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TechCrunch Top 3
- My friends call me Murphy; you call me figure: It’s “iRobot” Comes to Life: The figure emerges from stealth with the first images of his humanoid robot, Brian reports. The robots are currently being tested in manual labor tasks, such as those in warehouses, manufacturing, and retail.
- can i help you: Customer relationships became somewhat dicey during a time during the global pandemic when customers, who could no longer go to a physical store, also did not want to sit in front of a phone or spend hours with a chatbot. Now with $23.5 million in new funding, Attio offers no-code customer relationship management software. Kyle has more.
- circling: Naomi Osaka, Usher and Apolo Ohno are the latest celebrities to back instant ramen startup Immi, which wants to put its hot bowl of comfort food in every home across the country. christina writes
Startups and VCs
Former Facebook executive turned VC Chamath Palihapitiya has long been a controversial figure in the investment world. The investor says it could take three years for the market to “accurately” re-list late-stage companies, Conny reports.
Meanwhile, Conny also reports that Felicis announced today that it closed its ninth flagship fund with $825 million, up from the $600 million main fund it announced in the summer of 2021. The vehicle brings the company’s total assets under management to $3 thousand. millions. The fund closed 50% more deals last year than in 2021, some because prices kept rising, and he says he has no regrets.
And another bit of stories to calm the wild beast:
How to turn an open source project into a profitable business
Image Credits: yuanmonino (Opens in a new window) / Fake Images
Many developers rely on donations and crowdfunding to monetize open source projects, but with proper planning, teams can leverage their work for commercial clients that will put them in a higher tax bracket.
Offering users customer support or consulting services are common sources of revenue, according to product development consultant Victoria Melnikova, who also says developers should form partnerships and use platforms like Reddit and Hacker News to reach potential customers who they pay.
“To find your way, talk to your clients and understand their goals and pains.”
Three more from the TC+ team:
TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps start-up founders and teams get ahead of the rest. You can sign up here. Use code “DC” to get 15% off an annual subscription!
big tech inc
The photo of Marc Benioff reminds us of the movie “Gladiator” where Russell Crowe’s character shouts: “Aren’t you entertained?” Well, we hope he’s entertained by the latest in what we call “The Salesforce Saga.” Ron and Alex I report that despite all the trouble from activist investors, executive departures, and layoffs, Salesforce strikes back with better-than-expected earnings.
Meanwhile, kirsten, Rebeca and harry I listened to Tesla Investor Day and shared with you everything Elon Musk and the execs shared (and left out).
Now here’s the short-short version of six more:
