Biofourmis, a digital therapeutics startup that employs wearable devices and data analytics to help treat patients, has raised $100 million to scale its offerings globally and develop new products that further blur the lines that once clearly separated drugs from medical devices. The new capital, a Series C round of funding, was led by SoftBank … Continue reading “Biofourmis Hauls In $100M to Scale Digital Therapeutics Globally”
Tag: Sequoia Capital
With $35M, Whole Biome Eyes 2020 Launch of Medical Food for Diabetes
Diabetes treatments available today include shots and pills intended to restore the hormone balance that leads to healthy blood sugar levels. Whole Biome aims to accomplish the same thing—but with a capsule that targets the gut microbiome. Whole Biome is preparing to launch its product early next year. To support those plans, the San Francisco-based … Continue reading “With $35M, Whole Biome Eyes 2020 Launch of Medical Food for Diabetes”
Stock, Profit & AI: Carbon Black CEO Reviews Year Since IPO
It’s been a little over a year since Carbon Black debuted on the Nasdaq stock exchange, raising $152 million selling its shares to the public for the first time. The Waltham, MA-based cybersecurity company’s stock price (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CBLK]]) has bounced around since its initial pricing at $19 a share and closing its first day of … Continue reading “Stock, Profit & AI: Carbon Black CEO Reviews Year Since IPO”
Another $568M, and a $7B Valuation, for Automation Firm UiPath
UiPath, which helps businesses automate tedious digital processes such as billing and inventory control, announced today it raised $568 million from investors who agreed on a $7 billion valuation for the company. New York-based UiPath is one of the automation software companies that have been raking in capital recently as they compete for enterprise customers … Continue reading “Another $568M, and a $7B Valuation, for Automation Firm UiPath”
San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Evofem, Cullgen, BrainLeap & More
Locally based biotech companies receive fresh funding from investors. A software startup launches games that it says may help children with disorders that cause attention difficulties. Get the details on these developments and more in San Diego life sciences news: —Evofem Biosciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EVFM]]) struck a deal to raise up to $80 million in a … Continue reading “San Diego Life Sciences Roundup: Evofem, Cullgen, BrainLeap & More”
Scaleworks Adds $80M for Second “Venture Equity” Investment Fund
San Antonio—[Updated 12:32 p.m. See below.] Scaleworks has raised $80 million to acquire more startups, three years after Lew Moorman and Ed Byrne founded the business as a “venture equity” investment shop. Scaleworks branded its investment style as a mix of private equity and venture capital because it buys its targets outright like a private … Continue reading “Scaleworks Adds $80M for Second “Venture Equity” Investment Fund”
French Auto Supplier Valeo Moves Toward Mobility with New Innovations
Although the timeline for getting fully driverless cars on the road is in flux, the mobility industry is moving along at a rapid clip. Yet another huge investment in the sector was announced this week when Aurora Innovations, based in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, scored more than half a billion dollars from a group of … Continue reading “French Auto Supplier Valeo Moves Toward Mobility with New Innovations”
BridgeBio Pharma Hauls in $299M for Genetic Disease Drugs R&D
Biotech startup creator BridgeBio Pharma has raised $299.2 million to support its work developing new drugs to treat rare, genetic diseases. Palo Alto, CA-based BridgeBio searches for promising drug research at universities, academic medical centers, and drug companies. After acquiring rights to a compound, BridgeBio forms a subsidiary company to develop it. Operating under a … Continue reading “BridgeBio Pharma Hauls in $299M for Genetic Disease Drugs R&D”
Educational Play Kit Company Osmo Sold to India’s Edtech Firm Byju’s for $120M
Byju’s, an edtech company based in India that claims a $3.6 billion valuation based on its sales success there, announced it has acquired Palo Alto, CA-based learning-through-play firm Osmo for $120 million. Named after the teacher Byju Raveendran, who founded the company in 2011, Byju’s is making its first acquisition in the United States to … Continue reading “Educational Play Kit Company Osmo Sold to India’s Edtech Firm Byju’s for $120M”
Graphcore Scores $200M to Scale Up A.I. Chip Production
One of the leading contenders in the A.I. chip race, Graphcore, announced Tuesday it pulled down $200 million in a Series D fundraising round that set its valuation at $1.7 billion. The Bristol, U.K.-based startup, founded in 2016, has now secured a total of more than $300 million in financing from venture capital firms and … Continue reading “Graphcore Scores $200M to Scale Up A.I. Chip Production”
Wonolo Scores $32M to Expand Blue-Collar Gig Workers’ Marketplace
