Gm. Today is a special one: Homescreen is launching on Product Hunt! For those not familiar, Product Hunt is basically a big ole leaderboard for new products.

Our goal is to end the day with Homescreen perched atop the Product Hunt leaderboard, but we need your help to get there.

We'll explain more further down the newsletter, but it would help us out a ton if you tossed our page an upvote or left us a comment.

Appreciate you, Homies. Now onto the news.

FRESH POWDER

Looking at three funds that recently topped up their coffers.

CORPORATE VENTURE

Amazon's VC arm gets bigger

Jeff Bezos’ arms aren’t the only thing bulking up in Seattle. Amazon's corporate venture activity is also growing after yesterday's announcement of its new $1 billion Industrial Innovation Fund that will back companies building supply chain, fulfillment, and logistics tech.

Logistics are a logical target

If data is Amazon’s oil, logistics are its refineries. Amazon spends billions each year on warehouses, electric delivery vehicles, and drones to deliver your bulk order of toothpaste quickly and reliably. The new fund is taking some moonshots to achieve that goal.

• Three companies that received some Bezos bucks in the first round of investments are developing robotics “designed to complement and coexist with people’s lives,” including Agility Robotics which is working on a cool little bi-pedal walking robot.

Amazon’s venture presence is lowkey big now

Lost amidst the headlines about unionization efforts, movie studio mergers, and whatever yacht Jeff is on that day has been Amazon’s emerging VC presence. Including the latest fund, Amazon now has four corporate venture funds:

• $200 million Alexa Fund that invests in voice recognition companies

• $250 million SMBHAV Venture Fund which invests in startups based in India

• $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund that invests in companies working in sustainable tech.

In total, Amazon has dedicated nearly $2.5 billion to its venture investments. Not exactly Tiger Global numbers, but still a significant amount for, you know, not a VC fund.

Zoom out: It isn't just Amazon filling its coffers. Corporate venture capital activity across the board increased at a blistering pace last year with CVC backed deals jumping 39% and overall funding up 142% YoY. But as the market begins to cool a little, it will be interesting to keep an eye on how, and if, those numbers change.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter's bid to win back devs

Between all the tender offers and poison pills flying around, it's easy to forget that there's still a company being run over at Twitter dot com. And that company just rolled out a feature called Toolkit that helps long-ignored devs distribute their creations on the platform.

Wait, Twitter is helping developers?

We couldn’t believe it either. Twitter’s long and complicated relationship with third party developers over the years has included screwing them with API changes and shuttering its dev conference after just one year. But it looks like they’ve turned the corner.

The new Toolbox feature allows devs to directly advertise their tools to Twitter users. For instance, users who have blocked someone might subsequently be presented with stronger, third-party safety extensions. Small touch points like that offer a huge distribution boost to the creators of those extensions.

Zoom out: Amid a flurry of criticism over Twitter’s safety and moderation, third-party devs could play a key role in enabling users to curate their own experiences on the platform. And Twitter’s efforts to appeal to devs show they just might be waking up to that fact.

QUICK HITS

Seed Round

Stat: Making dog face filters also makes you a lotta dough. Snap employees enjoyed the biggest pay bump (28%) and highest median compensation ($327k) of any of the big tech companies last year, per The Information. Netflix also stood out, but not in a good way: average compensation at the streamer fell by 8%, alongside our tolerance for new quirky dating shows.

TLDR: A quick update on the streaming wars: HBO Max and HBO won big in Q1, netting 3 million new subscribers. To no one’s surprise, Netflix was the biggest loser of the quarter with a loss of 200,000 subscribers.

Rabbit hole: The new chaotic design aesthetic that’s taking over the web. (Hype4academy)

WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON

• Coinbase launched the beta version of its Instagram-like NFT marketplace.

• The Obamas are leaving Spotify and seeking a new podcast deal with a different distributor.

• CNN+ is shutting its doors less than a month after its launch, earning its place in the short-lived streaming service hall of fame.

• Elon Musk said he has secured the $46.5 billion he needs to buy Twitter.

• Sheryl Sandberg is under fire for trying to kill a tabloid story about her ex, the CEO of Activision Blizzard.

NEWS FROM THE HOUSE

Product Hunt launch

If you all have been enjoying Homescreen, here is how you can help grow the community.

Step 1: Head to our Product Hunt page here

Step 2: Hit the upvote button in the upper right hand corner

Step 3: Leave a comment introducing yourself as a Homescreen reader—we'll respond!

GUESSTIMATE

How well do you know the global economy? It’s time for the GDP challenge.

Which country has the greater GDP (2017)?

• USA or China

• Japan or Germany

• France or India

• Brazil or Italy

• USA or India + France + Japan

FUNDRAISING FRIDAY

This is an epic list that is 100% worth poking through if you are raising. 

FOUNDERS CORNER

The best resources we came across this week that will help you become a better founder, builder, or investor.

🤝 21 lessons for building a successful startup from an experienced founder

✍️ a16z announced its crypto research effort, something to keep an eye on if you’re in the space

🧠 A solid guide on managing your mental health while running a startup

GUESSTIMATE ANSWER

• USA ($19.5 trillion) > China ($12.2 trillion)

• Japan ($4.9 trillion) > Germany ($3.7 trillion)

• India ($2.7 trillion) > France ($2.6 trillion)

• Brazil ($2 trillion) > Italy ($1.9 trillion)

• USA ($19.5 trillion) > India + France + Japan ($10.2 trillion)

(Worldometer)

This trivia was brought to you by @triviacorner