Youper, un chatbot que ayuda a los usuarios a navegar sus emociones, recauda $ 3 millones en fondos semilla

Youper, una aplicación de salud mental con un chatbot que llama un "asistente de salud emocional", ha recaudado $ 3 millones en fondos semilla de Goodwater Capital. Los fondos se utilizarán para acelerar el desarrollo de Youper. Capacidades basadas en inteligencia artificial y crecimiento de su base de usuarios.

Con sede en San Francisco, Youper fue cofundada en 2016 por el Dr. José Hamilton. Durante una década, Hamilton trabajó como psiquiatra en entornos clínicos, atendiendo a más de 3,000 pacientes. Mientras hablaba con ellos, se dio cuenta de que un puñado de barreras impedía a muchas personas buscar ayuda antes, incluso si habían lidiado con la ansiedad o la depresión durante años.

"El primero es el miedo, cuidarse, hablar sobre su salud mental, comprender su salud mental", le dice a TechCrunch. "Ver a un terapeuta o psiquiatra es super intimidante. Es por eso que todos mis pacientes solían decir lo mismo. La segunda barrera es el costo, por supuesto. Los psiquiatras y los terapeutas son muy caros ".

Hamilton se asoció con el cofundador Diego Couto, el director de crecimiento y productos de la empresa, y Thiago Marafon, su director de tecnología, para crear una aplicación que haría que la salud mental sea menos intimidante y más accesible. Originalmente crearon una aplicación que no tenía una interfaz de conversación. En cambio, Hamilton dice que tomó un enfoque similar a Calm and Headspace. Pero eso dio lugar a una tasa de participación de los usuarios muy baja y, después de un año, el equipo se dio cuenta de que Youper necesitaba proporcionar una experiencia más personalizada, haciendo coincidir a los usuarios con las técnicas psicológicas adecuadas, incluidas las técnicas de comportamiento cognitivo y la atención plena, para sus necesidades.

Youper forma parte de una creciente lista de aplicaciones que utilizan chatbots basados ​​en IA para ayudar a los usuarios a mejorar su salud emocional, incluidos Woebot, Wysa y Tess de X2. Hamilton dice que Youper quiere diferenciarse con su enfoque en la personalización, combinando la investigación de salud mental y los datos del usuario para hacer coincidir las técnicas psicológicas correctas con los usuarios.

Capturas de pantalla de Youper, una aplicación para el bienestar emocional.

El inicio afirma que Youper ha sido descargado más de un millón de veces hasta ahora. La mayoría de sus usuarios son adultos jóvenes y que hay más mujeres que hombres que usan Youper.

"Creo que eso se debe a que las mujeres enfrentan nuevos desafíos en nuestra sociedad al conquistar nuevos espacios y asumir nuevos roles, y eso representa un costo emocional". Otra razón es que las mujeres están más sintonizadas con el autocuidado que los hombres ", dice. "A veces siento que los hombres esperamos demasiado tiempo sufriendo en silencio".

Para los usuarios que nunca han consultado con un proveedor, Youper proporciona una introducción suave a los tipos de preguntas y ejercicios que pueden experimentar en la terapia. Las preguntas y los ejercicios proporcionados por el chatbot de Youper están destinados a ayudar a los usuarios a lograr una mejor comprensión de sus emociones, pensamientos y comportamiento.

El chatbot de Youper les pide a los usuarios que se centren en sus pensamientos e identifiquen cómo se sienten a partir de un menú de palabras descriptivas. Luego, una escala que les permite calificar la fuerza de esa emoción de "ligeramente" a "extremadamente". Más preguntas les ayudan a reducir lo que está causando a esos sentimientos y rastrear su estado de ánimo. Los usuarios también tienen opciones para ejercicios de atención plena y sugerencias de registro en diario.

Hamilton dice que el tiempo promedio que los usuarios pasan en cada sesión con su chatbot es de aproximadamente siete minutos, con un 80% reportando una reducción en los estados de ánimo negativos después de una conversación. La startup también afirma que después de 30 días, un cuarto de las personas que se registraron en Youper siguen siendo usuarios activos.

Actualmente, Youper es gratuito, aunque la compañía puede probar un modelo de freemium en el futuro con características premium. Utiliza datos de usuarios anónimos en su propia investigación para mejorar Youper, pero los mantiene privados y no comparte ni vende datos o información de usuarios.

Por supuesto, una aplicación no es un reemplazo para ver a un terapeuta o psiquiatra, pero Youper presenta una barrera de entrada mucho menor para las personas que están preocupadas por el estigma de ver a un profesional. Hamilton dice que espera que el uso de Youper aliente a más personas a buscar tratamiento médico antes si lo necesitan haciéndolos sentir más cómodos con la idea de hablar sobre su salud emocional.

“En promedio, toma 10 años para que alguien finalmente hable con un proveedor de salud. Esto podría convertirse en 10 minutos con una aplicación como Youper ", dice Hamilton. "Tener una aplicación con una barrera de entrada muy baja, sin estigma, que tiene que ver con la salud emocional y cuidarse a sí mismo, demuestra que no necesita tener miedo".

norte norte

Una moneda global

Facebook tiene algo seguro: el dinero de hoy no funciona para todos. Aquellos de nosotros que vivimos cómodamente en países desarrollados probablemente no veamos las dificultades que afectan a los trabajadores migrantes o los no bancarizados en el extranjero. Preocupados por los codiciosos prestamistas de día de pago y los servicios de remesas de alta tarifa, seleccionados por los atracadores y excluidos de los servicios financieros tradicionales, los pobres se empobrecen. Libra tiene el potencial de devolver más dinero de los padres que trabajan a sus familias y ayudar a las personas a retener el crédito, incluso si les roban sus posesiones físicas. Eso haría más para cumplir la misión de Facebook de hacer que el mundo se sienta más pequeño que todos los "Me gusta" de las noticias combinadas.

Si Facebook tiene éxito y las legiones de personas cobran dinero en efectivo por Libra, él y los otros miembros fundadores de la Asociación de Libra podrían obtener grandes dividendos sobre los intereses. Y si de repente se vuelve súper rápido para comprar cosas a través de Facebook usando Libra, las empresas aumentarán su gasto en publicidad allí. Pero si Libra es pirateada o no es confiable, podría costarle dinero a muchas personas de todo el mundo mientras las agrupa en las criptomonedas. Y al ofrecer una plataforma Libra abierta, los desarrolladores con sombra podrían crear aplicaciones que no solo capturan la información personal de las personas como Cambridge Analytica, sino también su efectivo digital.

Facebook acaba de intentar reinventar el dinero. El próximo año, veremos si la Asociación de Libra puede lograrlo. Me tomó 4000 palabras para explicar Libra, pero al menos ahora puedes decidirte si te da miedo el criptografía de Facebook.

Facebook finalmente ha revelado los detalles de su criptomoneda Libra, que te permitirá comprar cosas o enviar dinero a personas con tarifas casi nulas. Puede comprar o retirar su Libra en línea o en puntos de intercambio locales, como tiendas de comestibles, y gastarlo utilizando aplicaciones de billetera de terceros interoperables o la billetera de Calibra de Facebook. 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Josh Constine es un periodista tecnológico que se especializa en el análisis profundo de productos sociales. Actualmente es un Editor-At-Large para TechCrunch y está disponible para charlas.

Anteriormente, Constine fue la principal escritora de Inside Facebook a través de su adquisición por parte de WebMediaBrands, cubriendo todo lo relacionado con la red social.

