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One buy back billions of dollars, Expected IPO and some good VC and billionaire drama?
It wouldn’t be fair to say that this week in tech and startups looks like the boom cycle of 2021; especially when you look at the time the layoff came from Truepill, for the fourth time this year, and Meta announced that it will freeze hiring. At the same time, it feels like there is a new feeling in the air. Heck, NFT markets are still raising money.
The market is not dull but also not noisy; and the mood between my sources is certainly closer to spooky than barbaric. Aside from the fact that, yes, I grew up writing poetry about fall foliage before deciding I wanted to be a journalist, I’m saying all of this to validate the nuances of this moment.
The ideas that I am working towards throughout the year are as follows:
- What happened to the black swan’s memos? In the early stages of an economic downturn, investors turned to investment firms to warn of an increasingly volatile environment. That conversation hasn’t gone away, but it’s certainly quieted down, with many investors now telling me there’s a massive amount of financing in the works. So what are the new guidelines being sent to portfolio companies?
- What is the human side of the layoff story? My colleagues Mary Ann and Christine gave us all an important lesson this week, that stories about workforce cuts shouldn’t revolve around employers. The duo wrote about the human cost of Better.com’s layoffs – Full story here – and I’m not going to subtly steal this idea. I wanted to talk to people affected by the 2022 wave of tech layoffs and hear what the next steps look like. I’ve heard it’s a lot more complicated than “you should know your company was overhyped when it started.”
- Finally, what are startups preparing to really do differently? I feel guilty about this, but we often talk about startups and technology with generalizations, slightly defending it by explaining that it’s useful for disambiguation purposes. I want to know what startups have learned this year and are doing differently tactically. More disciplined or product-focused spending doesn’t count; give me specific details and better yet, tell me what you disagree with your investors on.
Let me know what’s yours by tweeting at I or reply to this post. If you missed last week’s newsletter, read it here: “Tiger Global, fickle tests and acceleration difficulty.” We also recorded a companion podcast, here: “Building startups in public has an end date.”
In today’s newsletter, we’ll talk about the beauty of pivots, an innovative way to demonstrate that your startup hires the latest and greatest talent from 500 people worldwide. bridge.
If you like this newsletter, please help me quickly? Forward it to friends, share it on Twitter and tag me so I can thank you for reading myself!
Reminder that the spindle works
Rebecca Szkutak of TC wrote about how the pivot helped HopSkipDrive win over parents: Trust your kids with our carpooling services.
Here’s why it’s important: As we discussed in our latest Equity podcast, sometimes we all just Jump, Skip and Drive to success. The “Uber for X” model has been an MIA for several years now, so the story behind HopSkipDrive and its trusted partner stands out to me. Who says school doesn’t test!
Image credits: Ivan Bajic (Opens in a new window) / Beautiful pictures
Another version of CVC . I guess
News broke this week that Cloudflare has raised $1.25 billion in financing for startups using its own platform. Well, sort of.
Here’s why it’s important: The company’s security, performance and reliability did not raise corporate venture funds, typical of other companies seeking to attract the attention of entrepreneurs. Instead, Cloudflare only has dozens of joint venture companies to suggestion to invest up to $1.25 billion in companies in their existing funds. It’s a bit more lenient than traditional investment vehicles, as we don’t know how formal those offers of support are and the fact that Cloudflare doesn’t offer any funding or offer anything. any funding decision.
To me, commitment just tells us that Cloudflare wants to show startups that using their software not only makes sense, but makes a dime.
Image credits: beautiful pictures
The track
I’m testing a new section in Startups Weekly, where each week we follow an old story or trend to see what has changed since our first glance. This week we will be watching our chat about accelerator and demo date with a look at how 500 Global, formerly 500 Startups, thinks about it.
Here’s what’s new: More than a year has passed since the accelerator 500 Startups rebranded as 500 Global in an attempt to reposition itself as a venture company. In my latest article for TechCrunch+, I talked to Clayton Bryan, partner and head of accelerator at 500 Global, about how they’re keeping up with the competition. Quote below!
The investor emphasized the effectiveness of rotational enrollment, something its two main competitors, Y Combinator and Techstars, failed to do. Three years ago, 500 Global said it would decide to invest the whole year instead of just twice a year. Demo dates will still happen every 6 months, but startups can choose which demo dates they want to participate in.
“That shift really resonated with the founders,” says Bryan. He compared the previous version of 500 Global to a school with an annual schedule: There are times when you’re doing your homework, times when you sit back and hire, and summer vacations. It’s now year-round, and he admits it’s harder to manage, “but at the same time, much more appreciated by the founders.”
“I really think it makes us more competitive,” he said. “We can talk more often with the founders and they can start our program at different times. They don’t have to wait for that app to open or that deadline. But on the contrary [with] some other programs, they might say, ‘Hey, wait a few more months for us to get the application back in.’ I think being open and flexible gives us a bit of an edge.”
Image credits: bestdesigns / Getty Images
A few notes
We’re less than a month away from TechCrunch Disrupt and I’m already thrilled. It will be an explosion, a short talk, a realization and a week not to be missed. Here is the whole program of workand this is where you can get it ticket.
- First, use the code “STARTUPS” to get a special reader discount on Disrupt tickets. We are less than a month away!
- We also have a special program for those affected by layoffs. If you are fired, Click here to get a free ticket to TechCrunch Disrupt’s Expo.
While I have you, let’s say a few more things. As you know, I co-host Equity, which comes out three times a week and is TC’s longest running podcast. We also have some close friends to listen to, including crypto-focused program powered by Chain Reaction and Founder-focused program run by Found. TechCrunch Podcast is also impossible to miss, so pay attention to all the good shows they are putting on.
Seen on TechCrunch
Here are some of the most macabre revelations in Elon Musk’s text rendering
Why build fintech further when you can only raise €20 million and white label the banks?
Instagram has permanently disabled Pornhub’s account
EV charging deals keep coming, Ford is squeezed by shortages and Kitty Hawk shuts down
Cryptocurrency platform Nexo sued by New York, California and six other US regulators
Seen on TechCrunch +
Treepz Founder Onyeka Akumah on how to succeed in transportation technology
What can the dot-com crash of 2000 teach us about the tech recession of 2022?
Europe’s first women’s summit is the first step in a long way towards equality
Venture capitalists attack productivity software
Same time, same site, next week?
Image credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch
