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Fundraising Fridays with Irish Insights 🚀 Every fortnight, we profile the latest fundraising wins of Irish-affiliated businesses across the globe. Check out the impressive fundraising achievements of these companies that raised significant amounts recently: 🏠 CreditLogic, a digital mortgage platform, secured €3,500,000 in seed funding. Founded by Eddie Dillon, Gavin Bennett, CreditLogic streamlines bank mortgage application processes. Major investors include Enterprise Ireland and Riverside Acceleration Capital. 🔒 TRUSTAP, a platform designed to protect buyers and sellers in transactions, raised €5,080,000 in a Series A round. Founded by Conor Lyden, Trustap uses an escrow-like service to ensure secure transactions. Investors include Enterprise Ireland, MiddleGame Ventures, Atlantic Bridge, and Aperture. 🔒 Peroptyx received €1,000,000 in seed funding. Founded by Dennis Jennings, Maeve Bleahene, Pat Jones, and Paul McBride, Peroptyx specialises in data security and identity solutions, focusing on minimizing bias in machine learning training data. Investors include Enterprise Ireland and Delta Partners Ltd. 🚗 ZeroMission secured €3,000,000 in seed funding. Founded by Kevin Christopher, Leah O'Dwyer, and Paul Jervis, the company develops software for managing fleets of electric vehicles. Delta Partners, Greencode Ventures, and Vireo Ventures are among its investors. 💡 Assiduous, a fintech company specialising in digital transaction planning, raised €500,000 in a pre-seed round. Founded by Barry Murphy, CFA, Assiduous helps business owners prepare for future transactions by making companies more attractive to investors. Enterprise Ireland and EIT Digital are notable investors. 🛡️ Binarii Labs raised €400,000 in seed funding. Founded by Aidan Finn, Ciaran McNamee, Nigel Carter, and Steven Garner, the company offers SaaS solutions for financial services, accounting, legal, and ESG sectors. Key investors include Enterprise Ireland and UK Angels Group. 🎤 Skippio is focused on enhancing event-goers' experiences and boosting venue profitability and has secured €540,000 in seed funding. Founded by Daniel Coen, the company reduces queueing times at large events to improve customer satisfaction. 🚀 Solidroad, an AI-powered platform for hiring and training, raised €1,100,000 in a seed round. Founded by Patrick Finlay and Mark Hughes, the platform focuses on sales team training. 🩺 Lua Health received €500,000 in pre-seed funding. Founded by Fionn Delahunty and Mihael Arcan, the company uses AI to help organisations manage employee well-being in real-time. Investors include Enterprise Ireland and Growing Capital. Congratulations to these trailblazing companies! Did we miss any funding announcements? Lettuce know 🥬 Want to learn more global Irish investment insights? Subscribe to our irish insights newsletter via the link in our bio.

Is BOXABL going to run out of cash by the end of the year? My colleague Alex Nicoll and I explored how the success of its latest funding round will likely determine the answer to that. The maker of factory-built tiny homes is seeking to raise $64 million, which it will need as its cash supply dwindles. But as the company is asking investors to buy in, its father and son cofounders Paolo Tiramani and Galiano Tiramani are seeking to cash out. The pair want to together sell $10 million of shares they own in firm as part of the offering. Chad Cohen, a former CFO for Zillow who recently started his own consulting firm, Scala Advisors, said the decision was an unorthodox move for a company struggling to raise cash in a difficult fundraising environment. The $10 million that the Tiramanis are seeking to sell could otherwise be additional shares sold instead by Boxabl to provide the company with extra runway to launch its business. "Money that's coming into the business should be used to help support the business operations, the product and all the growth opportunities," Cohen suggested. University of Michigan professor Erik Gordon had a more ominous view. "Maybe they're afraid that if they don't sell shares now they will walk away with nothing," he said. Boxabl was once a fundraising machine, netting tens of millions of dollars in several crowdfunding rounds from everyday investors. But the company has entered a tenuous period. It's burning through nearly $3 million a month, has yet to deliver its homes to more than a handful of customers, and has struggled to navigate the thicket of regulations that dictate home building in America. Meanwhile the funding environment for startups has grown more difficult, Cohen said. Read the story at Business Insider: https://lnkd.in/dzzrS_br #tinyhomes #startupfunding #realestate