Constine se graduó de la Universidad de Stanford en 2009 con una maestría en cibersociología, examinando la influencia de la tecnología en la interacción social. Investigó el impacto de los controles de privacidad en la socialización de los niños, los ciclos de popularidad de los memes y lo que influye en la tasa de clics de los enlaces publicados en Twitter.

Constine también recibió una licenciatura con honores de la Universidad de Stanford en 2007, con especialización en psicología social y procesos interpersonales.

Josh Constine es un orador público experimentado y ha moderado más de 120 entrevistas en el escenario en 15 países con líderes que incluyen al CEO de Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, al informante Edward Snowden (a través de una videoconferencia en el escenario) y al senador estadounidense Cory Booker. Está disponible para moderar paneles y charlas informales, ofrecer conferencias y juzgar competiciones de hackathon y pitch.

Constine ha sido citada por The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, The Atlantic, BBC World Magazine, Slate y más, y ha aparecido en televisión en Good Morning, America, The Today Show, China Central Television y Fox News. Constine está clasificada como la periodista tecnológica más citada # 1 en el prestigioso agregador de noticias Techmeme.

Entonces, ¿por qué me importa si el proveedor tiene que pagar tarifas de transacción a Visa? Eso no parece ser razón suficiente para que yo adopte una nueva moneda.

Esto puede reemplazar transacciones en efectivo o débito para muchas personas. Sin embargo, será una venta difícil para los clientes de tarjetas de crédito en los Estados Unidos. Las tarjetas de crédito tienen 4 beneficios sobre Libra.
n1) Capacidad para gastar ahora y pagar más tarde. Incluso sin intereses al pagar dentro de un mes.
n2) Capacidad para ganar dinero en efectivo o recompensas. Los comerciantes están pagando tarifas y recompensas, pero en los Estados Unidos rara vez cobran al cliente por esas tarifas.
n3) Las transacciones no son finales como lo son con efectivo, débito y Libra. El cliente puede impugnar cargos fraudulentos y hacer que las transacciones se reviertan.
n4) Se aceptan tarjetas de crédito en casi todos los Estados Unidos.

Dicho esto, este parece ser el mejor intento de crear una moneda criptográfica estable hasta el momento. Esto puede ganar mucha tracción en países donde las personas no tienen acceso a monedas estables y para las personas que no tienen acceso a crédito.

Soy escéptico Si KYC es un requisito, ¿qué les impide censurar a las personas que no les gustan? Por ejemplo, si tienes un canal de historia en YouTube o algo así, y ellos deciden prohibirte por discurso de odio. Y de repente no puedes gastar más tu Libra.

Facebook es conocido por censurar contenido indeseable y recopilar cantidades obscenas de datos privados sobre sus usuarios (y no usuarios. La subsidiaria de Facebook, WhatsApp, anunció que demandaría a los usuarios por violar sus Términos de Uso, incluso si esa violación se produjo en una plataforma o en una plataforma diferente). -espacio.

No puedo imaginar que FaceBucks esté libre de esas preocupaciones.

Todavía no he leído el documento. Creo que Libra va a tener una dificultad significativa para mantener la estabilidad de la moneda a menos que las tarifas de gas sean altas para desincentivar el arbitraje o que existan reglas estrictas para el comercio.

Hm ... ¿qué hay de enviar dinero a ultramar? Cuando viajas, necesitas hacer un cambio de moneda, pierdes un montón de dinero haciendo eso. 7% suena como una figura justa.

Compañías como TransferWise están reduciendo el costo de las transferencias internacionales y el acceso al dinero en el extranjero. No necesita monedas criptográficas para asumir la industria de las remesas. Solo necesita una empresa con menos gastos generales y más automatización para reducir los costos de transacción.

@Erik De Vries Transferwise lamentablemente sigue siendo realmente caro. Yo diría que debido a los requisitos reglamentarios impuestos a este tipo de empresas. A medida que se establezca la regulación, es probable que esta plataforma también se vuelva más costosa hasta que pueda ser verdaderamente descentralizada.

Josh Constine es un periodista tecnológico que se especializa en el análisis profundo de productos sociales. Actualmente es un Editor-At-Large para TechCrunch y está disponible para charlas.

Anteriormente, Constine fue la principal escritora de Inside Facebook a través de su adquisición por parte de WebMediaBrands, cubriendo todo lo relacionado con la red social.

Constine se graduó de la Universidad de Stanford en 2009 con una maestría en cibersociología, examinando la influencia de la tecnología en la interacción social. Investigó el impacto de los controles de privacidad en la socialización de los niños, los ciclos de popularidad de los memes y lo que influye en la tasa de clics de los enlaces publicados en Twitter.

Constine también recibió una licenciatura con honores de la Universidad de Stanford en 2007, con especialización en psicología social y procesos interpersonales.

Josh Constine es un orador público experimentado y ha moderado más de 120 entrevistas en el escenario en 15 países con líderes que incluyen al CEO de Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, al informante Edward Snowden (a través de una videoconferencia en el escenario) y al senador estadounidense Cory Booker. Está disponible para moderar paneles y charlas informales, ofrecer conferencias y juzgar competiciones de hackathon y pitch.

Constine ha sido citada por The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money, The Atlantic, BBC World Magazine, Slate y más, y ha aparecido en televisión en Good Morning, America, The Today Show, China Central Television y Fox News. Constine está clasificada como la periodista tecnológica más citada # 1 en el prestigioso agregador de noticias Techmeme.

The first time I showed the Palm phone to the TechCrunch staff, they were excited. At the very least, it was a unique take on the category, designed to be a second phone for those moments that didnu2019t require a larger, bulkier device.

But reality set in pretty quickly. The deviceu2019s capabilities were severely limited by a number of factors, including size. The biggest issue, however, was a Verizon exclusive that only let users purchase the device as a second handset tied to an existing account.

Back in April, the company announced that the 3.3-inch phone could be purchased as a standalone device u2014 albeit still through Verizon or US Mobile. Today, itu2019s expanding that, making the handset available unlocked, so it will work with AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and MetroPCS SIMs.

The phoneu2019s available u201cat onlyu201d $350. Thatu2019s cheap compared to many full-sized, mid-tier handsets, but cheapness is certainly a relative concept. It still seems like a lot for a second phone, and while itu2019s certainly adorable, Iu2019d strongly advise against anyone using it as a primary handset. Heck, itu2019s not even all that great as a standalone MP3 player.

If youu2019re still interested, you can pre-order it today u2014 and Palm will throw in a $30 leather case with neck and wrist lanyards. It starts shipping in six to eight weeks.

