SoftBank’s $118 Billion Arm Problem & Tesla's Rivals Facing Negative Reviews

👋 Hey there, it's Sahil! Welcome to today's quick rundown in the Venture Daily Digest Newsletter. I've got the scoop on startup fundraising, fresh VC funds, and some cool tech – all in just 5 minutes! Today's highlights include...

• SoftBank's $118 Billion Arm Monetization Problem.

• Capital One plans to buy Discover Financial Services in an all-stock deal.

• Food tech and Web 3 VC emerging with $45 M and $150 M funds respectively.

• Call of Duty League team owner suing Activision Blizzard for $680 million.

• Featured Article : What Matters Most For Startup Growth? From VP of Growth at Facebook.

• Daily Digest Board: Community Updates & The first expense which you’ll cut, if you have to reduce costs for your startup?

Looking To Break Into Venture Capital?

Breaking into VC is hard, but with a right network - it’s easy to enter into VC? That’s why we are building VC Crafter Community….

VC Crafter is a Community for VC Enthusiast to learn, network and craft path to venture capital.

As VC Crafter Member - you will get access to resources to learn about venture capital from the basics, access curated content by leading VCs, find direct job opportunities in VC, and daily discussion sessions - breaking into VC.. Don’t miss this opportunity…

Partnership With US: Promote your startup to our community of 22,500+ entrepreneurs and investors? Fill out the form, our team will reach out to you….We have discount Upto 30% (For limited period - don’t miss this…)

Startups Funding Updates

EngineEars, a Los Angeles, CA-based musich tech startup, raised $7.5m in Seed funding. The round was led by venture capital firm Drive Capital, with participation from Slauson & Co., 645 Ventures, and FLUS Investment Group, the venture arm of SALxCO, Kendrick Lamar, EMPIRE’s Ghazi, AlexDaKid, Roddy Ricch, Mustard, YG, DJ Khaled, Russ, Tunde Balogun & Sean Famoso, co-founders of Atlanta-based record label, LVRN. More Here

OpenBorder, spun off from e-commerce company Pangaea Holdings, has raised $10 million in seed funding led by Peak XV Partners, with participation from Capital49 and Harlem Capital. More Here

9amHealth, a San Diego, CA-based virtual provider of cardiometabolic health care, raised $9.5M in Series A extension funding. The round was led by The Cigna Group Ventures, with participation from existing investors, including 7Wire Ventures, Define Ventures, Leaps by Bayer, and Founders Fund. More Here

Embea, a Berlin, Germany-based provider of an embedded life insurance platform, raised €4M in Seed funding. The round was led by Atlantic Labs, with participation from Jamie Hale, Daniel Khachab, and Michael Cassau. More Here

University Medical Devices (UMD), an Omaha, NE-based medical device developer, raised $1.6M in Seed funding. The round, which began in March 2023 and closed in December, was led by Bright Minds Capital Partners, Invest Nebraska, Craig and Karen Aman, Nicholas Lorenzo and Anne Bueltel. More Here

French startup Planity, a SaaS platform for beauty salon appointments, raised €45 million in a Series C round. With over 40,000 businesses using its subscription-based model. More Here

AZmed, a Paris, France-based MedTech startup providing AI-powered radiology software, raised €15M in funding. The round saw participation from Maison Worms, Techstars, and Teampact Ventures. More Here

Trace Genomics, an Ames, IA-based company which specializes in DNA-based soil intelligence, raised $10.5M in Series B funding. The round was led by S2G Ventures and Ajax Strategies, as well as new investor Rabo Ventures. More Here

Niron Magnetics, a Minneapolis, MN-based provider of rare earth-free permanent magnets, raised $25M in funding. The round was led by Samsung Ventures with participation from Allison Ventures, Magna, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and University of Minnesota. More Here

Ascend Elements, a Westborough, MA-based provider of sustainable, closed-loop battery materials solutions, raised additional $162M in funding. The round, which brought the total amount to $704M, saw participation from Just Climate, Clearvision Ventures, and IRONGREY. More Here

