Heads of some local tech startups—or at least their lawyers—stayed busy over the winter holiday. Four reported raising $10 million or more within days of the New Year, according to recent filings with securities regulators.
While the softening stock market may have ruined a few holiday breaks, these San Diego software companies were undoubtedly raising a glass in celebration of their successful fundraising efforts.
—LeadCrunch raised about $17.5 million in two financing rounds, according to a pair of Jan. 2 filings. One round raised nearly $10.6 million (of a total offering amount of $15 million) from four investors; the other raised nearly $7 million from 37 investors.
Headed by CEO Olin Hyde, LeadCrunch makes B2B software that churns through huge amounts of data to provide companies with better leads for their sales and marketing teams.
—Measurabl reported raising about $18.3 million from nine investors from nine investors in a Dec. 31 filing. The total offering was about $18.7 million. Earlier in the year, the company announced it had raised a $7 million Series A round.
The company, which was among the baker’s dozen of San Diego tech startups Xconomy highlighted in 2015, sells software for tracking and reporting data related to sustainability. Founded in 2013, it’s headed by Matt Ellis, who was formerly with commercial real estate brokerage CBRE.
—Shield AI reported raising $10 million, its total offering amount, from five investors in a Dec. 31 filing. Previously, in March of 2017, it reported having raised $10.5 million from 11 investors.
The company, founded in 2015 by brothers Brandon and Ryan Tseng and Andrew Reiter, is creating unarmed tactical drones that can navigate autonomously, using artificial intelligence.
—Aira raised about $17.2 million from 10 investors, according to a Dec. 28 filing with regulators. The total offering was about $19.2 million. In 2017, it raised about $12 million in a Series B funding round.
The startup’s technology links visually-impaired people via smartphone or smart glasses with Aira “agents,” who help users with the activities for which they have requested help, from buying groceries to traveling through an airport. The service, which it markets to individuals and businesses, was adopted in 2018 by a slew of organizations, including schools, retailers, and supermarket chains. The company announced in December that Target was offering its services as a pilot in about 200 stores in four states.