The first time I showed the Palm phone to the TechCrunch staff, they were excited. At the very least, it was a unique take on the category, designed to be a second phone for those moments that didnu2019t require a larger, bulkier device. But reality set in pretty quickly. The deviceu2019s capabilities were severely limited […] n","protected":false},"author":699688,"featured_media":1732288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"outcome":"","status":"","crunchbase_tag":0,"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"jetpack_publicize_message":"Palmu2019s tiny phone is available unlocked at $350 https://tcrn.ch/2IQznKt by @bheater"},"categories":[449223024,449557028],"tags":[1515,38616],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_event":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/CMB_50021.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"shortlink":"https://tcrn.ch/2IQznKt","rapidData":{"pt":"","pct":""},"featured":false,"subtitle":"","fundingRound":false,"seoTitle":"","seoDescription":"","premiumContent":false,"premiumCutoffPercent":1,"tc_cb_mapping":[{"slug":"palm","cb_name":"Palm","cb_slug":"palm-organization","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/organization/palm"}],"associatedEvent":null,"event":null,"authors":[699688],"hideFeaturedImage":false,"relatedArticles":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1845252"}],"collection":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/types/post"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1845252/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1845265,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1845252/revisions/1845265"}],"authors":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/tc/v1/users/699688"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"count":1,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/comments?post=1845252&order=asc&tc_hierarchical=flat"}],"https://techcrunch.com/edit":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1845252&action=edit"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/tc/v1/users/699688"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media/1732288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media?parent=1845252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/categories?post=1845252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tags?post=1845252"},{"taxonomy":"_tc_cb_tag_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/crunchbase_tag?post=1845252"},{"taxonomy":"tc_stories_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_stories_tax?post=1845252"},{"taxonomy":"tc_event","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_event?post=1845252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https://api.w.org/{rel}","templated":true}]},"_embedded":{"authors":[{"id":699688"name":"BrianHeater""url":"""description":"""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/brian-heater/""slug":"brian-heater""avatar_urls":{"24":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/eb77d830ad404e16ee7a4c7000b5f49d?s=24&d=identicon&r=g""48":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/eb77d830ad404e16ee7a4c7000b5f49d?s=48&d=identicon&r=g""96":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/eb77d830ad404e16ee7a4c7000b5f49d?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"}"links":{"twitter":"https://twittercom/bheater""linkedin":"http://wwwlinkedincom/pub/brian-heater/1/a92/94""crunchbase":"https://wwwcrunchbasecom/person/brian-heater"}"position":"HardwareEditor""cbDescription":"[{"id":699688"name":"BrianHeater""url":"""description":"""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/brian-heater/""slug":"brian-heater""avatar_urls":{"24":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/eb77d830ad404e16ee7a4c7000b5f49d?s=24&d=identicon&r=g""48":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/eb77d830ad404e16ee7a4c7000b5f49d?s=48&d=identicon&r=g""96":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/eb77d830ad404e16ee7a4c7000b5f49d?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"}"links":{"twitter":"https://twittercom/bheater""linkedin":"http://wwwlinkedincom/pub/brian-heater/1/a92/94""crunchbase":"https://wwwcrunchbasecom/person/brian-heater"}"position":"HardwareEditor""cbDescription":"

Brian Heater is the Hardware Editor at TechCrunch. He worked for a number of leading tech publications, including Engadget, PCMag, Laptop, and Tech Times, where he served as the Managing Editor. His writing has appeared in Spin, Wired, Playboy, Entertainment Weekly, The Onion, Boing Boing, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Beast and various other publications. He hosts the weekly Boing Boing interview podcast RiYL, has appeared as a regular NPR contributor and shares his Queens apartment with a rabbit named Lucy.

So explain this to a dummy…

How can you use it as a second phone when the carriers won’t sell you two valid/live SIM cards that both point to the same phone number?

Gracias

Brian Heater is the Hardware Editor at TechCrunch. He worked for a number of leading tech publications, including Engadget, PCMag, Laptop, and Tech Times, where he served as the Managing Editor. His writing has appeared in Spin, Wired, Playboy, Entertainment Weekly, The Onion, Boing Boing, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Beast and various other publications. He hosts the weekly Boing Boing interview podcast RiYL, has appeared as a regular NPR contributor and shares his Queens apartment with a rabbit named Lucy.

Three years ago, I met with a founder who had raised a massive seed round at a valuation that was at least five times the market rate. I asked what firm made the investment.

She said it was not a traditional venture firm, but rather au00a0inversionista estratégico that not only had no ties to her space but also had no prior investment experience. The strategic investor, she said, was looking to u201cget their hands dirtyu201d and u201cget in on the ground floor.u201d

Over the next 2 years, I kept a close eye on the founder. Although she had enough capital to pivot her business focus multiple times, she seemed to be at odds, serving the needs of her strategic investor and her customer base.

Ultimately, when the business needed more capital to survive, the strategic investor didnu2019t agree with the founderu2019s focus, opted not to prop it up, and the business had to shut down.

Sadly, this is not an uncommon story as examples abound of strategic investors influencing startup direction and management decisions to the point of harm for the startup. Corporate strategics, not to be confused with dedicated funds focused on financial returns like a traditional venture investor like Google Ventures,u00a0often care less about return on investment, and more about a startupu2019s focus, and sector specificity. If corporate imperatives change, the strategicu00a0may cease to be the right partneru00a0or could push the startup inu00a0a challenging direction.

And yet, fortunately, as the disruptive power of technology is being unleashed on nearly every major industry, strategic investors are now getting smarter, both in terms of howu00a0they investu00a0and how they partner with entrepreneurs.

From making strong acquisitive plays (i.e.u00a0GMu2019s purchase of Cruise Automationu00a0oru00a0Toyotau2019s early-stage investment in Uber) to buildingu00a0dedicated funds, to executing commercial agreements in tandem with capital investment, strategics are getting savvier, and by extension, becoming better partners.u00a0 In some instances, they may be the best partner.

Negotiating a term sheet with a strategic investor necessitates a different set of considerations. Namely: the preference for a strategic to facilitate commercial milestones for the startup, a cautious approach to avoid the u201cover-valuationu201d trap, an acute focus on information rights, and the limitation of non-compete provisions.

Three years ago, I met with a founder who had raised a massive seed round at a valuation that was at least five times the market rate. I asked what firm made the investment…

Vector concept illustration

A number of incumbent banks are known to be developing new digital-first products in a bid to keep the new wave of challenger banks at bay and now it appears that the latest to make that move is J.P. Morgan.

According to sources, the investment bank has begun recruiting for a secretive skunkworks project within London’s booming fintech industry. Very few details are known about what exactly J.P. Morgan plans to build, although TechCrunch understands the bank is busy hiring high level developers with full-stack and cloud-based dev skills for the new project, along with other personnel.

One source tells me that interested candidates are being asked to sign an NDA, and that the project is still in its formative stages. They say the plan is to essentially build a startup within a corporation that will be run independently and entirely separately from J.P. Morgan’s existing technology and businesses. The bank is only hiring for permanent positions rather than contractors in order to keep it “secret,” another source tells me. J.P. Morgan declined to comment.

Meanwhile, for the few people I’ve spoken to who have heard about the project there’s speculation that J.P. Morgan is developing a competitor to “Marcus,” the digital bank launched by Goldman Sachs that focuses on savings and offers a competitive interest rate. That would also put it up against challenger banks such as Atom, Tandem and savings marketplace Raisin.

However, one source tells me they’ve heard that J.P. Morgan’s skunkworks project could in fact be a much more ambitious cloud-based banking platform on which numerous products can be launched. That would be more akin to a core banking SaaS platform or “AWS for Banking,” along the lines of Starling’s core banking product or Germany’s solarisBank or London’s 11:FS Foundry.

