Mary Ann Azevedo
@bayareawriter
Followers
36,042
Following
6,113
Media
459
Statuses
15,891
sr. reporter @TechCrunch , co-host of award-winning @EquityPod & author of TC Fintech newsletter. Believer in the power of kindness. Wife, mom of 2.
Austin - before that, San Jose
Joined February 2011
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Real Madrid
• 984948 Tweets
Champions
• 690737 Tweets
Dortmund
• 306917 Tweets
Joselu
• 287879 Tweets
مدريد
• 197095 Tweets
Bernabeu
• 182388 Tweets
Neuer
• 161450 Tweets
Wembley
• 142747 Tweets
Vini
• 126299 Tweets
#APorLa15
• 125703 Tweets
Borussia
• 124097 Tweets
Tuchel
• 121239 Tweets
Ancelotti
• 81513 Tweets
Davies
• 80719 Tweets
#RMAFCB
• 78901 Tweets
Harry Kane
• 71905 Tweets
#XMen97
• 65267 Tweets
Nacho
• 59163 Tweets
Steve Albini
• 56598 Tweets
Rodrygo
• 55955 Tweets
De Ligt
• 55575 Tweets
#دوري_ابطال_اوروبا
• 53558 Tweets
الريال
• 50126 Tweets
Sane
• 49871 Tweets
Kimmich
• 45204 Tweets
نوير
• 34519 Tweets
#RMABAY
• 31923 Tweets
Marciniak
• 26006 Tweets
Rudiger
• 22957 Tweets
#Number_i_ビアボールでカンパイ
• 21373 Tweets
#UnaNessunaCentomila
• 18829 Tweets
Muller
• 18308 Tweets
توخيل
• 16779 Tweets
ビアボーーー
• 13516 Tweets
انشيلوتي
• 13339 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
Welcome to my new weekly fintech-focused column. 💃🏽
52
55
534
Today I published my 200th story on TechCrunch. Time flies when you're having fun! 🎉
42
6
731
I'm super excited to announce that today is my first day as a reporter
@TechCrunch
...my first article below looks at
@UiPath
's latest massive raise at a $35 billion valuation.
Plenty more stories to come!
119
50
704
Today marks my one-year anniversary of joining the
@TechCrunch
team. Since then, I've become a co-host on
@EquityPod
, launched a fintech column and published over 400 stories. I have so much respect for my colleagues and truly love what I do. Can't believe it's been a year! 😊
85
11
631
It's almost surreal to be writing about VC firms raising capital, startups raising 9-figure funding rounds and startup layoffs in the same week.
36
47
609
I’ve been so distracted by our ice “storm” here in Austin that I almost forgot it’s my two-year anniversary of working at
@TechCrunch
! Time really does fly when you’re having fun.
56
1
497
I finally got verified on Twitter. Only took me 10 years. 😂
42
4
490
Feeling very sad for reasons I don’t feel comfortable sharing publicly on Twitter. Could use some extra good vibes today - thank you in advance ❤️
93
1
435
I’m brokenhearted to say that my family is dealing with a huge loss right now. I’ll be taking a break for a little while, in case you try to reach me.
149
0
417
Truist, the 6th largest bank in the U.S., just acquired a 12-person fintech startup called
@longgame
led by CEO and co-founder
@lindskholden
9
40
388
$70M SEED round
Former Zillow execs raise $70M seed round for Tomo, which wants to simplify the mortgage process by
@bayareawriter
11
21
146
40
16
352
My fintech-focused newsletter, The Interchange, launches on May 1 after three months of publishing weekly as a column. Thank
@alex
for helping me come up with the name.
I'm so excited and would be honored if you signed up as a subscriber here 👇🏽😀
58
18
353
Today, someone I know personally told me that their mother got a job at a startup I wrote about. She said she was inspired to check their careers page after reading my article. Nice to know that our stories can have this sort of positive impact!
14
8
349
Having quite the stressful week. Send me good vibes please. 🙏🏽
85
3
341
.
@tryramp
confirms it has raised another $200M in equity, secured $550M in debt and that it is now valued at $8.1B.
