markets this May, and has promised to not list anywhere else in the interim. This saga is nearly behind us, but what a mess it will leave in its wake. The Bean

Apr 18, 2022 • 9:04

‘The Ultimatum’ and social fintech have more in common than you’d think

‘The Ultimatum’ and social fintech have more in common than you’d think

This week was TechCrunch Early Stage, so Natasha and Alex got together - in person - to record the episode for the very first time. Shout out to Grace for somehow helping us figure out a tech set up in the middle of a sold out event.We started with a recap of TechCrunch Early Stage so far, but check out TechCrunch+ for posts about every single panel next week. Pro listener tip: use code "EQUITY" for a solid discount, for your TechCrunch+ subscription.Then we of course pivoted to Elon, who is sti

Apr 15, 2022 • 25:59

Venture needs crypto more than crypto needs venture

Venture needs crypto more than crypto needs venture

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic, think about a question and unpack the rest. This week, given a parade of headlines and news that Fast shut down, Natasha and Alex brought on our new senior TechCrunch+ reporter Jacquelyn Melinek to ask: How is ‘Web3’ blowing up venture’s traditional playbook?The question comes after Jacquelyn and Natasha looked into how crypto companies are altering the investing landscape for even the most disciplined VCs. Use code "EQUITY" for

Apr 13, 2022 • 26:18

Did we learn anything from the Elon-Twitter brouhaha?

Did we learn anything from the Elon-Twitter brouhaha?

Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week.This week was big-tech heavy, as the startup market had a slow start to the week. Sign of the times or one day fluke? We'll see in time, I suppose.Here's what we got into on the show today:Stocks are down today, and cryptos are doing even worse in recent days.Elon Musk's flirtation with becoming a Twitter board member is over, the company said. Precisely why Musk backed out is not entirely clear,

Apr 11, 2022 • 7:57

Startups in 2022 are indeed ‘harder, Better, Faster, stronger’

Startups in 2022 are indeed ‘harder, Better, Faster, stronger’

This was our live show week! Yes, Mary Ann and Natasha and Alex got together with Grace for our Friday recording on Thursday, meaning that we gathered on Hopin and Twitter Spaces to yammer through the week's news. It was a very busy week, with breaking news up to the minute before we recorded -- including this piece from the Better.com saga. Square’s Better.com name Block is Butter-y smooth  Failure is a choose-your-own adventure for startups Will rising interest rates decimate startup

Apr 8, 2022 • 36:12

Failure is a choose-your-own adventure for startups

Failure is a choose-your-own adventure for startups

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic, think about a question and unpack the rest. This week, given a parade of headlines and news that Fast shut down, Natasha and Alex asked: What are we missing when we talk about startup failure?The question comes after one of Natasha’s recent Startups Weekly columns, where she looked into the complexity of startup failure, fallacy of takedown stories, and importance of diversity in newsrooms. Here's an excerpt:"There’s the

Apr 6, 2022 • 27:29

Equity Monday: Elon's Twitter stake and the fate of rival social networks

Equity Monday: Elon's Twitter stake and the fate of rival social networks

Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week.After last weeks super startup-heavy show, we were back to our regular Monday grab-bag of news! Here's what we got into: A strong start to the week from global stocks, and a general updraft to crypto prices in recent days. Elon Musk buying a huge stake in Twitter, the popular American social network. The move comes after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO tweeted that Twitter was not allowing enou

Apr 4, 2022 • 10:05

Instacart now delivers market trends

Instacart now delivers market trends

Welcome to our Friday show! Our regular co-host Natasha was off this time, so Mary Ann and Alex linked arms with our producer Grace to blast our way through the news of the week. As always, we had to pick and choose what seemed to matter the most.Here's what we got into: All Things Y Combinator: Here's our first set of favs, and our second. Here's a rundown of fintech companies from the batch, and our look at the Indian participants, and those hailing from Africa. Instacart as trendse

Apr 1, 2022 • 31:00

Demo days definitely amplify a brand, but not the one you'd think

Demo days definitely amplify a brand, but not the one you'd think

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic, think about a question and unpack the rest. This week, in light of Y Combinator's bi-annual demo day, Natasha and Alex asked about the utility of the parade of pitches. Our big question:Are demo days outdated?The question comes after Natasha’s latest Startups Weekly column, where she looked into the trend of everyone constantly trying to re-invent startup accelerators. We've seen everything from in-person events, to virt

Mar 30, 2022 • 20:45

Gearing up for demo day

Gearing up for demo day

Every Monday, Grace and Alex and Kell scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week.This week had a theme. Which was startups. Lots and lots of startups. Here’s the rundown:Markets are mixed this morning, with strong crypto trading results and big news from Tesla.The weekend’s leading conversation in the tech and startup world was about this analysis regarding crypto upstarts not giving out board seats to investors. Call it peak founder-friendliness? It’s also a huge ri

Mar 28, 2022 • 8:34

It's a fintech world, and we're just living in it

It's a fintech world, and we're just living in it

It was a live recording this week, which was good fun. Our co-host Natasha was off, so Mary Ann and Alex teamed up with Grace to hammer our way through the news of the week live, with friends on Hopin, Twitter Spaces, and other locations on deck to hang out and ask questions.Down a co-host or not, we tackled a whole slew of topics, including:Katie Haun's new mega crypto fund, and why the blockchain world seems to be so capital hungry.The simply bonkers pace at which Jeeves, a fintech startup, ha

Mar 25, 2022 • 29:56

The $2B dollar baby

The $2B dollar baby

We had an illness on the team, so instead of recording our usual Wednesday deep-dive, we reached into our recent archives and pulled the audio from a Twitter space we did the other week. In short, it's a Friday-style episode covering a host of topics, but just a little bit late, and on a different day.The Equity team -- Natasha, Mary Ann, Maggie, Grace, and Alex -- were not about to cut back on feeding you the latest and greatest from the startup world. (Oh, and we have a live show on T

Mar 23, 2022 • 27:48

When is an accelerator not an accelerator?

When is an accelerator not an accelerator?

Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week. Markets! The stock market is a bit up and down around the world, but nothing to cause too much concern. Crypto is neutral as well, but with some gains made in the last week. Big news! Anaplan is selling to PE for more than $10 billion. Notably the deal is not cheap, which means that we're seeing private equity get its checkbook out as software company prices come down and become, well

Mar 21, 2022 • 10:24

Series B is the attention-seeking middle child of financing rounds

Series B is the attention-seeking middle child of financing rounds

This week our comrade Mary Ann was off, so Natasha and Alex teamed up with Grace on the dials to chat through the week's biggest news. Here's what our dynamic got into: Webflow's new round: Nine-figures of capital at a revenue multiple north of 40x? What is this, 2021? Nope, just the latest capital infusion for the no-code website company. All Raise's new CEO: The work of diversifying the venture capital market is far from over, and one group working to move the needle not only has pl

Mar 18, 2022 • 36:50

If Tiger Global shows up, will there be new stripes in early-stage?

If Tiger Global shows up, will there be new stripes in early-stage?

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 asked: Will Tiger's second act live up to its first? The question comes after Natasha's latest Startups Weekly column, where she looked into one example of how Tiger Global's stamp of approval is coming for the early stage. Today's conversation is a continuation of that topic, but broadened with examples, context, and of course, some jokes as well.Before digg

Mar 16, 2022 • 30:00

The inevitable codification of Silicon Valley's relationships

The inevitable codification of Silicon Valley's relationships

This week, Natasha is running the show, which means we're returning to our private market focus and, for the fun of it, reminding you all that Pete Davidson is getting high soon. This is going to be a busy week for the team, so expect our sassiness to only increase as the days roll forward. Here's what I got into today: Markets have mixed feelings, thanks to the war in Ukraine, COVID-19, supply chain delays, inflation, and all around high tensions. This includes crypto, mind you. Instea

Mar 14, 2022 • 7:07

SPAC is a four-letter word again

SPAC is a four-letter word again

This was saw Equity back on the live-taping game, with Mary Ann, Natasha, and Alex gathering with Grace and the TechCrunch video team (shoutout Julio and Yashad!) to chat through the week's news. Naturally we had to cut like all hell, but we had a simply terrific time traipsing through the following items:AngelList Ventures raising a $100 million round, and what the deal seems to mean. Mara snagging $6 million for a business that had us all hype, and the Public-Otis tie-up from earlier in the we

Mar 11, 2022 • 37:33

You can't buy a community, so make it worth it

You can't buy a community, so make it worth it

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 connected a slew of  seemingly-unrelated news items to answer a big question:How do we balance community and capitalism?The original question we sought to explore was "can you buy a community?" The answer to that question, after further exploration, felt obvious enough: no, so no what? Combining Epic Games' recent acquisition of Bandcamp, Commsor's latest rai

Mar 9, 2022 • 25:41

Is the AR and VR market only for trillion dollar companies?

Is the AR and VR market only for trillion dollar companies?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week.As before, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was top of mind, but lots of other things were going on so we had more than plenty to yammer about:The global stock market is taking more body-blows in the wake of rising oil prices and geopolitical instability.EA and E

Mar 7, 2022 • 10:14

As Equity turns five, we send our dear friend Chris Gates onto his next adventure

As Equity turns five, we send our dear friend Chris Gates onto his next adventure

Since the birth of Equity in mid-March of 2017, Chris Gates has been part of the team. Indeed, he helped found the show, and over the next half-decade produced and edited hundreds of episodes. He was, in short, a pillar of the team, and a key driver of how show operated day to day. Which is to say that he brought kindness, and warmth, and care to our work. As one of our colleagues put it, TechCrunch's podcast history can't be written without his name as a huge part of it.Sadly for the E

Mar 4, 2022 • 40:44

Fintech TAM explained by dating apps

Fintech TAM explained by dating apps

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 brought on Mary Ann for a special fintech episode, perhaps our spiciest of the year so far. We asked:Are fintech startups playing offense or defense today?To start, we spoke about Ramp and Pipe's latest moves (here, here), which include moving into the travel space and branching out into media and entertainment, respectively, and how they reflect the

Mar 2, 2022 • 28:34

Equity Monday: Fintech consolidation could be picking up

Equity Monday: Fintech consolidation could be picking up

Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week.This weekend was yet another that was full of news from Ukraine, which meant that the tech market was slightly quieter than usual. But not so quiet that we didn't have lots to chat about, so here's the latest: The Russian startup market isn't huge -- data here -- but when we consider the number of startups in Ukraine as well, the impact of Russia's war and the world's sanctions will bite

Feb 28, 2022 • 10:37

Equity Live: A short note about the ongoing situation in Ukraine

Equity Live: A short note about the ongoing situation in Ukraine

Today we gathered to do our live show, something that was scheduled a long time ago. Obviously, the world's condition has changed since. So, we sat down and tore up our notes doc and put most of the show on hold. What we wound up recording was short, and frankly a little bit raw and from the gut.But it just didn't feel right for us to sit and chit chat about funding rounds and executive shuffles when Russia is busy invading a democracy under false pretenses. TechCrunch has some notes on the situ

Feb 24, 2022 • 6:24

Recruit, retain, resign, re-skill, repeat

Recruit, retain, resign, re-skill, repeat

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 asked:How has the great resignation changed the way startups hire? The conversation started with defining the Great Resignation and sharing numbers to back the sentiment that everyone can't stop talking about. As always, the flowed to naturally care more about the employees within startups, and their feelings, than employers and the power they've traditionall

Feb 23, 2022 • 24:52

Equity Monday: Tensions go up, stocks go down

Equity Monday: Tensions go up, stocks go down

Every Monday, or Tuesday, Grace and Alex scour the news and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week.We are a day late here thanks to the American holiday, which means that it's going to be a short week -- here at least. But that doesn't mean that things are slow. In fact, the opposite:Russian military aggression in Ukraine is hammering the global stock market, although not everywhere it's worth noting. Crypto prices are also flat to down, generally. Most crypto tokens are off sharpl

Feb 22, 2022 • 13:35

Will rising interest rates decimate startup valuations?

Will rising interest rates decimate startup valuations?

This is Saturday, which means it's not a usual day for us to drop an episode. But what are we if not try-hards at heart? So, we're back today.What do we have on store for you? I brought Anshu Sharma onto the podcast -- and a Twitter space, so make sure you are following the podcast, yeah? -- to chat interest rates, technology growth, startup valuations, and how they all tie together. Sharma was the right person to have on the show because he's been a big tech employee (Oracle, Salesforc

Feb 19, 2022 • 28:44

Do you want your paycheck in crypto?

Do you want your paycheck in crypto?

This week, Natasha and Alex and Mary Ann got together with Chris and Grace to rock our regular Friday news roundup. This time, however, with extra zip as we're staring down a long weekend that, let's be clear, everyone needs.Regardless, here's the show rundown:Don't call us your metamate, friend.Startups news of the week: Ro raises even more, Airbase partners with Amex, and Deel wants to give employers a way to fund their payroll in crypto, no matter where their employees are based.The crypto re

Feb 18, 2022 • 36:03

It's a boom! It's a bubble? It's a correction.

It's a boom! It's a bubble? It's a correction.

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 asked:What can startups learn from the rise, and now struggles, of Hopin? For companies that grew like weed, what’s next? In the show, we talked through Hopin's meteoric rise and why we called them the fastest growth story of the era, comparable or better than what Slack and other well-known growth stories managed during their own ascent. However, wi

Feb 16, 2022 • 28:04

Equity Monday: Welcome to crypto game day

Equity Monday: Welcome to crypto game day

Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news, and record notes on what’s going on to kick off the week. Today we had were reeling in the wake of the American football championship, and the fact that is once again snowing where Alex lives. Alas.But snow or not, the news was fascinating:We chewed on the Just Eat delisting situation, which appears to be a cost-cutting move. Delivery Hero is also struggling, and the value of Deliveroo is in the toilet. So it's not clear that European food delivery wi

Feb 14, 2022 • 8:25

How much is a pitch deck really worth?

How much is a pitch deck really worth?

We had the full crew aboard today for our live taping, headed by our killer production team Grace and Chris, and hosting crew Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex. Overall, it was a success? Our streaming tech took us to various Internet platforms, and people came to Hopin and asked questions. Thank you! It's always a risk to do something new, so thank you for making it a win.But enough of all that, what did we talk about? Here's the rundown:Funding rounds from Mos (edtech + fintech), Alchemy (blockchain

Feb 11, 2022 • 35:50

Crawling toward the metaverse

Crawling toward the metaverse

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 crawled through the Metaverse, leaning on Facebook's latest earnings and Microsoft's newest appetite as somewhat of a map.Our question, after much thinking, gets into the heart of what the Metaverse is built for:Will the metaverse be for work, or for play? We’re not picking sides, necessarily, but exploring how two companies within Big Tech are staking bets i

Feb 9, 2022 • 27:43

Equity Monday: How many times must Spotify step on a rake?

Equity Monday: How many times must Spotify step on a rake?

Every Monday, Grace and Alex scour the news, and record notes on what's going on to kick off the week. Today we had a fun mix of news, and things that made us laugh.The Spotify-Rogan situation continued as last week ended, with more episodes of the show coming down. More apologies. And more of Spotify trying to straddle the difference between platform and publisher, while hoping to reap the rewards of both while not fully owning up to the responsibility.Wag is going public, and my body is ready.

Feb 7, 2022 • 10:25

Making sense of the Paypal and Alphabet earnings

Making sense of the Paypal and Alphabet earnings

Hello and happy weekend from the Equity crew! We had a busy week, including a Twitter Space with Natasha and Alex taking to the mics to dig into some tasty public-market news. Naturally our show is more startup-focused than public-market centered. But! We can learn a lot from the world of public companies that have a wide footprint inside particular tech niches that matter for younger companies.So when we digest PayPal's results and what investors did to its value this week, we are not super int

Feb 5, 2022 • 23:00

Taxing crypto only makes it stronger

Taxing crypto only makes it stronger

We had the full crew aboard today, headed by our killer production team Grace and Chris, and hosting crew Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex.Last week we promised Cute Farming Robots, and this week we delivered, along with a lot more. But first, the Equity team along with our sister podcast Found are doing live recordings starting soon. You can find out more here, but Equity will be live-taped on Hopin next Thursday. Come hang out, it should be fun!https://techcrunch.com/2022/01/31/come-hang-wi

Feb 4, 2022 • 33:44

F*ck creator funds, we need a creator index fund

F*ck creator funds, we need a creator index fund

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 brought on the Most Online™ reporter at TechCrunch, Amanda Silberling to talk about one of her recent pieces, "maybe creator funds are bad."The column, mixed with the recent saga between Spotify and Joe Rogan, helped us ask a bigger question for this week's episode:What makes a platform economically viable for creators?It's no small question. Creator

Feb 2, 2022 • 27:39

Equity Monday: If you don't want to be criticized for your editorial choices, don't make editorial choices

Equity Monday: If you don't want to be criticized for your editorial choices, don't make editorial choices

This Monday show actually felt a bit old-school, in that the weekend controversy in tech has spilled over into the working morning, meaning that we need to talk about it. But first, markets: After the somewhat punishing start to last week, today's trading is somewhat more staid. Global equities are moving, but nothing suicidal, and cryptos are off a bit in the last 24 hours, but up in the last seven days. Naturally, given what has happened in recent trading sessions, all that could chan

Jan 31, 2022 • 9:19

Membership, mentorship or just messy

Membership, mentorship or just messy

What did we get into? Well, a host of pretty awesome stuff, even if we had to leave Cute Farming Robots in the tank for another few days:We had funding rounds from Anyplace, which is building a way to make the digital nomad life work in a WFH world, notes on Frost Giant's Series A, which Alex really needs to finish writing up, and Parthean, which Natasha covered and did a great job explaining. Here's to better financial literacy in general. We need it.Then we chatted through what Mark Cuban is d

Jan 28, 2022 • 32:53

Is today's market sad or sane?

Is today's market sad or sane?

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 brought on Bessemer partner Mary D'Onofrio to chat about the public market slump, but more importantly, its trickle down impact on private companies. Our big question was a broad and important one, built off of our most recent three views column for TechCrunch+.How is this change in market conditions going to affect startups? As a trio, we chatted about the o

Jan 26, 2022 • 30:51

Is the party over?

Is the party over?

If you own stuff, I am sorry to report that you are probably poorer today than you were on Friday, and even less wealthy than you were the Friday before. Things are selling off and we had to talk about it:Stocks are down, and cryptos are getting utterly hammered. It's a bad time to own equities, but worse if you are invested in digital assets. Bitcoin, ether, and Solana are taking body-blows while the stock market wilts. I guess this means that all our 401k contributions will be cheaper in Febru

Jan 24, 2022 • 9:17

Wordle's Blizzard of transparency

Wordle's Blizzard of transparency

Despite the fact that it is a holiday week here in the United States, tech news was, well, as nuts as it usually is. At this point anything else would be a shock.So what did we get to? All of this and more: Rebundle's incredibly neat startup idea, and funding round. We love a Midwest startup here on the show thanks to Alex's roots, which means that when we got to talk about banana fiber, hair extensions, venture capital, and St. Louis all at once, we were hype. Wheel reinvented itself

Jan 21, 2022 • 29:51

How many unicorns are just piñatas filled with expired candy?

How many unicorns are just piñatas filled with expired candy?

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 dared to refresh perhaps the most common conversation in startups these days: the ubiquity, and resulting irrelevance, of unicorns. Our big question wasn't a simple one:Do we care that the meaning of unicorns has been hollowed out?The conversation ran the gamut, starting with information on unicorn creation rates, startup hit success and of course, f

Jan 19, 2022 • 22:30

Equity Tuesday: What to make of the Microsoft-Blizzard deal

Equity Tuesday: What to make of the Microsoft-Blizzard deal

This is our Monday (Tuesday) show, our short ramp into the week where we talk about the larger picture to get our feet wet. We're a day late due to an American holiday, and I can say later in the day with this thanks to my schedule. But, better late than never, here's what we got into:Yet another bad day for assets: Stocks around the world were broadly lower, with software shares taking yet another hit in the key US market.Microsoft wants to buy Activision Blizzard for nearly $69 billion dollars

Jan 18, 2022 • 6:59

Friends with benefits of the financial world

Friends with benefits of the financial world

Happily this week, we did not talk about NFTs, and I don’t think that we even said “token” a single time.Instead, Mary Ann and Natasha and Alex got back to what we might consider the roots of Equity. Here’s what we got into: We started with a look at the recent Fertilis round. Fertilis is an Australian startup working to make the IVF process more reliable. We are big fans of the concept, though the startup has lots of work ahead of it before it moves the needle for couples hoping to conceive.  M

Jan 14, 2022 • 25:45

Would you marry your investors?

Would you marry your investors?

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic and dive deep. This week Natasha and Mary Ann and Alex came together to talk about the changing nature of due diligence in the startup market.The chat was loosely centered around a piece that the three of us wrote as 2021 was coming to a close, but the conversation quickly broadened to include a host of factors that are impacting how startups fundraise, and build today.Mary Ann talked about the power of FOMO, and how that particul

Jan 12, 2022 • 24:56

Equity Monday: The end of cheap money, and Take-Two buys Zynga

Equity Monday: The end of cheap money, and Take-Two buys Zynga

This is our Monday show, our short ramp into the week. Yes, it's Monday again. No, you can't stay in bed. Things are already happening!Take-Two is buying Zynga: In a cash and stock deal worth around $12.7 billion (enterprise value), the transaction has delighted Zynga shareholders and bummed out Take-Two's own.Paytm is taking shots, as other 2021 IPOs slim down.The macro environment that startups exist in is about to change for the first time, from a monetary perspective.Pine Labs is looking to

Jan 10, 2022 • 8:31

Can you build centralized islands in a decentralized ocean?

Can you build centralized islands in a decentralized ocean?

