Boston-based application security developer Snyk closed a $530 million Series F at a valuation of $8.5 billion—more than tripling its value since the beginning of 2021. Meanwhile, San Francisco-based Varo Money has raised $510 million led by Lone Pine Capital valuing the company at $2.5 billion. Last month, both Oprah Winfrey and Katy Perry contributed to a $250 million Series E round for California company Apeel, developer of plant-based coatings that extend the shelf life of produce. This prompted us to undertake an analysis of Crunchbase data that unearthed at least nine female celebrity investors who have taken this funding route into the healthy eating startup sector in the past couple of years.
Although the rash of new rules and regulations instituted by China’s government on some of its largest tech markets and companies have caught the attention of many in the industry, those in the investment sector say not to expect money to be pulled out of the second-largest economy in the world.
Inside Microsoft’s M12 venture arm
Microsoft’s M12 is not your typical corporate venture fund. M12 must navigate complexities and obstacles not seen by traditional venture firms and even many corporate venture arms as it looks to drive returns back to the tech giant. In this latest installment of our Under The Hood series, we take a deep dive into M12’s unusual business model and look at where it’s placing its bets as it picks up the pace of investment.
QED Investors’ growing stable of fintech unicorns
In the 14 years since its launch, boutique fintech VC firm QED Investors has amassed a total of 19 unicorn companies in its portfolio, including Credit Karma, Nubank and Klarna. We speak with QED co-founder Frank Rotman, a former Capital One executive, about QED’s investment approach, the state of fintech, and how the banking industry is being disrupted by technology.
How to close more deals with sales intelligence
Sales intelligence data can help sales teams automate research and customize outreach to book more meetings with qualified prospects. In this article, find everything you need to know about sales intelligence, including what it is, where it comes from, and which tools can help you close more deals.
