The TechCrunch Top 3
- Backing Elon: Every day, we learn more about who is willing to invest in Elon Musk's effort to buy Twitter, like sands through an hourglass. Nearly two dozen investors have donated money, according to a Thursday filing, including Sequoia Capital, Binance, and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who has $1 billion he isn't using right now.
- CVC might lead to M&A: We've seen a lot of firms launch their own venture capital arms in the last year, and now it appears that all of that venture activity could lead to M&A activity. Why? Alex and Anna investigate a few factors, including reduced public values and a stock market situation that has some firms deferring an IPO. CVCs are expected to start looking for early-stage startups to invest in, maybe starting with those in their cap table.
- With the purchase of Deliverr, Shopify marks its next move: Shopify announced the $2.1 billion acquisition of Deliverr, which has us wondering if Shopify is attempting to compete with Amazon's fulfillment services. One of the reasons some small companies may have chosen Amazon over other marketplaces is because of Amazon's territory. We also investigated if it was a reasonable purchase price.
Venture capitalists and startups
Lynda did it in 2013, Kevin did it recently with a $65 million round, and now it's Alan's time with a $193 million round for a medical one-stop-shop. I'm not sure what's going on in the world of startup names, but we'll be there. Wendy, Talesha, and Fred are the next people we want to hear from.
Come along with me and discover a world of pure appreciation:
- Can you spare a share, brother? Robinhood has now unveiled a tool that allows customers to lend out their shares in an unexpected twist.
- You may reach me via my cool drone: We're never going into a forest again, according to Chinese researchers who demonstrated a swarm of drones collectively traversing a deep forest they've never experienced.
- Unicorn employees are treated unfairly: Cameo, a celebrity video platform, laid off 87 employees. As Lucas pointed out, the CEO announced the layoffs in a tweet that came out as a touch rude.
- Two-time Formula One winner Fernando Alonso is releasing an electric bike for the 2022 Formula One Grand Prix in Miami, in what has to be one of the coolest e-bike designs we've seen.
- Every day, an iPhone keeps the doctor away: Sidekick Health, a gamified digital care platform that has helped over 40,000 patients worldwide, has secured $55 million in expansion capital.
Pitch Deck Teardown: Momentum’s $5M seed pitch deck
Momentum, a B2B software startup that automates sales processes, managed to persuade an early investor to lead its seed round before the founders had even completed a pitch deck.
"We showed up at a board meeting on a Friday." 'Hey, do you have five minutes?' they asked on Monday. "We want to sit down with you," said Santiago Suarez Ordoez, CEO and co-founder.
"They literally put a term sheet on the table with the precise terms we desired," says the client.
Big Tech Inc.
- Oh, Apple, Google, and Microsoft!: These three are collaborating to provide passwordless logins on mobile, desktop, and web browsers. Yes, password managers and other technologies exist to assist us in selecting "v6Yp8eR43wQ!" rather than "openuporelse1," but the idea is to make logging into a website as simple as unlocking your phone. Carly investigated if it was time to uninstall that period-tracking software you've been using as we await the outcome of Roe v. Wade.
- More sanctions for Hikvision: Following a rumor that the Biden administration will apply more penalties on the China-based corporation, accusing it of aiding human rights violations, Hikvision's stock plummeted.
- Some shutdowns include: YouTube Go will be discontinued in August, while Facebook's podcast service will be discontinued on June 3, just a year after its inception. Meta, on the other hand, had some good news for the makers of Facebook Reels.
- More fees are added by Starlink: If you enjoy bringing your Starlink internet with you everywhere you go, the company's new $25-per-month cost may make it less appealing.