Enterprise

TechCrunch+ roundup: Revisit your marketing stack, pitch deck teardown, after the acquisition

Comment

High quality stock photo looking at the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Once a busy port city, now supports tourism and is a top destination for tourism.
Image Credits: JasonDoiy (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

Last month, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the economy is “in a period of transition,” on the grounds that “we have a very strong labor market. When you are creating almost 400,000 jobs a month, that is not a recession.”

Today, we learned that the U.S. added 528,000 new jobs last month and the unemployment rate has fallen to 3.5%, but for many people in tech, this is a distinction without a difference: according to layoffs.fyi, 467 startups have let go of 64,518 employees so far in 2022.

Marketing can’t cure everything that ails a company, but it is the easiest channel to make iterative changes that produce immediate results.


Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members
Use discount code TCPLUSROUNDUP to save 20% off a one- or two-year subscription
</p


In his latest TechCrunch+ column, Jonathan Martinez says it’s time to “re-forecast, re-prioritize and refine” strategies to move key growth metrics like ARPU and LTV.

Using multiple examples, he shares a few ways companies can project revenue using shorter time intervals, along with exercises to help fine-tune their marketing stack.

“If new channels and major experiments were in the picture, it’s probably best to shelve those for when the markets recover,” he advises.

Thanks very much for reading,

Walter Thompson
Editorial Manager, TechCrunch+
@yourprotagonist

How to run growth marketing during a recession

From NDA to LOI: What really happens when your startup is being acquired?

Kawaii cookie vector illustration. Japanese kawaii style chocolate cookie with eyes and mouth. Flat character isolated on white background.
Image Credits: Anna Minkina (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

On Tuesday, VP and managing director of Dell Technologies Capital, Yair Snir, shared an article explaining why founders should plan to get acquired, particularly since their odds of going public are so long.

In a follow-up, he takes readers inside the post-acquisition integration period/process:

  • The shopping sprint
  • The road to an LOI
  • Bring in bankers?
  • Diving into due diligence
  • Defining “day one”
  • You’ve been acquired!

“While IPOs may get more headlines, a well-timed, well-planned acquisition can mean even larger opportunities for you, your team and the technologies you’ve built,” says Snir.

From NDA to LOI: What really happens when your startup is being acquired?

How to approach building your first employee benefits package

Woman dropping gift into outstretched hand; employee benefits startup
Image Credits: We Are (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

When I worked at a startup located near a wall-climbing gym, a manager proudly announced that they’d negotiated a discount for our entire staff as a company perk.

But once it was explained that this benefit was only valuable to the employees who were already gym members, it seemed somewhat exclusionary. To restore parity, employees who declined a gym membership were offered ride-hailing credits.

“Founders need to ask themselves what really matters to their business, and which benefits best align with their cultural values,” says Anitra St. Hilaire, vice president of People at ThreeFlow.

How to approach building your first employee benefits package

Dear Sophie: How long am I required to stay at my current job after I get my green card?

lone figure at entrance to maze hedge that has an American flag at the center
Image Credits: Bryce Durbin/TechCrunch

​​Dear Sophie,

I’m a software engineer currently on an H-1B. My employer sponsored me for an EB-2 green card, and my application has been approved, but I’m still waiting for a decision on my application to register for permanent residence.

I want to leave my employer and do something completely different. Can I transfer my green card to another employer in a different field and position, or should I stick it out in my current position until I receive my green card?

If I should stick it out, how long should I stay with my current employer after I receive my green card?

— Craving Change

Dear Sophie: How long am I required to stay at my current job after I get my green card?

Will a weaker euro lead to greater US investment in European startups?

Image Credits: Nigel Sussman (opens in a new window)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pandemic supply chain issues, and the looming recession are dragging down the euro’s value, but there could be a silver lining for European startups.

Besides helping them make more money from selling to the U.S., a stronger dollar could encourage U.S. investors on the fence to invest across the pond, suggest Alex Wilhelm and Anna Heim in The Exchange.

“U.S. dealmakers on the fence may find a stronger dollar to be a nudge toward conviction, if not enough to truly change behavior.”

