Technology

Hurricane Ike's storm surge hits this Gulf Coast chemical plant and inundates it, reports a pilot fish working there.

The aftermath: lots of cleaning up -- and counting up.

"The total number of desktop computers was being earmarked to be written off," fish says. "But laptop computers were put on a list to be verified that the users had evacuated with their laptops."

That's the prescribed procedure. Turns out it worked pretty well, since all but one of the laptops made it out safely.

And whose laptop is the only one that's reported lost

Want to pitch a venture capitalist You&ll need a &warm introduction& first. At least thatwhat most in the business will advise.

Find a person, typically a man, who made the VC you&re interested in pitching a whole bunch of money at some point and have them introduce you. Why Because VCs love people who&ve made them money; naturally, they&ll be willing to hear you out if you&ve got at least one money maker on your side.

Therea big problem with that cycle. Not all entrepreneurs are friendly with millionaires and not all entrepreneurs, especially those based outside Silicon Valley or from underrepresented backgrounds, have anyone in their network to provide them that coveted intro.

Jane VC, a new venture fund based out of Cleveland and Londonwants entrepreneurs to cold email them. Send them your pitch, no wealthy or successful intermediary necessary. The fund, which has so far raised $2 million to invest between $25,000 and $150,000 in early-stage female-founded companies across industries, is scrapping the opaque, inaccessible model of VC thatbeen less than favorable toward women.

&We like to say that Jane VC is venture for every woman,& the firmco-founder Jennifer Neundorfer told TechCrunch.

Neundorfer, who previously co-founded and led an accelerator for Midwest startups called Flashstarts after stints at 21st Century Fox and YouTube, partnered with her former Stanford business school classmate Maren Bannon, the former chief executive officer and co-founder of LittleLane. So far, they&ve backed insurtech companyProformex and Hatch Apps, an enterprise software startup that makes it easier for companies to create and distribute mobile and web apps.

Jane VC, like many members of the next generation of venture capital funds, is bucking the idea that the best founders can only be found in Silicon Valley. Instead, the firm is going global and operating under the philosophy that a system of radical transparency and honesty will pay off.

&Letbe efficient with an entrepreneurtime and say no if itnot a hit,& Neundorfer said. &I&ve been on the opposite end of that coaching. So many entrepreneurs think a VC is interested and they aren&t. An entrepreneurtime is so valuable and we want to protect that. We are going to shoot them straight.&

Though Jane VC plans to invest across the globe, the firm isn&t turning its back on Bay Area founders.Neundorfer andBannon will leverage their Silicon Valley network and work with an investment committee of nine women based throughout the U.S. to source deals.

&We are women that have raised money and have been through the ups and downs of raising money in what is a very male-dominated world,& Neundorfer added.&We believe that investing in women is not only the right thing to do but that you can make a lot of money doing it.&

Brisbane, California based e-motorcycle startup Alta Motors has ceased operations, TechCrunch has confirmed.

Earlier today Asphalt and Rubber—and several subsequent outlets — reported the company stopped operating this morning, fired its staff, and may be looking for a buyer. Alta has yet to comment on the situation.

&As of this morning I no longer represent Alta Motors so I&m not in a position to speak on it,& a former Alta Motors spokesperson told TechCrunch on background when asked about the shutdown. &I forwarded your request for more info to the board, and they&ll have to comment,& said the former comms rep. Altahead office has not respond to requests for comment.

The EV company specializes in producing dual-sport and high performance electric powered off-road motorcycles. The startup had raised $45 million and counts Tesla co-founders Marc Tarpenning and Martin Eberhard among its investors.

Alta made news in March when it entered a co-development partnership with Harley Davidson. This aligned with HarleyEV push, including the debut of a production e-moto by 2019, an expanded electric line-up to follow, and the opening of a Silicon Valley research facility.

Harley Davidson wouldn&t give a solid &no& to reports its partnership with Alta had concluded but their statement TechCrunch seems a pretty strong indication they&re business with the startup is in the past.

&Our collaborative efforts with Alta Motors were productive and we were pleased with the development work we partnered on,& Harley Davidson Communications Director Patricia Sweeney told TechCrunch.

TechCrunch visited Altafacilities, tested its motorcycles, and interviewed co-founder Marc Fenigstein earlier this year. The startup has 70 dealerships nationwide and our reporting flagged it is a potential acquisition target in a motorcycle industry that could be shifting electric.

On the competition level, Alta has been attempting compete with gas bikes by seeking entrance in American Motorcycle Association sanctioned motocross events. In September, the company became the first e-moto to earn a podium spot in AMA competition in another race class, endurocross.

With Harley DavidsonEV commitment potentially pushing the motorcycle industry to voltage, Alta could be a discounted acquisition and R-D buy for Indian Motorcycle or other major gas companies — Honda, Yamaha, BMW — who have been slow to develop production e-motos.