The Trump SPAC frenzy, Tesla rides to a new high, and how new surveillance technology is reshaping U.S. neighborhoods

Hello! As promised, we finally have an event site for our get-together next month with the full agenda and all the other deets you'll need. (Better late than never, as Chaucer used to maybe say.)

We also leave you with this week's StrictlyVC Download, with featured guest Parker Conrad of Rippling, who is running what is fast becoming a very valuable startup to its investors and who is passionate about company building more generally. In fact, we talked a lot about his view that many things that founders assume to be true of building business software are flat wrong.

Thanks to TechCrunch for sponsoring this week's episode. Note that TechCrunch Sessions: SaaS is coming up this Wednesday, October 27, where TC will dive into all things software-as-a-service, from collaboration software to the low-code revolution, big data management, software security and more. (We're helping kick off the day by talking with investors from Greylock, Upfront Ventures, and Costanoa Ventures, if you're curious to hear what's important to them right now.) 

Note that TechCrunch is offering 20 free tickets to StrictlyVC readers on a first-come, first-served basis. Just use code "strictlyvc" to book your ticket at techcrunch.com/tcsaas.

* Tesla shares closed at an all-time high today of $909.68.

* Shares of the blank-check company with which Donald Trump's new media company plans to merge, surged as much as 284% this afternoon, prompting a series of trading halts before finishing the day up 107%. At its peak of $175 today, the Nasdaq-listed company was 1,657% above its Wednesday closing price, with its ticker among the most popular mentions on Reddit’s WallStreetBets. More here and here.

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* FTX, a 2.5-year-old, Bahamas-based cryptocurrency derivatives exchange, says it has raised $420.69 million in extended Series B funding at a $25 billion valuation. That's a 39% jump in valuation from just July, when the outfit raised $900 million in Series B funding. Some of the investors to pile into the new deal include the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan, Temasek, Sequoia Capital, Sea Capital, IVP, Iconiq, Tiger Global, Ribbit Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners and BlackRock. CNBC has more here.

* VideoAmp, a seven-year-old, L.A.-based company that helps advertisers target and measure the impact of their ads across platforms such as TV and mobile, has raised $275 million in funding from Spruce House Partnership, D1 Capital Partners, Tiger Global, EPIQ Capital Group and Ankona Capital Partners. The WSJ has more here.

* Deep North, a five-year-old, Foster City, Ca-based startup that's applying computer vision to security camera footage, has raised $16.7 million in Series A-1 funding. Celesta Capital and Yobi Partners co-led the round, joined by Conviction Investment Partners. VentureBeat has more here. 

* Egle Therapeutics, a year-old, Paris-based company that last year spun out of the Institut Curie and is developing what it says are first-in-class immunotherapies targeting immune suppressor regulatory T cells for both cancer and autoimmune diseases, has raised $46.4 million in Series A funding. LSP and Bpifrance co-led the round, joined by Fund+, Bioqube Ventures and Takeda Ventures. FierceBiotech has more here.

* Foodology, a 2.5-year-old, Bogotá, Colombia-based ghost kitchen outfit, has raised $15 million in Series A funding led by Andreessen Horowitz and Base Partners. Earlier investors Kayyak Ventures and Jaguar Ventures (now Wollef) also participated in the round, as did a group of angel investors. TechCrunch has more here.

* Hyperproof, a three-year-old, Bellevue, Wa.-based maker of security assurance and compliance operations software, raised $16.5 million in Series A funding led by Toba Capital. VentureBeat has more here.

* Zerigo Health, a seven-year-old, San Diego-based that has developed an FDA-cleared localized phototherapeutic treatment for  psoriasis, vitiglio, and other skin conditions, just raised $43 million in Series B funding. 7wire Ventures led the round, joined by General Catalyst, Dragoneer, Cigna Ventures, Leverage Health Solutions, Leaps by Bayer and earlier backers SV Health Investors, H.I.G. Capital and Bluestem Capital. FierceBiotech has more here.

* Audioshake, a 1.5-year-old, San Francisco.-based startup that uses AI to break songs into stems so that artists can make more money from their music, has raised $2 million in funding led by Precursor Ventures, with participation from Wndrco. More here.

* Intelligent Implants, a 7.5-year-old, Cork, Ireland-based startup that's using wireless bioelectronics to induce bone growth, has raised €7.5 million ($8.7 million) from the EU’s EIC Accelerator, SOSV, and a group of Swedish angel investors. TechCrunch has more here.

* Pledge, a months-old, U.K.-based carbon measurement and removal API, has raised $4.5 million in seed funding led by Visionaries Club. TechCrunch has more here.

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* The Portuguese venture firm Faber is launching a new fund, Faber Blue Pioneers I, to invest in early-stage startups — primarily from Portugal and Southern Europe — that are developing “deep tech solutions” around ocean sustainability and climate action. The fund will have an initial target of €30 million, says TechCrunch.

* Jaguar Ventures, a Mexican fund investing in early-stage startups, is now Wollef and is launching its third fund with a target of raising $100 million before the first quarter of 2022. TechCrunch has more here.

* The DNA testing firm 23andMe said today it will buy venture-backed Lemonaid Health for $400 million in a cash-and-stock deal, as it looks to expand into telemedicine. Lemonaid Health, which had raised roughly $60 million from investors, offers patients direct online access for a number of common conditions, from consultation through treatment. It also offers free and fast delivery of prescription medications. 23andMe is known for its genetic ancestry tests but also aims to develop treatments for diseases such as cancer and respiratory disorders, says Reuters. More here.

* Scopely, a Culver City, Ca.-based mobile games company, has entered into an agreement to acquire GSN Games from Sony Pictures Entertainment for $1 billion. VentureBeat has more here.

* Apple's ad changes wiped $142 billion off Snap, Facebook, and other online ad giants, says Fortune.

* The VCs who've backed the most female founders in Europe, courtesy of Sifted.

* A new whistleblower has emerged from Facebook with allegations that echo many of those made by Frances Haugen.

* A third juror was dismissed from the trial of Elizabeth Holmes today for playing Sudoku during testimony.

* Google takes a cut of 22% to 42% of U.S. ad spending that goes through its systems, according to a newly unredacted lawsuit by state attorneys general that highlights how the search giant profits from its commanding position in the internet economy.

* License plate scanners were supposed to bring peace of mind. Instead they tore the neighborhood apart.

* Dutch paint maker Akzo Nobel NV is running out of ingredients to make some shades of blue, the latest fallout from the global supply-chain disruptions that are spreading across manufacturers

* Inside the cutthroat world of hip hop jewelry.

* Where America's pumpkins come from.

* This could soon be the most expensive license plate ever sold.

* Hammock harness.

* At Volllebak, the (copywriting) hits just keep on coming. 

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