Reddit hosts Crackle’s first episode of ‘StartUp’, a dark drama about entrepreneurship

While the startup culture has been played for some well-deserved laughs in recent years, a new drama from Sony’s video streaming service Crackle is taking a much grittier look at the world of entrepreneurship.

If you want to see how bleak, you can now check out the first hour-long episode, which Crackle has just shared on Reddit. It’s also available on YouTube, and for that matter, right here on VentureBeat:

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https://youtu.be/mek3CCJ0UYU

This is a far, far cry from HBO’s satirical “Silicon Valley,” which richly skewers everyone’s favorite entrepreneurial epicenter.

First, this show is set in the entrepreneurial hotbed of…Miami. But second, the tone is damn grim. Apparently, the show’s main character founds a Bitcoin-like startup that instead gets her entangled in all sorts of crime-related shenanigans.

Before you dismiss it entirely, it’s worth nothing that it co-stars Martin Freeman of “The Hobbit,” “Fargo,” “Sherlock,” and the original version of “The Office.”

The show officially debuts next month. But for now, here’s a summary of its plot from Crackle:

“StartUp” explores what happens when a brilliant, yet controversial tech idea gets incubated on the wrong side of the tracks by three strangers who don’t necessarily fit the mold of “tech entrepreneurs.” Set amongst the unconstrained, yet opportunist streets of Miami, “StartUp” weaves a complex and exciting narrative, featuring the high-stakes struggle of what one will do to reach ultimate success. Forced to fund a tech company with dirty money from unsuspecting places while forming ties with a dangerous, Haitian gang, the fight to build a business pales in comparison to the fight to stay alive, especially when there’s a vehement FBI agent who wields the power to make or break those he comes in contact with—and not always for the right reasons.

Crackle also shared a summary of that first episode, in case you don’t want to watch yet:

Izzy Morales (Otmara Marrero) begins her quest to build GenCoin, a revolutionary cryptocurrency. Loan officer Nick Talman (Adam Brody) is tasked by his estranged father, Andy (Carl Weintraub), to hide some questionable funds — which Nick then uses to partner with Izzy. Ronald Dacey (Edi Gathegi) deals with the perils of the streets while making a concerning discovery about his gang’s money. Meanwhile, FBI Financial Crimes Agent Phil Rask (Martin Freeman) comes looking for Andy Talman.

 

 

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