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Were you able to keep up with all the recent announcements concerning unicorn companies over the past few weeks? If not, here’s a compilation of key headlines to bring you current, as this holiday period is already demonstrating substantial acquisitions, an increasing number of initial public offering submissions, and consistent investment activity.

Remarkably, despite experiencing one of the most challenging years in recent times, the technology sector is approaching December with heightened optimism. (Do you recall the difficulties surrounding the WeWork IPO from the previous year? Perhaps not.)

Salesforce completes the purchase of Slack for $27.7 billion

Numerous perspectives are emerging regarding the $27.7 billion acquisition of Slack

Analyzing the potential $100 billion valuation of Stripe

Examining how the recent global health crisis fueled the surge in IPOs currently being observed

A summary of the latest developments in the world of unicorn companies

C3.ai’s preliminary IPO price range indicates strong investor interest in technology companies going public (EC)

Efforts are underway to fully grasp the trajectory of C3.ai’s expansion (EC)

The insurtech sector continues its impressive growth as Metromile prepares for a public offering (EC)

Investors should remain calm, as startups demonstrate the permanence of remote work arrangements (EC)

Airbnb’s valuation, in its initial IPO price bracket, has returned to levels seen before the pandemic (EC)

Three new companies have reached the $100 million annual recurring revenue milestone, and a demand exists for the next wave of rapidly expanding startups (EC)

Virtual fundraising is now a permanent fixture

Connie Loizos interviewed Jason Green, a partner at the prominent enterprise investment company Emergence Capital, to understand his perspective on Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) and their anticipated utilization in the coming years. Importantly, early-stage companies should note his confirmation that video conferencing will remain a standard component of the fundraising landscape.

While many startup founders will likely return to in-person meetings with venture capital firms in Silicon Valley as vaccinations become widespread, 2020 will be recognized as the year venture capital fully embraced remote operations.

The widespread shift to online learning occurred across all educational sectors this year due to the pandemic, albeit on a temporary basis. While primary and secondary students have largely returned to in-person instruction, remote learning continues to thrive in higher education and professional development. Natasha Mascarenhas recently examined the latest developments in the market for Extra Crunch, and assembled a group of prominent figures in the industry for a special Thanksgiving episode of Equity. Below is a summary of the topics discussed on the program:

How to price your SaaS product for a bottoms-up growth strategy

The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) landscape is increasingly influenced by strategies borrowed from successful consumer internet businesses. Leading companies are now prioritizing growth driven by recommendations and organic adoption, rather than relying on traditional sales teams. For this approach to be effective and scalable, a carefully considered revenue model is essential. In an article for Extra Crunch, Caryn Marooney and David Cahn from Coatue present a structured approach to pricing your SaaS product when pursuing a bottoms-up growth strategy. Their framework, known as “MAP” – standing for Metrics, Activity, and People – assists in aligning your product’s pricing with how users actually utilize and value it. Here's their explanation of the 'Activity' component:

Around TechCrunch

An Extra Crunch subscription is now accessible for readers located in Israel.

Discover the latest advancements and discussions regarding the future of both living and working off-world at TC Sessions: Space 2020.

Steve Isakowitz, a leader in the aerospace industry, will be presenting at TC Sessions: Space 2020.

TC Sessions: Space 2020 will feature participation from investors Lockheed Martin Ventures and SpaceFund.

Across the week

TechCrunch

Attention venture capitalists operating in Israel: Participate in The Great TechCrunch Survey focusing on European VC firms.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has released a proposed rule change intended to allow independent contractors and gig economy workers to receive equity as part of their compensation.

The decline of advertising technology indicates a shift towards a business environment centered on establishing and maintaining trust with customers.

An examination of how Ryan Reynolds and Mint Mobile successfully navigated marketing strategies while avoiding negative public perception.

Gaining insight into the future of technology by seeking the perspectives of individuals with visual impairments.

Extra Crunch

Companies focused on mental wellness are attracting both investment funding and positive attention.

An exploration of the companies and innovations shaping the next generation of grocery shopping.

A strategic guide for new investment firms on how to effectively compete and succeed in the venture capital landscape.

Current market conditions present a favorable opportunity to launch a company specializing in property technology.

Recent findings reveal seven key details regarding Sequoia’s plans for growth within the European market.

#EquityPod

From Alex Wilhelm:

Greetings and welcome to Equity, TechCrunch’s podcast dedicated to the world of venture capital (and now available on Twitter!), where we analyze the data underlying current events.

We’ve returned with a full-length Equity episode, bypassing the usual Equity Shot or Monday Dive. We revisited our standard format by examining a significant number of seed-stage investments, alongside several other topics we were eager to discuss.

Here’s a summary of what Chris, Danny, Natasha, and I covered:

• A collaborative living space designed for college students who identify as women or non-binary.
• An explanation of Sketchy’s business model and the reasons behind its recent funding exceeding $30 million.
• A discussion of AgentSync’s recent and frequent funding announcements, and our interpretation of the implications.
• Pave’s funding round, Welcome’s second funding of the year, and the growing need to assist startup employees with understanding their equity-based compensation.
• The developments at Heru in Mexico, fueled by its latest investment.
• How BuildBuddy successfully secured funding that was twice the amount initially sought.
• A segment on Artificial Intelligence: Scale AI’s new funding, the situation with Element AI, and Danny’s perspective on recent advancements in the technology.
• Finally, we reviewed recent acquisitions: Lightspeed’s purchase of Upserve, Facebook’s acquisition of Kustomer, Vista’s purchase of Gainsight, and Amazon’s entry into the paid podcasting market.

That was a comprehensive overview, but each item deserved attention! We’ll be back on Monday with another episode.