Podcast appearances and mentions of natasha mascarenhas

President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East has prompted a flurry of AI deals worth billions. We'll get into the details on today's “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”Stateside, the Trump administration has rolled back a Biden-era “AI Diffusion” rule. Companies involved in the semiconductor supply chain were critical of the rule, though it's still not entirely clear how Trump plans to revamp the regulation.Plus, what some might call the most obvious rebrand: Warner Bros brings back the "HBO" to its Max streaming platform.Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, to discuss all of this and more.

President Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East has prompted a flurry of AI deals worth billions. We'll get into the details on today's “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”Stateside, the Trump administration has rolled back a Biden-era “AI Diffusion” rule. Companies involved in the semiconductor supply chain were critical of the rule, though it's still not entirely clear how Trump plans to revamp the regulation.Plus, what some might call the most obvious rebrand: Warner Bros brings back the "HBO" to its Max streaming platform.Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, to discuss all of this and more.

In this week’s Marketplace “Tech Bytes: Week in Review,” TSMC announced it's investing an additional $100 billion to make chips in the U.S. Plus, a co-founder of the social media platform Reddit joins a bid to buy TikTok. But first, let’s talk about the stock market. A number of tech companies watched their stocks sink this week, when new tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada were put in place. That volatility continued when President Donald Trump backtracked on the policy, at least temporarily.  Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, to unpack these stories and more.

In this week’s Marketplace “Tech Bytes: Week in Review,” TSMC announced it's investing an additional $100 billion to make chips in the U.S. Plus, a co-founder of the social media platform Reddit joins a bid to buy TikTok. But first, let’s talk about the stock market. A number of tech companies watched their stocks sink this week, when new tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada were put in place. That volatility continued when President Donald Trump backtracked on the policy, at least temporarily.  Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, to unpack these stories and more.

On this week’s Marketplace “Tech Bytes: Week in Review,” we’ll explore OpenAI’s inroads in higher education. Plus, how passengers can get on a waitlist to hail a driverless car in Austin, Texas. But first, a look at how Google is changing its approach to artificial intelligence. In 2018, the company published its “AI principles,” guidelines for how it believed AI should be built and used. Google originally included language that said it would not design or deploy AI to be used in weapons or surveillance. That language has now gone away. Google didn’t respond to our request for comment, but it did say in a blog post this week that companies and governments should work together to create AI that, among other things, supports national security. Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, about these topics for this week's “Tech Bytes.”

On this week’s Marketplace “Tech Bytes: Week in Review,” we’ll explore OpenAI’s inroads in higher education. Plus, how passengers can get on a waitlist to hail a driverless car in Austin, Texas. But first, a look at how Google is changing its approach to artificial intelligence. In 2018, the company published its “AI principles,” guidelines for how it believed AI should be built and used. Google originally included language that said it would not design or deploy AI to be used in weapons or surveillance. That language has now gone away. Google didn’t respond to our request for comment, but it did say in a blog post this week that companies and governments should work together to create AI that, among other things, supports national security. Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, about these topics for this week's “Tech Bytes.”

On this week’s Marketplace “Tech Bytes: Week in Review,” we’ll explore OpenAI’s inroads in higher education. Plus, how passengers can get on a waitlist to hail a driverless car in Austin, Texas. But first, a look at how Google is changing its approach to artificial intelligence. In 2018, the company published its “AI principles,” guidelines for how it believed AI should be built and used. Google originally included language that said it would not design or deploy AI to be used in weapons or surveillance. That language has now gone away. Google didn’t respond to our request for comment, but it did say in a blog post this week that companies and governments should work together to create AI that, among other things, supports national security. Marketplace’s Stephanie Hughes spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, about these topics for this week's “Tech Bytes.”

OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT turns two years old tomorrow. So how has it changed the tech industry and what’s next for the company? We’ll get into it in today’s “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.” Plus, we look into rumblings that improvements in AI have slowed, raising questions about whether we’ve hit a wall when it comes to training more advanced AI systems. But first, the Commerce Department finalized nearly $7.9 billion in subsidies for Intel. It’s the largest award yet under the CHIPS and Science Act and a potentially game-changing sum for the company right now. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, to break down these stories.

OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT turns two years old tomorrow. So how has it changed the tech industry and what’s next for the company? We’ll get into it in today’s “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.” Plus, we look into rumblings that improvements in AI have slowed, raising questions about whether we’ve hit a wall when it comes to training more advanced AI systems. But first, the Commerce Department finalized nearly $7.9 billion in subsidies for Intel. It’s the largest award yet under the CHIPS and Science Act and a potentially game-changing sum for the company right now. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, to break down these stories.

OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT turns two years old tomorrow. So how has it changed the tech industry and what’s next for the company? We’ll get into it in today’s “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.” Plus, we look into rumblings that improvements in AI have slowed, raising questions about whether we’ve hit a wall when it comes to training more advanced AI systems. But first, the Commerce Department finalized nearly $7.9 billion in subsidies for Intel. It’s the largest award yet under the CHIPS and Science Act and a potentially game-changing sum for the company right now. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, to break down these stories.

