Hello and welcome again to Equity, TechCrunch’s enterprise capital-focused podcast, the place we unpack the numbers behind the headlines.
This week was a bit totally different than typical. First, we managed to come back near our previous time goal (20 minutes) as a substitute of our common size (30 minutes). And, second, Alex is coming again to TechCrunch beginning subsequent week!
Expect extra Equity and, from Alex, writing for Extra Crunch. But don’t fear, we’ve obtained you coated. If you aren’t an Extra Crunch subscriber but you should use the code “EQUITY” and save a bundle. (Woo!)
That carried out, let’s dig into the information that Kate and Alex mentioned, beginning with Harlem Capital’s $40.three million new fund. The New York-based outfit has a give attention to investing in minority entrepreneurs, who obtain considerably lower than their white male counterparts. This is among the largest funds with a range mandate up to now, and that’s one thing to be stoked about.
Next we turned to Mike Cagney’s canny fundraising capacity. The former SoFi CEO, ousted for dangerous habits, is placing collectively one other big funding spherical for his startup, Figure Technologies. The anticipated $103 million spherical comes after the corporate raised $120 million earlier than.
With over $50 million raised of the greater than $100 million it expects, protecting Figure is partially a monetary story. However, attributable to Cagney’s half within the undertaking, it’s additionally a narrative of how briskly cash forgives.
Pivoting to Europe, Kate and Alex chewed into the most recent report on European enterprise capital, pulling from Atomico and Forbes. The headlines are fairly easy: There are extra EU-based unicorns than ever, extra money invested within the area, and the cash is usually discovering male arms.
Disappointing range metrics apart, it’s an encouraging set of metrics for a area that has lengthy discovered itself left to the aspect when main startup markets are mentioned.
And lastly, Alex needed to speak about two impending US-listed expertise IPOs. Coming within the wake of the WeWork fiasco and sporting related share costs however divergent progress profiles, the debuts of Bill.com and Sprout Social are occasions.
Equity drops each Friday at 6:00 am PT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all of the casts