We're getting back up to full speed this week, so Mary Ann and Alex along with Grace behind the scenes took on our Friday show. Next week Natasha and Chris are back, and we'll do our regular three-show lineup. Today, however, despite a smaller team we had just as much as always go chew through: OpenSea's epic new fundraise: Alex did a little Fun Math on the company's trading volume and possible revenue totals. The gist is that OpenSea is a big business. But with NFTs as volatile as they

Jan 7, 2022 • 29:39

Equity Monday: Big Tesla numbers juice EV companies

Equity Monday: Big Tesla numbers juice EV companies

It's the new year! Yes, welcome to 2022 from the Equity team. We hope that our holiday episodes kept you entertained, and warm. But it's now back to work, so let's get into the news:Global stocks are generally higher today, while cryptos are mostly flat. In the last week, major cryptocurrencies have lost value.Twitter banned Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene for "repeated violations of [its] COVID-19 misinformation policy."India is investigating Apple's payment system for iOS.Tesla Q4 deliveries came

Jan 3, 2022 • 9:38

The Equity team's 2022 predictions

The Equity team's 2022 predictions

As is tradition on the show, we used the last episode of the year to make predictions about the next year. To continue an annual tradition, Grace and Chris joined Natasha and Mary Ann and Alex on the mic, a rare treat and one simply for your enjoyment. Expectedly, they had a lot to say.So what did we manifest for 2022? Here's a sampling: We're bullish on climate-focused startups: A notable theme from a number of us was the importance of climate startups, and how many types of startups

Dec 31, 2021 • 33:18

Memes, money and madness: 2021 in tech

Memes, money and madness: 2021 in tech

It's just about Christmas, which means you may be stuck with family at the moment. Regardless of what, if any, holidays you may celebrate, there's good chance that there are more people around you than normal. We're here to distract you from that.To ensure that you get respite from Actual Human Interaction, the Equity team has prepared a look-back at the year. Big numbers? Check. Big themes? You know it. Big moments of 'wait, that happened this year?!' Well, we'd have it no other way.He

Dec 24, 2021 • 25:43

You are the most influential person we know

You are the most influential person we know

To close out the year, Natasha and Mary Ann and Alex headed to the mic with Grace and Chris behind the scenes. We got to our favorite topics, and honestly, got a chance to just laugh our way through the final innings of the year.Here's what we got to:Factor raised a Seed round for up-chain logistics work, Phylagen is working to track airborne illness, and Notus wants to help you find the right influencer to buy.We also dove into the How Big Can Y Combinator Really Get discussion that Haje kicked

Dec 17, 2021 • 26:10

Equity Monday: Crypto hacks and a scuttled AI IPO

Equity Monday: Crypto hacks and a scuttled AI IPO

It finally happened, ladies and gentleman and our non-binary friends. The Holiday News Slowdown has arrived. Late, I might add, but still here at last. But that did not stop Grace and Alex from making you your weekly kickoff show!Welcome to the final Equity Monday of the year. Here's what we got into: The Indian PM's Twitter account was hacked, and used to promote bitcoin. Not a great look for the crypto world. The SenseTime IPO is on hold after the US government "added SenseTime Group

Dec 13, 2021 • 8:43

Your local trucker is giving us creator economy vibes

Your local trucker is giving us creator economy vibes

Friends, we're almost there: the end of the year that felt like a decade. This week, Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex put aside their 2021 fatigue and talked through a week full of news - and candidly, tensions. As always, shout out to Grace and Chris for producing the show and making us sound a whole lot better. We got into the Lyft mafia, garbage, and why our local truckers are giving us creator economy vibes. Or more specifically:Kenya’s Pariti raised $2.85M led by Harlem Capital to develop startup

Dec 10, 2021 • 34:13

Equity Monday: When does a selloff become a rout?

Equity Monday: When does a selloff become a rout?

Despite the advanced week, news is still coming in in hot and heavy, so strap in for today's busy episode: Cryptos have failed to recover from their weekend swoon, leading to most major crypto assets suffering from a double-digit decline in their value over the last week. Sensetime's Hong Kong IPO is set to raise less money than the AI company had hoped. BitMart got hacked, showing that even this deep into the crypto era we are still seeing embarrassing security lapses that deliver mat

Dec 6, 2021 • 11:56

Square's Better.com name Block is Butter-y smooth

Square's Better.com name Block is Butter-y smooth

It's Friday, which means the whole crew was aboard for this particular episode. We had Grace and Chris behind the scenes, and Mary Ann, Natasha, and Alex on the mics. And, frankly, we needed the full team because the holidays aren't slowing any news down. First up? Square becoming Block, which we wanted to make fun of but mostly found to be reasonable given the company's disparate interests. From there we chatted about Inpathy's neat take on social networking, Massive's $11 million fund

Dec 3, 2021 • 30:54

Have we reached peak founder-friendliness?

Have we reached peak founder-friendliness?

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 episode when we niche down to a single topic, looking to expand our understanding of one particular technology trend or another. Today? We discussed if the era of founder-led companies is coming to a close, and if we have reached the peak of founder friendliness.The decision to abdicate the CEO role by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey

Dec 1, 2021 • 24:56

Jack's personal news

Jack's personal news

Well, so much for a relaxed post-holiday week on Monday.News broke this morning that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is stepping down from the company entirely. The company's CTO, Parag Agrawal, will be taking over at the helm. Saleforce exec Bret Taylor will take over as board chairman.So, Amanda and Natasha and Alex jumped into onto the mics -- and, ironically, a Twitter space -- to riff on all things Jack and future of Twitter. From the show: Crypto and the CTO, what can we read from the tea

Nov 29, 2021 • 15:47

Equity Monday: New unicorns kick off the week as India get cross with Starlink

Equity Monday: New unicorns kick off the week as India get cross with Starlink

With a holiday-impacted week behind us, we hope that you are ready for the next few weeks of busy news. Because starting in the back-half of December, the world is going to slow down dramatically. Make sure that you are following the show on Twitter, and let's get into it!No tech IPOs this week, though we will see earnings from select SaaS companies. That means that our information flow will slow over the next few days.India is irked at Starlink, telling the Elon Musk company to get its regulato

Nov 29, 2021 • 8:45

Found: Cellino

Found: Cellino

Find the Found feed here: https://pod.link/foundNot only is this week's guest the TechCrunch Disrupt 2021 Battlefield winner, but Nabiha Saklayen is also democratizing access to life-saving cell therapies by using—you guessed it—lasers. Nabiha is the co-founder and CEO of Cellino which is a company developing the tech to automate stem cell production that will lower the cost of cell therapies and increase the yield of viable cells. In this episode, Nabiha tells Jordan and Darrell how she built a

Nov 26, 2021 • 49:17

Financial flash mobs meet fundraising memes

Financial flash mobs meet fundraising memes

This is our Wednesday episode when we niche down to a single topic, looking to expand our understanding of one particular technology trend or another. And this week, it was all about the ConstitutionDAO.For those who weren't online last week, here's what you missed: a not-so-subtle group of strangers on the internet banded together to try to buy one of the remaining thirteen copies for the constitution. With crypto. The bold bid eventually fell short, but many saw it as an inspiring onr

Nov 24, 2021 • 27:59

Equity Monday: Paytm's rocky debut gets rockier

Equity Monday: Paytm's rocky debut gets rockier

Happy Monday everyone, and welcome to a holiday week here in the United States. Yes, we here in the good ol' States will be off the second half of this week. TechCrunch won't grind to a halt, but we will certainly slow down a little bit. But, that doesn't mean that we didn't have a lot to talk about this morning:Shares of Indian fintech giant Paytm fell further today, after a very disappointing first-days trading last Thursday. The company now has lot of ground to make up just to get back to zer

Nov 22, 2021 • 11:46

Co-founder titles aren't a formality, they're a morality

Co-founder titles aren't a formality, they're a morality

Good news, everyone: Mary Ann is back! Yes, after a short absence we have our third Friday host back where she belongs. Namely right in front of a microphone, talking to us.And it was good to have her back, as we had a small mountain of news to talk through:OpenSea could be worth $10 billion: Right before we recorded, news broke that OpenSea could raise new capital at a far-greater valuation than it did earlier this year. While we had some jokes, we also did a little math on why OpenSea could re

Nov 19, 2021 • 30:00

Did Zillow get high on its own supply?

Did Zillow get high on its own supply?

This is our Wednesday episode when we niche down to a single topic, looking to expand our understanding of one particular technology trend or another. This week? iBuying.Zillow made a decision to get out of the iBuying market, with huge costs hanging over its head and a grip of layoffs to manage. Natasha and Alex were curious what went wrong.So we brought along Ryan Lawler, one of TechCrunch+'s reporting team, who has covered the space for a chat. Ryan helped us use Opendoor earnings as a compar

Nov 17, 2021 • 23:52

Equity Monday: Startups rush to announce news before holiday slowdown

Equity Monday: Startups rush to announce news before holiday slowdown

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds, and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here. I also tweet.Tesla shares are off further this morning in the wake of declines following stock sales by Elon Musk. The company retains its $1 trillion market cap, per Yahoo Finance data, but is at risk of losing a comma if it keeps slipp

Nov 15, 2021 • 11:28

Wall Street still doesn't get crypto

Wall Street still doesn't get crypto

Friday afternoon the Equity team took to a Twitter Space to hit on a topic that we had to cut from our regular end-of-week show, namely crypto earnings and how Wall Street is digesting the results. And to bring in extra mental horsepower, Natasha and Alex lassoed new TechCruncher Anita Ramaswamy to help.We touched on Coinbase's Q3 financial results and what they tell us about trading incomes, and the company itself. Robinhood's own Q3 results were part of the chat as well, as they showe

Nov 13, 2021 • 16:41

Tiger's den of due diligence

Tiger's den of due diligence

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 Friday show, a roundup of the week's biggest and most fascinating stories from startups, venture capital and technology.Natasha and Alex along with Grace and Chris had to cut and cut and cut to get the show to fit this week, so if we didn't get to your favorite story, we wanted to. We just ran out of space!Here's the rundown:Twitter Blue: Natasha is

Nov 12, 2021 • 30:15

Vertically-farmed wasabi arugula isn't a hypothetical

Vertically-farmed wasabi arugula isn't a hypothetical

This is our Wednesday show, the time of the week when we niche down to a single topic. Today we spoke about the revolution within agriculture otherwise known as vertical farming.Alex and Natasha spoke to Hardware editor Brian Heater, who recently wrote a TC-1 about Bowery Farming spanning over 11,000 words and topics such as the taste of sustainable turnips and produce sections at grocery stores. The core of his multi-part exploration, though, was built around a question: Can Bowery Far

Nov 10, 2021 • 32:11

Equity Monday: Elon Musk reinvents corporate governance

Equity Monday: Elon Musk reinvents corporate governance

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here. I also tweet. The stock market wasn't incredibly dramatic this morning, from an index-viewpoint. Crytpos were slightly more exciting but only moderately. A host of earnings results this week should provide us with fireworks, howe

Nov 8, 2021 • 11:08

Three quarters of record-breaking funding for female founders is a win

Three quarters of record-breaking funding for female founders is a win

Equity, a podcast about the business of startups where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. And have fun!This week our very own Mary Ann was off -- we send her our best, as she is a living saint -- so Natasha and Alex and Grace and Chris got together to compile our news roundup. And oh boy was there a lot to corral. Up top this week, news from Indiegogo that the crowdfunding service is tightening up who gets to post projects on its platform. We view this as a general g

Nov 5, 2021 • 30:55

The inherent tensions within Venture capital

The inherent tensions within Venture capital

This is our Wednesday show, the time of the week when we niche down to a single topic. Today? The issue of venture capital expectations in certain sectors where startups may not be the best fit. And what happens when they raise a mountain of capital.Natasha and Alex had former founder and present-day indie journalist Vincent Woo to come on the show with us. Why? Because he's written extensively about Lambda School, one of our subjects of the day.We started with Ro, and Natasha's excellent piece

Nov 3, 2021 • 27:38

Equity Monday: The beginning of the end of ‘996’

Equity Monday: The beginning of the end of ‘996’

Today we had a goodly bag of things to dig into, including: The FT finds that major social platforms are taking a bath thanks to Apple’s new privacy rules. But is that such a bad thing? The Chinese labor standard of ‘996’ is losing its dominance in its domestic market. The Dell-VMware spinoff has finally happened. At last. Digital Currency Group raises $700 million, Mosaic Building Group raises $44 million, and When I Work locked down $200 million of its own. Looking ahead, we have All

Nov 1, 2021 • 9:26

The new alchemy is turning gold to crypto

The new alchemy is turning gold to crypto

This week Mary Ann and Natasha and Alex (along with our amazing production team Grace, Chris, and Kell) took on a host of topics from the public and private markets alike. In our wheelhouse this week:An IPO rush: Sure, IPOs are still not keeping up with unicorn births, but the current pace of public offerings has us nattering. Paytm is coming. Sweetgreen as well. NerdWallet and Backblaze to boot. It's a crowd!Alchemy raised $250 million for its blockchain-infra work, reminding us that A16z has a

Oct 29, 2021 • 28:39

Divining the future of VC, saying goodbye to Danny

Divining the future of VC, saying goodbye to Danny

This is a special, if somewhat bittersweet episode. It marks the final official podcast with our own Danny Crichton, who is off to other pastures in short order. Danny stepped in when we lost a host a few years back, and has been both a staple and a pillar of the show since. We're going to miss the ever-loving heck out of him.But the show must go on, so we spent this episode discussing issues core to our remit: The venture capital market, startups, and the interplay between each.Natasha and Dann

Oct 27, 2021 • 27:52

Trillion dollar Tesla

Trillion dollar Tesla

Hark, all ye who pay attention to the stock market, for Elon Musk's wheels-focused company broached the $1 trillion market cap threshold today.Yeah, it finally happened, so the Equity team quickly scrambled for the microphones. Chris put together the show, allowing Alex and Kirsten to dive into the matter. Kirsten, in case you aren't familiar with her, is TechCrunch's transportation editor -- her crew handles everything that moves under its own power for the team. She's tremendous.Aside

Oct 25, 2021 • 14:24

Equity Monday: PayPal punts on Pinterest as Facebook's hell month continues

Equity Monday: PayPal punts on Pinterest as Facebook's hell month continues

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here. I also tweet. Taking a look around the world, stocks were largely higher in Asia and Europe and are looking somewhat mixed in the United States. There are a host of technology earnings coming this week, mind. Facebook is taking a

Oct 25, 2021 • 8:37

Another month, another billion dollars in value appreciation

Another month, another billion dollars in value appreciation

This week Mary Ann and Natasha and Alex (along with our amazing production team Grace, Chris, and Kell) took on a bevy of topics from around the world of startups and technology more broadly. We naturally kicked off with news that Facebook intends to rebrand itself. Which we don't think will do much to detract from its various crises. But the news does underscore that Facebook is, in fact, serious about writing its next chapter. From there it was time to talk funding rounds. This week w

Oct 22, 2021 • 30:13

PayPal picking Pinterest puts us in a parsing pickle

PayPal picking Pinterest puts us in a parsing pickle

Look, we don't get it either.Taking some time as a group to sit around and chat through the possibly impending PayPal-Pinterest deal, Natasha and Alex didn't wind up cracking the story. Which makes some sense, as investors sent PayPal stock down 5% on the news, implying that they didn't really get it either.Recall that PayPal has made a few other deals in recent years, including buying Honey ($4 billion) and Paidy (less than $4 billion).Regardless, the transaction -- worth potentially d

Oct 20, 2021 • 22:11

NerdWallet, Gen Z, and the value of the written word

NerdWallet, Gen Z, and the value of the written word

Natasha and Danny and Alex got together to dig into the recent NerdWallet IPO filing, and what it can tell us about how the written word -- in its digital form -- can still be worth quite a lot. Here's an outline of the chat:NerdWallet shows the financial power of the written word, even if it isn't the precise form of writing that we know and love.Automattic is a large, startup bet on the written word, amongst other things. Danny had notes for us on the scale of its business, thanks to a new TC-

Oct 20, 2021 • 19:41

Equity Monday: Welcome to bigtech hardware week

Equity Monday: Welcome to bigtech hardware week

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here. I also tweet.This week, the week of October 18, 2021, kicked off with a mixed markets picture. Asian stocks were mixed, down in Europe, and set to fall in the United States. China remains a concern.There are hardware events this week from

Oct 18, 2021 • 8:20

LinkedOut

LinkedOut

In today's episode, talk our way through some big breaking news from the technology world so that we can better understand just what is going on.Danny and Alex got together late Friday on a Twitter Space to discuss Microsoft's decision to pull LinkedIn from the Chinese market, a move that lit up headlines around the world. That LinkedIn was still in China in 2021 may feel more surprising than the news that it will exit that particular market, but the moment matters all the same as it ma

Oct 16, 2021 • 18:29

Coinbase goes fishing for Opensea’s catch

Coinbase goes fishing for Opensea’s catch

This week was one of our strongest shows yet, with a wide diversity of news items that were genuinely fun (and complicated) to chew through. And even though we started off kind of grumpy, we laughed through tech difficulties, crypto puns, and fintech CAC. It's called coping.Here's what we got into: Magic Leap raised $500 million about which we have thoughts, Mindbody's acquisition of ClassPass caught our eye for obvious reasons (and the fact that it also raised $500 million), and we du

Oct 15, 2021 • 23:18

How to sell clothes online and actually make money

How to sell clothes online and actually make money

This is our Wednesday show, the time of the week when we niche down to a single topic. Today? Fashion.Natasha and Danny and Alex got together to dig into the world of fashion resale and rental. It's no small market, giving birth to both public companies, unicorns, and startups. Most recently, well-known fashion rental player Rent the Runway filed to go public, giving us a window in its own numbers.Those figures led us to a few questions about how best to go about making money from clothes in a r

Oct 13, 2021 • 21:37

Equity Monday: I hear this fintech thing is going to be big

Equity Monday: I hear this fintech thing is going to be big

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here. I also tweet.Markets were busy, with Chinese tech stocks rallying and the rest of the world posting a mix of gains and losses. If you are bullish on public markets, excellent. But if you are bearish, don't worry -- there are diverse enoug

Oct 11, 2021 • 9:09

Community is the new AI

Community is the new AI

Natasha and Mary Ann and Alex were all aboard this week with Grace on the dials, which meant that we had a flat lovely time recording Equity for you. Of course, Equity is TechCrunch's venture capital focused podcast where we dig into the most critical funding rounds, and natter about the key news items impacting startups.Before we hop into this week's topics, you can follow the show on Twitter, where we rather often host impromptu Twitter spaces that sometimes become episodes. Come hang

Oct 8, 2021 • 28:58

The metaverse is coming for Squid Game

The metaverse is coming for Squid Game

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch's venture capital focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This is our Wednesday show, the time of the week when we niche down to a single topic. Today? Gaming.Natasha and Danny and Alex got together to discuss the gaming world from a few perspectives, including those of startups and the largest platform players in tech. Alex is a gamer. Danny is a board gamer. And Natasha isn't big on digital games. So, we had a good

Oct 6, 2021 • 27:12

Equity Monday: Byju's raises more money, somehow, as tech stocks fall

Equity Monday: Byju's raises more money, somehow, as tech stocks fall

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here. I also tweet.Sorry that the show is so delayed today, it's utterly my fault. Regular service returns Wednesday, and we'll make to not be late on a Monday again this year! Here's what we got into on the show:Tech shares are falling in Amer

Oct 4, 2021 • 8:10

Why did the Zoom-Five9 deal eat %#*& and die?

Why did the Zoom-Five9 deal eat %#*& and die?

To cap the week off, Danny and Alex and Chris got together live on Twitter to chat through the demise of the Zoom-Five9 deal. Those of you who remember how recently the deal was announced are likely a little surprised -- how did it fall apart so quickly? Well, a few reasons: There could be inherent risk in all-stock transactions provided a rapidly-changing market. It may be the case that Zoom simply did not bid enough for Five9. And there's a mix of anti-trust and national regulatory is

Oct 2, 2021 • 23:29

Here for influencer-branded mac and cheese

Here for influencer-branded mac and cheese

Natasha and Mary Ann and Alex were all aboard this week under the guidance of Chris and Grace, meaning that we were running full-strength for our roundup of this super busy week.Before we hop into the topics, you can follow the show on Twitter -- all the cool kids do! -- and keep in mind that on Mondays Equity provides a short kickoff to the week, we chat a single topic on Wednesdays, and Fridays are when we go through the full week. Make sense? Hell yeah: Fiveable Cobalt raised $2.8 m

Oct 1, 2021 • 28:11

Finding fraud in a world of fast-moving deals

Finding fraud in a world of fast-moving deals

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We got the crew together — Natasha and Danny and Alex — this time 'round to talk fraud, one of our favorite topics. Sure, we've riffed on the ups and downs at Luckin, and we've spent more time talking about WeWork's implosion than we want to admit. But that's not the most recent stuff. There's been a raft of fraud lately which caught our eye. The heart of today's episo

Sep 29, 2021 • 25:30

Equity Monday: Instagram pauses youth product as Amplitude, Warby Parker prep public offerings

Equity Monday: Instagram pauses youth product as Amplitude, Warby Parker prep public offerings

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here. I also tweet.A few things this morning:Instagram is pausing work on the kids-focused version of its social service. It claims that the product is the right thing to build, but that it wants to talk to folks about why, first. TechCrunch ha

Sep 27, 2021 • 11:09

Winner of Startup Battlefield is...

Winner of Startup Battlefield is...

And the winner of TC's Startup Battlefield is.... gonna have to listen to find out  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.

