Daily Crunch: Ledger locks in another $108 million to double down on hardware crypto wallets
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Image credit: Ledger
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Thursday aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! It’s one of our favorite days of the week. Definitely in the top 7. — Christine and Shark
TechCrunch Top 3
- Crypto wallet in disguise: Ledger, a company that designs and manufactures crypto wallets, is now at odds with actual cash. Roman writes that after raising over $380 million in 2021, in today’s dollars, Ledger raised $108 million, with the same value and from a long list of investors.
- Even contact centers need technology: Customers have many questions, and to provide the best experience, you need more than just a friendly voice on the other end of the phone. That’s where Parloa comes in, raising $21 million to add some automation to contact centers, Kyle write.
- Cashing in on the generative AI frenzy: I KyleToday’s other top story, Fixie, backed by $17 million in venture capital, wants to make it easier for companies to build on top of language models.
Startups and VCs
“Our story starts 15 years ago,” said Frédéric Utzmann, founder and CEO of Effy, Roman. After 15 years in business, the energy renovation company is at a crossroads and has just closed a $22 million funding round from Felix Capital to make the most of opportunities in the energy renovation space.
The layoffs continue: Indian edtech Unacademy is cutting another 12% of jobs, and online used car marketplace Shift is cutting its workforce by 30%.
Another handful of wisdom and nuggets:
How to build a sales development rep strategy that will fill your B2B pipeline
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Image credit: kampee patisena (opens in new window) / Getty Images
Marketing teams deserve all the credit for creating innovative campaigns that break through the noise: Convincing someone to try a new product or service takes real skill!
In practice, however, sales development representatives (SDRs) do most of the work required to acquire new customers, “making cold calls, writing emails or sending outbound mail,” says GTM strategist Mike Tong.
Because it takes “about 15 touches for a prospect to want to see a demo,” Tong wrote a TC+ guide for early-stage CEOs who need guidance around hiring and incentivizing SDR teams.
“Pipeline generation for early-stage companies is expensive and time-consuming, often more than the sales process itself. That said, getting it right is probably the most important thing you can do for your business.”
Three more from the TC+ team:
TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps entrepreneurs and start-up teams get ahead of the pack. You can register here. Use the code “DC” for 15% off an annual subscription!
Big Tech Inc.
It seems we can’t go many days without more news about a company cutting jobs. This time, Roku is conducting a second round of layoffs, this time involving 200 employees, or 6% of its workforce, citing “a larger plan to reduce year-over-year growth in operating expenses and prioritize projects that it believes will have a higher return on the investment” Sarah write. This comes four months after Roku laid off its first 200 people.
In the meantime, if you’re looking to book an eco-friendly tour, you’re in luck. Uber expands its Comfort Electric offering to 14 new markets in the US and Canada, Rebecca reports. You can choose between Tesla Models S, 3, X and Y; Polestar 2; Ford Mustang Mach-E; Audi e-tron; Porsche Taycan; and the Hyundai Ioniq.
And we have five more for you:
