early stage
The fund targeted family offices and high-net-worth individuals who want “diversified” exposure to early-stage crypto venture deals.
SAFE rounds, or simple agreements for future equity, have been around since Y Combinator invented them a decade ago. But they took on a different role in 2021 when they…
It’s certainly been a minute but we’re bringing some of the TechCrunch crew across the pond during London Tech Week to meet up with U.K.-based investors and rising early-stage founders.…
Boston! Are you ready for some green on 4/20? No, not that green. It’s TechCrunch Early Stage 2023! Soon enough, we’ll be coming straight atcha with a host of speakers,…
The firm raised separate early and late stage funds 2021, but is combining the strategies into one vehicle this time.
Sweden’s EQT Ventures closes its third fund at €1.1B to double down on European and early-stage startups
Startups might be in a funding midwinter, but the ray of sun shining on some VCs speaks of a different trend. EQT Ventures, the venture fund arm of Sweden’s investment…
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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…
This list is for fun, in no particular order — just startups that stood out to TechCrunch reporters for one reason or another.
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The biggest moonshots in YC’s S22 batch
Do bigger checks lead to bigger swings? Y Combinator’s latest participants are the second batch to land a $500,00 check as part of the accelerator’s recently refreshed standard deal. And while the accelerator says it only looks at founders when investing in startups, not sector, category or idea, more money…
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Where is Y Combinator startup-hunting in 2022?
YC’s smaller cohort had us curious about the second-order effects of admitting fewer companies: What would a smaller batch do to the geographic makeup of the companies at the accelerator?
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Our 11 favorite companies from YC’s S22 Demo Day: Part 1
TechCrunch is tuned in, as always, to YC’s Demo Day, and in keeping with our historical coverage, we compiled a list of our favorites from the first day’s pitches.
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Here’s where YC’s latest batch of founders are placing fintech bets
Y Combinator’s latest cohort of founders have opinions on the future of fintech. One-fifth of the accelerator’s Summer 2022 batch, which spans 240 companies, is working on solving issues in the financial space. The pitches range from building the Square for micro-merchants in Latin America to creating a way to…
Party rounds have been around for over a decade and a subject of debate for just as long. The positives are obvious. The cons are more complicated.
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The venture slowdown finally hit early-stage valuations, PitchBook data shows
According to PitchBook, the median valuation of early-stage U.S. startups that raised venture capital was lower last quarter than in Q1 2022.
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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…
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On Deck lays off a third of staff after cutting a quarter just months prior
On Deck, a tech company that connects founders to each other, capital and advice, has conducted another round of layoffs just three months after laying off a quarter of its staff. Sources say that more than 100 people were impacted by the workforce reduction, accounting for half of the entire…
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Tech’s riskiest founders are getting a $650 million bet from Redpoint Ventures
For venture investors, noise is ironically important. Wading through constant streams of capital-seeking founders and startup pitches may be the hardest part of the job, but it’s also imperative to the success of the same job. So, what happens if energy around entrepreneurship slows? As the downturn looms, are fewer…
Since its launch nine years ago, Seedstars has invested in 81 companies in over 30 emerging markets. Now it’s set a goal of investing in 100 more startups with the…
TechCrunch is thrilled to announce the four companies pitching at TC Sessions: Robotics 2022. These four startups stood out from the crowd with innovative hardware or software robotics solutions. You…
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…
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So. Many. New. Venture. Funds.
Further proving that venture investors have more dry powder than ever before, this week started with a flurry of venture capital fund close announcements across sectors and stages. It tells that LPs are staying active amid this dissonant moment in tech, and despite some struggles ahead for emerging fund managers,…
The broader goal of Continuum also hinges on early-stage startups getting more comfortable with the idea of part-time executives.
Y Combinator has announced Launch YC, a platform where people can sort accelerator startups by industry, batch and launch date to discover new products. The famed accelerator, which has seeded…
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Coalition wants to make more women operators and investors at the same damn time
In 2020, Thrive Capital asked a cohort of folks — including Glossier VP of Communications Ashley Mayer, Cityblock Health co-founder Toyin Ajayi, Umbrella co-founder Lindsay Ullman and Tribe AI co-founder Jackie Nelson — if they wanted to be scouts, or invest tiny checks on behalf of the firm with a…
Welcome to Startups Weekly, a fresh human-first take on this week’s startup news and trends. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. I’m out…
Money can make people moody. There are layers of privilege, or lack thereof, that can make even the simplest conversation about bills feel like baggage to deal with. Translate that…
After a month that saw nearly 16,000 tech workers lose their jobs, June is off to a similar tumultuous start. Startups across all sectors, from healthcare to enterprise SaaS to…
Loom, an enterprise collaboration video messaging service, has laid off 34 employees, or 14% of its total staff, sources say. Employees across product and people operations were impacted. The venture-backed…
Today, TechCrunch is virtually hosting TC City Spotlight: Columbus — an event shining a spotlight on the innovation, investment and entrepreneurship in the region. The event will feature panels highlighting…
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…