Sep 24, 2021 • 22:43

Freshworks, Toast go public and we have Takes

Freshworks, Toast go public and we have Takes

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Today we got the gang together -- Natasha and Danny and Alex -- to chat about the most recent IPOs in tech-land, namely debuts from Freshworks and Toast.TechCrunch has covered their pair of firms somewhat closely during their IPO run, as they each have some notable characteristics:Freshworks' IPO provided a fresh window into how public market investors are willing to v

Sep 22, 2021 • 21:02

Equity Monday: A global selloff to kick off Disrupt week

Equity Monday: A global selloff to kick off Disrupt week

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here. I also tweet.A few things this morning:I shook up the show format a little, including how the script came together and how it was organized. Hit me up on Twitter if you have notes.Disrupt is this week, so strap thyself in for the best tec

Sep 20, 2021 • 11:19

A knock against bootstrapping

A knock against bootstrapping

Natasha and Mary Ann and Alex were all aboard this week under the guidance of Chris and Grace, which meant we had the full team. And speaking of teams, Mary Ann is joining the Friday show on a weekly basis now. She's been a friend for years, and a colleague now twice-over for Natasha and Alex and we could not be more excited.That personal news aside, here's the rundown for today's show!Funding rounds in the logistics and infra markets: We went physical-world with our funding round roundup this w

Sep 17, 2021 • 25:14

Why bringing you emergency toothpaste could be big business

Why bringing you emergency toothpaste could be big business

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic. This time 'round we took a look into the world of on-demand delivery in Europe, with an especial focus on the so-called "instant" grocery sector, and delivered convenience items. To help Natasha and Danny and Alex get through the subject, we lassoed TechCrunch alum and present-day VP at Zapp, a company

Sep 15, 2021 • 26:30

The Equity crew riffs on the Intuit-Mailchimp news

The Equity crew riffs on the Intuit-Mailchimp news

We are back! From this morning, I suppose. But the news cycle doesn't wait for our publishing schedule, so the Equity crew got together to yammer all about the Intuit-Mailchimp acquisition.A $12 billion deal comprised of stock and cash, it's a big on. And as Mailchimp has both a history of boostrapping and a founding story in a non-Silicon Valley city we had lots to chat about.As a general reminder, if you do listen to the show, hit us up on Twitter as we are doing more and more of thes

Sep 13, 2021 • 17:59

Equity Monday: Market pessimism, new iPhones, and IPOs

Equity Monday: Market pessimism, new iPhones, and IPOs

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here. I also tweet.Vacation was good, and a big thanks to Mary Ann and Natasha -- not to mention Grace and Chris! -- for keeping things flowing while I mostly sat around reading books and playing video games. But enough being maudlin! To the ne

Sep 13, 2021 • 6:20

BNPL is not a winner-takes-all game

BNPL is not a winner-takes-all game

Natasha and Mary Ann took over this week's show with Chris and Grace, which meant that our overdeveloped senses of curiosity filled up the script just fine (even on a somewhat short week). Unintentionally, today's episode was built around a theme of inclusion - from auto-insurance to women's health, and from payments to knowledge.But here are some more specifics on what we got into:For our funding round section, we discussed UK’s Marshmallow getting unicorn status for its more inclusive, big-dat

Sep 10, 2021 • 22:03

Tik Tok, influencers on the clock

Tik Tok, influencers on the clock

Alex is on a well-deserved vacation this week, so for the Equity Wednesday deep dive, we took the conversation to Twitter Spaces. Danny, Mary Ann, and Jonathan Metrick, Chief Growth Officer at Portage Ventures, dove into growth marketing. You can listen to the full episode on the Equity Podcast feed.This conversation was spurred by the TechCrunch Experts project, where we're looking for the best growth marketers for startups. Metrick had been recommended to us in July (you can read his featured

Sep 8, 2021 • 40:16

Equity Monday: Women's employment drops, as Delta's drama continues

Equity Monday: Women's employment drops, as Delta's drama continues

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff to catch up on weekend news and prep for the days ahead. We're here on Tuesday this week since us folks in the United States had off for labor day. You can follow the show on Twitter here, and while you're at it, throw me a follow too.Jobs report: Over the weekend, the US government posted the Jobs Report. It wasn't ideal, with a sharp drop in percentage of women rejoining the workforce. I give you the startup angle, and talk about a somewhat poetic unic

Sep 7, 2021 • 9:28

Private equity giveth, and private equity taketh away

Private equity giveth, and private equity taketh away

Natasha and Alex and Grace and Chris gathered to dig through the week's biggest happenings, including some news of our own. As a note, Equity's Monday episode will be landing next Tuesday, thanks to a national holiday here in the United States. And we have something special planned for Wednesday, so stay tuned.Ok! Here's the rundown from the show:Apollo completed its takeover of Verizon Media Group Yahoo: Yep, we have new bosses, and we have feelings about it. But mostly the TechCrunch news was

Sep 3, 2021 • 27:18

Lessons from Y Combinator's demo day

Lessons from Y Combinator's demo day

After a 17-hour marathon through nearly 200 startup pitches, the Equity team was fired up to get back on Twitter and chat through some early trends and favorites from the first day of Y Combinator's demo party. We'll be back on the air tomorrow, so make sure you're following the show on Twitter so you don't miss out.What did Natasha and Alex chat about? The following:First Impressions: We started by going through top-line numbers, geographic breakdown, and how the accelerator is doing when it co

Aug 31, 2021 • 24:54

Equity Monday: Y Combinator Demo Day Approaches

Equity Monday: Y Combinator Demo Day Approaches

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here. I also tweet.We are heading into a simply crazy week, so make sure that you keep Twitter pulled up as often as you can. Why?This is Y Combinator Demo Day week, which means a zillion startups are going to be doing their best to make noise,

Aug 30, 2021 • 6:46

The bar for behavioral health startups just got higher

The bar for behavioral health startups just got higher

After news broke that meditation app Headspace and on-demand mental health care platform Ginger were merging, we couldn't resist hopping on the mics to do a bonus episode. And, because we were in the mood for hot takes, Natasha and Alex held the conversation on Twitter Spaces. The special guests we had on, who we'll get to down below, did not disappoint.It's a quick show, but the tl;dr is that you want to listen if you're curious why a meditation app would get into therapy, the preceden

Aug 28, 2021 • 22:23

The pure hell of managing your JPEGs

The pure hell of managing your JPEGs

Natasha and Alex and Grace and Chris were joined by none other than TechCrunch's own Mary Ann Azevedo, in her first-ever appearance on the show. She's pretty much the best person and we're stoked to have her on the pod.And it was good that Mary Ann was on the show this week as she wrote about half the dang site. Which meant that we got to include all sorts of her work in the rundown. Here's the agenda: Funding rounds from: Ramp, which raised $300 million at a $3.9 billion valuation; NoR

Aug 27, 2021 • 27:26

Politico sells, Forbes SPACs, and Vice cuts

Politico sells, Forbes SPACs, and Vice cuts

The Equity crew felt that there was enough media news out recently that we simply had no choice but to fire up a Twitter Space and have a chat. The above episode is a discussion of a few things, in a loose and relaxed manner, so don't take any of the Verizon jokes too seriously, Verizon, as we still work for you. For a few more days.Regardless, here's what Danny and Alex got into: Politico sells for $1 billion: Its new parent company Axel Springer also buying the rest of Politico Europ

Aug 26, 2021 • 22:01

OnlyFans' policy change is a tale as old as the internet

OnlyFans' policy change is a tale as old as the internet

For our Wednesday show this week, Natasha and Alex and Danny had colleague Amanda Silberling on the show to help us parse through OnlyFans' precedent-setting move to ban sexually-explicit content on its service. The decision was a bolt from the blue for many of its creators, a great portion of whom created and monetized adult videos and images through the subscription service. It also stirred up a ton of debate around fintech, crypto, venture capital, and the morality of decision-makers

Aug 25, 2021 • 24:26

Equity Monday: Stocks up, cryptos up, regulation up

Equity Monday: Stocks up, cryptos up, regulation up

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here. I also tweet.Today's show was good fun to put together. Here's what we got to: Global stocks are up to kick off the week. It's a great way to start Monday, frankly. Thinking broadly, the latest regulatory news from China regardin

Aug 23, 2021 • 6:31

Men are a niche demographic

Men are a niche demographic

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Danny was back, joining Natasha and Alex and Grace and Chris to chat through the week's coming and goings. But, before we get to the official news, here's some personal news: Danny is stepping back from his role as co-host of the Friday show! Yes, Mr. Crichton will still take part in our mid-week, deep dive episodes, but this is the conclusion of his run as pa

Aug 20, 2021 • 34:37

The hottest fintech market you aren't paying attention to

The hottest fintech market you aren't paying attention to

For our Wednesday show this week, Natasha and Alex and Danny had colleague Tage Kene-Okafor on the show to chat about the burgeoning African startup scene. Tage has become TechCrunch's key correspondent in the area, chronicling the continents expanding venture capital totals, public company performance, and startup ecosystem.Given that we've paid attention to just how much money African startups are raising, we wanted to have Tage on to give us a better, deeper understanding of the continent's t

Aug 18, 2021 • 11:46

Equity Monday: Hacks, IPOs, and the next generation of American tech giants

Equity Monday: Hacks, IPOs, and the next generation of American tech giants

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here. I also tweet.It's a surreal day to talk about technology, but here we are. If you can pull your eyes away from

Aug 16, 2021 • 6:09

Crypto's coming of age moment

Crypto's coming of age moment

This week Danny and Alex and Chris took to Twitter Spaces to chat about the current state of the crypto economy, and hang out with friends in a live Twitter Space. We're doing more of these, so make sure that you are following the show on Twitter.As a small programming note, I forgot to tell the folks who chimed in during the chat that we were recording it, so we had to cut most the Q&A portion of the show. We got Ezra's permission, thankfully. The mixup was a bummer as we learned a lot. In the

Aug 14, 2021 • 30:09

Don't give your weed dealer all your data

Don't give your weed dealer all your data

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Our beloved Danny was back, joining Natasha and Alex and Grace and Chris to chat through yet another incredibly busy week. As a window into our process, every week we tell one another that the next week we'll cut the show down to size. Then the week is so interesting that we end up cutting a lot of news, but also keeping a lot of news. The chaotic process is a work in

Aug 13, 2021 • 35:00

When the economic tide goes out

When the economic tide goes out

This week we were back to full strength, with Danny Natasha and Alex joined by Chris to chat through the latest venture capital brouhaha. Namely whether or not venture capital is about to get shaken to its core, or if we're really parsing some long-term economic trends that will eventually revert.Here's a rundown: Sam Lessin kicked off the Twitter conversation by positing that venture capital as we know it is kaput, with software and later-stage investing possibly seeing the most disrup

Aug 11, 2021 • 24:00

Equity Monday: Apple's privacy flap continues as crypto regulation looms

Equity Monday: Apple's privacy flap continues as crypto regulation looms

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and me here.It's going to be a busy week, with a Samsung event and a host of earnings reports that we'

Aug 9, 2021 • 6:38

Found: Sara Spangelo, Swarm

Found: Sara Spangelo, Swarm

Sara Spangelo's startup Swarm now has nearly 100 of its satellites in orbit, but the journey to get here has had plenty of challenges. After a track record that included working at Google X, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and plenty more, Sara realized with her co-founder Ben that including low-bandwidth network capabilities on tiny satellites was not only possible, but offered massive cost-savings vs. the usual way of doing things. But our talk focuses on the challenges of being a first-time

Aug 6, 2021 • 52:52

When the goals of PR and journalism don't align

When the goals of PR and journalism don't align

For our Wednesday show this week, Natasha and Alex hosted a PR roundtable. Yep, our promise back when Alex Konrad came on the program to chat funding rounds is being fulfilled. Here's who joined us: Amy Widdowson, VP Corporate Communications at Zeno Group and newsletter writer extraordinaire  Kelsey Cheng, PR Director at Walker Sands Creighton Vance, Media Strategist at Mission North and maker of music We had a few things to chat about, so we broke the show into a few sections:  T

Aug 4, 2021 • 26:26

The tale of two edtech IPOs

The tale of two edtech IPOs

Last week, Natasha and Alex jumped on Twitter Spaces to discuss the tale of two edtech IPOs: Duolingo, the consumer language learning company, and Powerschool, the enterprise K-12 software platform. It was a rare moment in the sun for the recently-revitalized sector, which saw two companies list on the NASDAQ on the same dang day.Special shout out to our producer Chris Gates for handling this impromptu live chat, tech difficulties and all, and bringing it to your ears on this lovely Mon

Aug 2, 2021 • 28:35

Growth is not enough

Growth is not enough

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We were a smaller team this week, with Natasha and Alex together with Grace and Chris to sort through a week that brought together both this quarter's earnings cycle, and the Q3 IPO rush. So, it was just a little busy!Before we get to topics, however, a note that we are having a lot of fun recording these live on Twitter Spaces. We've found a hacky way to capt

Jul 30, 2021 • 37:37

The mmhmm story and how it plans to spend its $100M

The mmhmm story and how it plans to spend its $100M

For our Wednesday show this week, Natasha and Alex Chris had prior Equity guest Phil Libin back for a chat. Libin was first on our show a while back to chat about his startup studio. But since then, he's been a little busy.You may recall that mmhmm, Libin's project to build a better video communication service, raised $100 million the other week. And we here on the Equity pod made a little bit of fun at the number. It was just so very much money for a roughly one year old company. What was the c

Jul 28, 2021 • 28:34

Equity Monday: China boosts pressure on its tech sector as Duolingo's IPO looks to raise a few more bucks

Equity Monday: China boosts pressure on its tech sector as Duolingo's IPO looks to raise a few more bucks

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.Ever wake up to just a massive wall of news? That was us this morning, so we had to pick and ch

Jul 26, 2021 • 5:56

Duolingo's bellwether IPO

Duolingo's bellwether IPO

We were smaller team this week, with Natasha and Alex together with Chris to sort through yet another summer frenzy of a week.This time around we actually recorded live on Twitter Spaces, which was a first for the podcast. If you missed it, it's probably because we didn't promote the taping since it was just an experiment. Good news, though, is that it went well, and we're going to some more live tapings of the show with the entire crew on the mics. Make sure to follow the show on the Big Tweet

Jul 23, 2021 • 28:48

How WeWork's Adam Neumann made a pigeon look like a swan

How WeWork's Adam Neumann made a pigeon look like a swan

For this week’s deep dive, Alex and Natasha took a trip down memory lane to the great WeWork saga. We had WSJ reporter and author Eliot Brown on the show to chat about his new book, The Cult of We, written with his colleague Maureen Farrell. You can snag it here if you haven't already.Brown and Farrell were key reporting voices during WeWork's rise, and fall, covering the company's growth, hijinks, and demise.Recently, WeWork has filed to go public via a SPAC, bringing the co-working startup to

Jul 21, 2021 • 23:30

Equity Monday: Zoom buys Five9 as Robinhood sets IPO price range

Equity Monday: Zoom buys Five9 as Robinhood sets IPO price range

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.It was a big damn morning, so we had to cut some stuff. Here's what we got into:Stocks and cryp

Jul 19, 2021 • 6:01

The price differential for engineers is declining

The price differential for engineers is declining

The whole crew was here this week, with Danny and Natasha and Alex  together with Grace and Chris to sort through a very, very busy week. Yep, somehow it is Friday again which means it's time for our weekly news roundup.Here's what we got to in our short window of time: The Jianzhi Education IPO: We have questions. The Chinese edtech company is looking to list in the United States after Chinese regulators clamped down on Didi and other China-based, American public offerings. Bravery? S

Jul 16, 2021 • 34:19

Your funding round isn't special, but you might be

Your funding round isn't special, but you might be

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.For this week’s deep dive, Alex and Natasha and Danny decided it was time to chat about funding rounds. Yep, everyone's favorite topic, just in time for the return of our wonderful producer Chris.To help us navigate these particular waters, we had our friend and friendly competitor Alex Konrad on the show. Konrad is a senior editor over at Forbes, and part of the found

Jul 14, 2021 • 26:48

Equity Monday: Cybersecurity startups see deluge of capital as Microsoft looks to buy RiskIQ

Equity Monday: Cybersecurity startups see deluge of capital as Microsoft looks to buy RiskIQ

This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.It was a busy weekend for everyone, regardless of whether you were watching the technology, what Branson was up to, or the footie. I won't take sides on the match, but I will say that it was gripping unto the very end and a

Jul 12, 2021 • 6:57

Mmhmm, it’s the most ridiculous story we’ve ever heard

Mmhmm, it’s the most ridiculous story we’ve ever heard

Danny and Alex were on deck this week, with Grace on the recording and edit. Natasha will be back with us starting next week. So, it was old times on the show with just two of our team to vamp on the news. And oh boy was there a lot of news to get into. Like, loads. What's going on with Didi? Didi's woes have continued this week, with the company seeing its share price continue to fall. The Equity team's view is that the era of Chinese companies listing in the United States is over. W

Jul 9, 2021 • 35:19

Tune in, SPAC on, drop LSD

Tune in, SPAC on, drop LSD

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.For this week’s deep dive, Alex and Natasha and Danny decided that it was time to talk about drugs. No, not like drugs for fun, but instead drugs that you might have considered fun, but are now being redirected to help bolster your health.Yep, that's our theme today. As it turns out, there are a number of startups and even nascently public companies that are pursing us

Jul 7, 2021 • 16:42

Didi gets hit by Chinese government, and Pelo raises $150M

Didi gets hit by Chinese government, and Pelo raises $150M

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Tuesday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.What a busy weekend we missed while mostly hearing distant explosions and hugging our

Jul 6, 2021 • 6:05

California has no water and lots of liquidity

California has no water and lots of liquidity

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Danny, Natasha, and Alex were on-deck this week, with Grace on the recording and edit. But, if you want to hear more about Robinhood, this is not the episode for you. If you want to learn more about the consumer fintech company's IPO filing this is the episode you want. Basically, Robinhood filed after we had wrapped taping, so we had to do a special pod for the news.S

Jul 2, 2021 • 33:45

Robinhood is going public and we're very excited

Robinhood is going public and we're very excited

It's a sweltering day here in New York City, and that means Wall Street is on fire, and so is Robinhood, apparently. The popular stock trading app officially filed its Form S-1 with the SEC a few hours ago to go public, where it will trade under the ticker "HOOD."The Equity crew has been yammering about Robinhood for years now, and we have been chomping on the bit to see those S-1 results for what feels like ages. Well, we finally got the numbers, we chomped that bit (or at least Alex and Danny

Jul 1, 2021 • 16:22

Dear economy, creators aren't fragile plants

Dear economy, creators aren't fragile plants

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.For this week’s deep dive, Alex and Natasha brought on Alexis Gay, a former operator at Patreon who now makes her living as comedian and podcast host, to talk about the creator economy - including our disdain for that horrid phrasing. You may know her from her cheeky, on point shorts about tech culture (and tech Twitter).https://twitter.com/yayalexisgay/status/13693464

Jun 30, 2021 • 33:05

Equity Monday: Big iPads, and Ballmer-era Google

Equity Monday: Big iPads, and Ballmer-era Google

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.First, happy belated birthday to Chris Gates, one of the founding members of the show. His birt

Jun 28, 2021 • 6:36

Equity Extras: Q&A from the live show

Equity Extras: Q&A from the live show

Hey Equity fam, we have a small clip of extra for you today. After our live show - listen to the recording here, it was good fun - we got to take a few questions from the audience, audio that was not included in the main episode as we didn't have the time. But we've cut it out, given it a short polish, and have it for you today.If you wanted even more Equity, here you go!As a small note from the team, we know that this week's Wednesday episode didn't have the best audio quality. And to do a Twit

Jun 26, 2021 • 9:37

Equity Live: This is what leadership smells like

Equity Live: This is what leadership smells like

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week we did something fun and different and good: a live show! A good number of people came, and asked questions, and altogether, it was a blast.Danny, Natasha, and Alex had a lovely time with the regular work, while Grace and Chris and Kevin made the whole operation function. We'll likely post a bonus episode of the Q&A on Saturday if people are inte

Jun 25, 2021 • 35:22

How many lives does bitcoin have?

How many lives does bitcoin have?

For this week’s deep dive Danny, Alex, and a bunch of the TechCrunch crew took on the recent happenings in the world of bitcoin. In a break from our regular format, we recorded live from a Twitter Space -- it's like a Clubhouse, but closer to where your social network is -- so the audio quality is not going to be Utterly Perfect. But we think the conversation will more than make up for it!Before we get into the show notes, do not forget that we're recording Equity live on Hopin Thursday

Jun 23, 2021 • 23:31

Equity Monday: China hates crypto, and the Vision Fund's vision lives on

Equity Monday: China hates crypto, and the Vision Fund's vision lives on

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.Our live show is this week! And we're very excited about it! Details here, and you can register

Jun 21, 2021 • 7:57

Owning the paycheck is the key to fintech success

Owning the paycheck is the key to fintech success

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week, Natasha and Danny, otherwise known as your two new favorite Book influencers (inside joke, you'll get if you listen to the show), hopped on the mics to take everyone threw the news, with Grace and Chris in the background.Here's what we got into: Wise announced plans to go public via direct listing, making it the biggest company to use this rout

Jun 18, 2021 • 34:58

Every startup needs an in-house senate

Every startup needs an in-house senate

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.For this week’s deep dive, Natasha and Danny unpacked the Expensify EC-1, which includes a ton of surprises, building tips, and, as we discuss in the show, some life lessons as well. This is our largest EC-1 to date, and is the result of six months of prodigious work from the inimitable Anna Heim. Of course, we had to add our Equity spin on the feature and boi

Jun 16, 2021 • 17:02

What does Uber and birth control have in common?

What does Uber and birth control have in common?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our morning coffee chat with you that is all about the weekend, what to expect this week, and some funding rounds you may have missed. I'm subbing in for Alex Wilhelm today, who is deservedly out on vacation. You can find me on Twitter @nmasc_, and Equity on Twitter (turn on those notifications!) @equitypod. Biden and world leaders are co

Jun 14, 2021 • 8:55

The huge TAM of fake breaded chicken bits

The huge TAM of fake breaded chicken bits

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We're closing our survey soon, so this is your last chance (probably) to get your voice heard!Despite it being a short week, as always, it was a busy, busy time. We had Grace on the dials today, and Danny, Natasha, and Alex making chit-chat about the tech world. As with every week this year, we had to cut and cut and cut to get the show down to size. Here's wh

Jun 11, 2021 • 30:28

The imbalanced landscape of hormonal health

The imbalanced landscape of hormonal health

For this week’s deep dive, Alex, Natasha, and Chris dug into the world of hormonal health, a sub-sector within the massive (and booming) world of digital health.The show was inspired by Natasha's latest Extra Crunch piece: "Hormonal Health is a massive opportunity: Where are the unicorns?". To round out the show, we asked one of the featured founders, Dr. Elizabeth Ruzzo, to hop on the mic and help us understand if hormonal health is at its infancy, or at an inflection point, in tech.Th

Jun 9, 2021 • 25:19

Equity Monday: Jeff's going to space, and everyone wants a piece of Flipkart

Equity Monday: Jeff's going to space, and everyone wants a piece of Flipkart

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.It's WWDC week, so expect a deluge of Apple news to overtake your Twitter feed here and there o

Jun 7, 2021 • 7:04

Amazon is now open to getting sued

Amazon is now open to getting sued

Despite it being a short week, as always, it was a busy busy time. Our regular Friday producer Grace was under the weather today, so Chris stepped in to help out.And as noted at the top of the episode, we're running a survey. The survey is here, dear Equity family. Please fill it out so that we can keep making the show better.That aside, here's what Danny and Natasha and Alex got into: Stack Overflow has a new owner, and a $1.8 billion sale price that is minting 61 new millionaires in

Jun 4, 2021 • 28:23

Why sports tech is bigger than a game

Why sports tech is bigger than a game

For this week’s deep dive, Alex and Natasha dug into the burgeoning of sports media, sports gaming, and fantasy sports world today through the lens of some early-stage startups. Naturally, the Equity team is what comes to mind when you consider the correct and right people to discuss sports. We are here to back up your priors.Jokes aside, we had a good time digging into the following:THE GIST raised $1 million. Both Natasha and Alex were very bullish on the company's product, focus, and market.

Jun 2, 2021 • 17:37

Equity Tuesday: Everyone is raising money at the same time

Equity Tuesday: Everyone is raising money at the same time

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Tuesday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.We are back from a long weekend here in America. But not break here in the States can

Jun 1, 2021 • 7:53

The SPAC trash ticker is counting down

The SPAC trash ticker is counting down

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week had the whole crew aboard to record: Grace and Chris making us sound good, Danny to provide levity, Natasha to actually recall facts, and Alex to divert us from staying on topic. It's teamwork, people - and our transitions are proof of it.And it's good that we had everyone around the virtual table as there was quite a lot to get through:Team felt all kinds of

May 28, 2021 • 32:28

Cataclysms are a growth industry

Cataclysms are a growth industry

For this week’s deep dive, Alex and Natasha dug into Danny's latest mega-project: A long, fascinating, and deeply-reported series into the world of disaster tech. It's all about the market, startups, and their backers, so it was perfect fare for our Wednesday episode, in which we dive deep into a single topic.Part 1: The most disastrous sales cycle in the worldPart 2: Data was the new oil, until the oil caught firePart 3: When the Earth is gone, at least the internet will still be workingPart 4:

May 26, 2021 • 23:15

Equity Monday: Crypto's awful weekend, Apple v. Epic, and funding rounds galore

Equity Monday: Crypto's awful weekend, Apple v. Epic, and funding rounds galore

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.After a somewhat quiet weekend, things are kicking off in rapid-fire fashion this week. Here's

May 24, 2021 • 7:05

LinkedIn is the reason Apple made the M1 chip

LinkedIn is the reason Apple made the M1 chip

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week was good fun not only because we had the whole team together to record, but also because we are still basking in the endless glory of our winning a Webby earlier this week. Frankly we are still shocked. But happy-shocked, like when you get a new toy and it is covered in static electricity.Anyhoo, we had a packed show with much, much left on the floor as we tr

May 21, 2021 • 30:38

What has four wheels and loses money?

What has four wheels and loses money?

