Snapchat launches a TikTok-style feed, Amazon Echo Buds adds fitness tracking, and Vettery acquires Hired. This is your daily crisis for November 23, 2020.
The big story: Snapchat adds Spotlight
Snapchat introduced a special feed that allows users to watch short, fun videos – similar to TikTok. This comes after the app also added TikTok-like music features last month.
Starting today, users can send theirs Snaps to the new Spotlight feed. Viewers can send direct messages to creators with public profiles (Spotlight also contains anonymous content from private accounts), but there is no public commentary on these videos.
To encourage the developers to post on Spotlight, Snapchat will be giving out over $ 1 million a day to create the best videos on Spotlight.
The technology giants
Amazon’s Echo Buds are getting new fitness tracking features. Say “Alexa, start my workout” with the buds and they will start recording steps, calories, distance, pace and duration of runs.
Uber denied permission to lay off 11 people at its EMEA headquarters – The Dutch labor insurance agency denied Uber permission to lay off 11 people at the company’s EMEA headquarters
Facebook launches “Drives,” a US-only feature to collect food, clothing, and other necessities for people in need. This feature will be made available through Facebook’s existing community help hub.
Startups, Finance and Venture Capital
Relativity Space raises $ 500 million to target the industrialization of Mars. LA-based rocket startup Relativity had a big 2020 and completed work on a new 120,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Long Beach.
Resilience Raises over $ 800 million to transform pharmaceutical manufacturing in response to COVID-19. The company will invest heavily in the development of new manufacturing technologies for cell and gene therapies, viral vectors, vaccines and proteins.
Superpeer Video Mentoring Platform Raises $ 8M and Launches Paid Channels – The Superpeer Platform enables experts to promote, schedule, and bill one-on-one video calls with anyone who wants to seek advice.
Advice and analysis of extra crunch
Seven Things We Just Learned About Sequoia’s European Expansion Plans – Steve O’Hear interviews Luciana Lixandru and Matt Miller about the company’s plans.
Founders looking for their first check need a fundraising sales funnel. Start digging the well before you get thirsty.
Will the Roaring 20s in Brazil see the rise of early stage startups? – In September, domestic startups raised a record $ 843 million.
(Extra Crunch is our membership program designed to democratize information about startups. Get a 25% discount on annual membership through November 30th.)
Everything else
Vettery Acquires Hired to Create a “Unified” Job Search Platform – Josh Brenner, CEO of Vettery, said the two platforms are largely complementary.
Gift Guide: Which Next Generation Console Does Your Child Want? – This Christmas season, the next generation of gamers are hoping for the next generation of game consoles.
Original Content Podcast: ‘The Crown’ Introduces Princess Diana – The new season focuses on Queen Elizabeth’s relationship with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and on Prince Charles’ troubled marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales.
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