In the midst of reports that Softbank is ready to invest a hoard of its money into Uber, Lyft announced a $1 billion round led by Google’s parent company Alphabet. According to Crunchbase, Lyft has already raised north of $2.6 billion, putting the company at $3.6 billion total invested at an $11 billion valuation.
Follow Crunchbase News on Twitter & Facebook
The announcement adds further complexity to the already tangled web of relationships between ridesharing companies and their investors. So what does that mean for Uber? Luckily, we asked that same exact question a little over a month ago:
In its corner was Google (now part of the holding company Alphabet), which invested $258 million into Uber at a $3.5 billion valuation several years ago. But that relationship has famously soured, with Alphabet-subsidiary Waymo suing Uber in a very public manner. And, of course, Alphabet is now threatening to put about four times the capital it spent on its Uber bet into Lyft.
That threat has become real, and it also calls into question some of Uber’s other ambitions. Alphabet subsidiary Waymo entered into a self-driving car partnership with Lyft in May of this year, and General Motors, also a major investor in Lyft, has set its sights on mass producing self-driving cars through its acquisition of Cruise Automation. Meanwhile, Ford has also partnered with Lyft in the self-driving car space. Here’s an outline of the current state of partnerships between Uber and Lyfy courtesy of ReCode:
Aside from self-driving cars, however, Uber has more immediate concerns. Will GV sells its stake in Uber in the event of a Softbank investment? With lawsuits and a major investment in Uber’s primary US competitor, chances are likely Alphabet will find a way out. But if ridesharing has taught us anything, it’s that a lot of money can find itself in the shockingly often.
And so the wheel turns.
From the Crunchbase Daily:
MongoDB prices IPO
- Open source database software provider MongoDB raised $192 million in its IPO, pricing shares at $24 each, above the projected range. That share price gives the New York-based company an initial public valuation around $1.2 billion.
August Home sells to Assa Abloy
- August Home, a developer of smart locking systems that use smartphones instead of keys, has sold to Assa Abloy, the Swedish company that owns Yale locks and other brands in the space. San Francisco-based August previously raised $73 million. The purchase comes amid a busy period for investment in lock and building access startups.
Blue Apron cuts staff
- Meal kit company Blue Apron is laying off 6 percent of its staff in a move to cut costs and get closer to profitability. The layoffs follow a rough period as a public company for New York-based Blue Apron, with shares losing about half their value since the company’s IPO in late June.
Why seed deals are contracting
- Seed investing – which has long attracted the least capital of any startup funding stage – is getting proportionately smaller. Crunchbase News takes a look at what’s driving the shrinkage in seed-stage activity.
Stay up to date with recent funding rounds, acquisitions, and more with the Crunchbase Daily.
67.1K Followers