| Hi, Agen. Both dollars and deals are down this year when it comes to cybersecurity startup funding, as even this perennial VC favorite is hit hard by the venture downturn. We look at the latest Crunchbase numbers and speak with investors about why the sector is down and what the turmoil in Israel — the second-largest cybersecurity market in the world — means for the sector. Plus, are European venture capitalists outperforming their U.S. counterparts? Funding to VC-backed cybersecurity startups this year is on pace to hit its lowest point for a calendar year since 2019, Crunchbase figures show. The numbers are yet more evidence that cybersecurity may not be nearly as “recession-proof” as many investors have thought for the last several years. Related Crunchbase Pro list: Cybersecurity Funding Aren’t European VCs painfully risk-averse? And even if they aren’t, don’t American VCs just have a lot more cash? These are common responses to new data that seems to show the extent to which European venture capital has outperformed American VC in recent history. Guest author Dan Gray breaks down some of the real reasons European startup investors may be outperforming their peers across the pond. Boston-based HqO, a real estate management software startup, has raised a $50 million Series D led by a subsidiary of Koch Industries. The proptech platform is used by commercial property operators to manage how tenants and their employees use office space. Related Crunchbase Pro list: Real Estate Tech Funding In 2021 In normal times, going public at a valuation of over $10 billion is both a rare occurrence and a very big deal. In 2021, however, such enormous IPOs became rather common, even for money-losing startups, with at least 20 companies making their debuts above $10 billion. The list included some of the buzziest names in tech and the app economy: Didi, Rivian, Grab and Coinbase. But where are those once-hot IPOs now? Related Crunchbase Pro list: Biggest 2021 IPOs Perhaps the only thing rising faster than the valuations of generative AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic is the talk of regulation around the technology. This week, it was SEC Chairman Gary Gensler making the case that regulators must figure out how to manage financial risk posed by AI platforms used by financial institutions. Sure, it’s easy to invest when the market is booming and IPOs are flowing out like champagne in a nightclub. But it’s the investors with the courage to make audacious bets in the current moment who stand to make history, writes investor and guest author Marc Schröder. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment