Crypto and securities, back of the postcard version

Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.

Alex, Natasha and Mary Ann got together with Grace once again this week for our weekly roundup show, and hot dang was there a lot to talk about. So much so that we actually had to cut one topic from our notes. Any guesses what that may have been?

Regardless, here’s the rundown:

• We had a big fintech theme this week, kicking off with the huge news that Jack Ma is giving up control of Ant Financial. Two specific tidbits stood out around Ant’s origin story and Ma’s flex of an ownership hold.
• From there, it was time to talk Guava, Pogo and TomoCredit, our Deals of the Week. The focus here was around just how inclusive certain fintechs can be, so thank you to founders who remind us to raise the bar constantly.
• Next up? A new solo fund that broke out of a16z. Why leave to do a scary thing when risk is high? We talk about that, fintech innovation and Rex Salisbury’s LP base. (Plus, more on solo founders coming soon on TechCrunch+).
• Then we dug into Mary Ann’s behemoth investor survey and closed with a look at the Coinbase-SEC situation.

And we had a great time to boot! Chat soon!