The next big thing in Silicon Valley might just be an old-fashioned concept: humanoid robots that can mimic our physical abilities. Developments in AI are triggering renewed interest in the robotics industry. And Anthropic's latest Claude model can control a computer on its own, which could have implications for the future of work. But first, is the “best bromance in tech” starting to sour? That’s how OpenAI CEO Sam Altman once described his company’s partnership with Microsoft, but recently the alliance has shown signs of tension. Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas for her take on all this for our weekly segment “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

The next big thing in Silicon Valley might just be an old-fashioned concept: humanoid robots that can mimic our physical abilities. Developments in AI are triggering renewed interest in the robotics industry. And Anthropic's latest Claude model can control a computer on its own, which could have implications for the future of work. But first, is the “best bromance in tech” starting to sour? That’s how OpenAI CEO Sam Altman once described his company’s partnership with Microsoft, but recently the alliance has shown signs of tension. Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas for her take on all this for our weekly segment “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

The next big thing in Silicon Valley might just be an old-fashioned concept: humanoid robots that can mimic our physical abilities. Developments in AI are triggering renewed interest in the robotics industry. And Anthropic's latest Claude model can control a computer on its own, which could have implications for the future of work. But first, is the “best bromance in tech” starting to sour? That’s how OpenAI CEO Sam Altman once described his company’s partnership with Microsoft, but recently the alliance has shown signs of tension. Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas for her take on all this for our weekly segment “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.”

This week: a report from venture capital firm SignalFire seems to show that despite all its problems, San Francisco is still the place to be for tech startups in the artificial intelligence space. Plus, why Meta is scrapping plans for a superpremium mixed-reality headset and aiming for a lite version instead. But first, the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France has sent shock waves through the tech world. Durov is facing a number of criminal charges. French authorities allege he is liable for illicit activities conducted on the encrypted messaging platform, including child sex abuse and drug trafficking, essentially because of a failure to moderate content. The case highlights longstanding tensions in the tech world between public safety and free speech. Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on this week's tech news.

This week: a report from venture capital firm SignalFire seems to show that despite all its problems, San Francisco is still the place to be for tech startups in the artificial intelligence space. Plus, why Meta is scrapping plans for a superpremium mixed-reality headset and aiming for a lite version instead. But first, the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France has sent shock waves through the tech world. Durov is facing a number of criminal charges. French authorities allege he is liable for illicit activities conducted on the encrypted messaging platform, including child sex abuse and drug trafficking, essentially because of a failure to moderate content. The case highlights longstanding tensions in the tech world between public safety and free speech. Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on this week's tech news.

This week: a report from venture capital firm SignalFire seems to show that despite all its problems, San Francisco is still the place to be for tech startups in the artificial intelligence space. Plus, why Meta is scrapping plans for a superpremium mixed-reality headset and aiming for a lite version instead. But first, the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France has sent shock waves through the tech world. Durov is facing a number of criminal charges. French authorities allege he is liable for illicit activities conducted on the encrypted messaging platform, including child sex abuse and drug trafficking, essentially because of a failure to moderate content. The case highlights longstanding tensions in the tech world between public safety and free speech. Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on this week's tech news.

The Republican Party officially adopted former President Donald Trump’s 2024 platform this week. The GOP is now taking a friendly approach to cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, with plans to roll back regulation of both. Plus, Meta’s Threads platform celebrates its one-year anniversary this month. But first, the Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on the popular messaging app NGL. Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on this week's tech news.

The Republican Party officially adopted former President Donald Trump’s 2024 platform this week. The GOP is now taking a friendly approach to cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, with plans to roll back regulation of both. Plus, Meta’s Threads platform celebrates its one-year anniversary this month. But first, the Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on the popular messaging app NGL. Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on this week's tech news.

The Republican Party officially adopted former President Donald Trump’s 2024 platform this week. The GOP is now taking a friendly approach to cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, with plans to roll back regulation of both. Plus, Meta’s Threads platform celebrates its one-year anniversary this month. But first, the Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on the popular messaging app NGL. Marketplace's Meghan McCarty Carino is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on this week's tech news.

It’s cornered the market for boomers. Now, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta hopes to make Facebook once again a favorite social media app for young adults. Plus, the Wall Street Journal reports E*Trade is considering whether to give the boot to user Roaring Kitty, who helped ignite the 2021 meme stock craze. In case you missed it, yes, the craze is back. But first, there’s yet another open letter on AI. This whistleblower letter comes from more than a dozen current and former employees at major AI companies. They warn of the risks posed by the technology being developed. Marketplace's Lily Jamali is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on this week's tech news.

It’s cornered the market for boomers. Now, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta hopes to make Facebook once again a favorite social media app for young adults. Plus, the Wall Street Journal reports E*Trade is considering whether to give the boot to user Roaring Kitty, who helped ignite the 2021 meme stock craze. In case you missed it, yes, the craze is back. But first, there’s yet another open letter on AI. This whistleblower letter comes from more than a dozen current and former employees at major AI companies. They warn of the risks posed by the technology being developed. Marketplace's Lily Jamali is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on this week's tech news.

It’s cornered the market for boomers. Now, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta hopes to make Facebook once again a favorite social media app for young adults. Plus, the Wall Street Journal reports E*Trade is considering whether to give the boot to user Roaring Kitty, who helped ignite the 2021 meme stock craze. In case you missed it, yes, the craze is back. But first, there’s yet another open letter on AI. This whistleblower letter comes from more than a dozen current and former employees at major AI companies. They warn of the risks posed by the technology being developed. Marketplace's Lily Jamali is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on this week's tech news.