A number of incumbent banks are known to be developing new digital-first products in a bid to keep the new wave of challenger banks at bay and now it appears that the latest to make that move is J.P. Morgan. According to sources, the investment bank has begun recruiting for a secretive skunkworks project within […] n","protected":false},"author":1180458,"featured_media":1845416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"outcome":"","status":"","crunchbase_tag":0,"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"jetpack_publicize_message":"Sources: J.P. Morgan working on a secretive digital banking project based out of London https://tcrn.ch/2IoqdFN by @sohear"},"categories":[449557100,17396],"tags":[],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_event":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Jp_morgan_building.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"shortlink":"https://tcrn.ch/2IoqdFN","rapidData":{"pt":"","pct":""},"featured":false,"subtitle":"","fundingRound":false,"seoTitle":"","seoDescription":"","premiumContent":false,"premiumCutoffPercent":1,"tc_cb_mapping":[],"associatedEvent":null,"event":null,"authors":[1180458],"hideFeaturedImage":false,"relatedArticles":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1845202"}],"collection":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/types/post"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1845202/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1845514,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1845202/revisions/1845514"}],"authors":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/tc/v1/users/1180458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"count":0,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/comments?post=1845202&order=asc&tc_hierarchical=flat"}],"https://techcrunch.com/edit":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1845202&action=edit"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/tc/v1/users/1180458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media/1845416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media?parent=1845202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/categories?post=1845202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tags?post=1845202"},{"taxonomy":"_tc_cb_tag_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/crunchbase_tag?post=1845202"},{"taxonomy":"tc_stories_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_stories_tax?post=1845202"},{"taxonomy":"tc_event","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_event?post=1845202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https://api.w.org/{rel}","templated":true}]},"_embedded":{"authors":[{"id":1180458"name":"SteveO'Hear""url":"""description":"""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/steve-o-hear/""slug":"steve-o-hear""avatar_urls":{"24":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/95b8a6df6d265cf57a4d89ee4856ea98?s=24&d=identicon&r=g""48":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/95b8a6df6d265cf57a4d89ee4856ea98?s=48&d=identicon&r=g""96":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/95b8a6df6d265cf57a4d89ee4856ea98?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"}"links":{"homepage":"http://wwwohearnet""twitter":"https://twittercom/sohear""linkedin":"http://wwwlinkedincom/in/ohear""crunchbase":"https://wwwcrunchbasecom/person/steve-ohear"}"position":"Writer""cbDescription":"[{"id":1180458"name":"SteveO'Hear""url":"""description":"""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/steve-o-hear/""slug":"steve-o-hear""avatar_urls":{"24":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/95b8a6df6d265cf57a4d89ee4856ea98?s=24&d=identicon&r=g""48":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/95b8a6df6d265cf57a4d89ee4856ea98?s=48&d=identicon&r=g""96":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/95b8a6df6d265cf57a4d89ee4856ea98?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"}"links":{"homepage":"http://wwwohearnet""twitter":"https://twittercom/sohear""linkedin":"http://wwwlinkedincom/in/ohear""crunchbase":"https://wwwcrunchbasecom/person/steve-ohear"}"position":"Writer""cbDescription":"

Steve O'Hear is best known as a technology journalist, currently at TechCrunch where he focuses on European startups, companies and products.

He first joined TechCrunch in November 2009 as Contributing Editor for TechCrunch Europe, where he worked alongside Editor Mike Butcher to help build TechCrunch's coverage in Europe.

In June 2011, Steve took a break from journalism to co-found the London and Prague-based startup Beepl. In his role as CEO, he helped the company raise its first VC round, along with seeing the Question & Answer site through development, private alpha and a high profile public launch. In November 2012, Beepl was acquired by Brand Embassy.

Along with TechCrunch, Steve has written for numerous publications, including ZDNet (where he wrote the well-respected blog 'The Social Web'), The Guardian, Macworld, TES, Last100 and ReadWriteWeb. He also wrote and directed the critically acclaimed Silicon Valley documentary 'In Search of the Valley', which was released in September 2006.

In 2002, Steve was made a fellow of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. He's also one half of ProtoBake Labs, an 'ideas incubator' he co-founded with Pete Harris.

Disclaimer: Steve owns a small amount of cryptocurrency, and doesn't generally write about crypto currencies. If and when he does, he will always disclose any potential conflict of interest.

Steve O'Hear is best known as a technology journalist, currently at TechCrunch where he focuses on European startups, companies and products.

He first joined TechCrunch in November 2009 as Contributing Editor for TechCrunch Europe, where he worked alongside Editor Mike Butcher to help build TechCrunch's coverage in Europe.

In June 2011, Steve took a break from journalism to co-found the London and Prague-based startup Beepl. In his role as CEO, he helped the company raise its first VC round, along with seeing the Question & Answer site through development, private alpha and a high profile public launch. In November 2012, Beepl was acquired by Brand Embassy.

Along with TechCrunch, Steve has written for numerous publications, including ZDNet (where he wrote the well-respected blog 'The Social Web'), The Guardian, Macworld, TES, Last100 and ReadWriteWeb. He also wrote and directed the critically acclaimed Silicon Valley documentary 'In Search of the Valley', which was released in September 2006.

In 2002, Steve was made a fellow of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. He's also one half of ProtoBake Labs, an 'ideas incubator' he co-founded with Pete Harris.

Disclaimer: Steve owns a small amount of cryptocurrency, and doesn't generally write about crypto currencies. If and when he does, he will always disclose any potential conflict of interest.

Following in the footsteps of AT&T and Verizon*, Sprint is now offering an LTE tracker. The matchbook-sized device, simply called Tracker, provides real-time location tracking on Safe + Found app.

Sprint’s new Tracker

The Tracker competes with Tile, but instead of Bluetooth, Sprintu2019s device uses 4G LTE, GPS and Wi-Fi location services, so it can be used to track things, people or pets that might travel a significant distance away, compared to a range of 100 ft to 300 ft for Tile (depending on the version). The Tracker is manufactured by Coolpad and users need to pay $2.50 per month for 24 months to cover the cost of the device, plus an additional $5 per month to connect it.

AT&T and Verizon both launched LTE trackers over the past year and Apple is also rumored to be working on a tracking device that connects to iPhones, based on an asset package for pairing devices by proximity spotted in the first beta of iOS 13 by 9to5Mac.

*Disclosure: TechCrunch is part of Verizon Media, a subsidiary of Verizon Communications.

Following in the footsteps of AT&T and Verizon*, Sprint is now offering an LTE tracker. The matchbook-sized device, simply called Tracker, provides real-time location tracking on Safe + Found app. The Tracker competes with Tile, but instead of Bluetooth, Sprintu2019s device uses 4G LTE, GPS and Wi-Fi location services, so it can be used to […] n","protected":false},"author":4330449,"featured_media":1845368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"outcome":"","status":"","crunchbase_tag":0,"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"jetpack_publicize_message":"Sprint is the latest telecom to offer a tracking device that uses LTE by @catherineshu"},"categories":[449557086,449557028,17396],"tags":[22272,576675429,124023],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_event":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/GettyImages-1144344814.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"shortlink":"https://tcrn.ch/31E5Xb0","rapidData":{"pt":"","pct":""},"featured":false,"subtitle":"","fundingRound":false,"seoTitle":"","seoDescription":"","premiumContent":false,"premiumCutoffPercent":1,"tc_cb_mapping":[{"slug":"sprint","cb_name":"Sprint","cb_slug":"sprint-nextel-organization","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/organization/sprint-nextel"},{"slug":"tracker","cb_name":"TRACKER","cb_slug":"tracker-organization","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/organization/tracker"}],"associatedEvent":null,"event":null,"authors":[4330449],"hideFeaturedImage":false,"relatedArticles":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1845366"}],"collection":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/types/post"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1845366/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1845373,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1845366/revisions/1845373"}],"authors":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/tc/v1/users/4330449"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"count":0,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/comments?post=1845366&order=asc&tc_hierarchical=flat"}],"https://techcrunch.com/edit":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1845366&action=edit"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/tc/v1/users/4330449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media/1845368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media?parent=1845366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/categories?post=1845366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tags?post=1845366"},{"taxonomy":"_tc_cb_tag_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/crunchbase_tag?post=1845366"},{"taxonomy":"tc_stories_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_stories_tax?post=1845366"},{"taxonomy":"tc_event","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_event?post=1845366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https://api.w.org/{rel}","templated":true}]},"_embedded":{"authors":[{"id":4330449"name":"CatherineShu""url":"""description":"""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/catherine-shu/""slug":"catherine-shu""avatar_urls":{"24":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/f80a0e0a6502b4ec4f97f5b3bbd6ac25?s=24&d=identicon&r=g""48":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/f80a0e0a6502b4ec4f97f5b3bbd6ac25?s=48&d=identicon&r=g""96":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/f80a0e0a6502b4ec4f97f5b3bbd6ac25?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"}"links":{"homepage":"http://techcrunchcom""twitter":"https://twittercom/catherineshu""crunchbase":"https://wwwcrunchbasecom/person/catherine-shu"}"position":"Writer""cbDescription":"[{"id":4330449"name":"CatherineShu""url":"""description":"""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/catherine-shu/""slug":"catherine-shu""avatar_urls":{"24":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/f80a0e0a6502b4ec4f97f5b3bbd6ac25?s=24&d=identicon&r=g""48":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/f80a0e0a6502b4ec4f97f5b3bbd6ac25?s=48&d=identicon&r=g""96":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/f80a0e0a6502b4ec4f97f5b3bbd6ac25?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"}"links":{"homepage":"http://techcrunchcom""twitter":"https://twittercom/catherineshu""crunchbase":"https://wwwcrunchbasecom/person/catherine-shu"}"position":"Writer""cbDescription":"