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic and go deep. This time Natasha and Alex corralled TechCrunch transportation editor Kirsten Korosec to talk to us about the endless parade of EV SPACs, and more. Before we get into the show notes, you can follow Equity on Twitter here.https://twitter.com/kirstenkorosec/status/1394726967203667969And, because we are proud, we won a Webby! Our show! How cool is that? Thank you for love listening, hate listening, all of it. We are so t

May 19, 2021 • 23:22

Equity Monday: Elon Musk Elon Musk's the crypto markets, while Indian startups raise huge rounds

Equity Monday: Elon Musk Elon Musk's the crypto markets, while Indian startups raise huge rounds

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.There was lots to get through today, so, in order, here's the rundown: Early-stage

May 17, 2021 • 9:44

Hundreds of SPACs waiting in the woods

Hundreds of SPACs waiting in the woods

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.The fully-vaxxed and officially fully-immune took over the podcast this week, with Natasha and Danny co-hosting the show while the inimitable Alex is out from Shot #2. Grace and Chris, as always, were behind the scenes making sure we sound pretty and don't fall down too many punny board game rabbit holes after vacation.Here's the rundown of what we got into: C

May 14, 2021 • 33:51

Duolingo swipes Tinder in a Clash Royale

Duolingo swipes Tinder in a Clash Royale

For this week’s deep dive, Alex and Danny unpacked Natasha's latest project: The Duolingo EC-1. The 12,000 word four-part series was published last week and is worth a read. But, until you get to it, enjoy our podcast that doubles-clicks into its most interesting bits.[caption id="attachment_2146587" align="aligncenter" width="482"] Duo, Duolingo's mascot, flying around. Image Credits: Duolingo [/caption]Here's how it went, after we got our morning allergy banter out of the way: What's

May 12, 2021 • 18:52

Equity Monday: Dogecoin is passé, but student notes are big business

Equity Monday: Dogecoin is passé, but student notes are big business

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.This weekend was all about memecoins. And I am sorry about that. But Equity doesn't run the wor

May 10, 2021 • 7:51

If 12% is the new 30%, 4% is the new 12%

If 12% is the new 30%, 4% is the new 12%

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.The whole team was aboard for this recording, with Grace and Chris behind the scenes, and Danny, Alex, and Natasha on the mics. We had to cut more than we included this week, which should give you a good idea of how busy the startup and VC worlds are of late.Make sure that you are following the podcast on Twitter, where we post all sorts of memes and cuts and,

May 7, 2021 • 33:24

The morality and efficacy of going public earlier

The morality and efficacy of going public earlier

For this week’s deep dive Natasha and Alex and Chris dug into the world of the IPO. Not just the numbers and the metrics and the calculations of valuations at diluted, and non-diluted share counts. No. We wanted to talk about the morality and efficacy of going public.So to round out our conversation we enlisted Steve Cakebread, the CFO of Yext and Garth Mitchell, the CFO of Latch. Cakebread is known for being aboard the Salesforce, Pandora, and Yext's IPOs. Mitchell has sat on both side

May 5, 2021 • 24:18

Equity Monday: TechCrunch goes Yahoo while welding robots raise $56M

Equity Monday: TechCrunch goes Yahoo while welding robots raise $56M

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.This morning was a notable one in the life of TechCrunch the publication, as our parent company

May 3, 2021 • 10:16

The second shot is kicking in

The second shot is kicking in

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.First and foremost, Equity was nominated for a Webby for “Best Technology Podcast”! Drop everything and go Vote for Equity! We’d appreciate it. A lot. And even if we lose, well, we’ll keep doing our thing and making each other laugh. (Note: we are in last place, which is, well, something.)Regardless, the Equity team got together once again this week to not only go over

Apr 30, 2021 • 31:50

In a room with no smart speaker, Alexa can't hear you scream

In a room with no smart speaker, Alexa can't hear you scream

For this week’s deep dive Natasha and Alex and Danny and Chris dove into the world of audio. Sure, you've heard of Clubhouse, but there's lots more going on than just a single app's cultural rise. So from the biggest companies to niche startups, we compiled all the recent audio news into a single show for all our delectation.Here's the rundown:Facebook is building a number of audio products, including a Clubhouse clone and a short-form audio service that we think could be neat.Reddit is also bui

Apr 28, 2021 • 22:31

Equity Monday: Social media crackdowns, earnings, and a funding deluge

Equity Monday: Social media crackdowns, earnings, and a funding deluge

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.This weekend had a key story, earnings are on the way, and there is a huge number of funding ro

Apr 26, 2021 • 7:32

No one is talking about remote work from space

No one is talking about remote work from space

First and foremost, Equity was nominated a Webby for "Best Technology Podcast"!!! Drop everything and go Vote for Equity! We'd appreciate. A lot. And even if we lose, well, we'll keep doing our thing and making each other laugh.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Chris got together to chat through the week's biggest news. And like every other week in recent memory, it was a busy one. But we did our best to hit some M&A news, some unicorn news, and some funding news from smaller startups.

Apr 23, 2021 • 32:55

The rise of the next Coinbase, thanks to Coinbase

The rise of the next Coinbase, thanks to Coinbase

For this week’s deep dive Natasha and Alex and Danny wanted to chat crypto. No, not cryptography, but cryptocurrency. The topic has been hot in recent months thanks to Coinbase, recent weeks thanks to the rapid price appreciation in the value of many coins, and in recent days because dogecoin went crazy.Vote for Equity to win a Webby so that our parents are proud!So with our minds tuned to the future of money, and commerce, and content, here's the show's rundown: Recent crypto news has

Apr 21, 2021 • 20:40

Equity Monday: Clubhouse, UiPath, and the crypto flash crash

Equity Monday: Clubhouse, UiPath, and the crypto flash crash

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.First, our news roundup from last week was probably the most fun I've had in a few months, so m

Apr 19, 2021 • 8:18

Do you need a SPAC therapist?

Do you need a SPAC therapist?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace were all here to chat through the week’s biggest tech happenings. It was yet another busy week, but that just means we had a great time putting the show together and recording it. Honestly we have a lot of fun this week, and we hope that you crack a smile while we dig through the latest as a team.Ready? Here's the rundown: The C

Apr 16, 2021 • 32:29

Why expensive workout gear is actually cheap

Why expensive workout gear is actually cheap

For this week's deep dive Natasha and Alex wanted to dig into the Tonal EC-1, a huge document spread across a number of posts. Our goals were pretty simple: To better understand Tonal's journey, and also to get into the mind of its author.So we corralled JP Mangalindan into firing up his computer, microphone, and recording software for a chat. Here's what we covered:What is Tonal, why is it interesting, and why did JP spend so much time learning about the company?What did he have to leave out of

Apr 14, 2021 • 20:00

Equity Monday: Microsoft buys Nuance, Uber isn't dead, and Austin has a new unicorn

Equity Monday: Microsoft buys Nuance, Uber isn't dead, and Austin has a new unicorn

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here. It is good to be back!There was a lot to get through, so, in order that we discussed

Apr 12, 2021 • 7:14

Creator economy’s slow burn

Creator economy’s slow burn

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and  and Grace were all here to chat through the week’s rigamarole of news. Alex took some well-deserved time off, but that meant we got to poke a little fun at him and create a Special Edition segment to start off the show.Jokes aside, this week was yet another spree of creator economy, edtech, and new fund announcements, with fresh and unex

Apr 9, 2021 • 32:03

Introducing: Found

Introducing: Found

For this week’s deep dive, the Equity team sat down not with external investors or founders, but with two of our own. Yes, this week, for the first time Natasha and Alex got to break a little internal news instead of focusing on the world outside.Why did we have Jordan Crook and Darrell Etherington on the show? Because we're jazzed to add a second startups-focused podcast to a slowly but surely growing TC podcast network: Found. Found lands April 9, so tune in! The show will focus on talking to

Apr 7, 2021 • 18:41

Equity Monday: Edtech consolidation, and Amazon continues to make you like it less

Equity Monday: Edtech consolidation, and Amazon continues to make you like it less

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.This morning we took a global look at the news, trying to take in the latest from around our li

Apr 5, 2021 • 7:33

Clubhouse will create billions in value and capture none of it

Clubhouse will create billions in value and capture none of it

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace were all here to chat through the week’s biggest tech happenings. It was a busy week on the IPO front, Danny was buried in getting the Tonal EC-1 out, and Natasha took some time off. But the host trio managed to prep and record a show that was honestly a kick to record, and we think, a pleasure to listen to!So, for your morning walk

Apr 2, 2021 • 33:42

Tips for founders thinking about doing a remote accelerator

Tips for founders thinking about doing a remote accelerator

For this week’s deep dive, the Equity team got ahold of three founders from the recent Y Combinator batch (more here, and here) to chat through their experiences with a remote accelerator. TechCrunch was curious if the program lived up to founder expectations, how extreme timezone differentials were handled, and how easy it was to build camaraderie during a digital program. Oh, and how their demo day went.Here's who is on the show:Benjamin Croc, a founder at BrioHR (TechCrunch coverage here)Tris

Mar 31, 2021 • 22:11

Equity Monday: Deliveroo, ServiceTitan, and Robinhood for everywhere

Equity Monday: Deliveroo, ServiceTitan, and Robinhood for everywhere

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.This morning was a fun mix of news, including some early-stage and late-stage startups

Mar 29, 2021 • 8:45

You can only invest if you promise not to read the fine print, ok?

You can only invest if you promise not to read the fine print, ok?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace were all here to chat through the week’s biggest tech happenings. News was right back up to a dull roar this week, so we did our best to trim and hone and just bring you the most important things.Here's the rundown: David Dobrik stepped down from Dispo, the photo-sharing app he co-created, this past week after allegatio

Mar 26, 2021 • 32:38

Equity Crowdfunding is making the private markets public

Equity Crowdfunding is making the private markets public

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.For this week’s deep dive, the Equity team brought on Gumroad CEO Sahil Lavingia and Hustle Fund General Partner Elizabeth Yin to talk about equity crowdfunding. It’s been about a week since the SEC increased the equity crowdfunding cap from $1.07 million to $5 million, creating the perfect opportunity to go beyond the dollar amount and understand how the change impact

Mar 24, 2021 • 33:17

Equity Monday: Deliveroo sets IPO price range as we gear up for Y Combinator week

Equity Monday: Deliveroo sets IPO price range as we gear up for Y Combinator week

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here.If you are paying attention to Y Combinator's demo day this week, our primer is here.

Mar 22, 2021 • 8:53

Forget medicine, in the future you might get prescribed apps

Forget medicine, in the future you might get prescribed apps

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace were all here to chat through the week’s biggest tech happenings. This time around we had whatever passes for a quiet week as far as news volume. But that still meant we had to cut stuff and move the rest around. But, once we got done editing the notes doc down, here's what was leftover: Snap acquires Fit Analytics, a

Mar 19, 2021 • 29:40

Pregame Y Combinator with Equity

Pregame Y Combinator with Equity

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down and focus on a single topic, or theme. This is our sweet spot: going beyond definitions and into the dirty and deep impact of how a phenomenon could impact startups and tech. We are hoping to explore more than answer, and debate more than agree. This week we're riffing on the impending Y Combinator demo day class, all hailing from the Winter 2021 cohort. As we stated on the show, we're not saying that these are the only startups worth looking at.

Mar 17, 2021 • 24:13

Equity Monday: Stripe's epic new valuation, Deliveroo's IPO, and WeWork numbers

Equity Monday: Stripe's epic new valuation, Deliveroo's IPO, and WeWork numbers

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and make sure to check out Friday's news-roundup with Danny and Natasha that included some ne

Mar 15, 2021 • 9:04

Can you beat Google with Google's brains?

Can you beat Google with Google's brains?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace were all here to chat through the week’s biggest tech happenings. Like every week, we had to leave a lot of great stuff on the cutting-room floor. But, we did get to touch on a bunch of news that we feel really matters.Also we do wind up talking about a few Extra Crunch pieces, which is where our deeper analysis on news items lives.

Mar 12, 2021 • 30:55

NFTs are changing cultural value creation

NFTs are changing cultural value creation

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down and focus on a single topic, or theme. This is our sweet spot: going beyond definitions and into the dirty and deep impact of how a phenomenon could impact startups and tech. We are hoping to explore more than answer, and debate more than agree.NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, is this week's topic! This is something that you

Mar 10, 2021 • 28:36

Equity Monday: More money for fintech, Deliveroo's IPO, and AI startups

Equity Monday: More money for fintech, Deliveroo's IPO, and AI startups

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and make sure to check out our Friday show that featured the Square-Tidal deal, some recent I

Mar 8, 2021 • 9:10

SoftBank makes mountains of cash off of human laziness

SoftBank makes mountains of cash off of human laziness

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace were all here to chat through the week’s biggest tech happenings. It was yet another crazy week, but did our best to get through as much of it as we could. Here's the rundown, in case you are reading along with us! Square is buying Tidal in a deal that some are skeptical of, but one about which we found quite a lot to

Mar 5, 2021 • 32:07

$100 million for mealworms

$100 million for mealworms

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the number behind the headlines.This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down and focus on a single topic, or theme. This week we're talking agtech, a surprisingly cool bit of the technology startup world. But Chris and Danny and Natasha and Alex were not alone in their quest to take a look into agtech, we brought alone TechCrunch climate editor Jon Shieber for the ride.With his help we got through

Mar 3, 2021 • 19:54

Equity Monday: More venture money for Europe, and public companies blast off

Equity Monday: More venture money for Europe, and public companies blast off

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and be sure to check out our most recent Friday episode, which featured news on Fini

Mar 1, 2021 • 7:26

Why are we still dating LinkedIn in 2021?

Why are we still dating LinkedIn in 2021?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace were all here to chat through the week’s biggest tech happenings. Before we get into this week's show, make sure to check out all the news here about how Equity is expanding, and becoming even more of a thing in 2021! We are beyond hyped about it.Coming on the back of such a wild news week, we had to cut and cut from the notes doc t

Feb 26, 2021 • 28:31

SpaceX is really just SPAC and an ex

SpaceX is really just SPAC and an ex

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is our first-ever Wednesday episode. If you want to learn more about the latest edition of the podcast, head here for more. This week we talked about space, an increasingly active part of the global economy, and a place where we're seeing more and more young tech companies place their focus.We were lucky to have TechCrunch's Darrell Etherington join us for the sho

Feb 24, 2021 • 19:41

Equity Monday: Everyone is going public so what's wrong with your startup?

Equity Monday: Everyone is going public so what's wrong with your startup?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and be sure to check out our last main ep, in which Natasha coins a slogan for a16z

Feb 22, 2021 • 8:02

A16z doesn't invest, it manifests

A16z doesn't invest, it manifests

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace were all here to chat through the week’s biggest tech happenings. In very good Show News™, Chris is back! He's working on the next iteration of the show, something that you will be able to see starting Very Soon. Get hype!Today though, we had a delectable dish of dynamic doings, namely news items of the following persuasion: Bit

Feb 18, 2021 • 26:03

Equity Monday: The electric car boom, tech regulation, and some sad American VC data

Equity Monday: The electric car boom, tech regulation, and some sad American VC data

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and be sure to check out our riff on whether SoftBank has another 20 DoorDashes waiting in th

Feb 15, 2021 • 8:03

Does SoftBank have 20 more DoorDashes?

Does SoftBank have 20 more DoorDashes?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace were all here to chat through the week’s biggest tech happenings. This week felt oddly comforting from a tech news perspective: Facebook is copying something, early-stage startup data is flawed enough to talk about, and sweet DoorDash is buying robots for undisclosed sums.So, here's a rundown of the tech news we got into (as always,

Feb 12, 2021 • 31:10

Equity Shot: What's next for the startup software market

Equity Shot: What's next for the startup software market

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace noticed last week that we had a bevy of software-as-a-service (SaaS) stories that we wanted to chat about. So we decided to break them out into their own episode.What came out of the conversation is a mix of optimism, sarcasm, and healthy doubt regarding what's next for SaaS. SaaS matters as it is an incredibly popular busi

Feb 10, 2021 • 14:37

Equity Monday: Tesla buys bitcoin, Nexthink raises, and Bumble

Equity Monday: Tesla buys bitcoin, Nexthink raises, and Bumble

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and be sure to check out last week's main ep that dug into Robinhood, Miami, and a h

Feb 8, 2021 • 7:42

A lake house architect, a Miami VC, and homeowner walk into a wine bar

A lake house architect, a Miami VC, and homeowner walk into a wine bar

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace were all here to chat through the week's biggest tech happenings. The good news is that we managed to fit it all into a single episode this week. The bad news is that that means the show is pretty long. Sorry about that!So, what took us so much time to get through? All of this: Robinhood raised $3.4 billion after its tradin

Feb 4, 2021 • 30:13

Equity Monday: Rich tech folks chat rich tech things on rich tech app funded by rich tech investors

Equity Monday: Rich tech folks chat rich tech things on rich tech app funded by rich tech investors

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and make sure to check out last week’s main episode and companion chat about Robinhood.This m

Feb 1, 2021 • 8:01

Why calendar invites are worth $3B

Why calendar invites are worth $3B

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace hopped online for our weekly show, sans Gamestop news (which you can find here) to talk about all the other busy news happening in startup world right now.Here's a taste of what we got into:  Qualtrics IPO pricing, and the future of major acquisition pricing schemes. This company's path to the public markets has been a lon

Jan 28, 2021 • 29:55

Robinhood stops the games

Robinhood stops the games

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week the team — Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace — recorded a bonus Equity Shot to help our listeners make sense out of the Gamestop trading bonanza happening all over the internet. The story is fast-moving, and news continues to break (twice during our recording, in fact) about how trading apps such as Robinhood are responding to the tear. Still, this type of

Jan 28, 2021 • 13:15

Equity Monday: Clubhouse, Taboola, and why the SPAC wave will get worse

Equity Monday: Clubhouse, Taboola, and why the SPAC wave will get worse

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday,  our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and make sure to check out last week’s main ep, which was super-packed and a real treat.This

Jan 25, 2021 • 8:09

The only take about the future of media is that media is the future

The only take about the future of media is that media is the future

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week we — Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace -- had more than a little to noodle over, but not so much that we blocked out a second episode. We try to stick to our current format, but, may do more shows in the future. Have a thought about that? equitypod@techcrunch.com is your friend and we are listening.Now! We took a broad approach this week, so there is a lit

Jan 21, 2021 • 28:42

Equity Tuesday: Everyone's raising money, and Wrike exits yet again

Equity Tuesday: Everyone's raising money, and Wrike exits yet again

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity (Monday) Tuesday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and make sure to check out last week's two episodes, covering all the news sans eco

Jan 19, 2021 • 7:54

Checkout wants to be Rapyd and Fast

Checkout wants to be Rapyd and Fast

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. We’re back on this lovely Saturday with a bonus episode!Again!There is enough going on that to avoid failing to bring you stuff that we think matters, we are back yet again for more. This time around we are not talking Roblox, we're talking about ecommerce, and a number of rounds -- big and small -- that have been raised in the space. Honest question: do y'all plan to

Jan 16, 2021 • 14:02

The end of Plaid-Visa, and Palantir's growing startup mafia

The end of Plaid-Visa, and Palantir's growing startup mafia

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week we -- Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace -- had a lot to get through, as the news volume in early 2021 has been rapid, and serious. Sadly this means that some early-stage rounds missed the cut, though we did make sure to have some Series A material in the show.So, what did we the assembled crew get to? Here's your cheat-sheet:The demise of the Plaid-Visa de

Jan 14, 2021 • 29:34

Equity Monday: Cryptos fall, the deplatforming rush, and fitness tech stays hot

Equity Monday: Cryptos fall, the deplatforming rush, and fitness tech stays hot

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here —and don't forget to check out the extra episode we dropped on Saturday, as there was just too

Jan 11, 2021 • 8:47

Who is underpricing Roblox?

Who is underpricing Roblox?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. We're back on this lovely Saturday with a bonus episode!The normal crew assembled, including Alex, Natasha, Danny, and Chris, to chatter about a chunk of creator and gamer news. And some big numbers, the sorts that we always find fun to chat about.A sneak peek at what we discussed during this second-ever Equity Leftovers:Roblox's epic pre-IPO raise, and its decision t

Jan 9, 2021 • 14:52

Hopin might be the fastest growth story of this era

Hopin might be the fastest growth story of this era

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. Happy 2021, or as our own Danny Crichton aptly names it, December 38, 2020.Equity crew is back to start the new year in full force, with Alex, Natasha, and Danny on the mics and Chris behind the scenes. The reunion led to extreme Dad joke energy from all of us, which helped get through the mountain of tech news that we had in front of us.In fact, there was so much to

Jan 7, 2021 • 33:43

Equity Monday: Unionization at Alphabet, Tesla's delivery achievement, and CRED raises $81M

Equity Monday: Unionization at Alphabet, Tesla's delivery achievement, and CRED raises $81M

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out the second of our two holiday eps, the most recent looking at w

Jan 4, 2021 • 8:37

The Equity crew predicts what's to come in 2021

The Equity crew predicts what's to come in 2021

What could go wrong?Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. As you can see, this is our yearly predictions episode. Our behind-the-scenes guru Chris Gates joins us on the mic, we take shots at our prior prognostications, and nosh on what we feel is positively persaged.As always, this episode is in good fun. If you don't agree with we think is up ahead, that's fine. You're probably right. B

Dec 31, 2020 • 24:26

Equity Monday: No, tech news doesn't stop over the holidays

Equity Monday: No, tech news doesn't stop over the holidays

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out the first of our two holiday eps, the last one talking to VCs a

Dec 28, 2020 • 8:38

Five VCs discuss what surprised them the most in 2020

Five VCs discuss what surprised them the most in 2020

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Today is our holiday look-back at the year, bringing not only our own Danny and Natasha and Chris and Alex into the mix, but also five venture capitalists who we got to leave us their notes as well. The goal for this episode was to reflect on a year that no one could have ever predicted, but with a specific angle, as always, on venture capital and sta

Dec 24, 2020 • 25:43

Equity Monday: Billion-dollar deals, JetBrain's epic profitability, and our favorite new VC rounds

Equity Monday: Billion-dollar deals, JetBrain's epic profitability, and our favorite new VC rounds

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest private market news, talks about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds, and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out our latest main episode, which spent a good bit of time talkin

Dec 21, 2020 • 10:27

The Venn diagram between crypto and OnlyFans

The Venn diagram between crypto and OnlyFans

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.For the first time in donkey's years, we didn't have our full crew this week. Instead, we had just Natasha and Chris and myself -- we had to survive without Danny while he took the week "off" to "relax."But our depleted ranks did not mean that news was waiting for us to reassemble. Indeed, there was a mass of stuff to get through:Atlanta-based Presso

Dec 17, 2020 • 34:05

Equity Monday: IPO delays and mega-deals kickstart the week

Equity Monday: IPO delays and mega-deals kickstart the week

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds, and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Thursday’s episode that dug into the impact of celebrity endorsement

Dec 14, 2020 • 9:48

Do the celebrities help the startups or do the startups help the celebrities?

Do the celebrities help the startups or do the startups help the celebrities?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.What a week, yeah? Instead of the news cycle slowing as the year races to a close, things are still as hot as ever. We have funding rounds big and small, IPOs, first-day extravaganza and more.Luckily we had the whole crew around -- Chris and Danny and Natasha and I. Here’s the rundown:Career Karma raised $10 million, and we have thoughts and concerns.

