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W<\/em> Not long ago<\/span>, I wondered whether startups could help solve<\/i><\/a> the U.S. housing crisis. Now there\u2019s a new name in town: Airbnb spinout Samara, which just secured fresh funding. As for Dig, it got acquired not long after I started digging into its category: data security posture management. \u2014 <\/i>Anna<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n With a shortage of at least 3.8 million dwellings<\/a>, the U.S. housing crisis isn\u2019t showing many signs of improvement. Comparing the situation to what it was just one year ago, VC firm Gutter Capital noted that it even worsened<\/a> in some respects \u2014 chiefly, investment.<\/p>\n \u201c[I]nvestor interest in the housing market, previously chilled, has frozen over,\u201d managing partner James Gettinger wrote. \u201cWhile rising interest rates were no match for the undersupply of housing, they were more than enough to scare away venture capital investors. We\u2019ve been told by proptech funds that they only invest in software now. Regrettably, software can\u2019t build homes.\u201d<\/p>\n In contrast, Gutter Capital still stands by the thesis<\/a> it phrased one year ago: \u201cThere is a historic opportunity today to invest in businesses that accelerate the development of housing in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
elcome to the TechCrunch Exchange, a weekly startups-and-markets newsletter. It\u2019s inspired by the daily TechCrunch+ column<\/a> where it gets its name. Want it in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\nThe Airbnb playbook<\/h2>\n