Why are VCs launching SPACs? Amish Jani of FirstMark shares his firm’s rationale

It’s happening slowly but surely. With every passing week, more venture firms are beginning to announce SPACs. The veritable blitz of SPACs formed by investor Chamath Palihapitiya notwithstanding, we’ve now seen a SPAC (or plans for a SPAC) revealed by Ribbit Capital, Lux Capital, the travel-focused venture firm Thayer Ventures, Tusk Ventures’s founder Bradley Tusk, […]

Omaze raises $30M after expanding beyond celebrity campaigns

Omaze, a startup known for its celebrity-endorsed fundraisers, is announcing that it has raised $30 million in Series B funding. Some of the company’s most famous campaigns include opportunities to meet Michelle Obama, meet Star Wars cast members and visit the set of “Star Trek Beyond.” (I’ll admit that I thew my hat in the […]

Digital elective care and telemedicine provider Ro raises $200 million at a reported $1.5 billion valuation

In three years Zachariah Reitano’s startup, Ro, has managed to hit a reported $1.5 billion valuation for its transformation from a company focused on treating erectile disfunction to a telemedicine service for a range of elective and urgent care-focused treatments. Through Rory for women’s health, Roman for men’s health, and Zero for smoking cessation, Reitano’s […]

Digital elective care and telemedicine provider Ro raises $200 million at a reported $1.5 billion valuation

In three years Zachariah Reitano’s startup, Ro, has managed to hit a reported $1.5 billion valuation for its transformation from a company focused on treating erectile disfunction to a telemedicine service for a range of elective and urgent care-focused treatments. Through Rory for women’s health, Roman for men’s health, and Zero for smoking cessation, Reitano’s […]

Macro just raised $4.3M to make your never-ending Zoom calls more useful

In this pandemic world, in-person meetings are a thing of the past. Most meetings these days are done via video conference, and no company has capitalized on the shift quite like Zoom. Macro, a new FirstMark-backed company, is looking to capitalize on the capitalization. To Capitalism! Sorry. Let’s get back on track. Macro is a […]

FirstMark Capital announces new funds with a fresh $650 million in investment capital

FirstMark Capital, the NY-based VC firm whose portfolio includes Shopify, Riot Games, Pinterest, Airbnb, InVision and more, has today announced the close of its two newest investment vehicles. FirstMark IV is a $380 million early-stage fund focused on seed and Series A investments, while FirstMark Opportunity III is a $270 million vehicle dedicated to follow-on […]

FirstMark Capital announces new funds with a fresh $650 million in investment capital

FirstMark Capital, the NY-based VC firm whose portfolio includes Shopify, Riot Games, Pinterest, Airbnb, InVision and more, has today announced the close of its two newest investment vehicles. FirstMark IV is a $380 million early-stage fund focused on seed and Series A investments, while FirstMark Opportunity III is a $270 million vehicle dedicated to follow-on […]

Bonusly, the platform for employee recognition, raises $9 million Series A

Bonusly, a platform that involves the entire organization in recognizing employees and rewarding them, closed on a $9 million Series A financing round led by Access Venture Partners. Next Frontier Capital, Operator Partners and existing investor FirstMark Capital also participated in the round. Bonusly launched in 2013 when co-founder and CEO Raphael Crawford-Marks saw the […]

Schoology Cloud-Based Education Platform Lands $32 Million Series D

Course-Materials (1) Schoology, the learning management system that focuses on cloud collaboration, has today announced the close of a $32 million Series D financing led by JMI Equity, with participation from existing investors including FirstMark Capital, Intel Capital and Great Road Holdings. Schoology was founded back in 2009 and has pressed through the education sector’s slow pace of innovation to bring… Read More

Barry Silbert Launches Digital Currency Group With Funding From MasterCard, Others

bitcoin-perfecthue Less than a week after selling SecondMarket to NASDAQ, Barry Silbert has announced the official launch and and first round of funding for Digital Currency Group. Talking onstage to TechCrunch Editor John Biggs today at Money 20/20, Silbert announced that the company has closed a round from Bain Capital Ventures, Transamerica Ventures, FirstMark Capital, MasterCard, and New York Life,… Read More