Will a weaker euro lead to greater US investment in European startups?

6 first-time fund managers detail how they’re preparing to thrive during the downturn

A fully fruited Orange tree being harvested in a barren Southern California desert landscape; first-time investors thriving in downturn
Image Credits: Stephen Swintek (opens in a new window) / Getty Images

According to PitchBook, 270 new venture funds raised a total of $16.8 billion in 2021. Twelve months later, the managers of those funds are trying to make sense of a changed landscape where the old rules no longer apply.

To learn more about how their strategies and tactics have evolved, Rebecca Szkutak interviewed these first-time fund managers:

  • Giuseppe Stuto, co-founder and managing partner, 186 Ventures
  • Ariana Thacker, solo GP and founder, Conscience VC
  • Leslie Feinzaig, founder and CEO, Graham & Walker
  • Tom Ferguson, GP and managing partner, Burnt Island Ventures
  • Rex Salisbury, GP and founding partner, Cambrian
  • Marco DeMeireles and Allan Jean-Baptiste, co-founders and GPs, Ansa Capital

https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/04/6-first-time-fund-managers-detail-how-theyre-preparing-to-thrive-during-the-downturn/

Pitch Deck Teardown: Glambook’s $2.5 million seed deck

Glambook+Seed+Pitch+Deck+TechCrunch+Pitch+Deck+Teardown-Slide-cover
Image Credits: Glambook (opens in a new window)

This summer, Glambook, a booking platform that aims to become the “Uber for the beauty industry” raised $2.5 million at a $12 million valuation.

To help TechCrunch+ readers understand why Glambook’s pitch helped seal the deal, Haje Jan Kamps tears down their 19-slide deck, depicting a company that’s rapidly gaining traction in a “market that is bigger than you think.”

Pitch Deck Teardown: Glambook’s $2.5 million seed deck

More TechCrunch

When it comes to the world of venture-backed startups, some issues are universal, and some are very dependent on where the startups and its backers are located. It’s something we…

The ups and downs of investing in Europe, with VCs Saul Klein and Raluca Ragab

Welcome back to TechCrunch’s Week in Review — TechCrunch’s newsletter recapping the week’s biggest news. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here. OpenAI announced this week that…

Scarlett Johansson brought receipts to the OpenAI controversy

Accurate weather forecasts are critical to industries like agriculture, and they’re also important to help prevent and mitigate harm from inclement weather events or natural disasters. But getting forecasts right…

Deal Dive: Can blockchain make weather forecasts better? WeatherXM thinks so

pcTattletale’s website was briefly defaced and contained links containing files from the spyware maker’s servers, before going offline.

Spyware app pcTattletale was hacked and its website defaced

Featured Article

Synapse, backed by a16z, has collapsed, and 10 million consumers could be hurt

Synapse’s bankruptcy shows just how treacherous things are for the often-interdependent fintech world when one key player hits trouble. 

14 hours ago
Synapse, backed by a16z, has collapsed, and 10 million consumers could be hurt

Sarah Myers West, profiled as part of TechCrunch’s Women in AI series, is managing director at the AI Now institute.

Women in AI: Sarah Myers West says we should ask, ‘Why build AI at all?’

Keeping up with an industry as fast-moving as AI is a tall order. So until an AI can do it for you, here’s a handy roundup of recent stories in the world…

This Week in AI: OpenAI and publishers are partners of convenience

Evan, a high school sophomore from Houston, was stuck on a calculus problem. He pulled up Answer AI on his iPhone, snapped a photo of the problem from his Advanced…

AI tutors are quietly changing how kids in the US study, and the leading apps are from China

Welcome to Startups Weekly — Haje‘s weekly recap of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. Well,…

Startups Weekly: Drama at Techstars. Drama in AI. Drama everywhere.