Wonolo, which runs a marketplace where companies can find fill-in staffers for jobs like stocking store shelves and warehouse chores, announced Monday that it raised $32 million in a Series C funding round led by Bain Capital Ventures. Bain Capital also invested this year in another tech startup focused on blue collar workers: UpKeep, which … Continue reading “Wonolo Scores $32M to Expand Blue-Collar Gig Workers’ Marketplace”
Qualtrics Skips IPO for $8B Sale to SAP
It’s hard to say no to $8 billion. Qualtrics, the enterprise software firm that was on the verge of going public, has pulled its IPO in favor of selling to German software giant SAP for $8 billion in cash. Qualtrics—which has dual headquarters in Provo, Utah (where it was founded in 2002), and Seattle—sells software … Continue reading “Qualtrics Skips IPO for $8B Sale to SAP”
UiPath Snags $225M To Expand Robotic Workforce for Businesses
Top venture capital firms continue to pour money into software robotics companies that promise to automate monotonous business operations, like processing mortgage applications, that are often performed by humans. New York-based UiPath is the latest such company to score a haul, announcing Tuesday it raised $225 million in a Series C funding round co-led by … Continue reading “UiPath Snags $225M To Expand Robotic Workforce for Businesses”
Drift Snaps Up Siftrock to Power E-mail Marketing Tools
Software firm Drift has acquired a startup called Siftrock to help expand its marketing and sales automation offerings. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed in a Tuesday press release announcing the deal. Drift touted the acquisition of the Seattle-based startup during its annual “Hypergrowth” event in Boston, where Drift is headquartered. The company also announced partnerships … Continue reading “Drift Snaps Up Siftrock to Power E-mail Marketing Tools”
Puls Snags $50M to Grow On-Call Repair Service for Smartphones, IoT
Puls Technologies, whose on-demand technicians repair broken smartphones and install connected home devices, announced today it has raised $50 million to expand its reach as a unified source of device maintenance and consumer support. San Francisco-based Puls, founded in 2015, offers to dispatch technicians quickly to a customer’s home or office to replace malfunctioning parts, … Continue reading “Puls Snags $50M to Grow On-Call Repair Service for Smartphones, IoT”
DoorDash Valued at $4 Billion After Adding $250M in New Funding
DoorDash has upped its valuation to $4 billion with a new $250 million financing round, five months after it raised $535 million to gain its “unicorn” status. The new $250 million funding round was co-led by Coatue Management and DST Global. CEO Tony Xu told Axios’s Dan Primack that the company hadn’t been actively seeking … Continue reading “DoorDash Valued at $4 Billion After Adding $250M in New Funding”
Domino Data Lab Raises $40M To Manage Clients’ Predictive Models
[Updated 8/8/18, 4:40 pm. See below.] Domino Data Lab, which provides a test bed to aid in the development of predictive models, as well as tools to monitor models in use, announced today it has raised $40 million to grow its data science services and build partnerships. San Francisco-based Domino is an evangelist for the use … Continue reading “Domino Data Lab Raises $40M To Manage Clients’ Predictive Models”
With $76M Second Fund, Root Ventures Investing in Hardware, Automation
Startups often struggle to attract their first funding from venture capital firms. But some of those VC firms are startups themselves, hoping to draw investors willing to trust their judgment so they can back young companies that take off. Avidan Ross, a former industrial robot designer and financial firm CTO, was the solo founder of … Continue reading “With $76M Second Fund, Root Ventures Investing in Hardware, Automation”
BitSight Picks Up $60M to Fend Off Rivals in Cybersecurity Ratings
BitSight Technologies is restocking its war chest to try and win the emerging market for cybersecurity ratings. Today the Cambridge, MA-based tech company announced it raised $60 million in a Series D funding round led by Warburg Pincus, the global private equity firm that has backed the likes of CrowdStrike in cybersecurity, DBRS in credit … Continue reading “BitSight Picks Up $60M to Fend Off Rivals in Cybersecurity Ratings”
Why Microsoft Bought GitHub for $7.5B, and What Developers Think
Since Satya Nadella took over as CEO of Microsoft in 2014, the company’s dedication to cloud computing and developer-focused software products has been palpable. Nadella was executive vice president of Microsoft’s cloud and enterprise group before taking the helm of the entire business. And revenues for the company’s cloud computing services, such as Microsoft Azure, … Continue reading “Why Microsoft Bought GitHub for $7.5B, and What Developers Think”
Brii Biosciences Debuts with a China Pharma Strategy Backed by $260M