Catherine Shu has covered startups in Asia and breaking news for TechCrunch since November 2012. She can be reached at shu@techcrunch.com, @catherineshu on Twitter or keybase.io/catherineshu

Disclosures: None

Catherine Shu has covered startups in Asia and breaking news for TechCrunch since November 2012. She can be reached at shu@techcrunch.com, @catherineshu on Twitter or keybase.io/catherineshu

Disclosures: None

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES – 2019/02/14: A Sprint store logo seen in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronen Tivony/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Startup founders don’t typically launch a company as a get-rich-quick scheme. Most know that it will be a long, hard slog if they are to succeed. There will be lean years where the money is tight, and where they may personally struggle to pay their bills. They do it because they believe in the mission and they want to build a successful company, where, if all goes well, they could end up with a healthy amount of money.

But it takes a lot of hard work, long hours, tough times and a bit of luck to find your way through to a successful outcome, however you choose to define that. Early on every dollar you give yourself is money that’s not going into the business, and while you don’t want to starve yourself, neither do you want to run out of money, and those early dollars are especially valuable.

While the ultimate goal is a successful exit, not everyone gets there, and it begs the question, how much is fair to take out in the form of salary, especially in the early years when money is tight, and at what point is it reasonable to sell a bit of equity to take some money out of the business and live a more comfortable life. There are no hard and fast answers.

Removing financial obstacles

Startup founders don’t typically launch a company as a get-rich-quick scheme. Most know that it will be a long, hard slog if they are to succeed. There will be lean years where the money is tight, and where they may personally struggle to pay their bills. They do it because they believe in the mission […] n","protected":false},"author":521068,"featured_media":1843909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"outcome":"","status":"","crunchbase_tag":0,"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[576602978,449162627,17396,35394854],"tags":[935707,449555225,1163985,576674110,576674108,576674109,576674107],"crunchbase_tag":[326875218],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_event":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/GettyImages-934873218.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"shortlink":"https://tcrn.ch/2MOKJUm","rapidData":{"pt":"","pct":""},"featured":false,"subtitle":"","fundingRound":false,"seoTitle":"","seoDescription":"","premiumContent":true,"premiumCutoffPercent":0.11,"tc_cb_mapping":[{"slug":"boldstart-ventures","cb_name":"Boldstart Ventures","cb_slug":"boldstart-ventures-organization","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/organization/boldstart-ventures"},{"slug":"crv","cb_name":"CRV","cb_slug":"crvvc-organization","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/organization/crvvc"},{"slug":"battery-ventures","cb_name":"Battery Ventures","cb_slug":"battery-ventures-organization","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/organization/battery-ventures"},{"slug":"ed-sim","cb_name":"Ed Sim","cb_slug":"ed-sim-person","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/person/ed-sim"},{"slug":"murat-bicer","cb_name":"Murat Bicer","cb_slug":"murat-bicer-person","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/person/murat-bicer"},{"slug":"dharmesh-thakker","cb_name":"Dharmesh Thakker","cb_slug":"dharmesh-thakker-person","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/person/dharmesh-thakker"}],"associatedEvent":null,"event":null,"authors":[983141],"hideFeaturedImage":false,"relatedArticles":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1843853"}],"collection":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/types/post"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1843853/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1844907,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1843853/revisions/1844907"}],"authors":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/guest-authors/ronjourn"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"count":0,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/comments?post=1843853&order=asc&tc_hierarchical=flat"}],"https://techcrunch.com/edit":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1843853&action=edit"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/tc/v1/users/521068"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media/1843909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media?parent=1843853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/categories?post=1843853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tags?post=1843853"},{"taxonomy":"_tc_cb_tag_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/crunchbase_tag?post=1843853"},{"taxonomy":"tc_stories_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_stories_tax?post=1843853"},{"taxonomy":"tc_event","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_event?post=1843853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https://api.w.org/{rel}","templated":true}]},"_embedded":{"authors":[{"id":983141"name":"RonMiller""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/ronjourn/""description":"""slug":"ronjourn""links":{"homepage":"https://techcrunchcom/author/ron-miller/""twitter":"http://twittercom/ron_miller""linkedin":"http://wwwlinkedincom/in/ronsmiller""crunchbase":"https://wwwcrunchbasecom/person/ron-miller"}"position":"Contributor""cbDescription":"[{"id":983141"name":"RonMiller""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/ronjourn/""description":"""slug":"ronjourn""links":{"homepage":"https://techcrunchcom/author/ron-miller/""twitter":"http://twittercom/ron_miller""linkedin":"http://wwwlinkedincom/in/ronsmiller""crunchbase":"https://wwwcrunchbasecom/person/ron-miller"}"position":"Contributor""cbDescription":"

Ron Miller has been writing about the enterprise at TechCrunch since 2014.

Previously, he was a long-time Contributing Editor at EContent Magazine. Past regular gigs included CITEworld, DaniWeb, TechTarget, Internet Evolution and FierceContentManagement.

Disclosures:

Ron is currently corporate blogger for Intronis where he writes once weekly on IT issues. He has contributed to various corporate blogs in the past including Ness, Novell and the IBM Mid-market Blogger Program.

Ron Miller has been writing about the enterprise at TechCrunch since 2014.

Previously, he was a long-time Contributing Editor at EContent Magazine. Past regular gigs included CITEworld, DaniWeb, TechTarget, Internet Evolution and FierceContentManagement.

Disclosures:

Ron is currently corporate blogger for Intronis where he writes once weekly on IT issues. He has contributed to various corporate blogs in the past including Ness, Novell and the IBM Mid-market Blogger Program.

Getting an H-1B skilled-worker visa is like winning the lottery u2014 literalmente: With the number of new visas issued each year capped at 85,000, most of this year’s over 200,000 applicants face disappointment. But if youu2019re already working in the United States, then youu2019ve already won the H-1B lottery, and that makes you a hot commodity.

With H-1Bs in short supply, successful companies frequently poach skilled workers. Everyone knows the tech sector thrives on this free exchange of people and ideas, so if another employer needs your skills, why not start working for them?

Well, not so fast. H-1B holders can work only for the company that originally sponsored their visa application. So if you want to change employers, youu2019ll need to u201ctransferu201d your H-1B.

