At a time when we are witnessing record VC activity, founders would be well served to go back to the basics and focus on the principles of fundraising when determining who sits on their cap table.
Venture capital undermines human rights
VC firms’ failure to carry out adequate due diligence means that a vast majority of them are failing in their responsibility to respect human rights.
Human Interest raises $200M at a $1B valuation, plans for an IPO
Less than six months after raising $55 million in a Series C round of funding, SMB 401(k) provider Human Interest today announced it has raised $200 million in a round that propels it to unicorn status. The Rise Fund, TPG’s global impact investing platform, led the round and was joined by SoftBank Vision Fund 2. […]
Reserve Trust raises $30.5M to become the ‘Stripe for B2B payments’
Reserve Trust, a Denver-based financial services provider, has raised $30.5 million in a Series A round led by QED Investors. FinTech Collective, Ardent Venture Partners, Flywire CEO Mike Massaro and Quovo founder and CEO Lowell Putnam also participated in the financing, which included $17.9 million in secondary shares. It brings the startup’s total raised since […]
Baleon Capital closes first fund to provide capital infusion to healthcare startups
Baleon Capital will invest in pre-Series A and Series A companies focused on health and medical care in the United States.
Brazilian digital auto marketplace InstaCarro revs up with $23M in funding
InstaCarro, a digital marketplace that connects used car sellers to dealers in Brazil, has raised $23 million in a Series B round of funding. Notably, U.S.-based firms co-led the investment, including J Ventures, FJ Labs and Rise Capital. Spain’s All Iron Ventures and Big Sur also participated in the financing, among others. With the latest […]
What Square’s acquisition of Afterpay means for startups
The main takeaways? “Buy now, pay later” may be effective at driving retail conversion, but scale matters and long-term margins look slim for BNPL startups.
Extra Crunch roundup: Square buys Afterpay, paid search basics, career advice for devs
Square paid around a quarter of its present-day value for Afterpay. That seems like a lot. But was it too much?
A Silicon Valley VC firm with $1.8B in assets was hit by ransomware
Advanced Technology Ventures, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm with more than $1.8 billion in assets under its management, was hit by a ransomware attack in July that saw cybercriminals steal personal information on the company’s private investors, or limited partners (LPs). In a letter to the Maine attorney general’s office, ATV said it became […]
How public markets can help address venture capital’s limitations
“Draper Esprit’s model enables it to deploy them right back into new investments, ensuring more of Europe’s best startups can raise funding.”