Daily Crunch: HBO Max is pulling 36 shows this week — Here’s the list

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G'day, crunch group! The two of us are starting to get excited about the upcoming event. Even though we've been working together for a long time, this will be the first time we'll see each other in person. There will be a lot of high fives and bad puns. good times

We would like to see you there as well. You can attend the event for free if you volunteer. Get your applications in as soon as possible.

The TechCrunch Top 3

• Kimberly Bryant fired: Black Girls Code founder Kimberly Bryant was fired by the organization’s board of directors eight months after Bryant was suspended. Natasha M and Dominic-Madori team up to dig into Bryant’s lawsuit against BGC, alleging both wrongful suspension and conflict of interest by new organization CEO Heather Hiles.
• Meow: Have you ever just looked at a picture of a car and sworn you could hear the engine purr? Well, get ready to experience that with the new Dodge Charger EV concept. Kirsten tantalizes us with the car’s features and how it is “rewriting the rules” of a traditional electric vehicle.
• Get out your pitchforks: HBO Max is cleaning out its closets in preparation for its merger with Discovery+, and that means it had to say “good-bye” to 36 titles. As Ivan reports, some creators are not thrilled about what was chosen to go.

Startups and VC

A new $100 million fund claims to focus on longevity for people and the planet. Mike reports that that will mean backing people who are speeding up the science.

A startup is all about telling stories. If you want to hire your first employees into a startup, you need to tell a story that contrasts with their steady, reliable job at an established company. Early customers are in the same category. What's the marketing thing? It's the same thing. What do you think about advertising? It's the same thing. Raising investment is something that could be done. Oh boy, the same thing. There is a reason why your startup needs a good lead storyteller.

There is a snack called S'mores.

• Docteur Jim, WebMD: Paul reports that WebMD acquires French medical news and information platform Jim.fr
• Saving it for a snowy day: Rocketplace raises $9 million to build the “fidelity for crypto” amid the crypto winter that just keeps on going, Mary Ann reports.
• Come fly with me. No, not you. Frederic reports that Aero is finding a space between chartering flights and flying commercial, raising $65 million for its semi-private airline.
• When the sun cools your ice cream: Tage has a great story today about the Paris-based company Koolboks, which pivoted from camping fridges to solar refrigeration for places without consistent electricity. The company raised a cool $2.5 million.
• Well, it is a growth industry: The shortage of agricultural inputs like fertilizer, unpredictable prices and the proliferation of substandard products into markets are some of the biggest challenges for Kenya’s agricultural sector. Kenyan agtech iProcure raises $10 million to help resolve that, Annie reports.
• Roasting the toaster: Haje asks if we really need a $340, Wi-Fi enabled toaster. You don’t even need to click the link — the answer is no. There, saved you from a 600-word rant. You’re welcome.

Why do startup valuations go down when interest rates go up?

The image was created by Andri Onufriyenko.

The US Federal Reserve has raised interest rates. There are a number of factors that are driving down startup valuations. Why?

Access to capital, your customers' ability to pay, and the service you'll receive from providers are all directly impacted by higher inflation.

There is a good chance that your company will also benefit from inflation.

Service providers suffer when your customers benefit.

Why do startup valuations go down when interest rates go up?

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Big Tech Inc.

Yesterday was all about TikTok, and today it's the internet. One-person businesses in Europe can now subscribe to the Workspace Individual plan. The artist used to be called G Suite. Next, Taylor outlines a plan by some Google workers who are asking the company to expand its worker health benefits, particularly by adding abortion and privacy protections. Frederic sat down with James Ward, the product manager for Kotlin at Google, to discuss why the company is still using the language. Users can find higher-quality information as a result of the new search updates.