 Chat commerce and communications platform service (CPaaS) Clickatell raised $91M Series C in a round led by Arrowroot Capital. Founded in South Africa by Pieter de Villers, Clickatell is capitalizing on the growing CPaaS market, which has a current valuation of ~$80B in "total addressable market" (TAM). The last funding round for Clickatell was conducted over a decade ago, a $12M Series B. More: - Clickatell utilizes existing chat technologies, including SMS, USSD, and WhatsApp, to help businesses grow by providing users the ability to make purchases, track orders, and communicate with service representatives.
- The "chat commerce" startup helps companies reach out to a wider portion of their users and has helped harness digital communication tools to build out its contactless payment capabilities.
- Users can send payment links via SMS or WhatsApp.
- Clickatell has facilitated 2 billion transactions during COVID.
- 1.3 million payments are made every day in Nigeria alone.
- The company claims to have processed over 30 billion interactions.
- 3 billion more people use SMS, WhatsApp, and other methods of digital messaging than use the internet.
- Clickatell plans on using the funds to expand its U.S. market, develop new features, and grow sales.
- Clickatell, whose headquarters are now in California, hosts more than 10,000 companies, including massive corporations such as Coca-Cola, Deloitte, GT Bank, Booking.com, GoDaddy, IKEA, Novartis, Standard Bank, Tangerine, Telegram, US Foods, Visa, Zipcar, and Capitec.
- In South Africa, Clickatell has partnered with the country's largest bank to help users send and receive money over WhatsApp.
Zoom out: - In 2019, contactless payments were valued at about $12B. By 2024, this valuation is expected to grow four-fold to $52B.
| |
 Bengaluru-based defense technology company NewSpace has raised $21M to develop its "swarm drone systems." Pavestone Technology Fund led Newspace's latest funding round, while Sequoia Capital, DAG Ventures, Kennedy Lewis Investment Management, Endeavor Global, and Harvest also participated. This is one of the largest funding rounds for a defense-sector startup to date. Having secured two contracts from the Indian government, NewSpace intends to reach unicorn status in the next five years. More: - Former Indian Air Force officer and NewSpace founder Sameer Joshi was awarded for his "swarm drone" technologies last year.
- The Indian Army recently placed an order worth Rs 300 crore ($40M) with the company. The drone swarms are expected to be delivered within the year and will assist in expanding surveillance capabilities as well as launching attacks.
- While largely used by the defense market, the company hopes to enter the commercial sector soon.
- NewSpace estimates the recent funding round will last it 18 months.
- The company will use the monies raised to bolster the development of its forthcoming "pseudo satellite" technologies.
- These satellites will return to earth every few months and be used for expanded surveillance and communications practices.
Zoom out: - Prolonged testing periods for defense technologies have long hindered ventures from entering the field. NewSpace's most recent funding round could signal a sea change for VC firms interested in defense technologies.
| |
 A message from CONTRAST SECURITY Gartner Survey: Enabling Cloud-Native DevSecOps Are you looking to secure your Cloud-Native applications? Find answers to questions like: - What do Gartner clients think is the biggest challenge for implementing DevSecOps?
- Who is responsible for it and who owns the budget?
- What are the most frequently used tools for securing Cloud-Native Applications and which changes drive the most results?
Get critical insight into the blueprint for DevSecOps and securing your applications in the 2021 Cloud-Native DevSecOps Survey Analysis from Gartner. Download Report
| |
Chennai-based startup Facilio has raised $35M in Series B funding to support its efforts to digitize property operations and aggregate real-estate portfolios. Facilio's Series B was led by Dragoneer Investment Group with further backing from Brookfield Growth and existing investors Accel India and Tiger Global Management. Facilio's cloud-based software suite aims to streamline property management by providing intel for operations and maintenance teams, reducing operating costs, and helping developers become more sustainable. More: - Founded by Prabhu Ramachandran, Rajavel Subramanian, Krishnamoorthi Rangasamy, and Yogendra Babu, Facilio is currently used by over 10,000 properties in 12 countries.
- The company will use the recent funds to expand its user base.
- Founded in 2017, the property management startup is entering a "smart building SaaS market" currently worth ~$50B. However, the market is projected to skyrocket and become a $265.4B industry by 2028.
- The recent funding round follows an earlier $6.4M Series A round.
- The suite of SaaS apps will aggregate data across portfolios to create an integrated cloud program.
- CEO and co-founded Prabhu Ramachandran believes Facilio will "enable more companies to reach success through a predictive, connected model of real estate operations."
| |
 Best-known for its robotic arm "Eva," biotech company Automata has raised a $50M Series B to expand lab automation processes. Lab-testing has grown exponentially since COVID began in 2020; therefore, Automata intends to enter the market to help automate and accelerate turnaround time. The round was led by Octopus Ventures, with participation from other investors such as Hummingbird, Latitude Ventures, ABB Technology Ventures, Isomer Capital, In-Q-Tel, and others. More: - Automata's venture into testing saw investments grow from its $7.4M Series A in 2019 to six times that amount in 2022.
- The startup will use new funds to automate diagnostics, conduct drug discovery programs, and experiment with the production of synthetic biology.
- Moving away from relatively simplistic robotic arms like EVA, Automata's new benchtop modules should cut down turnaround times for tests by ~25-40%.
