Fundraising funk hits emerging firms

PE firms may slow hiring in 2023; generative AI attracts tech VCs; SaaS cost-management startups draw VCs; European unicorn creation keeps pace
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The Daily Pitch: VC, PE and M&A
November 30, 2022
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Today's Top Stories  
Fundraising funk hits up-and-coming firms hardest
Raising private capital became more difficult in Q3. Aggregate fundraising across the private investing universe was down 7.7% to $1.35 trillion in the 12 months leading up to Sept. 30, as only those funds focusing on venture capital and real assets managed to surpass year-ago levels.

But as some GPs—particularly emerging firms—get nervous, institutional investors have gained leverage in discussions around fund terms, DEI mandates and ESG data.

Our Q3 2022 Global Private Markets Fundraising Report (formerly known as the Global Private Fund Strategies Report) explains how each private strategy survived—or thrived—while fundraising this autumn. Key takeaways include:
  • November PE fund marketing rule changes from the SEC could add to the burdens of small GPs as they work to comply.

  • Investors are seeking safety in North America-based funds as they consider the strong dollar and distance from the war in Ukraine.

  • High inflation has spooked even real estate investors, whose commitments to funds declined 19% from the prior year through Q3.
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PE firms may slow down hiring in 2023, but layoffs are unlikely
(Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock)
Executive recruiters and compensation consultants expect a slowdown in private equity hiring, but they don't anticipate mass layoffs. Amid declining fundraising figures and a difficult dealmaking environment, PE firms, which are already largely fully staffed, are showing signs of holding off on their new hires.

The market downturn is having much less of an impact on PE than on other asset classes. With ample dry powder, longer-term investment horizons and steady income from management fees, PE firms might slow down growth, but they won't stop it.
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Move aside, crypto: Generative AI takes tech VC attention in Q3
Hype around text-to-image AI models in Q3 2022 helped draw rapid VC investment in the generative AI space. But this did not stop deal activity from falling for the overall AI and machine learning vertical, where deal value declined 46.7% quarter-over-quarter.

Our latest report on AI and machine learning tracks 68 product categories, and only 20 are on pace to grow in VC funding in 2022—led by intelligent robotics, supply chain optimization and conversational AI.

The report maps out the market and notes the emerging opportunities and startups to watch. Generative AI, neural search and inference semiconductors are finding traction and scooping up deals in the current market. Company spotlights on AI unicorns Databricks and DataRobot show their evolving M&A and partnership priorities.
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SaaS cost-management startups draw VC dollars as recession looms
(Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock)
When the world locked down at the start of the pandemic, companies flocked to cloud-based tools for help with the shift to remote work.

More than two years later, many organizations are realizing that they may have overloaded on software licenses. Startups like Zylo, which just raised a $31.5 million Series C, are helping companies rein in bloated software budgets.
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European unicorn creation holds steady
(Niphon Subsri/Shutterstock)
A total of 40 European startups gained a €1 billion-plus valuation in the first three quarters of this year, already making 2022 Europe's second biggest year for newly minted unicorns.

While deal count for these prized companies has remained strong despite the downturn, investors are writing smaller checks for Europe's unicorns.
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Is it time to thin the unicorn herd?
(Jenna O'Malley/PitchBook News)
Nearly a decade after the term "unicorn" was coined, venture capital's best and brightest companies may have finally outgrown what the ecosystem can sustain. Their rise was a product of business models that engineered growth with cheap money, and the financial conditions that made this model possible have changed profoundly.

Starting in 2021 and continuing for much of this year, the top 10% of US startups could reliably expect a unicorn valuation. Not anymore. The rate at which new unicorns are being formed globally has dropped precipitously after a truly exceptional 2021, in which 584 VC-backed companies secured a valuation of $1 billion or more.

Flush with cash from recent boom times, unicorns have avoided down rounds and are extending financial runways by cutting costs. Serious damage has been limited to a small handful of companies, but Klarna's 85% valuation haircut earlier this year showed how tenuous these former valuations can be. For now, these companies are in a kind of limbo, increasingly shunned by the crossover investors they rely on for cash and unable to access public markets.

