The last day of the Mobility event is Thursday May 19th. We are going to the mean streets of the world wide web tomorrow, and you can join us virtually.
The TechCrunch Top 3
- Tl;dr: We know you don’t have 32 minutes to read Meta global affairs president’s new manifesto, so Natasha skim-read it for you. In short, the future of the metaverse, excuse us, “metaverse spaces,” is uncertain, complicated and needs a truckload of developers to do it. We also still don’t have the 411 on how Meta plans to make money in the metaverse, particularly, as Natasha points out, since the company does a lot of tracking and profiling. That may come in Nick Clegg’s next manifesto. We’re here for it.
- What happens when a vertical farming company cracks the code?: Spoiler alert, it’s delicious! Oishii started out selling strawberries from its New Jersey facility at $50 for eight to 11 berries, and with a new facility up and running, the company is now able to reduce that to $20. Not on par yet with what we get at the grocery store, but if food prices keep rising, they may eventually meet in the middle.
- Turn the beat around: Could tech valuations be lower than they need to be? That’s certainly the argument Alex is making, with one chart showing how Okta’s shares are now selling even below early 2019 — before the pandemic and before all of the revenue multiples went sky-high. He lays out some examples of why the tech sell-off may have gone too far.
Startups and VC
If your plan is to raise money in the next 6 months, you might be raising at the peak of the downturn. We recommend that you change your plan.
We spent the last couple of days in the world of mobility. Rebecca distilled the top threeTakeaways from Nuro's awesome session.
The pitch deck of BoxedUp was analyzed by Haje. We think you'll like it because it has some really elegant stories and fixable quirks, so come check it out!
A few more.
- Spend now, pay later: Untapped Global wanted to rethink the collateral gap for African companies by allowing small businesses to use their ongoing revenues as collateral, Mike reports.
- Home is where the buffalo roam: Belong, a startup that aims to shake up property management, has just raised $50 million to grow its footprint, Mary Ann reports.
- A little bit o’ this, a little bit o’ that: Framework’s user-repairable laptop gets an upgrade. It’s a little ironic at first glance, but Brian outlines why it makes sense.
- Soaring over the Sahara: A new deal sets a lofty goal of deploying 12,000 of Wingcopter’s 198 drone systems across Africa over the course of the next 5 years, Brian reports.
- A budding romance: Brian is on a roll today, also covering the launch of the $200 LinkBuds earbuds from Sony.
- Game on, my wayward son: Andreessen Horowitz debuts $600 million fund for games investments. The new vehicle, called Games Fund One, joins other industry-specific arms at a16z, including its crypto and bio divisions, Lucas reports.
Dear Sophie: Can I do anything to speed up the EAD renewal process?
Thank you, dear Sophie.
I am a dependent spouse on an L-2 visa.
We filed for the extension of my visa and work permit a few months ago, as my work permit is about to expire in May. How long is the current process?
Is there anything I can do to not affect my employment?
Career centered
Dear Sophie: Can I do anything to speed up the EAD renewal process?
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Big Tech Inc.
The new business app should have companies on cloud nine. The new version of the BusinessAPI is free and will attract smaller businesses, but will also take minutes to implement and reduce server costs.
We were excited about theMystery Box feature in the news. Maybe we put too much on a pedestal. It is a way for children to rewatch their favorite shows more easily. Think of subtitles and languages when you think of the additional features that will be rolled out by Netflix.
During times of crisis, the new crisis misinformation policy will slap a warning on any account that is deemed to be misleading, and will prioritize accounts that have gone viral.
There are more to come for Thursday.
The Buffalo shooter used social media in the days leading up to the incident that left 10 people dead and three injured.