Reprieve Cardiovascular, a Milford, MA-based development stage company focused on an intelligent automated diuretic and fluid management approach for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) treatment, raised $42M in Series A funding. The round was led by Lightstone Ventures and Sante Ventures and joined by Deerfield Management, Genesis Capital, and Arboretum Ventures. More Here

UnityAI, a Nashville, Tenn.-based healthcare technology startup, raised $4m in seed funding to date. The round was led by Max Ventures with participation from Whistler Capital Partners, Nashville Capital Network and Company Ventures, as well as a small number of Nashville-based healthcare angels. More Here

Altavo, a Dresden, and Jena, Germany-based AI-based voice rehabilitation company, raised €5M in Series A funding. The round was led by Occident with participation from Novalis Biotech, TGFS Sachsen, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), Saxonia Systems Holding, and TUDAG TU Dresden AG. More Here

Recogni, a San Jose, CA-based AI-based computing company, raised $102M in Series C funding. The round was led by Celesta Capital and GreatPoint Ventures. More Here

SigScalr, a Boston, MA-based provider of a unified observability SaaS solution, raised $1.76M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Scribble Ventures, with participation from WestWave Capital and Forward Slash Capital. More Here

Bioptimus, a Paris, France-based biotechnology company providing an AI foundation model for the research, raised $35M in funding. The round was led by Sofinnova Partners, and Bpifrance Large Venture, with participation from Frst, Cathay Innovation, Headline, Hummingbird, NJF Capital, Owkin and Top Harvest Capital, as well as tech entrepreneur Xavier Niel. More Here

Device Authority, a Reading, UK- and San Ramon, CA-based company which speciliazes in identity and access management for Enterprise IoT ecosystems, raised further $2M in funding lead by prelude. More Here

3DNextech, a Livorno, Italy-based startup advancing additive manufacturing and 3d printing solutions for the plastics industry, raised €1.5m in funding. The round was led by EUREKA! Venture SGR, via Eureka! Fund I – Technology Transfer, and RoboIT, with participation from Toscana Next and unnamed angels. More Here

IsomAb, a Nottingham, UK-based biopharmaceutical company, raised £7.5M in funding. The round was led by Broadview Ventures with participation from MEIF Proof of Concept. More Here

PriyoShop, a Dhaka, Bangladesh-based B2B retail marketplace for MSMEs, raised US$5M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Century Oak Ventures, with participation from Evolution Ventures, Iterative, SOSV (Orbit Startups), GFR Fund, BonBillo, Accelerating Asia, South Asia Tech Partners, and Voltity. More Here

Ubamarket, a London, UK-based provider of a ‘Scan-Pay-Go’ app, raised £1.25M from IW Capital. More Here

WeedOUT, a Ness Ziona, Israel-based agtech startup, raised USD 8.1M in Series A funding. The round was led by Fulcrum Global Capital with participation from Bunge Ventures and Clay Capital. More Here

Techtaka, a South Korean online shopping fulfillment startup that provides third-party logistics services for e-commerce sellers, has raised $9.5 million (12.6 billion KRW) in a Series B round of funding from a sole investor, Altos Ventures. More Here

Venture Capital Updates

Bluestein Ventures, a Chicago-based VC firm, has secured $45 million for its Fund III, focusing on early-stage investments in food tech. The firm, with a portfolio of over 50 companies, targets consumer-facing technology across the food supply chain, emphasizing health and wellness, proprietary food tech, commerce, and digital technology. Fund III, backed by external investors, aims to deploy capital into 20-25 companies, already investing in BiomeSense, WECO Hospitality, and Attane Health. More Here

Hack VC, a NYC-based web3 venture capital firm, closed its Venture Fund I, at $150m. Venture Fund I builds on the firm’s inaugural $200m fund and collectively gives Hack VC $350m in aggregate commitments across the firm’s first two funds, and brings the firm’s total assets under management to approximately $425m. More Here

Featured Article

What Matters Most For Startup Growth? From VP of Growth at Facebook.