A new suite of indexes from PitchBook and Morningstar captures how resilient unicorns have been, but all signs point to a coming reckoning. The population of unicorns, which symbolizes a fantasy of perpetual growth, may soon shrink.
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Recommended Reads
Regulators circle Microsoft's planned acquisition of Activision-Blizzard in an example of how the gaming industry is changing. [The Economist]

Mapping carbon dioxide emissions around the world. [Visual Capitalist]

One area where there's still demand—and hope—for NFTs' enduring commercial use is among artists. [Sifted]
 
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Quick Takes  
  The Daily Benchmark  
  2015 Vintage Global Debt Funds  
  VC Deals  
  Locus Robotics nears $2B valuation  
  Pearpop hits $300M valuation with Series A  
  Cajal Neuroscience raises $96M  
  Volta Trucks adds $62M to Series C  
  Rgenta Therapeutics brings in $52M  
  Deepgram extends Series B with $47M  
  Greenwood banks $45M  
  Saltbox takes in $35M for flexible warehouse space  
  Post News gets a16z backing  
  PE Deals  
  Rubicon Carbon launches with $300M from TPG  
  Infrastructure investors back Caliche II with $268M  
  Audax acquires clinic operator Medi-Weightloss  
  Shell to buy PE-backed Nature Energy for $2B  
  Portfolio Companies  
  Indoor farming startup to cut half of workforce  
  Fundraising  
  Scania raises $189M VC fund  
  Adams Street closes $1B+ fund  
 
 
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VC Deals  
Locus Robotics nears $2B valuation
Autonomous mobile robot-maker Locus Robotics has raised more than $117 million at a nearly $2 billion valuation. The Series F was led by Goldman Sachs Asset Management and G2 Venture Partners.
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Pearpop hits $300M valuation with Series A
Pearpop has gained $18 million at a $300 million valuation for its marketing platform, which connects influencers with brands. Investors in the Series A include actor Ashton Kutcher, Sound Ventures and Seven Seven Six.
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Cajal Neuroscience raises $96M
Seattle-based Cajal Neuroscience, which develops treatments for neurodegeneration, has secured $96 million in a Series A led by The Column Group and Lux Capital.
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Volta Trucks adds $62M to Series C
Stockholm-based Volta Trucks has raised an additional €60 million (about $62 million) for its Series C from existing investors, bringing the round's total to €290 million. The startup builds fully electric commercial trucks.
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Rgenta Therapeutics brings in $52M
Biotech company Rgenta Therapeutics has closed a $52 million Series A led by AZ-CICC Healthcare Investment Fund to support the creation of RNA-targeting medicines.
Deepgram extends Series B with $47M
Automatic speech recognition specialist Deepgram has raised an additional $47 million for its Series B, bringing the round's total to $72 million. Madrona led the latest funding.
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Greenwood banks $45M
Greenwood, which offers a banking app for Black and Latino communities, has raised a $45 million round led by Pendulum.
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Saltbox takes in $35M for flexible warehouse space
Saltbox, which runs a network of flexible warehouses for small ecommerce businesses, has received a $35 million Series B co-led by Cox Enterprises and Pendulum. This round brings Saltbox's total funding to $56 million.
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Post News gets a16z backing
Post News, a new social media platform created as a Twitter rival, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Andreessen Horowitz as well as New York University professor Scott Galloway, TechCrunch reported. A16z also backed Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter.
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PE Deals  
Rubicon Carbon launches with $300M from TPG
TPG has invested $300 million in newly launched Rubicon Carbon, which will serve companies involved in voluntary carbon credit markets. Rubicon is aiming to raise $1 billion in total. Planned co-investors include Bank of America, JetBlue Ventures and the energy transition arm of NGP.
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Infrastructure investors back Caliche II with $268M
Orion Infrastructure Capital and GCM Grosvenor have committed $268 million to Caliche Development Partners II, which develops underground energy storage. The three parties plan to invest $186 million to acquire two Southern Company storage assets, one of which has already closed.
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Audax acquires clinic operator Medi-Weightloss
Audax Group has acquired Medi-Weightloss, which operates roughly 100 weight-loss clinics in the US, about 80% of which are franchised. Buzz Franchise Brands co-invested in Medi-Weightloss for a minority stake in the company.
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Shell to buy PE-backed Nature Energy for $2B
Shell has agreed to acquire Danish renewable natural gas producer Nature Energy for €1.9 billion ($1.96 billion). Davidson Kempner Capital Management, Pioneer Point Partners and Sampension are exiting their investments in the company through the deal.
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Portfolio Companies  
Indoor farming startup to cut half of workforce
Berlin-based urban farming company Infarm has announced plans to cut its workforce by around 500 employees, more than half of its team. The company is shifting its strategy toward profitability and seeking to reduce costs due to rising energy and material prices. Infarm, which is backed by investors including Balderton Capital and Atomico, has also proposed downsizing its operations in the UK, France and the Netherlands.
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Fundraising  
Scania raises $189M VC fund
Sweden's Scania has launched a new investment vehicle, Scania Growth Capital II, which will be managed by East Hill Equity. The 2 billion Swedish kronor (about $189.4 million) VC fund will target B2B tech companies and entrepreneurs.
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Adams Street closes $1B+ fund
Adams Street Partners has held the final close of Adams Street 2022 Global Fund Program on $1.1 billion. The portfolio's strategies include primaries, secondaries, co-investments, growth equity and private credit in North America, Europe and Asia.
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Chart of the Day  
Source: Q3 2022 US VC Valuations Report
 
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