That process used to be relatively straightforward but not in the Trump era. (Boundless recently underwent this process with an employee, so we understand the pain.) The denial rate for initial H-1B applications spiked over five-fold to 32 percent just in the first quarter of fiscal 2019, up from 6 percent in 2015. Crucially, the Trump administration is targeting u201ccontinuingu201d H-1B applications used by existing employees to either renew their H-1B or switch it to a new employer. Even tech giants like Amazon are now seeing double-digit rejection rates.

The bottom line: The days of getting an H-1B transfer quickly rubber-stamped are long gone, and that makes it vital to do whatever you can to keep the odds in your favor. The stakes are high u2014 if things go south, you could lose your right to live and work in the United States. Hereu2019s what H-1B holders need to know about the right u2014 and wrong u2014 ways to set about switching employers:

Donu2019t take your transfer for granted.

First, understand that an H-1B u201ctransferu201d is actually a brand new visa application, not a simple handover of your existing H-1B visa from one employer to another u2014 thereu2019s no such thing.

Getting an H-1B skilled-worker visa is like winning the lottery u2014 literally: With the number of new visas issued each year capped at 85,000, most of this year’s over 200,000 applicants face disappointment. But if youu2019re already working in the United States, then youu2019ve already won the H-1B lottery, and that makes you a hot commodity.

A number of promising women’s health tech companies have popped up in the last few years, from fertility apps to ovulation bracelets — even Apple has jumped into the subject with the addition of period tracking built into the latest edition of the watch. But there hasn’t been much in the way of innovación in women’s sexual health for decades.

In-vitro fertilization (IVF) is now a 40-year-old invention and even the top pharmaceutical companies have spent a pittance on research and development. Subjects like polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis and menopause have taken a backseat to other, more fatal concerns. Fertility is itself oftentimes a mysterious black box as well, though a full 10% of the female population in the United States has difficulty getting or staying pregnant.

That’s all starting to change as startups are now bringing in millions in venture capital to gather and treat women’s health. While it’s early days (no unicorns just yet) interest in the subject has been jumping steadily higher each year.

To shine a better light on the importance of tech’s role in spurring more innovation for women’s fertility, we asked five VCs passionate about the space for their investment strategies, including Sarah Cone (Social Impact Capital), Vanessa Larco (NEA), Anu Duggal (Female Founders Fund), Jess Lee (Sequoia) and Nancy Brown (Oak HC/FT).

Sarah Cone, Social Impact Capital

Sarah Cone, Social Impact Capital

Weu2019re interested in companies that create large data sets in womenu2019s health and fertility, enabling personalized medicine, clinical trial virtualization, better patient outcomes, and the application of modern AI/ML techniques to generate hypotheses that discover new targets and molecules.

A number of promising women’s health tech companies have popped up in the last few years, from fertility apps to ovulation bracelets — even Apple has jumped into the subject with the addition of period tracking built into the latest edition of the watch. But there hasn’t been much in the way of innovation in […] n","protected":false},"author":4917400,"featured_media":1836935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"outcome":"","status":"","crunchbase_tag":0,"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"jetpack_publicize_message":"What top VCs look for in women’s fertility startups https://tcrn.ch/2I6Znlp"},"categories":[449557102,1772,576596927,337,446313605,20429,17396],"tags":[449547332,291,12374,10406,406669,35350,304713875,449553379,1460,91372,576599593,7383,326792,576608420,479814,449557049,202,449551602],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_event":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/GettyImages-623680490.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[{"service_name":"twitter","display_name":"@TCrunchTest","id":"21594151"},{"service_name":"twitter","display_name":"@TechCrunch","id":"21594318"}],"shortlink":"https://tcrn.ch/2I6Znlp","rapidData":{"pt":"","pct":""},"featured":true,"subtitle":"Investors are starting to pour millions into women's health tech. Does your startup have what it takes to get their attention?","fundingRound":false,"seoTitle":"","seoDescription":"","premiumContent":true,"premiumCutoffPercent":0.23,"tc_cb_mapping":[{"slug":"female-founders-fund","cb_name":"Female Founders Fund","cb_slug":"female-founders-fund-organization","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/organization/female-founders-fund"},{"slug":"apple","cb_name":"Apple","cb_slug":"apple-organization","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/organization/apple"},{"slug":"abbvie","cb_name":"AbbVie","cb_slug":"abbvie-organization","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/organization/abbvie"}],"associatedEvent":null,"event":null,"authors":[4917400],"hideFeaturedImage":false,"relatedArticles":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1836879"}],"collection":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/types/post"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1836879/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1840886,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1836879/revisions/1840886"}],"authors":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/tc/v1/users/4917400"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"count":0,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/comments?post=1836879&order=asc&tc_hierarchical=flat"}],"https://techcrunch.com/edit":[{"href":""}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/tc/v1/users/4917400"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media/1836935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media?parent=1836879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/categories?post=1836879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tags?post=1836879"},{"taxonomy":"_tc_cb_tag_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/crunchbase_tag?post=1836879"},{"taxonomy":"tc_stories_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_stories_tax?post=1836879"},{"taxonomy":"tc_event","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_event?post=1836879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https://api.w.org/{rel}","templated":true}]},"_embedded":{"authors":[{"id":4917400"name":"SarahBuhr""url":"""description":"""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/sarah-buhr/""slug":"sarah-buhr""avatar_urls":{"24":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/fd29b49402f568221dff899bf12b7c14?s=24&d=identicon&r=g""48":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/fd29b49402f568221dff899bf12b7c14?s=48&d=identicon&r=g""96":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/fd29b49402f568221dff899bf12b7c14?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"}"links":{"homepage":"http://wwwaboutme/sarahbuhr""facebook":"http://wwwfacebookcom/sarahbuhr""twitter":"http://twittercom/sarahbuhr""linkedin":"http://wwwlinkedincom/in/sarahjanebuhr""crunchbase":"https://wwwcrunchbasecom/person/sarah-buhr"}"position":"Reporter""cbDescription":"[{"id":4917400"name":"SarahBuhr""url":"""description":"""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/sarah-buhr/""slug":"sarah-buhr""avatar_urls":{"24":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/fd29b49402f568221dff899bf12b7c14?s=24&d=identicon&r=g""48":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/fd29b49402f568221dff899bf12b7c14?s=48&d=identicon&r=g""96":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/fd29b49402f568221dff899bf12b7c14?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"}"links":{"homepage":"http://wwwaboutme/sarahbuhr""facebook":"http://wwwfacebookcom/sarahbuhr""twitter":"http://twittercom/sarahbuhr""linkedin":"http://wwwlinkedincom/in/sarahjanebuhr""crunchbase":"https://wwwcrunchbasecom/person/sarah-buhr"}"position":"Reporter""cbDescription":"

I write about the wild new frontier of biotechnology (3D printed organs, one drop blood tests, or hamburgers grown in a lab? I'm your gal), also a bit of politics, gender and diversity and sometimes they put me on camera at TechCrunch so send your fun gadgets and gizmos my way.

I write about the wild new frontier of biotechnology (3D printed organs, one drop blood tests, or hamburgers grown in a lab? I'm your gal), also a bit of politics, gender and diversity and sometimes they put me on camera at TechCrunch so send your fun gadgets and gizmos my way.

Beautiful women working out in gym together

Building a company is fueled by highs and lows, but one of the few moments of potential ecstasy (or perhaps for grizzled veterans, deep annoyance) is the VC outreach email. You are building your startup on deforming IKEA desks eating frozen dinners when out of nowhere, a major VC firm reaches out and wants to discuss a potential investment.

