Connie Loizos
Silicon Valley Editor
The Latest from Connie Loizos
Does what happens at YC stay at YC?
Community has never felt louder in startupland. Bringing people together over a shared interest is innate to human nature, and coming out of a lonely, draining pandemic, every startup is looking to cu
A men’s brand, Faculty, launches with nail polish — and seed funding from Estée Lauder
“It’s not a nail polish company.” It’s almost the first thing out of the mouth of Fenton Jagdeo of Faculty, the startup he co-founded in 2019 with Umar ElBably. Though their To
Pledge 1% is asking VCs to help unlock billions in corporate philanthropy
The corporate philanthropy organization Pledge 1% has, since its launch in 2014, asked founders to donate 1% of their companies’ equity, product or employees’ time starting on their first
Are we overestimating the ransomware threat?
On Monday afternoon, the U.S. Justice Department said it has seized much of the cryptocurrency ransom that U.S. pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline paid last month to a Russian hacking collective call
Um, where is the SEC when it comes to SPACs and conflicts of interest?
Earlier today, TechCrunch’s Kirsten Korosec reported that the autonomous vehicle startup Aurora is close to finalizing a deal to merge with one of three blank-check companies that have been form
A new video platform offering classes about skilled trades begins to build momentum
Trade schools are nothing new, but a new startup called Copeland thinks it can build a big business by bringing education about plumbing, drywall, cabinetry and more to the masses through high-quality
Lux Capital has raised $1.5 billion more to invest in — and create — new startups
The fundraising continues apace in the go-go world of venture capital. Today, it’s Lux Capital — known for its frontier investing — that has closed a $675 million early-stage venture
Tuesday Capital, formerly CrunchFund, casts a wide net with a fourth, $30 million fund
Tuesday Capital, a 10-year-old seed-stage fund that was founded by longtime VC Patrick Gallagher and TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington, has changed considerably over the years. Arrington now leads
This $250 million growth fund will divert half its profits to historically Black colleges and universities
There’s been a lot of talk about racial equality in the year since George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, but achieving it is far easier said than done given the current state of affairs. Con
Meme-based dating is here: Meet Schmooze
Vidya Madhavan always wanted to be in business. Growing up in India, she thought she might be in the business of running a factory, given the power and influence of outfits like Tata Group, the Indian
A new book coauthored by Brad Feld invites founders to get their weekly Nietzsche
In all likelihood, you do not currently associate Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher, essayist and cultural critic, with entrepreneurship. Serial entrepreneurs Brad Feld and Dave Jilk —
This crypto monitoring startup — ‘We’re bomb-sniffing dogs’ — just raised Series A funding
Solidus Labs, a company that says its surveillance and risk-monitoring software can detect manipulation across cryptocurrency trading platforms, is today announcing $20 million in Series A funding. It
Bain Capital Ventures raised $1.3 billion to fund young startups, and young VC firms, too
Bain Capital Ventures (BCV), the venture arm of the 37-year-old private equity firm Bain Capital, announced this morning that it has $1.3 billion more smackers to invest across two funds, a $950 milli
Roofr just nailed down a second seed round to make new roofing sales a cinch to close
Roofer Pro. Roof Snap. Acculynx. There’s suddenly no shortage of companies offering software to make easier the lives of roofers and their customers. Among these is Roofr, a five-year-old, San F
A new book aims to blow up assumptions about the best founding teams
There’s a lot of how-to guidance out there when it comes to starting a company, and much of it has reinforced certain beliefs, including that solo founders don’t get very far on their own,
Solana, a blockchain platform followed by top crypto investors, says it’s far faster than Ethereum
Solana isn’t widely known yet outside of the crypto community. But insiders think the blockchain platform is interesting for a wide variety of reasons, beginning with its amiable founder, Anatol
Shopify has produced a lot of wealth, turning former employees into founders and investors
Last month, Jean-Michel Lemieux, the chief technology officer of Shopify, and the company’s chief talent officer, Brittany Forsyth, both announced that they are stepping down from their roles.
With its newest round, Liquid Death will exclusively ‘murder your thirst’ at Live Nation events
Liquid Death, a four-year-old, LA-based canned mountain water startup that has steadily garnered market share and press coverage by promising, amusingly, to “murder your thirst,” just ra
Disease-related risk management is now a thing, and this young startup is at the forefront
Charity Dean has been in the national spotlight lately because she was among a group of doctors, scientists and tech entrepreneurs who sounded the pandemic alarm early last year and who are featured i
Is buying and selling short positions in pre-IPO stock next? This fintech startup is banking on it
Even the most sanguine industry observer has to be stunned at times by the pace of dealmaking right now. Not quite halfway through 2021, startups are routinely closing new rounds just months apart and