Growing up in China, Zhi Hong saw the healthcare challenges of his homeland firsthand. Despite the country’s economic strides, life science innovation there lags advances made in the West, he says. The GlaxoSmithKline veteran now wants to use his experience to adjust the balance. Backed by $260 million in financing, his startup, Brii Biosciences, plans … Continue reading “Brii Biosciences Debuts with a China Pharma Strategy Backed by $260M”
Carbon Black Raising $152M as Tech IPOs Stage Comeback
Into the breach goes Carbon Black. The Waltham, MA-based cybersecurity company said Thursday night that it is raising $152 million in an initial public stock offering by selling 8 million shares of its common stock at $19 per share. That gives Carbon Black an implied valuation of more than $1.2 billion. Carbon Black said its … Continue reading “Carbon Black Raising $152M as Tech IPOs Stage Comeback”
Marketing Chatbot Firm Drift Grabs $60M Led By Sequoia, Sans HubSpot
David Cancel and Elias Torres built their last startup, a marketing automation company called Performable, with just $3 million from venture capitalists. They raised that funding round in late 2009, and about 18 months later they sold the company to HubSpot (NYSE: [[ticker:HUBS]])—a larger sales and marketing tech firm based in Cambridge, MA—for a reported … Continue reading “Marketing Chatbot Firm Drift Grabs $60M Led By Sequoia, Sans HubSpot”
Cybersecurity Firm Carbon Black Advances IPO After Years of Rumors
Carbon Black is moving closer to a long-anticipated initial public stock offering. The Boston-area cybersecurity company filed an S-1 document with the SEC on Monday indicating it might raise up to $100 million in an IPO, although that number could shift if Carbon Black ends up going public. It has applied to trade on the … Continue reading “Cybersecurity Firm Carbon Black Advances IPO After Years of Rumors”
How Next-Gen Chipmakers Are Raising Money, Taking On Tech Giants
The advent of big fundraising rounds for startup chip innovators—a class shunned by most venture capital firms only a few years ago—seems to mark a turnaround in recent VC attitudes about semiconductor investments. But it turns out VCs weren’t the only driving force behind the change in fundraising prospects for the young companies now inventing … Continue reading “How Next-Gen Chipmakers Are Raising Money, Taking On Tech Giants”
General Catalyst Bags $1.4B for Ninth Fund as Tech Investors Go Big
[Updated 3/27/18, 10:27 am. See below.] General Catalyst Partners is the latest venture capital firm to join the billion dollar fund club. The Cambridge, MA-based firm’s latest fund—its ninth—clocked in at $1.375 billion, according to a document filed with the SEC. That’s a significant jump from its last fundraising effort two years ago, when General … Continue reading “General Catalyst Bags $1.4B for Ninth Fund as Tech Investors Go Big”
With Competition Rising, Dropbox Now a Public Company After $756M IPO
[Updated 3/23/18, 3:35 p.m. See below.] Dropbox has raised about $756 million in its public market debut after pricing its IPO at $21 per share, according to news reports citing sources familiar with the matter. It’s the largest initial public offering for a U.S. tech company since Snap’s $3.9 billion offering a year ago. That … Continue reading “With Competition Rising, Dropbox Now a Public Company After $756M IPO”
Ten Fast Facts About Dropbox as It Seeks an Initial Public Offering
Dropbox is finally ready to enter the public market. The San Francisco-based file sharing and cloud storage company plans to raise up to $500 million in an initial public offering, according to paperwork filed with the SEC last week, after years of speculation that it might do so. Founded by two MIT students in 2007, … Continue reading “Ten Fast Facts About Dropbox as It Seeks an Initial Public Offering”
Battery Ventures Recharges With $1.25B in Two New Funds
Battery Ventures, a 35-year-old global investment firm, has reeled in $1.25 billion to continue backing high-tech companies. Boston-based Battery announced two new funds on Tuesday: an $800 million fund, Battery Ventures XII; and a $450 million companion, Battery Ventures XII Side Fund, from which the firm will make larger growth and private-equity investments. Battery’s deals … Continue reading “Battery Ventures Recharges With $1.25B in Two New Funds”
Vanu Bose Tribute, Plus Latest Boston Tech Headlines
We start this week’s Boston tech watch on a somber note: Vanu Bose, a local technology executive and MIT alumnus, passed away Saturday from a sudden pulmonary embolism, according to an announcement from MIT. He was 52. Bose was the founder and CEO of 19-year-old wireless networking company Vanu, which recently donated some of its … Continue reading “Vanu Bose Tribute, Plus Latest Boston Tech Headlines”
Chatbot Builder Drift Gets $32M from GC, Sequoia, HubSpot, CRV
Investors continue to feed the chatbots. Drift, a Boston-based startup that helps businesses boost sales and marketing efforts with virtual assistants and other software tools, said today it has raised $32 million in fresh venture capital. The Series B round of funding was led by General Catalyst, with contributions from CRV, HubSpot, and Sequoia Capital. … Continue reading “Chatbot Builder Drift Gets $32M from GC, Sequoia, HubSpot, CRV”
