We’ve aggregated the world’s best growth marketers into one community. Twice a month, we ask them to share their most effective growth tactics, and we compile them into this Growth Report.

This is how you’re going stay up-to-date on growth marketing tactics — with advice you can’t get elsewhere.

Our community consists of 600 startup founders paired with VP’s of growth from later-stage companies. We have 300 YC founders plus senior marketers from companies including Medium, Docker, Invision, Intuit, Pinterest, Discord, Webflow, Lambda School, Perfect Keto, Typeform, Modern Fertility, Segment, Udemy, Puma, Cameo, and Ritual.

You can participate in our community by joining Demand Curve’s marketing webinars, Slack group, or marketing training program. See past growth reports here, here, here and here.

Without further ado, onto the advice.

Improving engagement for drip emails

Based on insights from Matt Sornson of Clearbit. Lightly edited with permission.

Personalizing your marketing emails increases conversion. But doing so at scale takes a lot of effort. Here’s how to get around that:

Improving cold email response rates

Cryptocurrency exchange company Coinbase is launching a mobile app for its advanced users today. You can now download the Coinbase Pro mobile app on iOS — the Android version is coming soon.

Coinbase Pro is the company’s exchange that lets you set up advanced order types, such as limit orders. Those are fairly standard features for a cryptocurrency exchange. But Coinbase set up a separate “pro” platform so that the main Coinbase.com exchange remains as simple and straightforward as possible.

And now, you can also use Coinbase Pro on your phone. I’ve been playing around with the app, and it features everything you’d expect. On the first tab, you can see a list of trading pairs.

If you tap on a pair, you can see real-time candles, the order book, your active orders as well as trade history for this specific pair. You also can set up an order to buy and sell cryptocurrencies from each trading pair page.

On the second tab, you can see your portfolio of crypto assets and its value in fiat currencies. You can deposit or withdraw cryptocurrencies from the mobile app. Unfortunately, if you want to deposit or withdraw fiat currencies (USD, EUR, GBP, etc.), the app tells you to head over to the website.

Finally, you can see your past and active orders, and check your fees and limits.

Coinbase increased some of its trading fees on Coinbase Pro for low-volume accounts just last week. It is now more expensive to trade on Coinbase Pro if you trade less than the equivalent of $50,000 over 30 days. And if you trade less than $10,000 over 30 days, it now costs 0.50% in maker and taker fees.

Kraken charges 0.26% in taker fees if you trade less $50,000 in the past 30 days. Binance charges 0.1% in trading fees. With those new trading fees, it feels like Coinbase is indeed targeting pro users with Coinbase Pro.

Disclosure: I own small amounts of various cryptocurrencies.

Sramana Mitra: What was going to be in the product that you were putting together based on this general observation? Lior Gal: The first building block is, it needs to be software. That might sound...

___

The secretive New York-based hedge fund Tiger Global Management has led a $25 million Series C investment in Lattice, an employee performance and engagement management tool, with participation from the startup’s existing investors.

The round, which values Lattice in the ballpark of $200 million, says co-founder and chief executive officer Jack Altman, comes just six months after the business closed a $15 million Series B led by Shasta Ventures. The HR tool, founded in 2015 by Altman and Eric Koslow, is also backed by Thrive Capital, the Slack Fund, Khosla Ventures and Y Combinator.

Lattice, like many startups closing venture capital deals today, was not actively fundraising when approached by John Curtius of Tiger Global, a firm that invested in the likes of Spotify, Glassdoor and Flipkart. Rather than reject the sizable capital infusion that, according to Altman, included favorable terms, Lattice closed the deal and plans to invest additional cash in its sales and marketing efforts, among other opportunities.

“Tiger was excited by the vision to keep [expanding] this platform — to extend to the rest of people management,” Altman tells TechCrunch.

Lattice, which has raised a total of $49.2 million in venture capital funding to date, doubled its headcount this year as well as its paying user count, which has swelled to 160,000. The SaaS business has developed performance management software that allows employees to reflect on their performance and receive feedback from managers and peers. The tool also empowers employees and their managers to structure agendas for one-on-one sessions, send praise to other employees and draft goals and OKRs.

“In order to compete for talent today, you do need to build the type of company where people want to work — it’s not just a money thing,” said Altman.

