Jun 3, 2024
Venture Capital
Forward, a year-old startup in Austin, has secured $16 million in seed funding to challenge Stripe in the integrated payments sector. The round saw investments from Commerce Ventures, Elefund, and Fiserv.
Reibus, a six-year-old startup from Atlanta, which runs an online marketplace for trading industrial metals like steel and aluminum, has raised $30 million in equity and debt. The funding round included investments from Canaan Partners and Nosara.
Valar Labs, a Palo Alto startup specializing in AI-driven tools for predicting bladder cancer treatment outcomes and personalizing patient care, has closed a $22 million Series A round. The funding was co-led by DCVC and Andreessen Horowitz, with Pear VC also participating.
11th Estate, a San Francisco startup that aids investors in recovering payments from securities class action settlements, has raised $2 million in seed funding. Social Leverage led the round.
Fortunafi, a Miami-based startup that tokenizes real-world assets like treasury bills and private debt funds, has raised $9.5 million. The funding round saw participation from Shima Capital, Manifold, Cobie, and Evanss6.
Kalogon, a Melbourne, FL startup that has developed a smart cushion for wheelchairs to prevent pressure sores and enhance comfort, has raised a $1.2 million seed extension. Investors included Sawmill Angels, M7, SeedFundersOrlando, and AARP.
Light Frame, a new startup from Providence, RI, offering tools for personalized financial advice, investment management, and retirement planning, has raised $1.7 million in pre-seed financing. ATX Venture Partners and New Stack Ventures co-led the round, with additional support from Rogue Venture Partners, Half Court Ventures, Underdog Labs, and Studio Alpha.
Plural Energy, a San Francisco startup leveraging blockchain technology to facilitate investments in solar energy projects, has raised $2.3 million in pre-seed funding. The round was co-led by Necessary Ventures and Compound, with contributions from Volt Capital and Maven11.
(Re)vive, a New York startup specializing in managing excess inventory and connecting products to secondary markets or recycling channels, has raised $3.5 million in seed funding. The round was co-led by Equal Ventures and Hustle Fund, with participation from Banter Capital, Coalition Operators, Mute VC, Veronica Chou, Charge VC, Everywhere VC, and Hyphen Capital.
Rhea, a startup with operations in Singapore and New York providing advanced fertility clinics, AI-powered diagnostics, and a global gamete exchange, has secured $10 million in funding. Thiel Capital led the round, with additional investments from LifeX Ventures, Blue Lion Global, and FJ Labs.
Vegapay, a Gurgaon-based startup helping businesses issue and manage branded payment cards and streamline payment processes, has raised $5.5 million in seed funding. Elevation Capital led the round, with previous investor Eximius Ventures also participating.
Weave Bio, a New Haven, CT startup assisting pharmaceutical and biotech companies with the IND application process, has raised $10 million in seed funding. The round was co-led by Innovation Endeavors and Magnetic Ventures.
YoLa Fresh, a Casablanca-based startup connecting Moroccan farmers with food sellers via an online marketplace, has raised $7 million. The funding round was led by Al Mada Ventures.
ZeroMark, a New York startup integrating AI-enabled auto-aiming systems with traditional firearms to combat drone threats, has secured $7 million in seed funding. The round was co-led by Ground Up Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz.
Private Equity
Skydance Media has revised its $8.3 billion offer to Paramount Global, proposing to buy a certain number of non-voting Paramount shares at $15 each, representing approximately a 26% premium to Friday’s closing price.
Japanese whiskey maker Suntory is in negotiations to acquire Boston Beer in a deal valued at $3.8 billion.
The UK is set to investigate Nationwide Building Society’s $3.7 billion acquisition of online banking company Virgin Money UK.
Blackstone has agreed to purchase a 55.1% stake in Japanese e-comics provider Infocom from Teijin for $1.7 billion.
Global insurer MetLife is pursuing the acquisition of direct lender Hayfin Capital Management, with the deal potentially valuing Hayfin at $1.3 billion.
Listed members club Soho House has rejected an acquisition offer valued at $1 billion, which was said to be at a substantial premium.
China-focused investment firm IDG Capital is exploring the buyout of Hong Kong broadband firm HKBN, which is valued at $435 million.
Stablecoin issuer Tether Holdings has acquired a $100 million stake in US-listed Bitcoin miner Bitdeer Technologies Group.
The deal for investment firm 777 Partners to buy Everton FC from British-Iranian owner Farhad Moshiri has collapsed.
IPO
Chinese online fashion firm Shein is preparing to file for an IPO on the London Stock Exchange, with a potential valuation of approximately $63.7 billion.
Pharmaceutical giant Sanofi is planning to spin off its $22 billion consumer division, which could become Europe’s largest sale or IPO this year.
State-owned oil company Saudi Aramco’s $12 billion share sale was fully subscribed within hours.
Bill Ackman is planning to take Pershing Square public, selling a 10% stake at a valuation of $10.5 billion prior to the IPO.
Australian fast food chain Guzman y Gomez is seeking to raise $161 million at an estimated $1.5 billion valuation in a June IPO.
Online comics operator Webtoon Entertainment has filed for an IPO in the United States.
New Funds
Opportunistic real estate investment firm Town Lane has closed its debut fund at $1.25 billion.
Future Ventures, a six-year-old venture firm founded by veteran VCs Steve Jurvetson and Maryanna Saenko, has closed a new $169 million fund focused on AI.