European subscription prices for Amazon Prime will increase in September

TechCrunch Newsletter [TechCrunch logo]( [The Daily Crunch logo]( By [Haje Jan Kamps]( Tuesday, July 26, 2022 What is up, you delightful beings. Today, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about Instagram. [Devin]( wrote about how the platform just keeps getting worse [with dark patterns lifted from TikTok](, and [Amanda]( made me laugh with her [Instagram responds to criticism with shocking revelation that it will ‘continue to support photos’]( headline. The platform’s evolution is [a matter close to my heart](, and I continue to be torn about influencers and “thought leaders.” In a nutshell: I love Instagram as it is, but I’m also curious where photographers can go and frolic these days. [Answers on a postcard](. Oh, and you don’t even need to read the article, but do yourself a favor and look at the pictures in this piece I published this morning: [BMF’s microscopic 3D printing powers]( are magnificent, and I’m awestruck by how far 3D printing has come. — [Haje]( PS:[Applications to the Startup Battlefield 200 close this week](, so get your applications in pronto! [ image] Image Credits: Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty Images The TechCrunch Top 3 - Sine Qua Non Prime: European customers have had a pretty sweet deal on Amazon’s Prime subscription. [The e-commerce giant just hiked the prices by quite a substantial chunk](. French customers are une petite bite angry about their 43% price hike, while German subscribers think their 30% hike is just the wurst, [Paul]( reports. - A decimation at Shopify: Lots of e-commerce news today, including [bad news for a tenth of Shopify’s staff](. As pandemic-driven investment in online shopping slows, Shopify lays off about 1,000 employees, [Aisha]( writes. - After two years at a16z, the first solo album: [Mary Ann]( reports that Rex Salisbury came to the conclusion that adding a fund to his lively Cambrian community was a natural next step of the journey. He began the process of raising capital for his own venture firm, Cambrian Ventures, and [today announced a $20 million fund]( focusing on early-stage fintech companies. [Guide: What is SOC 2 and Why Do Startups Need It]( Sponsored by [Laika]( [To close deals, your business needs SOC 2. But getting compliant is complicated, time-consuming, and costly. Uncomplicate SOC 2 with our guide for growth-minded founders. Learn how to turn compliance from a pain point into a competitive advantage.]( [Download Here]( Startups and VC Brian [reviewed the third-gen Oura Ring]( back in December, but today [Kyle]( reports that the existing hardware picked up a new trick along the way and [can now measure blood oxygen levels](, with more fitness features to come. Our Found podcast had a particularly interesting episode this week — Nikki Pechet joins as a guest. She started Homebound to make home-building easier and more accessible after a wildfire ripped through Northern California and thousands of people were put on years-long waiting lists to get started building their homes. The episode is called [Why this founder feels confident facing the economic downturn](. Get that wisdom into your ears as soon as you can. Here’s [a link to Found on all your favorite podcasting platforms](. I was intrigued by[Struck Capital’s $15 million venture studio]( and was a little alarmed when the founders suggested they use the “thousands of pitches” they receive to inform which companies they choose to build. More startup goodies: - A chain with a sack of cash at the end of it: Based in New York, [Interplay is raising $10 million]( for a new blockchain fund, [Anita]( reports - So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, good night: Based in Germany, [Babbel has more than a million U.S. customers on its platform]( and is extending its business language learning platform to the U.S., too,[Frederic]( reports. - My coins jingle jingle: [Mike]( makes a case for [hardware wallets about to make a comeback]( as crypto markets are getting a little crumbly. - Pogo puts a monetized bounce in your step: If Pogo had its way, you’d get paid every time you stroll down the street. The only catch is that you give your personal data to the consumer-focused fintech in return. The company [raised almost $15 million to become the ‘Honey for the real world,’]( reports [Natasha M](. - On the social chain:[Blockchain ecosystem Topl has raised $15 million]( to help companies track and monetize social impact initiatives, [Jacquelyn]( reports. - Feeling good, investing moneys: [Mike]( writes about Europe’s newest health and wellness fund: [Exceptional Ventures has a $24 million fund](. - Spiders as robot hands: Definitely the weirdest story on the site today, [Brian]( dives in with scientists using [dead spiders as robot hands](. Weird robotics breakthroughs? I love ’em so! [The right questions to ask investors when fundraising in a down market]( Fundraising chats may still start off with small talk, but startup teams are under more pressure than ever to make the best possible use of these rare opportunities. Blair Silverberg, CEO and co-founder of Hum Capital, says entrepreneurs should resist the urge to become defensive in these sessions. “In fact, the more a founder can push the questions back to the investor in a way that gives a better understanding of their business and investment strategy, the easier the rest of the conversation will be.” (TechCrunch+ is our membership program, which helps founders and startup teams get ahead.[You can sign up here](.) [Read More]( [The right questions to ask investors when fundraising in a down market image] Image Credits: MicroStockHub / Getty Images Big Tech Inc. Some nine months after the U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) revealed it was carrying out a market study into music-streaming services, [the government department has revealed it believes there is no case to answer]( — for now, at least, [Paul]( reports. GM is in the news a fair bit today: [Jaclyn]( reports that the automotive giant took a [40% profit nosedive in the second quarter](. She also covered the[3 indicators to watch for on GM Q2 earnings day](, and [Rebecca]( revealed that the company landed a [$2.5 billion government loan for U.S. battery plants](. Go on, then, have a few more: - Faraday future? More like faraway future: the EV manufacturer is on shaky ground as its [EV production is delayed again](, [Kirsten]( reports. - A Spennier Quest: Meta jacks up [the price of its Quest 2 virtual reality headsets by $100](, [Aisha]( reports. - Look after that FB Business account:[Newly discovered malware hijacks Facebook Business accounts]( reports[Carly](. - Flying high(er): Two of the biggest European satellite operators, Eutelsat and OneWeb, [agree on a merger](, reports[Paul](. - An even bester buy: [Ivan]( reports that Best Buy is struggling to stay relevant in a world of e-commerce and the expense of running retail locations. Now it is [testing a digital-first, smaller retail store](. [Read more stories on TechCrunch.com]( Newest Jobs from Crunchboard - [Senior Enterprise Applications Developer (Hybrid Remote/In-Person) 2 Positions at MiraCosta College (Oceanside, CA, USA)]( - [IT Project Manager Senior Specialist at Washington State Department of Natural Resources (Olympia, WA, USA)]( - [Fullstack Engineer at Resemble AI (United States)]( - [Head of Engineering at Arise (United States)]( - [Lead Developer, Collections - Digital at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY, 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