Last fall, the San Francisco-based startup introduced Lattice Engagement, giving human resources teams a better idea of employees’ level of connection to their company. Last month, the company launched Lattice Pulse, which, in combination with Lattice Engagement and Lattice Performance, delivers real-time insight into employees and company culture.

“You can get away with not doing these things, but it doesn’t optimize this critical thing, which is how your people are,” explains Altman. “If you don’t pay attention to how your people are performing or how they are feeling, it would be like not listening to your customers. Your employees are like your internal customers. If you don’t care how they’re doing or how they’re feeling, you’re leaving unbelievably important information on the table.”

Lattice operates a SaaS business model, charging roughly $100 per user per year. The company sells primarily to small and medium-sized businesses, including Glossier and Asana and some 1,400 others. This year, Lattice struck a deal with Slack, one of its largest customers yet. Over time, the company plans to sell to larger enterprises.

“My hope is we can just keep on adding products and functionality to what we offer,” Altman said. “We have so many more ideas than we have people to build them.”

This is a textbook case study of how to bring complex technology to market. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start at the very beginning of your journey. Where are you from? Where were you born, raised, and in...

___

According to a recent report by Market Research Future, the global customer experience management market is estimated to grow at 22% CAGR to reach $18 billion by 2023. Earlier this year, Palo...

___

FinTech is a complex industry with massive changes underway. In this interview, Todd and I attempt to explore what is defensible in this highly competitive space. Sramana Mitra: Let’s start by...

___

What does Disrupt Berlin 2019 have in common with the movie “Three Days of the Condor?” Frankly, not much except that there are only three days of the super early bird special left before prices go up. The analogy may be a stretch, but the facts are real. Right now, you can save up to €600 depending on the pass you buy.

Remember, the super early bird is an endangered species. Once the clock strikes 11:59 p.m. (CEST) on Friday, 11 October, the super early bird pricing goes extinct. And who wants to pay more than necessary? Extinction will cost you, so don’t wait. Buy your passes to Disrupt Berlin today.

Once you secure your pass, you can start thinking about all the ways you want to experience Disrupt Berlin. Join an audience of thousands to watch some of the world’s top early-stage startups go head-to head in the Startup Battlefield. Between 15-20 teams will take the Main stage to deliver a 6-minute product pitch and demo to a panel of expert tech and VC judges.

It’s a fast, furious and epic pitch competition that culminates with one outstanding startup claiming the Disrupt Cup and a $50,000 equity-free prize. And all the participants get to bask in the warm, possibly life-changing spotlight of media and investor attention.

You’ll find even more early-stage startups exhibiting a wide range of technologies in Startup Alley, our expo floor and networking paradise. Among the hundreds of exhibitors, be sure to check out the TC Top Picks. TechCrunch editors hand-picked this cohort to find up to five of the best startups representing these tech categories: AI/Machine Learning, Biotech/Healthtech, Blockchain, Fintech, Mobility, Privacy/Security, Retail/E-commerce, Robotics/IoT/Hardware, CRM/Enterprise and Education.

Have you heard about our Extra Crunch stage? That’s where you’ll find fireside chats and panel discussions focused on founder and investor success. Plus, it’s the place to go for practical insights and how-to content. We’re talking advice you can take home and put to work in your business. Straight from the mouths of the people who’ve done the hard work and earned their success.

So much to do and see at Disrupt Berlin 2019 and just three days of the super early bird left. The savings go extinct at 11:59 p.m. (CEST) on Friday, 11 October. Buy your passes to Disrupt Berlin, save a bundle, and we’ll see you in December!

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt Berlin 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.

Early-stage startup founders know that M&Ms are essential ingredients for startup success. We’re not talking about the melt-in-your-mouth-not-in-your-hand confection; we’re talking money and media.

Apply to be TC Top Pick at Disrupt Berlin 2019 and — if you make the cut — you’ll receive a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package, the VIP treatment and plenty of exposure to both media and investors.

Don’t wait — the application deadline is 18 October at 12 p.m. (PT). Apply to be a TC Top Pick right now.

We’ll get into the details of how to apply in a moment, but here’s an example of why you should apply. Jana Rosenfelder, co-founder of Actijoy, found real value in her Top Pick experience at Disrupt SF 2018.

“Being a TC Top Pick was a door-opener, because the media paid so much attention. It made a big impression with people who visited our booth. Whenever I mentioned we were a Top Pick, it was like a trigger. It gave us more credibility, and everyone listened to us.”

