Saudi investment in the U.S. isn’t slowing down

Plus, 3 reasons to launch a startup now August 24, 2023 Hi, {NAME}. Some of these AI startup valuations are getting pretty big. Latest case in point: [Salesforce Ventures]( is reportedly leading [a fresh $200 million]( investment into an artificial intelligence startup at an eyebrow-raising $4 billion valuation — double the startup’s previous valuation. Plus, we look at [Saudi Arabia-based investors’ growing interest and influence]( in U.S.-based startups, and three reasons why [now may actually be a great time to launch a new company](. 🇸🇦 [Saudi Arabia investment in U.S. startups keeps climbing]( Even as the [global venture market stumbles]( Saudi sovereign wealth funds, corporate venture arms and other firms are exploring more deals, worth more money, involving U.S.-based startups than ever before, [Crunchbase]( data shows. 🚀 [3 reasons now may be a perfect time to launch your startup]( Good companies can come out of difficult times — remember that [Uber]( and [WhatsApp]( both came out of the 2008 recession. Startup adviser [Itay Sagie]( presents three compelling reasons why now may actually be another great time to venture out with a new company. 🤗 [Salesforce embraces AI with huge Hugging Face deal]( In another sign that the AI fervor that has taken over the private markets is nowhere close to being over, [Salesforce]( CEO [Marc Benioff]( seemed to confirm earlier reports that the CRM giant’s venture arm has led an investment of around $200 million into AI startup [Hugging Face]( at a whopping $4 billion valuation. 😴 [Is the IPO market waking up?]( [Arm]( filed its IPO plans this week, and [Instacart]( is expected to do so any day now. The performance of these two very different highly valued and well-branded companies will be a test of investor appetite in the next wave of technology IPOs, which some market watchers predict could perk back up this year and in 2024. 💻 [Slow times for cybersecurity M&A]( The first seven months of the year saw only 34 cyber startups get acquired, putting dealmaking at its slowest pace since 2017. However, a couple of recent, large deals offer a positive indicator of pent-up demand. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [M&A Involving VC-Backed Cybersecurity Startups]( [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]( Recent Investments [Reliance Retail]( [83B INR]( / [Private Equity Round]( Reliance Retail operates a chain of neighborhood stores, supermarkets, and specialty stores. Categories: Consumer Goods • Grocery • Retail Founders: [Mukesh Ambani]( Investors: [Qatar Investment Authority]( (Lead) [Beyond Finance]( [$635M]( / [Debt Financing]( Beyond Finance provides financial services to help individuals overcome debt and gain financial peace of mind. Categories: Blockchain • Cryptocurrency • Financial Services • FinTech Founders: [Benjamin Schwan]( Investors: [Comvest Credit Partners]( (Lead) [Gympass]( [$85M]( / [Series F]( Gympass provides employees with flexible access to gyms, studios, classes, training, and wellness apps. Categories: Employee Benefits • Fitness • Human Resources • Wellness Founders: [Cesar Carvalho]( [Joao Barbosa]( Investors: [EQT]( (Lead), [General Atlantic]( (Lead), [Moore Strategic Ventures]( (Lead) [+ 1 more]( More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [Rapport Therapeutics]( $150M / [Series B]( [Cormorant Asset Management]( [Nursa]( $80M / [Series B]( [Drive Capital]( [Alight Solutions]( $22M / [Post-IPO Secondary]( - [SuperBottoms]( $5.0M / [Series A]( [Lok Capital]( [Adani Enterprises]( Unknown / [Post-IPO Equity]( - [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [Sealing Technologies]( Pending acquisition by [Parsons Corporation]( for $175M More Acquisitions Company Acquired By Amount [Tomahawk Robotics]( [AeroVironment]( $120M [All Recent Acquisition Activity]( #{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 © 2023 Crunchbase Inc. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Service]( [Unsubscribe]( from Crunchbase Daily.