Inside immigrant leadership at top unicorns, record fintech funding in Africa, and more - February 18, 2022

February 18, 2022 [Inside immigrant leadership among top-valued unicorns]( Immigrants have founded and lead a disproportionately large number of American startups that go on to stupendously high valuations. But is that trend likely to continue? Among venture-backed companies with valuations of $8 billion and up, immigrant founders still abound. [Fintech funding in Africa reaches record high, Flutterwave takes lead]( In 2021, fintech companies headquartered in Africa raised $2 billion, per Crunchbase data. That contrasts with $230 million raised in 2020. We take a quick look at those numbers in light of Lagos-based fintech platform Flutterwave’s recent $250 million Series D. [Crypto company Circle’s new deal and $9B valuation]( Boston-based Circle Internet Financial has terminated its previously announced merger agreement with special-purpose acquisition company Concord Acquisition Corp., but has agreed to new terms that will double the crypto company’s valuation to $9 billion. [Neurotherapeutics continues to sizzle, as two big new rounds show]( Over the past couple years, over a billion dollars in venture and growth investment has gone to companies in the neurotherapeutics, brain sensing and related areas, per Crunchbase data. Two big new rounds came through this week: $235 million for a biotechnology company that focuses on the therapeutic potential of gut-brain circuits, and $105 million for a digital neurotherapeutics developer. [Josh Kushner’s Thrive Capital raises another $3B for startups]( Thrive Capital, the New York-based venture firm founded by Josh Kushner, has raised $3 billion for its eighth fund, it said Thursday. Thrive Capital invests across sectors and stages. It has backed well-known consumer companies like Glossier and SKIMS, along with tech companies like Airtable and Stripe. [SEC eyes big changes that could affect VCs and growing unicorn herd]( As part of a new effort to force more transparency onto private markets, the SEC is reportedly pondering rules changes that impact both how venture investors operate and the nearly 600 unicorn startups in the U.S. [Secondary markets shine amidst IPO drought]( The public markets have been up and down over the past few weeks, which means companies have put their IPO plans on pause, and employees seeking liquidity are looking toward the secondary market, where employees and investors can buy and sell their shares, instead. When there’s an overcorrection in the public market, it’s the secondary market’s time to shine. [How to set SDR metrics and KPIs]( Having a high-performing sales development team in place is a fundamental part of a well-functioning revenue engine. In this article, we’ll walk through how to set SDR metrics and KPIs that can help drive increased productivity and lead your team to success. [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 [Most highly funded travel and tourism companies]( Companies 169 [Top Ranked Virtual Assistant companies]( 63 [Investments in waste management companies in the last 5 years]( Funding Rounds 733 [More Featured Searches and Lists]( [Check out our Crunchbase solutions here]( – prospecting tools made for everyone Recent Investments [Uniphore]( [$400M]( / [Series E]( Uniphore is a customer service platform that is powered by AI and automation technologies. Categories: Artificial Intelligence • Customer Service • Machine Learning • SaaS • Software Founders: [Ravi Saraogi]( [Umesh Sachdev]( Investors: [New Enterprise Associates]( (Lead), [March Capital]( [Flutterwave]( [$250M]( / [Series D]( Flutterwave is a fintech company that provides a payment infrastructure for global merchants and payment service providers. Categories: Financial Services • FinTech • Payments Founders: [Iyinoluwa Aboyeji]( [Olugbenga Agboola]( Investors: [B Capital Group]( (Lead), [Alta Park Capital]( [Avenir Growth Capital]( [+ 6 more]( [Employment Hero]( [181M AUD]( / [Series F]( Employment Hero is a cloud-based platform that helps businesses manage HR, payroll, and employee benefits. Categories: Employee Benefits • Employment • Finance • Human Resources • Management Information Systems • SaaS Founders: [Ben Thompson]( [Dave Tong]( Investors: [SEEK]( (Lead), [AirTree Ventures]( [OneVentures]( More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [Atom Bank]( 75M GBP / [Private Equity Round]( [Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria]( [Motorq]( $40M / [Series B]( [Insight Partners]( [Raydiant]( $25M / [Series B]( [8VC]( [NanoNets]( $10M / [Series A]( [Elevation Capital]( [TransferGo]( 5.0M GBP / [Secondary Market]( [Nordic Secondary Fund]( [Raydiant]( $5.0M / [Debt Financing]( - [Jetty]( Unknown / [Venture Round]( [Morgan Properties]( [GoZayaan]( Unknown / [Seed Round]( - [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [AusNet Services]( Pending acquisition by [Brookfield Asset Management]( for $7.7B More Acquisitions Company Acquired By Amount [Daedalic Entertainment]( [Nacon]( 53M EUR [All Recent Acquisition Activity]( Upcoming Tech Events Accelerator Deadlines Date Accelerator Location Mar 18, 2022 [WingArc Data Empowerment Accelerator]( Unknown Mar 27, 2022 [MobilityXlab]( Gothenburg [More Upcoming Deadlines]( Don’t see your event? 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