Is the SPAC slowdown here? Europe's unicorn herd multiplies as funding surges, and more - January 12, 2022

January 12, 2022 [After a record year, is the SPAC slowdown here?]( Last year saw a historic number of special-purpose acquisition companies go public and raise record proceeds. But many of those deals fared poorly, with the vast majority of companies that went public through a SPAC trading far below their highs by the end of the year. With new pressures looming on the public markets this year, what’s the SPAC outlook for 2022? [Europe’s unicorn herd multiplies as funding doubles]( Funding to European startups grew 159 percent in 2021, to a record-breaking $116 billion invested. Crunchbase figures also show more than half of the 150 private unicorns from Europe were minted in just the past year. [BigPanda becomes a unicorn with $190M raise]( San Francisco-based [BigPanda]( which helps IT departments keep their digital services running, has raised $190 million in a round that mints the company as one of the first new unicorns of 2022. [Edtech-focused VC firm closes $1B in new funds]( [Owl Ventures]( the largest VC firm focused on edtech investment, has closed $1 billion in new funds. The Menlo Park-based firm said it will cut checks to education-focused startups across all funding stages around the world. [Startup round size inflation skyrocketed in 2021]( When we talk inflation, it’s usually everyday purchases that garner the most attention, like a bag of groceries or a tank of gas. But in the much nichier world of startup financing, price inflation also persists. Our analysis shows the size of the median Series A round in 2021 increased a whopping 30 percent year over year. [Qonto raises $550M, GoStudent lands $340M]( Paris-based [Qonto]( a provider of financial tools for small and medium-sized businesses and freelancers, raised 486 million euros ($550 million) in a Series D funding round. In other news, Vienna-based [GoStudent]( an online platform for teaching and tutoring, raised 300 million euros ($340 million) in a Series D round. [How to close more deals with sales intelligence]( Sales intelligence data can help sales teams automate research and customize outreach to book more meetings with qualified prospects. In this article, find everything you need to know about sales intelligence, including what it is, where it comes from, and which sales intelligence tools can help you close more deals. [Keep up with the Crunchbase News Briefing]( To keep up on breaking news throughout the day, check out the Crunchbase News Briefing. This continuously updated daily feature on our main news site has summaries of notable funding announcements, IPOs, M&A, and other happenings in the startup world. [Enhance Your Sales Team’s Prospecting]( [Crunchbase Enterprise is an all-in-one prospecting solution. Download this product overview sheet to learn how to close more deals without the headache.]( [Download Now]( Crunchbase Pro: Searches and Lists Name Type Entries [Female Founder & CEO]( People 3162 [Fintech companies funded in the last 3 months]( Funding Rounds 638 [Upcoming Accelerator Application Deadlines]( Investors 40 [More Featured Searches and Lists]( [Check out our Crunchbase solutions here]( – prospecting tools made for everyone Recent Investments [Bolt]( [628M EUR]( / [Series F]( Bolt is a transportation platform providing ride-hailing, micromobility, and food delivery services. Categories: Car Sharing • Food Delivery • Grocery • Mobile Apps • Public Transportation • Ride Sharing Founders: [Markus Villig]( [Martin Villig]( [Oliver Leisalu]( Investors: [Fidelity Management and Research Company]( (Lead), [Sequoia Capital]( (Lead), [D1 Capital Partners]( [+ 5 more]( [Qonto]( [486M EUR]( / [Series D]( Qonto is an online bank that provides financial tools for small and medium-sized businesses and freelancers. Categories: Banking • Financial Services • FinTech Founders: [Alexandre Prot]( [Steve Anavi]( Investors: [TCV]( (Lead), [Tiger Global Management]( (Lead), [Alkeon Capital]( [+ 12 more]( [project44]( [$420M]( / [Private Equity Round]( project44 is a logistics technology company that provides a visibility solution to span the entire shipment workflow. Categories: Developer APIs • Enterprise Software • Freight Service • SaaS • Transportation Founders: [Jett McCandless]( [Wally Ibrahim]( Investors: [Goldman Sachs Asset Management]( (Lead), [Thoma Bravo]( (Lead), [TPG]( (Lead) [+ 6 more]( More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [GoStudent]( 300M EUR / [Series D]( [Prosus]( [TigerConnect]( $300M / [Private Equity Round]( [Vista Equity Partners]( [Transcarent]( $200M / [Series C]( [Human Capital]( [Tul]( $181M / [Series C]( [8VC]( [Medically Home]( $110M / [Venture Round]( [Baxter International]( [eFishery]( $90M / [Series C]( [Sequoia Capital India]( [VitalConnect]( $39M / [Series E]( [EW Healthcare Partners]( [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [Wind River]( Pending acquisition by [Aptiv]( for $4.3B More Acquisitions Company Acquired By Amount [Cloudmed]( [R1 RCM]( $4.1B [All Recent Acquisition Activity]( Upcoming Tech Events Accelerator Deadlines Date Accelerator Location Feb 27, 2022 [Brinc]( Central Mar 3, 2022 [D&A Properties]( Unknown [More Upcoming Deadlines]( Don’t see your event? 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