Last year’s investor dreams of a strong 2024 IPO pipeline have faded, if not fully disappeared, as we approach the halfway point of the year. 2024 delivered four venture-backed tech…

From Plaid to Figma, here are the startups that are likely — or definitely — not having IPOs this year

Federal safety regulators have discovered nine more incidents that raise questions about the safety of Waymo’s self-driving vehicles operating in Phoenix and San Francisco.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration…

Feds add nine more incidents to Waymo robotaxi investigation

Terra One’s pitch deck has a few wins, but also a few misses. Here’s how to fix that.

Pitch Deck Teardown: Terra One’s $7.5M Seed deck

Chinasa T. Okolo researches AI policy and governance in the Global South.

Women in AI: Chinasa T. Okolo researches AI’s impact on the Global South

TechCrunch Disrupt takes place on October 28–30 in San Francisco. While the event is a few months away, the deadline to secure your early-bird tickets and save up to $800…

Disrupt 2024 early-bird tickets fly away next Friday

Another week, and another round of crazy cash injections and valuations emerged from the AI realm. DeepL, an AI language translation startup, raised $300 million on a $2 billion valuation;…

Big tech companies are plowing money into AI startups, which could help them dodge antitrust concerns

If raised, this new fund, the firm’s third, would be its largest to date.

Harlem Capital is raising a $150 million fund

About half a million patients have been notified so far, but the number of affected individuals is likely far higher.

US pharma giant Cencora says Americans’ health information stolen in data breach

Attention, tech enthusiasts and startup supporters! The final countdown is here: Today is the last day to cast your vote for the TechCrunch Disrupt 2024 Audience Choice program. Voting closes…

Last day to vote for TC Disrupt 2024 Audience Choice program

Featured Article

Signal’s Meredith Whittaker on the Telegram security clash and the ‘edge lords’ at OpenAI 

Among other things, Whittaker is concerned about the concentration of power in the five main social media platforms.

2 days ago
Signal’s Meredith Whittaker on the Telegram security clash and the ‘edge lords’ at OpenAI 

Lucid Motors is laying off about 400 employees, or roughly 6% of its workforce, as part of a restructuring ahead of the launch of its first electric SUV later this…

Lucid Motors slashes 400 jobs ahead of crucial SUV launch

Google is investing nearly $350 million in Flipkart, becoming the latest high-profile name to back the Walmart-owned Indian e-commerce startup. The Android-maker will also provide Flipkart with cloud offerings as…

Google invests $350 million in Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart

A Jio Financial unit plans to purchase customer premises equipment and telecom gear worth $4.32 billion from Reliance Retail.

Jio Financial unit to buy $4.32B of telecom gear from Reliance Retail

Foursquare, the location-focused outfit that in 2020 merged with Factual, another location-focused outfit, is joining the parade of companies to make cuts to one of its biggest cost centers –…

Foursquare just laid off 105 employees

“Running with scissors is a cardio exercise that can increase your heart rate and require concentration and focus,” says Google’s new AI search feature. “Some say it can also improve…

Using memes, social media users have become red teams for half-baked AI features

The European Space Agency selected two companies on Wednesday to advance designs of a cargo spacecraft that could establish the continent’s first sovereign access to space.  The two awardees, major…

ESA prepares for the post-ISS era, selects The Exploration Company, Thales Alenia to develop cargo spacecraft

Expressable is a platform that offers one-on-one virtual sessions with speech language pathologists.

Expressable brings speech therapy into the home

The French Secretary of State for the Digital Economy as of this year, Marina Ferrari, revealed this year’s laureates during VivaTech week in Paris. According to its promoters, this fifth…

The biggest French startups in 2024 according to the French government

Spotify is notifying customers who purchased its Car Thing product that the devices will stop working after December 9, 2024. The company discontinued the device back in July 2022, but…

Spotify to shut off Car Thing for good, leading users to demand refunds

Elon Musk’s X is preparing to make “likes” private on the social network, in a change that could potentially confuse users over the difference between something they’ve favorited and something…

X should bring back stars, not hide ‘likes’

The FCC has proposed a $6 million fine for the scammer who used voice-cloning tech to impersonate President Biden in a series of illegal robocalls during a New Hampshire primary…

$6M fine for robocaller who used AI to clone Biden’s voice