Elon's SNL appearance, the crack in the Tip Jar, and death by firing squad could become a thing (again) in the U.S.

May 7, 2021

Friday! Before we check out, we leave you with the newest episode of StrictlyVC Download hot off the coals, which, after battling with one of our beloved interns *all day* (he's 11 going on 22), we feel like jumping into right now.:)

This week, we talked with two seed-stage startups with excellent ideas that investors -- and rivals -- might want to track. The first is rooted around communicable-disease-focused risk management, which isn't something people were thinking about a year ago, yet that private industry clearly needs going forward. As interestingly, it was founded by Charity Dean, a trained surgeon who helped lead California's public response to COVID-19 and who also stars in the newest book by Michael Lewis, called "The Premonition."

Our other guest, Javier Avalos, is a former investment banker who recently left the secondary outfit Forge to help hedge funds, family offices and many others buy and sell short-positions in privately held startups -- including in outfits where neither side of the trade owns a share.

We hope you enjoy hearing from both. In the meantime, giant thanks to this week's sponsor, TechCrunch, whose TechCrunch Sessions Mobility show -- featuring the founders re-imagining the transportation industry, including from Aurora, Zoox and Motional -- is happening June 9. Check out the latest event updates and save 10% on tickets, using the code strictly@techcrunch.com/mobility.

More Monday. Between Elon Musk hosting SNL tomorrow and the prospect of one of us on this list being drilled into the ground by space junk over the weekend, there should be lots to talk about.

In the meantime, happy Mother's Day, all you killers. Hope you enjoy the day. ❤️

Top News

Dogecoin, the cryptocurrency branded after a viral dog meme from years ago, hit a new all-time high Friday afternoon. It now has a market capitalization of about $92 billion following a six-month climb of more than 26,000%.

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Massive Fundings

Ada Support, a five-year-old, Toronto, Ontario-based startup whose chatbot helps companies interact more efficiently with users, answer customers’ sales and service questions, and even helps them return packages or change flights, has raised $130 million at a $1.2 billion valuation. Spark Capital led the round, joined by Tiger Global and earlier investors Bessemer Venture Partners, Accel and FirstMark Capital. Bloomberg has more here.

Einride, a five-year-old, Stockholm, Sweden-based autonomous vehicle startup known for its futuristic pods designed to haul freight, has raised $110 million in Series B round, the company announced yesterday. Temasek, Soros Fund Management, Northzone, Build Capital and Maersk Growth all participated in the round, along with earlier backers EQT Ventures, Plum Alley, Norrsken VC, Ericsson, and NordicNinja VC. The company has now raised $150 million altogether. Crunchbase News has more here.

TwinStrand Biosciences, a six-year-old, Seattle-based DNA sequencing company has raised $50 million in Series B funding. Section 32 led the round, joined by Soleus Capital, Janus Henderson Investors and earlier investors Madrona Venture Group, Ridgeback Capital and Alexandria Venture Investments. FierceBiotech has more here.

Big-But-Not-Crazy-Big Fundings

Nearby, a year-old, California-based platform of hyperlocal marketplaces where users can buy from multiple local businesses online and checkout through one cart (Slack's former chief product officer, April Underwood, is its founder), has raised $21 million in Series A funding. Redpoint Ventures led the round, joined by earlier investors GV, Obvious Ventures, Cowboy Ventures, Sound Ventures, Moxxie Ventures and founder-operator Tina Sharkey. Forbes has more here.

Smaller Fundings

Blair, a two-year-old, Bay Area-based company creating income-share-agreements programs for schools, has raised $6.3 million in seed funding led by Tiger Global Management. Other investors include Rainfall and 468 Capital, along with numerous angel investors. The company, which passed through Y Combinator in 2019, previously raised $1.1 million in pre-seed funding. TechCrunch has more here.

iFeel, a four-year-old, Madrid, Spain-based online therapy startup that's available to individuals via a monthly subscription as well as to employees through their insurance, has raised €5.5 million in Series A funding led by Nauta Capital. TechCrunch has more here.

Spinwheel, a two-year-old, Bay Area-based student loan debt payment-as-a-service, has raised $11 million in funding led by QED Investors, with participation from Core Innovation Capital, Fika Ventures and Firebolt Ventures. Crunchbase News has more here.

ViaBot, a six-year-old, Sunnyvale, Ca.-based company that makes outdoor maintenance robots for commercial properties (for sweeping and security service purposes), has raised $6.1 million in funding from Baseline Ventures, Morado Ventures, and Grit Ventures and SOSV. Crunchbase News has more here.

New Funds

OneVC, a four-year-old, Sao Paulo, Brazil-based venture firm, is raising $50 million for its second fund, according to an SEC filing. More here.

Starlight Ventures, a four-year-old, Miami, Fla.-based venture firm, is lookin to raise up to $50 million for a second fund, per an SEC filing that shows it's nearly halfway there. More here.

People

Cryptocurrencies “have no intrinsic value” and people who invest in them should be prepared to lose all their money, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said yesterday.

Elon Musk: Memelord or meme lifter?

Data

Analytics data suggests that U.S. users are choosing to opt out of tracking 96% of the time in the wake of iOS 14.5, released by Apple late last month.

Cryptocurrencies now equal the value of U.S. dollars in circulation.

Elon's SNL appearance, the crack in the Tip Jar, and death by firing squad could become a thing (again) in the U.S.

Older messages

How Jeff Bezos beat the tabloids, funding for custom NFT storefronts, and RIP, David Swensen

Peloton apologizes, Chime agrees to stop calling itself a bank, and the buzz around fermented meat

Why Dogecoin is surging, the trend driving baristas bananas, and a new offering from Krispy Kreme

Fortnite's Epic revenue, Buterin's billions, and second biggest divorce ever?

India in trouble, a16z's new crypto fund, and discovering bubble tea (and its tapioca pearls)

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