It was a good week for startups looking to raise big, as two companies raised rounds of well more than a half-billion dollars. While it’s not surprising AI led the way, other normally quiet sectors like accounting and sports also saw some investor love.
Coinbase announced Thursday the biggest deal in the crypto industry to date when it said it would buy derivatives exchange Deribit in a $2.9 billion deal to move into the crypto options markets.
The RSA Conference in San Francisco has come and gone, and the main feeling from venture capitalists is one of optimism as talk of dealmaking, the IPO market and of course, AI dominated the week.
It was a big week for the space and defense sectors, as investors clearly were looking to the skies. However, other sectors including cyber, healthcare and even data orchestration also saw some big raises.
In a busy week for defense tech raises, Chaos Industries locked up a $275 million in Series C that reportedly values the company at $2 billion. The Los Angeles-based startup develops defense and critical infrastructure technology.
Last year saw big names including Mastercard, Nvidia and AMD dive into the M&A pond and buy venture-backed AI-related startups. This year, a new, younger set of buyers could emerge — considering their sizable warchests.
New York-based Astronomer's Astro platform has proven valuable as AI has exploded — as automating and processing data workflows across different systems has become a necessity for anyone wanting to produce AI applications.
Less than a year after landing a $95 million Series B, Los Angeles-based space manufacturing company Apex locked up a $200 million Series C led by 8VC and Point72 Ventures.
There may have been no big billion-dollar rounds this week, but there were lots of good-sized financings for a variety of startups. Everything from messaging to fintech took home some cash, with the biggest round going to cybersecurity.