What do you think matters most for growth? Great products, customers, or word of mouth? It’s actually the culmination of all three: Retention.

For first-time founders, growth typically revolves around creating great products, attracting customers, and leveraging word-of-mouth marketing. Also, they invest heavily in acquiring new customers while neglecting the crucial aspect of retention, which often leads to business failure.

If you want to grow your startup, focus on your Retention Curve. If you plot the percentage of monthly active users versus the number of days from acquisition,..… Read More Here

Startup’s Latest Buzz

Acquisition & Exits

Capital One plans to buy Discover Financial Services in an all-stock deal that would marry two of the largest credit-card companies in the U.S. Discover's market value is $28 billion and the deal value is expected to be somewhere north or that, though the Journal isn't speculating on how far north. More Here

Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart has held discussions in recent weeks about potentially acquiring Dunzo, the hyperlocal delivery startup backed by Reliance Retail. More Here

1Password, the AgileBits-owned password management software developer, has acquired Kolide, an endpoint security platform, for an undisclosed amount. More Here

Allurity, a Stockholm, Sweden-based a group of tech-enabled cybersecurity companies, acquired Security Research Labs (SRLabs), a globally cyber consultancy company based in Berlin, Germany and Hong Kong. More Here

Yuga Labs, a Miami, FL-based web3 lifestyle and media company, acquired Proof Holdings, Inc., a provider of a digital art platform and art collector community. More Here

ShortPixel, a Bucharest, Romania-based image optimization company, acquired ReSmush, a French provider of free image optimization tools. Read Here

Layoffs & Shutdown

Meati Foods, focusing on mycelium-based products planning to reduce its workforce by 13% to ensure financial sustainability amid plans for expanded retail presence. More Here

Cisco Systems’ executive vice president and chief operating officer, Maria Martinez, is departing the company following a companywide layoff notice. More Here

Startups & People

Hector "H3CZ" Rodriguez, CEO of OpTic Gaming, and former OpTic player Seth "Scump" Abner are suing Activision Blizzard for $680 million, alleging monopolistic practices in the Call of Duty esports league. The lawsuit claims Activision's franchise model imposed financial burdens on teams, limiting competition and forcing unfavorable partnerships. More Here

Latest In Emerging Tech

SoftBank's 90% stake in chip designer Arm, valued at $118 billion, surpasses its own market capitalization of $84 billion. The surge in Arm's stock may pose a challenge for SoftBank to monetize its stake due to a limited public float. Options include using the stake as collateral or employing prepaid forward contracts, similar to its approach with Alibaba, but the timing is crucial as the AI rally driving Arm's value may cool down. More Here

Tesla’s Rival Fisker Inc., led by designer Henrik Fisker, faces NYSE non-compliance as its stock tumbles 89% in a year. The company, grappling with production challenges and negative reviews, considers options, including a reverse stock split, to meet NYSE standards within six months. More Here

Must Read On Startups, VC & Tech

• 37% Of First-time VCs Might Not Able To Raise A Second Fund. Read Here

• Private markets, Venture Capital Funds Lag Historical Returns in this quoter. Read Here

• Paul Graham's Strategies to Get Successful Startup Ideas..... Read Here

• ​Nobody Knows : Steel & Blockchains By Tomasz Tunguz. Read Here

• Meta proposes a new AI approach. Read Here

Daily Digest Board

Community Updates

As you know we are in process to launch our verified founders & investors community. As a community member you will get access to weekly events, daily discussion sessions, curated resources on startup building - investors database, weekly networking call, 1:1 call with investors/other founders and more… So stay tuned! Will share an update….

Your Opinion

Featured Newsletters

• Early Bird Stock Market News: Get free top stories that will impact the stock market each day direct to your inbox.

• Transacted: Get the latest trends and transactions with the Street’s most informative M&A update.

What do you think about this daily Newsletter? Love it | It's great | Good | Okay-ish 

That’s It For Today! Will Meet You Tomorrow!
Happy Wednesday! 🥂

  Advertise || Investor Database || Break Into VC

✍️Written By Sahil R - The Venture Crew