What it’s like to raise a seed round in this market

Plus, AI valuations are not slowing down January 25, 2024 Hi, {NAME}. If you’re setting out to raise seed funding in 2024, [expect to pass a much higher bar from investors — and raise at a lower valuation]( than you would have three years ago. That’s the broad takeaway in the second part of our report on the state of seed funding. Plus, one investor shares his predictions on [what this year holds for startups, VCs, and the IPO and M&A markets](. 🌱 [What it’s like to raise a seed round in this market]( Investors say that while [seed funding has held up better]( than other startup investment stages, these very young startups will see lower valuations and must now clear a much higher bar to get backing. 👁️ [Eye on AI: Valuations are not slowing down]( While funding certainly hasn’t rocketed in AI this year when compared to last — so far only about $1.2 billion in funding has been announced in 2024, [according to Crunchbase]( compared to the more than $50 billion last year — the early returns when looking at valuation jumps seem to indicate investors’ appetites for AI have not been sated in the least. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [Rounds Raised By Startups Using AI In 2024]( 💸 [Bilt Rewards doubles valuation to $3.1B in new raise]( [Bilt Rewards]( a startup that allows consumers to earn rewards on the rent they pay, said Wednesday it had raised $200 million at a $3.1 billion valuation — more than double its previous valuation. [General Catalyst]( led the round. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [Rounds Raised By Loyalty Reward Startups]( 🔮 [A VC’s 2024 predictions for startups, investment, IPOs and M&A]( This year will test startups, offer new opportunities for investment banks as the IPO markets reopen, and see the demise of numerous venture funds. Those are among the 2024 predictions from [Thomvest Ventures]( [Umesh Padval]( an investor who focuses on the cybersecurity, cloud and AI infrastructure sectors. ✈️ [Travel startup funding could be perking up again]( Recent large funding deals to travel-related startups — including a recent $104 million investment in business travel management platform [TravelPerk]( — plus [Navan]( potential IPO all point in a positive direction for companies in the space. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [Travel-Related Startup Funding, 2023-Present]( Get more with Crunchbase Enterprise Find out more about Crunchbase’s prospecting software that enables your entire team to find the right companies, identify the right people, and connect with the decision-makers who can move deals forward – all in one solution. [BOOK A MEETING NOW]( Recent Investments [Silverfort]( [$116M]( / [Series D]( Silverfort is a unified identity protection company that offers MFA, service account protection, and identity threat detection. Categories: Cyber Security • Enterprise Software • Identity Management • Network Security Founders: [Hed Kovetz]( [Matan Fattal]( [Yaron Kassner]( Investors: [Brighton Park Capital]( (Lead), [Acrew Capital]( [Citi Ventures]( [+ 5 more]( [TravelPerk]( [$104M]( / [Series D]( TravelPerk is a travel management platform that provides businesses with tools to manage their corporate travel. Categories: Business Travel • Software • Ticketing • Travel Founders: [Avi Meir]( [Javier Suarez]( [Ron Levin]( Investors: [SoftBank Vision Fund]( (Lead), [Felix Capital]( [Kinnevik]( [Instagrid]( [87M EUR]( / [Series C]( Instagrid offers portable battery systems to create mobile power infrastructures for sectors with challenging power demands. Categories: Battery • Energy Storage • Manufacturing Founders: [Andreas Sedlmayr]( [Sebastian Berning]( Investors: [Teachers’ Venture Growth]( (Lead), [blueworld.group]( [Energy Impact Partners]( [+ 4 more]( More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [Torq]( $42M / [Series B]( - [Kittl]( $36M / [Series B]( [IVP]( [Daytrip]( 9.2M EUR / [Series B]( [Taiwania Capital Management Corporation]( [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [Inhibrx]( Pending acquisition by [Sanofi]( for $1.7B More Acquisitions Company Acquired By Amount [Skore]( [Netcall]( 6.2M GBP [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 © 2024 Crunchbase Inc. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Service]( [Unsubscribe]( from Crunchbase Daily.