Daily Crunch: European subscription prices for Amazon Prime will increase in September

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Delightful beings, what is going on? I have been thinking a lot about the photo sharing site. The platform just keeps getting worse with dark patterns lifted from TikTok, and I was amused by the revelation that it will continue to support photos. The platform's evolution is a matter close to my heart and I continue to be torn about "thought leaders" I love using social media, but I am curious where photographers can go nowadays. There are answers on a postcard

You don't have to read the article, but you should look at the pictures in the piece I published this morning: BMF's 3D printing powers are magnificent, and I'm awestruck by how far 3D printing has come.

The applications for the startup battlefield 200 are due this week.

The TechCrunch Top 3

• Sine Qua Non Prime: European customers have had a pretty sweet deal on Amazon’s Prime subscription. The e-commerce giant just hiked the prices by quite a substantial chunk. French customers are une petite bite angry about their 43% price hike, while German subscribers think their 30% hike is just the wurst, Paul reports.
• A decimation at Shopify: Lots of e-commerce news today, including bad news for a tenth of Shopify’s staff. As pandemic-driven investment in online shopping slows, Shopify lays off about 1,000 employees, Aisha writes.
• After two years at a16z, the first solo album: Mary Ann reports that Rex Salisbury came to the conclusion that adding a fund to his lively Cambrian community was a natural next step of the journey. He began the process of raising capital for his own venture firm, Cambrian Ventures, and today announced a $20 million fund focusing on early-stage fintech companies.

Startups and VC

Kyle reported that the existing hardware picked up a new trick along the way and can now measure blood oxygen levels with more fitness features to come.

In this week's episode, we had a guest on the show. After a wildfire ripped through Northern California and thousands of people were put on long waiting lists to get started building their homes, she started Homebound to make home-building more accessible. Why this founder feels confident is an episode of the show. As soon as possible, get that wisdom into you. You can find a link to found on all your favorite platforms.

The founders of Struck Capital suggested that they use the "thousands of pitches" they receive to inform which companies they choose to build, which was a bit unnerving.

There's more startup goodies.

• A chain with a sack of cash at the end of it: Based in New York, Interplay is raising $10 million for a new blockchain fund, Anita reports
• So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, good night: Based in Germany, Babbel has more than a million U.S. customers on its platform and is extending its business language learning platform to the U.S., too, Frederic reports.
• My coins jingle jingle: Mike makes a case for hardware wallets about to make a comeback as crypto markets are getting a little crumbly.
• Pogo puts a monetized bounce in your step: If Pogo had its way, you’d get paid every time you stroll down the street. The only catch is that you give your personal data to the consumer-focused fintech in return. The company raised almost $15 million to become the ‘Honey for the real world,’ reports Natasha M.
• On the social chain: Blockchain ecosystem Topl has raised $15 million to help companies track and monetize social impact initiatives, Jacquelyn reports.
• Feeling good, investing moneys: Mike writes about Europe’s newest health and wellness fund: Exceptional Ventures has a $24 million fund.
• Spiders as robot hands: Definitely the weirdest story on the site today, Brian dives in with scientists using dead spiders as robot hands. Weird robotics breakthroughs? I love ’em so!

The right questions to ask investors when fundraising in a down market

startup teams are under more pressure than ever to make the best use of rare opportunities, even though small talk is still the start of the conversation.

Entrepreneurs should resist the urge to be defensive in these sessions according to Blair Silverberg.

If a founder can push the questions back to the investor in a way that gives a better understanding of their business and investment strategy, the rest of the conversation will be easier.

The right questions to ask investors when fundraising in a down market

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Big Tech Inc.

The government department believes there is no case to answer after the Competition and Markets Authority revealed it was carrying out a market study into music-streaming services.

The automotive giant took a 40% profit nosedive in the second quarter, according to a report. She covered 3 indicators to watch for on GM Q2 earnings day, as well as Rebecca's revelation that the company landed a $2.5 billion government loan for U.S. batteries.

Have a few more.