Canadian FinTech startup Chexy raises $4.1m to expand renter rewards platform The funding round was led by Venrex, accompanied by contributions from Crossbeam Ventures, Groundbreak Ventures, Antler Global, and strategic angels in the realms of real estate, FinTech, and banking. Launched in early 2023, Chexy stands out as Canada’s first platform to allow over 15 million renters nationwide to pay their rent with their preferred credit card. This innovative service not only accrues points and cashback for users but also supports their financial health by enabling automatic reporting of payments to Equifax, aiding in credit score improvement. With the Government of Canada’s recent advocacy for accessible rent reporting in its budget announcement, Chexy is at the forefront of empowering renters. The company plans to use the new funding to make its rent reporting feature free for all active users, further aligning with national policies aimed at benefiting renters. Liza Akhvledziani, CEO and Co-Founder of Chexy, emphasizes the company’s commitment to financial inclusivity, “As a newcomer to Canada myself who has gone through the challenges of navigating our credit scoring system, I am dedicated to ensuring that anyone who wishes to have their rent payments reflected on their credit report can do so — at no extra cost to our users. “Not having rent payments on the credit report is causing a significant information asymmetry between tenants and landlords, making the next apartment search hard in an incredibly competitive rental market. Not to mention, homeownership in Canada is already a pipe dream for many, so this is Chexy’s way of helping people move closer to achieving their dreams.” Ian Goldberg, Principle at Venrex, highlighted the organic growth Chexy has experienced since its launch, describing it as a “win-win-win proposition with no behavior change needed, best represented by their organic, rapid monthly user growth since launch.” The funding will also enable Chexy to extend its services beyond rent payments to include Chexy Home Services. This new venture will offer tenants a variety of household services such as tenant insurance, WiFi, phone services, and more, all integrated into the Chexy home system for a more streamlined household management experience. Chexy’s ongoing development will soon allow users to combine all household payments, including utilities and insurance, into one convenient bundle, providing significant savings. Akhvledziani said. News credit FinTech Global #news #trending #fintech #fintechnews #financenews #finance #dailynewsupdates

"... Success isn't just about the raise. To all the startups in the fight to raise capital, stay positive, stay lean and stay in the game, this is when lasting brands are built!" - David Liniado We've seen both sides - the high of creating and operating a growing startup and the low of watching as it shrinks. There are important lessons to both sides, lessons we happily share with our partner clients. #growthmindset

PROPTECH-X : News Roundup – Seven Days of Articles & Analysis: Kristjan Byfields’ proptech ‘The Depositary’ gets top level accolade from numerous industry bodies  The Depositary has just announced that they are thrilled to have been ranked 5th in BusinessCloud’s highly anticipated PropTech 50 for 2024. This annual ranking highlights the most innovative startups, scaleups, and established firms creating technology for the UK’s real estate, construction, built environment, […] #Property #startups #digitaltransformation #realestate #Proptech

VCLink's Daily Round Report (Part 1) 1. Valon, a New York-based mortgage servicing platform, has raised $100 million in its Series C round led by WestCap, with participation from a16z. The raise highlights growing momentum in the fintech space. https://lnkd.in/dRe6kcJZ 2. Ben Stanway's Moneybox, a personal finance platform, has announced a £70 million ($88.2 million) investment led by Apis Global Growth Fund III, with participation from Amundi, among others, through a secondary share sale. This marks a significant milestone for Moneybox, with a valuation of £550M and strong growth figures, including surpassing £10 billion in Assets Under Administration. https://lnkd.in/d7pvR2V9 3. Healthcare AI startup Tennr has raised $37 million in a Series B round led by Lightspeed, bringing total funding to over $61 million. Existing investors, including a16z and Foundation Capital, also participated in this round. https://lnkd.in/dqZqYpjj 4. Even, a healthcare provider, has raised $30 million to launch more hospital operations in Bengaluru and scale towards becoming a fully integrated healthcare provider. The funding round was led by Khosla Ventures, with participation from Founders Fund, 8VC, and Lachy Groom. https://lnkd.in/dpxCjFJV 5. Genmo has raised $28.4 million in a Series A round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), with participation from The House Fund, Gold House Ventures, WndrCo, Eastlink Capital, and Essence VC. The company also introduced Mochi 1, an open-source text-to-video generation model, setting a new standard for realistic motion and video generation. https://lnkd.in/dGegkKDB 6. David Mace's Pantheon AI, a San Francisco-based AI-enabled proptech company, has exited stealth and raised $25 million to accelerate its expansion into multiple U.S. geographies. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Felicis and 8VC. https://lnkd.in/dinrNqGq 7. TollBit has raised $24 million in Series A funding, led by Lightspeed, to expand their platform connecting AI companies and publishers. Section 32 and other key investors also participated. The platform helps publishers monetize their content while benefiting from AI-driven innovations. https://lnkd.in/d-AtquwA

