Equity Monday: The end of cheap money, and Take-Two buys Zynga

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.

This is our Monday show, our short ramp into the week. Yes, it’s Monday again. No, you can’t stay in bed. Things are already happening!

• Take-Two is buying Zynga: In a cash and stock deal worth around $12.7 billion (enterprise value), the transaction has delighted Zynga shareholders and bummed out Take-Two’s own.
• Paytm is taking shots, as other 2021 IPOs slim down.
• The macro environment that startups exist in is about to change for the first time, from a monetary perspective.
• Pine Labs is looking to go public in the United States, China venture capital data is looking pretty strong, Assent Compliance raised a huge round and Arive is apparently a thing.
• All that and we are just getting ready for earnings season, so stay hype as there is a lot of data coming in short order.

Welcome to the week! The Equity team is entirely back from vacation now, and we are ready to freaking rock this year. Let’s kick some ass!