Equity

Latest Episodes:

In a more conservative venture capital market, will big tech step up? May 17, 2023

Show notes

This week, Alex spoke to two guests from the world of Microsoft for Startups - GM, Hans Yang, and Senior Director, Tom Davis. We're working to figure out how big tech corporations are playing in the startup sandbox, starting with the launch of Microsoft's Pegasus program.

Here's what we got into:

Why programs like Pegasus are particularly helpful for startups in a conservative VC market
The mutually beneficial relationship between the large tech players and startups
The close relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI

As always, Equity will be back on Friday with your weekly news round up, but until then, you can catch us on Twitter @EquityPod

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

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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Equity Monday: Vice files for bankruptcy, Foxconn's investment in India, and two fascinating startup rounds May 15, 2023

Show notes

This week we talked about media, startup rounds and some Big Money Moves:

Stocks are mostly up to start the week while crypto remains within the bounds of its recent trading range. Again.
Vice has filed for bankruptcy, again highlighting how hard the media game can be. The company's eventual selling price looks like it will be a fraction's fraction of its once great worth.
Foxconn is investing more in India, underscoring how critical it is for major electronics supply chain companies to diversify out of China — and the immense costs involved.
Brex took a shot at buying part of SVB's portfolio, TechCrunch reports.
Startup rounds: Smart raised $95 million at a slight discount to its 2021-era valuation and M-KOPA secured a pile of equity and debt fundraising.
And we closed with the interesting sale of Forbes.

Equity will be back on Wednesday and Friday! We'll see you then!

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

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Venture-backed everything for real world problems, please May 12, 2023

Show notes

This week Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex celebrated one final episode as a three, and here's what we got into:

Deals of the Week: Alex wanted to talk about the slowing of growth amongst tech companies, Natasha had notes on a brace of new Mayfield funds, while Mary Ann brought Wellthy to the table.
Next we discussed pessimism in fintech, if it is near its peak, and how companies like Petal are still forging ahead regardless of market chop.
From there we dug into AI, how it will impact certain creative work, and what it could mean for tech workers who traditionally have not organized.
And we closed with a very Natasha topic: Accelerators.

Natasha led us out of the show with a final Equity sign-off as she announced her time with the podcast, and TechCrunch, is coming to a close. We are going to miss her awfully, but are also her biggest fans and cheering her on!

Equity will be back before you know it, but in the meantime, you can catch us on Twitter @EquityPod. And for the early-stage founders out there, don’t forget to apply for the Startup Battlefield 200 cohort at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023!

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

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How do you know when it’s time to shut down? May 10, 2023

Show notes

This week, Natasha spoke to Kristen Anderson, the co-founder and CEO of Catch, an app to provide payroll benefits for people who are self employed, that recently announced it would be shutting down. We're talking about vulnerability, shut downs, building in public and on ramps and off ramps that come with the wild choice to be an entrepreneur.

Here's what we got into:

Venture capital's role in how a founder builds
Making the difficult decision to shut down, and why Catch chose to do so publicly
We end with Anderson's return to building, in fintech, despite what her Twitter followers wish. Seems like being close to peak pessimism in fintech is a good thing for forever builders.

As always, Equity will be back on Friday with your weekly news round up - and a big announcement - so don't miss it! Until then, you can catch us on Twitter @EquityPod

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotifyand all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Equity Monday: Shrinking unicorns and the embarrassment of meme coins May 08, 2023

Show notes

Alex is back with the latest in tech news from the weekend and what’s making headlines early in the week. Today, we are talking about meme coins, unicorns and the latest from India!

The global stock market started the week on pretty good footing. Also, the crypto world is suffering modest indigestion thanks to a new meme coin.
On the regulatory front, it appears Coinbase is going to stick with the U.S. Elsewhere in Industry Land, Qualcomm is going shopping, Alibaba's logistics IPO is targeting the Hong Kong market, and the UK is digesting the fact that a local legend is going to list in the United States.
From there, it was time to check in on some news, bad and good, from India.

We are going to see some interesting earnings results this week, so stay tuned! Equity will be back Wednesday morning!