@foundersfund
led the investment.
9
31
339
Love, love, love that my two funding round articles for tomorrow feature female co-founders with super impressive backgrounds
14
3
321
For those who wonder why
@TechCrunch
reporters aren't responding to your email...we are absolutely inundated with pitches. Even I did not realize the insane volume until I started working here. It's impossible to read, much less reply to, all the inbound.
28
20
322
Feels like I've been covering more female founders lately.
28
11
308
I think I've received more pitches this week than I did the entire summer. 😳
41
4
286
PSA for those who don't realize: most
@TechCrunch
writers are extra busy this week and next with Disrupt! Keep this in mind when pitching.
13
28
275
Honored to among such good company on this list
26
15
274
Couple of friendly tips to PR professionals:
1) Just because a reporter agrees to review an embargoed release does not mean we are agreeing to coverage. We are agreeing to look with the potential for coverage.
2) Always be honest. Trust is key.
9
26
261
Some personal news...This is my last day as a reporter at
@CrunchbaseNews
- just over three years and hundreds of articles later. I am honored to have covered such a wide variety of topics and interviewed so many smart and fascinating people. I will always treasure my time here.
47
5
249
Venting. I have an OOO reply stating I have been w/out power & unable to respond in a timely manner. Still, many people have continued to email me repeatedly. Some even acknowledging my situation. Please. Have some restraint in these situations. If it's not urgent, wait.
28
6
244
I share a birthday with Albert Einstein and it’s also Pi day. Can’t get much cooler than that!
P.S. Pumped about turning 50! Never felt more comfortable in my own skin 💪🏽
33
2
229
Thank you to all those who reached out...I, along with our whole team, was devastated to learn of the layoffs at TC today. So many talented people that will be missed like crazy! If you're hiring for writers/editors, please consider
@mjburnsy
,
@etherington
,
@morgan_sung
and…
12
37
228
I think one of the best traits in an interview subject is to concisely describe what their company does in a way that is easy to understand. Being succinct is underrated IMHO.
17
18
224
My fintech newsletter for
@TechCrunch
, The Interchange, was "Recommended Reading" in a Financial Times newsletter and I am irrationally excited.
Sign up here if you haven't already!
22
4
221
It's very frustrating to get pitched on a company I've written about multiple times as if I've never heard of it. Shows a lack of research on the part of the person pitching.
9
8
217
Big news for TechCrunch today!
TechCrunch acquires StrictlyVC, appoints Connie Loizos to lead
13
24
219
feeling a bit beaten down by life lately. i welcome any encouraging words and tips to get through some hard times!
134
2
201
Honestly, if I read and responded to every pitch I got, I would have no time to write anything. The volume is insane.
20
9
202
The amount of fintech/LatAm raises is staggering as of late. Both are on 🔥
14
13
201
Sending me a link to your release on PR Newswire is usually NOT going to get me to write about your news, just FYI. (Unless it's a trends piece or feature)
Once it's out on the wire, it's old news!
18
23
199
I interviewed
@Stranger_Things
'
@noah_schnapp
about his move to offer fans a way to back his company,
@snacktbh
, for as little as $50 via fintech platform
@joinrepublic
. He says the vegan hazelnut cocoa spread has less sugar & more protein than Nutella.
3
13
186
Just the smell of coffee makes me happy.
But drinking it makes me even happier.
24
12
191
It’s really disappointing to discover that a founder/company/VC you thought you’d built an *actual* relationship with views it as purely transactional.
24
7
189
I have three stories coming out tomorrow am that I am very excited about. Really love what I do. I get to talk to such interesting people and then write about it!
9
1
187
I've got three stories coming out tomorrow – all nine digit funding rounds! It's crazy out there.
14
4
188
Tip for PR and comms folks. If you're reaching out to multiple people at a media organization, it's best to copy them all on an email pitch. It's kind of frustrating to respond to a pitch only to discover that a colleague has done so too, and now we have to regroup internally.
14
14
187
Friendly PR/comms tip: It is not a good idea to request coverage of fundraising news and include a link to a story that ran in another publication earlier that day covering said news.
