The state of startups in 7 charts

Plus, AI will do your taxes now February 2, 2024 Hi, {NAME}. Last year saw [the lowest level of startup funding in five years]( witnessed valuations fall drastically, and offered little hope for IPO contenders. But is that all now in the rearview mirror? [Let’s take a look at the current state of startups, in seven charts](. Plus, increasingly, startups are turning to AI to help with auditing and accounting, [as evidenced by a new $100 million funding to a new unicorn](. 📊 [The state of startups in 7 charts]( From M&A activity to Web3 funding, let’s look at what’s happening in the startup world as seen through seven charts based on recent [Crunchbase]( data. 🧮 [AI will do more accounting if startup investors have their way]( Ever wish an AI could just do your taxes for you? Increasingly, funded startups are turning AI to the tasks of accounting and auditing. The latest company to raise a big round taking this route is [DataSnipper]( an audit automation platform that yesterday announced a $100 million Series B financing at a $1 billion valuation. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [Accounting-Related Recently Funded Startups]( 🛑 [Regulatory pushback scuttled over $70B in M&A deals]( [Amazon]( pulling the plug on its planned purchase of [iRobot]( is just the latest deal to fall apart in a [surge of antitrust scrutiny](. Many large tech acquisitions have been pulled following pushback from regulators, and the value of those deals keeps mounting, our analysis shows. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [M&A Involving VC-Backed Startups In 2023]( 🤔 [5 interesting startups that got money in January]( AI is still big and doing intriguing things, making humanoid robots to help around the house more viable, and driving investor interest in a startup that applies artificial intelligence to its parent-led autism therapy. Let’s look at [five interesting funding deals you may have missed last month](. 🛒 [When will big-spender PE firms resume buying software startups?]( Over the past five years, the most-active PE buyers have [collectively spent more than $36 billion]( to buy dozens of private companies in the space, [Crunchbase]( data shows. But M&A deals for private companies peaked in 2020 and 2021, and slowed considerably in recent quarters, with a similar trend playing out for PE purchases of both public and private software companies. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [Software Startup Acquisitions By The Most-Active Private Equity Buyers]( [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 [Metronome]( [$43M]( / [Series B]( Metronome is a usage-based billing platform that helps companies to implement new business models and launch products faster. Categories: Enterprise Software • SaaS • Software Founders: [Kevin Liu]( [Scott Woody]( Investors: [New Enterprise Associates]( (Lead), [Andreessen Horowitz]( [General Catalyst]( [Owner]( [$33M]( / [Series B]( Owner.com develops a digital marketing platform to help restaurants generate revenue and manage their online presence. Categories: Marketing • Restaurants • Sales Automation • Software Founders: [Adam Guild]( [Dean Bloembergen]( Investors: [Altman Capital]( (Lead), [Redpoint]( (Lead), [Activant Capital]( [+ 2 more]( [Benepass]( [$20M]( / [Series B]( Benepass is a benefits administration platform that helps companies manage and distribute employee perks and benefits. Categories: Employee Benefits • Enterprise Software • FinTech • Human Resources Founders: [Jaclyn Chen]( [Kabir Soorya]( [Mark Fischer]( Investors: [Portage Ventures]( (Lead), [Clocktower Technology Ventures]( [Gradient Ventures]( [+ 2 more]( [Aquaconnect]( [330M INR]( / [Series B]( Aquaconnect is an aquaculture platform that uses AI and satellite remote sensing to decarbonize the seafood value chain. Categories: AgTech • Aquaculture • Artificial Intelligence (AI) • FinTech • Seafood Founders: [Rajamanohar Somasundaram]( Investors: [S2G Ventures]( (Lead) More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [Generate Capital]( $1.5B / [Private Equity Round]( - [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [Specialty Networks]( Pending acquisition by [Cardinal Health]( for $1.2B More Acquisitions Company Acquired By Amount [Vision-Box]( [Amadeus]( 320M EUR [All Recent Acquisition Activity]( Upcoming Tech Events [Internet 2.0 Conference | USA]( March 18 - 20, 2024 in Las Vegas The 2024 winter edition of Internet2 Conf will be held on March 18th-20st at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, USA. Accelerator Deadlines Date Accelerator Location Dec 31, 2024 [ZiHub]( Pretoria Jan 1, 2025 [Smmpanel group]( Unknown [More Upcoming Deadlines]( Don’t see your event? Reach out to us at events@crunchbase.com. #{Rails.configuration.daily.cb_url} Discover innovative companies and the people behind them. 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