More top reads Sorare lays off staff: We got a tip that the web3-enabled fantasy sports platform Sorare laid off 22 employees based out of its New York office last month. Consider the move more strategic than financial as the company heads off a decline in web3 gaming. Looking for more layoffs? Weâve got a list. I love the smell of crypto in the morning: Binance wants to get more women into crypto and is appealing to their sense of smell with a new perfume. Yes, you read that right. Worldcoin halted in Spain: Spainâs data protection authority ordered the Sam Altmanâfounded eyeball-scanning blockchain crypto project to stop collecting and processing personal data from the market. New climate disclosure rules: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission voted to require public companies to report a portion of their greenhouse gas emissions and their exposure to risks from climate change. While this doesnât affect startups outright, those who make a business of telling enterprises what their carbon footprint is might want to start cold-calling. Where the mega-rounds are: Weâve seen a handful of mega-rounds recently (Monzo), but with the decline in venture rounds overall, those are still few and far between. Not so for the energy industry, where nearly a dozen nine-figure deals have taken place. Alex Wilhelm and Tim De Chant take us inside the trend. Child safety and video games: Technology company K-ID offers a framework to make it easier for video game developers to be in compliance with the ever-changing world of child safety laws and regulations. QuotaLab is taking on Carta: QuotaLab, which began its life as an equity management service for startups and investors in South Korea, is fresh off of a post-merger integration with LogosSystem and ready to mingle in the world of cap table management. The goal is to become a one-stop shop where the Korean startup and investor community can manage funds, equity, investments, LP relations and more. Vertical farming goes back to school: Babylon Micro-Farms built the STEM garden to show school classes of all ages how vertical farming works. Headspace gets into the metaverse: Now you can take your Headspace mindfulness and meditation into extended reality. Headspace XR features instructor-guided practices and a community element. Apex Spaceâs first vehicle doing well: The Aries satellite took a ride on SpaceXâs Transporter-10 ride-share mission and is now doing well in orbit. Showeeâs smart shower: Showee built a smart shower designed for people who face challenges both physical and intellectual. It has a height-adjustable structure, and includes a smart touchscreen that guides users through each step, from wetting and lathering to drying. Finally, a hands-free dryer! Hereâs who got funding: HR tech startup Remofirst raised $25 million in Series A funding to take on Deel and Rippling. Meanwhile, Kurs Orbital closed on $4 million to accelerate its satellite servicing technology to market. Sling lets you multitask: Why look at your phone while watching Sling when you can play Tetris? The streaming service has a new gaming platform that enables users to play games while watching their favorite show. Itâs actually quite clever, given that I play Solitaire on my iPad while watching Hulu. |