But then you look up your interlocutor online and find that they have that completely enigmatic title of u201cAssociate.u201d Heck, that email may well have been from me over the years.

What do you do? Do you connect with someone who may well be working at a prominent firm and try to engage? Do you flat out ignore it? Do you equivocate and delay?

In short, do VC associates matter to your fundraise?

First, what exactly are associates and what do they do?

The best way to understand the work of a venture firm is to look at their actual activities rather than the titles or listed duties of any individual person. On the investment side, there are three main activities: analytics, networking / deal sourcing, and closing.

Building a company is fueled by highs and lows, but one of the few moments of potential ecstasy (or perhaps for grizzled veterans, deep annoyance) is the VC outreach email. You are building your startup on deforming IKEA desks eating frozen dinners when out of nowhere, a major VC firm reaches out and wants to […] n","protected":false},"author":15408904,"featured_media":1841458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"outcome":"","status":"","crunchbase_tag":0,"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[576602978,20429,35394854],"tags":[576673265,20334,576673264],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_event":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/GettyImages-88622588.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"shortlink":"https://tcrn.ch/2MK9SzJ","rapidData":{"pt":"","pct":""},"featured":false,"subtitle":"","fundingRound":false,"seoTitle":"","seoDescription":"","premiumContent":true,"premiumCutoffPercent":0.12,"tc_cb_mapping":[],"associatedEvent":null,"event":null,"authors":[1719192],"hideFeaturedImage":false,"relatedArticles":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1841449"}],"collection":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/types/post"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1841449/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1841462,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1841449/revisions/1841462"}],"authors":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/guest-authors/danny-crichton-2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"count":2,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/comments?post=1841449&order=asc&tc_hierarchical=flat"}],"https://techcrunch.com/edit":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1841449&action=edit"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/tc/v1/users/15408904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media/1841458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media?parent=1841449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/categories?post=1841449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tags?post=1841449"},{"taxonomy":"_tc_cb_tag_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/crunchbase_tag?post=1841449"},{"taxonomy":"tc_stories_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_stories_tax?post=1841449"},{"taxonomy":"tc_event","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_event?post=1841449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https://api.w.org/{rel}","templated":true}]},"_embedded":{"authors":[{"id":1719192"name":"DannyCrichton""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/danny-crichton-2/""description":"DannyCrichtonisaninvestorat[{"id":1719192"name":"DannyCrichton""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/danny-crichton-2/""description":"DannyCrichtonisaninvestoratCRV and a former contributing writer at TechCrunch. ","slug":"danny-crichton-2","links":{"homepage":"https://www.dannycrichton.com","facebook":"http://www.facebook.com/dancric","twitter":"http://twitter.com/dannycrichton","linkedin":"http://www.linkedin.com/in/dannycrichton","crunchbase":"https://www.crunchbase.com/person/danny-crichton"},"position":"Contributor","cbDescription":"

Danny is Executive Editor of TechCrunch Extra Crunch, where he covers technology and power. Previously, he was a foreign correspondent at TechCrunch based in Seoul, South Korea as well as a venture capitalist with General Catalyst in Palo Alto and Charles River Ventures in Boston and New York. He was awarded a Fulbright research scholarship to South Korea, where he researched the development of Koreau2019s startup ecosystem. He is a PhD dropout from Harvard where he studied public policy and an honors graduate of Stanford, where he studied mathematical and computational sciences. Danny is based in Brooklyn.

His ethics statement is located at https://www.dannycrichton.com/ethics/

totally agree. relationships are everything

Entrepreneurs need to understand that VCs mean no offenses in having associates in the frontlines. Associates make a GPs work scalable. They are the extension of the GPs work – usually very synergetic. So, beware not to underestimate an associateu2019s influence on an investment decision. Being arrogant may spoil your opportunity, no matter the size of the fund on the other side of the table.

Danny is Executive Editor of TechCrunch Extra Crunch, where he covers technology and power. Previously, he was a foreign correspondent at TechCrunch based in Seoul, South Korea as well as a venture capitalist with General Catalyst in Palo Alto and Charles River Ventures in Boston and New York. He was awarded a Fulbright research scholarship to South Korea, where he researched the development of Koreau2019s startup ecosystem. He is a PhD dropout from Harvard where he studied public policy and an honors graduate of Stanford, where he studied mathematical and computational sciences. Danny is based in Brooklyn.

His ethics statement is located at https://www.dannycrichton.com/ethics/

Buying a car is painful. Dealerships are the worst, and the options are endless. The rise of the Internet produced powerful tools for shoppers, but in the end, most buyers still have to trudge down to a car lot.

For this series of articles, TechCrunch spoke with several founders and investors attempting to rethink car buying. It’s clear these startups are the underdog in this fight. Most consumers buy cars the same way as their grandparents did and for good reason. Dealerships nationwide fought for years to enact laws and regulations that protect their businesses.

Several young companies are attempting to put the dealership online. Companies like Carvana, Shift, Vroom and Joydrive are putting the entire car buying process online, allowing customers to buy, trade-in and even test drive vehicles without talking to a salesman in an oversized golf pullover.

In the next part of this series, weu2019ll look at companies like Fair that are moving consumers away from purchasing and into short-term leases. Even automakers are trying something new. Tesla sells directly to consumers while Volvo, BMW, Mercedes and others are launching subscription options to give owners even more flexibility.

The three new dealerships

Several companies are building online car dealerships. Shoppers find and buy a vehicle solely through these sites, and often, the cars are delivered to the buyer. These online dealerships even take trade-ins.

Three services dominate this space, and they were all founded in 2013. Carvana, Shift, and Vroom hit the market at the same time but have experienced different paths. One thing is clear though: it takes hundreds of millions of venture capital money to build an online dealership.

Emily Melton, co-founder and managing partner, Threshold Ventures (formally known as DFJ Ventures), points to consumeru2019s changing expectations and an optimized process across all kinds of vehicles. She co-led Shiftu2019s Series A in 2014.

Buying a car is painful. Dealerships are the worst, and the options are endless. The rise of the Internet produced powerful tools for shoppers, but in the end, most buyers still have to trudge down to a car lot. For this series of articles, TechCrunch spoke with several founders and investors attempting to rethink car […] 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Matt is a Managing Editor at TechCrunch.

He started at TechCrunch as a freelance writer in 2008 and moved up the ranks to become the Managing Editor in early 2017. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, he has a special place in his heart for mobility startups and gadgets.

At TechCrunch he manages the editorial side of the company's events including TechCrunch Disrupt, TechCrunch Sessions and the company's various worldwide events. Previously he was a freelance writer at Engadget and EngadgetHD where he hosted podcasts until he was removed from that role after saying a swear word. He's very sorry and promises it won't happen again.

His passions include emails, run-on sentences and following through with action items developed during a conference call. And woodwork.

Matt is a Managing Editor at TechCrunch.

He started at TechCrunch as a freelance writer in 2008 and moved up the ranks to become the Managing Editor in early 2017. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, he has a special place in his heart for mobility startups and gadgets.

At TechCrunch he manages the editorial side of the company's events including TechCrunch Disrupt, TechCrunch Sessions and the company's various worldwide events. Previously he was a freelance writer at Engadget and EngadgetHD where he hosted podcasts until he was removed from that role after saying a swear word. He's very sorry and promises it won't happen again.

His passions include emails, run-on sentences and following through with action items developed during a conference call. And woodwork.

Youper, a mental health app with a chatbot it calls an “emotional health assistant,” has raised $3 million in seed funding from Goodwater Capital. The funds will be used to accelerate development of Youper’s artificial intelligence-based capabilities and grow its user base.

