Tech News
Even Gwyneth Paltrow had a hard time raising VC – TechCrunch

I spent the week in Malibu attending Upfront Ventures’ annual Upfront Summit, which brings together the likes of Hollywood, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC’s elite for a two-day networking session of sorts. Cameron Diaz was there for some reason, and Natalie Portman made an appearance. Stacey Abrams had a powerful Q&A session with Lisa Borders, the president and CEO of Time’s Up. Of course, Gwyneth Paltrow was there to talk up Goop, her venture-funded commerce and content engine.
“I had no idea what I was getting into but I am so fulfilled and on fire from this job,” Paltrow said onstage at the summit… “It’s a very different life than I used to have but I feel very lucky that I made this leap.” Speaking with Frederic Court, the founder of Felix Capital, Paltrow shed light on her fundraising process.
“When I set out to raise my Series A, it was very difficult,” she said. “It’s great to be Gwyneth Paltrow when you’re raising money because people take the meeting, but then you get a lot more rejections than you would if they didn’t want to take a selfie … People, understandably, were dubious about [this business]. It becomes easier when you have a thriving business and your unit economics looks good.”
In other news…
The actor stopped by the summit to promote his startup, HitRecord . I talked to him about his $6.4 million round and grand plans for the artist-collaboration platform.
Backed by GV, Sequoia, Floodgate and more, Clover Health confirmed to TechCrunch this week that it’s brought in another round of capital led by Greenoaks. The $500 million round is a vote of confidence for the business, which has experienced its fair share of well-publicized hiccups. More on that here. Plus, Clutter, the startup that provides on-demand moving and storage services, is raising at least $200 million from SoftBank, sources tell TechCrunch. The round is a big deal for the LA tech ecosystem, which, aside from Snap and Bird, has birthed few venture-backed unicorns.
Pinterest, the nine-year-old visual search engine, has hired Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase as lead underwriters for an IPO that’s planned for later this year. With $700 million in 2018 revenue, the company has raised some $1.5 billion at a $12 billion valuation from Goldman Sachs Investment Partners, Valiant Capital Partners, Wellington Management, Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners and more.
Kleiner Perkins went “back to the future” this week with the announcement of a $600 million fund. The firm’s 18th fund, it will invest at the seed, Series A and Series B stages. TCV, a backer of Peloton and Airbnb, closed a whopping $3 billion vehicle to invest in consumer internet, IT infrastructure and services startups. Partech has doubled its Africa VC fund to $143 million and opened a Nairobi office to complement its Dakar practice. And Sapphire Ventures has set aside $115 million for sports and entertainment bets.
The co-founder of Y Combinator will throw a sort of annual weekend getaway for nerds in picturesque Boulder, Colo. Called the YC 120, it will bring toget her 120 people for a couple of days in April to create connections. Read TechCrunch’s Connie Loizos’ interview with Altman here.
Consumer wellness business Hims has raised $100 million in an ongoing round at a $1 billion pre-money valuation. A growth-stage investor has led the round, with participation from existing investors (which include Forerunner Ventures, Founders Fund, Redpoint Ventures, SV Angel, 8VC and Maverick Capital) . Our sources declined to name the lead investor but said it was a “super big fund” that isn’t SoftBank and that hasn’t previously invested in Hims.
Five years after Andreessen Horowitz backed Oculus, it’s leading a $68 million Series A funding in Sandbox VR. TechCrunch’s Lucas Matney talked to a16z’s Andrew Chen and Floodgate’s Mike Maples about what sets Sandbox apart.
Here’s your weekly reminder to send me tips, suggestions and more to kate.clark@techcrunch.com or @KateClarkTweets.
In a new class-action lawsuit, a former Munchery facilities worker is claiming the startup owes him and 250 other employees 60 days’ wages. On top of that, another former employee says the CEO, James Beriker, was largely absent and is to blame for Munchery’s downfall. If you haven’t been keeping up on Munchery’s abrupt shutdown, here’s some good background.
Consolidation in the micromobility space has arrived — in Brazil, at least. Not long after Y Combinator-backed Grin merged its electric scooter business with Brazil-based Ride, it’s completing another merger, this time with Yellow, the bike-share startup based in Brazil that has also expressed its ambitions to get into electric scooters.
If you enjoy this newsletter, be sure to check out TechCrunch’s venture-focused podcast, Equity. In this week’s episode, available here, Crunchbase editor-in-chief Alex Wilhelm, TechCrunch’s Silicon Valley editor Connie Loizos and Jeff Clavier of Uncork Capital chat about $100 million rounds, Stripe’s mega valuation and Pinterest’s highly anticipated IPO.
Tech News
2024 Kia EV9 Three-Row Electric SUV Reveals Range, Power And Tech

