Instead of reflecting on the end of a decade, let’s overthink in a different direction, shall we?
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The start of a new decade is upon us, and high-five to whoever can channel that pressure into a doable New Years resolution. I, for one, plan to be less of a flake, and get back into cooking. Extra points for you if you hold me accountable.
As you brainstorm your own resolutions, let me walk you though this past week in startupland. First up, end of year Crunchbase data shows that female-founded unicorns were born at an unprecedented rate in 2019. May 2020 include this not just being good, but being obvious.
Our year-end coverage continued with Joanna Glasner’s piece on the big categories of this past year. Think fintech, automation and even insurance.
From the funding side, big, small, and even sweet companies, like Insomnia Cookies, pocketed some green ahead of the holidays. Austin’s Osana raised $5.4 million to prepare companies for the incoming data compliance changes, and Florida’s Xendoo raised $3.5 million seed to help small businesses with accounting. There was also Grafiti, a search engine for graphs, that raised nearly $1.6 million in pre-seed funding.
Beyond startups catering to other startups, we also covered New Orleans’ Levelset, and its $30 million round amid U.S. construction tech funding as a whole jumping to $1 billion. More funding news in Last Week In Venture.
Turning the fundraising tables, Tusk Ventures raised a $70 million fund to help startups navigate regulatory challenges (yes, scooters are in their current portfolio). Sapphire Ventures closed $1.4 billion to invest in late-stage startups.
And to scratch deeper into fund structures, read this dive into the role of limited partners in investment inclusivity.
That’s a wrap! I’m off this next week celebrating my family (and after Christmas sales). See you all in the New Year!
Best,
Natasha
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Illustration: Dom Guzman
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