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Most fintechs partner with banks; Varo became one, and says it’s paying off

TechCrunch

For me, there was a huge opportunity in a space that the incumbents were not able to capture because a lot of it is the economics of their model and misaligned incentives.The world continues to unfortunately be made up of haves and have nots….There TC: Was it worth it for you to get a charter as a company? And if so, why?

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Data-driven iteration helped China’s Genki Forest become a $6B beverage giant in 5 years

TechCrunch

Incumbent giants therefore could lose a sizable chunk of market share if a company could just manage to weave together China’s manufacturing proficiency and agility with the modern tech startup philosophy of “moving fast and breaking stuff.”. The tech revolution hasn’t yet affected the bottled beverage industry quite as much as it has others.

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Komunal secures $8.5m to strengthen Indonesia’s neo-rural bank ecosystem

AsiaTechDaily

It was also participated by AlphaTrio Sustainable Technology Fund, Skystar Capital, Sovereign’s Capital, Ozora, and Gobi Partners. “We are humbled by the overwhelming support from our investors, rural bank partners, and loyal users.

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Z?m wins $150M from San Francisco schools to modernize and electrify student transport

TechCrunch

The company intends to use the funds to lease vehicles, hire drivers — a mix of salaried employees and gig economy workers — improve customer and operational support, and research and develop product enhancements to support the contract, a spokesperson for Z?m m told TechCrunch. Along with its fleet, Z? Earlier this month, Z?

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Rise Gardens grows with $9M Series A to help anyone be an indoor farmer

TechCrunch

As more consumers embrace plant-based diets and sustainable food practices, Rise Gardens is giving anyone the ability to have a green thumb from the comfort of their own home. Incumbents include AeroGarden, AeroGrow, which was acquired by Scotts-Miracle Gro last November, and Click & Grow. The concept of an indoor farm is not new.

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Why Draper Esprit doubled down on its status as a publicly listed VC

TechCrunch

In a perfect world, the answer is no, because realizations equal investments, so you are self-sustaining. Personally, and at Draper Esprit, we are big supporters of innovation, so we have helped Mark Boggett at Seraphim [and shared information and] our path. And should we now expect to see Draper Esprit raise more capital per annum?

VC 102
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6 VCs explain why embedded insurance isn’t the only hot opportunity in insurtech

TechCrunch

And given the current emphasis on achieving cost efficiency to extend runways in the broader startup ecosystem, it appears investors are open to insurtech startups that can build a sustainable business model, regardless of it including embedded insurance. And their huge customer base could be a competitive edge.