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Welcome to Daily Crunch for August 31, 2020. The TechCrunch machine was busy today covering the first day at Y Combinators Demo Day. You can expect to see more coverage on the site once this news hits your inbox. We'll be back with a recap tomorrow, but you can get a taste of the first day down below.
TechCrunch will bring together an AI investor with a science-fiction writer in Disrupt news. This will make it easier for startups to raise external capital. Alex
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Startups/VC
We assume that the summer lull has ended as this is the last day in August. We didn't notice a drop in volume but we expect it to increase in the weeks ahead. Here are some of the rounds we covered today.
$200M More to Roll-up Amazon Merchants: This trend has been growing beyond Indian edtech companies. Startups are raising capital to purchase smaller ecommerce merchants. Often, the focus is on Amazon sellers. The U.K.-based startup Heroes has added a few hundred millions to its funds in one go.
Startups raising capital to purchase smaller ecommerce merchants have been another popular trend this year. This is in addition to Indian edtech firms. The latest startup to raise capital is Heroes, a U.K.-based startup that added a few hundred millions to its accounts. Whoop, The Peloton of Apple Watches raises $200M: Whoop is a well-known fitness-wearable brand. Whoop's wristband, which is designed for athletes, has helped raise over $400 million. The company now stands at $3.6 billion. This is a lot of duckets to pay for a fitness watch. Whoop charges a software fee to use its hardware, so it's not just another hardware company.
Whoop is a well-known brand for fitness-wearable users. Whoop's wristband, which is designed for athletes, has helped raise over $400 million. The company now stands at $3.6 billion. This is a lot of duckets to pay for a fitness watch. Whoop charges a software fee, so it's not just another hardware company. Synthetic coffee is on the horizon: Maricel Saenz (founder and CEO of Compound Foods) wants to create and market coffee without beans. Why? Climate change is making coffee bean cultivation more difficult, and it is also putting a strain on the environment. Why not make your morning java yourself? This is something I'm willing to try, but it will require some convincing that coffee is good for you.
Maricel Saenz is the founder and CEO at Compound Foods. She wants to create and market coffee without beans. Why? Climate change is making coffee bean cultivation more difficult, and it is also putting a strain on the environment. Why not make your morning java yourself? This is something I'm willing to try, but it will require some convincing. Coffee is great so it won't be hard to convince me to change my routines. Borzo plans to bring on-demand services to more markets. Delivery service Dostavista will rebrand to Borzo to bring its multicountry operations under one brand. TechCrunch reports that the startup was founded in 2012 with a client base of 2,000,000.
Dostavista, the delivery service, is changing its name to Borzo. This will bring together all of its businesses in multiple countries under one brand. TechCrunch reports that the startup was founded in 2012 with a 2 million customer base. Quip, a former TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Alley startup, raises $100M. Quip is most well-known as a toothbrush manufacturer, but it was profitable last year and expanded its product range. It also raised nine figures in new capital. Today, the company offers a variety of oral cleaning products and invisible aligners.
Quip is most well-known as a toothbrush manufacturer. However, Quip achieved profitability last year and expanded its product range. It also raised nine figures in capital. Today, the company offers a variety of oral cleaning products and invisible aligners. Peak raised $75 million today to support non-tech companies in building AI apps. Peak, a Manchester-based company that specializes in AI technology, wants to assist companies without the necessary AI talent to apply the software to their businesses. SoftBank Vision Fund 2 was the company's latest investment. The company plans to use the funds to expand its workforce and reach new markets.
Six tips to establish your startup's global supply chain
Hardware startups are now easier to launch. If you have a successful crowdfunding campaign, it is likely that youre savvy enough to locate a factory in another country that can make your widgets to your specifications.
Global supply chains are fragile. No one could have predicted that a container ship off-course would block the Suez Canal for six consecutive days. Importers pay almost $18,000 today for shipping containers from China, compared to $3,300 last year.
After a successful career in the creation of supply chains across three continents, Jeff Morin, CEO of Liteboxer, wrote a guide called Extra Crunch for hardware entrepreneurs.
Morin states that it is possible to achieve a great result if you are clear-eyed about your challenges and have a lot of forethought and rigor.
(Extra Crunch) Our membership program that helps founders and startups get ahead. Sign up here
Big Tech Inc.
TikTok hopes to match influencers with brands: This is the conclusion of our story. TikTok's Creator Marketplace API allows influencer marketing companies to tap into first-party data. We have read a lot about astroturfing and this concept seems logical. TikTok hopes its top creators will make a lot of money so that they stay on the platform. You will see this happening on other platforms over time.
This is the conclusion of our story today. TikTok's Creator Marketplace API allows influencer marketing companies to tap into first-party information. TikTok wants its top creators to make a lot of money so that they stay on the platform. You will see this happening on other platforms over time. Windows 11 will launch October 5th: I'm a Windows and macOS fan. However, I'm not sure if the new build is enough for me. The new code will be available in October so it's almost over.
I'm a Windows and macOS fan. I'm excited to test the new Windows build. However, I have concerns about whether my CPU is up-to-date. The new code will be available in October so it's almost over. Spotify now allows you to troll your friends with your musical tastes. Do you have friends who love music? Do you like different music from your friends? There's good news! You can now create blended playlists together with your team so you have a playlist that pleases everyone.
TechCrunch Experts: Growth Marketing
TechCrunch Disrupt will be in less than a months and we are excited to announce that one ticket was being given away through the Experts survey. You can check out Disrupt's schedule and then read on for details about the giveaway:
