Daily Crunch: Ledger blocks another $108 million to double hardware crypto wallets

Thursdayaaaaaaaa! It’s one of our favorite days of the week. Definitely in the top 7. – Kristina AND hahaha

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Crypto wallet in disguise: Ledger, a company that designs and manufactures crypto wallets, is now full of real money. Roman writes that after raising more than $380 million in 2021, Ledger has raised $108 million in today’s dollars, at the same valuation and from a long list of investors.
Contact centers also need technology: customers have many questions, and to provide the best experience, you need more than just a friendly voice on the other end of the line. That’s where Parloa comes in, raising $21 million to automate some contact centers. Kyle he is writing
Building on the Generative Madness of AI: In KyleBacked by $17 million in venture capital, Fixie’s second story of the day aims to make it easier for companies to build language models. Startups and VCs

“Our story begins 15 years ago,” said Frédéric Utzmann, founder and CEO of Effy. Roman. After 15 years of existence, the energy renovation company is at a crossroads and has just closed a $22 million funding round from Felix Capital to take full advantage of the energy renovation opportunity.

The layoffs continue: Indian edtech Unacademy is cutting another 12% of jobs and online used car marketplace Shift is cutting its workforce by 30%.

Another handful of wisdom and nuggets:

How to create a sales development rep strategy that will fill your B2B pipeline

Marketing teams deserve all the credit for creating innovative campaigns that make their day – convincing someone to try a new product or service takes a lot of skill!

In practice, however, Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) do most of the work required to acquire new customers, “writing or mailing cold calls, outreach emails,” says Mike Tong, GTM Strategist.

Since “it takes about 15 taps for a prospect to want to see a demo,” Tong has written a TC+ guide for budding CEOs who need guidance on recruiting and developing SDR teams.

“Generating projects in young companies is expensive and time-consuming, many times more than the sales process itself. That said, it’s probably the most important thing you can do for your business to get it right.”

Three more from the TC+ team:

TechCrunch+ is our membership program that helps startup founders and teams stay ahead of the competition. You can register here. Use the code “DC” to get 15% off an annual subscription!

big tech inc.

It seems we can’t go many days without more news of a company downsizing. This time around, Roku is making a second round of layoffs, this time of 200 employees, or 6% of its workforce, citing “a broader plan to reduce annual operating cost growth and prioritize projects it believes can will get it done.” about investing. Sarah writes This comes four months after Roku initially laid off 200 employees.

In the meantime, if you want to book an eco-friendly trip, you’re in luck. Uber expands its Comfort Electric offering to 14 new markets in the US and Canada, Rebecca reports. You can choose from the Tesla S, 3, X and Y models; North Star 2; the Ford Mustang Mach-E; the Audi etron; the Porsche Taycan; and the Hyundai Ioniq.