5 essential factors for attracting angel investment

Welcome to TechCrunch+ Tuesday

Today’s newsletter is a short one, since we’re coming back from a three-day weekend.

To lead us off: an article by veteran angel investor Marjorie Radlo-Zandi in which she shares the five key elements she considers before investing.

Her advice is clear and simple, which makes it particularly valuable in an environment where startup funding is flowing faster than ever.

Few investors expect a first-time founder’s pitch deck to be the most definitive analysis of a particular sector, but you’re better off being cautious instead of overly optimistic.

“An extraordinarily high projection signals you’re not altogether credible, and I advise you to avoid this mistake at all costs,” says Radlo-Zandi.

There’s never been a better time to found a startup, but you can’t catch pennies from VC heaven if there are holes in your story.

Thanks very much for reading,

Walter Thompson
Senior Editor, TechCrunch+
@yourprotagonist

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NFT volume, DAOs and the curious case of LooksRare

NFT marketplace OpenSea largely had the field to itself, but after competitor LooksRare announced an airdrop for its $LOOKS token last week, it overtook OpenSea in trading volume.

“Let’s talk about incentives and governance tokens to parse out what’s up with LooksRare and the larger future of the financialization of everything,” wrote Alex Wilhelm in The Exchange.

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DeFi and the Future of Programmable Money

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LG and the hunt for the next-gen corporate incubator

South Korean conglomerate LG produces everything from flat-screen TVs to soft drinks, so the idea that it would set up a startup incubator program isn’t a huge leap.

To learn more about the initiative, Haje Jan Kamps interviewed Sokwoo Rhee, LG’s corporate SVP and head of its North America Innovation Center.

“When I say new businesses, that can mean a lot of different things,” said Rhee. “We are willing to create a new business unit if the idea, suggestions and partnership hit a home run.”

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Fintech and insurtech innovation in Brazil set to take off on regulatory tailwinds

A substantial portion of Brazil’s population remains underbanked, but instant payment system Pix processed more than 8 billion transactions last year.

Launched by Brazil’s central bank in November 2020, Pix is already used by 60% of the population.

To better understand how shifting regulations and increased adoption are impacting LatAm fintech startups, Anna Heim spoke to:

• Amy Cheetham, partner, Costanoa Ventures
• Javier Santiso, founder and general partner, Alma Mundi Ventures
• Rodrigo Teijeiro, CEO, RecargaPay
• Pedro Sônego de Oliveira, CEO TruePay

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