On this week’s show, the United Kingdom is cracking down on makers of sexually explicit deepfakes. We’ll look at what penalizing the practice could mean for the victims. Then, the creator economy has the attention of millions of subscribers, but also venture capital. Why content creators like Dude Perfect on YouTube and other startups are attracting so much investment right now. But we begin with Amazon. The e-commerce giant’s Just Walk Out technology lets shoppers scan an app when they enter a store so they can leave with their purchases without paying at a register. This week, Amazon said there’s growing interest in the technology among retailers outside its empire. Yet the company is reportedly reducing the use of Just Walk Out in its own brick-and-mortar stores. Marketplace's Lily Jamali spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on these stories.

On this week’s show, the United Kingdom is cracking down on makers of sexually explicit deepfakes. We’ll look at what penalizing the practice could mean for the victims. Then, the creator economy has the attention of millions of subscribers, but also venture capital. Why content creators like Dude Perfect on YouTube and other startups are attracting so much investment right now. But we begin with Amazon. The e-commerce giant’s Just Walk Out technology lets shoppers scan an app when they enter a store so they can leave with their purchases without paying at a register. This week, Amazon said there’s growing interest in the technology among retailers outside its empire. Yet the company is reportedly reducing the use of Just Walk Out in its own brick-and-mortar stores. Marketplace's Lily Jamali spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on these stories.

It’s Friday, and that means it’s time to dig into some of this week’s tech headlines in “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.” Good news for Nvidia, the top chipmaker for artificial intelligence applications. There are signs that the company’s product shortage is finally easing up, as more customers nab chips to power their AI ambitions. Plus, Apple reportedly hits the brakes on plans to create its own electric vehicle. But first, there was significant movement on data privacy policy. This week, the Joe Biden administration issued an executive order restricting the sale of Americans’ data to “countries of concern,” according to the White House. Marketplace’s Lily Jamali spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on these stories.

It’s Friday, and that means it’s time to dig into some of this week’s tech headlines in “Marketplace Tech Bytes: Week in Review.” Good news for Nvidia, the top chipmaker for artificial intelligence applications. There are signs that the company’s product shortage is finally easing up, as more customers nab chips to power their AI ambitions. Plus, Apple reportedly hits the brakes on plans to create its own electric vehicle. But first, there was significant movement on data privacy policy. This week, the Joe Biden administration issued an executive order restricting the sale of Americans’ data to “countries of concern,” according to the White House. Marketplace’s Lily Jamali spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on these stories.

On the show today, Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds have parked a whole lot of money in Silicon Valley. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, for one, spent more than $31 billion on 49 venture deals, up 33% in 2023. Why does the tech industry find it so hard to break up with Middle East money? Plus, Netflix changes up its business model — again. We look at why the streaming giant sees even more ads in its future. But first, job cuts continue across the tech landscape. Even TikTok, with its $225 billion valuation and 150 million active users in the U.S. alone, is letting people go. Marketplace’s Lily Jamali is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on these stories.

On the show today, Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds have parked a whole lot of money in Silicon Valley. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, for one, spent more than $31 billion on 49 venture deals, up 33% in 2023. Why does the tech industry find it so hard to break up with Middle East money? Plus, Netflix changes up its business model — again. We look at why the streaming giant sees even more ads in its future. But first, job cuts continue across the tech landscape. Even TikTok, with its $225 billion valuation and 150 million active users in the U.S. alone, is letting people go. Marketplace’s Lily Jamali is joined by Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter at The Information, for her take on these stories.

On today's Tech Bytes: apologies, profanity and accusations of blackmail. It's just another week in the life of Elon Musk. Plus, ultra-fast-fashion retailer Shein confidentially files for an IPO and seems to be trying to bolster its image.  But first, one year ago this week, OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public for the first time. Within five days of its launch, ChatGPT already had one million users. From writing holiday menus to college essays to wedding vows, ChatGPT has been there.  Marketplace's Lily Jamali spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter for The Information, for her take on the week's tech news.

On today's Tech Bytes: apologies, profanity and accusations of blackmail. It's just another week in the life of Elon Musk. Plus, ultra-fast-fashion retailer Shein confidentially files for an IPO and seems to be trying to bolster its image.  But first, one year ago this week, OpenAI released ChatGPT to the public for the first time. Within five days of its launch, ChatGPT already had one million users. From writing holiday menus to college essays to wedding vows, ChatGPT has been there.  Marketplace's Lily Jamali spoke with Natasha Mascarenhas, reporter for The Information, for her take on the week's tech news.

Natasha Mascarenhas, acclaimed tech journalist and reporter for The Information, joins The Gen She Podcast to shed light on her unique journey in the tech and media world. She shares her transition from a versatile journalist, having previously worked at Crunchbase and TechCrunch, to a dedicated tech startup and venture storyteller, driven by her mission to highlight minority voices. As an Indian American, she gets candid about moments of feeling overlooked and the deep significance of representation. Natasha, who has navigated the tech landscape from its core, offers insights on the evolution of digital platforms, the power of networks, and the necessity of seeking clarity through "stupid" questions.

On the first episode of Season 2 of Current Mood, I sat down with Natasha Mascarenhas at Spotify Labs in Brooklyn to learn about her journey as a journalist and the mental mathematics that come along with it. Natasha is an incredible reporter who started writing human interest stories and moved into the business world, niching down to report on early stage startups and venture capital. Mascarenhas is a reporter at The Information and prior to that–and when we did this interview–she was a Senior Reporter at TechCrunch with a resume that spans Crunchbase, San Francisco Chronicle, USA TODAY and Boston Globe.