You’re eligible to apply if your early-stage startup falls into one of the following tech categories: AI/Machine Learning, Biotech/Healthtech, Blockchain, Fintech, Mobility, Privacy/Security, Retail/E-commerce, Robotics/IoT/Hardware, CRM/Enterprise and Education.

TC Top Picks is a competitive process, and TechCrunch editors review the applications looking for interesting startups that show solid potential. They’ll choose up to five startups for each category.

All TC Top Pick startups receive a free Startup Alley Exhibitor Package, which includes one full day exhibiting in a dedicated space within Startup Alley — the Disrupt expo floor teeming with opportunity. Your package also includes access to the programming on all stages (including the Startup Battlefield competition), three Founder passes, the complete attendee list (via TC Events Mobile App), the list of attending press, use of the Startup Alley Exhibitor Lounge and CrunchMatch — our business networking platform.

Plus, a TechCrunch editor will interview each Top Pick live on our Showcase Stage, and we’ll promote that video across our social media platforms, which can help drive traffic to your site. It’s a marketing gift that keeps on giving.

As if that weren’t enough, you might pull a Legacy. Each exhibiting startup has a shot at being chosen as a Wild Card and competing in the Startup Battlefield. Last year, Legacy earned the Wild Card slot, and then went on to win the Startup Battlefield competition.

Disrupt Berlin 2019 takes place on 11-12 December, and this is your chance to bask in the attention of investors and global media. Apply to be a TC Top Pick before the clock runs out on 18 October at 12 p.m. (PT).

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at Disrupt Berlin 2019? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology said it is reviewing the university’s relationship with SenseTime, one of eight Chinese tech companies placed on the U.S. Entity List yesterday for their alleged role in human rights abuses against Muslim minority groups in China.

A MIT spokesperson told Bloomberg that “MIT has long had a robust export controls function that pays careful attention to export control regulations and compliance. MIT will review all existing relationships with organizations added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List, and modify any interactions, as necessary.”

A SenseTime representative told Bloomberg “We are deeply disappointed with this decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce. We will work closely with all relevant authorities to fully understand and resolve the situation.”

The companies placed on the blacklist included several of China’s top AI startups and companies that have supplied software to mass surveillance systems that may have been used by the Chinese government to persecute Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups.

Over one million Uyghurs are believed to currently be held in detention camps, where human rights observers report they have been subjected to forced labor and torture.

SenseTime, the world’s mostly highly-valued AI startup, provided software to the Chinese government for its national surveillance system, including CCTV cameras. It was the first company to join a MIT Intelligence Quest initiative launched last year with the goal of “driv[ing] technological breakthroughs in AI that have the potential to confront some of the world’s greatest challenges.” Since then, it has provided funding for 27 projects by MIT researchers.

Earlier this year, MIT ended its working relationships with Huawei and ZTE over alleged sanction violations.

Southeast Asian real estate portal 99.co has agreed to form a joint venture with iProperty. As part of the deal, iProperty owner REA Group will invest $8 million of working capital into the venture, expected to be finalized by the second quarter of 2020.

99.co and REA Group, a real estate-focused digital advertising conglomerate that is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), say that the JV immediately makes 99.co the market leader in Indonesia and positions it to take the top spot in Singapore, as well. The deal also makes 99.co a more formidable rival to PropertyGuru. Backed by TPG Capital and KKR, PropertyGuru is expected to raise up to AUD $380.2 million (about USD $255.9 million) in an IPO on the ASX this month.

The joint venture is expected to be finalized by the second quarter of 2020 and 99.co will assume full control of REA Group brands iProperty.com.sg in Singapore and Rumah123.com in Indonesia. The JV will be led by 99.co’s management team, including co-founder and CEO Darius Cheung.

99.co’s last round of funding was a $15.2 million Series B, announced in August, that the company says took its valuation to over $100 million.

In a press statement, Cheung said “We are coming for market leadership. This is a key milestone that positions us instantly as number one in Indonesia, and well on our way to that in Singapore. Our innovative DNA plus REA’s unrivaled experience and resources makes this partnership a lethal combination Southeast Asia has not seen before.”

The company’s existing shareholders, including Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, Sequoia Capital, MindWorks Ventures, Allianz X, East Ventures and 500 Startups, will have a combined stake of 73%, with REA Group holding the remaining 27%.

