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 show, and we’re talking about the week’s biggest startup and tech news.
The Week in Review
We love a good rundown of the week’s news, and today is no exception. We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in.
Mentra Wants to Help Neurodivergent Jobseekers Find Ideal Jobs
Mentra is a startup that wants to help neurodivergent job seekers find ideal jobs. According to Mary Ann, this deal seems to check both boxes for good: it does well for itself and does well for others. We’ll be talking more about Mentra later in the show.
SimpleClosure Raises $1.5 Million
SimpleClosure is a startup that’s trying to make it easier to close down a failed company. They’ve raised $1.5 million in funding, which should help them continue to develop their platform.
Argo AI Founders Are Building Something New
Argo AI founders are building something new after selling their self-driving truck company for over $1 billion. We’ll be talking more about this development later in the show.
All Things YC
If you’re interested in seeing who’s a demo day favorite, we’ve got you covered. You can find all of our demo day favorites from day one here and day two here. And if you want an overview of sectors, we’ve got that too.
EU x Regulation
We wrapped up the show with a quick look at regulation from the EU that will impact a bunch of major tech companies. This led to a conversation about what sort of market regulatory structure is most conducive for startup growth.
The Future of Startups
As always, Equity is back on Monday to kick off your week. We’ll be talking more about startups and their place in the world.
How Can Startups Survive in a Downturn?
One question that’s been on everyone’s mind lately is how can startups survive in a downturn? We’ve talked about this before on the show, but it’s worth revisiting. According to our listeners, there are several strategies that can help startups weather the storm:
- Diversify your revenue streams: Having multiple sources of income can help you stay afloat when one source dries up.
- Cut costs: When times get tough, you need to cut back on expenses as much as possible. This might mean reducing staff, cutting marketing budgets, or even folding the company altogether.
- Focus on innovation: In a downturn, it’s more important than ever to stay ahead of the curve and innovate. Look for new ways to solve old problems, and be willing to take calculated risks.
Conclusion
That’s all for today’s show. We hope you found our discussion about startups and their place in the world informative and engaging.
Equity is Back on Monday
We’ll be back next week with another episode of Equity. In the meantime, if you want to hear more about what we’re talking about, check out our latest episodes:
- Startups: $5B Livestream Shopping Apps, Nvidia Reveals, and the Weirdest Tech at CES (Theresa Loconsolo)
- 2024: Founder Mode, AI, and the ‘Rise of the Broligarchs’ (Kirsten Korosec)
We’ll be back next week with more news from the world of startups.
About the Authors
If you want to learn more about our writers, check out their bios:
- Alex Wilhelm: Senior Reporter
- Mary Ann Azevedo: Sr. Reporter
- Kirsten Korosec: Transportation Reporter
- Margaux MacColl: Editor-in-Chief
