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Cross-border fintech stands out in Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 cohort

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Cross-border fintech is hot right now. The cross-border payments market is forecasted to reach over $250 trillion by 2027, according to the Bank of England . And experts say fintechs are giving banks a run for their money (pun intended) here, especially in the business-to-business sector where artificial intelligence, machine learning and blockchain come into play — all emerging technologies fintechs love. So it’s no surprise that one of the trends among Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 batch of nearly 30 fintech startups is how to more easily move money globally. Here’s a rundown of what I saw during this week’s YC Demo Day: Numo Numo’s verified profile is attached to each invoice sent. (Image credit: Numo) What it does : Offshore bank for international contractors Numo focuses on payroll systems and banking for remote and international contractors. Users get a U.S. bank account and access to low-cost local payment rails. CEO Derrick Wolbert met co-founders Reuben Balik and Q C
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TechCrunch Minute: YC’s Demo Day highlights our AI startup bubble

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Well-known startup accelerator Y Combinator held one of its two yearly demo day events this week, showcasing hundreds of startups that recently went through its program. Judging from our coverage of the two-day event, TechCrunch found lots to like in the presenting companies. Though, if you are a bit tired of the AI chatter, you aren’t going to have too much fun looking at the rundown. There was lots more than just AI on display, so for today’s TechCrunch Minute I compiled a few trends and vibes from the shindig for your enjoyment. Certainly try to tune in live if you can, but if not, let us take you through the highlights and trends that were on display. Accelerators play an important role in the startup world, giving founders early capital and advice as they get off the ground. Y Combinator competes with Techstars and other platforms globally. But with its history of backing some big successes, competition or not we tune into YC’s events. Hit play an
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Pitch Deck Teardown: Queerie's $300K pre-seed deck

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Queerie is a dating app aimed specifically at LGBTQIA+ folks. It’s a very early-stage company that’s raising just $300,000 — a round size that typically falls into the “friends and family” category. Dating is a fiercely competitive space, and there’s been a fair amount of M&A activity over the years, so I was eager to take a closer look. We’re looking for more unique pitch decks to tear down, so if you want to submit your own, here’s how you can do that.  Slides in this deck Queerie shared its full, unredacted, 13-slide pitch deck with TechCrunch. Cover slide Cover slide part 2 Mission slide Problem slide Solution slide Market size slide How it works slide Traction slide Competition slide  Team slide  Ask and Use of Funds slide  6-year (!) financials  Contact slide A couple of things to love about Queerie’s pitch deck The first thing that struck me about Queerie’s deck is that it feels fresh and fun. The use of language and graphics is clean, simple and
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Varda Space's orbital drug factory success fuels $90M in new funding

Varda Space Industries has closed a massive tranche of funding just weeks after its first drug manufacturing capsule returned from orbit. The company’s $90 million Series B round marks an inflection point for the company, which is now gearing up to scale from the initial demonstration mission to a regular set of missions carrying customer payloads, Varda founder Delian Asparouhov told TechCrunch. El Segundo-based Varda was founded in 2021 by Asparouhov, who is also a partner at Founders Fund, and Will Bruey, an spacecraft engineer who cut his teeth at SpaceX. The pair had an audacious goal to commercialize what until very recently was promising but ultimately small-scale research into the effects of microgravity on pharmaceutical crystals. Indeed, Varda’s first mission, which returned to Earth in February after 10 months in orbit, does not mark the first time a drug has been crystallized in microgravity. Astronauts have been conducting protein crystallization experiments in s
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Tesla slashes Model Y inventory prices by as much as $7,000

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Tesla is dropping prices of unsold Model Y SUVs in the U.S. by thousands of dollars in an attempt to clear out an unprecedented backlog of inventory. Many long-range and performance Model Ys are now selling for $5,000 less than their original price, while rear-wheel drive versions are seeing even bigger cuts of more than $7,000. The discounts come as Tesla once again made far more vehicles than it sold in the last quarter. The company built 433,371 vehicles in the first quarter but only shipped 386,810, likely adding more than 40,000 EVs to its inventory glut. (Some of those vehicles were likely in transit, though Tesla didn’t say how many.) The company has built more cars than it shipped in seven of the last eight quarters, Bloomberg News noted Friday. In January, Tesla warned sales growth could be “notably lower” in 2024 compared to previous years — a trend that has bothered every player in the market from big automakers like Ford to struggling up
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Apple lays off over 600 employees in California after abandoning electric car project

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Apple is laying off 614 employees in California after abandoning its electric car project. According to the WARN notice posted by California, Apple notified the affected employees on March 28 and the changes will go into effect on May 27. Affected employees worked at eight locations in Santa Clara, roughly 45 miles south of San Francisco. Although the notice doesn’t specify which projects the employees were working on, Bloomberg reports that most of the affected employees were working at buildings related to its canceled car project, while others were working at a facility for its next-generation screen development. Apple wound down both of these projects toward the end of February. The company started working on its car project, known internally as “Project Titan,” in 2014, and told employees that it was canceling it on February 27. Bloomberg reported at the time that some remaining employees who were working on the car project would be shifted to
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Top 8 Best Headphones for MacBook Air

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A symbol of streamlined design, powerful performance, and unrivaled versatility, the MacBook Air is a product that has become synonymous with portable computing. Combining your MacBook Air with the best headphones may take your listening experience to new heights, regardless of whether you are a student, a creative worker, or a business traveler. There are many headphones on the market, like bone conduction headphones, and over-ear headphones, some headphones are waterproof, and some headphones work with musical instruments. With this comprehensive guide, we take a look at the leading contenders in the world of the best headphones that are designed to work in perfect harmony with the MacBook Air. These headphones provide superior sound quality, style, and comfort.  Best Headphones for MacBook Air 1. Apple AirPods Max Wireless Best Over-Ear Headphones Buy Now on Amazon You can now enjoy music better with the Apple AirPods Max, whether you’re using them with a MacBo
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