TechCrunch Startup News
TechCrunch
Listen to select TechCrunch articles on startups coverage—who's raising, who's exiting, who's changing the world.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 19, 2019 • 4min
YC-backed Basement is a social network for close friends only
The past few years have been a bit of a dark age for budding social media startups. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snap and messenger apps took up all the time of their users, leaving little room for yet another social media platform. But the tide is shifting. Privacy scandals have shaken some users’ faith giants like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and users have grown fatigued by the constant onslaught of #content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 19, 2019 • 5min
Meet eFounders’ next batch of startups that want to redefine the future of work
Meet eFounders’ next batch of startups that want to redefine the future of work European startup studio eFounders has been relentlessly building new startups over the past few years. In 2019, the company plans to launch Bonjour, a demo tool for sales teams, Chilli, a recommandation service to help small and medium companies leverage modern software-as-a-service products, and Swan, a banking API to generate banking services on demand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 18, 2019 • 8min
Decade in review: Trends in seed- and early-stage funding
We’ve decided to step back from the breaking news for a minute to conduct a review of seed and early-stage funding trends over the last decade for U.S.-based companies. I’m fairly certain we can all agree that the environment for startups has changed dramatically in the past 10 years, specifically in two major ways: The development of seed funding as its own class and; The expansion of growth stage investing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 18, 2019 • 5min
London proptech startup Nested has laid off 20% of its workforce citing ‘Brexit uncertainty’
Nested, the London-based “data-driven” estate agency that provides a cash advance to help you buy a new home before you’ve sold your old one, has laid off 20 percent of its workforce, TechCrunch has learned. According to sources, the more than 15 staff being let go were informed earlier today. The majority of departures are within Nested’s operations team, including sales, although I understand they also include a number of engineers and other product people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 15, 2019 • 3min
WeWork Labs is launching a food tech accelerator
WeWork Labs, the coworking giant’s startup program that relaunched just over a year ago, is announcing a new initiative focused on food and agriculture startups — WeWork Food Labs. Roee Adler, the global head of WeWork Labs, told me that there will be two main pieces to the Food Labs program. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 14, 2019 • 3min
DoorDash claims drivers made an average of at least $17.50/hour on deliveries in 2018
On-demand food delivery startup DoorDash has been under fire as of late for its practices around paying drivers. In an email to drivers today, obtained by TechCrunch, DoorDash said drivers received an average of $17.50 or more per hour on a delivery in 2018. That figure, of course, does not take into account cost of mileage, payroll taxes for 1099 independent contractors and other expenses. Sage Wilson, an organizer at non-profit labor group Working Washington, explained to TechCrunch how that $17. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 14, 2019 • 3min
Truepill, the ‘AWS for pharmacies,’ gets $10M from Initialized Capital
Venture capitalists’ latest on-demand delivery bet is in the pharmaceutical space. Truepill, an online pharmacy powering delivery for the likes of Hims, Nurx, LemonAID and other direct-to-consumer healthcare brands, has nabbed a $10 million Series A from early-stage VC fund Initialized Capital. The investment brings the Y Combinator graduate’s total raised to $13.4 million. Y Combinator, Sound Ventures, Tuesday Capital and others participated in the round. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 13, 2019 • 5min
Goalsetter gives parents a way to teach their kids how to save money
When the bubble burst in the year 2000, Tanya Van Court lost over $1 million in stock and options over the course of a few minutes. Then and there she vowed to never let something like that happen to her children. Five years later, her daughter Gabrielle was born. At the time, she was a VP of Digital Product Dev at ESPN. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 12, 2019 • 4min
The Dubler Studio Kit lets you use your voice to control synths, drum machines and other MIDI gear
The Dubler Studio Kit lets you use your voice to control synths, drum machines and other MIDI gear Vochlea Music, a U.K. startup and alumni of Abbey Road Red, the music tech incubator from Abbey Road Studios, is launching a crowdfunding campaign today for “Dubler Studio Kit,” a new device and app that turns your voice into a MIDI controller for synths, drum machines, DAWs and other music gear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mar 12, 2019 • 5min
Bottomless has a solution for lazy coffee addicts
If you’re like me, you let out a heavy sigh every month or so when you reach out and unexpectedly find an empty bag of coffee. Bottomless, one of the 200-plus startups in Y Combinator’s latest batch, has a solution for us caffeine addicts. For a $36 annual membership fee, a cost which co-founder Michael Mayer says isn’t set in stone, plus $11.29 per order depending on the blend, Bottomless will automatically restock your coffee supply before you run out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
