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Overheard at a VC/startup conference recently: Product market fit is like a product going around from weirdly shaped customer group to weirdly shaped customer group, like that old kid’s book “Are you my mommy?” Startups can be a little bit like that; sometimes the users can surprise you, and the product needs to ask a few different potential customer groups whether it is a good fit.
Oh, and Dominic-Madori wants to hear Black founders’ stories of VC fundraising — If you are a Black founder with war stories (or if you know someone who does), get involved! — Christine and Haje
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Startups and VC
Bilt Rewards, which works with some of the country’s largest multifamily owners and operators to create loyalty programs and a co-branded credit card for property renters, entered unicorn status after securing $150 million in a growth round at a $1.5 billion valuation led by Left Lane Capital, Christine reports.
Emergency response services have had a big boost of data thanks to advances in connected technology, with watches that can detect when their wearers are falling down and are experiencing trauma, cars that can pinpoint where their drivers are located and home systems that can transmit important data about fires when you cannot. These are just a few of the innovations we’ve seen in recent years, and today, a startup called RapidSOS is announcing some funding as it continues to connect the dots for emergency first responders, Ingrid reports.
And we have five more for you:
8 questions to answer before your startup faces technical due diligence
Outsiders study multiple facets of a startup to determine its value and quality, and codebase health is one of them.
A pitch deck is just part of the story, writes Matt Van Itallie, founder and CEO of codebase analytics company Sema.
After technical due diligence (TDD) begins, no amount of storytelling can cover the secrets buried in GitHub and Jira.
To help companies prepare for TDD, Van Itallie has written a primer with eight questions founding teams must be able to answer confidently. Tomorrow, we’ll run his detailed TDD checklist.
Three more from the TC+ team:
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Big Tech Inc.
In the midst of trying out the new Google Pixel 7 Pro’s camera, Haje found “a really dumb, totally avoidable flaw” that detracts from what is otherwise “the best camera phone out there,”and he is telling the world. Speaking of product reviews, Brian has a closer look at macOS Ventura.
Also, it’s probably not wise to have your law firm on the opposing side of the same issue. Natasha M brought this to Launch House’s attention when news of a harassment investigation surfaced and now reports that the venture-backed founder’s club split with its law firm.
And we have five more for you: