The Briefing: RVShare Raises Over $100M, Google Disputes Charges, And More

Here’s what you need to know today in startup and venture news, updated by the Crunchbase News staff throughout the day to keep you in the know.

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RVShare raises over $100M for RV rentals

RVShare, an online marketplace for RV rentals, reportedly raised over $100 million in a financing led by private equity firms KKR and Tritium Partners.

Akron, Ohio-based RVShare has seen sharp growth in demand amid the pandemic, as more would-be travelers seek socially distanced options for hitting the road. Founded in 2013, the company matches RV owners with prospective renters, filtering by location, price and vehicle types.

Previously, RVShare had raised $50 million in known funding, per Crunchbase data, from Tritium Partners. The company is one of several players in the RV rental space, and competes alongside Outdoorsy, a peer-to-peer RV marketplace that has raised $75 million in venture funding.

Funding news

• BrightFarms closes on $100M: Indoor farming company BrightFarms said it secured more than $100 million in debt and new equity capital to support expansion plans. The Series E round of funding was led by Cox Enterprises, which now owns a majority stake in the company, and includes a follow-on investment from growth equity firm Catalyst Investors.
• Anyscale inks $40M:  Anyscale, the Berkeley-based company behind the Ray open source project for building applications, announced $40 million in an oversubscribed Series B funding round. Existing investor NEA led the round and was joined by Andreessen Horowitz, Intel Capital and Foundation Capital. The new funding brings Anyscale’s total funding to more than $60 million.
• Klar deposits $15M: Mexican fintech Klar closed on $15 million in Series A funding, led by Prosus Ventures, with participation from new investor International Finance Corporation and existing investors Quona Capital, Mouro Capital and Acrew. The round brings total funding raised to approximately $72 million since the company was founded in 2019. The funds are intended to grow Klar’s engineering capabilities in both its Berlin and Mexico hubs.
• Robust Intelligence emerges with $14M: Robust Intelligence, which provides an AI security and reliability platform, came out of stealth with $14 million in seed and Series A funding led by Sequoia Capital with participation from Engineering Capital and Harpoon Ventures.
• O(1) Labs rakes in $10.9M: O(1) Labs, the team behind the cryptocurrency Mina, announced $10.9 million in a strategic investment round. Co-leading the round are Bixin Ventures and Three Arrows Capital with participation from SNZ, HashKey Capital, Signum Capital, NGC Ventures, Fenbushi Capital and IOSG Ventures.
• Mine launches in U.S., raises $9.5M: Israel-based Mine, a company enabling consumers to reclaim their personal data and reduce personal data privacy risks, announced a $9.5 million Series A round and that it has launched its product to all U.S. consumers. The round was led by Gradient Ventures, with participation from e.ventures and MassMutual Ventures, as well as existing investors Battery Ventures and Saban Ventures.
• Blustream bags $3M: After-sale customer engagement company Blustream said it raised $3 million in seed funding for product usage data and digital transformation efforts for physical goods companies via the Blustream Product Experience Platform. York IE led the round of funding for the Worcester, Massachusetts-based company with additional support from existing investors.
• Micronic Technologies raises $3M: Micronic Technologies announced a $3 million seed round led by The Center for Innovative Technology and The Pearl Fund with participation from CAV Angels. The Virginia-based company is developing Zero Liquid Discharge water purification technology that reduces wastewater volume and removes contaminants in a sustainable and cost-effective way that hasn’t been achievable until now.
• Pillar secures another $1.5M: Pillar, a startup that helps families protect and care for their aging loved ones, raised $1.5 million in a seed extension to close at $7 million. The round was led by Kleiner Perkins.

Other news

• Google rejects DOJ antitrust arguments: In the wake of a widely anticipated U.S. Justice Department antitrust suit against Google, the search giant disputed the charges in a statement, maintaining that: “People use Google because they choose to, not because they’re forced to, or because they can’t find alternatives.”
• Facebook said to test Nextdoor rival: Facebook is reportedly testing a service similar to popular neighborhood-focused social media platform Nextdoor. Called Neighborhoods, the feature reportedly suggests local neighborhood groups to join on Facebook.

Illustration: Dom Guzman