It’s Friday which means it’s my good news blog.   1.  Congratulations to Tim Morris, who has been appointed UK CEO of international investment bank DC Advisory. He joins from Radius and previously worked at Rothschild & EY 2.  Anna Dick has taken on a full-time role as CTO at Manchester-based CMS business Capsule 3.  Anja Madsen is joining Pets at Home in April as COO after an impressive retail career in both the UK & Denmark 4.  Global payments leader Corpay has moved from King Street, Manchester into the new Bond building in Mosley Street. Good luck to Mark Deans & Harry Thomasson 5.  Another company to move into Bruntwood’s Bond building is Australian unicorn SafetyCulture. The tech firm will occupy a 10,000 sq ft space. Good luck to SafetyCulture’s COO & CFO John Blake   6.  Lancashire County Council has bolstered its innovation team with the appointment of Claire Lambert & Tom W. as marketing project officer & monitoring and evaluation project officer respectively   7.  Global executive search firm Granger Reis has opened an office in the Globe & Simpson Building on Quay Street, Manchester, which is headed up by Steve Dargan 8.  Andy Bell CBE BSc. FIA, founder of AJ Bell, is to become chairman of Liverpool-based Applied Nutrition, which was founded by Thomas Ryder   9.  BankiFi & Praetura Group is to launch a new lending-as-a-service solution that aims to boost SMEs' access to funding. Congrats to BankiFi’s CEO Mark Hartley & Peadar O'Reilly, CEO of Praetura Lending   10.               Location Sciences has completed its reverse takeover of Manchester-based delivery tech platform Sorted. Sorted Holdings Limited has been renamed Sorted Group Holdings and admitted to the AIM market of the LSE. Simon Wilkinson has been appointed chairman of Sorted. Well done to him and CEO Carmen Carey   11.               Clemens Wangerin ➡️ GDC, best known for his time at Liverpool-based vTime, has become a business adviser to Skyhook Games   12.               Wondrwall Group, an intelligent home technology provider, has appointed David Buzby as chair. Well done to him and CEO Daniel Burton   13.               Ian Turner, FCIPD has taken on the role of chief of people and place at UA92. He previously worked at TalkTalk 14.               Seneca Property has acquired 55 Princess Street in Manchester. Top effort to Seneca Property’s CEO Jeff Morton BSc (Hons) MRICS & MD Chris Bullough   15.               Manchester-based electronics company Smartkem has announced a JV with Shanghai Tianma Microelectronics Co. Ian Jenks is the chairman & CEO of Smartkem   16.               SocialNorth is launching a new four-event series called ECOMM NORTH, kicking off on March 14. Justin Clark is the founder of SocialNorth   17.                               Shout-out to non-cyclist Kellie Noon FHEA, co-founder of Interkultura, who is embarking on a 150-mile bike ride in aid of Smart Works, a UK charity that dresses and coaches unemployed women for their job interview

PUDGY PENGUINS DEVELOPER RAISES $11M FOR NEW L2 NETWORK ‘ABSTRACT’ - Igloo Inc, the development company behind the now-industry leading PudgyPenguins NFT franchise, has just unveiled the raise of a fresh $11 million to establish Cube Labs. - In turn, Cube Labs will oversee the development of ‘Abstract’ - a new layer-2 network tailor-made to drive mass consumer adoption. - Founders Fund led the round, but was joined by tier-one crypto VCs including Fenbushi, 1kx, Selini Capital, and Everest Ventures Group. “Pudgy Penguins has the best 0 to 1 distribution edge we’ve seen in the crypto space. Instead of paying massive amounts to acquire users, they acquire them organically through the Pudgy brand… Abstract is built for everyone — not just cryptonatives — and we’re extremely happy to be supporting them on this journey” … said Joey Krug, Partner at Founders Fund, per Venture Beat. - Abstract aims to drive mass adoption by making it easier than ever to build dApps within its ecosystem. - It even provides “dedicated builder and brand support” through the network’s Foundation. - Abstract’s team is equally impressive, founded by two Pudgy Penguins executives (including Luca Netz), as well as the former-Head of Growth at zkSync. Image: AbstractChain

