Hello and welcome back to Equity, the podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. This is Alex Wilhelm, and I am thrilled to be back after taking some time to learn how to care for tiny humans.
A Return to Podcasting
Yep, after taking a well-deserved break, I’m more than fired up to get back to podcasting. That means early mornings to get the Monday show off the page and into your ears, made worth it thanks to the startup economy proving incredibly interesting thus far in 2023.
What We’ve Been Up To
So, what did we get into? Let’s take a quick recap:
- Stocks are largely up today, but only after a terrible week last week. So, a little plus/minus there.
- Cryptos are not too changed in the last day, but NFT trading results are rising again, which is good news for folks into the tokens.
- News broke recently that the United States is also taking a hard look at the Adobe-Figma deal, more evidence that the mega-transaction could fail to consummate. This is notable as we have some historical notes regarding what happens when a huge deal falls apart before it can get done. Hello, Plaid.
- In more business-friendly news, the fintech market is not dead and two venture firms are taking pole position.
- Moving along to startup rounds, we took a look at ProsperOps and Flock.
- And to close, more layoffs at Twitter.
More Soon
More soon, as we are back Wednesday and Friday! For episode transcripts and more, head to our website on Simplecast. Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday and Wednesday, and at 6 a.m. PT on Fridays, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, and all the casts.
TechCrunch’s Crypto Show
TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together, and more!
Alex Wilhelm
Senior Reporter
Alex Wilhelm was a senior reporter for TechCrunch covering the markets, venture capital, and startups. He was also the founding host of TechCrunch’s Webby Award-winning podcast Equity.
Most Popular Stories
In other news, here are some of our most popular stories:
- In AI copyright case, Zuckerberg turns to YouTube for his defense
- Duolingo sees 216% spike in US users learning Chinese amid TikTok ban and move to RedNote
- Tesla to split $100M award for electric truck charging corridor in Illinois
- Bluesky is getting its own photo-sharing app, Flashes
- PowerSchool data breach victims say hackers stole ‘all’ historical student and teacher data
- UnitedHealth hid its Change Healthcare data breach notice for months
- OpenAI’s AI reasoning model ‘thinks’ in Chinese sometimes and no one really knows why
Latest Equity Episodes
And here are some of our latest episodes:
- ‘Social media should be built on protocols, not platforms’ says Mastodon CEO Eugen Rochko
- $5B livestream shopping apps, Nvidia reveals, and the weirdest tech at CES
- 2024: Founder mode, AI, and the ‘Rise of the Broligarchs’
Fintech Market Not Dead
Now, let’s get back to fintech. The market is not dead, and two venture firms are taking pole position. This is great news for investors and entrepreneurs looking to make their mark in the industry.
Startup Rounds
We took a look at startup rounds recently, and here are some of the companies we featured:
- ProsperOps: A company that helps businesses manage their financial operations.
- Flock: A company that offers a platform for remote teams to collaborate and communicate.
Layoffs at Twitter
And finally, more layoffs at Twitter. This is a sad reminder of the challenges facing many startups in today’s economy.
That’s all for now. Thanks for tuning in, and we’ll see you Wednesday and Friday!