- So far, the company has processed millions of samples.
- One lab is running 40 of Automata's modular stations 24/7.
| |
 A message from CELSIUS NETWORK Welcome to Celsius, your new home for crypto. We’ve made some major updates and enhancements to our mobile app experience to make Celsius easier for you to Buy, Swap, Earn and Borrow with crypto. We’re often asked at Celsius, “What makes you different from those other guys?” Whether those “other guys” are traditional banks or similar crypto companies, the answer is always the same: Celsius is driven by the success of our external impact first rather than our internal bottom line (do well then do good). We exist to give anyone, anywhere, unparalleled access to reach financial freedom. Our goal is to allow anyone and everyone access to fair, rewarding, and transparent financial services. When we say Celsius is your home for crypto, we mean it. In 2022, we will be adding more coins, launching CelsiusX (the DeFi arm of Celsius), and Credit Card so you can earn rewards while you swipe, and all under the Celsius ecosystem. Check Out Celsius Now
| |
 Online psychiatric care and medication company Minded has secured $25M in Seed funding. The round was backed by myriad investors, including Streamlined Ventures, Link Ventures, The Tiger Fund, Unicorn Ventures, Trousdale Ventures, Gaingels, SALT Fund, TheFund, Care.com, Bolt, Gravity Blanket, RXBAR, Gilt.com, and WTI. Founded in 2021, the New York-based Minded will use the money raised to expand into new coverage areas in the United States, introduce new treatment options, field genetic testing, and launch new psychedelic treatments. More: - Co-founders David Ronick and psychiatrist Chris Dennis M.D. developed Minded to expand access to mental health medications.
- As of now, Minded serves people ages 18 and older living in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, Illinois, and California.
| |
Nearly two years after a successful Series C round at $30M, Berlin-based job recruitment startup Zenjob has raised an additional $50M (€45M) during the latest Series D round. The company regularly connects its 2,500 business partners with ~40,000 workers every month. More: - The funding round was led by Aragan and supported by Acton Capital, Atlantic Labs, Forestay, and Axa Venture Partners.
- Zenjob's recent fundraising venture will help the company expand its platform, grow its team, improve the algorithm, and introduce new automated services.
- According to its website, "Zenjob gives part-time workers the freedom to structure their own working lives, and provides businesses with motivated and flexible workers."
- The company targets college students living in the Netherlands and Germany and connects them with employers needing temporary workers.
- One way Zenjob entices users is by providing 1/2 payment within 72 hours of a worker's last shift.
- The startup focuses on the retail, logistics, and hospitality sectors.
| |
Quick Hits - This startup has upended commercial real estate investing by taking buildings public via IPO.*
- New York-based law firm Bronstein, Gerwitz & Grossman, LLC is filing a class-action lawsuit against Pulse Biosciences for allegedly violating the 1934 Securities Exchange Act that prohibits companies like Pulse from making false or misleading statements to its investors. The law firm claims Pulse provided false information regarding the viability of its biomedical research projects, including the CellFX System.
- The open-source GraphQL development startup Hasura has reached unicorn status after Greenoaks Capital led a Series C round that resulted in $100M raised.
- Valencia, California-based hydrogen sensor company H2scan has raised $70M in funding to expand and further automate its manufacturing practices. The round was led by LetterOne with support from GS Energy.
- In a Seed funding round led by Solana Ventures, the "Create2Earn pixel art" company Chillcat raised $1.85M.
- Loop TV provides fully licensed TV content for businesses. Ditch cable and satellite. Switch to Loop TV for free. Sign up today.*
*This is sponsored content.
| |
Upcoming events at Inside: - February 22 - The Future of Tax & Accounting for Crypto, DeFi, & NFTs is here. Are you ready? (Register Here) *
- February 23 - Need to Know NoCoder: Derya Sousa (Kianda Technologies) (Register Here)
- February 24 - Alternative Investments (Register Here)
- February 24 - Conversational AI in eCommerce with Flipkart (Register Here) *
- February 28 - Inside Investment DAOs with Global Coin Research (Register Here)
- March 10 - NoCode's Impact on the Gig Economy (Register Here)
- March 23 - Need to Know NoCoder: Nichole Bestman (Bubble) (Register Here)
- March 31 - How To Build In Web 3.0 (Register Here)
- April 06 - Entertainment in the Metaverse (Register Here)
- April 07 - Blockchain and the Law (Register Here)
- April 14 - Shopping In The Metaverse (Register Here)
- April 28 - Alternative Investments 2: Crypto Safety Standards (Register Here)
*This is a sponsored listing.
| |
 |  | Courtney K. Rawlings is an Inside Analyst living in Los Angeles, California. She has returned to her hometown of LA after spending several years working at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where she is completing a Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History. While working toward her Ph.D., Courtney has developed an interest in the language and history of the tech industry, including, but not limited to, business, politics, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and podcasting. In fact, she hosts her own podcast Low Culture Boil! |  | | Editor | Aaron Crutchfield is based in the high desert of California. Over the last two decades, he has spent time writing and editing at various local newspapers and defense contractors in California. When he's not working, he can often be found looking at the latest memes with his kids or working on his 1962 Ford. | |
| |
| |
Comments
Post a Comment