Raspberry Pi Goes Public, Elon Musk Drops OpenAI Lawsuit, Startups Compete with Apple's Artificial Intelligence Capabilities

In this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Mary Ann Azevedo, Rebecca Szkutak, and Haje Jan Kamps dug into three very different but all interesting deals of the week.

Table of Contents

Raspberry Pi Makes Its Public Debut

Haje wanted to discuss Raspberry Pi’s debut on the public market. This profitable company has managed to build something truly remarkable – a tiny affordable computer that fits into the palm of your hand. Raspberry Pi’s innovative approach to making technology accessible to everyone is a testament to its commitment to democratizing access to computing.

InScope Raises $4.3 Million Seed Round

Mary Ann then talked about InScope, a fintech company that just raised a $4.3 million seed round of funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. The goal of InScope is to automate financial reporting, making it easier for businesses to manage their finances. This investment highlights the growing demand for innovative solutions in the fintech space.

Meowtel: A Profitable Cat-Sitting Startup

Becca got to riff on Meowtel, a niche and profitable startup focused on cat-sitting that has raised just $1 million in venture capital over its nine-year life. Despite being a small player in the market, Meowtel’s commitment to providing high-quality pet care services has earned it a loyal customer base.

Apple News and Its Potential Impact on Startups

The trio then discussed all the Apple news (largely AI-focused) that came out of WWDC. They explored the potential impact of Apple’s announcements on the startup world, including the integration of ChatGPT into iOS. This development has significant implications for startups working in AI and machine learning.

Elon Musk’s Reaction to Apple’s Announcement

While Elon Musk wasn’t happy about Apple’s announcement, the team discussed what his true motives might be for threatening to pull Apple devices from his companies. Was it a genuine concern or a strategic move? The answer remains unclear, but one thing is certain – the tech industry will continue to evolve rapidly in response to these developments.

Conclusion

That’s it for this week, but we’ll be back bright and early Monday with more tech and startup news. Stay tuned!

About Equity

Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, and all the casts.

You can also follow Equity on X and Threads at @EquityPod. For the full episode transcript, for those who prefer reading over listening, check out our full archive of episodes over at Simplecast.

Meet Our Hosts

Mary Ann Azevedo: Sr. Reporter @bayareawriter
Mary Ann Azevedo has more than 20 years of business reporting and editing experience for publications such as FinLedger, Crunchbase News, Crain, Forbes, and Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Rebecca Szkutak: Senior Reporter, Venture @rebecca_szkutak
Becca is a senior writer at TechCrunch that covers venture capital trends and startups. She previously covered the same beat for Forbes and the Venture Capital Journal.
Haje Jan Kamps: @Haje
Haje (He/Him) covered general tech news and focused mostly on hardware at TechCrunch. He has founded several companies to varying degrees of success, spent a while in the VC world, and has been a journalist and TV producer since the dawn of his career.