Collectible trading card marketplace TCGplayer sells to eBay for $295M

TechCrunch Newsletter [TechCrunch logo]( [The Daily Crunch logo]( By [Christine Hall]( and [Haje Jan Kamps]( Monday, August 22, 2022 Hello, Crunch Bunch! Have you remembered to drink water today? You can’t live off coffee and Red Bull alone. Look after yourself, you good-looking but dehydrated startup nerds. We care about you, and we want you to thrive! Okay, with that out of the way, let’s dive into the news! — [Christine]( and [Haje]( [ image] Image Credits: Getty Images The TechCrunch Top 3 - [What are you collecting?](: Collectibles, like trading cards, are big business, and eBay got a big boost in this area with its new move to acquire TCGplayer, a trading card marketplace, for up to $295 million,[Aisha]( reports. She writes, “The company’s latest acquisition shows that eBay sees increased potential in trading cards, as the company notes that the agreement offers a way for it to ‘maintain its position as a desirable platform for trading card sellers.’” - [‘Surge’ing ahead](: [Jagmeet]( has the skinny on the 15 Indian and Southeast Asian companies selected for Sequoia’s seventh Surge cohort.[Â]( - [Not sure if the ‘Flow’ is going uphill or down](: We all know by now that [Andreessen Horowitz gave Adam Neumann $350 million]( for his new endeavor, Flow, which is buying up rental units in an effort to create a community effect. [Tim](, [Dominic-Madori]( and [Amanda]( provide three different takes on why both venture capitalist and founders may have “misread America’s housing problems.” [Building Tech For A Better Future]( Sponsored by [Chan Zuckerberg Initiative]( [We are building new technologies to accelerate progress in science and education. It’s what sets CZI apart from other philanthropies. Our technology teams are creating tools that drive innovation and impact for everyone.]( [Learn More]( Startups and VC There was a bunch of news last week about ex-WeWork boss Adam Neumann raising more money to do whatever he does these days — but [Connie]( brings us a story about how to do it differently in “[The Anti–Adam Neumann](.” Accelerators can be a little hit or miss, but [Haje]( took a closer look at Miko, which went through the Disney tech accelerator, and this week [announced that it is launching in 140 countries with Disney and Pixar content](. It’s a dream partnership for any startup, so it’s fun to see it work out for them. Nourish thine mind: - Another step toward the singularity: [Manish]( and [Kyle]( report that [John Carmack, the game developer who co-founded id Software and was Oculus’s CTO, is working on a new venture](. Keen Technologies raised $20 million from Sequoia. - Strategic salaries, simplified: [Anita]( reports that [Complete helps startups think through the “why” and “how” of employee compensation](, raising $4 million in a round led by Accel. - This slot machine is great — I keep winning: Founded in 1965 and by some accounts the creator of the first modern ATM systems, [CSI agrees to be acquired for $1.6 billion,]( reports[Kyle](. - Casting even more zen: [Brian]( reports that podcasting recording platform[Zencastr adds editing and distribution tools in a bid to become a full-service podcast offering](. - Have you herb what they came up with this time?:[The kale came from inside the house,]( puns [Haje]( about the new Click & Grow at-home hydroponic setup. But then he got all grumpy at how expensive these things are, and spent a couple of weekends [building his own hydroponic system](, and wrote a guide about how to build your own. You know, in case your to-do list wasn’t quite harrowing enough. [4 ways founders can amplify revenue during hard times]( Turning one-time customers into repeat buyers takes on heightened importance during a downturn. Acquiring a new user is a heavy lift, but finding ways to reduce friction is an easy way to boost a customer’s lifetime value. One study found that password difficulties cause nearly 60% of consumers to abandon shopping carts before completing a purchase. If you’re trying to recalibrate online sales, this TC+ guest post contains formulas for calculating lost lifetime value (LTV) due to churn on a monthly and annual basis. “In times of recession, you have to make things easier, not more difficult,” says Ari Jacoby, CEO and co-founder of Deduce. (TechCrunch+ is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead.[You can sign up here](.) [Read More]( [4 ways founders can amplify revenue during hard times image] Image Credits: Stewart Waller / Getty Images Big Tech Inc. It just so happened that a trio of self-driving news hit around the same time, and [Rebecca]( was there to deliver the goods. So at the same time that Tesla says it will [increase the cost of its full self-driving beta software]( to $15,000 in North America, [YouTube pulled a pair of videos]( off its site where Tesla drivers were showing off the controversial software with their children in the driver’s seat. Meanwhile, over in the U.K., the government there said that [self-driving manufacturers, not drivers]( themselves, will be liable for accidents when the car is in autonomous mode. - Someone’s always watching: A [class action lawsuit was filed against Oracle]( in the past few days accusing the tech giant’s “surveillance machine” of allegedly violating the privacy of 5 billion people worldwide, [Natasha L]( reports. - Taking a tumble: South Korea’s largest car-sharing startup [Socar made its stock market debut](, but not in the way it probably intended, [Kate]( reports. - Okay to park: [Roberto]( caught up with [Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath]( during Monterey Car Week and found out what’s on his mind. - Job cuts: [Kirsten]( confirmed that [Ford is cutting some 3,000 jobs]( as it restructures. - Why should iPhones have all the fun?: Owners of certain MacBook versions can now be part of [Apple’s self-service repair offering](, [Brian]( writes. - One word, three syllables: [Brian]( also writes that [MoviePass is returning]( just in time for Labor Day. [Read more stories on TechCrunch.com]( Newest Jobs from Crunchboard - [Systems Integration & Administration Supervisor at Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (Middletown, PA, United States)]( - [Senior Software Engineer at Lulworth Stone (Poole, UK)]( - [Sr. iOS Developer at Total Quality Logistics (TQL) (Charlotte, NC, USA)]( - [Sr. Software Engineer - $5,000 Sign-On Bonus at Total Quality Logistics (TQL) (Charlotte, NC, USA)]( - [Product Architect - $5,000 Sign-On Bonus at Total Quality Logistics (TQL) (Charlotte, NC, USA)]( [See more jobs on CrunchBoard]( [Post your tech jobs]( and reach millions of TechCrunch readers for only $200 per month. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( [Flipboard]( [View this email online in your browser]( [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Service]( | [Unsubscribe]( © 2022 Yahoo. All rights reserved. 110 5th St, San Francisco, CA 94103