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The Daily Pitch: VC

March 1, 2022

Like our newsletter? The data comes from the PitchBook Platform — our data software for VC, PE and M&A

In today's Daily Pitch, you'll find:

A year ago, the UK government took steps to increase investment in its fintech industry; now the sector is seeing record funding from foreign investors.

An analysis of how sustainable investments are defined and carried out in the private markets, focusing on the different schools of thought in ESG and impact investing.

Today's Top Stories

Options for options: New products emerge to help employees take control of equity

(Randy Faris/Getty Images)

To stay competitive in a tight labor market, private companies are not only offering higher salaries but also luring employees with equity.

Add that to the trend of companies staying private longer and a growing number of startups, and the result is an ever-larger pool of employee stock options.

But exercising these is expensive—often prohibitively so. Every year, billions of dollars are left on the table. In response, a range of new possibilities has emerged for employees seeking to gain value from their options.

Recommended Reads

Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman took home a record $1.1 billion in 2021, underscoring the private equity giant's growing dominance on Wall Street. [The Wall Street Journal]

Corporate America is lifting prices and bragging about bigger profits as consumers open their wallets and spend heartily. [The New York Times]

Could a nuclear renaissance be the answer to the climate change crisis? [Fortune]

Since yesterday, the PitchBook Platform added:

18

VC valuations

1577

People

493

Companies

35

Funds

See what our data software can do

Quick Takes


	The Daily Benchmark
	2012 Vintage Global VC Funds
	VC Deals
	Aurora Solar pulls in $200M Series D
	FPL Technologies eyes $1.5B valuation
	Biomason locks in $65M Series C
	Qventus secures $50M

The Daily Benchmark

2012 Vintage Global VC Funds

Median IRR

20.30%

Top Quartile IRR

33.40%

2.15x

Median TVPI

Select top performers

BioGeneration Ventures II

Emergence Capital Partners III

Flagship Ventures Fund IV

*IRR: net of fees

37 Funds in Benchmark »

Check out the latest version of PitchBook Benchmarks

VC Deals

Aurora Solar pulls in $200M Series D

Aurora Solar has raised $200 million in a round co-led by Coatue and Energize Ventures. Based in the Bay Area, the company is a developer of solar software designed to manage and sell installations. Aurora Solar was valued at more than $2.1 billion in May, according to PitchBook data.

Additional Investors:

Emerson Collective, Fifth Wall, Iconiq Capital, Lux Capital

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View 9 competitors »

FPL Technologies eyes $1.5B valuation

FPL Technologies plans to raise more than $100 million at a $1.5 billion valuation in a round led by Temasek, TechCrunch reported. The Indian fintech company is the operator of OneCard, which offers a mobile-first credit card.

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View 23 competitors »

Biomason locks in $65M Series C

Biomason has raised $65 million in a round led by 2150, with support from investors including Celesta Capital and Hartree Partners. Based in Durham, North Carolina, the company uses natural micro-organisms to grow biocement and other building materials without emitting carbon dioxide.

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View similar company »

Qventus secures $50M

Qventus has raised $50 million in a round led by Thomas H. Lee Partners. The company is a developer of hospital management software designed to help healthcare professionals manage operational decisions in real time.

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View 9 competitors »