Launched in 2014, 99.co was created to make real estate listings more navigable for renters and buyers in Singapore and other Southeast Asian markets. REA Group owns portals in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore and China, and a property review site in Thailand. It is also a stakeholder in Move, the American real estate site, and Indian property portal PropTiger.

 

Selfishly, we like to share the things we love with the people we love — today my wife Esther wanted me to swim with her. I put my feet in for a second, and this small act brought her more joy than all her underwater laps combined.

Similarly, Esther had zero interest in putting on my brand new $499 124GB Oculus Quest All-In-One VR headset when I brought it home last spring. She is prone to vertigo and, like many of us, still imagines a nauseating cardboard box when she thinks of virtual reality — so I did not prod. For several weeks, I played the Quest in lonesome, testing out apps for when she inevitably became curious enough to try it on.

Eventually, it was an app and two games that turned her into a VR nerd, the Oculus Quest being the vehicle.

Oculus Quest specs

You have one main decision to make when buying an Oculus Quest: choosing between the $399 64GB model and the $499 124GB model (I splurged on the latter). Storage space is the only difference between the two. With 124GB, I don't have to be choosy with which apps I keep downloaded on the Quest and which I store in the cloud for a rainy day. And downloading apps is easy. It's done entirely from inside the headset.  It's important to note that the Quest and other VR headsets from Oculus are rated for ages 13 and up.

Out of the box, you get the headset (weighing in at a comfortable 20 ounces), two wireless controllers, a curved piece of plastic meant to make the Quest more comfortable to wear (though I've never felt the need to use it, others may), and a USB-C charger with a 15-watt adapter to charge the headset. The controllers are powered by good ole' AA batteries (also included), and there you have it. These few pieces come together to create your entire VR experience — no computer, no TV screen, no wires needed, once it's charged.

While there are other VR headsets with better graphics, like the HTC Vive or Oculus's own Rift S, it's important to note that these do not compete with the Quest, the same way SUVs do not compete with sports cars. The Vive and Rift S attach to a PC to deliver extremely immersive visual experiences with high frame rates, but the Quest is a small wireless device that you throw in a backpack and set up anywhere, a truly portable VR experience.

The Quest isn't the most advanced VR vehicle, but it is by far the most accessible to people who want to buy their first headset with no hassle and have an extremely fun time using it within minutes of opening.

Esther, of course, had none of this context and would have been bored if I started droning on about it, so I waited and curated three apps/games: Netflix, Tilt Brush, and Beat Saber. These three titles are respectively pioneering the future of their industries.

Netflix VR (free plus membership costs)

Netflix

While not actually a game at all, Netflix VR had to be the first app Esther experienced on the Oculus Quest. 

Sure, there are far more incredible things to be done in today's VR, but with something as simple as watching, you don't need to do any teaching, and well, you know that card game you love? By the time you're done explaining how to play, people want to play even less than when you first mentioned it. Netflix, however, is something as familiar as clicking a button.

The clunky Quest looked massive on Esther's head, but as soon as it was snug, her jaw — which barely peaked out beneath the headset — dropped. Her cheeks inflated, disappearing up into the Oculus. "Whoa! Wow! What! WHAT!" The most memorable of those first 30 or so seconds were the twists and turns of her neck, as she looked around Netflix's Virtual Lounge. This is what she saw:

Netflix

Tip: Void the Theatre

Gazing out the window of this mountain lodge is fun and worth showing friends, but just above the virtual mantle rests a dimly lit button: "Void Theatre." Clicking this transports you somewhere better suited for binging shows: an existential grey void. 

The Virtual Lounge can be so interesting that it distracts from a proper, nightly Office binge. If you want to fully immerse yourself, clicking "Void Theatre" will make the lounge, the couch, and the mountains outside your window disappear, so you can be alone in a grey void with Michael Scott.

Zach Andrews

Again, experienced VR natives may roll their eyes at how insignificant this all is, but the majority of people might still be surprised to know that you can be in a tiny Brooklyn apartment one moment and, in that same moment, take yourself to a lodge in the mountains and, within that same moment, compress reality into an existential space filled with nothing but an adjustable screen to empathy-cringe at whenever Andy tries but oh-so-fails to ask out Erin.