Based in San Francisco, Youper was co-founded in 2016 by Dr. Jose Hamilton. For a decade, Hamilton worked as a psychiatrist in clinical settings, seeing more than 3,000 patients. While talking to them, he realized that a handful of barriers kept many people from seeking help earlier, even if they had dealt with anxiety or depression for years.

u201cThe first one is fear, taking care of yourself, talking about your mental health, understanding your mental health,u201d he tells TechCrunch. u201cSeeing a therapist or psychiatrist is super intimidating. Thatu2019s why all of my patients used to say the same things. The second barrier is cost, of course. Psychiatrists and therapists are super expensive.u201d

Hamilton teamed up with co-founders Diego Couto, the startupu2019s chief product and growth officer, and Thiago Marafon, its CTO, to create an app that would make mental healthcare less intimidating and more accessible. They originally created an app that did not have a conversational interface. Instead, Hamilton says it took a similar approach to Calm and Headspace. But that resulted in a very low user engagement rate and after a year, the team realized Youper needed to provide a more personalized experience, matching users to the right psychological techniques, including cognitive behavioral techniques and mindfulness, for their needs.

Youper is part of a growing roster of apps that use AI-based chatbots to help users improve their emotional health, including Woebot, Wysa y X2u2019s Tess. Hamilton says Youper wants to differentiate with its focus on personalization, combining mental health research and user data to match the right psychological techniques with users.

Screenshots from Youper, an app for emotional well-being.

The startup claims Youper has been downloaded more than one million times so far. Most of its users are young adults and that there are more women than men who use Youper.

u201cI think thatu2019s because women are facing new challenges in our society by conquering new spaces and assuming new roles, and that poses an emotional toll. Another reason is that women are more tuned into self-care than men,u201d he says. u201cSometimes I feel that we men wait for too long suffering in silence.u201d

For users who have never consulted with a provider, Youper provides a gentle introduction to the types of questions and exercises they might experience in therapy. The questions and exercises given by Youperu2019s chatbot are meant to help users achieve a better understanding of their emotions, thoughts and behavior.

Youperu2019s chatbot asks users to focus on their thoughts and identify how they are feeling from a menu of descriptive words. Then a scale that lets them rate the strength of that emotion from u201cslightlyu201d to u201cextremely.u201d More questions help them narrow down what is causing those feeling and track their mood. Users are also given options for mindfulness exercises and journaling prompts.

Hamilton says that the average time users spend during each session with its chatbot is about seven minutes, with 80% reporting a reduction in negative moods after one conversation. The startup also claims that after 30 days, a quarter of people who signed up for Youper are still active users.

Youper is currently free, though the company may test a freemium model in the future with premium features. It uses anonymized user data in its own research to improve Youper, but keeps it private and does not share or sell user data or information.

Of course, an app is not a replacement for seeing a therapist or psychiatrist, but Youper presents a much lower barrier to entry for people who worried about the stigma of seeing a professional. Hamilton says he hopes using Youper will encourage more people to seek medical treatment sooner if they need it by making them more comfortable with the idea of discussing their emotional health.

u201cOn average, it takes 10 years for someone to finally talk to a health provider. This could become 10 minutes with an app like Youper,u201d Hamilton says. u201cHaving an app with a super low barrier to entry, no stigma, something that is about emotional health and taking care of yourself, shows that you donu2019t need to be afraid.u201d

Youper, a mental health app with a chatbot it calls an “emotional health assistant,” has raised $3 million in seed funding from Goodwater Capital. The funds will be used to accelerate development of Youper’s artificial intelligence-based capabilities and grow its user base. Based in San Francisco, Youper was co-founded in 2016 by Dr. Jose Hamilton. […] n","protected":false},"author":4330449,"featured_media":1845381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"outcome":"","status":"","crunchbase_tag":0,"amp_status":"","relegenceEntities":[],"relegenceSubjects":[],"jetpack_publicize_message":"Youper, a chatbot that helps users navigate their emotions, raises $3 million in seed funding https://tcrn.ch/2IPrx3N by @catherineshu"},"categories":[449557102,60523764,20429,17396],"tags":[232047,84261,576606117,449557089,5004,4909,576675450],"crunchbase_tag":[],"tc_stories_tax":[],"tc_event":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Emotional-Health-Assistant.png","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"shortlink":"https://tcrn.ch/2IPrx3N","rapidData":{"pt":"","pct":""},"featured":false,"subtitle":"","fundingRound":false,"seoTitle":"","seoDescription":"","premiumContent":false,"premiumCutoffPercent":1,"tc_cb_mapping":[{"slug":"youper","cb_name":"Youper","cb_slug":"youper-organization","cb_link":"https://crunchbase.com/organization/youper"}],"associatedEvent":null,"event":null,"authors":[4330449],"hideFeaturedImage":false,"relatedArticles":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1845378"}],"collection":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/types/post"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1845378/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1845385,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/1845378/revisions/1845385"}],"authors":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/tc/v1/users/4330449"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"count":0,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/comments?post=1845378&order=asc&tc_hierarchical=flat"}],"https://techcrunch.com/edit":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1845378&action=edit"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/tc/v1/users/4330449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media/1845381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media?parent=1845378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/categories?post=1845378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tags?post=1845378"},{"taxonomy":"_tc_cb_tag_taxonomy","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/crunchbase_tag?post=1845378"},{"taxonomy":"tc_stories_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_stories_tax?post=1845378"},{"taxonomy":"tc_event","embeddable":true,"href":"https://techcrunch.com/wp-json/wp/v2/tc_event?post=1845378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https://api.w.org/{rel}","templated":true}]},"_embedded":{"authors":[{"id":4330449"name":"CatherineShu""url":"""description":"""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/catherine-shu/""slug":"catherine-shu""avatar_urls":{"24":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/f80a0e0a6502b4ec4f97f5b3bbd6ac25?s=24&d=identicon&r=g""48":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/f80a0e0a6502b4ec4f97f5b3bbd6ac25?s=48&d=identicon&r=g""96":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/f80a0e0a6502b4ec4f97f5b3bbd6ac25?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"}"links":{"homepage":"http://techcrunchcom""twitter":"https://twittercom/catherineshu""crunchbase":"https://wwwcrunchbasecom/person/catherine-shu"}"position":"Writer""cbDescription":"[{"id":4330449"name":"CatherineShu""url":"""description":"""link":"https://techcrunchcom/author/catherine-shu/""slug":"catherine-shu""avatar_urls":{"24":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/f80a0e0a6502b4ec4f97f5b3bbd6ac25?s=24&d=identicon&r=g""48":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/f80a0e0a6502b4ec4f97f5b3bbd6ac25?s=48&d=identicon&r=g""96":"https://securegravatarcom/avatar/f80a0e0a6502b4ec4f97f5b3bbd6ac25?s=96&d=identicon&r=g"}"links":{"homepage":"http://techcrunchcom""twitter":"https://twittercom/catherineshu""crunchbase":"https://wwwcrunchbasecom/person/catherine-shu"}"position":"Writer""cbDescription":"

Catherine Shu has covered startups in Asia and breaking news for TechCrunch since November 2012. She can be reached at shu@techcrunch.com, @catherineshu on Twitter or keybase.io/catherineshu

Disclosures: None

Catherine Shu has covered startups in Asia and breaking news for TechCrunch since November 2012. She can be reached at shu@techcrunch.com, @catherineshu on Twitter or keybase.io/catherineshu

Disclosures: None

Youper is an app with a chatbot it calls an “emotional health assistant.”