33
15
185
I am thrilled to share that the incredible
@nmasc_
will be covering more fintech, particularly as it pertains to inclusion and access
18
6
182
I just hit 20K followers on Twitter (and no, I wasn't obsessively watching hee). It's wild to think that many people even give a darn what I have to say, or write, or whatever.
16
0
180
F--king shocked by what's happening at Silicon Valley Bank
17
8
176
Tip: today is not a great day to be pitching your embargoed news..
8
19
170
I am being pitched SO MANY interesting companies. BUT there are only so many hours in a day/days in a week. I can only write so many stories if I don't want to do crap work. I repeat: the more advance notice you give on embargoed news, the greater your chance of coverage.
8
15
169
I don't do drugs but I swear there is definitely a high that comes with writing a story about a super interesting company.
11
5
170
I am taking a week off soon and am ridiculously excited! Not because I don't love my job -- because I do -- but am ready to have some down time with my kids and hopefully get out of town for a bit!
17
1
165
I've been receiving a lot of pitches for news that comes out the next day or soon after. That's just not enough time in most (nearly all) cases. The more notice, the more likely you are to get covered.
8
20
155
I'm a bundle of nerves and excitement to be heading to TechCrunch Disrupt in SF next week. Having largely spent the past 2 1/2 years at home, it will be a bit of a shock to my system but hopefully in a good way. Can't wait to meet all my wonderful co-workers and so many of you!
11
0
154
I wrote three articles today, had three in-depth calls/interviews AND made a really good meal for dinner. I’m tired but take comfort in the little things - like watching my family enjoy the food 😊
9
1
152
Got a couple of LatAm funding round articles coming out tomorrow that I'm super pumped about. Both fintechs.
12
4
151
If you pitch me repeatedly on topics I do not cover, and never have covered, I will not respond to you. Please do your research before repeatedly sending emails to reporters. If not, you are wasting your time and theirs, and they will not take you seriously.
7
11
151
I AM OFFICIALLY THE MOTHER OF A HIGH SCHOOLER. (Yes, this warrants all caps)
😜
9
0
146
Scoop 🍦 up on
@TechCrunch
: Fintech
@brexHQ
has raised $300M at a $12.3B valuation just six months after being valued at $7.4B. Greenoaks is said to have led the financing.
8
27
147
Big news in the venture world
Foundry Group, an 18-year-old venture firm with nearly $3.5B in assets under management, has quietly decided to shut down and not raise any more funds. The move was unexpected considering that the firm announced a $500M fund just eight months prior.…
16
31
144
Exclusive:
@tryramp
makes its 2nd acquisition, scooping up , which has built out an AI-powered customer support tool.
2
17
144
Wow, A LOT of big news is coming out next week. And that's all I can say about that. Well, except that a lot of it is fintech-related.
15
2
141
I am PUMPED about the three stories I have coming out tomorrow.
9
0
142
anyone else feel guilty when your camera is off and everyone else's is on??
30
2
139
I've had PR folks email me in the morning, offering up an exclusive and asking me to reply by EOD with a yes or no. Many times I don't even SEE an email until the next day or couple of days after. Just fyi.
11
16
140
Gotta admire people who are pitching reporters on the Friday before a long weekend...😂
15
4
139
.
@snyatta
, a SoftBank partner who co-leads its $5B LatAm Fund says: "Technology in LatAm is often more about inclusion rather than disruption...The vast majority of the population is underserved in almost every category of consumption."
5
25
135
It feels weird to tweet out an article that's about me but I am honored to be featured by
@talkingbiznews
so here it is...
22
7
130
I have four super interesting stories coming out tomorrow. And that's all I can say about that.
7
0
132
According to
@CBinsights
, Venture cash is overwhelmingly flooding into fintech: $1 of every $5 in venture last quarter went to fintech. In Q2, fintech startups picked up $30.8B, a 30% QoQ surge, and funding YTD has already exceeded 2020’s total by 24%.
2
26
129
I totally understand people have a job to do but please, if you know someone is in Texas and dealing with freezing cold and no power, maybe don't pitch them until things get better??
