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Why can being the last company to start in a given category pay off?

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Caraway, dtc, startups, venture capital

When Jordan Nathan launched his DTC non-toxic cookware company Caraway in 2019, he knew he wasn’t the only founder trying to sell a recent brand of pots and pans to millennials scrolling through Instagram. However, he found that running after his peers turned out to be a blessing in disguise in all but one area.

Once launched, Caraway joined firms like Our Place, Great Jones and Made In Cookware in an increasingly crowded category of online cookware startups. However, being barely late to the party allowed Caraway to see what other brands and goal audiences were like, Nathan said on a recent episode of TechCrunch’s Found podcast. This allowed Caraway to change its approach and check out to fill the gaps that these brands left open.

Nathan said Caraway initially planned to top off on factory-made pans and goal millennials who were searching for something nicer than what may very well be found at IKEA but weren’t yet at the wedding registry stage. Every other DTC cookware brand seemed to have the same idea, so Caraway switched gears and as an alternative focused on wedding registries and beyond, putting a little more effort and time into designing their products.

“It helped us change our color palette, it helped us change the price point and what items we put in the set,” Nathan said. “And while many other brands have done many things right, we have managed to carve out our space in the DTC kitchen world where others have not dabbled.”

Seeing other brand launches also modified the way the company sold its first set of products. Nathan said Caraway initially intended to sell its cookware in each sets and individual pieces, but when it realized that no competitors were selling sets, the company went all out and launched sets – without the option to purchase one piece at a time. the price of time.

Caraway’s competitors also helped Caraway resolve to start talking to retailers early in the process. Nathan said they at all times planned to bring the product to stores, but seeing that no other DTC brands wanted to enter the retail market, Caraway began talking to retailers before launching the product online. Caraway sets can now be found, amongst others: at Target and Costco.

Early entry into retail stores helped Caraway solidify its share of wedding registries as Caraway began operating at retailers that had existing registry businesses, equivalent to Target and Bed Bath & Beyond, before it went bankrupt. This made Caraway a more natural alternative for couples constructing their registry than competition from cookware startups.

While being a later participant helped Caraway in some ways, it actually hurt in one area, Nathan said. “We were actually both the last ones to come to market, but we were also the last ones to raise funds,” Nathan said. “So when we went to raise funds, every investor we talked to had already chosen a kitchen brand they wanted to take on and invest in.”

Because of this, the first round of fundraising was arduous, and Nathan said that after 10 months of talking to five to eight investors a day, they were able to close a seed round with over 100 investors and no big checks from VCs.

But now, five years later, plainly being late to the game can have paid off. The company has raised greater than $40 million in enterprise capital and has expanded its product lines to include baking and food storage tools, with more in the pipeline.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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Revolut will introduce mortgage loans, smart ATMs and business lending products

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Revolutthe London-based fintech unicorn shared several elements of the corporate’s 2025 roadmap at a company event in London on Friday. One of the corporate’s important goals for next yr will be to introduce an AI-enabled assistant that will help its 50 million customers navigate financial apps, manage money and customize software.

Considering that artificial intelligence is at the middle of everyone’s attention, this move shouldn’t be surprising. But an AI assistant could actually help differentiate Revolut from traditional banking services, which have been slower to adapt to latest technologies.

When Revolut launched its app almost 10 years ago, many individuals discovered the concept of debit cards with real-time payment notifications. Users may lock the cardboard from the app.

Many banks now can help you control your card using your phone. However, they’re unlikely to supply AI features that might be useful yet.

In addition to the AI ​​assistant, Revolut announced that it will introduce branded ATMs to the market. These will end in money being spent (obviously), but in addition cards – which could encourage latest sign-ups.

Revolut said it plans so as to add facial recognition features to its ATMs in the longer term, which could help with authentication without using the same old card and PIN protocol. It will be interesting to see the way it implements this technology in a way that complies with European Union data protection regulations, which require explicit consent to make use of biometric data for identification purposes.

According to the corporate, Revolut ATMs will start appearing in Spain in early 2025.

Revolut has had a banking license in Europe for a while, which implies it may offer lending products to its retail customers. It already offers bank cards and personal loans in some countries.

Now the corporate plans to expand into mortgage loans – some of the popular lending products in Europe – with an emphasis on speed. If it’s an easy request, customers should generally expect immediate approval and a final offer inside one business day. However, mortgages are rarely easy, so it will be interesting to see if Revolut overpromises.

It appears that the mortgage market rollout will be slow. Revolut said it was starting in Lithuania, with Ireland and France expected to follow suit. Although all these premieres are scheduled for 2025.

Finally, Revolut intends to expand its business offering in Europe with its first loan products and savings accounts. In the payments space, it will enable business customers to supply “buy now, pay later” payment options.

Revolut will introduce Revolut kiosks with biometric payments especially for restaurants and stores.

If all these features seem overwhelming, it’s because Revolut is consistently committed to product development, rolling out latest features quickly. And 2025 looks no different.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal is leaving PhonePe’s board

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Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal has stepped down three-quarters from PhonePe’s board after making an identical move on the e-commerce giant.

Bengaluru-based PhonePe said it has appointed Manish Sabharwal, executive director at recruitment and human resources firm Teamlease, as an independent director and chairman of the audit committee.

Bansal played a key role in Flipkart’s acquisition of PhonePe in 2016 and has since served on the fintech’s board. The Walmart-backed startup, which operates India’s hottest mobile payment app, spun off from Flipkart in 2022 and was valued at $12 billion in funding rounds that raised about $850 million last 12 months.

Bansal still holds about 1% of PhonePe. Neither party explained why they were leaving the board.

“I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Binny Bansal for being one of the first and staunchest supporters of PhonePe,” Sameer Nigam, co-founder and CEO of PhonePe, said in a press release. His lively involvement, strategic advice and private mentoring have profoundly enriched our discussions. We will miss Binny!”

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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The company is currently developing washing machines for humans

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Forget about cold baths. Washing machines for people may soon be a brand new solution.

According to at least one Japanese the oldest newspapersOsaka-based shower head maker Science has developed a cockpit-shaped device that fills with water when a bather sits on a seat in the center and measures an individual’s heart rate and other biological data using sensors to make sure the temperature is good. “It also projects images onto the inside of the transparent cover to make the person feel refreshed,” the power says.

The device, dubbed “Mirai Ningen Sentakuki” (the human washing machine of the longer term), may never go on sale. Indeed, for now the company’s plans are limited to the Osaka trade fair in April, where as much as eight people will have the option to experience a 15-minute “wash and dry” every day after first booking.

Apparently a version for home use is within the works.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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