TechCrunch Newsletters - Instagram Threads gains traction

Good afternoon, and welcome back to TechCrunch PM. Today we get into who’s on top in the app stores, more layoffs, more venture capital and something to occupy your free time. Read on.  — Christine

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TechCrunch PM Top 3

Instagram Threads reaches the top 10: Just when you thought Instagram Threads was not going to see growth, the social media app tripled its month-to-month downloads in December to help get it into the top 10 apps in both the App Store and Google Play.

More layoffs: Looks like the sun set a bit on software company Aurora Solar, which announced today it was laying off 20% of its staff after missing some growth targets. Meanwhile, PayPal is reportedly beginning company-wide layoffs today that are expected to affect “thousands.”

Airfocus bags $7.5M for its take on project management software: Yes, another project management software tool. However, this one has a bunch of goodies for enterprise project managers.

More top reads

Apple Card users raked it in last year: If you’re holding an Apple Card, you are likely one of the 12 million users who earned more than $1 billion in Daily Cash from spending on Apple Card in 2023.

Rule-breakers: The IRS finds itself in hot water while trying to keep employees from accessing TikTok.

Heart pressure monitoring without an implant: That’s Acorai’s plan after grabbing around $4.5 million in seed funding. The Swedish medical device company is building a device that takes vitals via sensors on the patient’s chest.

All eyes on space: Watch SpaceX launch a Northrop Grumman resupply mission to the International Space Station.

More venture capital for those ubiquitous startups: Ubiquity Ventures, started by Sunil Nagaraj, now has $75 million for its Fund III to sink into startups focused on what he calls “software beyond the screen.”

PadSplit keeps growing: The U.S. median monthly rent price of nearly $2,000 is keeping many lower-income workers from finding quality housing. Enter PadSplit, which now has over 10,000 units in 18 cities.

Inside Studio’s new online music school: Look out, MasterClass, Studio is plugged in and ready to make music. Today, Studio launched its first AI-powered online school for musicians, songwriters and producers to learn from top artists.

Leal invests in customer engagement in Latin America: It’s hard to identify your most loyal customers. Even more so when they pay with cash. That’s where Colombia-based Leal comes in, offering merchants a way to collect data on customers and offer them personalized perks.

Before you go: Head on over to TechCrunch+ and learn why B2B SaaS pricing can’t just be about consumption versus subscription.

On the pods

Today on Found, Becca is joined by Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg, co-founders and co-CEOs of the Skimm, which is a digital media company dedicated to succinctly giving women the information they need to make confident decisions.

They talked about how they’ve navigated the digital media industry for over a decade, how they pitched this to investors when they were new to the game, and the importance of building a team that aligns with your vision. Listen here.

• Chief Information Officer at Raftelis (Washington County, Oregon, USA)
• System Administrator, OT at Hoosier Energy (Bloomington, IN, USA)
• Programmer Analyst - ERP at Hoosier Energy (Bloomington, IN, USA)
• Information Technology (IT) Field Technician at Tekmanagement: Secure IT Solutions (Brookings, OR, USA)
• AV Meeting Support Technician at Air Line Pilots Association (Tysons, VA, USA)

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