Mary Ann Azevedo
TechCrunch
Austin, TX, United States
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Recent articles by Mary:
The friends with benefits of the financial world –
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. This is our Friday episode, a run-down of key news headlines, startup funding rounds, and whatever else is popping in the worlds of startups and tech. Happily this week, we did not […] → Read More
Arc wants to build the de facto finance solution for SaaS startups –
There’s financial technology (fintech) companies out there targeting all sorts of different segments of the population, as well as companies at various stages of growth. A new company recently emerged that is targeting a popular startup niche, wanting to exclusively help early-stage SaaS (software-as-a-service) companies with their financial needs. Coming out of stealth today with […] → Read More
UBITS snags $25M to create ‘the Netflix for corporate training’ in LatAm –
UBITS, a B2B online learning platform for upskilling employees in Latin America, has raised $25 million in funding led by Riverwood Capital. Julián Melo and Marta Forero founded UBITS in Bogota, Colombia, in 2018 after the pair came up with the idea of “creating the Netflix for corporate training for LatAm.” They applied to Y […] → Read More
Would you marry your investors? –
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic and dive deep. This week Natasha and Mary Ann and Alex came together to talk about the changing nature of […] → Read More
Tiger doubles down on SeekOut, which just raised $115M to help enterprises hire and retain talent –
SeekOut, which aims to help enterprises hire from a more diverse talent pool, announced it has raised $115 million in a Series C round of funding led by Tiger Global Management. The financing values the Seattle-based startup at over $1.2 billion and brings its total raised to $189 million since its 2017 inception. It follows […] → Read More
Fintech Brex confirms $12.3B valuation, snaps up Meta exec to serve as its head of product –
In the latest fintech megaround, Brex has confirmed that it has raised $300 million in a Series D-2 round that ups its valuation to $12.3 billion. TechCrunch in October was the first to report that Brex was raising the capital and had achieved decacorn status. Greenoaks Capital and TCV co-led the financing, which brings the […] → Read More
Can you build centralized islands in a decentralized ocean? –
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. We’re getting back up to full speed this week, so Mary Ann and Alex along with Grace behind the scenes took on our Friday show. Next week Natasha and Chris are back, and […] → Read More
Canada’s Assent Compliance lands $350M from Vista Equity for supply chain data management –
Never before has the importance of a smooth-flowing supply chain been as clear as it has been in the COVID-19 pandemic era. For manufacturers in particular, managing intricate supply chains can be particularly challenging. Enter Assent Compliance — a Canadian company focused on supply chain sustainability management. Put more simply, Ottawa-based Assent aims to help […] → Read More
Petal nears unicorn status with fresh $140M in capital to upend ‘broken’ traditional credit system –
In recent years, there has been a growing number of startups that are trying to make credit more accessible to consumers. One such startup, Petal, announced today that it has raised a $140 million Series D round of funding. The company’s new valuation is $800 million – more than triple what Petal was valued […] → Read More
Meet Bankaya, a Mexican fintech that is going offline for customer acquisition –
Most fintechs pride themselves on digital everything, including customer acquisition strategy. But Bankaya, a Mexico City-based financial services startup, is attributing its early traction on the opposite model — going after target customers in person. Founded in 2019 by CEO Mauricio Cordero, Ramón Chedraui and Diego Vargas, Bankaya launched one year ago and boasted 450,000 […] → Read More
Fintech-focused Ribbit Capital raises $1.15B in seventh fund, according to SEC filing –
Ribbit Capital, a venture firm best known for its fintech investments, has raised $1.15 billion in new capital in what appears to be a close of its seventh fund, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The new fund, dubbed Ribbit Capital VII LP, is believed to be the final […] → Read More
The Equity team’s 2022 predictions –
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. As is tradition on the show, we used the last episode of the year to make predictions about the next year. To continue an annual tradition, Grace and Chris joined Natasha and Mary […] → Read More
3 views: How due diligence will change in 2022 –
TechCrunch’s Alex Wilhelm, Natasha Mascarenhas and Mary Ann Azevedo, the trio behind the Equity podcast, dive into what's in store for startup due diligence. → Read More
Remembering the startups we lost in 2021 –
When we penned the intro for this piece last year, little did we know that — in many ways — we’d still be deep in it by the time 2021’s feature rolled around. Amid another holiday season marred by a new variant, seemingly the more things change — well, you get the picture. Surprisingly, however, […] → Read More
Memes, money and madness: 2021 in tech –
Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. It’s just about Christmas, which means you may be stuck with family at the moment. Regardless of what, if any, holidays you may celebrate, there’s good chance that there are more people around […] → Read More
Skio raises $3.7M to help brands on Shopify sell subscriptions –
Skio, a startup that aims to take the pain out of selling subscriptions for brands on Shopify, has raised $3.7 million in a seed funding round. Kennan Davison, an engineer who previously worked at Hulu and Pinterest, founded the startup in April. He describes Skio as a fintech and an infrastructure company as a pivot […] → Read More
Serial fintech founder raises $20M for Ant Money to make micro-investing even more accessible –
Serial fintech entrepreneur Walter Cruttenden founded Acorns with his son, Jeff, in 2012 with the goal of helping low- and middle-income households invest and save responsibly. The pair wanted to simplify investing for the millions that have trouble getting started or continuing to invest. Then in 2018, Walter went live with a new company — […] → Read More
How does former Better.com CEO Vishal Garg still have a job? –
With everything that has gone down at Better.com over the past 18 months, many of us are scratching our heads in wonder that CEO Vishal Garg remains employed. → Read More
Ampla raises $40M Series A for its business of providing credit to commerce brands –
Ampla Technologies, a startup which provides financing to small-to-medium sized consumer-facing businesses, announced today it has raised $40 million in a Series A round of funding co-led by VMG Partners and Forerunner Ventures. Existing backer Core Innovation Capital also put money in the round. In conjunction with the equity investment, Ampla has also secured $250 […] → Read More
Coatue, Robert Downey Jr. fund cove.Tool’s design tools for sustainable building –
While there is plenty of technology out there to help make a building more sustainable, the ability to incorporate features into its design can be easier said than done. Enter cove.tool, a startup that wants to make sure buildings are sustainable by design from the moment of inception. The Atlanta-based startup, which has raised $30 […] → Read More