Category: finix

Extra Crunch Live: Join Precursor’s Charles Hudson for a Q&A this Thursday

The new Extra Crunch Live series is taking flight this week. Today we’re talking to Cowboy Ventures’ Aileen Lee and Ted Wang. This Thursday we’re keeping the parade of well-known investors coming, when Charles Hudson will join Natasha Mascarenhas and I for a deep-dive into all things pre-seed and seed.…

Read More

Fintech’s uneven new reality has helped some startups, harmed others

Fintech startups were hot news before the COVID-19 era, but the pandemic hasn’t bumped the sector out of the headlines. Companies that were pitching optimistic news a few weeks ago are now cutting staff. Others are facing a surge of users trying to find their financial footing in the face…

Read More

This low-flying growth equity firm, with payments and logistics bets, just closed a $255 million fund

Activant Capital, a seven-year-old, Greenwich, Ct.-based growth equity firm that’s still making a name for itself, has managed to secure $255 million in fresh capital commitments, despite that the U.S. economy appears to be headed into a recession. It’s something of a coup for founder Steve Sarracino. It also begs…

Read More

Here’s how to help restaurants while socially distancing yourself

The restaurant industry might look a lot different once we come out of this pandemic. As social distancing and lockdowns ripple across the nation in an attempt to fight COVID-19, some restaurants won’t be able to handle the lack of income and might tip into bankruptcy. Some might never reopen…

Read More

Across furtive videocons, junior VCs wait for the layoffs to begin

Amid post-YC Demo Day discussions and online “coffee” catchups, there is a lingering sense of dread among VCs — particularly junior VCs — about their own job security. Over the past few days, I have heard rumors — and they are just rumors, for now — about three recognizable venture…

Read More

Unpacking Sequoia’s $21M conflict of interest

Yesterday, TechCrunch broke the news that Sequoia, one of the best-known venture capital firms in the market today, had “parted ways with [Finix] over a purported conflict of interest and, almost more shockingly, handed back its board seat, its information rights, its shares and its full investment.” Sequoia led the…

Read More