A lively discussion unfolds around the Microsoft-Discord acquisition drama, with hot takes on its implications. Mastercard's purchase of Erkata sparks insights into fintech growth and identity verification. ClearBank's evolution into a unicorn showcases the changing startup landscape, while the rise of robotic process automation is highlighted as a game changer in business. Albedo's mission for high-resolution space imaging opens up exciting possibilities, and innovative startups like Queenly tackle pandemic challenges in formal wear.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Discord Deal Falls Through
Microsoft considered acquiring Discord for $10-12 billion.
Discord ultimately pursued an IPO instead.
insights INSIGHT
The IPO Hype Machine
Investment bankers may leak rumors to generate IPO buzz.
Discord's strong user base and revenue make a compelling case for an IPO.
insights INSIGHT
Mastercard's Strategic Acquisition
Mastercard acquired Ekata for $825 million, a significant purchase for identity verification.
This acquisition reflects a broader trend of substantial investment in identity and fraud detection startups.
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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.
Now, onto the show rundown, here's what we discussed:
The Discord-Microsoft deal is done, and Danny has a hot take. Namely, in his view, the deal was mostly banker chatter more than a real possibility. More chaff than wheat, in other words. Agree or not, we're stoked for the Discord IPO in a few years (quarters?) time.
And then we closed with two seed rounds raised by recent Y Combinator grads: Here's the Queenly round, and here's the Albedo deal!
We'll see you on Monday.
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.
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