LinkedIn launches global freelancer platform to compete directly with Upwork, Fiverr – TechCrunch

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Hiya and welcome to Every day Crunch for October 27, 2021! We’re dwell all day at our SaaS event, which implies that an excellent chunk of TechCrunch has been busy placing inquiries to tech consultants and traders. However that doesn’t imply that we went mild on masking the information. Hell, we even dropped a huge TC-1 on Bowery today! Strap in! — Alex

The TechCrunch Prime 3

• Can Ro expand past generics? In an in depth report, TechCrunch’s Natasha Mascarenhas dug into Ro, the corporate behind Roman and different health-focused companies as it really works to broaden its product combine and continue to grow. Different points on the firm, per a number of sources, embody low morale and refusal of “​​fundamental suggestions.”
• Rent the Runway sees strong public debut: Yesterday night, Lease the Runway priced at $21 per share, the highest finish of its IPO vary. TechCrunch learn the robust pricing occasion as indicative of a heat IPO market not just for pure tech firms, but in addition unicorns which might be extra tech-enabled than tech tech. The corporate started buying and selling at this time, initially rising earlier than shedding floor because the day grew late. (Extra on the corporate’s financials here.)
• Uber to rent 50,000 Teslas:  Bear in mind when Hertz introduced that it was shopping for a number of Tesla electrical automobiles? It seems the information wasn’t simply PR. The corporate is working with Uber to lease tens of hundreds of the automobiles to Uber drivers. The outcome might be a higher-end, and maybe greener, Uber fleet.

Startups/VC

The 2021 IPO market just isn’t going quietly into the night time. It’s working to shut out the 12 months with a bang. Information at this time signifies that Paytm could snag a $20 billion valuation when it goes public, setting information for its native India, whereas Brazil’s Nubank dropped a publish sharing that it has filed privately to go public. The corporate will checklist in the US with some buying and selling deliberate for its personal home market.

• Abacus.ai wants to democratize ML: So far as targets go, Abacus’ plan to simplify machine studying mannequin creation, as our personal Ron Miller put it, is an efficient one. Instruments like what the startup has in thoughts may reduce a market crunch in knowledge expertise and maybe empower extra staff to execute their very own data-focused duties.
• Plant-based chicken is expensive: At the least if you wish to purchase into the businesses creating it. At this time, Daring Meals introduced that it has raised an eye-popping $65 million Collection C, and that its plant-based hen comp product will discover shelf house in 3,000 Walmart places. On condition that Walmart just isn’t the first megaretailer we’d anticipate would roll out faux hen, the partnership may point out that plant-based meats are extra usually fashionable than we thought.
• Groopit wants to help corp leaders listen to staff more effectively: The startup — based by a longtime Microsoft staffer — simply raised $2 million to construct a product that, within the phrases of its founder Tammy Savage, “combines knowledge assortment and real-time knowledge sharing into one light-weight workflow.”
• SoftBank writes checks this small? It seems that the SoftBank Imaginative and prescient Fund 2 is able to writing eight-figure checks. The investing group simply put $25 million into Israeli startup OurCrowd. The startup operates a so-called enterprise platform, making its personal fundraising barely meta.
• Truepill turns its sights to the corporate world: Based on TechCrunch reporting, from a give attention to “telehealth, diagnostics and pharmacies for customers,” Truepill is now “concentrating on healthcare incumbents.” The corporate simply added $142 million to its accounts, valuing it at $1.6 billion.
• Broad productivity app ClickUp now worth $4 billion: Flush with $400 million value of recent capital, San Diego-based ClickUp has scaled its consumer base round 4x within the final 12 months. What does it do? It brings collectively a bevy of options together with chat, duties, to-dos and extra right into a single package deal. Sure, all of tech is bundling and unbundling.
• And from the podcast staff, a heat if somewhat sad goodbye to Danny, who’s leaving Fairness after an extended, profitable run on the internet hosting staff.

The Bowery Farming TC-1

Simply over a tenth of Individuals have jobs in meals and agriculture, so it’s straightforward to see why many people lack a eager consciousness about what we’re consuming or the place it comes from.

Our meals provide isn’t as safe or predictable as we assumed: Local weather change, security recollects, the COVID-19 pandemic and even immigration insurance policies can instantly impression what’s out there on the retailer. The technological leaps that made it potential to feed (most of) the world is not going to see us by way of the following century until we modify course.

Plant-based protein has gotten a whole lot of press, however vertical farming that leans on {hardware} and robotics has reached scale, experiences Brian Heater, TechCrunch {hardware} editor.

In a four-part sequence, he explores the origins and operations of Bowery Farming, a worthwhile startup that has raised virtually $500 million since 2015 to create new tech and amenities that elevate leafy greens bought in almost 900 markets.

Half 1: Bowery Farming is forcing us all to look up at the future of vertical agriculture

Half 2: Hacking lettuce for taste and profit

Half 3: Can LEDs ultimately replace the sun?

Half 4: The voracious fight for your salad bowl

(TechCrunch+ is our membership program, which helps founders and startup groups get forward. You can sign up here.)

Massive Tech Inc.

TechCrunch has a startup focus, however we do watch former startups after they attain the general public markets. For just a few quarters, no less than. At this time shares of Robinhood — till very lately a personal unicorn — are off after the company reported results and forecasts that came in under market expectations. What its lackluster efficiency knowledge will imply for different transaction-based buying and selling platforms just isn’t clear at this juncture.

• LinkedIn’s freelance push goes global: After testing in the US market — LinkedIn’s house turf, if you’ll — the corporate is bringing its “Service Market” to extra geographies. In case you are conversant in Fiverr, that is maybe comparable. Regardless, the transfer reveals that LinkedIn is able to making headlines that are not discussing major retrenchments.
• Amazon cuts climate checks: The megaretailer is placing its $2 billion local weather fund to work by placing capital into three startups. TechCrunch has the deets.
• Google will now allow under-18s to delete images of themselves from search: Introduced again in August, this new Google functionality jogs my memory a little bit of what Europe has mandated for its personal lands. Maybe we are going to get extra EU-style digital tooling for customers right here in the US.
• Which tech giant is the podcast king? Spotify is deep into an effort to broaden its content material base away from tunes to incorporate a deep podcast library which may be bearing fruit. Per the corporate, it’s now the main vacation spot for podcast listening in the US. I’ve requested our personal podcast outcomes from Spotify as, effectively, I’m now curious.
• Robotaxis, delivery vehicles are just around the corner: Like, actually. Per GM’s Cruise group, industrial operations of its self-driving automobiles may are available 2022. That’s good information. Please, megacorps of the world, spare me having to drive for the remainder of my life. I need to quietly learn a ebook whereas a pc handles the flip alerts.

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