Only Products and Other Stuff

Welcome to The TechCrunch Exchange, a weekly startups-and-markets newsletter. It’s inspired by the daily TechCrunch+ column where it gets its name. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here .  Hello my dear friends, here’s hoping that you are warm, safe, and happy today. Welcome to the weekend. Today’s Exchange note is somewhat brief, and, I hope, good fun. We’re talking gaming and competition, two of my very favorite things. Notes on the gaming world While the venture capital world loses its mind over crypto-based video games bringing fiscally focused activity to the “gaming” space, some builders are sticking to more traditional models. One such company is Frost Giant , which announced a Series A this week worth $25 million, and is building a de novo RTS game. As a longtime fan of the genre, I am incredibly excited about this. As a business and technology journalist, I am curious as well. I got on the phone the other day with its founders – the Two Tims – to c...

Today’s cars are dumb where they should be smart, and smart where they should be dumb. Enough already. Make a car that’s pretty much all dumb and watch it sell — because what automakers are giving people is so bad, they’ll pay more to have less of it. Cars now are like budget smartphones with wheels: loaded with bloatware, unintuitive and slow to operate. Carmakers have always struggled with user interfaces, but until recently the biggest problem we had was “too many knobs.” How I long for those days! The proliferation of touchscreens and LCDs has made every car feel like a karaoke booth. Animations show reclaimed energy from braking, the speedometer changes color as you approach the limit, the fan speed and direction is under three menus. And besides being non-functional, these interfaces are even ugly! The type, the layouts, and animations scream “designed by committee and approved by someone who doesn’t have to use it.” Not to mention the privacy and security concerns. I was dub...

Jason Wenk Contributor Share on Twitter Jason Wenk is CEO and founder of Altruist . Fintech founders that set out to solve big problems for consumers almost always begin with the best intentions — they want to help people. But they often miss that mark by a country mile, which spurs questions about how effective other fintech founders can be at helping consumers. Trust me, when you name your for-profit, venture-backed fintech startup “Altruist,” a certain amount of healthy skepticism follows you around. That skepticism is understandable because, in many ways, the world of fintech is built on a foundation of internal conflict. The vast majority of fintech founders deeply appreciate the power and value of hyper-profitable business models in accomplishing less clearly profitable goals. Many come from finance backgrounds, giving them an insider’s advantage at identifying the ways financial tools and institutions do not benefit — and sometimes exploit — consumers. Founders...

I could spend hours discussing early-stage startup operations and community-based marketing, but deal flow is my blind spot. But when investment banking firm UBS picked up financial robot-advisor Wealthfront for $1.4 billion in an all-cash deal this week, I noticed. “At those prices, the company’s exit price is a win in that it represents a 2x or greater multiple on its final private valuations,” wrote Alex Wilhelm in The Exchange. “But its exit value is also parsable from a number of alternative perspectives: AUM, customers and revenue,” he added. Examining each of those factors in turn, Alex found that the deal is more than just a “next-gen push” intended “to reach rich young Americans,” as some headlines suggested. This exit will help other fintechs set expectations, but it should give a mental boost to anyone who thinks they’re too late to start up in this space. Full TechCrunch+ articles are only available to members Use discount code TCPLUSROUNDUP to save 20% off a one- ...

He Huang Contributor He Huang is a partner at Northern Light Venture Capital supporting early-stage enterprise companies. It’s been a tumultuous few years, but China’s manufacturing industry is now on the rebound. Once an industry characterized by low-end manufacturing and intensive labor, it has transformed into a high-end manufacturing hub aided by technology. Automation and robotics has the potential to modernize China’s manufacturing while improving labor efficiency and alleviating labor shortages. Predictably, companies and investors want to capitalize on this trend. Robotics has been a hot sector for a while, but its popularity has shot up over the past couple of years. The sector recorded investments and financing of $6 billion in 2021, according to statistics from market research firms, and is expected to double in size in five years. However, it’s unknown when these investments will provide a suitable return. Robotics is experiencing the biggest bubble in China’s ...

Kris Holt Contributor Share on Twitter Kris Holt is a contributing writer at Engadget . More posts by this contributor Panasonic’s higher-capacity Tesla battery could enter production in 2023 The first movie studio in space could be attached to the ISS in 2024 Tesla is selling a new accessory: a microphone for in-car karaoke. The TeslaMic is only available in China for the time being. The company introduced it amid the rollout of a Chinese New Year software update, which adds a karaoke platform called Leishi KTV to infotainment systems. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here, then reload the page to see it. The microphone automatically pairs with the infotainment system, according to Tesla. The TeslaMic comes in a pack of two, so it could come in handy if you ever feel like parking somewhere with a date and belting out some duets. The pack costs around $188 but the Tesla store page is failing to load for many ...

The idea of starting your own business can be overwhelming — often to the point of paralysis. Here’s the thing: You’re not alone. Here’s the other thing: It doesn’t have to be that way. If that drive to be your own boss won’t let you sleep at night, then TechCrunch Early Stage  is an absolute must-attend event. Whether you’re looking for sage advice, expert resources, a better understanding of the business-building process or a supportive community of like-minded “want-repreneurs,” you’ll find that and more at TC Early Stage , a summit designed for founders in the very beginning stages of business development. Be there live and in-person only: This event takes place IRL on April 14 at Pier 27, our  expansive San Francisco venue . Meeting real people face-to-face is an essential (not to mention fun) part of building a business network, especially when you’re just starting out, and we’re ready make it happen as safely as possible. Read our COVID vaccination policy before yo...