Only Products and Other Stuff

As more banking, e-commerce and insurance startups work to improve the way business is done in emerging countries, it should come as no surprise that this winter’s Y Combinator batch is rife with related efforts. There are 35 companies this year, just over double the amount in the 2021 winter batch and up from 18 in the summer program, according to the organization’s directory. What you’ll notice about this year’s cohort is the prevalence of companies from Nigeria, Indonesia and Argentina, all areas that have seen an abundance of venture capital funding into fintech in recent years, though nearly every country at this point is attracting investor interest. Indeed, according to CB Insights, global fintech funding reached a record $132 billion in 2021, more than two times the amount related companies raised in 2020 and accounting for a whopping 21% of all venture dollars. Herewith, the startups, with some of our quick thoughts about the broader problem each is trying to solve. Aigis...

Nearly half of Uber and Lyft drivers in the U.S. have quit or are driving less due to high gas prices caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine, despite temporary fuel surcharges added to fares by those ride-hailing companies, according to a survey shared with TechCrunch. “Forty-three percent of Uber and Lyft drivers still say they’re driving less or have quit completely despite the new fuel surcharges,” Harry Campbell, founder and CEO of The Rideshare Guy (RSG), a blog and podcast dedicated to helping rideshare drivers earn more money and stay on top of industry news, told TechCrunch. “This compares to 53% of drivers who said the same before the fuel surcharges were announced.” The Rideshare Guy originally polled drivers on how they felt about the rising gas prices, collecting 325 responses from Uber and Lyft drivers between March 7 and March 11 via email and social media. When the surcharges were announced in mid-March — a fee of $0.45 to $0.55 per ride for Uber customers, and $0.55 for ...

We know that running a company is hectic, so we are giving Austin founders a couple extra days to apply to pitch at TechCrunch Live on April 6 at 11:30 am PT / 2:30 pm ET . The Austin tech scene is thriving and we are here for it. In addition to great panels, we also plan to feature three top founders from the region. Shoot your shot here . Which companies qualify? Simple. Be based in the greater Austin area Have an MVP Be pre-Series A Be industry agnostic Companies will pitch for four minutes followed by a five-minute Q&A with our expert judges. Companies will get a round of pitch training from TC editors, get a mini feature on TechCrunch.com and a complimentary exhibition at the live TechCrunch Disrupt 2022. If you want to apply to the pitch-off, hit up the application link here . Applications close March 30. Register to attend the event taking place on April 6 by clicking this link!

Erol Toker Contributor Share on Twitter Erol Toker is the CEO/founder of Truly.co , a Salesforce native bot platform bringing together AI, no-code rulesets and automation workers in highly customizable ways. The media is abuzz with articles telling us how to improve B2B sales, but at the same time, we also see headlines like “The end of B2B sales.” Who’s right? What’s clear is that there’s no more room for traditional B2B sales. In a recent survey, 43% of B2B buyers said they would prefer a buying experience that had no reps involved at all . Yet, sales reps are stubbornly advised to “present your product better,” “ask open ended questions,” and “sweeten the deal.” You’re trying to make the customer fit your product’s mold rather than making your business and services fit the customer’s mold. In a world with countless competitors, the customer no longer needs to adhere to your process. The tables have turned, and sales teams are realizing they need to get the customer e...

Spotify acquired podcast discovery platform Podz last summer for roughly $49.4 million, per a Securities and Exchange Commission filing , to help accelerate the streamer’s extensive investments in podcasts. Now, Spotify is testing a feature that leverages the startup’s technology to help users find new podcasts they may like, the company confirmed. Podz had originally attempted to solve the problem of podcast discovery with something it called the “first audio newsfeed.” That is, it presented users with 60-second audio clips from various shows that you would scroll through in a vertical feed, similar to the format popularized by social apps like TikTok. What made the company’s technology interesting is that it didn’t rely on podcast creators to produce their own clips for its feed. Instead, it used a machine learning model that had been trained on some 100,000 hours of audio to help automatically select clips to showcase. At the time, Spotify touted the acquisition as a means of buil...

TikTok is testing a new “watch history” feature with some users to allow them to find videos that appeared on their “For You” page that they didn’t have a chance to save. Given the constant stream of content on TikTok, accidentally refreshing your “For You” page and losing a video before you’ve had a chance to “like” it is a common problem for users. It seems that TikTok is looking to solve this problem with the addition of this possible feature. When asked if the company plans to expand the test and roll out the feature to more users, TikTok told TechCrunch in an email that it doesn’t have more to share on the test at this time. “We’re always thinking about new ways to bring value to our community and enrich the TikTok experience,” a TikTok spokesperson told TechCrunch, when reached for comment. Twitter user Hammod Oh , who often uncovers features that are currently being tested by social media platforms, first spotted the feature, which was then highlighted by social media consul...

Another venture capitalist is leaving their long-time home for something new. This time it is DCM partner Kyle Lui, who left after nearly eight years to become the second general partner at Bling Capital . DCM has a storied history. It is notably one of the first Sand Hill Road venture funds to establish a major presence in Asia, particularly in China. Since 1996, it has grown to over $4 billion under management, and invested in more than 400 technology companies, including Kuaishou, SoFi and Bill.com. During his time at DCM, Lui was involved in several U.S. investments, including DocSend, Tempo, TravelBank, Wrike and Lime, as well as companies that are now public, like Hims & Hers, Shift and SoFi. Lui’s move is the latest among high-profile fund managers. He noted the trend of them leaving older “traditional” VC firms to establish their own firms or join newer firms. We saw Katie Haun leave Andreessen Horowitz late last to start her own fund. She just raised $1.5 billion for...