Natasha Mascarenhas
The Latest from Natasha Mascarenhas
Venture capitalists have found a new home to brag and debate: PrimeTime VC
Last week, we talked a bit about how investors are seeking new techniques to bring humanity back to their deal flow and sourcing mechanisms, beyond the boring Zoom call. The newest strategy I’ve see
Zoom’s earliest investors are betting millions on a better Zoom for schools
Zoom was never created to be a consumer product. Nonetheless, the video-conferencing company’s accessibility made it the answer to every social situation threatened by the pandemic, from happy hours
Edtech investors are panning for gold
The spotlight on edtech grows brighter and harsher: On one end, remote-learning startups are attracting millions in venture capital. On the other, many educators and parents are unimpressed with the t
Outschool, newly profitable, raises a $45M Series B for virtual small group classes
Outschool, which started in 2015 as a platform for homeschooled students to bolster their extracurricular activities, has dramatically widened its customer base since the coronavirus pandemic began.Th
Forage, formerly InsideSherpa, raises $9.3 million Series A for virtual work experiences
Tech’s coveted internships were some of the first roles to be cut as offices closed and businesses shuttered in response to the coronavirus. A number of companies across the country, including Glass
Making sense of 3 edtech extension rounds
While venture capitalists are pouring funding into edtech startups, the surge of interest isn’t coming without pressure. Edtech companies are searching for new ways to tap into a booming market.
Roelof Botha shares what Sequoia’s Black Swan memo got wrong
In March, famed investment firm Sequoia Capital published the Black Swan Memo, warning founders about the potential business consequences of the coronavirus, which had not yet been labeled a pandemic.
Opendoor to go public by way of Chamath Palihapitiya SPAC
Today, Social Capital Hedosophia II, the blank-check company associated with investor Chamath Palihapitiya, announced that it will merge with Opendoor, taking the private real estate startup public in
Get to the growth stage at TechCrunch Disrupt this week
Congratulations, you landed your Series A round. What’s next? Your Series B, and a lot of twists and turns. Yasmin Razavi of Spark Capital and Elliott Robinson of Bessemer are joining us at TechCrun
Oracle boots out Microsoft and wins bid for TikTok, reports say
Update: The Oracle -TikTok tie-up is confirmed as a concept. Oracle put out a release earlier today saying that is party to an agreement in which it would partner with TikTok, and that the proposal ha
Unicorn layoffs prompt more startups to consider acqui-hiring
Alex Zajaczkowski was just months into her role at Toast, a restaurant point-of-sale software company, when she was let go during COVID-19 layoffs. Toast, last valued at $5 billion, cut 50% of its sta
As COVID-19 era drags on, VCs look beyond Zoom calls for due diligence and sourcing
While the coronavirus has accelerated the dealmaking pace for many early-stage startups, activity has not come without adaptation. Remote investment struggles for investors were clear from the get go:
VCs pour funding into edtech startups as COVID-19 shakes up the market
A few weeks back, The Exchange looked into the pace of edtech exits, noting that over time, the sector has delivered rising exit volume. All startup verticals want to demonstrate a history of liquidit
AngelList pioneers rolling VC funds in pivot to SaaS
When AngelList first launched rolling funds, an investment vehicle that raises money through a quarterly subscription from interested investors, the company looked at it as a bet. But early interest f
3 views on the future of geographically-focused funds
For many investors, the coronavirus has effectively taken geography out of the equation when it comes to vetting new opportunities. While this dynamic opens up startups to more investment opportunitie
Edtech startups find demand from an unlikely customer: Public schools
School district technology budgets are tight. But Kami CEO and founder Hengjie Wang wanted to make his company’s digital classroom product a go-to tool anyway. He landed on trying to disrupt the
Owl Ventures’ new pair of funds gives edtech a $585 million boost
Edtech just keeps on booming. Today, Owl Ventures, a San Francisco-based education technology fund whose portfolio includes Byju’s, Labster, MasterClass and Quizlet, announced that it has closed a p
What pandemic? Inside Boston’s scorching VC summer
Filled with innovation labs, co-working spaces and students, Boston has a ton of entrepreneurial characteristics baked into its DNA. However, when the coronavirus swept through the country, the area&#
In a post-NDA world, does transparency help founders identify conflicts of interest?
Once upon a time, fintech founders could pitch 10 investors before closing a round in a relatively hushed way. Entrepreneurs could even ask VCs to sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to keep their in
To reach scale, Juni Learning is building a full-stack edtech experience
Juni Learning connects kids with math and science tutors, but co-founder Vivian Shen would prefer not to be lumped in with other edtech startups, despite the sector’s pandemic-born boom. “We