The EV9 will be available with two different battery sizes and three different configurations of electric motors. The Standard RWD option receives a 76.1 kWh battery pack, while a larger 99.8 kWh battery powers both the Long Range RWD and AWD configurations. The Long Range RWD is the least powerful, with a 201 horsepower motor at the rear axle that pushes it from zero to 60 mph in an extremely lethargic 9.4 seconds. The estimated range for this model is 336 miles on a full charge.
Do note that the estimated range was calculated using the more lenient WLTP method. When the range estimate is recalculated using the stricter EPA method in the U.S., expect that 336-mile figure to drop below 300 miles. Next up is the Standard RWD model with its 214 horsepower motor. With more horsepower than the long-range version and a smaller, lighter battery pack, this model achieves zero to 60 mph in 8.2 seconds. Better, but still pretty pokey. Unfortunately, Kia did not provide a range estimate for this model.
Lastly, we have the AWD variant, which packs a 371-horsepower punch from dual motors that scoot it from zero to 60 mph in a respectable 6.0 seconds flat. Interestingly, the automaker has indicated that an optional Boost feature will be available for purchase at the Kia Connect Store, which increases torque and facilitates a faster zero to 60 mph time of just 5.3 seconds. Once again, no range estimate was provided for the AWD model.
Tech News
EV Maker Lucid Plans Widespread Layoffs In Effort To Cut Costs

Beyond the letter sent to staff, Lucid shared some details about the upcoming layoffs in a regulatory filing, the most notable of which is that it will eat $24 million to $30 million as a result of its restructuring due to expenses like severance pay for laid-off workers. Executives aren’t immune from these cutoffs nor are contractors. Assuming everything goes according to plan, the entire debacle will be wrapped up by the end of the company’s second quarter.
The move isn’t surprising in light of Lucid’s February 2023 announcement that it needs to reduce its spending. The company was hit by a sharp drop in demand for its luxury EV in recent months, and it entered the new year in a weak position amid the wider economic uncertainty many face in our largely post-pandemic days.
The news came only a few weeks after the company’s biggest competitor, Tesla, announced sharp price cuts that made its already popular EVs even more attractive to consumers. The automotive market was hit particularly hard by the supply chain disruption that occurred during the height of the pandemic, leaving some new cars benched while used car prices climbed and manufacturers made hard compromises in the name of getting units out the door.
Tech News
Traditional Custom Keyboard With Future In Sight

If the form factor of the Compact Touch appeals but the price is too high, there are some alternatives to consider. The first would be the HHKB, the very first keyboard line with this particular key arrangement. The latest HHKB Hybrid costs $266.62, uses its signature Topre electrostatic rubber domes instead of mechanical key switches, and adds USB-C and Bluetooth connectivity. It doesn’t have an internal rechargeable battery but uses two AA batteries for power. It can pair up to four devices, and switch between them with keyboard shortcuts.
If wireless isn’t necessary, Mode Designs’ Envoy is a 65% form factor in aluminum or polycarbonate chassis, with customizable options for accent pieces, case color, weight, plate, and PCB. It starts from $189 without keycaps, switches, or stabilizers. This keyboard also has a futuristic design, a rubber mounting system that can be adjusted to be firmer or more flexy, and is programmable using QMK or VIA, the two most widely used firmware sets for custom mechanical keyboards.
The Keychron Q2 costs $209.99 with keycaps, switches, and stabilizers and has a 65% layout with an island-style arrow cluster, multiple color options, and the option for a rotary encoder. It uses a double gasket design for a softer typing feel with a little flex, and also uses QMK or VIA to reprogram its keys. It’s also available as a barebones keyboard for $179.99, but it’s worth getting the fully-built version even if you plan on changing the switches or keycaps.
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