Apple on EU's chopping block under DMA rule, a post-mortem of failed VC-backed startups, and exciting new and open deals!
Best way to describe today’s market: roller coaster!
Welcome to Issue #12 of Startup Deal Desk!
Here’s what you can expect in today’s edition:
Apple on EU’s chopping block, record labels gunning at AI companies, and Ethereum survives the SEC
A post-mortem of failed startups, mid-market buyout funds thrive, and autonomous driving funding changes gear
Three exciting new deals from ThinkFISH: Kommu, Ingenion and Rare Breed
and much more!
Keep reading to see the latest deals, news and trends 👇.
And don’t forget to subscribe!
Apple first on the EU’s chopping block under new DMA rules - With a potential ~$38B fine (10% of its total annual revenue), Apple is the first big tech company to be charged under the EU’s Digital Markets Act – coming into force only 3 months ago.
Major record labels are coming after AI companies - The RIAA and the big three of record labels, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Bros, are suing AI companies Suno and Udio for allegedly violating their copyright “en masse”.
Win for crypto industry: SEC drops Ethereum 2.0 investigation - This marks the first time a letter of charges issued to a crypto entity has been withdrawn, signaling a more lenient regulatory environment as this year's election approaches.
An autopsy report of failed startups with hundreds of millions in funding - With investors pulling back and evolving consumer interests, regulatory hurdles, and even organizational missteps, venture-backed startups like Olive and Convoy shut down.
Mid-market buyout funds thrive against the odds - Despite investor pickiness, buyout firms brought in $31.9B across 29 middle market funds—defined as vehicles up to $5B, which accounted for nearly half of all PE capital raised in Q1 of 2024.
Funding for autonomous driving startups starts moving again - Although funding was depressingly slow in the beginning of 2024, since May 1 nearly $2.7B has come pouring into the sector with a handful of major deals, like Wayve’s $1.05B round.
How Millennials and Gen Z can travel and earn with Kommu - Kommu’s social marketplace model unlocks over 140M primary homes in the US alone where users can find and book homes through their trusted circle of friends and friends of friends while earning additional income by renting out their properties.
Meet the Founder and learn more about Kommu here.
Ingenion puts men back in control of their urinary retention - Ingenion is a UK-based medical company addressing urinary retention issues millions of men face with innovative medical solutions. The company has 4 grants awarded to date with the latest 400K Innovate-UK project starting this year.
Learn more about Ingenion and connect with the CEO here.
Rare Breed: Breaking natural health & wellness stereotypes - Rare Breed is the first nationally recognized natural health & cannabis brand that creates high-quality health and wellness products that are safer and more effective than traditional meds, with a 75% reorder rate and exclusive 5-star reviews.
Connect with the Rare Breed team and find out more here.
Are you a startup founder or VC fund looking for an opportunity to shine? Reach out here and introduce yourself!
BillionToOne raises $130M in oversubscribed Series D - The molecular diagnostics company’s latest $130M funding round led by Premji Invest brings the company’s valuation to over $1B and will be used to scale their prenatal and oncology business.
Vecna Robotics raises $100M in Series C - Backed by Tiger Global Management, Proficio Capital Partners, and IMPULSE, the AI software and robotics company will use the funds to develop new robots and expand ground-to-ground and low-lift workflows.
Emergence emerges from stealth with $97.2M in fresh funding - Yet another gen-AI startup emerges with $97.2M in funding from Learn Capital plus credit lines totaling more than $100M.
Seed investors are breaking away from top VC firms - Seed investors are increasingly choosing to build their own VC firms as opposed to becoming GPs at established VCs despite 2024 being the worst LP fundraising landscape in the decade.
US VC market is still down in H1 of 2024 - Much-anticipated tech IPOs like Stripe and Databricks are still works in progress, AI has occupied investors’ attention, and founders in other sectors search for capital as inflation and interest rates remain high.
What Vinod Khosla is worried about the most - At the Collision conference last week Khosla Ventures co-founder shared his biggest worry with society’s focus on AI (among other things) – the rising income disparity between individuals and companies.
✅ The net worth and income that put you in the top 5% of US households
✅ Why this presidential election has markets charging higher
✅ 3 high-yield dividend stocks to buy for a lifetime of passive income
Thank you for sticking until the end! Subscribe to Startup Deal Desk to get the latest deals, news, and trends in investing, startups, tech and finance straight in your inbox.
Make sure to check out Kommu, Ingenion and Rare Breed if you’re looking for promising investment opportunities.
Are you a startup founder or VC fund looking for an opportunity to shine? Reach out here and introduce yourself!
Huge thank you to ThinkFISH for powering this newsletter. Funding is hard, ThinkFISH makes it easy.
Until next time!