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Impact on the community
One of the biggest stories coming out of TechCrunch, the online publication that covers technology, policy and media, has been the impact it’s had on the African-American community. It’s not just the thousands of jobs the publication has provided for the tech industry. For many people in the black community, the site has also become a platform for them to make a name for themselves. The organization Black Tech for Black Lives is one such group. They aim to recruit more Black talent in the tech industry and elevate community leaders in the Bay Area. Some of the leaders who have signed on to the initiative include: Michael Seibel, co-founder of Y Combinator; Arlan Hamilton, founder of Backstage Capital; and Tiffani Ashley Bell, founder of The Human Utility.
There are many ways to stay connected with the techcrunch community. One way is to attend events and conferences. Another way is to participate in office hours. In both of these ways, you can meet other members of the community and find out about upcoming events.
Michael Arrington apologized to techcrunch community
Michael Arrington, the founder of TechCrunch, has left the company to devote his time and attention to a new venture capital fund. Known as CrunchFund, it’s backed by some of the best valley investors, including Accel Partners, Greylock Partners and Sequoia Capital.
However, it isn’t quite clear what will happen to AOL and its employees, and what will happen to TechCrunch. Some writers are considering starting rival blogs. Others are wondering why AOL isn’t doing anything to address the problems brewing with Arrington.
The site, which has been a staple of the tech world since 2005, was bought by AOL last year for a reported $30 million. It’s now been edited by Erick Schonfeld, who was a longtime TechCrunch writer.
Guy Oseary is a co-founder of Sound Ventures alongside Ashton Kutcher
In early 2015, actor Ashton Kutcher and talent manager Guy Oseary founded Sound Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in technology startups. The firm currently has more than $100 million under management and has made investments in companies such as Airbnb, Robinhood, Spotify, and Untitled Labs. They aim to raise a new fund of $150 million.
In their first round of investment, Kutcher and Oseary invested in the social media startup AirBnb. Since then, they have also put money into the fintech company Robinhood, the unicorn startup Uber, and the health tech startup Calm.
Kutcher and Oseary have also co-founded Bright, a live video chat platform for education and entertainment. Bright was launched with $15 million in funding. Its investors include Jessica Alba, Rachel Zoe, and Maria Sharapova. Other investors include Globo, RIT Capital, and Norwest Venture Partners.
Michael Arrington promotes diversity in staffing and culture
One of the more laudable members of the TechCrunch family is its founder Michael Arrington. As is the case with any start up, the aforementioned Arrington has the luxury of time and a plethora of perks. It is this perks that have made the company the envy of Silicon Valley. Although the company boasts a whopping 25 employees in its Los Angeles headquarters, Silicon Valley is not a small town in the grand scheme of things. In fact, TechCrunch is a bona fide community, spanning more than 50 states and a couple dozen countries around the globe. The tech juggernaut has a reputation for sexiness, but that hasn’t stopped it from bucking the competitive pack.
Pledge 1% integration into core messaging
If you’re in the startup space, you’ve probably heard about the Pledge 1%, a nonprofit venture philanthropy scheme designed to get portfolio companies to do good. The program has garnered praise from some of the industry’s most prominent players. But do its claims to fame justify the hype? Besides, isn’t the challenge of integrating a philanthropic effort into the daily grind more of a pain than a joy? In the case of a new startup, it can be a steep learning curve.
The Pledge 1% isn’t the only non-profit attempting to suck in the techie crowd. For instance, Coinbase helped to set aside a small fortune in its own right. To help, Pledge 1% has enlisted the services of a handful of the best and brightest venture capitalists and their ilk.
In-person and virtual events
TechCrunch is on track to record its most successful year ever in revenue terms. That is in part thanks to its events business. In January of this year, the operations team made the decision to keep all events virtual. It has been an interesting and challenging decision, but the results have been positive so far.
The company’s annual ABA conference will not offer a virtual option this year, although that may change if construction issues force them to hold it in person. The company will also hold the most expensive virtual conference in history in 2021. Interestingly, that conference will also be the first fully virtual event since its inception.
Office hours
TechCrunch, one of the world’s most popular news sites, has launched an initiative called Include that seeks to help underrepresented founders in the tech industry. During the program, underserved founders meet with high-profile investors and receive guidance from seasoned professionals.
The new outreach will focus on underrepresented minorities, veterans, international founders, and women. For each month, a different community will be focused on. In addition to providing a forum for these groups, TechCrunch will also report on the demographic makeup of its staff.
Conclusion
The program is geared towards founders who are just starting out, have an MVP, and are looking for funding. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Applicants may apply for in-person or remote office hours, or they can list their sessions publicly or privately.
