The digital transformation currently sweeping society has likely reached your favorite local restaurant.<\/p>\n
Since 2013, Boston-based Toast has offered bars and eateries a software platform that lets them manage orders, payments and deliveries.<\/p>\n
Over the last year, its customers have processed more than $38 billion in gross payment volume, so Alex Wilhelm analyzed the company\u2019s S-1 for The Exchange<\/a> with great interest.<\/p>\n \u201cToast was last valued at just under $5 billion when it last raised, per Crunchbase data,\u201d he writes. \u201cAnd folks are saying that it could be worth $20 billion in its debut. Does that square with the numbers?\u201d<\/p>\n Full Extra Crunch articles are only available to members. Airbnb, DoorDash and Coinbase each debuted at past Y Combinator Demo Days; as of this writing, they employ a combined 10,000 people.<\/p>\n Today and tomorrow, TechCrunch reporters will cover the proceedings at YC\u2019s Summer 20201 Demo Day. In addition to writing up founder pitches, they\u2019ll also rank their favorites.<\/p>\n Even remotely, I can feel a palpable sense of excitement radiating from our team \u2014 anything can happen at YC Demo Day, so sign up for Extra Crunch<\/a> to follow the action.<\/p>\n Thanks very much for reading; I hope you have an excellent week.<\/p>\n Walter Thompson 5 takeaways from Toast\u2019s S-1 filing<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Ron Miller\/TechCrunch<\/p>\n In August 2006, AWS activated its EC2 cloud-based virtual computer, a milestone in the cloud infrastructure giant\u2019s development.<\/p>\n \u201cYou really can\u2019t overstate what Amazon was able to accomplish,\u201d writes enterprise reporter Ron Miller.<\/p>\n In the 15 years since, EC2 has enabled clients of any size to test and run their own applications on AWS\u2019 virtual machines.<\/p>\n To learn more about a fundamental technological shift that \u201cwould help fuel a whole generation of startups,\u201d Ron interviewed EC2 VP Dave Brown, who built and led the Amazon EC2 Frontend team.<\/p>\n How Amazon EC2 grew from a notion into a foundational element of cloud computing<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Image Credits:\u00a0<\/strong>Jasmin Merdan\u00a0(opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a>\/\u00a0Getty Images<\/p>\n Most managers agree that OKRs foster transparency and accountability, but running a team effectively has different challenges when workers are attending all-hands meetings from their kitchen tables.<\/p>\n Instead of just discussing key metrics before board meetings or performance reviews, make them part of the day-to-day culture, recommends Jeremy Epstein, Gtmhub\u2019s CMO.<\/p>\n \u201cStrengthen your team by creating authentic workplace transparency using numbers as a universal language and providing meaning behind your team\u2019s work.\u201d<\/p>\n 3 ways to become a better manager in the work-from-home era<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Image Credits:<\/strong> Getty Images under an Andrii Yalanskyi (opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a> license<\/p>\n Many founders must overcome a few emotional hurdles before they\u2019re comfortable pitching a potential investor face-to-face.<\/p>\n To alleviate that pressure, Unicorn Capital founder Evan Fisher recommends that entrepreneurs use pre-pitch meetings to build and strengthen relationships before asking for a check:<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the \u2018we actually aren\u2019t looking for money; we just want to be friends for now\u2019 pitch that gets you on an investor\u2019s radar so that when it\u2019s time to raise your next round, they\u2019ll be far more likely to answer the phone because they actually know who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n Pre-pitches are good for more than curing the jitters: These conversations help founders get a better sense of how VCs think and sometimes lead to serendipitous outcomes.<\/p>\n \u201cInvestors are opportunists by necessity,\u201d says Fisher, \u201cso if they like the cut of your business\u2019s jib, you never know \u2014 the FOMO might start kicking hard.\u201d<\/p>\n The pre-pitch: 7 ways to build relationships with VCs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Image Credits:<\/strong> MirageC (opens in a new window)<\/span><\/a> \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n FischerJordan\u2019s Deeba Goyal and Archita Bhandari break down the pandemic\u2019s impact on alternative lenders, specifically what they had to do to survive the crisis, taking a look at smaller lenders including Credibly, Kabbage, Kapitus and BlueVine.<\/p>\n \u201cOnly those who were able to find a way through the complexities of their existing capital sources were able to maintain their performance, and the rest were left to perish or find new funding avenues,\u201d they write.<\/p>\n Lessons from COVID: Flexible funding is a must for alternative lenders<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
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How Amazon EC2 grew from a notion into a foundational element of cloud computing<\/h2>\n
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3 ways to become a better manager in the work-from-home era<\/h2>\n
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The pre-pitch: 7 ways to build relationships with VCs<\/h2>\n
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Lessons from COVID: Flexible funding is a must for alternative lenders<\/h2>\n
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Inside Freshworks\u2019 IPO filing<\/h2>\n
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