Netflix quick specs

Google

Tilt Brush is a drawing/painting game, made by Google, that starts you out in an empty VR space. Here, Google gives you a pallet of icons and brushes. With these brushes, you can draw, paint, and write whatever you want in a 3D world you create all on your own. Some designers are choosing to sketch exclusively in VR now, in apps like this one, because you can experiment with new degrees of freedom in art.

In Tilt Brush, you can walk around what you've just made or walk directly through what you've just made. Shrink it. Blow it up. Forget about the world outside, until your forgotten-feet step too close to your couch and the Oculus reminds you of the parameters of your virtual sandbox. 

 

 

To demonstrate Tilt Brush's 3D drawing, I drew "Z <3 E" in sparkly, laser letters in Google's grey sky and handed the Quest over to Esther. She adjusted the straps around her face, smiled at my doodle, waved her hand in the air, danced around the room, drew her name in perfect cursive, and tossed the Oculus back in my hands.

Tilt Brush lets you walk around and inside of your paintings and see them from new perspectives. It allowed me to walk inside my wife's cursive name. I stayed there in Tilt Brush for a while, tracing the letter E she'd drawn. Esther's VR calligraphy was her equivalent of dipping her toes in the pool, and this small act gave me more joy than all the hours of drawing that I had spent inside Tilt Brush alone. 

Tilt Brush quick specs

Beat Games

This is the game that many of us will be tempted to show our loved ones first — without warning or context. I strongly advise against this, especially if the loved one still thinks VR is a depthless, nauseating grain you peer at through a cardboard box, duct-taped to an iPhone.

Intrigue them with something familiar like Netflix. Spark their creativity with something magical like Tilt Brush. Give them time to explore on their own. Then, when they finally ask, "What's your favorite game on that thing, again?" Hide your bubbling excitement. Push all your furniture against the walls, and show them your favorite game. In my case, it is Beat Saber. 

Beat Saber is a rhythm game, like Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero. It's renowned as one of the best games VR has to offer. It combines unfamiliar things (fast-moving cubes and bombs) with familiar things (lightsabers and music). 

"Why... Didn't... You-tell-me... This-was-just... Dancing?!" Esther gasped beneath the Oculus. Esther wasn't in the apartment anymore. She was at the end of a long "Tron"-like hallway, and her arms were lightsabers and hundreds of cubes were flying directly toward her. She was cutting each one of them to ribbons with the profound grace of a Jedi samurai — all to the beat of a catchy K-pop song. 

Zach Andrews

The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed. An uncoordinated creature stomped around next door. Only, it wasn't next door. It was the living room. And that creature was my wife — jumping and swiping her arms through the air, sweating beneath the Oculus Quest. She now plays Beat Saber on Expert mode.

Beat Saber Specs

 

Buy the Oculus Quest VR (64GB) from Best Buy for $399

Buy the Oculus Quest VR (128GB) from Best Buy for $499

Play Netflix VR from the Google Play Store for free (with Netflix subscription)

Play Tilt Brush from the Google Play Store for $19.99

Play Beat Saber from the Google Play Store for $29.99

The WeWork saga continues this week with new reports the company may slash as many as 500 tech roles.

The co-working business, whose eccentric co-founder and chief executive officer Adam Neumann stepped down two weeks ago, is expected to let go of 350 employees within its corporate division, The Information reports. Initial cuts will be within the software engineering, product management and data science teams.

Another 150 roles may be dissolved as the company looks to sell several assets, including Managed by Q, Teem, SpaceIQ, Conductor and Meetup . New York-based WeWork has roughly 15,000 employees and expects to make as many as 2,000 layoffs, per reports, as the business attempts to cut costs and rewrite its narrative ahead of an eventual debut on the public markets.

WeWork unveiled its S-1 — littered with errors and sloppy work, per The Wall Street Journal — but decided to delay its initial public offering after Neumann stepped down and the company’s former vice chairman Sebastian Gunningham and former president and chief operating officer Artie Minson stepped in to serve as co-CEOs.

Now expected to go public in 2020 at a valuation as low as $10 billion, WeWork is also in negotiations with JPMorgan for a last-minute cash infusion to replace the capital expected from the postponed IPO, per reports. The company, now a cautionary tale, has been working with bankers in recent weeks to reduce the sky-high costs of its money-losing operation. The reported layoffs are said to be a part of the bankers’ strategy.

WeWork was previously valued at $47 billion despite losses of nearly $1 billion in the six months ending June 30.

WeWork did not immediately respond to a request for comment.