Equity Monday: SoftBank's vibe shift is using silence loudly
Today, Natasha got into the latest headlines from SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's absence on the Japanese conglomerates' earnings call, Getarounds NYSE warning, the hr-tech-meets-edtech-meets-fintech startup, Minu, and some serial founders in the startup space.
Equity · TechCrunch, Rebecca Bellan, Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, Sean O'Kane, Theresa Loconsolo
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Show Notes
Here's what Natasha got into:
- Big tech: SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son will be skipping the Japanese conglomerates' earnings call, reports the Economic Times. We knew the flashy presentations were going away, but the silence may signal just how seriously SoftBank wants to shift its external perception. Speaking of perception, there's nothing quite like a delisting warning to get people talking about you. I talk about Getaround's less than $1 trend, and why it may be off the public markets if it doesn't get its act together in the next six months.
- Big idea: It's time to gamify benefits, and then think about wellness in more than just silo'd ways. At least that's how I imagine Minu's founding story to have played out - the startup is an HR tech meets edtech meets fintech meets health tech tool. Interesting stuff.
- Big innovation: The serial entrepreneur spree, in which notorious founders return to the early stage stomping grounds with fresher ideas, is a tried and true part of the tech world. Still, it surprises me to see just how many recent examples we have. Natasha talks about Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta's new health tech company, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek's new health tech company, as well, and the return of co-founders from Instagram and Zenly making their way back into the social consumer space. We end with a nod at Natasha's latest Startups Weekly column, which looks at the data behind startup offices.
Ok, that's all. Let's have a good time this week. And by that we mean, tell us all your secrets!
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Credits: Equity is produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.
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