Dec 10, 2020 • 32:33

Equity Monday: Airbnb pricing, Sequoia makes money, and early-stage rounds

Equity Monday: Airbnb pricing, Sequoia makes money, and early-stage rounds

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Thursday's epic run of early-stage rounds.It was busy this morning. S

Dec 7, 2020 • 7:59

What about $30 billion under 30

What about $30 billion under 30

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We're back with not an Equity Shot or Dive of Monday, this is just the regular show! So, we got back to our roots by looking at a huge number of early stage rounds. And a few other things that we were just too excited about to not mention.So from Chris and Danny and Natasha and I, here's the rundown:A hacker house aimed at college-age women and non-bi

Dec 3, 2020 • 35:28

Equity Shot: Salesforce's $27.7 billion-dollar Slack message

Equity Shot: Salesforce's $27.7 billion-dollar Slack message

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Welcome to an Equity Shot all about the huge, and hugely interesting Salesforce-Slack deal, in which the enterprise social company will be subsumed for the mere price of $27.7 billion.TechCrunch has notes on the deal here, and on what Salesforce expects the acquisition will do for its growth rate here.Some of the drama, we admit, was removed when the deal was presaged s

Dec 1, 2020 • 20:02

Equity Monday: HungryPanda raises $70M, trade tensions, and cross-border VC

Equity Monday: HungryPanda raises $70M, trade tensions, and cross-border VC

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Thursday's edtech deep dive from our own Natasha Mascarenhas.Right, n

Nov 30, 2020 • 8:02

Equity Dive: Edtech’s 2020 wakeup call

Equity Dive: Edtech’s 2020 wakeup call

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week, we're doing a first-ever for the show and taking a deep dive into one specific sector: Edtech.Natasha Mascarenhas has covered education technology since Stanford first closed down classes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In the wake of the historic shuttering of much of the United States' traditional institutions of education, the s

Nov 26, 2020 • 25:35

Equity Monday: Good vaccine news, three rounds, and why IPOs are trending

Equity Monday: Good vaccine news, three rounds, and why IPOs are trending

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Thursday's main ep, and our bonus episode that went out on Saturday.I

Nov 23, 2020 • 8:30

All IPOs should be paid for in Robux

All IPOs should be paid for in Robux

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is an all-time first for the show, it's an Equity Leftovers. Which means that we're not focusing on a single topic like we would in an Equity Shot. This is just, well, more Equity.Danny and I and Chris got together to chat about a few things that we could not leave out:Our piece looking at which venture capital firms are expected to make the most

Nov 21, 2020 • 25:33

Fintech unicorn Affirm has a lot of eggs in one basket

Fintech unicorn Affirm has a lot of eggs in one basket

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week wound being incredibly busy. What else would a week that included both the Airbnb and Affirm IPO filings, a host of mega-rounds for new unicorns, some fascinating smaller funding events, and some new funds?So we had a lot to get through, but with Chris and Danny and Natasha and your humble servant, we dove in headfirst:Affirm has filed to go

Nov 19, 2020 • 31:09

Equity shot: Airbnb's IPO is finally here

Equity shot: Airbnb's IPO is finally here

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Today we have an Equity Shot for you about Airbnb's S-1 filing, as it looks to go public before the year is out.First we get into Airbnb's macro performance, which shows a stable picture historical revenue growth. There is a ton of numbers to get to so get ready for a quick dive into net revenue, gross margins, and losses.Then we discuss the dramatic drop in bookings, t

Nov 16, 2020 • 13:11

Equity Monday: C3.AI files to go public and Vision Fund 2 leads $100M round

Equity Monday: C3.AI files to go public and Vision Fund 2 leads $100M round

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode that we wound up titling “Th O’s r ptinal, th dllrs

Nov 16, 2020 • 7:11

Th O’s r ptinal, th dllrs r mndtry

Th O’s r ptinal, th dllrs r mndtry

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.The full Equity crew was on hand to debate the current venture capital market, curious about how risk-on, or risk-off things really are today. Danny, Natasha and I framed the conversation around a number of news items from the week, including:Wrkfrce has launched, and we wanted to chat more about the future of niche media, bringing The Juggernaut's ow

Nov 12, 2020 • 39:13

Equity Monday: Vaccine news scrambles the stock market, shakes up startups

Equity Monday: Vaccine news scrambles the stock market, shakes up startups

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode that we wound up titling "Fortnite is actually a Saa

Nov 9, 2020 • 8:14

Fortnite is actually a SaaS company

Fortnite is actually a SaaS company

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.What a week from us here in the United States, where the election is still being tabulated and precisely zero people are stressed at all. But, no matter what, the wheels of Equity spin on and so Danny and Natasha and Alex and Chris got together once again to chat all things startups and venture capital.Up top there was breaking news aplenty, including

Nov 5, 2020 • 33:33

Equity Monday: Edtech and insurtech stay red-hot

Equity Monday: Edtech and insurtech stay red-hot

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode that was honestly very good fun.This morning was a s

Nov 2, 2020 • 7:55

Equity shot: Boo! It's the Halloween earnings special!

Equity shot: Boo! It's the Halloween earnings special!

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.As promised, the whole gang is back, this time to chew on the biggest, baddest, worstest, and most troubling earnings reports from the current cycle. This week saw Amazon and Alphabet and Microsoft and Apple and Facebook report, along with a host of smaller companies.Spoiler alert: there were more tricks than treats.Danny, Natasha and Alex wanted to g

Oct 31, 2020 • 20:28

Tech optimism...in this economy?

Tech optimism...in this economy?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.A few notes before we get into this. One, we have a bonus episode coming this Saturday focused on this week's earnings reports. And, second, we did not record video this week. So, if you like watching the show on YouTube, this is not the week for that!Right, here's what Natasha, Danny, and your humble servant got into this week:The huge COVID-related

Oct 29, 2020 • 32:37

Equity Monday: SAP’s warning, and IPO updates for both Airbnb and Databricks

Equity Monday: SAP’s warning, and IPO updates for both Airbnb and Databricks

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode that includes some high-quality Quibi jokes, if I re

Oct 26, 2020 • 7:36

Quibi’s shortform life

Quibi’s shortform life

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Myself, along with Danny and Natasha had a lot to get through, and more to say than expected. A big thanks to Chris for cutting the show down to size.Now, what did we get to? Aside from a little of everything, we ran through:The fall of Quibi, and who lost money in the mix. TechCrunch has a bit more on the video service's downfall here.The Netflix qua

Oct 22, 2020 • 35:52

Equity Shot: The DoJ, Google, and the suit could mean for startups

Equity Shot: The DoJ, Google, and the suit could mean for startups

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.It's a big day in tech because the US Federal Government is going after Google on anti-competitive grounds. Sure, the timing appears crassly political and the case is not picking up huge plaudits thus far for its air-tightness, but that doesn't mean we can ignore it.So Danny and I got on the horn to chat it up for about 10 minutes to fill you in. For reference, you can

Oct 20, 2020 • 11:49

Equity Monday 10/19

Equity Monday 10/19

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.American equities are set to rise, which is good new

Oct 19, 2020 • 9:11

When was the last time you worked out your soul?

When was the last time you worked out your soul?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.The whole crew was back today, with Natasha and Danny and I gathered to parse over what was really a blast of news. Lots of startups are raising. Lots of VCs are raising. And some unicorns are shooting to go public. It's a lot to get through, but we're here to catch you up.Here's what we got into:A Media Roundup: The Juggernaut raised $2 million in a

Oct 15, 2020 • 34:30

Equity Monday 10/12

Equity Monday 10/12

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.So, what was on our minds this morning?Headlines: Th

Oct 12, 2020 • 8:00

No-code is the new blockchain

No-code is the new blockchain

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Natasha was on vacation, so Danny and your humble servant had to endeavour alone. She's back next week, so we'll be back to full strength as a collective soon enough.But even with a depleted hosting crew, we had a mountain of news to get through. And to joke about, as Danny was in the mood for a laugh. Here's the rundown:Reddit Co-founder Al

Oct 8, 2020 • 38:30

Equity Monday 10/05

Equity Monday 10/05

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.Starting the day American stocks are set to rise des

Oct 5, 2020 • 8:06

What if the kernel is corrupt?

What if the kernel is corrupt?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s VC-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week, Alex is on a much deserved vacation (but not from Twitter, it seems) so Danny Crichton and I chatted through the news and happenings of the week. Somehow we winded our way through the latest tech controversies, gave Chris Wallace a shout out, and ended with some funding rounds. I'll be out next week so don't miss me too much, but expect the entire Equit

Oct 1, 2020 • 35:22

A tale of two direct listings

A tale of two direct listings

Two direct listings in one day. Lots to talk about.Asana started trading just a bit after noon Eastern today, quickly zooming to roughly about $29 a share in early trading this afternoon. Meanwhile, Palantir is running like a herd of bulls straight out of the gate, jumping to almost $11 a share in the first trades — a first day jump of nearly 50%.Asana’s reference price was revealed yesterday by the NYSE, and it was set for $21 a share. The company had roughly 150 million shares of stock outstan

Sep 30, 2020 • 12:05

Equity Monday 09/28

Equity Monday 09/28

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. I subbed in for Alex this week, so send your love over to the show on Twitter here and fan mail to me right here. Also, don’t forget to check out last Friday’s ep

Sep 28, 2020 • 10:59

Why isn't Robinhood a verb yet?

Why isn't Robinhood a verb yet?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Natasha Mascarenhas, Danny Crichton and your humble servant gathered to chat through a host of rounds and venture capital news for your enjoyment. As a programming note, I am off next week effectively, so look for Natasha to lead on Equity Monday and the both her and Danny to rock the Thursday show. I will miss everyone.But onto the show its

Sep 24, 2020 • 37:25

Equity Monday 09/21

Equity Monday 09/21

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.What a busy morning. We had to cover TikTok. We had

Sep 21, 2020 • 9:20

Schools are closing their doors, but OpenDoor isn’t

Schools are closing their doors, but OpenDoor isn’t

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Natasha Mascarenhas, Danny Crichton and myself hosted a live taping at Disrupt for a digital reception. It was good fun, though of course we're looking forward to bringing the live show back to the conference next year, vaccine allowing.Thankfully we had Chris Gates behind the scenes tweaking the dials, Alexandra Ames fitting us into the pro

Sep 17, 2020 • 29:48

Equity Monday 09/14

Equity Monday 09/14

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here and myself here — and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.What a weekend behind us, and what a week ahead. Dis

Sep 14, 2020 • 8:48

Warren Buffett invests in an unprofitable business

Warren Buffett invests in an unprofitable business

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.The whole crew was back, with Natasha Mascarenhas and Danny Crichton and myself chattering, and Chris Gates behind the scenes tweaking the dials as always. This week was a real team effort as we are heading into the maw of Disrupt -- more here, see you there -- but there was a lot of news all the same.So, here's what we got to:AngelList is doubling do

Sep 10, 2020 • 33:21

Equity Monday on Tuesday 09/08

Equity Monday on Tuesday 09/08

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here, and myself here, and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.Headline roundup: TikTok's parent will pay an irregu

Sep 8, 2020 • 8:43

Edtech is the new SaaS

Edtech is the new SaaS

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.The whole crew was back, with Natasha Mascarenhas and Danny Crichton and myself chattering with Chris Gates behind the scenes making it all work. An extra shoutout to Natasha this week as we spent a lot of time talking about edtech, a category that she spearheads for us and has brought to the show. It's a big deal!We're on YouTube now, don't forget, a

Sep 4, 2020 • 37:52

Equity Monday 08/31

Equity Monday 08/31

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here, and myself here, and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.This weekend was a welcome reprieve from last week's

Aug 31, 2020 • 9:02

A faster, easier, cheaper way of going public

A faster, easier, cheaper way of going public

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is the fourth episode of the week, pushing our production calendar to the test. Happily we've managed to hold it together amidst the news deluge that the last few days have brought. It was a good week for our scheduling change, with the main episode of the show coming to you on Thursday afternoon versus Friday morning.Change is good.But unchangin

Aug 27, 2020 • 30:08

Equity Shot: Our favorite startups from YC Demo Day

Equity Shot: Our favorite startups from YC Demo Day

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Yep, it's another Equity Shot. We're back. And then we're going to be back on Friday. Because we can't stop talking about the biggest news week in the world of startups and venture capital in some time.Before we start, shoutout to the NBA for the growing, wildcat strike to protest racist police violence in America.Ok, back to our regularly scheduled p

Aug 26, 2020 • 23:34

Equity Shot: Everyone filed to go public Monday

Equity Shot: Everyone filed to go public Monday

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We're back out of sequence, because literally every company you can name (well, almost) dropped an S-1 yesterday so we had to sit down and parse them out a bit. That so many filings dropped during the same two days when we had Y Combinator's two-day Demo Day at the same time meant that we were all a bit punchdrunk, but we rallied.Natasha and Danny and

Aug 25, 2020 • 28:48

Equity Monday 08/24

Equity Monday 08/24

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here, and myself here, and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.What was on the docket this morning? All sorts of go

Aug 24, 2020 • 9:34

No parties allowed at the Airbnb IPO

No parties allowed at the Airbnb IPO

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.What happens when the entire podcast crew is a bit tired from, you know, everything, and does its very best? This episode, apparently. A big thanks to Chris Gates for helping us trim the fat and make something good for you.Before we get into the topics of the week, don't forget that Equity is not back on YouTube most weeks, so if you wanted to see us

Aug 21, 2020 • 32:35

Equity Monday 08/17

Equity Monday 08/17

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here, and myself here, and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.This morning we had a bit of a detour, wandering int

Aug 17, 2020 • 8:25

Looking at how GenZ has changed fundraising

Looking at how GenZ has changed fundraising

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week we had the full crew around once again, Natasha Mascarenhas, Danny Crichton, Chris Gates, and myself. And as always, it was key to have the full crew as there was an ocean of news to get through. Before we get into the show, make sure you've checked out Danny's latest work on the TechCrunch List and let's get into it:The TikTok saga continue

Aug 14, 2020 • 36:31

Equity Monday 08/10

Equity Monday 08/10

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here, and myself here, and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.This morning was a bit of a grab-bag of news, but of

Aug 10, 2020 • 9:14

The rules of VC are being broken

The rules of VC are being broken

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.As ever I was joined by TechCrunch managing editor Danny Crichton and our early-stage venture capital reporter Natasha Mascarenhas. We had Chris on the dials and a pile of news to get through, so we were pretty hype heading into the show.But before we could truly get started we had to discuss Cincinnati, and TikTok. Pleasantries and extortion out of t

Aug 7, 2020 • 36:15

Equity Monday 8/3

Equity Monday 8/3

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here, and myself here, and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.As you probably expected, we had a lot to say about

Aug 3, 2020 • 7:42

The iron rule of founder compensation is dead

The iron rule of founder compensation is dead

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We had the full team this week: Myself, Danny, and Natasha on the mics, with Chris running skipper as always.Sadly this week we had to kick off with a correction as I am 1. Dumb, and, 2. See point one. But after we got past SPAC nuances (shoutout David Ethridge), we had a full show of good stuff, including:Y Combinator Demo Day is going virtual, as be

Jul 31, 2020 • 34:32

Equity Shot: All about the Qualtrics IPO

Equity Shot: All about the Qualtrics IPO

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.After the morning show went out, the Equity crew could not shut up about the Qualtrics-SAP deal, so we had no choice but to jump back into recording mode for an off-the-cuff Equity Shot. As always, Shots are short-form Equity episodes that focus on a single, news topic.https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/27/why-is-sap-spinning-qualtrics-out-via-an-ipo/Building off of Danny's

Jul 27, 2020 • 14:09

Equity Monday 07/27

Equity Monday 07/27

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here, and myself here, and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.Here's what we talked about today:Headlines: SAP is

Jul 27, 2020 • 8:49

The 3% gap in no-code

The 3% gap in no-code

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast (now on Twitter!), where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Up top the crew this week was the regular contingent: Danny Crichton, Natasha Mascarenhas, and myself. As a tiny programming note, we're going back to posting some videos on YouTube in a few weeks, so make sure to peep the TechCrunch channel if that's your jam. And we did a special episode on the SPAC boom, if you are into financial arcana. For more o

Jul 24, 2020 • 31:53

Go SPAC yourself

Go SPAC yourself

Hello everyone, it's a busy week with TechCrunch Early Stage underway and a slew of tech earnings to parse through. But that didn't stop the Equity crew from sitting down to chat about the recent wave of SPAC commentaryDanny and I wanted to talk about what a SPAC is -- the acronym stands for special purpose acquisition company -- and why everyone seems to be chatting them up.Why do you care? Here's some context, in simple bullet-point format:Yesterday, after raising its IPO price range, Jamf pri

Jul 22, 2020 • 15:53

Equity Monday 07/20

Equity Monday 07/20

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our weekly kickoff that tracks the latest big news, chats about the coming week, digs into some recent funding rounds, and mulls over a larger theme or narrative from the private markets. You can follow the show on Twitter here, and myself here, and don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode.Got all that? Great, let's talk about what we went

Jul 20, 2020 • 7:47

Give us your seed round and we will send back double

Give us your seed round and we will send back double

llo and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week was full of news of all sorts, but as we recorded both Danny and Natasha were still locked out of their Twitter accounts after a proletariat revolution on the social platform saw the ruling Blue Checkmark Class forced into silence. That's not really what happened, but it sounds better than actually went down at Big Social.Anyway, Twitter accounts or not, the th

Jul 17, 2020 • 33:31

Equity Monday 07/13

Equity Monday 07/13

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our week-starting primer in which we go over the latest news, dig into the week ahead, talk about some neat funding rounds and dive into the latest big news from the startup world. (You can follow the show on Twitter here, and myself here, if you are so inclined! Don’t forget to check out last Friday’s episode as well. All the cool kids are doing

Jul 13, 2020 • 10:48

Silicon Valley is built on immigrant innovation

Silicon Valley is built on immigrant innovation

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We wound up having more to talk about than we had time for but we packed as much as we could into 34 minutes. So, climb aboard with Danny, Natasha, and myself for another episode of Equity.Before we get into topics, a reminder that if you are signing up for Extra Crunch and want to save some money, the code "equity" is your friend. Alright, let's get into it: Robin

Jul 10, 2020 • 34:29

Equity Monday 07/06

Equity Monday 07/06

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is Equity Monday, our week-starting primer in which we go over the latest news, dig into the week ahead, talk about some neat funding rounds, and dive into the latest big news from the startup world. (You can follow the show on Twitter here, and myself here, if you are so inclined! Don't forget to check out last Friday's episode as well. All the cool kids are doing

Jul 6, 2020 • 9:23

When life gives you lemons, print money with Lemonade

When life gives you lemons, print money with Lemonade

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Before we dive in, don't forget that the show is on Twitter now, so follow us there if you want to see discarded headline ideas, outtakes from the that got cut, and more. It's fun!Back to task, listen, we're tired too. But we didn't let that stop us from packing this week's Equity to the very gills with news and notes and jokes and fun. Hopefully you can chuckle along

Jul 3, 2020 • 32:35

Equity Monday 06/29

Equity Monday 06/29

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This is Equity Monday, our week-starting primer,  in which we go over the latest, look to the week ahead, talk about some neat funding rounds, and dig into the latest on the health of the startup market.Don't forget that you can follow Equity on Twitter, and, as explained in the show, you can sign up for Alex's new TechCrunch newsletter "The Exchange" here.Ok, let's ge

Jun 29, 2020 • 7:59

The way to win is to lose the most money the fastest

The way to win is to lose the most money the fastest

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week was a bit feisty, but that's only because Danny Crichton and Natasha Mascarenhas and I were all in pretty good spirits. It would have been hard to not be, given how much good stuff there was to chew over.We kicked off with two funding rounds from companies that had received a headwind from COVID-19:Away raises new capital, reported to be $30 million to $40 mi

Jun 26, 2020 • 30:19

Equity Monday 06/22

Equity Monday 06/22

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This is Equity Monday, our short-form week-starter in which we go over the weekend, look to the week ahead, talk about some neat funding rounds and dig into what is stuck on our minds.This morning, here's what we talked about:Equity is on Twitter! You can follow us on @EquityPodThe COVID-19 pandemic hit a new, worse milestone over the weekend. What is ahead for the gl

Jun 22, 2020 • 7:30

It's not just about e-mail, stupid

It's not just about e-mail, stupid

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Your humble Equity team is pretty tired but in good spirits, as there was a lot to talk about this week. But, first, three things to start us off:First: Read this piece from TechCrunch's Megan Rose Dickey about Juneteenth and tech companies. This podcast is going out on Juneteenth, so before you hit play, please take a minute to learn more about the day and its signifi

Jun 19, 2020 • 30:57

Equity Monday 06/15

Equity Monday 06/15

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This is Equity Monday, our short-form week-starter in which we go over the weekend, look to the week ahead, talk about some neat funding rounds, and dig into what is stuck on our minds.So, by section then:The Weekend:The market narrative seems to have changed from optimism to pessimism, impacting stock prices and possibly closing the IPO window some, after it had unex

Jun 15, 2020 • 9:45

Take Facebook money and get cloned

Take Facebook money and get cloned

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.After a pretty busy week on the show we're here with our regular Friday episode, which means lots of venture rounds and new venture capital funds to dig into. Thankfully we had our full contingent on hand: Danny "Well, you see" Crichton, Natasha "Talk to me post-pandemic" Mascarenhas, Alex "Very shouty" Wilhelm, and behind the scenes, Chris "The Dad" Gates.Make sure to

Jun 12, 2020 • 27:38

Equity Shot: Stop with the Vroom and gloom on Wall Street

Equity Shot: Stop with the Vroom and gloom on Wall Street

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This time around we're recording what we call an Equity Shot, a single-topic show that we pull together whenever there's a news item of sufficient weight that it demands we break our regular cadence and record a little more.So Danny and Tash and Alex got together to discuss the recent Vroom IPO and Lemonade filing to go public. These are topics that TechCrunch has cove

Jun 9, 2020 • 32:17

Equity Monday 06/08

Equity Monday 06/08

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Here at Equity Monday we look at what happened over the weekend, what's ahead, and a few recent funding rounds. As you'll hear, we're heading back into our normal cadence and topics, but if you do want to learn a bit more about what you can do to make your voice heard in opposition to racist policing, last week's ep is worth listening to.This is what we got up to this

Jun 8, 2020 • 6:45

A message from the Equity crew

A message from the Equity crew

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week, however, the Equity crew (Danny, Natasha, Chris, and Alex) agreed it felt silly to drum up false enthusiasm for funding rounds and startups. Instead, we talked about a more critical topic: systemic racism in the United States. Venture firms and tech executives across the country are pledging to be better following the brutal murder of George Floyd and police

Jun 5, 2020 • 4:52

Equity Monday 06/01

Equity Monday 06/01

Good morning and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a brief jumpstart for your week.A big thanks to start to the whole Equity crew for doing a stellar job last week with the show while I was on vacation, especially to Danny for taking on this particular installment of the podcast. Equity Monday is still pretty new, frankly, so him stepping up and into the role was a huge boon. Thanks, Danny.Right, so, what did we talk about today?In the face of outrageous police action and systemic raci

Jun 1, 2020 • 7:51

Tech talent is flocking to smaller cities, but investors aren't

Tech talent is flocking to smaller cities, but investors aren't

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week's show took a break from regularly scheduled programming. Our co-host Alex Wilhelm, who usually leads us through the show, was on some deserved vacation, so Danny Crichton and Natasha Mascarenhas took the reigns and invited Floodgate Capital's Iris Choi to join in on the fun. It's Choi's fourth time being on the podcast, which officially makes her our most t

May 29, 2020 • 37:43

Equity Monday 05/26

Equity Monday 05/26

Good morning and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a brief jumpstart for your week.This is a messed-up edition, because we are both hosting Equity Monday on Tuesday (because that makes sense) and our normal host Alex Wilhelm is on vacation, leaving (editor’s note: poor and massively underpaid) managing editor Danny Crichton to wake up early on the first day of the workweek to talk to himself in front of a microphone.Here’s what we (okay I) talked about this morning:We talked about remo

May 26, 2020 • 9:54

Clubhouse proves that time is a flat circle

Clubhouse proves that time is a flat circle

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.First, a big thanks to everyone who took part in the Equity survey, we really appreciated your notes and thoughts. The crew is chewing over what you said now, and we'll roll up the best feedback into show tweaks in the future.Today, though, we've gone Danny and Natasha and Chris and Alex back again for our regular news dive. This week we had to leave the Vroom IPO fili

May 22, 2020 • 26:22

Equity Monday 05/18

Equity Monday 05/18

Good morning and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a brief jumpstart for your week.A few housekeeping notes. First, the main, long-from Equity episodes still drop every Friday, so if you are behind, check your podcast feed. Also, we're running a listener survey which you can find here, in the last ep's shownotes. And finally, I am off next week, so Danny Crichton will take over Equity Monday for us. I'll be right back.All that behind us, here's what we talked about this morning:This es

May 18, 2020 • 8:23

What's up with tiny checks at giant valuations?

