Cool startup rounds we loved in November, checking out New Jersey, and more - December 1, 2022

December 1, 2022 [We can’t make this up: 5 interesting startup deals from November]( Here are five noteworthy November rounds from startups helping you pronounce someone’s name to others making urban farming a reality. [New Jersey’s startup scene is a lot more than BlockFi]( New Jersey’s numbers reflect a pretty sizable and diverse startup scene led by pharma, fintech and enterprise software. We dig into the funding data for the Garden State. [Reader survey: What’s your outlook for 2023?]( Is your company planning layoffs? Cutting back on perks? Do you think a recession is on the horizon? Tell us how you feel in our new 2023 reader forecast survey. [Crypto exchange Kraken cuts workforce as regulators up concerns]( The brutal month for crypto exchanges continues. This week San Francisco-based Kraken announced it will lay off approximately 1,100 people, or 30%, of its workforce in order to adapt to current market conditions. Ouch. [Vial’s $67M raise spotlights untapped opportunities for pharmacies]( Vial, a San Francisco-based startup designed to organize the clinical trial process, has raised $67 million in funding led by General Catalyst with additional participation from the likes of Byers Capital and BoxGroup. [Autonomous trucking’s highway to broke]( The highway of startup ambitions is littered with the wreckage of companies that aimed to bring autonomy to the long-haul trucking industry. Using Crunchbase data, we’ve identified a number autonomous trucking startups that raised venture funding, and their road ahead looks anything but smooth. [Self-driving truck upstart Embark: From $5B+ to basically worthless]( San Francisco-headquartered Embark, which develops autonomous driving technology for the trucking industry, has presided over a roughly 98% share price decline since going public a year ago. In the process, it’s wiped out close to $5 billion in market capitalization. [From wigs to fish, some very quirky AI startups got funded in 2022]( In this final installment of our AI special series we look at how investors backed some rather quirky applications of AI technology in 2022. How quirky? Using Crunchbase data, we assembled a list of some of the more unusual-seeming models. If they pan out, expect a future in which AI-enabled tech can customize your wig, cut your meat, sort your trash and track lice on your fish farm. [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 [Series A funding in the last 3 months]( Funding Rounds 578 [Top connected toy companies by total funding]( Companies 11 [Founders for Change Diverse Investors List]( Identifiers 401 [More Featured Searches and Lists]( [Check out our Crunchbase solutions here]( – prospecting tools made for everyone Recent Investments [Cajal Neuroscience]( [$96M]( / [Series A]( Cajal Neuroscience is a drug discovery company focused on neurodegenerative disease. Categories: Biotechnology • Neuroscience • Pharmaceutical • Therapeutics Founders: [Alex Vaughan]( [Andrew Dervan]( [Charles Zuker]( [Huda Zoghbi]( [Ian Peikon]( [Robert M. Hershberg]( Investors: [Lux Capital]( (Lead), [The Column Group]( (Lead), [Alexandria Venture Investments]( [+ 4 more]( [Deepgram]( [$47M]( / [Series B]( Deepgram is an AI Speech Platform that provides developers with a simple to use Speech-to-Text API. Categories: Artificial Intelligence • Audio • Developer APIs • Natural Language Processing • Speech Recognition Founders: [Noah Shutty]( [Scott Stephenson]( Investors: [Alkeon Capital]( (Lead), [Madrona]( (Lead), [BlackRock]( [+ 7 more]( [Strand Therapeutics]( [$45M]( / [Series A]( Strand Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company applying synthetic biology to RNA therapeutics to develop single dose mRNA treatments. Categories: Biotechnology • Life Science • Pharmaceutical • Therapeutics Founders: [Darrell Irvine]( [Jacob Becraft]( [Ron Weiss]( [Tasuku Kitada]( Investors: [FPV Ventures]( (Lead), [Eli Lilly & Company Foundation]( [Playground Global]( [+ 1 more]( More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [Saltbox]( $35M / [Series B]( [Cox Enterprises]( [OneRail]( $33M / [Series B]( [Arsenal Growth Equity]( [Zylo]( $32M / [Series C]( [Baird Capital]( [Pearpop]( $18M / [Series A]( - [FrankieOne]( 23M AUD / [Series A]( [AirTree Ventures]( [Oben Electric]( 320M INR / [Seed Round]( [US India EV Angels]( [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [HSBC Bank Canada]( Pending acquisition by [Royal Bank of Canada]( for 14B CAD More Acquisitions Company Acquired By Amount [April Group]( [Kohlberg Kravis Roberts]( 2.3B EUR [All Recent Acquisition Activity]( #{Rails.configuration.daily.cb_url} Discover innovative companies and the people behind them. 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