India-based financial services platform Refyne obtains US $20.1M investment
Refyne, an India-based financial service platform, secured a sum of US $16 million in a Series A funding round announced on June 9, 2021. Leading the round are partners of RTP Global and DST Global. Refyne also disclosed raising a sum of US $4.1 million seed investment as of December last year from QED Investors, XYZ Capital, and Jigsaw...
Indian Fintech company Paytm to file for an IPO
India’s most valuable fintech startup – Paytm confirmed to its shareholders and employees on 6 June 2021 that it will file for an IPO by the first week of July. It is planning to raise about US$ 3 billion at a valuation of up to US$ 30 billion. Paytm released a letter to shareholders and employees, stating its plans to...
Developer Productivity Solutions provider YourBase raises US$ 5M in seed funding
US-based YourBase, a provider of developer productivity solutions, emerged from stealth mode by raising US$ 5 million in seed funding on 8 June 2021. Investors: The funding round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners with participation from Unusual Ventures and Fathom Capital. About YourBase Founded in 2018 by John Ewart and Yves Junqueira, YourBase is a software testing acceleration solution that helps...
The Dark Side of Smart Cities
Over a thousand smart city projects are underway and it is estimated that a staggering $189 billion (USD) will be spent worldwide on smart cities initiatives by 2023. But behind the facade of safety and energy efficiency lies the dark side of smart cities where ‘smart’ is often a euphemism for surveillance.
US-based construction technology startup Briq secures US $30M series B
A US-based Fintech construction startup, Briq, has just secured US$ 30 million in a Series B funding round announced on June 7, 2021. Led by the renowned investment firm Tiger Global Management, the round also enjoyed contributions from existing investors, Eniac Ventures, and Blackhorn ventures. This investment is notably distinguished for being one of the largest fundraisings in the...
Simulate secures USD 50 million in Series B
Simulate, a New York-based nutrition technology startup secured USD 50 Million in Series B funding. The funding round was led by Alexis Ohanian’s 77. The investors who participated in this round were Chris Sacca and Crystal Sacca, McCain Foods, NOMO Ventures, Day One Ventures and Imaginary Ventures. After this fundraise the company has collected an amount of USD 61 million till...
Airbase closes series B round at USD 60 million
California-based Airbase announced on 06/08/21 that it closed a Series B round at USD 60 million, the company provides spend management services. This Series B round was led by Menlo Ventures. The round also saw the participation of new investors Craft Ventures, and existing investors like First Round Capital, Bain Capital, Webb Investment Network, Quiet Capital, BOX group, and some...
Cashier-less checkout startup Grabango raises US$ 39M in Series B
US-based Grabango, a supplier of checkout-free technology to major grocery store chains, announced on 7 June 2021 that it has raised US$ 39 million in a Series B round of funding. Investors: The funding round was led by Commerce Ventures with participation from Founders Fund, Unilever Ventures, Honeywell Ventures, and WIND Ventures. The total amount of funding raised by the...
US-based population genomics and COVID-19 testing company Helix raises Series C
US-based Helix, the leading population genomics and COVID-19 testing company raised US$ 50M in a Series C funding round on 5 June 2021.Investors: The funding round was led by existing investors Warburg Pincus, DFJ Growth, Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, Mayo Clinic and Temasek.Purpose of the funding: The funds raised will be utilized towards accelerating the organization's population genomics platform...
Exit Strategy Selection: IPO vs M&A
Exit Strategies, a brief exploration A startup exit strategy is an entrepreneur's strategic plan to sell a company's ownership to investors or another company. An exit strategy provides a way to lessen or liquidate an entrepreneur's stake in a startup and, if the startup is successful, earn a substantial profit. If the business is not successful, an exit strategy (or...
