Weekly Round Up: 12/23/20

At Greenspring we believe in venture capital's ability to propel innovation, job creation and positive societal change. We celebrate those who think differently, take measured risk and challenge perceptions. Here's what's trending in VC this week:

📈More SPACS? Normalized valuations? Another hot year for M&A and IPOs? Read the 2021 market predictions from the experts, including leaders from Greenspring managers NFX, Bessemer Venture Partners, CRV and Lightspeed Venture Partners here. 

🌐Curious about the startups poised to soar in 2021? Business Insider recently curated a list of 81 companies according to some of the top VCs from Silicon Valley including Greenspring managers Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners and Accel. Read the full list here. 

📶As has been widely reported in the press, this week Congress passed a $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill providing much-needed assistance to individuals and small businesses affected by the pandemic, including direct payments to individuals, an extension of unemployment benefits, and grants for shuttered performance venue operators. Coverage of the bill is available here, here, and here.

Lydia, a French financial super-app that helps with direct payments and more, has raised $86 million in Series B financing led by Greenspring manager Accel. Read more here. 

Sofar Ocean, the company behind the Spotter ocean sensor backed by Greenspring managers Craft Ventures and True Ventures, has now spread enough sensors to collect data on half of the world’s oceans. Their target by the end of 2021 is to cover the rest. Each sensor provides real-time wave, wind, temperature and ocean current information that helps out with weather forecast prediction. Read more about their work here. #VCforGood

Avenue 8, a mobile first residential real estate brokerage with new tools for agents to source, list and sell homes, has raised $4 million in recent financing led by Greenspring manager Craft Ventures. Read more here.

“I’ve been an operator, then an executive and a director of a public company, and now president. I feel really lucky because not all founders get to see all the different chapters.” Congratulations to Michelle Zatlyn of Cloudflare on her promotion to President! Women only represent about 16% of the managers in tech companies and Cloudflare continues to lead the charge. Read more here. #WomenInTech 

Projector, a graphic design platform that encourages designers to collaborate with other creatives, has raised $10 million in Series B financing led by Greenspring manager Foundry Group with participation from Greenspring manager Mayfield Fund. Read more here. 

Congratulations to Greenspring manager Imaginary Ventures on successfully raising their second fund! We are thrilled to continue to partner with Natalie and Nick as they invest in fashion tech and retail in untapped consumer markets, with an emphasis on mission-driven brands and diverse entrepreneurs who understand their customers. Read more here. 

The pandemic has provided unexpected results for many and some businesses have thrived while others have had to pivot - but what happens when we return to daily life? Rachel Drori, founder and CEO of Lightspeed-backed Daily Harvest, discusses her plans for when the work-from-home lunch crowd returns to the office here.

In the aftermath of COVID-19, Founders have started to become more concerned about where to locate their next startup venture or whether it needs a specific geographical location at all. How do you make this decision? What should you consider? James Currier, General Partner at Greenspring manager NFX, discusses the underlying patterns for Founder decisions and more here.   

Curious about the future of tech work in 2021? IT and tech leaders including Eric Anderson, Principal at Greenspring manager Scale Venture Partners, discuss what’s next for remote work, AI, cybersecurity and more here. 

We are excited to announce the launch of Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained, a podcast about Limited Partners who think differently about allocating to venture. With this podcast, we sit down with LPs to unpack what makes a strong GP/LP relationship, how they think about investing and portfolio construction, deal diligence, the macro environment, and more. In our inaugural episode, Greenspring Partner Hunter Somerville sits down with Ryan Rathman and Travis Haney from the State of Michigan Department of Treasury Bureau of Investments. Listen to the episode here.

Our #JobOfTheWeek this week is from NorthOne, an American challenger bank for businesses, backed by Greenspring manager Redpoint. NorthOne is looking to hire a Senior Mobile Developer to help with their expanding functionality. Sound like something of interest? Apply here. 

The content here is for informational purposes only and should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice. It does NOT constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase any investment or a recommendation to buy or sell a security. In fact, the content is not directed to any investor or potential investor and may not be used to evaluate or make any investment.