In the world of mobile apps, numbers come in two sizes: big and bigger. More than one billion people use Facebook’s mobile app every day. But what about the financial side of the mobile business; specifically, venture investment and returns? By looking at the numbers behind two different ends of the startup life cycle, a reasonable understanding of the mobile market today can be had. Read More
Category: Private Equity
Boeing HorizonX invests in Berkeley aerospace battery tech startup
Boeing’s HorizonX is the aerospace company’s vehicle for making investments in promising next-generation startups and technology, and it just placed its latest bet: funding in Cuberg, a Berkeley-based battery tech startup that has a founding team including Stanford University researchers. Battery tech is still one of the most frustrating roadblocks any company encounters when trying… Read More
Join the TechCrunch Meetup at the World Economic Forum #TCDavos
TechCrunch is holding an informal meetup during the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Grab a free ticket here.
The event precedes our TechCrunch Meetup the week after in Zug, Switzerland, the so-called Crypto Valley. You can grab a ticket here.
The Davos meetup will be co-hosted by Samantha Stein, TechCrunch’s Director of Special Projects & Startup… Read More
Join the TechCrunch Meetup at the World Economic Forum #TCDavos
TechCrunch is holding an informal meetup during the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Grab a free ticket here.
The event precedes our TechCrunch Meetup the week after in Zug, Switzerland, the so-called Crypto Valley. You can grab a ticket here.
The Davos meetup will be co-hosted by Samantha Stein, TechCrunch’s Director of Special Projects & Startup… Read More
TPG Growth and CAA’s investment firm Evolution Media buy into Africa’s music business
Private equity and media giants from the U.S. are starting to pay attention to Africa’s burgeoning online media and culture scene. TPG Growth, the middle market and growth equity investment arm of private equity giant TPG, and Evolution Media, the investment and advisory services firm created by Creative Artists Agency and TPG, have acquired a majority stake in the South African… Read More
Uber’s big SoftBank deal has officially closed
SoftBank’s $1.2 billion primary direct investment deal has officially closed, according to Uber itself, which confirmed the deal closure and provided the following statement to TechCrunch via a spokesperson:
We’re proud to have SoftBank, Dragoneer and the entire consortium in the Uber family. This is a great outcome for our shareholders, employees and customers, strengthening… Read More
US & Canada VCs favor late-stage giants over upstarts in Q4
Startup investors in the U.S. and Canada have been putting a little less money to work across a lot fewer deals in recent months. After three quarters of rising investment at early through growth stage, VCs have cut back in the fourth quarter of …
View More US & Canada VCs favor late-stage giants over upstarts in Q4Prototype Capital launches to take pre-seed student investing out of the Ivy League
The two founders of Prototype Capital believe that pre-seed investment focused on student entrepreneurs needs to change. While existing micro-investment funds focused on young entrepreneurs spend their time at Ivy League schools and elite private institutions, Prototype Capital’s founders are betting on great opportunities coming from the same places that have driven Steve… Read More
Winning deals as a new venture capital fund
This is my third time joining a new firm and second time starting one of my own. One would think that I would remember the challenges of building up a new firm, like a type of muscle memory, but I always forget how hard it is to stay relevant and have a seat at the table for top tier deal flow. 2017 could be characterized as the “Year of the new VC,” with an unprecedented number of… Read More
Investors are pouring money into Frank, a TurboTax for student loan applications
Venture capitalists have been trying to make money from the higher education market for years. It’s a rich target for the clutch of investor that pride themselves (in their better moments) on investing in companies that can improve society, and that work to fix broken systems, and a new startup Frank is the latest attempt to make a lasting change in the industry. At this point no one… Read More
Scaleworks announces pre-holiday surprise with Keen IO acquisition
Scaleworks, a private equity firm based in San Antonio, Texas, apparently couldn’t wait until after the holidays to share the news of its latest purchase. The firm announced it was acquiring Keen IO in a Medium blog post yesterday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, and neither company was available for comment beyond the blog post, but Keen has raised close to $30 million since it… Read More
Enjoius raises $1.4 million to bring its party planning services to you
Just in time for the holiday season, a group of prominent Los Angeles entertainment and technology executives have come together to back the new startup, Enjoius, which aims to make it easier for hosts to plan their perfect party. Read More