What's up with tiny checks at giant valuations?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Are you a regular Equity listener? Take our survey here!  **_https://forms.gle/QPU3sx3Hqv14Duuy9 _We talk about it on the show, and it's embedded below in case you don't want to click a link.**From home once again this week, Danny, Natasha, Alex, and Chris got together to pull the show together. But unlike last week's episode (catch up here if you are behind), this wee

May 15, 2020 • 32:02

Extra Crunch Live with Hunter Walk from Homebrew

Extra Crunch Live with Hunter Walk from Homebrew

The full interview hereHunter Walk thinks your TAM slide is stupid.That's one viewpoint that the seed-stage investor shared with TechCrunch that made us laugh during our recent conversation. Walk joined us for an Extra Crunch Live chat late last week that was a mix of advice and insight about what the seed-stage Homebrew partner looks for in founders and companies to invest in.In the case of founders, "attitude matters as much as aptitude sometimes," Walk said, adding that "grit" and "resilience

May 13, 2020 • 5:51

Equity Monday 05/11

Equity Monday 05/11

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week.Another weekend at home, another week's starting from the same spot. How are you holding up? Do you miss your commute yet? Just want to get some breakfast from a kitchen other than your own? I feel you.But it is Monday all the same and that means it's time for Equity, so let's get to it. You can hit play above and following along with notes:Kingsoft Cloud's IPO went well. Very well

May 11, 2020 • 9:29

Is it better to be a private or public company right now?

Is it better to be a private or public company right now?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Every week we write this post with some opening line akin to wow, what a week, huh? This is yet another one of those weeks. Perhaps this is just life now, and every week will stretch before us, similar to what Gandalf said after killing that Balrog, that "every day was as long as the life age of the Earth."Anyhoo, we recorded Equity to try and make a little sense of th

May 8, 2020 • 34:54

Equity Monday 05/04

Equity Monday 05/04

Good morning and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a jumpstart for your week.Equity had a busy last few days, so to help you catch up: Friday's episode was a lot of fun (Duolingo, Figma, OMERS, and aquafaba), and we also dropped an Equity Shot on Saturday, digging into the first major technology earnings week.But this morning we were busy digging through what's happened over the last few days, and what's to come. Here's the rundown:Silver Lake is following Facebook into Jio, at a highe

May 4, 2020 • 9:35

1% is the new "growth"

1% is the new "growth"

Happy Saturday and welcome back to an Equity Shot, a short-form episode of Equity where we drill into one particular topic. There was so much news this week in our main areas of focus -- startup funding rounds, new venture funds, that sort of thing -- that we had to exclude earnings from the main show! (But really, check it out, as it was a good time.)Sad, I know. Everyone surely noticed the loss, but we gathered once again on Friday afternoon to dig into the results all the same. A big thanks t

May 2, 2020 • 28:50

There is money in design tools, but do designers have a target on their backs?

There is money in design tools, but do designers have a target on their backs?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.What a week. Are you still standing? Did you make it? If you are upright and typing, congratulations, you're top-decile. If you're reading this from bed, that's fine too. We understand.The week was so busy that we actually ran a bit long this week, with lots left on the cutting room floor. So, with the full team aboard this week (Danny, Natasha, Chris, Alex), we got in

May 1, 2020 • 30:27

ExtraCrunch Live: Charles Hudson

ExtraCrunch Live: Charles Hudson

Get the whole discussion with Charles Hudson HERELast week, we kicked off our Extra Crunch Live interview series with an interesting chat with Charles Hudson, the general partner of Precursor Ventures.Charles Hudson founded Precursor Ventures to invest in pre-seed and seed-stage companies. Earlier this year, the firm filed paperwork to put together a $40 million third fund after previously raising two main funds and one $10 million “opportunity” fund. Credits: Equity is hosted by TechCrunch's Al

Apr 29, 2020 • 6:00

Equity Monday 04/27

Equity Monday 04/27

Good morning and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a jumpstart for your week.Regular Equity episodes still drop each and every Friday morning, so if you’ve listened to the show over the years, don’t worry — we’re only adding to the mix. You can catch last week’s show with Danny Crichton and Natasha Mascarenhas right here if you haven't yet.Unlike some weeks when the weekend's crop of news and thought runs fallow, our recent interlude was stuffed with things to talk about:Sequoia China

Apr 27, 2020 • 10:28

Investors buy The DiPP as accelerators go virtual

Investors buy The DiPP as accelerators go virtual

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week we had a choice of all sorts of news, but as we cut the show together as a group Danny pushed all the funding rounds up. So, when Alex and Natasha jumped into the show we had a bunch of good news to cover. We're avoiding COVID-19 news, but the pandemic is just a part of the broader stories we want to tell. For the foreseeable future, coronavirus will be alway

Apr 24, 2020 • 40:10

Equity Monday 04/20

Equity Monday 04/20

Good morning and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a brief jumpstart for your week. Regular Equity episodes still drop each and every Friday morning, so if you’ve listened to the show over the years, don’t worry — we’re only adding. In fact, last week's show (with Danny Crichton and Natasha Mascarenhas) was a blast, and you should check it out.This morning, however, we had a lot to get through, so let's go over the show's rundown:Changes are afoot in Israel regarding employee comp and

Apr 20, 2020 • 10:08

All press is good press for Robinhood

All press is good press for Robinhood

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week the Key Three were back with Danny Crichton, Natasha Mascarenhas, and Alex Wilhelm taking on the news while Chris Gates kept everything perfect.Alex apologizes for the math error you'll hear, naturally. 36 divided by four, is, of course, nine.Turning to the show, as has been the case every single week since we cannot recall when, we had a hell of a packed age

Apr 17, 2020 • 33:04

Equity Monday 04/13

Equity Monday 04/13

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week.Before we jump into today’s show, don’t forget that the long-form Equity that started in the unicorn era and continue in today's changed world still drops on Friday. We had a blast last week, so make sure to catch up.That said, there was a lot to go over this morning, so let's get into what we had to discuss:Global spend patterns are changing, helping some startups and slowing othe

Apr 13, 2020 • 7:46

So many Fintech eggs in so many baskets

So many Fintech eggs in so many baskets

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.The whole crew was present this week: Natasha, Danny and Alex, along with our intrepid producer Chris. And like the last few episodes it was good to have everyone around as there was so very much to get through. Even better there was a lot of good, non-COVID-19 news to cover. Yes, there were bad tidings and some COVID-19 material as well, but, hey, not everything can b

Apr 10, 2020 • 28:06

Equity on ExtraCrunch: Jonathan Lehr of Work-Bench

Equity on ExtraCrunch: Jonathan Lehr of Work-Bench

Get the full interview https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/08/talking-venture-b2b-and-thesis-driven-investment-with-work-benchs-jon-lehr/Earlier this week, the Equity crew caught up with Work-Bench investor Jon Lehr to get his take on the current market, and how his firm goes about making investment decisions.The conversation was a treat, so we cut a piece of it off for everyone to listen to. The full audio and a loose transcript are also available after the jump.What did Danny and Alex learn while t

Apr 8, 2020 • 9:46

Equity Monday 04/06

Equity Monday 04/06

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week.Before we jump into today's show, don't forget that the long-form Equity that we've done for more than three years still drops on Friday. Last week's was a particular delight, so make sure you're caught up. Ready? Let's go.This weekend was busy, with Quibi launching, folks in the UK attacking 5G towers and Skype trying to steal some of Zoom's thunder. News was dominated, as always,

Apr 6, 2020 • 9:01

Zoom’s 20X growth is bonkers

Zoom’s 20X growth is bonkers

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.How are you holding up? Are you keeping up? And most importantly, are you hydrating yourself? There's so much news lately that we're all falling a bit behind, but, hey, that's what Equity is for. So, Natasha, Danny, and Alex got together to go over a number of the biggest stories in the worlds of private companies.A warning before we get into the list, however. We're g

Apr 3, 2020 • 32:02

Equity Monday 03/30

Equity Monday 03/30

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week.If you missed Friday's main episode, it was a fun one so take the time if you have the minutes; we're settling into a new hosting lineup that is shaping up to be our best ever, so we're having a blast even if we have to record remotely instead of in the same room.This morning was a bit of a mixed bag. The world is still in pretty bad shape as societies and governments work to comba

Mar 30, 2020 • 6:19

Stripe goes Fast for $20M, D2C tips and tricks and what's happening to tech internships?

Stripe goes Fast for $20M, D2C tips and tricks and what's happening to tech internships?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.The three of us were back today -- Natasha, Danny and Alex -- to dig our way through a host of startup-focused topics. Sure, the world is stuffed full of COVID-19 news -- and, to be clear, the topic did come up some -- but Equity decided to circle back to its roots and talks startups and accelerators and how many pieces of luggage does an urban-living person really nee

Mar 27, 2020 • 29:11

Equity on ExtraCrunch: Monday.com passed $130M ARR

Equity on ExtraCrunch: Monday.com passed $130M ARR

Get the full interview hereAs efforts to flatten the spread of COVID-19 pushes employees from their offices, remote work is undergoing a surge in popularity.Well-known remote-work friendly companies like Zoom have seen a rise in usage, while Slack has already reported that it is successfully converting new users into paying customers, which is pushing up its growth rate.The pandemic is creating economic and social upheaval, but for a specific cohort of software companies that help distributed te

Mar 25, 2020 • 14:13

Equity Monday 03/23

Equity Monday 03/23

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week.Equity was busy last week, so catch up if you missed anything. We interviewed the CEO of Y Combinator, hosted a call with the TechCrunch staff digging into our favorite Demo Day companies, hosted Equity Monday on a Tuesday, held a call with Niko from General Catalyst, and hosted a guest -- remotely! -- on the regular Equity episode. It's been busy.This morning, however, was very ne

Mar 23, 2020 • 7:13

Raising in a recession

Raising in a recession

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week's episode was a testament to making do, as we've had to cancel some trips, juggle a few guests, and get up and running as a podcast that have guests dial in without losing our stride. So, this week Danny and Natasha and Alex were joined by Unshackled VC's Manan Mehta.And it went pretty ok, aside from a hiccup or two, expect Equity to still feature guests as o

Mar 20, 2020 • 37:51

Equity Monday on Tuesday 03/17

Equity Monday on Tuesday 03/17

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week. Regular Equity episodes still drop Friday morning, so if you’ve listened to the show over the years, don’t worry — we’re not changing the main show.For folks hunting for our longer form work, here’s last week’s episode with Danny Crichton and Natasha Mascarenhas, and here's yesterday's interview with YC boss Michael Seibel.Equity Monday is a day late this week as I was off yesterd

Mar 17, 2020 • 6:27

Equity on Extra Crunch: YC CEO Michael Seibel opens up about his accelerator’s first online-only Demo Day

Equity on Extra Crunch: YC CEO Michael Seibel opens up about his accelerator’s first online-only Demo Day

Get the full interview here: https://tcrn.ch/2Qg56JxY Combinator’s Demo Day has historically drawn crowds of investors and journalists into a big warehouse to watch hundreds of startups come out to the public for the first time ever. Think two minute pitches, a big audience, and tons of networking opportunities after. This year, citing COVID-19 concerns, the accelerator canceled its in-person Demo Day and moved it to online-only, and a week earlier than expected. You need to be pre-approved to a

Mar 17, 2020 • 16:35

Raising money in a bear market, and what happened with Sequoia and Finix?

Raising money in a bear market, and what happened with Sequoia and Finix?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Today was something a bit special. We'd originally hoped to have this episode in person, as a group, but the world isn't flying as much right now so we had to make do. Regardless, please say hello and welcome Natasha Mascarenhas to the Equity crew.Natasha has worked for the Boston Globe, the SF Chronicle, and, most recently, covering venture capital for Crunchbase News

Mar 13, 2020 • 33:06

Equity on Extra Crunch: Jason Lemkin on why now is the best time to start a SaaS company

Equity on Extra Crunch: Jason Lemkin on why now is the best time to start a SaaS company

Click here to listen to the full interview with SasStr's Jason Lemkin https://tcrn.ch/2TPZ7vKWith the markets in turmoil and fear running rampant through the global economy, you might not think that it’s a great time to start a company. According to at least one well-known venture capitalist, however, it’s a great time to start up.TechCrunch recently caught up with former founder and active venture capitalist Jason Lemkin to chat about the world of software-as-service companies, better known by

Mar 11, 2020 • 11:50

Equity Monday 03/09

Equity Monday 03/09

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week. Regular Equity episodes still drop Friday morning, so if you’ve listened to the show over the years, don’t worry — we’re not changing the main show. (Here’s last week’s episode with Danny Crichton in which we took a look at the new Kleiner fund.)This morning was more of the same. More COVID-19 bad news and stock market worry. But this weekend saw other, new issues, like a collapse

Mar 9, 2020 • 10:51

Kleiner's new fund, Atrium is kaput, and the latest data on Seed rounds

Kleiner's new fund, Atrium is kaput, and the latest data on Seed rounds

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week was packed with news, most of it pretty bad. But Zoom did well, so there's that. Happily we had our dynamic pairing, Alex "Have I Died" Wilhelm and Danny "Good Hair" Crichton on hand to parse through it all. (A reminder that Equity now hits your podcast app twice a week now, so peep us Monday mornings!)So what was on the docket? A host of things, starting wit

Mar 6, 2020 • 31:33

Equity Shot: What's Elliott Management and why is it coming after Twitter and SoftBank?

Equity Shot: What's Elliott Management and why is it coming after Twitter and SoftBank?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.After a long Shot hiatus, things keep happening that demand our attention. So, after digging into Tesla's near-miss of the $1,000 share-price mark, we're back to dig into Elliott Management's imposition into Twitter's world after sticking its nose into SoftBank earlier this year.Alex and Danny had a few goals in this short, news-driven Equity episode: To talk about wha

Mar 3, 2020 • 12:20

Equity Monday 03/02

Equity Monday 03/02

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week. Regular Equity episodes still drop Friday morning, so if you’ve listened to the show over the years don’t worry — we’re not changing the main show. (Here’s last week’s episode with Danny Crichton, going over the huge Roblox round and what is going on with no-code startups.)What to say about this Monday other than it feels a bit like last Monday. The markets aren't doing well, coro

Mar 2, 2020 • 8:18

Coronavirus corrections and the rise of remote work

Coronavirus corrections and the rise of remote work

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.What a week. What an insane, heart-stopping, odd, and stuffed week. I'm utterly exhausted. But, in better news, all of that great fodder for podcast and chat, so today's Equity is pretty ok if I may say so.Danny and I chewed through all the stuff that we couldn't get out of our heads, like the markets falling apart and DoorDash's initial movement towards going public.

Feb 28, 2020 • 31:30

Equity Monday 02/24

Equity Monday 02/24

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week. Regular Equity episodes still drop Friday morning, so if you’ve listened to the show over the years don’t worry — we’re not changing the main show. (Here’s last week’s episode with Danny Crichton if you want to listen; I also just got the pun in the headline.)Starting off this week the news is not very good.I start to prep for Equity Monday on Fridays, keeping tabs of themes and n

Feb 24, 2020 • 8:38

Equity is not always the answer

Equity is not always the answer

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week was a fun combination of early-stage and late-stage news, with companies as young as seed-stage and as old as PE-worthy joining our list of topics.Danny and Alex were back on hand to chat once again. Just in case you missed it, they had some fun talking Tesla yesterday, and there are new Equity videos on YouTube. Enjoy!Here's what the team argued about this w

Feb 21, 2020 • 28:59

Equity shot: What's going on with Tesla's stock price?

Equity shot: What's going on with Tesla's stock price?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is the first Equity Shot in what feels like a long time, so, let me explain. Most of the time Equity comes out on Friday. It's a mix of news and chat and venture happenings. It's fun! But, sometimes, a topic comes up that demands more immediate attention. That's what happened today as we stared at Tesla's share price wondering what in the hell was going on.Sure, T

Feb 19, 2020 • 15:20

Equity Monday 02/17

Equity Monday 02/17

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week. Regular Equity episodes still drop Friday morning, so if you’ve listened to the show over the years don’t worry — we’re not changing the main show.Here’s last week’s episode with Danny Crichton and Bessemer's Elliott Robinson which I really enjoyed. And, we just posted the video from that taping, in case you wanted to see what a podcast looks like IRL. Spoiler: It's mostly a bunch

Feb 17, 2020 • 7:10

Big meditation money, new VC funds, and how do you value Airbnb?

Big meditation money, new VC funds, and how do you value Airbnb?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.After having a good time with NEA's Rick Yang last week, we thought we'd bring on another venture capitalist. So this week Danny and I had Elliott Robinson from Bessemer swing over for the show. As it turned out, he was about as correct as guest as possible as not only did the topics of the week line up with where he invests, he's also friends with some of the folks th

Feb 14, 2020 • 38:53

Equity Monday 2/10

Equity Monday 2/10

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week. Regular Equity episodes still drop Friday morning, so if you’ve listened to the show over the years, don’t worry — we’re not changing it in the slightest. (Here’s last week’s episode, which included our first guest in a bit, NEA's Rick Yang.)We kicked off this morning with the latest economic news relating to the coronavirus outbreak in China, namely that a host of Chinese firms a

Feb 10, 2020 • 6:13

Why is One Medical worth more than Casper?

Why is One Medical worth more than Casper?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week was something fun. First, we were back as a group in the San Francisco studio, which is always fun. Even better, we had NEA's Rick Yang on hand to chat with Danny and Alex about the week. Yang, as old-school Equity listeners will recall, was back on the show in 2017. (Equity turns three soon, which is somewhat amazing.)All that aside, let's talk about what we

Feb 7, 2020 • 34:25

Equity Monday 02/03

Equity Monday 02/03

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week. Regular Equity episodes still drop Friday morning, so if you’ve listened to the show over the years don’t worry — we’re not changing what we've always done. (Here’s last week’s episode with Danny Crichton, in which we talked about Kleiner Perkins, venture capital pace, and more.)This morning we opened with the latest from China, namely its stock market selloff that looked a bit sc

Feb 3, 2020 • 6:13

How to blow through capital at an incredible rate

How to blow through capital at an incredible rate

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.It was yet another jam-packed week full of big news, IPO happenings, and venture activity. As always we've done our best to deliver the gist on what's been going on. We had Alex Wilhelm and Danny Crichton on hand to handle it all, which went medium-good. In other Equity news, we're back with guests over the next few weeks, so if you miss us having a venture capitalist

Jan 31, 2020 • 30:41

Equity Monday 01/27

Equity Monday 01/27

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week. Regular Equity episodes still drop Friday morning, so if you’ve listened to the show over the years don’t worry — we’re not changing it in the slightest. (Here’s last week’s episode which took a look at The Athletic's latest round, in case you missed it.)This Monday was a bit of a bad news run. The weekend was stuffed with news, not much of it good.Continued concerns relating to t

Jan 27, 2020 • 9:09

Why Front's Series C matters, the latest on Lambda and The Athletic makes media look good

Why Front's Series C matters, the latest on Lambda and The Athletic makes media look good

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Danny and Alex are back with more than ever to get through. 2020 has come out of the gate fast when it comes to news, so much so that we had to leave out of the show way more than we wanted. Things like the newest members of the $100 million ARR club, One Medical's proposed IPO pricing, the Clubhouse funding round and Placer.ai's latest investment.But we did

Jan 24, 2020 • 30:07

Equity Monday 01/21

Equity Monday 01/21

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch’s Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week. Equity's regular, long-form shows still land each and every Friday, including this entry from just a few days ago.This morning, coming to you early from the frozen tundra of the American East Coast, it's Tuesday. That's because yesterday was a holiday in the United States, so we took the day to work a little less than usual. But that doesn't mean we'd skip an episode, so let's div

Jan 21, 2020 • 8:36

We’ve gone Plaid #

We’ve gone Plaid #

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Danny and Alex were back together to riff over a the latest early-stage rounds, the latest on the late-stage front, and more. It was yet another stacked week, forcing us to pick and choose a bit.Starting off, however, here's the rounds that caught our eyes this past week:Insurify raised a $23 million Series A, dwarfing its preceding capital raisesWorkBoard st

Jan 17, 2020 • 30:39

Equity Monday 01/13

Equity Monday 01/13

Good morning friends, and welcome back to TechCrunch's Equity Monday, a short-form audio hit to kickstart your week. Regular Equity episodes still drop Friday morning, so if you've listened to the show over the years don't worry -- we're not changing the main show. (Here's last week's episode with Danny Crichton, which was a lot of fun.)What was on our minds this morning? Brian Heater's CES overview of sleeptech from the weekend, which made the argument that not all gadgets are bad for our sleep

Jan 13, 2020 • 10:24

Lucky coffee, unicorn stumbles, and Sam Altman's YC wager

Lucky coffee, unicorn stumbles, and Sam Altman's YC wager

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week we had TechCrunch's Alex Wilhelm and Danny Crichton on hand to dig into the news, with Chris Gates on the dials and more news than we could possibly cram into 30 minutes. So we went a bit over; sorry about that.We kicked off by running through a few short-forms to get things going, including:Alex wanted to talk about his recent story on Lily AI's $12.5 millio

Jan 10, 2020 • 38:02

Equity Monday 01/06

Equity Monday 01/06

Hello TechCrunch readers and Equity listeners alike. This morning we have something new for you that Chris and I are excited about: We're doubling the pace that we bring Equity, TechCrunch's venture capital-focused podcast, to your phone or computer.Starting this morning and continuing on Monday mornings moving forward, the Equity crew will put together a short, zero-bullshit episode designed to get your week started.What news did you miss over the weekend? What recent venture rounds do you need

Jan 6, 2020 • 7:03

Away, #PelotonGate, and predictions for 2020

Away, #PelotonGate, and predictions for 2020

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Kate and Alex and the ever-intrepid man behind the dials, Chris, took the time this week to dig into the two biggest stories from the end of 2019 and look into the future. But as you'll quickly hear, there was news on the show. Kate Clark is moving on from Equity and TechCrunch to The Information. We wish her nothing but the best but it's still a big blah to say goodby

Jan 3, 2020 • 30:29

Centaurs, centurions, centipedes: the $100M ARR CLUB

Centaurs, centurions, centipedes: the $100M ARR CLUB

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Kate was in SF, Alex was in Providence, and there was a mountain of news to shovel through. If you're here because we mentioned linking to a certain story in the show notes, that's here. For everyone else, let's get into the agenda.We kicked off with a look at three new venture funds. In order:Tusk Ventures: Tusk's new fund, worth $70 million, is an effective

