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Jobber closes $100 million USD Series D amid strong demand for home services (BETAKIT)
As other tech companies face difficulty raising cash, Jobber has secured capital with claims its customer base has seen strong demand from consumers for necessary home services. Jobber hit $100 million in revenue in 2022, but the company's CEO still sees plenty of room to grow.
UK regulator deals blow to Microsoft’s $75bn Activision deal (FINANCIAL TIMES)
The Competition and Markets Authority on Wednesday said the deal could “result in higher prices, fewer choices, or less innovation for UK gamers” and weaken the “important rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation gaming consoles.” It could also stifle competition in the nascent market of cloud gaming.
Fight brews over Magnet Forensics’ proposed $1.8 billion acquisition by Thoma Bravo (BETAKIT)
Nellore opposes the Canadian cybersecurity firm’s acquisition by American private equity giant Thoma Bravo on the grounds that the current price tag undervalues Magnet.
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The End of the Zoom Boom (WIRED)
Yesterday, the video conferencing platform cut 15 percent of its staff, or about 1,300 people. That came after Zoom had tripled its head count in two years. “We didn’t take as much time as we should have to thoroughly analyze our teams or assess if we were growing sustainably, toward the highest priorities,” said Zoom’s CEO Eric Yua.
Alphabet commences Canadian layoffs (BETAKIT)
Alphabet Inc. began laying off Canadian employees on Monday as part of its previously announced reduction of 12,000 staff members globally. While American staff were let go when the six percent reduction was first announced, international workers, including those in Canada, had yet to be informed about whether they were affected.
Nextracker raises $638 million in year's largest IPO (AXIOS)
This is the largest U.S. IPO since Mobileye went public last October, and the largest solar energy IPO in more than two years. It also comes on the same week that three other companies are planning to raise at least $150 million in IPOs of their own, suggesting something of a market thaw.
RBC acquires Canadian operations of US proptech startup Ojo (BETAKIT)
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Ojo provides an end-to-end platform for buying and selling homes that enables users to search for homes and access a network of industry experts.
Funding Slowdown? Not For Climate And Clean Energy Software (CRUNCHBASE)
Positive indicators are scarcer. That’s why it’s encouraging to see at least one small sign of positive momentum coming from the startup sector. It comes in the form of more money.
Raven.ai aims to address supply chain issues following $12 million USD Series A (BETAKIT)
Founded in 2013 by McGill graduate Martin Cloake, Raven’s overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) improvement software aims to help address labour costs and mitigate supply chain inefficiencies by providing overviews of equipment effectiveness and production losses.
U.S. FTC will not appeal decision allowing Meta to purchase VR content maker Within (REUTERS)
Judge Edward Davila of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California last week declined to stop Meta from acquiring the VR content maker, rejecting the regulator's concerns the deal would reduce competition in a new market.
Thinkific, WonderFi, VerticalScope face leadership changes following layoffs (BETAKIT)
Thinkific, WonderFi, and VerticalScope are the latest companies to publicly announce departures in their leadership teams as the tech sector grapples with a volatile market.
34-year-old’s startup, worth $1.5 billion and backed by Google, wants to make tutoring free for kids everywhere (CNBC)
“I was never thinking of building a huge business,” said Phil Cutler, CEO and founder of Paper. “My idea was, let’s solve this problem for the students at the school that I was affiliated with [and] try to level the playing field for all of them.”
GSoft acquires Didacte to bolster employee engagement software suite (BETAKIT)
After hitting an annual recurring revenue of $100 million in 2021, which gave GSoft the designation as a ‘centaur,’ the company is now aiming to pursue growth by acquiring more companies—starting with Didacte.