backstage capital
Allocations just got valued at $150M to help private equity funds lure smaller investors
Interest in alternative investments such as private equity, real estate and crypto continues to surge, and Miami-based fintech startup Allocations is riding the wave. Less than three years after its f
Trans founders to VCs: ‘Cut me a check’
This is a pressing time to support trans founders and their products as the community faces continuous targeted persecution from state legislation and federal court decisions.
How gender-affirming healthcare startups are navigating legal miasma
Better late than never: It’s a critical time for the startup and venture communities to support trans founders.
A look at progress toward venture equity this Women’s Equality Day
Progress in the amount of venture capital funding raised by companies by all-women teams has been slow and daunting, if steady.
Ron DeSantis’ proposed ban on ESG investments would be another blow for diverse fund managers
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' proposal comes as founders and investors have called on limited partners, like pension funds, to be held more accountable for where their money goes.
Fintech Guava raises $2.4M to provide banking services to Black small-business owners
Founded last year, Guava aims to reduce the racial wealth gap by providing financial services to Black small businesses.
The end of a second straight month of layoffs in tech
June brought another wave of layoffs in tech, with cuts impacting roughly the same number of employees as May: 16,000 employees, according to tracker layoffs.fyi. Another layoff aggregator from TrueUp
When do layoffs matter? Trick question — always
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. This was a live week on the podcast, meaning that Mary Ann and
TechCrunch podcasts this week: Crypto cults, 2022 term sheets and how to win Startup Battlefield
TechCrunch is more than just a site with words. We’re also building a growing stable of podcasts focused on the most critical topics relating to the startup and venture capital worlds. To help y
Leverage, red flags and a changing venture landscape
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. Alex and Grace are back to cover the biggest, boldest and ba
Backstage Capital cuts majority of staff after pausing net new investments
Hamilton said this could have been avoided if the "system we work within were different."
Meet the trans, anarchist founder who just landed $25M to reform how crypto is stored
Tux Pacific isn’t your average tech founder. They’re a self-taught cryptographer who dropped out of college, a proud member of and advocate for the transgender community and a self-describ
Stripe is playing checkers with Plaid
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. The crew was back at full-speed, and maybe even full excitemen
200 investments in, Backstage Capital is pivoting to fund only existing portfolio companies
Backstage Capital, founded by Arlan Hamilton in 2015, has officially invested in 200 companies led by historically overlooked founders. And that’s all, for now. Going forward, the firm will only
Stronghold launches $100M venture arm to invest in underrepresented founders and fintech
Payments infrastructure company Stronghold has launched a venture capital arm to deploy $100 million of its balance sheet capital in startups and funds in three core strategies — underrepresente
Travel app Sēkr scores $2.25 million to bring campsite inventory into the digital age
Consumers spent more than $8.5 billion in 2020 on camping reservations across the U.S., but the camping industry itself has yet to be fully digitized. Today, reserving a space at some campgrounds, bo
Mission-driven ventures are growing fast during the pandemic
You’ve heard of SPACs, meme stocks and buy now, pay later, but have you heard of the LTSE, First Women's Bank and Upsolve?
Meet Nickson, the furniture-as-a-service startup that Barack Obama’s ex-financial adviser just backed
Ever toured an apartment and fell in love with the model unit? You’re not alone. Harvard Business School grad Cameron Johnson is a former institutional real estate investor and Greystar exec turned
Upsie’s direct-to-consumer swing at the warranty space nets $18.2M
Upsie, a consumer warranty startup, has raised $18.2 million in a Series A round led by True Ventures. The financing brings the total raised for the St. Paul, Minnesota-based startup to $25 million
Crowdfunding limits are poised to change next week, but most VCs aren’t paying attention — yet
Passion Capital, the early-stage venture firm in London, told TechCrunch earlier this week that — in an apparent first for a European fund — it plans to crowdfund the final stage of its