VCs no longer do DTC

Plus, fund launches to support Israeli startups through war November 2, 2023 Hi, {NAME}. Is the direct-to-consumer trend over? From cosmetics brand [Glossier]( to eyeglasses seller [Warby Parker]( retail e-commerce brands were hauling in buckets of cash from VCs just a few years ago. But so far this year, U.S. investors put just over $130 million into companies at the intersection of e-commerce and consumer products — [a whopping 97% decline from the peak in 2021]( when more than $5 billion went to this investment theme, [Crunchbase data shows](. Plus, we look at [how Google is ramping up investment in the AI sector]( and a [new fund designed to support early-stage Israeli startups]( affected by the country’s war with Hamas. 🛍 [VCs no longer do DTC]( Direct-to-consumer brands — a staple category for startup investors a couple years ago — have mostly disappeared from the ranks of funded companies today, Crunchbase data shows. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [Funding To Companies At The Intersection Of Consumer Products And E-Commerce]( 🇮🇱 [Fund launches to support early-stage Israeli startups through war]( Iron Nation, a new volunteer emergency impact fund designed to help early-stage Israeli startups continue operating amid the nation’s war with Hamas, launched today. The fund aims to raise $20 million to support post-seed venture-backed startups in Israel, [where an estimated 15-20% of the tech workforce has been called up]( to serve as military reservists in Israel’s counter-offensive against the terrorist group. The fund collects no management fees or carried interest. 🤝 [Insurtech startup gets $265M from big names]( [Allstate]( and [Allianz]( are making a $265 million strategic investment into [Next Insurance]( a startup that focuses on the small-business market. The deal is one of the largest VC rounds this year for an insurtech startup. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [Insurtech Funding In 2023]( 👁 [Eye on AI: Google searches out big deals]( It’s no secret [Google]( has big intentions when it comes to AI, but seeing some of the actual dollar amounts and valuations it’s been involved with lately illustrates just how big. 🤕 [SoftBank’s hits are iconic, but so are its misses]( From [Uber]( and [Slack]( to [Katerra]( and [Zume]( [SoftBank]( has made some big and risky bets over the years as it tries to find the next game-changing startup. Its [Vision Fund]( notoriously shook up startupland in 2017 with the first $100 billion investment vehicle — the largest in industry history. So perhaps it shouldn’t come as a great surprise that the Japanese conglomerate has had some big hits — as well as some very big misses over the years. Squarely in the latter camp is co-working space provider [WeWork]( which is reportedly gearing up to file for bankruptcy protection next week. In this article from June, we used Crunchbase data to analyze the most heavily funded U.S. companies with the Vision Fund as a lead investor. We then divided the biggest disappointments into three buckets: poor public market performers, defunct companies and low-valuation acquisitions. 🏆 [October’s largest funding deals: $1.1B raise tops the list]( U.S. startups working on everything from computer vision-assisted parking to neurological conditions to green hydrogen landed large checks from investors last month. [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 [QI Tech]( [1.0B BRL]( / [Series B]( QI Tech focuses on developing a digital way of raising money and investing in credit assets. Categories: Credit • Financial Services • FinTech Founders: [Marcelo Bentivoglio]( [Marcelo Buosi]( [Pedro Mac Dowell]( Investors: [General Atlantic]( (Lead), [Across Capital]( [Kasa Living]( [$70M]( / [Series C]( Kasa Living is a hospitality company that offers flexible accommodations for business and leisure travelers. Categories: Hospitality • Hotel • Travel Founders: [Roman Pedan]( Investors: [Citi Ventures]( (Lead), [FirstMark]( (Lead), [Fireside Ventures]( [+ 5 more]( [SkyCell]( [$57M]( / [Venture Round]( SkyCell focuses on developing temperature controlled logistics containers for the pharmaceutical industry. Categories: Logistics • Pharmaceutical • Supply Chain Management • Transportation Founders: [Nico Ros]( [Richard Ettl]( Investors: [M&G Investments]( (Lead) More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [Animoca Brands]( $50M / [Venture Round]( [NEOM]( [Sugar.fit]( $11M / [Series A]( [MassMutual Ventures]( [StarNews Mobile]( $3.0M / [Seed Round]( [Janngo]( [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [SuprNation]( Pending acquisition by [DoubleDown Interactive]( for $36M #{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.