7
10
130
Happy Monday! I've got lots of fintech content planned for this week, starting with an exclusive on an exciting new fund tomorrow
8
3
130
My kids survived a challenging year of virtual school and despite not getting a dental cleaning in 18 months, they have no cavities. Some much needed wins for a mom who has had a challenging year herself 💪🏽
7
1
127
I talked fintech with
@a16z
General Partners
@astrange
and
@illscience
- it was a great interview. Read it here 👇🏽
5
35
124
Super sad today for reasons I'm not comfortable sharing publicly (not trying to be cryptic but out of respect for people involved). Life can be so fragile. 😰 Just a reminder to never take your health - or that of your loved ones - for granted.
19
3
129
It's been an experience covering this SVB collapse but now I have to take time off as it's spring break for my family. See you next week 👋
6
1
130
(1/2) We've had a lot of internal conversations on Slack lately about the frustrating practice of someone emailing multiple TC reporters with the exact same pitch as if it were unique to them.
8
9
128
Three years, 847 stories and many
@EquityPod
episodes ago, I started reporting
@TechCrunch
.
7
4
128
Not saying this to be a diva. Straight up reality here! I am working three weeks ahead on news that's embargoed. With much less notice than that, I'm likely not able to consider covering.
8
5
124
Today is my one-year anniversary as a full-time reporter for
@crunchbasenews
, although I've actually been writing for the site since April 2017. (A cumulative 276K words across more than 400 posts!) I'm super proud of how far we've come and the team we've built.
12
2
122
I get a LOT of pitches to my personal email address and they are often buried in between store promotions and emails from my kids' schools. Please don't email my personal email address if you want me to see your pitch! Thanks.
8
6
122
I, like most reporters, have been receiving tons of pitches lately. When I tell people, I'm booked in the way of stories for a given week, please take it to heart. If I try to squeeze in your round/story, quality will suffer and no one wants that!
12
4
123
Took a break from writing up funding rounds to work on a longer-form for
@ExtraCrunch
and I am freaking excited about it.
7
2
123
My eight-year-old daughter told me she wanted to help me write a story. I told her to try writing her own instead. So, she's doing a history of
@Roblox
. Hey, whatever it takes!
15
2
121
(1/3) Some personal news...Today is my last day as Managing Editor of
@FinLedgerNews
. It's been an incredible experience to help build & grow a publication from scratch in a space that's as fast-growing as fintech. I'm grateful to
@ClaytonACollins
for his mentorship & faith in me
28
2
119
Tip: When pitching news, don't link to another pub's article covering said news.
That is not going to win over a reporter.
16
8
118
The new thing, I'm finding, is that people are offering to push out announcements to a later date if it means we'll cover the news. The number of fundings right now is insane! We are all just having to be very selective these days.
6
3
115
I am surprised by the number of pitches I have received today for news that comes out on 2/22. Monday's a holiday too. It's too bad...we.need.more.notice!!
8
9
117
Realizing more and more that startup journalists and VCs deal with a lot of similar challenges such as a high volume of pitches and having to try to determine who's doing something really unique (or not) – as well as looking for companies with meaningful traction.
8
10
115
Has anyone else not taken as much time off during the pandemic since we're not traveling as much? I feel like I need more breaks but haven't been taking them, which is not smart.
25
4
114
Scoop on
@TechCrunch
: Sao Paulo-based
@KaszekVentures
closes on $1B across two funds to continue investing in Latin American startups. Founded in 2011, the VC firm has backed 91 companies, including 9 unicorns.
1
25
111
One of my best friends has sent me two postcards in recent weeks -- for no reason other than to let me know I am loved and valued. Technology is wonderful but nothing beats a handwritten note in the mail. ❤️
6
3
111
I appreciate PR professionals needing to confirm that I have agreed to an embargo before sharing news. But I have not ever, nor will I ever, publish news before an embargo has lifted unless it was agreed upon beforehand. It's kind of sad that there's even concern over that.
12
2
110
I really love talking with no BS CEOs. Very refreshing
9
3
111