Daily Crunch: Facebook launches rap app
Facebook unveils another experimental app, Atlassian acquires a data visualization startup and Newsela becomes a unicorn. This is your Daily Crunch for February 26, 2021.
The big story: Facebook launches rap app
The new BARS app was created by NPE Team (Facebook’s internal R&a
Astra awarded NASA launch contract for storm observation satellites
Astra, the Alameda-based space launch startup that recently announced its intent to go public via a SPAC merger, has secured a contract to deliver six cube satellites to space on behalf of NASA. Astra stands to be paid $7.95 million by the agency for fulfilment of the contract. This will be a key t
Salesforce delivers, Wall Street doubts as stock falls 6.3% post-earnings
Wall Street investors can be fickle beasts. Take Salesforce as an example. The CRM giant announced a $5.82 billion quarter when it reported earnings yesterday. Revenue was up 20% year over year. The company also reported $21.25 billion in total revenue for the just-closed FY2021, up 24% YoY. If tha
EC roundup: BNPL startups, growth marketing tips, solid state battery market map, more
When I needed a new sofa several months ago, I was pleased to find a buy now, pay later (BNPL) option during the checkout process. I had prepared myself to make a major financial outlay, but the service fees were well worth the convenience of deferring the entire payment.
Coincidentally, I was siti
With $62.5M in debt financing, Road Runner Media puts digital ads behind commercial vehicles
If Southern California-based Road Runner Media succeeds, you’ll start seeing a lot more ads while you’re driving.
That’s because the startup is placing digital screens on the back of technicians’ vans, delivery vehicles, buses and other commercial vehicles. Those screens can
Yelp puts trust and safety in the spotlight
Yelp released its very first trust and safety report this week, with the goal of explaining the work that it does to crack down on fraudulent and otherwise inaccurate or unhelpful content.
With its focus on local business reviews and information, you might think Yelp would be relatively free of the
Broaden your view of 'best' to make smarter, more inclusive investments
What can we learn from the best 40 venture capital investments of all time? Well, we learn to invest exclusively in men, preferably white or Asian.
We reviewed CB Insights' global list of “40 of the Best VC Bets of all Time.” All of the 40 companies' 92 founders were male.
Of the 43 U.
Facebook launches BARS, a TikTok-like app for creating and sharing raps
Facebook’s internal R&D group, NPE Team, is today launching its next experimental app, called BARS. The app makes it possible for rappers to create and share their raps using professionally created beats, and is the NPE Team’s second launch in the music space following its recent pu
In freemium marketing, product analytics are the difference between conversion and confusion
The freemium marketing approach has become commonplace among B2C and B2B software providers alike. Considering that most see fewer than 5% of free users move to paid plans, even a slight improvement in conversion can translate to significant revenue gains. The (multi) million-dollar question is, ho
Sources: Lightspeed is close to hiring a new London-based partner to put down further roots in Europe
Update: Murphy has now confirmed his appointment in a tweet. Original story follows below…
Lightspeed Venture Partners, the well-known Silicon Valley venture capital firm that has backed the likes of DoubleClick and Snapchat, is in the midst of hiring a second London-based investment partner
How to ace the 1-hour, and ever-elusive, pitch presentation at TC Early Stage
Lisa Wu, a partner at Norwest with investments like Calm, Plaid, Opendoor and Grove Collaborative, has a message for founders: Think like a VC during your pitch presentation. After all, accepting capital isn’t simply adding more money to your balance sheet. It is about picking a venture partn
Hear from Black Female Founders, Latinx founders, StartOut and Socos Labs next week at TC Sessions: Justice 2021
We're less than a week away from TC Sessions: Justice 2021, a deep, day-long exploration of diversity, inclusion and equity in tech. On Wednesday, March 3, leading experts, founders and social justice warriors will discuss topics ranging from systemic bias, essential workers' rights and for
Aurora acquires a second lidar company in push to bring self-driving trucks to the road
Aurora, the autonomous vehicle company that recently closed its acquisition of Uber's self-driving subsidiary, has snapped up another startup.
This time, Aurora is buying OURS Technology, the second lidar startup it has acquired in less than two years. Aurora acquired Blackmore, a Montana-bas
Only a few hours left to buy early-bird passes to TC Early Stage 2021
By now you probably know that we're hosting two TC Early Stage events this year — one on April 1-2 and another on July 8-9 — each with its own set of topics, speakers and content — both designed to help nascent startup founders build a better, more successful business.
What you may not kn