Dec 20, 2019 • 30:59

Equity Dive: Direct Listings

Equity Dive: Direct Listings

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We have something special this week and it's not just because Kate's in Berlin for TechCrunch Disrupt Europe and Alex's in the throws of a cross country move! No, we've had this episode in the works for a while, and we're excited to finally present our deep dive on direct listings with Chris Mayo, the head of primary markets at the London Stock Exchange.If you're unfam

Dec 13, 2019 • 29:32

Closing the race and gender funding gap

Closing the race and gender funding gap

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week was a bit different than usual. First, we managed to come close to our old time target (20 minutes) instead of our regular length (30 minutes). And, second, Alex is coming back to TechCrunch starting next week!Expect more Equity and, from Alex, writing for Extra Crunch. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. If you aren’t an Extra Crunch subscriber yet you c

Dec 6, 2019 • 25:35

Former Facebookers take on Facebook

Former Facebookers take on Facebook

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We had a lot to get through this week and may have ran over our time a little bit but it was worth it. First, we discussed Weekend Fund's second effort, a $10 million vehicle targeting early-stage upstarts. Led by Product Hunt founder and CEO Ryan Hoover, Weekend Fund raised a smaller debut angel fund a few years ago. Now they're back at it after deploying capital to G

Nov 27, 2019 • 35:19

Equity Dive: Poshmark's origin story with co-founder & CEO Manish Chandra

Equity Dive: Poshmark's origin story with co-founder & CEO Manish Chandra

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We have something a bit different for you this week. Equity co-host Kate Clark recently sat down with Manish Chandra, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Poshmark, and one of his earliest investors, NFX managing partner James Currier.If you haven't heard of Poshmark, it's an online platform for buying and selling clothes. Basically, it's the thrift shop of th

Nov 22, 2019 • 42:05

WeWork gives zero forks, and Docker containerizes its future into a casket

WeWork gives zero forks, and Docker containerizes its future into a casket

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Kate was in China, so TechCrunch's Danny Crichton and Alex took the helm while she was out grilling Lime. So, with our producer (the excellent Mr. Gates) in San Francisco and Danny in New York and Alex in the provinces, we got into the following to start:Jetpack Aviation and it’s seed round to build a flying motorcycle, because of course why notAn endurance r

Nov 15, 2019 • 32:14

Every startup is a bank--or wants to be

Every startup is a bank--or wants to be

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week we did something just a little bit new. Kate was in studio at TechCrunch's SF HQ. Alex was in his dork cave in Providence. And we had a guest in the studio as well. We've done similar setups before, but never with video all around. So, welcome to a slightly new chapter in Equity's production history (all praise to Chris for making it work, video will be out t

Nov 8, 2019 • 30:40

Sam Altman’s bet against Slack

Sam Altman’s bet against Slack

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Kate and Alex broke the discussion into two main themes. The first dealt with early-stage companies, and the second, as you can imagine, later-stage affairs. Don't worry, we don't get to SoftBank for quite some time.Up top, we dug into Kate's story about Quill, a formerly stealthy company that could be taking on Slack. That or something similar to Slack. Next

Nov 1, 2019 • 31:01

Growth is out, profitability is in

Growth is out, profitability is in

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Kate and Alex held the reins as a duo (check out our chat with Greylock's Sarah Guo from last week here) to dig into an enormous raft of news. And don't worry, it's not all late-stage happenings. We're discussing early-stage news every week because that's what the listeners want!Up top we dug into Kate's excellent work covering the Superhuman founder's new mi

Oct 25, 2019 • 33:44

Greylock GP Sarah Guo is as bullish on SaaS as ever

Greylock GP Sarah Guo is as bullish on SaaS as ever

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where each week we discuss other people’s money and what sense their investment choices make (or don't).This week was honestly a treat. We had Kate Clark in the studio along with Alex Wilhelm and a special guest, Sarah Guo from Greylock Partners, a venture firm (obviously). Guo has the distinction of having the best-ever fun fact on the show.We kicked off with Grammarly, a company that recently put $90 million into it

Oct 18, 2019 • 34:40

Checking In On 2019's IPO Cycle

Checking In On 2019's IPO Cycle

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We have a special episode this week. Instead of our regular lineup, we got Alex on the phone with an IPO expert to dig into the year's IPO cycle both at home and abroad. Helping with the effort was James Clark, the Head of Tech and Lifesciences, Primary Markets at the London Stock Exchange.That means we had IPO fans from both the US and across the pond to kick into wha

Oct 11, 2019 • 22:32

Why San Francisco is still the gold mine for tech startups

Why San Francisco is still the gold mine for tech startups

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where each week we discuss other people’s copious dollars and lacking sense.This week was special! Kate and Alex at Disrupt where they recorded live in front of an audience. Equity has recorded at Disrupt before. Equity has taped before an audience before. But this was the first time that we taped it at Disrupt and in front of an audience that actually had chairs. Progress!https://twitter.com/KateClarkTweets/status/11

Oct 4, 2019 • 35:32

Peloton, WeWork, Vox, Bodega, Kapwing and oh boy are we tired

Peloton, WeWork, Vox, Bodega, Kapwing and oh boy are we tired

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.As with yesterday, Kate and Alex were both on-site at TechCrunch’s San Francisco headquarters to chat over the latest. Unlike yesterday, however, Equity brought along a guest: Sean Dempsey from Merus Capital. (Merus writes Seed and Series A checks, with a focus on enterprise companies.)And thus the three dove into the news. Early-stage first, to shake things up.Early-S

Sep 27, 2019 • 31:08

Equity Shot | Your guide to WeWork's CEO shuffle

Equity Shot | Your guide to WeWork's CEO shuffle

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Kate and Alex were back at TechCrunch’s San Francisco HQ to huddle over the weeks' biggest news story: WeWork's infamous CEO exiting his role. Adam Neumann is now merely the non-executive chairman of The We Company, a firm that he helped found and led the public story for over the last half-decade.His exit comes after a number of revelations made his tenure a

Sep 25, 2019 • 28:22

The cult of the founder and Silicon Valley’s lack of moral authority

The cult of the founder and Silicon Valley’s lack of moral authority

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Kate and Alex were back at TechCrunch's San Francisco headquarters to chat the news with Kleiner Perkin's Mamoon Hamid. Hamid is best known as a former member of the Social Capital team, and for driving generational change at Kleiner Perkins, a decades-old venture capital firm.While we were prepping our notes, Airbnb announced that it is indeed going public n

Sep 20, 2019 • 31:29

WeWork and Uber are proof valuations are meaningless

WeWork and Uber are proof valuations are meaningless

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Kate and Alex were back to cover a lot of late-stage news, which they rounded up with some early-stage notes towards the end. As a reminder, come check out the show at Disrupt SF if you are in town, we'll be out amongst startups, chatting all things startups and money.Up top, we dug into WeWork and the latest from the company's continuing IPO saga. The questi

Sep 13, 2019 • 27:46

Why Box is one of the most under appreciated companies out there

Why Box is one of the most under appreciated companies out there

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week, we recorded on location at TechCrunch Sessions: Enterprise in San Francisco, a show that saw talks from Box's Aaron Levie, Atlassian CEO Scott Farquhar and venture capitalists Maha Ibrahim, Rebecca Lynn and Jason Green. The latter, the founder of Emergence Capital, joined us before his panel for a special episode of Equity focused almost entirely on enterpr

Sep 6, 2019 • 26:59

Could Peloton be the next Apple?

Could Peloton be the next Apple?

TechCrunch is back in San Francisco for our flagship event, Disrupt SF. We've got a fantastic line up of startup and tech leaders on tap like Snapchat's Evan Spiegel, Postmates CEO Basitan Lehmann, and Salesforce's Marc Benioff. Plus, you can experience an entire track of "how-to" content to help you grow your business from experts at Bumble, Fitbit, Uber, Goldman Sachs, Y Combinator and more. Also! We'll be recording a special episode of Equity right in the middle of Startup Alley. So get a tic

Aug 30, 2019 • 35:52

The myth of “stage agnostic” investing

The myth of “stage agnostic” investing

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week we were helmed by Kate Clark, Alex Wilhelm, and yet another extra special guest. Unusual Ventures co-founder and partner John Vironis joined us to talk soil investing (yes, it's a thing), seed investing, growth investing and all the somewhat meaningless funding stages. Vrionis was a longtime investor at Lightspeed Venture Partners and has made big bets on a

Aug 23, 2019 • 28:48

Equity interview | Michael Seibel | Y Combinator's CEO

Equity interview | Michael Seibel | Y Combinator's CEO

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. We have a special episode ready for you today. As many of you know, it's that time of year when hundreds of nascent startups make their big 2-minute pitch to the top venture capitalists of "Silicon Valley" (San Francisco) at Y Combinator's Demo Day. We (Kate and Alex) thought we'd bring in a YC expert, YC chief executive officer Michael Seibel, to chat about the batch

Aug 20, 2019 • 33:50

Equity Shot: WeWork S-1

Equity Shot: WeWork S-1

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. Today is our promised Equity Shot (a short-form, single-topic episode) on the WeWork S-1. You can read Kate's notes here, or Alex's here as a place to start. Given that we didn't know when the WeWork S-1 filing was going to make itself known, we put together this episode from TechCrunch's SF HQ, Alex's home office, and Kate inside a New York Blue Bottle Coffee. We wer

Aug 14, 2019 • 17:32

Axios' Dan Primack on 'the most polarizing startup that exists'

Axios' Dan Primack on 'the most polarizing startup that exists'

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week was a bit special. Instead of meeting up at the TechCrunch HQ to record the episode, Kate and Alex met up in muggy Boston at Drift's office, where we linked up with Axios's Dan Primack. And since we were feeling chatty, we went a bit long. After checking in with Primack (he has a newsletter and a podcast), we first dealt with the latest from Tumblr. In short

Aug 13, 2019 • 42:00

Startups seek sperm... And venture capital backing

Startups seek sperm... And venture capital backing

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week we were helmed by Kate Clark and Alex Wilhelm, but those of you who love the show having guests on don't despair. As we explain at the top, there's a lot of folks coming on the show soon, many of whom you know by name. But that's to come, and we had a lot to chat through this week. Including, right from the jump, the latest gyrations in the stock market. Ear

Aug 9, 2019 • 24:45

Unpacking DoorDash's $410M Caviar acquisition

Unpacking DoorDash's $410M Caviar acquisition

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week Kate and Alex were back to dig through a surprising number of fresh rounds and new funds along with a little breaking news. The traditional VC summer is nowhere to be seen in 2019, so expect the show to stay packed for the foreseeable future. DoorDash's decision to buy Caviar from Square upended our agenda. The decacorn's decision to drop $410 million in cas

Aug 2, 2019 • 23:19

Why the hell is Robinhood worth $7.6B?

Why the hell is Robinhood worth $7.6B?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This was a special week for us because Danny was back in the office, which meant we cornered him into coming on the show. Danny, of course, is an Equity regular. Also aboard this week were our regular hosts, Kate and Alex. We were relieved to have three hosts because there was a lot of news to get through, from IPOs to late-stage financings to little seed fundings, an

Jul 26, 2019 • 24:59

Can you really predict the next generation of unicorns?

Can you really predict the next generation of unicorns?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. It's a good week here at Equity HQ because our two co-hosts are both back at the same time! Kate Clark and Alex Wilhelm, after each of them taking some time off, led the show today, digging into a wealth of news and happenings. Here's a quick rundown of what happened on the show this week! Postmates is still working on its IPO! Despite some reports indicating that the

Jul 19, 2019 • 28:46

The IPO window that never closes

The IPO window that never closes

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week was a bit of a turn-about. Kate was off this week and Alex was back, so we brought back a few favorites to tide us over until our regular leader returns. For this IPO-themed episode, we had TechCrunch and Extra Crunch's Danny Crichton in the studio along with Deloitte's Barrett Daniels, a prior guest on the show and one of our favorite humans. It being rough

Jul 12, 2019 • 30:29

Investing elsewhere with Revolutions’s Clara Sieg

Investing elsewhere with Revolutions’s Clara Sieg

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. I was in the studio alone this week with the wonderful Clara Sieg of Revolution, an early-stage venture capital fund that invests in disruptive startups from underrepresented geographies. As you might have guessed, we talked about the rising trend of investors backing companies from "second-tier" markets like Austin, Atlanta, Denver, Philadelphia, Seattle, etc. Clara

Jul 5, 2019 • 27:14

SoftBank-backed startup cracks under pressure to scale

SoftBank-backed startup cracks under pressure to scale

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. Our esteemed co-host Alex Wilhelm was out again this week, but Kate Clark was in the studio with the lovely TechCrunch editor Connie Loizos and Canvas Ventures' general partner Rebecca Lynn. The wonderful Chris Gates is on vacation this week, so TechCrunch's Megan Rose Dickey sat in the producer's chair. That made this episode extra special, as it was our first all-fe

Jun 28, 2019 • 26:40

The VCs behind Libra, Facebook's new cryptocurrency

The VCs behind Libra, Facebook's new cryptocurrency

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. Sadly, Equity co-host Alex Wilhelm is out this week, but for good reason: He's getting married this weekend. Fortunately, we had the esteemed TechCrunch editor Danny Crichton step in to discuss Slack's direct listing, Facebook's new cryptocurrency, the scooter cash desert, startup founder salaries and more with Equity co-host Kate Clark. We began this week's episode w

Jun 21, 2019 • 27:48

Silicon Valley’s founder fetish infantilizes public companies

Silicon Valley’s founder fetish infantilizes public companies

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week was a lot of fun. We had Kate and Alex in the studio with Chris running the show and reminding half the recording team about English words (immersive, as a spoiler). This week had a lot to go over. First, Kate went to the Recode + Vox Code Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona where it was very, very hot. She tells us her key takeaways of the event (here's anoth

Jun 14, 2019 • 34:35

What happens to late-stage VC if the Vision Fund goes away?

What happens to late-stage VC if the Vision Fund goes away?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. Good news! Kate and Alex were both back in the studio this week. And even better news, the new TechCrunch studio is big and soundproof and pretty nice, really. But enough about all of that, let's get into the news. First, a rapid-fire look at some recent items: Thumbtack is raising a Series H at a flat valuation. Bird is acquiring Scoot, which is unsurprising and prob

Jun 7, 2019 • 26:59

Is the tech press too positive in its coverage of startups?

Is the tech press too positive in its coverage of startups?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. It's our first week in the new TechCrunch podcast studio, or it was for Kate Clark and Chris Gates. Alex Wilhelm will be back around SF next week. For now, we fired up the mics and dug into what was a veritable barrage of news. First, Paul Graham's contentious comments. The co-founder of Y Combinator tweeted some criticism of the tech press on Thursday; naturally, Kat

May 31, 2019 • 27:13

Changes at YC, DoorDash raises more, and how to avoid an IPO

Changes at YC, DoorDash raises more, and how to avoid an IPO

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. We're back to our old, weekly cadence. Which is all well and good but after a run of doubling up episodes to keep up with the news cycle, showing up just every seven days nearly feels like vacation. But hey, we're here for you (you follow us both on Twitter, right?). There was a lot to go over, so please enjoy the following: An IPO update: First up we checked in on ou

May 24, 2019 • 27:24

Unpacking Away's $1.4B valuation, the startup studio model and CrowdStrike's S-1

Unpacking Away's $1.4B valuation, the startup studio model and CrowdStrike's S-1

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week was something a bit special for the team, albeit in a sad way. It marked the last episode in which we'd all be together in the current TechCrunch office. It's a place we've spent so much time in so we were all a bit nostalgic. (TC is moving offices, nothing else is changing!)Anyway, there was news to discuss!After Alex went through what he called a "mid-quart

May 17, 2019 • 27:51

Equity Shot: Judging Uber's less-than-grand opening day

Equity Shot: Judging Uber's less-than-grand opening day

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We are back, as promised. Kate Clark and Alex Wilhelm re-convened today to discuss the latest from the Uber IPO. Namely that it opened down, and then kept falling.A few questions spring to mind. Why did Uber lose ground? Was it the company's fault? Was it simply the macro market? Was it something else altogether? What we do know is that Uber's pricing wasn't what we we

May 10, 2019 • 13:36

Why Om Malik thinks 'the VC subsidized life is over'

Why Om Malik thinks 'the VC subsidized life is over'

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week we had the full Equity staff on hand to dig through the week's news, helmed by Kate Clark and Connie Loizos with Alex Wilhelm in the studio too. Plus, Om Malik, a former scribbler and current venture capitalist, joined us to riff on the latest.Before we dig into what we covered, a small note from the team: As this episode is going out before Uber will trade,

May 10, 2019 • 37:56

New a16z funds, a $200M round, and the latest from WeWork and Slack

New a16z funds, a $200M round, and the latest from WeWork and Slack

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week brought the ever-excellent Danny Crichton back to the show, along with myself. The two of us opted to do a bit of a news run, so strap in for a host of topics. Of course, we had to cover some IPO news at the end, but here’s what else happened this week that caught our eye: New funds at a16z! We haven’t chatted about new funds too much this year, but a16z’s t

May 3, 2019 • 27:22

Equity Shot: Uber's IPO terms and Slack's S-1

Equity Shot: Uber's IPO terms and Slack's S-1

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Kate and Alex are back (again), bringing you the latest on the IPO front. As Friday is coming to a close, we'll keep this post short to leave plenty of room for you to dig into the audio. Welcome to the weekend.Up first we dug into Uber's latest S-1 filing. This time, the company set a price range for itself (TechCrunch's coverage here), valuing itself at $84 billion a

Apr 26, 2019 • 21:56

Mary Meeker's new fund, two IPOs from China, and what's next for Uber and Slack?

Mary Meeker's new fund, two IPOs from China, and what's next for Uber and Slack?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week Kate Clark and Alex Wilhelm dug into the latest, namely big news on the fund front from folks you know, two China-based companies going public on domestic exchanges, and what's next in the long-running sagas of getting Uber and Slack public.First up Kate talked us through the latest at Kleiner Perkins and Mary Meeker's new growth fund, called Bond Capital. Al

Apr 26, 2019 • 24:25

Equity Shot: Pinterest zooms into the public markets (and yet another tech company files for an IPO)

Equity Shot: Pinterest zooms into the public markets (and yet another tech company files for an IPO)

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This is a relaxed, Friday, Equity Shot. That means Kate and Alex were on deck to chew through the latest from the IPO front. We'll keep doing extra episodes as long as we have to, though we're slightly sorry if we're becoming a bit much.That's a joke, we're not sorry at all.So, three things this week. First, Fastly filed an S-1 (Alex's notes here), second, Zoom complet

Apr 19, 2019 • 18:17

VCs bet on cannabis vaping, ED meds and mobile fertility clinics

VCs bet on cannabis vaping, ED meds and mobile fertility clinics

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.This week was a bit of a reunion with Kate and Alex on as usual, with the addition of Extra Crunch denizen extraordinaire Danny Crichton. Danny, you may recall, has been a semi-regular Equity co-host over the past year.As Kate explains up front, Equity is out a day early this week due to the Big TechCrunch Robotics Affair in Berkeley today. We'll be back on Friday with

Apr 18, 2019 • 25:50

'Undercorns,' IPOs and what going public is really about

'Undercorns,' IPOs and what going public is really about

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.Kate and Alex were here yesterday to dig into the Uber IPO filing; for today's episode, we put that aside and discussed everything else that happened this week. Lucky for us, for the second half of our Thursday podcast-a-thon, the excellent Phil Libin joined us. He was the perfect guest for an IPO-heavy week.You may know Libin as a co-founder of Evernote, or part of Ge

Apr 12, 2019 • 29:36

Equity Shot: Uber S1

Equity Shot: Uber S1

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. It's time for another Equity Shot, a quick-take episode centered around a breaking news event. This time, as you already guessed, Kate Clark and I sat down to dig into the Uber S-1. It's a huge, complex document, but we did our best to summarize what's inside. First, we talked through yearly results, looking back a half-decade into Uber's revenue growth. In the filing

Apr 11, 2019 • 28:01

Equity Dive: Patreon

Equity Dive: Patreon

We want to introduce you to a new special Equity show called Equity Dive. Each month, as part of TechCrunch’s membership offering Extra Crunch, we will talk to the writer of Extra Crunch’s EC-1, a deep dive look into a single company. Their origin story, growth and future prospects. Enjoy this first one with Eric Peckham who spent hours with the powers that be at Patreon, a platform that lets creators develop relationships with their fans and generate revenue from their work. If you don’t want t

Apr 7, 2019 • 25:21

The future of a16z, Lyft's sinking stock and another IPO to watch

The future of a16z, Lyft's sinking stock and another IPO to watch

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week your humble Equity squad (Kate Clark, Alex Wilhelm) were stoked to take on as much as we could with what little time we had. We kicked off with a speed round that turned out to not be very quick and then dug into the biggest news of the week. The Not-So-Speed-Round: Affirm raised $300 million at nearly $3 billion valuation. The round marks another win for Ma

Apr 5, 2019 • 25:19

Equity Shot: Lyft is public -- what does that mean for other IPO-ready unicorns?

Equity Shot: Lyft is public -- what does that mean for other IPO-ready unicorns?

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. Sure, we just aired a new episode yesterday but things keep happening, and after talking about this crop of IPOs for so long, we can't help ourselves. (You can follow us on Twitter, here and here, by the way, if Equity isn't enough for you.)Lyft, as you know, started trading today, closing the loop on a long saga that brought the smaller of the two domestic ride-haili

Mar 29, 2019 • 13:40

Lyft's IPO, Casper the friendly unicorn and WeWork's staggering losses

Lyft's IPO, Casper the friendly unicorn and WeWork's staggering losses

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week we had the full gang around, with Connie Loizos in the studio with Kate Clark and our guest Barrett Cohn from Scenic Advisement. Alex was on the line from Providence. Lucky for us, news of Lyft's IPO pricing broke right before we hit record. That shook things up a bit, but it was far better to have it break as we were getting our notes together rather than a

Mar 29, 2019 • 28:27

Equity Shot: Pinterest and Zoom file to go public

Equity Shot: Pinterest and Zoom file to go public

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. What a Friday. This afternoon (mere hours after we released our regularly scheduled episode no less!), both Pinterest and Zoom dropped their public S-1 filings. So we rolled up our proverbial sleeves and ran through the numbers. If you want to follow along, the Pinterest S-1 is here, and the Zoom document is here. Got it? Great. Pinterest's long-awaited IPO filing pai

Mar 22, 2019 • 17:17

Lyft's IPO is hot, YC demo day, two new unicorns, and what's Boy Brow?

Lyft's IPO is hot, YC demo day, two new unicorns, and what's Boy Brow?

