Impossible Foods, Uber, Greensill, Softbank, Uber, Triplebyte, Armis Security and Mavenlink
Impossible Foods chows down on $300M
Investors have apparently not had their fill of fake meat. They’re squeezing in a fresh helping of $300 million in funding for Impossible Foods, a Silicon Valley company best known for its plant-based “Impossible Burger.” The super-sized round follows on the heels of a blockbuster IPO by fellow meatless protein maker Beyond Meat.
Uber falls further in second day trading
Shares of Uber continued to fall in early trading, amid a broad-based decline across major U.S. exchanges. The ride-hailing giant saw its share price drop around 9 percent this morning, bringing its market cap to around $64 billion. The downward momentum began on Friday, when Uber closed its first day of trading as a public company worth $41.57 per share, down from its IPO price of $45.
Fintech startup Greensill raises $800M
Greensill, a UK-based provider of working capital finance for businesses, has reportedly raised $800 million in a new round backed by SoftBank, at a valuation of around $3.5 billion.
VCs back AI recruiting, infused tampons, French ride-hailing, and more
In our Last Week in Venture series, Crunchbase News takes a look at intriguing rounds that may have fallen under your radar. The latest installment looks at humanpredictions, a developer of tools for hiring tech workers, Daye, a maker of CBD-infused tampons, Heetch, a ride-hailing service aimed at French-speaking nations, and Reali, a provider of flat-rate home-selling services.
Here’s who profits in Uber’s IPO
A number of investors and early stakeholders stand to profit handsomely from Uber’s public offering, but some more than others. The company’s public IPO filing reveals that the three shareholders with the largest stakes are SoftBank, Benchmark and founder Travis Kalanick.
Uber still growing fast, but slowing some
Uber’s IPO filing revealed $11.3 billion in 2018 net revenue, up 42 percent from the prior year. That’s a big rise but nonetheless a slower growth trajectory than prior years. Meanwhile, the ride-hailing giant posted a $3 billion operating loss for last year.
Texas startups nab nearly $800M in Q1
First quarter venture investment in Texas once again reflected a common result: Austin nabbed the most investment dollars with Dallas and Houston trailing behind. Overall, Lone Star state startups pulled in $790 million, up 35 percent year over year, with the money spread over a smaller number of deals.
Triplebyte raises $35M to help hire engineers
Triplebyte, a startup aiming to disrupt the way that companies think about hiring technical talent, has raised $35 million in a Series B round led by Y Combinator Continuity. One thing the San Francisco-based company wants to do is help employers hire outside the San Francisco Bay Area.
Global venture investment pulls back from record highs
Venture investors put just under $75 billion to work across almost 8,100 funding rounds worldwide in Q1 2019, according to Crunchbase projections in our latest global quarterly startup funding report. This is down markedly from highs set in Q4 2018, driven by a sharp slowdown in China.
Klook raises $225M for travel activities
Travel activity booking platform Klook raised $225 million in a Series D+ funding round led by the SoftBank Vision Fund. The financing brings total funding for the six-year-old, Hong Kong-based company to more than half a billion dollars.
DCVC targets $575M for fifth fund
Deep-tech focused venture investor Data Collective (also known as DCVC) submitted a securities filing indicating its intent to raise up to $575 million for a fifth flagship fund. The planned fund would be the San Francisco-based firm’s largest to date, and more than twice the size of its last fund.
Austin’s LiveOak closes second VC fund
Early stage venture firm LiveOak Venture Partners has announced the close of its second fund, topping it out at $105 million. The firm joins a growing list of venture shops that have recently either launched, or closed on, new funds in Austin, with a focus on Texas startups.
Crunchbase: 39 Black women investors in venture Capital
To say venture capital lacks diversity is an understatement. Just 3 percent of VCs are black, 1 percent are Latinx, and 18 percent are women, according to research by Richard Kerby. Despite the dismal diversity numbers, there are black women in VC inspiring a new wave of investors. Here’s a list of 39 of them.
