Natasha Mascarenhas
The Latest from Natasha Mascarenhas
TechCrunch’s favorites from Techstars’ Boston, Chicago and workforce accelerators
Building off TechCrunch’s coverage of the recent 500 Startups demo day, we’re back today to talk about some favorites from three more accelerator classes. This time we’re digging int
Goldman Sachs and Sesame Workshop pour money into this edtech firm’s newest fund
Shauntel Garvey and Jennifer Carolan liked edtech before the sector was cool, so the duo co-founded Reach Capital in 2015 with a $53 million debut fund. The San Francisco-based venture firm has since
Equity Shot: What’s next for the startup software market
Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace noticed last week that w
Labster gets millions from a16z to bring virtual science lab software to the world
Andreessen Horowitz, a venture capital firm with $16.5 billion in assets under management, has poured millions into an edtech startup that sells virtual STEM lab simulations to institutions. Copenhage
What should banking look like for modern couples?
Zeta co-founder Aditi Shekar has spent the past three years tracking the ways couples share and manage their finances, from each card swipe to every split bill. Her effort led to tens of thousands of
Ethena, which sends bite-sized nudges for compliance training, shifts its focus amid new capital
Ethena co-founders Roxanne Petraeus and Anne Solmssen began their company with a clear goal: There needs to be a more modern, and effective, way to deploy anti-harassment training to employees. Ethena
Bumble’s first date with the public markets
The public markets have been so active lately that it’s hard to drum up excitement for yet another company making its way to the bull market. But, in the case of Bumble, a dating app where women mes
5 creator economy VCs see startup opportunities in monetization, discovery and much more
Everyone knows YouTubers and other creators are popular with internet users of all ages. But today, these influencers also have real businesses powered by a range of software tools and service provide
Why these co-founders turned their sustainability podcast into a VC-backed business
When Laura Wittig and Liza Moiseeva met as guests on a podcast about sustainable fashion, they jibed so well together that they began one of their own: Good Together. Their show’s goal was to provid
A lake house architect, a Miami VC and a homeowner walk into a wine bar
Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace were all here to chat th
Class adds $30 million to its balance sheet for a Zoom-friendly edtech solution
Class, launched less than a year ago by Blackboard co-founder Michael Chasen, integrates exclusively with Zoom to offer a more customized classroom for students and teachers alike. The inaugural produ
Edtech valuations aren’t skyrocketing, but investors see more exit opportunities
Despite the pandemic, investors don't seem to value remote learning as much as they do tech sectors like e-commerce and fintech.
Learn how to creatively navigate remote fundraising from top investors
As the COVID-19 era drags on, first-time founders need to find new ways to raise capital needed to keep startups offensive (and defensive). Luckily, a trio of investors from top venture capital firms
Udemy’s new president discusses the reskilling company’s future
Udemy, which launched more than a decade ago, has sold courses to 50 million students through its digital learning platform. But new president Greg Brown sees “exponential growth” opportunities in
Former Asana employees want to take on Discord with a positive platform for creator communities
In a creator-economy world, if you’re only as good as your last YouTube video, then your next YouTube video had better be bigger and louder than the last. Vibely, a new startup co-founded by Asana a
Expectful’s new chief executive experienced the trauma she just raised millions to solve
Nathalie Walton almost didn’t become a mother. Her risky pregnancy caused her placenta to burst during childbirth, almost killing her and her son last year. Walton, who feels lucky to have survived,
Robinhood’s long weekend brings a total of $3.4 billion to its balance sheet
Popular, highly-scrutinized trading app Robinhood has raised $2.4 billion to its balance sheet from shareholders, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal and then confirmed by the company. The pr
Reddit co-founder on GameStop: ‘The collective public cannot unsee this’
When Robinhood, a startup that promises to make finance accessible for all, temporarily limited trading on GameStop, AMC, and other memestocks, many retail investors were pissed that the fintech darli
Nerdy, a tutoring marketplace startup, is going public via SPAC
A gig economy-powered consumer edtech platform is heading to the New York Stock Exchange. Edtech startup Nerdy, which owns the popular tutoring business Varsity Tutors, is seeking to become a public c
Why calendar invites are worth $3B
Hello and welcome back to Equity, TechCrunch’s venture-capital-focused podcast, where we unpack the numbers behind the headlines. Natasha and Danny and Alex and Grace hopped online for our we