In 2020, venture capital funds in the US withstood the effects of the coronavirus recession and broke a long list of records, according to a report by PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association. For the first time, total dealmaking topped $150 billion, a resurgence of initial public offerings pushed exits to a record $290 billion, and venture capital funds raised $73.6 billion, outstripping the previous record of $68.1 billion in 2018.
Harness, a software startup focused on continuous integration and continuous delivery, raised $115 million in its combined Series B1 and C funding rounds, giving the company a $1.7 billion valuation. The company uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate software development and deployment.
Mosaic, a startup software platform that assists chief financial officers, raised $18.5 million in its Series A funding round. The system is designed to process data from a variety of sources to provide key forecasts to CFOs and their teams.
Capsule, a startup video Q&A platform tailored to the needs of companies that manage brands, raised $2 million in pre-seed funding that included an investment from Bloomberg Beta. With the new capital it will hire a product designer and add new features to its platform.
Goldman Sachs is partnering with digital payments startup Marqeta to offer checking accounts through its consumer banking unit, Marcus. Marqeta's technology will help the bank provide virtual debit cards and allow customers to tap real-time information about their spending.
London-based satellite broadband startup OneWeb has received a $1.4 billion investment from Hughes Network Systems and SoftBank Group. OneWeb said that will be enough money to finish getting a fleet of 648 satellites into orbit.
KONUX, a German startup whose technology is used to improve the efficiency of railroad networks, raised $80 million in its most recent funding round. With the new capital it will hire 100 software engineers and data scientists to broaden the range of its product offerings.
Carbon capture technology startup Blue Planet Systems has received an investment from the Future Energy Fund, which makes investments for Chevron. The two companies signed a letter of intent agreeing to work together on lower-carbon technologies.
Health care data analytics startup NoviSci has been acquired by one of its competitors, Target RWE. As part of the deal, one of NoviSci's backers, Amgen, is making an investment in the combined entity.
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