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Welcome to Startups Weekly — a weekly roundup of everything you can’t miss from the world of startups. Want this in your inbox every Friday? Register here.
This week has been full of news, it’s probably also the last “real” week of 2024. Another way for us to say goodbye for now and see you in 2025!
The most interesting startup stories of the week
This week brought us some M&A, but also some reminders that whether it’s promising LPs or brilliant announcements, it’s always worth taking a closer look at things.
Net capital: More than 20 VC firms, many of which invest in defense technologies, Signed Clean Equity CertificateThey confirm to themselves that they do not and will not receive money from geopolitical rivals of the United States, such as China and Russia.
Those who are not: AI hype distorts common VC data. Digging deeper is the picture of fundraising it’s fundamentally different for non-AI startupsBrian Hirsch, co-founder of Tribeca Venture Partners, told TechCrunch that many who raised Series A 18 months ago are having trouble getting Series B funding.
Great deal with caveats: The Sam Altman-backed Oklo nuclear startup has signed on massive but non-binding agreement with data center operator Switch. The deal is also subject to approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2022 after its previous application was rejected.
AI Productivity: It is grammatical productivity begins in Coda to extend the scope. In an unusual move, Joda CEO and co-founder Shishir Mehrotra will become Grammarly’s new CEO, replacing Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, who will move into an advisory role.
Informative answers: Confusion Got carbonA Seattle-based startup that connects LLMs with external data before creating an answer. This can help Perplexity access “internal databases, cloud storage or document repositories,” the company said.
This week’s most exciting fundraisers
As startups rush to reveal their latest fundraising news ahead of the holidays, there have been plenty of deal announcements this week.
A mammoth pre-IPO period: Databricks collected 10 billion dollars In one of the biggest rounds in VC history. The mammoth Series J could be its last fundraise before its long-awaited IPO; but the CEO may not rule it out until 2025 and it will be in 2026he said.
Africa’s latest unicorn: South African fintech raised Tyme Group $250 million Series D. Led by Nu Holdings, the parent company of Latin American fintech Nubank, it valued Tyme at $1.5 billion.
Ring Manufacturer: Finnish wearables startup Oura has raised $200 million Series D funding round It was valued at 5.2 billion dollars. It includes participation from Fidelity Management and glucose device maker Dexcom. Oura recently entered into a partnership.
The journey is back: Hostaway, a Canadian travel startup that provides software for vacation rental operators, collected 365 million dollars worth 925 million dollars. The round was led by General Atlantic and will help the company double down on growth.
Speed for accessibility: Evinced, which helps companies comply with online accessibility requirements, It raised a $55 million Series C round expanding to Europe, where new rules will come into effect in June.
Fast funding: Decart, an artificial intelligence startup based in San Francisco but operating in Israel, is secured $32 million in new financing 500 million dollars, just two months after it was leaked.
Find the money: Agave Games, the Turkish startup behind the highly entertaining mobile game Find the Cat, It raised an $18 million Series A round of funding will use it to build his team and work on upcoming titles.
This week’s most interesting VC and fund news
Pendulum swing: Marcy Venture Partners has teamed up with Jay-Z’s VC firm, Pendulum Opportunities Forming MarcyPen Capital Partnerscurrently has $900 million in assets under management.
Go behind the scenes: Arlan Hamilton, the founder of Backstage Capital, announced takes on the role of consultant; 360 Venture Collective will “acquire a significant stake in Baxstage’s management entity” and join the co-run operators, providing capital for the previously criticized firm. and struggles.
Vote of confidence: G2 Venture Partners is a division of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers that invests in climate and sustainability startups. 750 million dollars for the third fund this will confirm the rise of LP for thesis.
Last but not least
We leave you with the list The 51 most disruptive startups of 2024 — A collective effort with contributions from several members of the TechCrunch team. Go read, happy holidays!
