Welcome to Startups Weekly. A nuanced take on his news and trends in this week’s startup from Senior Reporter and Equity co-host. Natasha Mascarenhas. Subscribe to receive this in your inbox here.
First of all, hello to all the new Startups Weekly subscribers who joined us after last week’s newsletter.we are all still happy Resonate with the comeback story. Then here are the basics of what to expect.
I start most of these newsletters with a mini-essay about what I have in mind. Sometimes he points to one of the long-form pieces of the week, or shares some additional thoughts at the end of the news cycle, then his three themes that stand out that week Dive into and add additional reading material for those who want to dig deeper. Finally, take a closer look at the tech-related blogosphere, TC events, and personal anecdotes often associated with coffee and food. Now let’s move on to the aforementioned essay.
It all started with sound. More specifically, actor and entrepreneur Ashton Kutcher’s venture, Sound Ventures, filed with the SEC confirmed its plans to launch an artificial intelligence-focused venture. Bloomberg estimates that the new investment vehicle could total around $200 million when closed.
Kutcher’s company has been around for a long time and has gone through cycles of hype that weren’t easily swayed, but the filing intrigued me. Will we ever see celebrity-driven ventures jumping on the AI bandwagon? In particular, cryptocurrency, an all-time favorite sector of the Hype Train, has gone bust and struggled in recent months. Do you have?
If you ask me, I don’t think there will be the same influx of celebrities trying to promote AI products on Instagram Stories as they did. [insert coin offering here]It’s complicated and I could be completely wrong. Read my full opinion on TC+. it’s complicated. “
In the rest of this newsletter, we talk about eggflation, messy integrations, and breaking traditions.As always you can follow me twitter Or continue the conversation on Instagram. I also write on my personal blog. If you want to follow along with 1,835 others who have come to hang and have too many words.
eggflation
One of my favorite pastimes is going to the supermarket. Luckily, there’s a startup angle that can tell us a lot more. TC’s Christine Hall wrote about how soaring egg prices have increased demand for alternatives. If you’re like me and only know about Just Egg, this story is glowing for many reasons.
This is why it matters, Hall tells me.There was no definitive “yes” or “no” to pressing the gas pedal [alternative egg startups] To bring more products out into the world. I was hoping someone would say yes startups should work on it or no this is just temporary and we should wait. Pun intended, it offers a very confusing opportunity. ”
Image credit: Paolo Farinella/Getty Images
About Figma
According to early Bloomberg reports, the DOJ is preparing to file a lawsuit to block a $20 billion deal between Adobe and Figma announced last year on grounds that it was anticompetitive. If DOJ succeeds, it could come as a shock to tech companies big and small who have been taking notes on what a major exit would look like.
Important reasons are: It’s not a surprise, but it’s confirmation of early concerns. Soon people, including TC’s Ingrid Lunden, warned of Adobe’s future dominance as the leader in both platforms and tools in this space.
And Ehab Bandar, founder of design consultancy Bigtable.co, told TechCrunch in September: Any new tool has to be good at so many things that Figma is doing right now, so it’s hard to imagine new competitors coming out of woodwork. Some see potential liquidity events as an opportunity to welcome a new generation of creative and perhaps entrepreneurial designers.
Image credit: Haje Kamps/TechCrunch
follow up
Remember when the IPO market was full of jackpots, parties and geeks? I’m following up on the conversation on. Come to our analysis. Stay in our anger at the term “proficorn”.
Important reasons are: Both Reddit and Lime are reportedly aiming to debut on the public market this year, completely surprising their dear hosts. The focus has been on Stripe, which is looking to exit within the next 12 months, and Instacart, which previously delayed his IPO. The growing list of potential candidates shows that some companies believe the Nasdaq is doing well enough that it’s not a scary acronym.Only FTX for now.
Image credit: TechCrunch
etc
Saw it on TechCrunch
Sensitive US military emails leaked online
Modernize 911 calls with Found’s Michael Chime
SignalFire founder says his VC firm lost staff ‘we thought it was too cheap’ over the past few years
Elon Musk Suggests Twitter Might Open Source Its Algorithm ‘Next Week’
Seen on TechCrunch+
Pitch Deck Teardown: Uber’s 2008 $200K Pre-Seed Deck
Is Ocean Conservation the Next Climate Tech? Here’s Why 7 Investors Go All Out
$100M Venture Round Dies
5 Questions Emerging Managers Should Ask Before Choosing an LP
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