“Be a cereal entrepreneur.” In 2007, Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, the founders of Airbnb, relocated to San Francisco following their graduation from the Rhode Island School of Design. They had difficulty covering the cost of rent due to their lack of employment. Noticing the frequent full bookings of San Francisco hotels, especially during conferences or events, they saw a chance. They created the idea of an "Air Bed & Breakfast." The concept was to provide a bed and breakfast in their home, including an air mattress. With the affordable rate of $80 per night, they quickly found three guests to book a room. Ironically, many individuals these days incorrectly assume that the "Air" in Airbnb is connected to operating an online company, when in fact it represented simple, unremarkable air mattresses. Even though they had a good start, they faced difficulties in attracting additional users to the platform. Requiring funds to stay above water, they had a discussion with 15 angel investors, all of them declined the proposal, with half not even responding to Airbnb's initial email. Due to being desperate, they opted to utilize a credit card for temporary financing. The situation rapidly progressed to numerous credit cards, resulting in cofounder Brian Chesky accumulating $30,000 in credit card debt. They aimed to attract more users by focusing on the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, where Obama was scheduled to address a crowd of 80,000. But soon realized they needed to do something extra. They utilized their design expertise to create specially-designed cereal boxes featuring Obama and McCain, labeled as “Obama O’s: The Breakfast of Change” and “Capn’ McCains: A Maverick in Every Bite.” Upon obtaining numerous printed boxes through a connection at Rhode Island School of Design, they purchased the most affordable cereal available and filled their shopping carts. In their apartment, they manually folded the boxes and secured them with a hot glue gun. By marketing the product as a rare collector's item, they were able to sell it for $40 per box. Strangely, they managed to sell $30,000 worth of cereal. And that is how they stayed above water. The $30,000 helped them stay financially stable. Only temporarily. Their bank accounts were again in the negative zone by the conclusion of 2008. In dire need of money, they sought funding from Y Combinator, a startup accelerator. Following the presentation to founder Paul Graham, he did not find the idea impressive. Nevertheless, at the conclusion of the interview, the co-founders presented to him the box of cereal they were retailing for $40. Upon revealing how they earned $30,000 from the product, Paul Graham expressed astonishment by suggesting that if people can be persuaded to spend $40 on a $4 box of cereal, they might also be convinced to stay in unfamiliar individuals' residences. Y Combinator provided the resources, stability, and guidance required for them to concentrate on Airbnb.

Delighted to welcome Chris Moreno, "Mr Proptech"  as a global VIP on PropTechBuzz. Chris Moreno has been nicknamed "Mr PropTech" for his love of technology and real estate. With 20+ years in Real Estate, Enterprise, Procurement, and Tech, Chris is a seasoned Entrepreneur, Investor, and Advisor. Chris also has helped launch 4 startups and 2 VC Funds, had a successful exit in 2018, navigated startup challenges and fundraises, and his teams have analyzed 10,000+ startups. Chris is also the CEO and Co-founder of Infinite Niches, a consulting group working with Multifamily Owners & Managers, VCs and PropTech Founders on Executive Coaching, Business Operations, Strategy, Go-To-Market, & Growth. Passionate about problem-solving in Real Estate, Chris is an advocate of mentorship in the industry. As an Advisor and Mentor to VC Funds and Industry teams, including NAHREP - National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals®, Atlanta Tech Village, Techstars, and more, Chris believes in paying it forward. His most cherished role? Raising his 3 kids with his wife Carlisle in Atlanta. Chris brings a wealth of experience from roles at Macy's, Laundry Locker, DropLocker, Luxer One, Xeal and On Deck. Chris is also a podcast host and speaker focused on "The Built World", which includes PropTech, Logistics, Automation, Enterprise, Operations, & Sustainability in Multifamily, Commercial & SFH Real Estate. PropTechBuzz's VIP community is invite only for the prominent leaders in the proptech industry. The golden frame and the VIP blue tick badge appears on their profiles and and brings the following privileges: 1. Visibility: Stand out as a premium user in the PTB community and build your personal brand. 2. LeaderBoard: Be prominently placed amongst other leaders in your proptech category 3. Credibility: The verified badge adds a layer of trust and transparency to your profile. 4. Priority Placement: Get featured prominently in PTB search results. 5. Profile Analytics: Gain insights into your profile views. 6. Custom Handle: Personalize your profile URL with a premium handle. 7. Category Page Listing: Have your profile highlighted in the relevant category page on PTB. 8. Private DM access to other VIPs. And many more exciting privileges in the coming weeks. If you are a proptech founder/CEO or any prominent name in proptech and want to join the VIP club, fill your nominations in the Google form given in the comment.