23andMe Raises $250M For Consumer Disease-Risk Tests, Drug R&D
Once barred from giving consumers disease-related information about their DNA, 23andMe recently received approval to market such genetic tests directly to consumers—and it now has reeled in a boatload of cash to ramp up those efforts, and more. The Mountain View, CA-based genetic testing company said Tuesday it has raised a new $250 million round … Continue reading “23andMe Raises $250M For Consumer Disease-Risk Tests, Drug R&D”
Presence Capital Takes the Temperature of VR/AR at Mid-Year
This week we checked in with Presence Capital, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm that specializes in virtual reality and augmented reality startups. Presence, which made its first investment in July 2015, has now invested in 33 companies, including VR animation studio Baobab; Strivr, a creator of VR training systems; Meta, the developer of a … Continue reading “Presence Capital Takes the Temperature of VR/AR at Mid-Year”
With $60M Fund, “Anti-VC” Scaleworks Looks to Buy Software Startups
San Antonio—[Corrected 4/10/17, 1:27 p.m. See Below.] For many entrepreneurs who leave their business, investing is an easy next step. That’s what Lew Moorman did after he left Rackspace in 2013. But he didn’t like it. “I found myself not enjoying my day. I was spending all my time hearing pitches, and then doing very high-level … Continue reading “With $60M Fund, “Anti-VC” Scaleworks Looks to Buy Software Startups”
Meet the 15 New Early-Stage Venture Funds in Boston Tech: Slideshow
[Updated 2/6/17, 5:15 pm. See notes in photo slideshow.] Boston’s venture investing community looks a lot different today than it did just two years ago. A new crop of venture funds has emerged to back the next wave of technology startups and, as Xconomy observed last year, perhaps change the way companies get funded and … Continue reading “Meet the 15 New Early-Stage Venture Funds in Boston Tech: Slideshow”
Namely Lands $50,000,000 Series D Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=acb3c65c-dd12-4dc9-89dc-88a440eece0b Date 1/6/2017 Company Name Namely Mailing Address 195 Broadway 15th Floor New York, NY 10007 USA Company Description Namely is the first talent management platform built for the professional services industry—specifically advertising. Namely enables agencies to manage their teams, retain key employees and grow revenues. Website http://www.namely.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “Namely Lands $50,000,000 Series D Financing”
Inkling Receives $25,000,000 Series E Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1d2e47de-2168-452c-bb83-86f277226a8f Date 12/15/2016 Company Name Inkling Mailing Address 153 Kearny Street San Francisco, CA 94108 USA Company Description Inkling s all-in-one enterprise content platform makes it easy to deliver engaging business knowledge at the point of need. Website http://www.inkling.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $25,000,000 Transaction Round Series E Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Inkling Receives $25,000,000 Series E Funding Round”
Thanx Secures $17,100,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=843f83d2-f6dc-4efb-b390-e1f6fd91f646 Date 12/9/2016 Company Name Thanx Mailing Address 180 Redwood St. San Francisco, CA 94102 USA Company Description Thanx is the easiest way to automatically earn rewards at your favorite merchants — no plastic cards to carry and no check-ins required. Just shop with any credit or debit card. Website http://www.thanx.com Transaction … Continue reading “Thanx Secures $17,100,000 Series B Funding Round”
Stripe Obtains $150,000,000 Series D Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=262bcaee-0df8-4032-ad51-c0b8be8992d8 Date 11/28/2016 Company Name Stripe Mailing Address 185 Berry Street San Francisco, CA 94107 USA Company Description Stripe is a simple, developer-friendly way to accept payments online. We believe that enabling transactions on the web is a problem rooted in code, not finance, and we want to help put more websites … Continue reading “Stripe Obtains $150,000,000 Series D Funding Round”
Domino Receives $10,500,000 New Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c7df311d-b8fb-4dd3-ad3a-82c0d1833304 Date 11/18/2016 Company Name Domino Mailing Address 8 Wright Street Westport, CT 06880 USA Company Description Easily run R, Python, and Matlab code in the cloud. Automatic version control and collaboration for data, code, and results. Website http://www.dominodatalab.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Domino Receives $10,500,000 New Financing Round”
indeni Garners $10,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a2f31ebf-f957-4b62-8817-cc975c27199c Date 11/9/2016 Company Name indeni Mailing Address 555 Bryant St. Palo Alto, CA 94301 USA Company Description Identify potential devices failures across the most popular firewalls, routers and switches. Provide administrators with actionable remediation steps to save time, resources and avoid business disruption. Website http://www.indeni.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “indeni Garners $10,000,000 New Round”