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

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Aaron Burr’s tech angle, blue skies, and no photos at this time May 05, 2023

Show notes

This week Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex got right into it with:

An update on a startup banking partner collapse that wasn't the First, and probably won't be the Last
A section dedicated to sunsetting Poparazzi and a Databricks acquisition (points to whoever can guess how we transitioned from one deal to the next)
Next up, we spoke about Finix's latest announcement to go head to head with Stripe, before talking more about the rise of down rounds
We ended with BlueSky. Although some of us feel grey about it. And regardless, this piece by Morgan Sung will have you thinking smartly about the new Twitter competitor started by the ol' Twitter boss.

We'll be back before you know it, but in the meantime, you can catch us on Twitter @EquityPod. And for the early stage founders out there, don't forget to apply for the Startup Battlefield 200 cohort at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023!

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

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The outside advantage that your investor may be interested in May 03, 2023

Show notes

This week, Natasha Mascarenhas interviewed Sam Chaudhary, the founder of ClassDojo, and Chris Farmer, the founder and CEO of SignalFire, a venture firm that recently announced a $900 million fund to back tech startups. This interview is structured a bit differently as it was actually recorded as a TechCrunch Live session, our weekly show that focuses on helping people start better venture backed businesses.

We'll hear from the trio about:

What an outsider advantage looks like in startups, per a top investor
Why ClassDojo doesn’t see itself as an edtech company
How Sam landed early traction with a difficult-to-capture consumer
How both Sam and Chris are thinking through the AI question brewing in every office

If you want to check out the full video of today's conversation, including a round of Pitch Practice hosted by Matt Burns, head to our YouTube channel and stay tuned for more TechCrunch Live!

As always, the full Equity crew will be back on Friday, but you can keep up with us in the meantime @EquityPod.

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotifyand all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

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Equity Monday: Hey look, OpenAI is even richer now May 01, 2023

Show notes

Alex is back on the mic for your Monday rundown and digging into OpenAI, earnings, First Republic Bank, and ARM. Oh, and startups as well!

It's another big earnings week, and we're excited to see how Uber, Coinbase, Apple and Hubspot have performed!
First Republic Bank is no more. It wasn't shocking to see JPMorgan swooping it up, but we are once again seeing a small bank shutting shop and a big bank getting bigger. Not good!
OpenAI is now even richer thanks to a $300 million investment from venture capitalists. It's amazing that the company sold just 1.1% of its equity for nine figures.
And Alison raised capital just as AMD filed privately to go public. It's a busy start to the week!

Hugs, and we'll be back Wednesday and Friday.

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

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Is First Republic just a victim of SVB’s collapse? Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

This week Mary Ann, Natasha and Alex were especially chattery as they waded through a busy week in tech and startups. We're talking AI. We're talking layoffs. And we're talking coffee.

Here's what we got into:

Three deals of the week from copyright requests around "-GPT" to Ansa, a wallet ready to make you even more loyal to your local cafes to First Republic Bank's tanking share price and all the thoughts that feel all too reminiscent of our reporting just six weeks ago.
Fintech venture layoffs, and the state of startup hiring more generally. Based off of Mary Ann's scoop, we got into the nitty-gritty of just how much staff a venture firm needs, and why.
Earnings! Alex has spent more time than is healthy reading through recent financial disclosures from tech companies big and small. The result? Decent news for startups.
We end with notes on coffee. How does coffee fit into Equity? Well, when it's venture backed and growing, we don't care if it powered by beans or AI.

We'll be back in your ears again on Monday to catch up on the weekend's headlines. If you miss us in the meantime, follow us @EquityPod and check out Alex and Natasha's cameos on TechCrunch Live!

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotifyand all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

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A modern take on what an entrepreneur can, and should, spend their time on Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

This week, Natasha interviewed Ankur Nagpal, the entrepreneur behind Teachable, Ocho, and Vibe Capital - Ankur's $70 million venture fund, raised last year from over 200 investors.

Today, we're talking about:

The future of Solo GPs and Ankur's choice to shrink Vibe Capital's fund size
How Ankur built, sold, pivoted and launched in public
The upside of building in public vs building in private
The importance of brand and succession

Of course, we ended with a lightning round of questions - including the meaning behind Ankur's tattoo.

As always, Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann will be back for our weekly news roundup on Friday, but you can follow us on Twitter @EquityPod for live updates and more.

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotifyand all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices