The Daily Crunch 07/28/16

If enterprise cloud software consolidation doesn't get you incredibly excited, I don't know what will. That and much more in The Daily Crunch for July 28, 2016. Also, welcome all 1.7 billion registered Facebook users – I'm just going to assume we have 100% crossover.

1. ERP, CRM + M&A

Oracle acquired NetSuite today, in its second-biggest deal ever – worth $9.3 billion in cash. The arrangement brings together two companies that have fairly similar offerings (cloud-based enterprise services); so similar, in fact, that at least a few people are wondering why the deal isn't sparking more comment about conflicts. NetSuite does skew a bit more mid-market than Oracle, however, in terms of size of client, so it's not entirely double cover, and at least one analyst has told me it's actually a "necessary and desperate move" to keep Oracle in the game.

2. Facebook is the new tech earnings king

There was a time when Apple couldn't miss with earnings – and though it did actually beat most expectations with its most recent outing, there's a new can't-miss-kid on the block: Facebook. The social giant has been on a roll, beating Wall Street's predictions in 16 of the last 17 quarters, and its fiscal Q2 continues the streak. Topline numbers include 1.13 billion daily active users, with 1 billion of those accessing on mobile. Like a planetary body accumulating enough mass to develop its own atmosphere, Facebook has become a market unto itself, within which companies can be born, live and die without ever even looking beyond its walls.

3. Trump's tech trespasses

Trump as an entity was born of, and thrives within, the internet, so it's only fitting that he continues to do things there that defy comprehension. The Republican presidential nominee most recently nabbed net notoriety by hosting an AMA on Reddit (and bypassing official Reddit support channels to do so), and by encouraging Russia to hack rival Hillary Clinton's email. The best thing to come out of all of the above might be his verification photo for Reddit, which is an image of Trump looking vaguely uncertain regarding the proper operation of a MacBook Pro.

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4. Good Eggs gets another crack

Good news for Good Eggs: The online organic grocery startup had its family farmed bacon saved thanks to a fresh $15 million in funding led by existing investor Index. The money is to help the company expand beyond the Bay Area, something it tried and failed previously. There's a new CEO at the helm as of late last year, however, and presumably they learned some lessons, so we'll see if the funding combined with the leadership change can turn things around for the optimum ovum company.

5. Hyperloop aspirants take steps on side paths

The Hyperloop edged slightly closer to becoming a real thing in couple of ways today, but neither directly involved shooting pods through low-pressure tubes at extreme speeds. Hyperloop One, which has a nasty founder-involved legal snafu hanging over its head, announced Metalworks, a huge Las Vegas manufacturing facility that will build and test prototype components for the pre-production version of the Hyperloop. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, meanwhile, says it's going to build a high-tech train – but the tech will be inside, include augmented reality displays in windows for passengers to interact with. Both are targeting 2017 for the first output of these new projects, so that should be a big year for Hyperloop – unless it ends up just being another big year for hype.

6. Microsoft couldn't do a phone, so now it wants to improve Apple's

Smartphone cameras have come a long way, but most efforts at getting rid of the biggest source of screwups – human error – have had mixed results. Microsoft dropped Pix yesterday to help address that, providing iPhone users with a camera app that uses AI to give you the best picture possible. It uses burst firing, algorithmic shot selection and automatic color, exposure and contrast tweaks to hopefully give you the best results. It's pretty good, but the macro trend is the more important news: Go look at Microsoft's App Store page – the list is gigantic. Pix might be one of the apps that most aggressively targets core phone functions, however, so Redmond is stepping up its game in trying to colonize the iPhone.

7. A funding cheat sheet for marketplace startups

A lot of young founders I talk to express a desire for more clarity in what VCs and investors are looking for in exchange for putting money into a company, so it's nice to see at least one no-nonsense representation of exactly that. Early-stage firm Version One and Point Nine Capital put together a handy "napkin" chart (plus a Google Sheet version for those who prefer data portability) that breaks down exactly what they're looking for in marketplace startups to give them the confidence they're after to contribute to a round. It's not strictly prescriptive, as Version One notes, but it is digestible, transparent guidance in a world where that isn't always easy to come by.