Freshdesk Receives $55,000,000 Series F Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=55372ff2-a997-4790-a457-d1194a5ff07e Date 11/2/2016 Company Name Freshdesk Mailing Address 311 California Street San Francisco, CA 94104 USA Company Description Freshdesk is a cloud-based customer support software that lets you support customers through traditional channels like phone and email, social channels like Facebook and Twitter, and your own branded community Website http://www.freshdesk.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “Freshdesk Receives $55,000,000 Series F Round”
Tribe Receives $3,000,000 Seed Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=edb71a2b-1a5b-4abe-bf49-68ed4d15a09d Date 10/13/2016 Company Name Tribe Mailing Address Undisclosed San Francisco, CA 94107 USA Company Description Tribe is experiential, effortless messaging. With Tribe, press and hold to release a message. Then, release to send. No keyboard needed. Tribe allows for sending messages with one hand only, has a pull-to-search option, and a … Continue reading “Tribe Receives $3,000,000 Seed Funding Round”
Everwise Lands $16,000,000 Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a7dfdb6c-fcd4-4bda-bd6e-456f4e8ce171 Date 10/12/2016 Company Name Everwise Mailing Address 576 Sacramento Street San Francisco, CA 94111 USA Company Description Everwise has re-engineered workplace mentoring using best practices culled from industry s most effective mentoring programs and our team s real-world experience guiding more than 60,000 successful mentoring partnerships over the course of 20 … Continue reading “Everwise Lands $16,000,000 Series B Funding Round”
Skyhigh Networks Secures $40,000,000 Series D Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=96c4dafa-4c45-4adc-9ab2-4bd7796b8930 Date 9/27/2016 Company Name Skyhigh Networks Mailing Address 1601 S De Anza Blvd. Cupertino, CA 95014 USA Company Description The Skyhigh Networks executive team is comprised of successful repeat entrepreneurs with a passion for delivering game changing products and services and a relentless focus on customer success. Website http://www.skyhighnetworks.com Transaction Type … Continue reading “Skyhigh Networks Secures $40,000,000 Series D Funding”
Behalf Lands $27,000,000 Series C Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e1fecd6a-73fe-4645-a7a3-8df27f5f2080 Date 8/31/2016 Company Name Behalf Mailing Address 126 5th Avenue New York, NY 10011 USA Company Description Get financing with Behalf to pay your Vendors for any of your business purchases. Our application takes just a few minutes and you’ll get an instant decision. Website http://www.behalf.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction … Continue reading “Behalf Lands $27,000,000 Series C Financing Round”
CellSavers Receives $15,000,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a1372acd-2299-496e-a68e-cee6f0837014 Date 8/19/2016 Company Name CellSavers Mailing Address Undisclosed San Diego, CA 92093 USA Company Description CellSavers is the easiest, most professional and safest way to have your phone repaired at your preferred time and location. All repairs are backed by our lifetime warranty and high rated customer service Website http://www.mycellsavers.com Transaction … Continue reading “CellSavers Receives $15,000,000 Series A Round”
Lawn Guru Closes $1M Round, Plans National Expansion
Lawn Guru, an app that allows users to connect with lawn care professionals and order services on demand, announced this week that it has closed a $1 million seed round. The round was led by Sierra Wasach Capital with participation from Canyon Creek Capital, Briggs and Stratton, and Sequoia Capital’s scout program. According to a … Continue reading “Lawn Guru Closes $1M Round, Plans National Expansion”
SafeBreach Obtains $15,000,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2031d25c-20d4-4308-9c00-2710781c495f Date 7/27/2016 Company Name SafeBreach Mailing Address 111 W Evelyn Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94086 USA Company Description Our mission is to innovate the way the industry validates security risks — from static to continuous, from theoretical to practical. We help answer the questions security leaders are being asked by their CEO/boards … Continue reading “SafeBreach Obtains $15,000,000 Series A Financing”
Unity Technologies Lands $181,000,000 Series C Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=848669b8-ecdd-4205-8334-1647ef4ddfd6 Date 7/14/2016 Company Name Unity Technologies Mailing Address 795 Folsom Street San Francisco, CA 94107 USA Company Description Unity is all about technology that’s both uniquely usable and extremely powerful. Focusing on clear interplay of features and functionality – from your perspective. As a company we are all about building that … Continue reading “Unity Technologies Lands $181,000,000 Series C Financing”