Welcome to Startups Weekly, a fresh human-first take on this week\u2019s startup news and trends. To get this in your inbox, <\/em>subscribe here.<\/em><\/p>\n A multibillion dollar acquisition, IPO projections\u00a0and some good ol\u2019 VC and billionaire drama?<\/p>\n It would be unfair to say that this week in tech and startups felt like 2021\u2019s boom cycle; especially when you look at layoffs coming from Truepill, its fourth this year, and Meta announcing that it will freeze hiring. At the same time, it does feel like there\u2019s a new feeling in the air. Heck, NFT marketplaces are still raising money.\u00a0<\/p>\n The market is not dull, but it\u2019s not loud; and the mood among my sources is certainly closer to spooky than it is to savage. Besides the fact that, yes, I did grow up writing poetry about fall foliage before deciding that I wanted to be a journalist, I\u2019m saying all this to validate the nuance of this moment.<\/p>\n The ideas that I\u2019m looking toward throughout the end of the year are as follows:<\/p>\n Do let me know what yours are by tweeting at me<\/a> or responding to this post. If you missed last week\u2019s newsletter, read it here: \u201cTiger Global, fickle checks and the difficulty of acceleration.\u201d We also recorded a companion podcast, here: \u201cBuilding startups in public has an end date.\u201d<\/p>\n In today\u2019s newsletter, we\u2019ll talk about the beauty of pivots, a creative way to prove that your startup hires entrepreneurial people and the latest from 500 global.<\/p>\n If you like this newsletter, do me a quick favor? Forward it to a friend, share it on Twitter and tag me so I can thank you for reading myself!<\/a><\/p>\n TC\u2019s Rebecca Szkutak wrote about how a pivot helped HopSkipDrive win a difficult pitch to parents: Trust your kids with our ride-sharing services.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s why it\u2019s important:<\/strong> As we discussed in our latest Equity podcast, sometimes we\u2019re all just a Hop, Skip and a Drive away from success. The \u201cUber for X\u201d model has been MIA for a few years now, so the story behind HopSkipDrive and its trusty partner stands out to me. Who said schools weren\u2019t experimental!<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Ivan Bajic (opens in a new window)<\/span> \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n News broke this week that Cloudflare gathered $1.25 billion in financing for startups that use its own platform. Well, kind of.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s why it\u2019s important: <\/strong>The security, performance and reliability company didn\u2019t raise a corporate venture fund, typical of other companies looking to breed entrepreneur attention. Instead, Cloudflare just got dozens of venture firms to offer <\/strong>to invest up to $1.25 billion to companies in their existing funds. It\u2019s a little softer than a traditional investment vehicle, given that we don\u2019t know how formal those offers of support are, and the fact that Cloudflare is not providing any funding or making any funding decisions.<\/p>\n To me, the commitment just tells us that Cloudflare wants to show startups that it doesn\u2019t just make sense to use their software, it makes cents.<\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I\u2019m experimenting with a new section in Startups Weekly, where each week we follow up with an old story or trend to see what\u2019s changed since our first look. This week, we\u2019re following up on our conversation about accelerator and demo days with a look at how 500 Global, formerly 500 Startups, thinks about it.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what\u2019s new: <\/strong>It\u2019s been a little over a year since accelerator 500 Startups rebranded to 500 Global in an attempt to reposition itself as a venture firm. In my latest for +, I spoke to Clayton Bryan, partner and head of 500 Global\u2019s accelerator program, about how they keep up with competition. Excerpt down below!<\/p>\n The investor highlighted the effectiveness of rolling admissions, which its two main accelerator competitors, Y Combinator and Techstars, don\u2019t do. Three years ago, 500 Global said it would decide on investments all year instead of just twice yearly. Demo days will still happen biannually, but startups can choose which demo day they want to be a part of.<\/p>\n \u201cThat change has really resonated with founders,\u201d Bryan said. He compared the previous version of 500 Global to a school with an annual schedule: There are times when you\u2019re doing homework, times when you sit back and recruit, and summer vacation. Now, it\u2019s year-round, and he admits it\u2019s more challenging to manage, \u201cbut at the same time, much more appreciated by the founders.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI do think it makes us more competitive,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can more frequently talk to founders and they can start our program at different points in time. They don\u2019t have to wait for that application to open or that deadline. Whereas [with] some other programs, they might say, \u2018Hey, wait for a couple more months so we\u2019re accepting applications again.\u2019 I think that openness and flexibility gives us a bit of an advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> bestdesigns \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n We\u2019re less than one month away from Disrupt, and I\u2019m already emotional. It\u2019s going to be a blast, a pep talk, a realization and a week not to miss. Here\u2019s the full agenda, and here\u2019s where you can get your tickets.<\/p>\n While I have you, let\u2019s talk some more. As you know, I co-host Equity, which goes out thrice a week and is TC\u2019s longest-running podcast. We have some besties to listen to, too, including our crypto-focused show that goes by Chain Reaction\u00a0and founder-focused show that goes by Found. The Podcast is also a can\u2019t miss, so pay attention to all the good shows that they\u2019re putting out.\u00a0<\/p>\n Seen on <\/em><\/p>\n Here are some of the cringiest revelations in the Elon Musk text dump<\/p>\n Why build a fintech any more when you can just raise \u20ac20M and white-label it to banks?<\/p>\n Instagram permanently disabled Pornhub\u2019s account<\/p>\n EV charging deals keep coming, Ford squeezed by shortages and Kitty Hawk shuts down<\/p>\n Crypto platform Nexo sued by New York, California and six other US regulators\u00a0<\/p>\n Seen on +<\/em><\/p>\n Treepz founder Onyeka Akumah on how to succeed in transportation tech<\/p>\n What can the 2000 dot-com crash teach us about the 2022 tech downturn?\u00a0<\/p>\n Europe\u2019s inaugural Women in VC Summit is the first step in a long climb toward equity<\/p>\n Venture investors hit the brakes on productivity software<\/p>\n Same time, same web page, next week?<\/p>\n N<\/a><\/p>\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Bryce Durbin \/ <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
A reminder that pivots work<\/h2>\n
A different version of CVC, I guess<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nThe follow-up<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nA few notes<\/h2>\n
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