This week, Natasha Mascarenhas interviewed Sam Chaudhary, the founder of ClassDojo, and Chris Farmer, the founder and CEO of SignalFire, a venture firm that recently announced a $900 million fund to back tech startups. This interview is structured a bit differently as it was actually recorded as a TechCrunch Live session, our weekly show that focuses on helping people start better venture backed businesses.We'll hear from the trio about:What an outsider advantage looks like in startups, per a top investorWhy ClassDojo doesn't see itself as an edtech companyHow Sam landed early traction with a difficult-to-capture consumerHow both Sam and Chris are thinking through the AI question brewing in every officeIf you want to check out the full video of today's conversation, including a round of Pitch Practice hosted by Matt Burns, head to our YouTube channel and stay tuned for more TechCrunch Live!As always, the full Equity crew will be back on Friday, but you can keep up with us in the meantime @EquityPod.For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity's Simplecast website. Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotifyand all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

Today's interview was led by TechCrunch Senior Reporter and edtech expert, Natasha Mascarenhas. Natasha spoke to Sam Chaudhary, the founder of ClassDojo, who spent eight years building the edtech consumer app that focuses on student classrooms, before introducing a formal revenue model. Joining Sam is his investor Chris Farmer, the founder and CEO of SignalFire, a seed-stage venture firm that recently raised $900 million across four new funds.Sam and Chris spoke to us about:How Sam played the long-game in edtech and what he'd do differently if he had to do it all over againWhy SignalFire chose to navigate the edtech space, specifically the connection between kids and consumersHow Chris sees investing in companies that aren't rushing to monetizeThe "outsider advantage" and its tension with insider knowledgeWe closed out the show with a new batch of founders for Pitch Practice. And as always, if you want to check out the full video of today's conversation, head to our YouTube channel and stay tuned for more TechCrunch Live!The TechCrunch Live Podcast drops at 6:00 a.m. PT every Monday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast,Spotify and all the casts.

This week we recorded at Early Stage, TechCrunch's event for founders who are building startups from the ground up.Sadly, our dear friend Natasha Mascarenhas took ill, and we had to lean on Alex for the episode. Happily, though, Darrell from the TechCrunch team was sitting next to us on the show floor so we tagged him in for some rocket knowledge.Anyhoo, here's the run of show!All things Early Stage: Notes from the show floor, what we can infer about attendance and a vibe check.Elon's new, larger rocket went up (very good) and then went "boom" (not as good). Happily for the space race, the overall result of the launch was good. Rockets have a tendency to go boom when they are new, and it's a bit of the, well, testing process to have them do so. Sure, a non-boom result would have been better, but SpaceX wasn't planning on trying to reuse the parts anyway.Tesla's earnings came out and investors are not that pleased. While there was some good stuff in the numerical set, price cuts at the company and moderating cash flow indicate that profitability gains could be harder to reach in the future.And layoffs. Meta is cutting staff. Insider is cutting staff. BuzzFeed is cutting staff. It's a mess out there.We are back at full strength next week — and no longer on the road — so expect regular service to resume. Hugs!For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity's Simplecast website. Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotifyand all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

Duolingo, a language learning app with over 500 million users, is working on a music app, TechCrunch has learned. The Pittsburgh-based tech company currently has a small team working on a music product and is hiring a learning scientist who is an “expert in music education who combines both theoretical knowledge of relevant learning science […]Duolingo is working on a music app by Natasha Mascarenhas originally published on TechCrunch

Natasha Mascarenhas of TechCrunch sits down with Kapor Capital's Mitch Kapor, Freada Kapor, Ulili Onovakpuri, and Brian Dixon to talk about the long-term plan for the firm, what leadership changes mean and how to navigate the space as an emerging fund manager today. Recorded March 1, 2023 at the Upfront Summit.

Did you hear that giant whooshing sound? That was the collective exhale of tens of thousands of startup founders, workers and investors after federal regulators assured customers of the failed Silicon Valley Bank that they would have access to all of their deposits. Most of the bank’s 40,000 customers are tech startups, which spent much of the weekend bracing for the worst: that their money would be tied up or lost for good. That’s off the table now, but there’s still an SVB-sized hole in the tech landscape, according to Natasha Mascarenhas, a senior reporter at TechCrunch. She spoke to Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino about how this one bank became so embedded in the startup scene.

Did you hear that giant whooshing sound? That was the collective exhale of tens of thousands of startup founders, workers and investors after federal regulators assured customers of the failed Silicon Valley Bank that they would have access to all of their deposits. Most of the bank’s 40,000 customers are tech startups, which spent much of the weekend bracing for the worst: that their money would be tied up or lost for good. That’s off the table now, but there’s still an SVB-sized hole in the tech landscape, according to Natasha Mascarenhas, a senior reporter at TechCrunch. She spoke to Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino about how this one bank became so embedded in the startup scene.

This week, Alexis gets non-technical with Natasha Mascarenhas, Senior Reporter at TechCrunch. They talk about disassociating on vacation, croissant gate!!!, angsty re-tumbling teens, Love in the Time of Pregaming, BBQ (Bad Bunny Quarter), and spiritually attending the Taylor Swift concert.You can find Natasha on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nmasc_. You can find Alexis at twitter.com/yayalexisgay, instagram.com/yayalexisgay, and tiktok.com/@yayalexisgay or you can sign up for her email list at bit.ly/hellofromalexis to stay tuned for upcoming stand up shows and other exciting announcements. 

