INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Welcome back to Startups Weekly, a weekend newsletter that dives into the week noteworthy startups and venture capital news
Before I jump into today topic, let catch up a bit
Last week, I wrote about U.S
Before that, I noted Chinese investor activity in Africa.
Remember, you can send me tips, suggestions and feedback to
kate.clark@techcrunch.com or on Twitter@KateClarkTweets
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Hello from Berlin, where we&ve just wrapped our annual conference, TechCrunch
Top investors shared insight into European venture capital, well-known individuals and firms made announcements (large and small), and
entrepreneurs pontificated about the future of startups in their respective regions.
As I spoke with various early-stage startup founders
presenting at the event, chatted with U.S
and European venture capitalists and brain-stormed with my colleagues, I reflected on my last 12 months inside the tech bubble
Soon, I&ll be publishing an extended look at what I see as the 10 biggest themes in startups and VC in 2019
But for now, here a sneak peek at my top picks.
SoftBank screw ups
From WeWork to Wag to Fair.com, SoftBank made headlines over and over again this year—for all the wrong reasons.
WeWork woes
SoftBank star portfolio company struggled the most
This was the biggest story of the year and its complete with drugs, private jets, burned cash and upset employees.
CEO exodus
From Away co-founder Steph Korey to WeWork Adam Neumann, a whole lot of executives exited their posts this year.
Unicorn IPO struggles.Uber,
Lyft, Pinterest, Zoom and more unicorns went public this year
Some fared better than others.
The fight for seed
There was more competition than ever at the earliest stage of venture capital
As a result, investors got creative, hired fresh faces, raised new funds and even gave founders lavish gifts.
Y Combinator growth
Everyone favorite accelerator got a whole lot bigger this year
Not only did its cohorts swell, but its president, Sam Altman, stepped down and the firm cemented changes to its investment process.
VCs +
