The demand for some services may be so high that it can deprive their providers of market vagaries. Consumers don’t cut back on pet food or toilet paper during a recession. Similarly, everyone needs insurance.
In the year Between 2016 and 2022, insurance startups will receive about $43 billion in funding, and despite the downturn, reporter Anna Heim said the majority of investors she recently surveyed are still positive about the sector’s prospects.
- Marta Notaras, General Partner, Beer Lane Ventures
- David Wechsler, Principal, OMERS Ventures
- Stephen Brittain and Rob Lumley, Directors and Co-Founders, Insurtech Gateway
- Florian Graillot, Founding Partner, Astorya.vc
- Clarisse Lam, Associate, New Alpha Asset Management
- Hélène Falchier, Partner, Portge Ventures
- Adam Blumencranz, Partner, Distributed Ventures
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“We’re simply seeing a reality check,” Wechler said. “Unfortunately, there are many companies that should not have raised as much as they did, or perhaps did not have sustainable business models. These companies will struggle to survive.
Their responses contain valuable insights for early-stage founders still in fundraising mode, as well as those looking to find an exit in this subdued market.
“From an M&A point of view, it’s a matter of price and positioning,” Graillot said. If you’re solving a real pain point as an enterprise software company, technology vendors or insurers may be interested in contacting you.
Thanks so much for reading TC+ this week. Have a nice weekend.
Walter Thompson
Editorial Manager, TechCrunch+
@your main actor
Simplicity that cannot be property-light
Image Credits: Western61 (Opens in a new window) / Getty Images
Investors have embraced “value light” companies like Rent the Runway, Uber, and Airbnb that don’t have hardware to generate revenue.
Companies that generate billions in cash from non-owned assets “typically require less capital — and less cash for their investors,” writes Daniel Hofer, managing director of Autotech Ventures.
“But some property-light marketplaces struggle to satisfy their customers because not all of the properties they offer are equally appreciated by their customers on the demand side.”
Dear Sophie: Is it okay to use a visitor visa while holding an H-1B?
Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch
Dear Sophie,
I am in Toronto, Canada, and I have been approved for H-1B, which was recently stamped in my passport. I am planning to go to America next year. Can I visit the US this November with an expired B-1/B-2 visa?
Will it raise any red flags if I visit as a visitor with an approved/published H-1B visa?
– Talent in Toronto
How to coach your sales team
Image Credits: Richard Drury (Opens in a new window) / Getty Images
A strong sales organization is the tip of the spear for every SaaS startup, but few founders have meaningful experience in this platform and don’t know how to structure their teams for success.
In this TC+ article, contributor Kevin Varadian explains how to design a sales training journey that increases retention and increases revenue.
“It’s important to realize that today’s sales teams are more problem solvers than deal makers – soft skills are more important here than technical skills,” he said.
Pitch Deck Teardown: Rococo’s $3M Strategic Extension Deck
Image Credits: Rococo (Opens in a new window)
Jacob Balslev, CEO and founder of Danish animation and motion capture company Rococo, described the $3 million round that raised his company to an $80 million valuation as “strategic.”
“A truly digital presence requires natural human movement,” Deck said, noting that the company’s overall address market includes everything from automotive robotics to safety and security.
Balslev shared the entire deck to show how Rococo convinced TC+ readers to invest more money at this stage of development.
Onyaka Akumah, founder of Trapez, on how to succeed in transportation technology
Image Credits: Brice Durbin
Overall, the quality of life of Africans has improved significantly in recent decades, but the continent still suffers from poor public transport infrastructure.
In Europe and North America, three-quarters of the urban population can ride a bus or train, but in Africa this figure drops to one-third. To fill the gap, Nigerian startup Trapez is building a bus drop-off service that founder and CEO Onyaka Akumah wants in the sub-Saharan region.
“We cannot continue to complain about failure,” Akumah said. “I’d say it’s helping us be stronger.”