Mary Ann, Becca, and Alex  gathered to riff through the week's biggest startup and venture news. A big thank you to Becca for stepping in while Alex was on leave, and a note before we dive into topics that Natasha Mascarenhas will be back on the podcast next week!Now, here's what we got into:Deals of the Week: Divert's $100 million round to tackle food waste, Trust & Will's $15 million round, and what's happening in the land of NFT sales.Boston: TechCrunch held a Boston City Spotlight this week, so we took a look at a few pieces that we wrote about the lovely city to our North. Boston for example has a pretty good list of reasons why it's worth considering as a place to build a startup, and investors in the area are pretty hyped about its resilience.AI, crypto, and venture hype cycles: The crypto venture capital boom has collapsed; but is there a new AI bubble forming? Not in the way that we expected, it turns out.Amazon and Better.com: Of all the things that we didn't expect to see this year, the latest Amazon-Better tie-up is up high on our list. We had more than a few thoughts.And that is all we had time to chew on, friends. We will talk to you soon!For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity's Simplecast website. Equity drops at 7:00 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotifyand all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

This week Natasha Mascarenhas and Becca Szkutak took to their mics to sing a duet about this week's startup news. Just kidding! But we did highlight some fun companies raising capital and talked through some VC themes that look likely to be relevant throughout 2023.Here's what we got into:For our deals of the week we talked about Artifact, the new startup from the previous co-founders of Instagram, Spill, a new Twitter alternative that raised pre-seed funding, and Disclo, a startup looking to make it easier for individuals to seek accommodations for their disabilities at work.Then we chatted about the recent flurry of new venture funds and what the timing of these announcements says about where the VC market is at right now.Last, we talked climate tech and how the recent wave of startups in the sector is a promising sign.Equity drops at 10:00 a.m. PT every Monday and at 7:00 a.m. PT on Wednesdays and Fridays, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

This week Darrell talks with Kyle Wiggers about a few interesting AI announcements from CES and Natasha Mascarenhas comes on to talk about how tech workers are handling the mass layoffs we've seen in the past few months. .  And as always, Darrell breaks down the biggest stories in tech.Articles from the episode: Here's a roundup of the top AI-powered products we saw at CES 2023Burned by layoffs, tech workers are rethinking riskMore from TechCrunchSony and Honda reveal AfeelaIndia set an ‘incredibly important precedent' by banning TikTok, FCC Commissioner saysThere's now an open source alternative to ChatGPT, but good luck running itSalesforce to cut workforce by 10% after hiring ‘too many people' during the pandemic

Maalvika talks to her friend, Natasha, about how she became a Senior Reporter at TechCrunch, what stability means to both of them, the loneliness that comes with ambition, professionalism, and CREATIVE WRITING! I hope it resonates with you!

This week Amanda Silberling and DarrellI went live on LinkedIn and Twitter Spaces to talk about Elon Musk's questionable plans for blue checks on Twitter. Then he talks with Natasha Mascarenhas about a new startup, Rewind, that wants to help humans have perfect memory. And as always, we break down the biggest stories in tech.Articles from the episode:Elon Musk's plan to charge for Twitter verification will be a misinformation nightmareElon Musk's Twitter already looks grim for the LGBTQ communityRewind wants to revamp how you remember, with millions from a16zOther news from the week:Watch SpaceX launch a Falcon Heavy for the first time in three yearsAmazon Prime now comes with a full music catalog of 100 million songs and ad-free podcastsGoogle puts an end to Google Hangouts once and for all

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.We hope that you are in good form this Friday, alive, well, and ready to rock. We certainly were. And in a change of pace, as our dear Mary Ann was off this week, the excellent Anita Ramaswamy joined Natasha Mascarenhas and Alex Wilhelm on the mics. (Theresa, as per usual, held down the production front!)What did we merry three get into? The following:Quick Hits: Launch House is shaking up its legal team as it sifts through what is left of its reputation; Sequoia India is still making big edtech bets; and BeReal is wealthy and, in our view, pretty cool. But does it have the staying power it will need?Twitter layoffs: When we prepped for the show, it seemed that massive Twitter layoffs could impact up to 75% of the company's staff. Since then, the figure has come down some. How much? That's not clear, but what is is the fact that Twitter's new chapter is supposed to begin, and soon.King Apple: The multi-front war attacking Apple's massive, and pervasive demand that it gets 30% of all transaction value on the App Store continues to rack up detractors. This time? NFT and other crypto fans. China: We closed on a brief riff on Chinese startups!We are back Monday for a spooky episode!Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday and Wednesday, and at 6 a.m. PT on Fridays, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together, and more!

Welcome to a Chain Reaction bonus episode! On Thursday, Anita and Jacquie went live with Equity's Alex Wilhelm and Natasha Mascarenhas to talk all about the Ethereum Merge. Pulling off the Merge was an event requiring such technical coordination and rigor that it's been compared to the moon landing. Now that it's happened, what will be the impacts on web3 startups? What about the rest of the tech industry, or large financial institutions, or Chinese crypto miners? They walked through all these questions and more, trying to address both what the Merge is and why it matters through as holistic a lens as possible.For more on the Merge, required reading can be found here, here, and here.Equity drops every Monday at 7 a.m. PDT and Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. PDT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts.Chain Reaction comes out every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PDT, so be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast and Spotify to keep up with the action.

