Portable batteries, holistic identity management, the key questions to ask investors when fundraising, and many more...
What's Up Tech? #167
Welcome to our 167th newsletter. It was written with 🖤 by Arnaud Savouré, Justine Pelisson, and our dear partner Sharpstone.
Fundraisings from last week with Silverfort, TravelPerk, Instagrid, and ElevenLabs
News from last week with MyTraffic’s acquisition of Geoblink and Welcome to the Jungle’s acquisition of Otta
Our content of the month by Sharpstone on the key questions to ask investors when raising funds
Internships & Job offers of the week
Enjoy the read! 🌞
🔒 Silverfort raised $116M for holistic identity management (🇮🇱)
Silverfort, the Israeli identity security startup, raised $116M in an all-equity round led by Brighton Park Capital. With a focus on protecting against identity-driven attacks, Silverfort, valued at around $1B, has achieved 100% annual revenue growth and signs up 100 customers per quarter. 🚀
The platform seamlessly integrates with existing ID management systems, covering workers, machines, and apps, offering holistic threat detection and response capabilities. 🌐
🌍 TravelPerk secured $104M to streamline travel processes (🇪🇸)
TravelPerk, the Barcelona-based hyper-growth SaaS business travel platform, raised $104M in a financing round led by SoftBank's Vision Fund 2, giving it a $1.4B valuation. 💰
The Barcelona-based company offers a comprehensive platform for domestic and international travel management alongside essential control for companies, streamlining travel processes to save time, money, and hassle for all parties involved. 💼
⚡ Instagrid raised $95M to supercharge portable batteries (🇩🇪)
Germany’s Instagrid, a startup revolutionizing enterprise-grade portable chargers, secured a substantial $95 million in a Series C funding valuing the company between $400-500 million. 🌱
With 30,000 units of its flagship product "One" already sold and a remarkable 100% annual growth, Instagrid employs software innovation to overcome the limitations of lithium-ion batteries. Instagrid’s focus on eco-friendly and portable energy solutions makes it a promising player in the future of sustainable power. 🔋
Germany’s Instagrid, Which Uses Software to Supercharge Portable Batteries, Raises $95M
🦄 ElevenLabs hits Unicorn status with $80M funding boost (🇬🇧)
Voice AI startup ElevenLabs, founded just two years ago, secured $80 million in a Series B round co-led by Andreessen Horowitz, Nat Friedman, and Daniel Gross, propelling the company to a $1.1 billion valuation. 💰
ElevenLabs, headquartered in London and New York, initially gained attention with its text-to-speech technology, later focusing on AI-driven dubbing in 29 languages. The startup stands out in the generative AI space for its unwavering focus on audio AI, differentiating itself from competitors like OpenAI. 🎤
The funding will primarily fuel research, team expansion, and product development, emphasizing real-time audio translation as a future goal. 🪄
Voice AI Startup ElevenLabs Lands $80m from a16z and Sequoia — and Becomes a Unicorn
🤝 MyTraffic elevates as top European location intelligence hub with Geoblink acquisition
Leading location intelligence provider, MyTraffic, acquired Geoblink, a geospatial intelligence platform, solidifying their dominance in Europe. The collaboration integrates cutting-edge technology, reshaping the landscape of location insights. 📍
Hakim Saadaoui, MyTraffic CEO, expresses pride in establishing Europe's premier location intelligence platform. Together, they aim to set new standards in innovation, offering unparalleled solutions to businesses and public entities across the continent. 🗝
🤝 Welcome to the Jungle acquired Otta to revolutionize job search
French employer branding platform Welcome to the Jungle has acquired London-based Otta, a candidate-first job search platform. This strategic move aims to create a leading candidate-centric job search experience across Europe and the USA. 🌐
Otta will continue to operate independently, serving leading brands and nearly two million job seekers in the UK, USA, and EU. The acquisition enhances Welcome to the Jungle's position as a preeminent employer branding solution, combining expertise in employer branding, job search, and candidate sourcing. 💼
UK Recruitment Platform Otta Acquired by Welcome to the Jungle
Our content of the month is brought to you by our partner Sharpstone. Massive thanks to Charlotte Adam-Allais for having written the piece below as well as to Marie Aristide ! ✍️
🔍 What are the questions to ask investors during a fundraising round?
When raising (or preparing to raise) funds, a best practice for entrepreneurs is to take the time to ask the VCs questions to get to know them better, raise interest for their project and find out if their values and ambitions are aligned. 🔍
Here are some examples of 5 key questions to ask (and the expected responses from VCs):
Startup Growth 📈
What do you see as the main obstacles to our success?
Identify potential challenges for the company (intense competition, low differentiation, missing skills, etc.).Recruitment 🤝
What profiles should we add to the team in the coming year?
Identify the necessary skills and desired profile types (Tech, HR, Marketing, Sales, etc.).Investment Thesis ⚖️
What is your investment thesis?
Summarize briefly your investment strategy (stage of development, sector, philosophy, etc.).Investment 💸
Are there any barriers to this company fitting into your portfolio?
Evaluate the compatibility of the company with your investment strategy and current portfolio.VC Strengths 💪
What sets you apart as an investor?
Identify your strengths as an investor, such as your skills, network, or experience.
Interested in discovering the top 25 questions to ask investors (in 🇫🇷)? Read the full article by Sharpstone here!
Internships
Visiting Analyst - Serena (Paris)
Visiting Analyst - Reimann Investors (Munich)
Venture Capital Intern - Planven Entrepreneur Ventures (Zurich)
Jobs
Venture Capital Finance Manager - Segenia Capital (DACH)
Venture Capital Manager - Techleap (Amsterdam)
👉 If you’d like to discover more offers, you can check our job board just here or fill this form to submit a new one.
You can also read more about baby vc on our website and follow our updates on LinkedIn, or directly reach out to us at hello@baby-vc.co! 🤝
Have a wonderful week and see you next Tuesday!
The whole baby vc crew 🖤