$150M to bring back the dodo? 5 cool startup deals, and more - February 1, 2023

February 1, 2023 [5 interesting deals: genetically engineered trees and space security]( Can humans really build a better tree? Biotech [Living Carbon]( is determined to try with a $21 million Series A. Its pine trees are designed to grow faster and capture more carbon. Plus, startup [SpiderOak]( offers cybersecurity in space with its zero-trust protocol in zero gravity. [Colossal Biosciences raises $150M to bring back the dodo]( De-extinction startup [Colossal Biosciences]( expands beyond bringing back mammoths with a $150 million Series B. Colossal’s new Avian Genomics Group will pursue the return of the dodo, a first step toward reversing the extinction or endangered status of hundreds of bird species. [Defy.vc closes on $300M fund for pre-Series A rounds]( Early-stage VC firm [Defy.vc]( has closed on its third fund of $300 million to invest in pre-Series A funding rounds. The firm has already made a couple of investments from fund three, including one in blockchain infrastructure and another in real estate. [Stripe in talks to raise $2.5B after lowering valuation]( Payments processing startup [Stripe]( is seeking to raise around $2.5 billion, according to reports, a sum that would raise Stripe’s valuation from $55 billion to $60 billion. The fresh capital will help the company address expiring stock units held by veteran employees. [Everyone wants to be an accelerator]( In the past few months alone, we’ve seen brand-new and retooled accelerator programs roll out at a steady clip. Several are sector-focused, seeking to leverage advancement in hot fields like generative AI. Others are looking to build up entrepreneurship in metro areas not known as major tech hubs. Venture investors, always keen to get in on the new, new thing early, are also joining the fray. [AI in 2023: A year of reckoning]( What does the AI sector look like for 2023? [Jason Schoettler]( of [Calibrate Ventures]( shares his findings and predictions for the year ahead. Crunchbase Pro: Searches and Lists Name Type Entries [Top VCs in Asia with 10+ portfolio companies]( Investors 1492 [Gaming companies with $40M+ funding]( Companies 239 [Augmented and Virtual Reality companies funded in the last 3 months]( Funding Rounds 59 [More Featured Searches and Lists]( [Check out our Crunchbase solutions here]( – prospecting tools made for everyone Recent Investments [Lithium Americas]( [$650M]( / [Post-IPO Equity]( Lithium Americas is a mineral and mining company focused on lithium, potassium, and other mineral resources. Categories: Mining • Oil and Gas • Precious Metals Founders: [Jonathan Evans]( Investors: [General Motors]( (Lead) [Saviynt]( [$205M]( / [Debt Financing]( Saviynt is an identity management company that provides cloud-first identity governance and access management solutions for businesses. Categories: Cloud Data Services • Cyber Security • Enterprise Software • Information Technology Founders: [Atul Vij]( [Sachin Nayyar]( Investors: [AB Private Credit Investors]( (Lead) [Colossal Biosciences]( [$150M]( / [Series B]( Colossal is a bioscience and genetic engineering company focused on de-extinction of past species. Categories: Artificial Intelligence • Biotechnology • Genetics • Life Science Founders: [Andrew Busey]( [Ben Lamm]( [Brian Beard]( [George Church]( [Kent Wakeford]( [Peter Phillips]( Investors: [US Innovative Technology Fund]( (Lead), [Animal Capital]( [Animoca Brands]( [+ 8 more]( More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [Raylo]( 110M GBP / [Debt Financing]( [NatWest Bank]( [Matches Fashion]( 40M GBP / [Private Equity Round]( [Apax Partners]( [FINBOURNE Technology]( 30M GBP / [Debt Financing]( [Kreos Capital]( [Matches Fashion]( 20M GBP / [Debt Financing]( [Apax Partners]( [Bounce]( 1.6B INR / [Venture Round]( - [EdenFarm Indonesia]( 57M MYR / [Series A]( [Telkomsel Mitra Inovasi]( [Prisms VR]( $12M / [Series A]( [Andreessen Horowitz]( [Cohere Technologies]( Unknown / [Venture Round]( [Bell Ventures]( [Raylo]( Unknown / [Venture Round]( - [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [Power]( Pending acquisition by [Marqeta]( for $275M More Acquisitions Company Acquired By Amount [Al Mansoori Petroleum Services]( [TAQA]( Unknown [All Recent Acquisition Activity]( Upcoming Tech Events [Paris 2023 Q1 Venture Capital World Summit]( February 9 - 9, 2023 in Paris World Series Season 2023 Q1 in France, Paris with Scale up companies, presenting investors, entrepreneurs and innovation Accelerator Deadlines Date Accelerator Location Jan 31, 2023 [Cloud Incubator Hub]( Cartagena May 15, 2023 [UNEC Startup Incubator]( Baku [More Upcoming Deadlines]( Don’t see your event? 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