Welcome Back to the TechCrunch Podcast! This week we have an extra special guest host, Haje Jan Kamps walking us through the top TC stories of the week and talking to the writers who wrote them. He talks with Natasha Mascarenhas about YC demo day, executive changes, and the shrinking diversity in the accelerator's cohort. He's also joined by Anita Ramaswamy to talk about Ethereum's impending Merge and what it means for its users and the world of blockchains at large.  And of course, Haje will catch you up on the tech news you may have missed this week.Articles from the episode:Garry Tan's return is a full circle moment for Y CombinatorDelving into YC's diversity data following a category shakeupCatch up on all of TechCrunch's YC demo day coverage here.How the upcoming Ethereum Merge could change crypto's rewards, costs and reputationOther news from the week:Check out all the TechCrunch coverage of the Apple iPhone event hereJuul agrees to pay $438.5M in a record settlement, while a newer vape maker gains steamElon Musk can lean on the Twitter whistleblower but he can't push the trial date back

This week on the TechCrunch Podcast we're talking to Natasha Mascarenhas about YC's decision to shrink their startup cohort and the recent layoffs at On Deck. Then we're joined by Rebecca Bellan to talk about the disappearance of Bolt Mobility. And as always, Darrell will catch you up on the tech news you may have missed this week.Articles from the episode:Y Combinator narrows current cohort size by 40%, citing downturn and funding environmentOn Deck lays off a third of staff after cutting a quarter just months priorBolt Mobility has vanished, leaving e-bikes, unanswered calls behind in several US citiesOther news from the week:Robinhood lays off 23% of staff, CEO Vlad Tenev says, ‘This is on me'Hackers stole passwords for accessing 140,000 payment terminalsSheryl Sandberg officially stepped down as Meta COO on August 1, filing showsAmazon is buying iRobot for $1.7B

Welcome back to The TechCrunch Podcast where you'll hear everything you need to know about the week's top stories in tech from the people who wrote them. This week our host, Managing Editor Darrell Etherington, talks with Natasha Mascarenhas about the ongoing tech layoffs, Anita Ramaswamy about WeWork founder Adam Neumann moving into the crypto space with backing from a16z, And Devin Caldewey about AI-generated images.  Plus a rundown of the week's top news on TechCrunch. Articles from the episode:A third straight week of tech layoffs in the booksLatch, a proptech meets SaaS play, conducts two consecutive weeks of layoffsAdam Neumann's blockchain-based redemption story now sponsored by a16zOpenAI: Look at our awesome image generator! Google: Hold my Shiba InuOther news from the week:  It's official: Broadcom to acquire VMware in massive $61B dealJack Dorsey steps down from Twitter's boardTwitter investors sue Elon Musk over acquisition shenanigansExtras:Hana Mohan's Twitter thread on the YC advice to foundersHana Mohan's episode of FoundEquity's episode: We think founders need a quick Heart to Heart about the market

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://feedssoundcloudcomuserssoundcloudusers.wordpress.com/2020/11/21/a-look-at-the-growing-world-of-virtual-hqs-on-services-like-branch-gather-and-huddle-which-are-using-spatial-tech-to-create-a-metaverse-dedicated-to-work-natasha-mascarenhas-techcrunch/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/you-betterknow4/message

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://feedssoundcloudcomuserssoundcloudusers.wordpress.com/2020/11/21/a-look-at-the-growing-world-of-virtual-hqs-on-services-like-branch-gather-and-huddle-which-are-using-spatial-tech-to-create-a-metaverse-dedicated-to-work-natasha-mascarenhas-techcrunch/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/you-betterknow4/message

The whole team was back together this week, which was pretty darn good as there was a lot to get through. Alex Wilhelm, Natasha Mascarenhas and Mary Ann Azevedo were on the mic, with Grace handling production.What did we get into? A better question might be what did we not get into:We started with an update from the TechCrunch Mobility event, thanks to Natasha who is on-site and up in the air.From there it was time to talk deals, with the crew parsing Arrived's latest round, and why Kolkata Chai took some external capital, but very much on its own terms.Then it was time to chat Zenly's new mapping news, and why startups are critical when it comes to taking on incumbents.From there we had to ask if Elon Musk really wants to buy Twitter (seemingly no?), and how tired we are about the topic itself.Then we chatted through the recent unicorn vibe check that the market got, and the fact that most unicorns are not true IPO candidates. (Along with news from SpotOn, and Unit!)And to close, we asked about the responsibilities of tech platforms in the wake of a number of mass shootings in the United States; where should our expectations for content moderation on platforms start, and end?Hugs from us to you, and we will talk to you Monday!

This is our Wednesday show, where we niche down to a single topic, think about a question and unpack the rest. This week, Natasha and Alex asked: What does the most recent wave of layoffs mean for tech workers?The question comes after Natasha's recent Startups Weekly column, "The Great Resignation, meet the Great Reset." In the piece, which included a round up of recent tech layoffs, she explored the idea of employee whiplash, and why this moment in pullback is different than what we saw in March 2020.The goal of the episode was to humanize the tech layoffs we've seen ripple across the startup ecosystem, from buzzy, big names like Cameo, On Deck and Robinhood, to B2B platforms like Workrise and Thrasio. As our piece last week notes, the common thread between most of these layoffs, according to founders, is that there's been a shift in the market and a serious pivot in business is required. A pivot, that is, that hurts the employees that built your product up after high demand.Let us know how we did?If you or a friend has recently been laid off, tip Natasha Mascarenhas or Alex Wilhelm on Twitter @nmasc_ and @alex. Equity drops every Monday at 7 a.m. PT and Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. PT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts.

