Google reached an agreement to buy Reston, VA-based cybersecurity firm Mandiant Inc. for $5.4B. The technology giant offered $23.00 per share for the all-cash transaction. The transaction will likely close later this year, conditional to regulatory approvals. More: - The acquisition of Mandiant strengthens and expands upon Google’s cloud security product portfolio.
- Mandiant is known for discovering the Solar Winds hack and was speculated to be acquired by Microsoft.
- The addition of new products expands Google’s end-to-end security operations suite.
- Google’s offered price is 57% higher than Mandiant’s 10-day weighted average stock price.
- Google acquired Siemplify earlier this year for $500M to add to its security orchestration automation and response (SOAR) capabilities.
- Per Crunchbase, Mandiant has raised $70M in funding so far.
- FireEye acquired Mandiant in 2013 for $1B.
- Following a Symphony Technology Group-led acquisition of FireEye last year, Mandiant spun off into a separate unit.
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Bain Capital Ventures (BCV) launched a $560M fund to invest exclusively in crypto companies. The fund will invest in around 30 blockchain startups, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), token purchases, decentralized finance (DeFi), and Layer 1 blockchains. BCV already invested $100M in several 12 startups. More: - Bain had filed for regulatory approval under the “BCV Crypto Fund I” name in Sept. 2021.
- For the last seven years, the firm has been investing in early-stage and pre-launch protocol projects.
- However, its first priority will be investing in blockchain infrastructure startups, including layer 1 scaling solutions, privacy products, middleware, and storage solutions.
- Its product portfolio consists of BlockFi Inc., Digital Currency Group, and Lolli.
- Last year it co-led $350M funding into BlockFi.
- Investment firm Bain Capital currently has over $155B worth of assets under management.
Zoom out: - The estimated $2T cryptocurrency sector is witnessing increased investments in recent times:
- Sequoia Capital announced it would raise $500M-$600M toward its first crypto fund last month.
- Polygon raised $450M funds.
- VC investments in crypto projects topped $25B in 2021.
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 A message from SEEDINVEST What startup founders need to know about equity crowdfunding Equity crowdfunding connects early and growth-stage companies to individual investors interested in backing startups. SeedInvest’s investor community is more than 600,000 strong, and they’ve helped more than 250 companies raise the capital they need to achieve their goals. How is it different than raising from VC’s? Equity crowdfunding allows founders to raise large sums of money without ceding control of their business to an outside entity whose vision might not align with the long-term goals of the company. Equity crowdfunding is mainly for small rounds though, right? Wrong. In 2020, the average round raised on SeedInvest was $3.3 million. We’ve helped companies launch successful raises from Seed to Series C in amounts approaching $20 million. Ready to learn more? Get the complete equity crowdfunding guide and find out if SeedInvest is right for your next raise. Get the guide
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Blackstone Inc. led a $200M funding round into DNAnexus Inc. Per Crunchbase, the Series H investment has increased the total funding amount to date to $472.6M. The startup was valued at $600M during the latest fundraise. More: - Northpond Ventures, GV, Perceptive Advisors, Innovatus Capital Partners, and Foresite Capital participated in the funding.
- DNAnexus is a bioinformatics company that analyzes biomedical data via a cloud-based platform.
- Their client Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., developed a drug after discovering protective mutation after analyzing genomic data of obese people who hadn’t had heart attacks.
- The startup’s platform is used by 12,000 users in 48 countries.
- The biomedical startup will use the funding to accelerate product development, expand global presence, and incorporate AI/ML technology into its platform.
Zoom out:
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 Forma marketplace Forma raised $40M Series B led by Ribbit Capital. Emergence Capital, Stripe, Designer Fund, Upside Partnership, and AngelPad participated in the funding. It just renamed itself from Twic. More: - San Francisco-based Forma is a benefits management platform for HR professionals.
- The company’s USP is offering a 10%-30% discount compared with retail prices through its 250 product offerings.
- Forma provides an Intelligence Card, allowing users to use the card at outlets that accept Visa cards.
- It last raised $15M Series A in 2020 from Emergence Capital.
