Dynamic Business brings you the key startup fundraising from this week:
Adobe acquires Figma for $20 billion
Software giant Adobe will purchase startup Figma for almost $20 billion in its largest transaction to date. The agreement will allow Adobe to enhance its products for creative workers.
During the pandemic, demand for Figma, which allows customers to collaborate on software as they built it, increased as more individuals worked remotely. Figma’s backers include venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins, Index Ventures and Greylock Partners.
Sonder raises AU$35m in Series B funding
Sonder, a leading wellbeing and safety company, has today announced closing an AU$35 million Series B funding round. Blackbird Ventures led the oversubscribed round, with participation from new investors, including SEEK Investments and SecondQuarter Ventures, and existing investors.
Alongside Blackbird’s investment, Niki Scevak, Blackbird’s partner and co-founder, will join Sonder’s Board.
Kaloom Secures $21 million in Funding
Kaloom announced it secured an additional USD 21 million from the Quebec government and current investor, Alternative Capital Group (ACG), who matched the government of Quebec’s investment.
This latest investment will support Kaloom’s go-to-market strategy and extend its current heterogeneous hardware strategy by supporting additional platforms like SmartNICs and Servers.
Suzuki invests in Australian tech, Applied EV
Applied EV has closed the first tranche of two-part funding round, raising AUD $21M at a valuation of AUD $170M. Global automotive giant, Suzuki, has taken a strategic stake in the company. St Baker Energy and Innovation Fund is also a significant investor in this round.
Applied EV is an Australian Technology company that has developed a vehicle control system based entirely on software known as the Digital Backbone for use in electric vehicles dedicated
to autonomous driving applications.
Agtech startup Lleaf raises $3.5 million
Lleaf, a Sydney-based agtech business, has secured $3.5 million in a seed round for its light-emitting plastics for indoor agriculture.
The financing was led by Danish investment firms ALFA Ventures and 2 Degrees, with participation from The University of New South Wales and Cicada Innovations, where Lleaf is situated.
HealthMatch lands $10 million Series C
HealthMatch, a clinical trials access startup, has raised $10 million in Series C funding. Folklore Ventures, the company’s original backer, led the round.
Square Peg Capital made an $18 million Series B investment in December 2020 and later invested in Series C. In late 2019, Square Peg also led a $6 million series A round.
OccuRx raises $16 million for kidney disease trial
OccuRx, a biotech startup, has secured $16 million to fund clinical trials for its oral medication to treat chronic kidney disease (CKD), a primary cause of death. Brandon BioCatalyst and Uniseed led the financing, which included a $1.5 million grant from biomedical incubator CUREator.
New funding opportunities open for sustainable start-ups
Through the launch of the 2022 eco-Disruptive initiative, start-ups in Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong will have the opportunity to receive money from Bupa to create pilot solutions that benefit the environment and people’s health.
The eco-Disruptive programme, now in its second year, connects start-ups with specialised Bupa teams while providing selected start-ups with roughly $40,000 in early funding to create radical solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our world.
Selected start-ups will also compete for more than $300,000 in funding to further develop their product.
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