The crew was back at full-speed, and maybe even full excitement meets exhaustion, this week.  Alex Wilhelm, Natasha Mascarenhas and Mary Ann Azevedo were on the mic with moral and edit support from the wonderful Grace. If we had to give this episode it's own autobiography we'd call it: "Drama, tech twitter and therapeutic moments in between."We got into a whole ton of news including:Musk's new best friends back his $44 billion bid for Twitter - and why one of them are probably experiencing deja vu.For deals of the week, Natasha spoke about Line's play for more inclusive fintech, Mary Ann got into Truist paying attention (and money) to a fintech startup and Alex took us to the music world with the latest on SoundCloud's thought bubbles. Then we talked about how digital health startups are bracing for a Post-Roe world, and which companies to pay attention to. (Insider tip: We're taking about this topic in more depth on Equity Wednesday, coming up next week!)Next up, how early can early stage investor go? Recent news from Backstage Capital includes a milestone and a pause - and has us scratching our heads on what other pivots we may see from investment firms.Finally, we ended with our favorite part of the show and spoke about the latest Stripe and Plaid drama. The two companies went from partners to competitors this week, and we talk about the tensions that result.Equity drops every Monday at 7 a.m. PDT and Wednesday and Friday at 6 a.m. PDT, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotifyand all the casts.

This week was a good week because we had the full team back together. Natasha Mascarenhas was on hand, Mary Ann Azevedo was on the mic, and Alex Wilhelm was around as well. Grace, our ever-trusty producer and lead on the Friday show, was on the dials.As with nearly every week this year, we had to cut and cut to make the show fit into its allotted time. This is what we got into:Brief updates on SoftBank, Better.com, and Elon's quest to buy Twitter.On the deals front, we talked about Mary Ann's coverage of Kindred, the latest from the Indian crypto scene and Chipotle. Why Chipotle? Because it turns out that it is cooking up more than lunch!From there we dug into Natasha's coverage of the latest early-stage effort from a16z, and what it could mean for competition with Y Combinator, among other entities. The theme of large funds going earlier and earlier-stage will be with us forever, it seems.Shares of Netflix took a hammering this week. Why? Growth at the company is on hold, at least from a user perspective. We took the chance to chat about the pandemic's tailwinds tailing off. This impacts a host of startups, both big and small.From there we kept the cheery note afloat by talking about live audio apps and their future. There's some tremors afoot, even if everyone likes to talk.And with that we are back next week!

GeneralSubscribe to Fully Vested at FullyVested.co or through your podcast app of choice.Markets Retrace Their StepsThroughout January 2022, US stock market indices gave up nearly a year of gains.The tech-heavy NASDAQ Composite index closed on January 28th at 13,770, down nearly 14% from highs set in November 2021.Why?Nearly a decade of expansionist monetary policy is likely coming to an end.Inflation is at its highest level in the past 40 years.US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell signaled intent to raise interest rates in an effort to reign in inflation. (Goldman Sachs anticipates 5 rate hikes in 2022, expecting rates to hit between 1.25-1.5% by year's end.)What could this mean for the VC market?Historically, higher interest rates give more conservative investors a path toward a more risk-off strategy, diverting capital from alternative asset classes like venture capital or private equityHigher interest rates lead to a higher discount rate on future cash flows, which could depress equity value todayThat said, it still feels like investor risk appetite is close to all-time highs. (Might not be quite as hot as it was in Q2-Q3 2021, but still...)Jason's conjecture: If we're going to see a significant decline in either check size or deal volume, it's probably going to come at late-stage first. So much value is locked into late-stage unicorn companies, and with the IPO market cooling down and a dwindling pool of entities which could afford to buy these companies, we can probably expect investor trepidation to hit late-stage first.Some ReadingThe Great Deflate (M.G. Siegler, on his blog 500ish)Excerpt: "As such, I might suggest that for the 20th year in a row, we're not going to see a tech bubble burst. Because it's not and never was a bubble. Instead, perhaps it's best to think of it more like a balloon. And while those too can pop, they can also deflate over time. This feels like a more apt analogy for what is happening here. The air which had inflated earnings multiples to the Moon in tech is slowly but surely coming out, returning the balloon closer to Earth."Vision Fund CEO Says Private Markets Are ‘Overvalued' (Sarah McBride, for Bloomberg. January 20, 2022)Key quotes: "According to CB Insights data, venture dollars spent on startups exceeded $600 billion in 2021, more than double the previous year's highs. Valuations have soared, too. There are currently more than 900 startups with valuations of over $1 billion, CB Insights found.""'That gap is going to tighten over the next six months,' [Mishra] said of the discrepancy between public and private markets."The great startup reset: Why founders should prepare for lower valuations (Charles Fitzgerald for Geekwire)3 views: How should founders prepare for a decline in startup valuations and investor interest? (Alex Wilhelm, Natasha Mascarenhas, and Mary Ann Azevedo for TechCrunch)Calling the startup valuation peak (Dan Primack for Axios)Dear VCs: If you want startup prices to come down, stop paying higher prices (Alex Wilhelm for TechCrunch)About The Co-HostsJason D. Rowley is a researcher who has previously worked with Uzabase, Golden.com, Crunchbase News and others. He volunteers with startup outreach for the open-source community and sends occasional newsletters from Rowley.Report.Graham C. Peck is a Venture Partner with Cultivation Capital and additionally helps companies build technology development teams as a partner of FYC Labs and other technology development organizations.

