Extra Crunch roundup: China’s new data privacy law, fractional farming, debt vs. equity – TechCrunch

Chinas first data privacy laws go into effect on November 1, 2021. Is your company in compliance?
The new regulations are modeled after the EUs GDPR and [introduce] possibly the most stringent set, if not the strictest, of data privacy protections in the world. Scott W. Pink is special counsel in OMelvenys Data Security & Privacy.

He provides a detailed overview of the requirements and compliance steps required by U.S.-based companies that serve Chinese customers.

He advises that American companies doing business with China or within China should immediately assess the impact of this new law on their activities.

Are visas now as important for startups founders who wish to be successful in the United States, with the acceptance of remote work around the globe?

On Tuesday, September 14, at 2 p.m PT/5 p.m. ET: On Tuesday, September 14, at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET, Danny Crichton, the managing editor of ET, and Sophie Alcorn (immigration law attorney) will discuss this matter in Twitter Spaces.

Join @DannyCrichton Tuesday, September 14th at 2 p.m. PST/5 p.m. ET as he discusses if remote work will make H-1B visas redundant with @Sophie_Alcorn https://t.co/SCMUiqUj8J TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) September 10, 2021

They will be available to answer questions from the audience. Follow @techcrunch Twitter for reminders before the chat.

Thank you for reading Extra Crunch. I wish you a wonderful weekend.

Walter Thompson

Senior Editor, TechCrunch

@yourProtagonist

Fintech is changing the world's oldest asset: Farmland

Mark Twains greatest quote on capitalism is "Buy land, they aint doing any more of it", regardless of whether he said it.

Past recessions and the ongoing pandemic have caused uncertainty about the future residential and commercial real estate. However, Artem Milinchuk is the founder and CEO at FarmTogether.

Anatomy of a SPAC: Inside Better.com's ambitious plans

Better.com, an online mortgage company, isn't waiting for its SPAC merger to make big moves. Ryan Lawler reported that it bought Property Partners, a U.K-based startup offering fractional property ownership.

Better has also bought Trussle, a digital mortgage brokerage, in July.

Vishal Garg, CEO of Better, told Ryan that we are not easily classified. He also stated that the company plans on expanding into traditional financial services such as auto loans and insurance.

Kevin Ryan, CFO, said that while many people may have their own niches, we believe that we are on the right path to full stack, where everything is integrated in the same flow.

Five factors that could make or break a startup's growth journey

It doesn't matter how large your marketing budget, if you don't have a compelling story to tell, it doesnt really matter what size.

Paid marketing is a great tool to help you accelerate your already-humming flywheel. Brian Rothenberg, a former founder and now a partner at Defy, says that paid marketing shouldn't be the only tool in your arsenal.

He shares five key factors to help you kick-start, maintain, and measure long-term growth.

Debt or equity? When are non-traditional funding options appropriate?

Many potential founders have a solid understanding of startup economics, while others are still relatively new to the field.

Understanding the differences between equity and debt financing is essential knowledge when raising funds.

Founders who are more willing to compromise their control may be open to debt financing, but this is not the right choice for all, according to David Friend, a six-time entrepreneur.

Southeast Asia's digital economy is attracting more investors

Startups based in Southeast Asia raised over $8.2 Billion last year, an increase of 4x from 2015.

Regional M&A has risen 83% to $124.8 billion in the first half 2021.

Venture capitalists and Big Tech are not the only ones who are expanding their presence in the region.

Since 2020, Singapore has registered more than 229 family offices, with an estimated $20 billion in assets, according to Amit Anand (a founder partner at Jungle Ventures).

Edtech focuses on the creator economy through cohort-based classes

Natasha Mascarenhas looked at the similarities between edtech, the creator economy, and both of these industries boomed during the pandemic but became blurred with the rise of cohort-based classes.

The problems that Edtech and the Creator Economy try to solve differ from one another. For example, finding a VR solution for online STEM classes is not as easy as integrating all of the creator's different monetization strategies onto one platform. Nevertheless, both sectors have come to common ground over the past year.

Retail's new strategy for sustainability: Personalization

Did the makeup, shoes and jacket that looked amazing on Instagram (and in your shopping basket) turn out to be disappointing when you tried them on?

It is not unusual for beauty or apparel products to end up in a drawer, or as gifts because of buyers remorse. However, there are serious consequences.

Each year, the beauty industry produces more than 120 billion units worth of packaging. Very little of this packaging is recycled. In a guest column, Sindhya Valloppillil (founder and CEO of Skin Dossier) notes that globally, 92 million tonnes of textile waste end up in landfills.

She believes that technology can be used to personalize the retail experience and bring sustainability to the industry.

AR virtual try-on using shade matching

Virtual fitting rooms for fashion using VR/AR

Smart packaging using IoT/distributed ledger technology

Onyeka Akumah, founder of Plentywaka, speaks out about African startups and global expansion

Lagos is home to twenty million people. Each day, fourteen million commute through the transit system.

Overcrowded buses are used by travelers to navigate congested routes. What should have been a 30-minute journey is often three hours. However, Treepz CEO and cofounder Onyeka Akuah has ambitious plans to improve the infrastructure of public transport in Africa and elsewhere. Rebecca Bellan writes.

Akumah stated that we wanted to provide people with a better way of commuting.

These are the things that we stated we would change.

Dear Sophie, When can I apply to get my US work permit

Dear Sophie

My husband accepted a job at Silicon Valley. His new employer will sponsor him for an E-3 visa.

I would like to keep working even if we move to the United States. I am aware that I can obtain a work permit using the E-3 visa for spouses.

What is the earliest time I can apply for my U.S. Work Permit?

Adaptive Aussie