Kurtosis raises $20M Sequence A to present web3 builders ‘a spot to mess around’ – TechCrunch

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Haje and I are swapping locations for the subsequent two days whereas he will get some much-needed relaxation. Whereas he’s away, please get pleasure from his newest Pitch Deck Teardown on Glambook. Within the meantime, TechCrunch Disrupt is coming nearer: Meet the final five Disrupt Audience Choice roundtable winners, and if you’re a scholar, enter our video competition for an opportunity to win a free move.

And don’t neglect, functions shut tomorrow for Startup Battlefield 200! Apply in the present day to affix Startup Battlefield 200 for the prospect to exhibit your startup without cost at TechCrunch Disrupt this October and win the $100,000 equity-free prize. Purposes shut August 5. Make sure you get your functions in by tomorrow! Apply today.

See you tomorrow! — Christine

The TechCrunch Prime 3

• Tooling around: Two years in the past, two former Palantir engineers began Kurtosis, a crypto-focused developer device system, and have now raised $20 million in contemporary funding to rent a workforce to get a brand new product out within the subsequent 12 months, Jacquelyn reviews.
• Strapping on some capital: Argentine fintech Geopagos leaves the bootstrap life behind because it takes in $35 million in new capital to assist companies launch their very own monetary providers merchandise, Mary Ann writes.
• ‘Snap’ping into some share buybacks: Strikes by Snap and Airbnb to purchase again shares amid slower progress has Alex elevating his eyebrows and searching beneath the hood to see what’s happening.

Startups and VC

Numerous startup information once more in the present day, so let’s dig in. First, Natasha M brings us some further layoff information from On Deck, which is cutting another third of its staff after chopping 1 / 4 just a few months in the past. For these of you who can add fractions, that’s loads, proper?

We loved studying Becca’s investor survey story, the place she interviewed six first-time fund managers about their strategy to weathering the downturn.

Additionally, purchase now, pay later remains to be extra prevalent on the planet of customers (see Anita’s funding story on Halliday), however companies need in on the enjoyable, too. That’s the place Kontempo comes in with $30 million and its strategy to enabling gross sales groups to approve credit score, Kyle reviews.

• An app a day retains the adverts away: No one likes pop-up ads, and a brand new app, Banish, feels you, Sarah writes.
• Connecting content material to folks: Clutch closed on some early-stage funding to match creators with businesses that want content material, Dominic-Madori reviews.
• Rill good: Rill, a enterprise dashboard device, talks for the first time a few new spherical and its product that embeds database and prompt person expertise, Ron writes.
• A proposal they couldn’t refuse: MiroBio, a startup growing therapies for autoimmune sufferers, accepted an offer to be a part of Gilead Sciences for $405 million, Paul reviews.

From NDA to LOI: What actually occurs when your startup is being acquired?

Final week, VP and managing director of Dell Applied sciences Capital Yair Snir shared an article explaining why founders should plan on getting acquired, significantly since their odds of going public are so lengthy.

In a follow-up, he takes readers contained in the postacquisition integration interval/course of:

• The purchasing dash
• The street to an LOI
• Bringing in bankers
• Diving into due diligence
• Defining “day one”
• You’ve been acquired!

“Whereas IPOs could get extra headlines, a well-timed, well-planned acquisition can imply even bigger alternatives for you, your workforce and the applied sciences you’ve constructed,” says Snir.

(TechCrunch+ is our membership program, which helps founders and startup groups get forward. You can sign up here.)

Huge Tech Inc.

With regards to cryptocurrency, BlackRock is now saying, “Why beat them when you possibly can be part of them?” Anita writes about the asset managing giant joining forces with Coinbase to supply its shoppers with entry to crypto, initially Bitcoin. And talking of Coinbase, Jacquelyn and Alex write for TechCrunch+ on why that partnership, and others Coinbase has, is delighting investors.

Within the realm of social media, we loved Amanda’s story the place she spoke with Patreon CEO Jack Conte on why Instagram and Fb are on his record, and never in a great way. And Aisha tells us what’s up with some new Clubhouse features.

• Automobile speak: Volkswagen is gearing as much as roll out a cheaper version of its 2023 ID.4 later this 12 months, Kirsten writes. In the meantime, Rebecca brings us tales on UFODrive, a European electrical automobile rental startup, debuting in San Francisco, and what’s taking place with Lyft employees following some layoff information.
• Wally World layoffs: Inflation has even the most important of firms inspecting their budgets, and on this case, Ivan reviews that Walmart cuts 200 corporate employees.
• Samsung in key of G: Ivan additionally writes about Samsung bringing Amazon Luna games to its sensible TVs and displays, whereas Brian highlights what goodies Samsung might announce at subsequent week’s Unpacked occasion.
• Streamers away: In in the present day’s streaming information, Tage reviews on Amazon Prime Video launching a neighborhood service in Nigeria, whereas Lauren writes about SoundCloud asserting some layoffs and Paramount+ having a great quarter when it comes to subscriber rely.
• Giving again, simply not in the best way they wished: Manish reviews that the State Bank of Pakistan ordered fintech startup Tag to refund all funds to prospects, “citing violation of regulatory necessities and ‘different considerations,’ posing existential questions on the startup’s future.”