Welcome back to Startups Weekly, a weekend newsletter that dives into the weeks noteworthy startups and venture capital news.
Before I jump into todays topic, lets catch up a bit.
Last week I wrote about the startups we lost in 2019.
Before that, I noted the defining moments of VC in 2019.Unfortunately, this will be my last newsletter, as I am leaving TechCrunch for a new opportunity.
Dont worry, Startups Weekly isnt going anywhere.
Well have a new writer taking over the weekly update soon enough; in the meantime, TechCrunch editor Henry Pickavet will be at the helm.
You can still get in touch with me on Twitter @KateClarkTweets.If youre new here, you can subscribe to Startups Weekly here.
Lots of good content will be coming your way in 2020.Indias WeWork?TechCrunch reporter Manish Singh penned an interesting piece on the state of Indian startups this week: As Indian startups raise record capital, losses are widening (Extra Crunch membership required).
In it, he claims the financial performance of Indias largest startups are cause for concern.
Gems like Flipkart, BigBasket and Paytm have lost a collective $3 billion in the last year.What is especially troublesome for startups is that there is no clear path for how they would ever generate big profits, he writes.
Silicon Valley companies, for instance, have entered and expanded into India in recent years, investing billions of dollars in local operations, but yet, India has yet to make any substantial contribution to their bottom lines.
If that wasnt challenging enough, many Indian startups compete directly with Silicon Valley giants, which while impressive, is an expensive endeavor.Manishs story came one day after The New York Times published an in-depth report on Oyo, a tech-enabled budget hotel chain and rising star in the Indian tech community.
The NYT wrote that Oyo offers unlicensed rooms and has bribed police officials to deter trouble, among other toxic practices.Whether Oyo, backed by billions from the SoftBank Vision Fund, will become Indias WeWork is the real cause for concern.
Indias startup ecosystem is likely to face a number of barriers as it grows to compete with the likes of Silicon Valley.Follow Manish here or on Twitter for more of TechCrunchs growing India coverage.Venture capital highlights (its been a slow week)How to find the right reporter to pitch your startupIf youve still not subscribed to Extra Crunch, now is the time.
Longtime TechCrunch reporter and editor Josh Constine is launching a new series to teach you how to pitch your startup.
In it he will examine embargoes, exclusives, press kit visuals, interview questions and more.
The first of many, How to find the right reporter to pitch your startup, is online now.Subscribe to Extra Crunch here.#EquityPodAnother week, another new episode of TechCrunchs venture capital-focused podcast, Equity.
This week, we discussed a few of 2019s largest scandals, Pelotons strange holiday ad and the controversy over at the luggage startup Away.
Listen here and be sure to subscribe, too.For anyone wondering about changes at Equity following my departure from TechCrunch, the lovely Alex Wilhelm (founding Equity co-host) will keep the show alive and, soon enough, there will be a brand new co-host in my place.
Please keep supporting the show and be sure to recommend it to all your podcast-adoring friends.