There were some edit issues in the initial publishing of this week's Equity episode that have been corrected. The player below will play the corrected episode. Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week Kate Clark and Alex Wilhelm took us through an IPO, a big round, 943 startup pitches, two new unicorns, and some scooter news. A very 2019 mix, really. Up first we took a peek at the latest from the

Mar 22, 2019 • 30:03

Uber's IPO targets April, Stash stacks cash, and YC shakes it up

Uber's IPO targets April, Stash stacks cash, and YC shakes it up

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week was a lot of fun. Connie Lozios took the captain's chair in San Francisco while I manned the sails, and we had Female Founders Fund's founder Anu Duggal in the studio to round out our crew. It was a week of conclusions. Our prior notes on YC and Uber and a few other things came home to roost. But, you're busy so let's sink our teeth into the good stuff: Uber

Mar 15, 2019 • 21:29

Changes at Y Combinator, $1.5B more for ridehailing, and Airbnb buys HotelTonight

Changes at Y Combinator, $1.5B more for ridehailing, and Airbnb buys HotelTonight

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.We're back to basics this week with Kate Clark at the helm, Alex Wilhelm in the sidecar, and a stack of venture capital news and happenings to get through. And to make everyone feel included, we kicked off the episode with a roll-call of new VC funds.Then, of course, we dug into the recent news out of Y Combinator. The famed accelerator is shopping around for a San Fra

Mar 8, 2019 • 26:25

Equity Shot: Lyft files to go public and we're stoked

Equity Shot: Lyft files to go public and we're stoked

Hello and welcome to an Equity Shot, a short-form episode of the show where we dive into a single breaking news story. Guess what we're talking about today?! It's Lyft. You guessed correctly. The Lyft S-1 is the very first major S-1 event of 2019. As you might recall, the government shutdown gummed the IPO process by halting the Securities and Exchange Commission, an agency that plays the most active role in helping a company go public. Now the government is open, and Lyft's formerly private fil

Mar 2, 2019 • 15:43

Four rounds for women-led startups, and a huge Series A for Motif

Four rounds for women-led startups, and a huge Series A for Motif

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. February is now behind us, but we gathered the troops to send it off in style: Connie Loizos was here, Kate Clark was in, I was around, and NEA's Jonathan Golden joined us, as well.

Mar 1, 2019 • 19:24

Pinterest and Lyft move closer to IPO and LPs question the Vision Fund's investment strategy

Pinterest and Lyft move closer to IPO and LPs question the Vision Fund's investment strategy

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. What a week. It had looked a bit quiet with just a few big rounds to cover. I was looking forward to a relaxed episode, frankly. But no, as Kate and I were prepping the show notes, the News Gods opened the heavens and dropped a fifty-weight of mana right on our heads.

Feb 22, 2019 • 25:20

Peloton pedals toward an IPO, self-driving is big business and SaaS's new highs

Peloton pedals toward an IPO, self-driving is big business and SaaS's new highs

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week was a treat. We had TechCrunch's own Connie Loizos in the studio along with your humble servant and General Catalyst's Niko Bonatsos. A fine group for a busy week. We had to pare our topic list some for length, but after working out what qualified as the biggest news from our usual orbit, we decided to touch on: Peloton's bank shopping: Peloton, the popular

Feb 15, 2019 • 31:02

Spotify <3 podcasts, Calm becomes a unicorn and Reddit's Series D

Spotify <3 podcasts, Calm becomes a unicorn and Reddit's Series D

Hello, and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week Kate Clark and I sat down to get through the biggest news in the venture and startup world. This is our regular episode of the week after a shot focused on the Slack IPO, and an interview concerning Facebook. So, back to our roots. And as has been the case for months and months now, there was a lot to get through. Podcasting took center stage this week, wit

Feb 8, 2019 • 27:58

Equity Interview: Roger McNamee is certain Facebook is destroying our democracy

Equity Interview: Roger McNamee is certain Facebook is destroying our democracy

Famed investor Roger McNamee once advised Facebook. Now he's certain it's destroying our democracy.

Feb 5, 2019 • 31:59

Equity Shot: Slack's Confidential IPO Filing

Equity Shot: Slack's Confidential IPO Filing

No, I haven’t started drinking again, Equity Shots are short takes on breaking news. And no news was more explosive recently than word that Slack has filed to go public confidentially. Confidentially in that we don’t get to see the numbers (yet), but publicly in that the company went ahead and told the world that it had filed, privately, with the SEC.

Feb 4, 2019 • 14:30

Everyone Raises $100M, Pinterest And Zoom Want To Go Public, And HelloSign

Everyone Raises $100M, Pinterest And Zoom Want To Go Public, And HelloSign

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week we recorded as a trio: Connie Loizos holding down the studio with our guest, the ever-present Jeff Clavier of Uncorked Capital. I dialed in from the what was the East Coast, back before it froze over.

Feb 1, 2019 • 31:30

Scooters 2.0, Munchery ghosts, and solving contraceptive deserts

Scooters 2.0, Munchery ghosts, and solving contraceptive deserts

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week we had the gang back together with our own Connie Loizos at the helm, Kate Clark in the studio as well, Alex on the phone, and Ed Sim from Boldstart Ventures onboard as well. A good crew for a busy week.

Jan 25, 2019 • 52:03

More scooter dollars, Slack’s revenue projections, and the IPO traffic jam

More scooter dollars, Slack’s revenue projections, and the IPO traffic jam

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. We’re back! After what I think was our first-ever break, Kate Clark and I sat down to dig into the latest startup venture news. There was a lot. We had to skip a few rounds to squeeze the show down to size, but we still hit the biggest stories.

Jan 18, 2019 • 22:47

Bradley Tusk on mobile voting, Uber's IPO race with Lyft and the Dems taking over the House

Bradley Tusk on mobile voting, Uber's IPO race with Lyft and the Dems taking over the House

With everyone logging valuable family time this week and wondering if it's worth returning that sweater, we decided to do something a little different and run a special holiday episode, one that features just Connie Loizos in conversation with Bradley Tusk, a venture capitalist, philanthropist, book author and, earlier in his career, a trusted aid to billionaire Michael Bloomberg, whose successful third run for mayor of New York -- the first and only mayor to serve three consecutive terms -- was

Dec 28, 2018 • 27:16

SoftBank's triple, Pinterest is going public, and the market meltdown

SoftBank's triple, Pinterest is going public, and the market meltdown

This week we had 75 percent of the core crew on hand to chat: Connie Loizos, Danny Crichton, and myself. Kate will be back on the show early next year, we promise. We were also joined by Menlo Ventures' Venky Ganesan who was a super great addition to the team. There was a lot to get through. In fact, we had to toss a few things overboard toward the end due to time. So, we didn't get to US-China cross-border venture flows, or the new Lightspeed China fund, but we did dig into: SoftBank's latest t

Dec 21, 2018 • 34:27

Ridesharing IPOs and $850M for Luckin, Plaid and Zymergen

Ridesharing IPOs and $850M for Luckin, Plaid and Zymergen

This week we had the regular crew back together which was good fun. Connie took point, we had Danny mic'd up in New York, and I was onsite to help the crew natter along with Bubba Murarka, a former VC and founder who now cuts checks on his own. Thematically, this was a week of mega rounds so we had little choice but to go over more than a few. And Uber is out there doing its IPO thing. So, we started with cars and pivoted into rounds.

Dec 14, 2018 • 25:59

Lyft's going public, Uber's eyeing Bird, Utah's tech scene, and trade tensions

Lyft's going public, Uber's eyeing Bird, Utah's tech scene, and trade tensions

This week we had Connie Loizos in the studio along with Kate Clark, myself and a special guest. The special guest was fitting, as it was a special episode. Why? Because this is our 100th episode, a milestone that would have probably seemed a silly idea back when we started the show. This week our first guest, SaaStr founder and venture capitalist Jason Lemkin came back on the show. When he first showed up, we talked Elon Musk. This time it was ridesharing liquidity, ridesharing M&A and more. Sad

Dec 7, 2018 • 31:45

Asana raises $50M, Airbnb gets a new CFO, and a 2019 IPO preview

Asana raises $50M, Airbnb gets a new CFO, and a 2019 IPO preview

This week we hit two news items and one roundup: Asana raises $50 million. Yep, Asana went back to the funding well this week for its Series E, despite having raised a $75 million Series D earlier this year. The company's funding pace might seem aggressive, but we're hearing that many startups are looking to tack on extra cash. Why? Because the market might change, and so the savvy are stacking chips in case the cashier closes. Oh, and the company dropped a number of relative growth metrics that

Nov 30, 2018 • 27:35

A Thanksgiving-ish special episode

A Thanksgiving-ish special episode

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. It's the day after Thanksgiving, so if you are reading this in America I hope there is a pet leaned up against your legs and that you are sitting next to a fire while staring down one more plate of leftovers. We made this episode for just such a moment. Welcome to our take on a relaxed episode of Equity, a show normally featuring four people arguing about this or that

Nov 23, 2018 • 19:08

Uber's financials, Qualtric's $8B exit, and what's going on at WeWork

Uber's financials, Qualtric's $8B exit, and what's going on at WeWork

This week, Uber was first in line due to the scale of its results. The firm disclosed its third-quarter results including slowing growth (in percentage terms), steep losses on a GAAP basis (GAAP means that all costs were counted) and adjusted losses that fell in the period. Next up was the big deal of the week, effectively. The Qualtrics exit to SAP for $8 billion in cash, a portion of which it borrowed, as we point out. The deal meant that the company didn't actually go public (boo), but it sti

Nov 16, 2018 • 27:10

SoftBank's debt, Ford buys Spin, and Chinese coffee is huge money

SoftBank's debt, Ford buys Spin, and Chinese coffee is huge money

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week was a blast. Connie and I were in the studio with our guest, True Ventures's Tony Conrad, while Danny repped the other side of the country, dialing in from New York. It was another week shaped by news from Asia. Once we had sorted the sartorially expedient, we first turned to the world of SoftBank, this time taking a close look at its debt load. While SoftBa

Nov 9, 2018 • 29:51

Fortnite’s funding royale, China struggles, and Coinbase gets a boost to $8 billion

Fortnite’s funding royale, China struggles, and Coinbase gets a boost to $8 billion

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week, we missed Alex Wilhelm, who was sunning himself somewhere (vitamin D deficit), but we had a rollicking time nonetheless with TC's very excellent VC reporter Kate Clark, along with our always dependable co-host Danny Crichton and, in a bit of perfect timing, investor Brad Twohig of Lightspeed Venture Partners, whose firm participated in one of the week's big

Nov 2, 2018 • 31:35

Market turmoil, billion dollar funds, and the Qualtrics IPO

Market turmoil, billion dollar funds, and the Qualtrics IPO

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week the normal band was together, with Connie Loizos, Danny Crichton, and myself on hand along with IVP investor Jules Maltz. We had yet another episode of market turmoil, that was again reversed to some extent before we could even talk about it. Our questions are somewhat simple: when does all this public market mayhem begin to impact private markets? Maltz isn

Oct 26, 2018 • 26:48

Twilio shops, Uber and Lyft IPO scuttlebutt, and Instacart raises $600M

Twilio shops, Uber and Lyft IPO scuttlebutt, and Instacart raises $600M

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week we had the Three Excellent Friends (Connie Loizos, Danny Chrichton, and Alex Wilhelm) on hand to kick things about with Scale Venture Partner's own Rory O'Driscoll. As I've written the last few weeks, what a pile of news we've had recently. And like the last few episodes, we had to pick and choose what to drill into. This week: Twilio-Sendgrid, Palantir, Ube

Oct 19, 2018 • 29:15

Blood capital and gobs of cash for WeWork, smiles, and vegetables

Blood capital and gobs of cash for WeWork, smiles, and vegetables

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week we had a good crew on the show. We had Connie Loizos and Danny Crichton from TechCrunch, I scampered over from the Crunchbase News domicile, and Brian O'Malley, a general partner with Forerunner Ventures, joined us to us to round out the collective. It was yet another packed episode. There's so much going on in the venture world that we can't get to it all.

Oct 12, 2018 • 34:05

Elon's sick burn, Coinbase funding rumors, and VC hiring trends

Elon's sick burn, Coinbase funding rumors, and VC hiring trends

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week was a treat. We had Danny Crichton in the studio. We had Connie Loizos in the studio. I was in the studio. And our guest, the excellent Andy McLoughlin, a partner at UnCork Capital, was in the studio as well. Thus it was with much enthusiasm that we first got to talk about the latest Elon Musk tweet to move Tesla's stock, causing the famous CEO's best-known

Oct 5, 2018 • 27:31

SoftBank pays big, SurveyMonkey goes public and JUUL's next step

SoftBank pays big, SurveyMonkey goes public and JUUL's next step

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week on Equity, the gang was back together. We had the ever-excellent Connie Loizos on hand, along with TechCrunch's Danny Crichton, and myself, on loan from Crunchbase News. Even better we had Iris Choi on the show. When she's not hanging out with us for the pod, she's a partner at Floodgate. This week was another that offered a panoply of topics that we couldn't

Sep 28, 2018 • 34:57

Eventbrite goes public, and everyone else is raising hella money

Eventbrite goes public, and everyone else is raising hella money

This week we worked with an (excellent) skeleton crew. Our own Connie Loizos held down the fort with a guest that knew quite a lot: March Capital's Jamie Montgomery. There was a healthy blizzard of news to get through, so Connie and Jamie plowed ahead. Up top, the Eventbrite IPO was big news. After a long path to going public, Eventbrite reported interesting revenue growth acceleration, attached to a standard set of GAAP net losses. (Standard in that most tech IPOs these days do not feature prof

Sep 21, 2018 • 17:30

Crypto's second bubble, Juul has 60 days and three Chinese IPOs

Crypto's second bubble, Juul has 60 days and three Chinese IPOs

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. After a long run of having guests climb aboard each week, we took a pause on that front, bringing together three of our regular hosts instead: Connie Loizos, Danny Chrichton, and myself. Despite the fact that there were just three of us instead of the usual four, we got through a mountain of stuff. Which was good as it was a surprisingly busy week, and we didn't want t

Sep 14, 2018 • 27:24

Live from Disrupt SF: Peak Valley Edition

Live from Disrupt SF: Peak Valley Edition

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week was incredibly fun. We recorded live from the first floor of TechCrunch's Disrupt SF confab, putting us right in the middle of the action. So it was good that we had a full crew on hand to natter about the news. From TechCrunch, Connie Loizos and Danny Chricton were on deck, along with myself. In addition to us regulars, Garry Tan joined in. He's a managing p

Sep 7, 2018 • 28:27

Tesla’s drama, China-based companies are listing in the U.S., and SurveyMonkey is (finally) going public

Tesla’s drama, China-based companies are listing in the U.S., and SurveyMonkey is (finally) going public

This week, we were a man down, with the excellent Alex Wilhelm of Crunchbase News on a vacation that someone seems to have sanctioned, though it was not us, as we don’t believe in vacations. (Wilhelm, get back here.) We did, happily, have the very knowledgeable Kirsten Korosec of TechCrunch join us on the line; we were also joined by this week’s personable in-studio guest: Lauren Kolodny, a partner at the San Francisco-based, early-stage venture firm Aspect Ventures. It was the perfect mix to ta

Aug 31, 2018 • 27:24

Zoox loses its CEO, Eventbrite is going public, and megarounds for Slack, One Medical, and Getaround

Zoox loses its CEO, Eventbrite is going public, and megarounds for Slack, One Medical, and Getaround

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week we had a full house which was super great. TechCrunch's Connie Loizos and Sarah Buhr held down the fort in San Francisco along with our guest, Susan Mac Cormac, a partner at Morrison Foerster where she works on some of the most interesting deals in the private capital space. I dialed in from the home office in Providence. It was good that we had eight hands o

Aug 24, 2018 • 26:45

Taking Tesla Private, WeWork And Uber Earnings, And What Happened To Crypto

Taking Tesla Private, WeWork And Uber Earnings, And What Happened To Crypto

Production note: Alex’s mic was a bit whack until the 16-minute mark. Please forgive the issue, we noticed and fixed it as fast as we could. Hugs and love! Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week was a corker. We had Alex Wilhelm in-studio with our guest Minal Hasan, founder of K2 Global, and TechCrunch’s Danny Chriton jumped in from New York to help the crew dig through the biggest and best stuff

Aug 17, 2018 • 33:39

Slack raises, Dropbox and Snap report earnings, and Magic Leap is real

Slack raises, Dropbox and Snap report earnings, and Magic Leap is real

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week Matthew Lynley and Alex Wilhelm were joined by 500 Startups CEO Christine Tsai for what turned out to be a super packed episode. We kicked off with the latest from Slack: $400 million new dollars at a shiny, new $7 billion valuation, according to TechCrunch. The new capital comes after the firm raised a huge sum last year from SoftBank's Vision Fund. We dug i

Aug 10, 2018 • 37:57

Cisco buys Duo, Brandless raises $240M, and Apple broaches $1T

Cisco buys Duo, Brandless raises $240M, and Apple broaches $1T

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week TechCrunch's Matthew Lynley and Crunchbase News's Alex Wilhelm were joined by Jyoti Bansal, the founder of AppDynamics and a partner at Unusual Ventures, among other startup work. Our own Connie Loizos was off this week. This episode was effectively a news grab-bag. There's a little of everything: public company drama, big rounds, acquisitions, and more. Up t

Aug 3, 2018 • 33:37

Facebook’s debacle, $100M rounds, and Slack links up with Atlassian

Facebook’s debacle, $100M rounds, and Slack links up with Atlassian

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This was one hell of a week. Happily, we had our own Connie Loizos, Matthew Lynley, and Alex Wilhelm on hand, along with Initialized Capital's Alexis Ohanian to pick over the mix. First up we had zero choice but to talk about Facebook. The social company's epic repricing in the middle of the week blotted out the news sun. It may keep us in the shade for another week, t

Jul 27, 2018 • 33:31

Zoox's fresh $500M, how to spend $6.3B and Microsoft's fine fiscal year

Zoox's fresh $500M, how to spend $6.3B and Microsoft's fine fiscal year

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week we had another full house which made for a good time. Our own Connie Loizos, Matthew Lynley and I were joined by Renata Quintini, a partner at Lux Capital. Today's episode is a grab bag of topics, including some self-driving stuff, late-stage venture noodling, and Microsoft. So, this show hit on every topic I used to have listed on my OkCupid profile. First u

Jul 20, 2018 • 34:05

Uber gets into scooters, every VC is raising, and why private equity loves SaaS

Uber gets into scooters, every VC is raising, and why private equity loves SaaS

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week we had the full crew in the studio along with a friend. The excellent Connie Loizos hosted, and Matthew Lynley and I were both on as well, along with our guest this week: Graham Brown, a partner at Lerer Hippeau, an early-stage venture fund based in New York. We took a slightly different tack this episode. Yes, scooters came up, but we have some later-stage n

Jul 13, 2018 • 34:34

Lyft goes biking, Airbnb is going public (eventually), big money for software robots, and Juul

Lyft goes biking, Airbnb is going public (eventually), big money for software robots, and Juul

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week we were back in the studio with Connie Loizos and myself hanging out with Jai Das, a managing director at Sapphire Ventures. Our beloved Matthew Lynley was off this week, but he’ll be back for the next episode. This week we had an excellent list of things to get to, first of which was Lyft’s latest shopping run. This time Lyft accreted to itself Motivate, a b

Jul 6, 2018 • 33:24

Bird and Lyft raise $900M, a16z launches a crypto fund, and $6B more for Sequoia

Bird and Lyft raise $900M, a16z launches a crypto fund, and $6B more for Sequoia

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week Connie Loizos and I were joined by Norwest’s Scott Beechuk. Sadly, Matthew Lynley was reading slam poetry to ambivalent cacti in the Sonora Desert and thus couldn’t join us. He’ll be back soon, we promise. But we had a good crew on deck and a grip of news to sift, so let’s get to what we got into. First up was the latest headlines in the on-demand transportat

Jun 29, 2018 • 32:01

Twitter buys a startup to battle harassment, e-cigs are booming, and a meditation app is worth $250M

Twitter buys a startup to battle harassment, e-cigs are booming, and a meditation app is worth $250M

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week TechCrunch's Silicon Valley Editor Connie Loizos and I jammed out on a couple topics as Alex Wilhelm was out managing his fake stock game spreadsheets or something. (The jury is out on whether this was a good or bad thing.)

Jun 22, 2018 • 23:52

Scooters go mad, Opendoor wants to buy your house, and Meituan’s IPO

Scooters go mad, Opendoor wants to buy your house, and Meituan’s IPO

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week was something of a first for the crew, twice. First, we had two guests on the show, and, also, we only made it through two and a half topics. The former is good, the latter is, well, we’ll see. So, this week Matthew Lynley and I were joined by David Chao, co-founder and general partner at DCM, and Steve Vassallo, a general partner at Foundation Capital. Point

Jun 15, 2018 • 28:09

GitHub's epic exit, Domo's dicey math, and Dataminr's big raise

GitHub's epic exit, Domo's dicey math, and Dataminr's big raise

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This time ’round we had Connie and Alex on hand with Brian Ascher, a longtime partner with Venrock down in Palo Alto, Ca. It was a surprisingly busy week, so we had our work cut out us. Without further ado: Github! The biggest story in tech this week was right up our alley: Microsoft bought the venture-backed GitHub for $7.5 billion, bringing a massive portion of the

Jun 8, 2018 • 31:40

More funding for scooters, Cruise gets a boost, and Chinese IPOs

More funding for scooters, Cruise gets a boost, and Chinese IPOs

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week was fun. Back in the studio, Connie Loizos, Matthew Lynley, your humble servant, and Ramneek Gupta, managing director of Citi Ventures was with us to provide the venture perspective. As you can probably guess, we got a bit stuck in Bird’s nest, trying to vet why the young company is hoping to punch its unicorn card in nigh-record time. The firm’s potential ne

Jun 1, 2018 • 33:55

Rover's epic raise, Uber's Q1 results, and a trio of IPO's

Rover's epic raise, Uber's Q1 results, and a trio of IPO's

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week was fun for a few reasons. First, it was our own Connie Loizos’s first time leading, and it was our very first regular episode that included us recording remotely. I mention that as Matthew Lynley and I were each in different places, meaning that we had a bump or two to smooth out. Your patience is more than appreciated. Happily, we didn’t have to adventure a

May 25, 2018 • 32:22

Circle raises $110, VCs hunt liquidity, and the Vision Fund's possible twin

Circle raises $110, VCs hunt liquidity, and the Vision Fund's possible twin

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. Today Matthew Lynley, Connie Loizos and I were joined by Semil Shah, the founder of seed-stage fund Haystack and venture partner at Lightspeed. This week, we stuck to our roots: big rounds, venture capital liquidity thirst, one IPO, two Vision Funds, and three scooter jokes. Maybe more than three, but who is counting. First up we took on Circle's new $110 million round

May 18, 2018 • 29:57

Robinhood raises, Flipkart exits, and MoviePass is running out of cash

Robinhood raises, Flipkart exits, and MoviePass is running out of cash

Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-themed podcast where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. This week Matthew Lynley, Connie Loizos and myself were joined by Villi Iltchev, a partner at August Capital. It was good that we had a full crew on deck, as the news flew thick and varied this week. In honor of the news cycle, we took on as much of it as we could inside a single episode. And as we’re sure that you guessed, we had to talk about the Flipkart-Walmart deal

May 11, 2018 • 29:47

Tesla, Apple, Spotify earnings and the DocuSign, Smartsheet IPO Recap

Tesla, Apple, Spotify earnings and the DocuSign, Smartsheet IPO Recap

Today is Katie Roof's last day on Equity. She will be missed as she moves on to her next endeavor. This week she was joined by TechCrunch's Connie Loizos and M.G. Siegler from Google Ventures. They talked Tesla, Apple, Spotify earnings and the DocuSign and Smartsheet IPO Recap

May 4, 2018 • 26:01

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