What the financial crisis and pandemic taught us about VC funding, 5 interesting funding deals you may have missed, and more - March 31, 2022

March 31, 2022 [What the financial crisis and pandemic taught us about VC funding]( Venture funding fell off a cliff in the 2008 financial crisis. But the pandemic in 2020 was a catalyst for record VC investment and startup growth. With the markets in turmoil in 2022, which of these two historic events is the more likely scenario to repeat this year? We take a deep dive into the data, and lessons learned, from past investing cycles to offer some predictions about where we are today. [From bees to woolly mammoths, 5 interesting VC deals in March]( More than 2,000 funding deals went to VC-backed companies globally this month, so it’s easy to miss some that are pretty intriguing. We ran down five that caught our attention, either because they’re interesting, quirky, notable or maybe a little off-the-wall. They include a Paris Hilton-backed startup that aims to restore woolly mammoths to the tundra, and a company that uses machine-learning to help ocean shippers lower emissions and fuel waste. [Chief raises $100M at $1B valuation for female exec network]( Chief, a private network designed to help more businesswomen rise into positions of power, has raised a $100 million Series B investment led by CapitalG at a valuation of $1.1 billion, itself joining the ranks of female-founded unicorn startups. [Builder.ai lands $100M as low-code space is on fire]( Startups offering tools for people who want to develop apps with minimal coding-related toil have been racking up a lot of funding rounds in recent months. Indications are that’s likely to continue. The newest member of the low-code club to report a $100 million round is Builder.ai, a London-based startup that provides a low-code app development platform. [The (metaverse) land rush of 2022 is on]( If you feel left behind by the red-hot real estate market, don’t worry, you may have another chance—virtually at least. Although maybe don’t wait too long. According to one estimate, real estate sales on the four major metaverse platforms reached $501 million in 2021 and are projected to reach nearly $1 billion this year. [Sustainable packaging investment accelerates]( Startups in the sustainable packaging space have pulled in hundreds of millions in venture funding in the past year, per Crunchbase data. And given that much of the other investment skews early- or mid-stage, industry insiders see plenty of room for growth ahead. [Meet the top-funded female entrepreneurs in 2022 (thus far)]( In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting female entrepreneurs who are leading, inspiring and shaping the future. We leveraged Crunchbase’s Diversity Spotlight data to curate this list of 10 top-funded companies founded and led by female entrepreneurs so far in 2022. [New Crunchbase Chrome extension]( [Access company and contact data right where you need it with Crunchbase’s free Chrome extension.]( [Download Now]( Crunchbase Pro: Searches and Lists Name Type Entries [Mobile payment companies funded in the last year]( Companies 247 [Privately-held automotive companies with $50M+ funding]( Organizations 273 [Top 50 companies today by Crunchbase Rank]( Companies 50 [More Featured Searches and Lists]( [Check out our Crunchbase solutions here]( – prospecting tools made for everyone Recent Investments [BillionToOne]( [$125M]( / [Series C]( BillionToOne is a precision diagnostics company focused on genetic testing for disease detection. Categories: Biotechnology • Genetics • Health Care • Health Diagnostics • Medical Founders: [David Tsao]( [Oguzhan Atay]( [Sukrit Silas]( Investors: [Adams Street Partners]( (Lead), [Hummingbird Ventures]( (Lead), [Baillie Gifford]( [+ 7 more]( [Brightline]( [$105M]( / [Series C]( Brightline is a med-tech company that provides behavioral healthcare services for children and their families. Categories: Child Care • Family • Health Care • Home Health Care Founders: [Giovanni Colella, M.D.]( [Naomi Allen]( Investors: [Kohlberg Kravis Roberts]( (Lead), [7wire Ventures]( [Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts]( [+ 5 more]( [Builder.ai]( [$100M]( / [Series C]( Builder.ai develops an AI-powered platform designed to help build and operate software projects. Categories: Artificial Intelligence • Developer Tools • Software Engineering Founders: [Sachin Dev Duggal]( [Saurabh Dhoot]( Investors: [Insight Partners]( (Lead), [IFC]( [Jungle Ventures]( [+ 2 more]( More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [Brightside Health]( $50M / [Series B]( [ACME Capital]( [Kaiyo]( $36M / [Series B]( [Edison Partners]( [FarMart]( $32M / [Series B]( [General Catalyst]( [BoostUp.ai]( $28M / [Series B]( [NGP Capital]( [Credpal]( $15M / [Venture Round]( - [Akulaku]( $10M / [Debt Financing]( [Lend East]( [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [Etain]( Pending acquisition by [RIV Capital]( for $247M More Acquisitions Company Acquired By Amount [NetFortris]( [Sangoma Technologies]( $80M [All Recent Acquisition Activity]( #{Rails.configuration.daily.cb_url} Discover innovative companies and the people behind them. 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