In this episode, we chat with TechCrunch reporter, Natasha Mascarenha, about a pitch that led to a phone call, which inspired a 4-part series on a well-known edtech company, Duolingo! What stood out about the founder that led to such an in-depth look at the company? We'll dive into how this series developed, leaving you with tips on how to pitch your founder and best prepare them for interviews. Despite the reality of most startups not holding household names like Duolingo, our guest will guide you through making your client stand out by communicating with transparency and authenticity. In this episode you'll learn… How to prepare startup founders for media interviews Why authenticity matters in storytelling and media interviews What a TechCrunch reporter looks for in a subject line and email body Our guest is... Natasha Mascarenhas is a senior reporter at TechCrunch by way of Crunchbase News, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe and BostInno. She primarily reports on early-stage startups in edtech and future of work, through the lens of how culture and strong opinions can shape a company's trajectory. Beyond journalism, Mascarenhas spends her time cooking Indian American fusion recipes, dancing and writing on her personal blog. Stories we talked about: How a bot-fighting test turned into edtech's most iconic brand, Duolingo Built by a refugee, Enlight's edtech tool bets it can help students hope harder Medium sees more employee exits after CEO publishes ‘culture memo'

The great Katie Roof, Natasha Mascarenhas and Christine Hall come on to talk more about the craziness in the stock market and what it might mean for tech startups. Then Chris and I debate The Great Debate surrounding Web3. Shoutout to @randras_ for giving us context, even in the podcast space!Sponsors:Wix.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Many Americans with a few extra bucks to spare turned to grocery delivery apps during the pandemic to avoid going to the store. Demand for this service is continuing to grow. We discuss the trends with Natasha Mascarenhas, a senior reporter at TechCrunch. And, as airlines delay hundreds of flights and cancel thousands of others, travelers across the U.S. have been left stranded, often for days on end. Transportation analyst Seth Kaplan tells us more.

Natasha is currently working at a tech magazine called TechCrunch. Graduated from Boston University, Natasha has always had a passion for writing so choosing her career path was pretty easy. She has done many internships and worked at different firms so far in her career. In this episode, we talk all things journalism!

On this episode of the Startup of the Year Podcast, we hear an interview from our 2020 Summit, when our Director of Strategic Operations, John Guidos, talked with Natasha Mascarenhas, a reporter at TechCrunch. Natasha covers seed and early stage founders, as well as the networks they take to get their first check. She also focuses on education amid COVID-19. Before TechCrunch, she was at the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Crunchbase News. We also hear segments from Rich Maloy, our VP of Engagement, and our co-CEO, Jen Consalvo, who both have advice for startup founders. We want to invite all startups to become part of an amazing community and make sure to apply today for our Startup of the Year program at: soty.link/apply. The top 100 startups will come together for additional opportunities to connect, showcase, and potentially take home the title of Startup of the Year at our annual Summit. We also want to let everyone know that we have been working with Powderkeg on their 2021 Unvalley event which will take place on May 19 - 20th. Gary Vee is a keynote and there will be a lot more amazing speakers from our community like Anna Mason, Mary Grove, Mac Conwell and more -- register today at: est.us/UVPK We also discuss Finmark, which is one of our partners and portfolio companies. Finmark is financial planning software for startups for revenue forecasting, cash projections, and runway. It is one of those few products that we truly believe in and I think that it will help a lot of our community members, so please go check out Finmark and signing up for 30-day free trial at est.us/finmark. Lastly, if you’re listening to this podcast, you’ve somehow found us and we appreciate it and we’d like to invite you to be a part of our community around this very podcast by going to: est.us/join. Join our community today to access the support, expert advice, and resources you need to to elevate your startup. Thank you for listening, and as always, please check out the Established website and subscribe to the newsletter at www.est.us Checkout Startup of the Year at www.startupofyear.com Subscribe to the Startup of the Year Daily Deal Flow: www.startupofyear.com/daily-dealflow Subscribe to the Startup of the Year podcast: www.podcast.startupofyear.com Subscribe to the Established YouTube Channel: soty.link/ESTYouTube *** Startup of the Year helps diverse, emerging startups, founding teams, and entrepreneurs push their company to the next level. We are a competition, a global community, and a resource. Startup of the Year is also a year-long program that searches the country for a geographically diverse set of startups from all backgrounds and pulls them together to compete for the title of Startup of the Year. The program includes a number of in-person and virtual events, including our annual South By Southwest startup pitch event and competition. All of which culminate at our annual Startup of the Year Summit, where the Startup of the Year winner is announced, along with an opportunity at a potential investment. Established is a consultancy focused on helping organizations with innovation, startup, and communication strategies. It is the power behind Startup of the Year. Created by the talent responsible for building the Tech.Co brand (acquired by an international publishing company), we are leveraging decades of experience to help our collaborators best further (or create) their brand & accomplish their most important goals. Connect with us on Twitter - @EstablishedUs and Facebook - facebook.com/established.us/.