- Stripe and Upside Partnership invested $2.5M in the company in 2019.
- The company will double the workforce and expand product offerings with the incoming funds.
- Forma plans to launch pre-tax products this year and offer healthcare, dental, and vision insurance benefits.
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 A message from STAMPED.IO How Reviews & Loyalty Programs Boost Revenue for eCommerce Brands Reviews and loyalty programs are powerful tools for eCommerce merchants to establish trust and connection with their customers and increase revenue. Stamped, the leading Reviews & Loyalty platform, highlights the impact of social proof in the case study “How Stamped Helped Daily & Co. Increase VANITY TABLE’s ARR by 220%.” - Multi-channel review requests, through email and Messenger, are highly effective and resulted in 17 000+ reviews in just months
- Customers participating in the loyalty program shared twice as many reviews and their CLV is 85% higher than non-loyalty program members
- Since implementing Stamped, this merchant has doubled their ARR
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New York-based cybersecurity firm Axonius closed a $200M Series E investment led by Accel. The fundraise saw participation from Silver Lake Waterman, Alta Park Capital, Owl Rock, Bessemer Venture Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alkeon, Stripes, ICONIQ, and DTCP. Axonius was valued at $2.6B at the latest fundraise. More: - The latest fundraise brings total funding to $395M.
- It last raised $100M in 2021, at a $1.2B valuation.
- In the same year, annual recurring revenue increased 132% YoY and doubled its customer base.
- Notable customers include AB InBev, Schneider Electric, The New York Times, Wacom, MindBody, and Landmark Health.
- Incoming funds will fuel regional expansion and operations.
- Axonius cybersecurity asset management platform allows users to mitigate threats, offset risks, automate risks responses, and manage business strategy.
- CEO Dean Sysman expects the company to debut with a public offering in the next two years.
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Stax’s latest $245M fundraise granted it a unicorn status with over $1B valuation. Greater Sum Ventures, HarbourVest Partners, and Blue Star Innovation Partners invested in the Orlando, Florida-based payments platform. More: - Rob Wechsler, founder and CEO of Blue Star, joins Stax’s board of directors as part of the incoming investment.
- Current investors will also be strategic partners to Stax.
- Stax claims to have grown 500% in the past three years.
- Its customer base has grown to include 22,000 global businesses and processed over $23B worth of payments.
- The incoming funds will be used to accelerate product development, increase customer offerings, increase the workforce, and expand globally.
- Earlier in Nov. 2021, Stax acquired surcharging platform CardX.
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Quick Hits - More than half of U.S. organizations said they currently spend $1M to $50M on AI initiatives every year, while another 15% are spending $51M or more, according to LXT's new executive report.*
- San Francisco-based AI-assisted talent acquisition platform Findem closed a $30M Series B investment, bringing the total funds raised so far to $37.3M. Four Rivers and Quarry Capital Management co-led the fundraise in participation with Wing Venture Capital.
- Deloitte Consulting completed the acquisition of cloud consulting firm BIAS Corporation for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition will allow Deloitte to develop Oracle Cloud suite applications.
- Tiger Global Management led a $15M Series A extension financing into hotel payment software platform Selfbook, at a $300M valuation. The company secured the $40M Series A fund in Oct. 2021.
- Lolita Taub is launching an early-stage venture capital firm, Ganas Ventures, with a target of garnering a $9.99M fund. Taub has raised $1.2M so far, with an aim to invest $100,000 in ~75 pre-seed and seed-stage companies in the U.S. and Latin America.
- Nvidia invested $10M in sidewalk delivery robot service, Serve Robotics. The robotics firm spun out of Uber and has launched services outside Los Angeles and San Francisco.
- Neotribe Ventures closed a $90M Ignite Fund to invest in early-stage companies working on breakthrough technologies. The firm has already invested in 40 companies through its Fund I and Fund II worth $138M and $220M respectively.
- Not getting what you need from your payments processing company? Maybe it's time for a new one.*
*This is sponsored content
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 |  | Karan Chafekar is a Management Consultant, Business enthusiast, and Licensed Pilot. | | | | 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. | |
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