a16z’s IPO bust, Quantum technology gains momentum, SoftBank puts on brakes, and more - May 13, 2022

May 13, 2022 [a16z’s IPO megahits have fallen hard]( Early last summer, iconic Silicon Valley venture firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) was at the top of its game, having delivered the best exit year in its history. Fast-forward nearly a year, and a much more dismal picture emerges. [Quantum technology gains momentum]( The promise of quantum computing has swirled for decades, but as it gets closer to reality, more investors, the government and several industries seem to be taking note. [SoftBank puts on the brakes]( SoftBank—an investor in tech giants like Didi and Uber—announced a loss of $27.7 billion on investments in its Vision Fund for its just-ended fiscal year and told investors there will be a “stricter selection of investments” for the new year. [Instacart confidentially files for IPO]( Time will tell if this is a bad or bold move, but San Francisco-based grocery delivery platform Instacart is testing the waters for a potential IPO. The company has confidentially filed to go public, despite a slashed valuation in March from $40 billion to $24 billion. [Cloudy outlook for SoftBank-backed glass-maker View]( View, a maker of smart glass for high-end buildings, saw shares fall to around 50 cents each after reporting it may not be able to continue as a going concern. Prior to going public in March of 2021, the 15-year-old company had raised more than $1.8 billion in venture funding. SoftBank Vision Fund is by far its largest holder. [Tech layoffs and hiring freezes appear to accelerate]( Earlier in the year, much of the talk in the tech sector focused on falling valuations, dropping stock prices and slower funding rounds, and a lot of chatter the past two months has been around staffing. Now many tech companies are slowing or outright freezing hiring. Others are going a step further: laying employees off. [To survive this cycle, think like a cheapskate: Down is good]( To understand investor types, sometimes it’s helpful to think about shopping styles. You have the cheapskate investors who might gravitate to private equity turnaround plays or value stocks, and the connoisseur investors who lean toward venture capital or high-tech growth stocks. [Crunchbase named one of Inc.’s best places to work in 2022]( We are thrilled to announce that Crunchbase is one of Inc.’s Best Workplaces for 2022! This award recognizes companies that have strong management, perks, employee growth, organizational benefits and overall company culture. Our CEO, [Jager McConnell]( shares how we’re creating a collaborative, open and inclusive culture here at Crunchbase. [Crunchbase ROI Calculator]( [See the number of new accounts Crunchbase can add to your funnel with our advanced prospecting ROI calculator powered by Crunchbase data.]( [Calculate]( Crunchbase Pro: Searches and Lists Name Type Entries [Fundings in Brazilian Startups over the last 90 days]( Funding Rounds 56 [Acquisitions over $100M in the last 3 months]( Acquisitions 374 [Active Accelerators]( Investors 649 [More Featured Searches and Lists]( [Check out our Crunchbase solutions here]( – prospecting tools made for everyone Recent Investments More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [Deserve]( $250M / [Debt Financing]( [Cross River]( [Aiven]( $210M / [Series D]( [Eurazeo]( [TIFIN]( $109M / [Series D]( [Motive Partners]( [6K]( $102M / [Series D]( [Koch Strategic Platforms]( [Solfácil]( 500M BRL / [Series C]( [QED Investors]( [Observe]( $70M / [Series A]( [Madrona Venture Group]( [Cabify]( 40M EUR / [Debt Financing]( [European Investment Bank]( [Moralis]( $40M / [Series A]( - [ParallelDots]( $4.5M / [Series A]( [Btomorrow Ventures]( [Furlenco]( Unknown / [Debt Financing]( [Klub]( [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [Switch]( Pending acquisition by [DigitalBridge Group]( for $11B More Acquisitions Company Acquired By Amount [Redbox]( [Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment]( $375M [All Recent Acquisition Activity]( Upcoming Tech Events Accelerator Deadlines Date Accelerator Location Jun 30, 2023 [BBN Holding]( Unknown Jan 1, 2025 [Smmpanel group]( Unknown [More Upcoming Deadlines]( Don’t see your event? Reach out to us at events@crunchbase.com. #{Rails.configuration.daily.cb_url} Discover innovative companies and the people behind them. [Follow Us on Crunchbase]( [View Jobs on LinkedIn]( [Follow Us on Twitter]( [Like Us on Facebook]( 564 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94104 © 2022 Crunchbase Inc. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Service]( [Unsubscribe]( from Crunchbase Daily.