Funding Watch is Localogy’s series that tracks funding to SMB-focused startups and tech providers. See the rest of the series here.
Things continue to heat up in SMB Saas. For those unfamiliar, this sector is represented by companies that build software tools for small businesses. It’s everything from “front of the house” marketing and customer acquisition tools, to “back of the house,” operational management (think: payroll).
This is a wide range of companies and opportunities, as shown in Localogy Insider’s daily coverage. As a byproduct of that editorial process, we’re exposed to lots of deal flow (even in the current environment). So for the latest Funding Watch post, we’re rounding up recent SMB-Saas funding inflows.
Here’s the latest roundup of the top 10 funding rounds, listed in order of investment dollars. Unlike the last roundup, this batch doesn’t necessarily scream out “pandemic-centric” capital investments. It’s a varied lot, perhaps signaling rebounding investor confidence across sectors. Here’s the full list…
— Design software darling Canva has raised $60 million from Bond, General Catalyst, Sequoia Capital China, Felicis Ventures and Blackbird Ventures. This brings its total funding to $300 million and its valuation to $6 billion. The company democratizes professional graphic design for individuals and SMBs.
— Sales automation provider Outreach has raised a $50 million Series F round led by Sands Capital, with participation from Salesforce Ventures, Spark Capital, Mayfield and several others. The company focuses on one piece of the CRM workflow to help salespeople optimize leads and close deals.
— Guest management startup SevenRooms has raised $50 million in Series B funding from Providence Strategic Growth, Amazon’s Alexa Fund and Comcast Ventures. Its software helps restaurants, hotels, and other public venues manage and optimize the flow of incoming guests.
— Landing page optimization company Unbounce has raised $38.4 million from Crest Rock Partners. The company helps SMBs create and run landing pages to direct customers for inbound marketing and lead cultivation. The AI-driven system eases creation for several product-specific pages.
— Productivity software provider ClickUp has closed a $35 million Series A round led by Craft Ventures, with participation from Georgian Partners. The company competes with productivity tools (e.g. Slack) with a$5 per-user per-month suite for task management, document collaboration and enterprise chat.
— Gurgaon India- based Aye Finance has raised $27.5 million in Series E financing led by Google’s CapitalG, with participation from LGT Lightstone, Falcon Edge Capital, A91 Partners and MAJ Invest. The SMB-focused lender and neo-bank has disbursed almost $400 million in loans cumulatively.
— Fintech startup Memo Bank has raised a $22.5 million funding round from BlackFin Capital Partners, Daphni, BpiFrance and several angel investors. The challenger bank (a.k.a. neo-bank) offers mobile banking and lower-friction approaches to the full suite of SMB banking services.
— African fintech startup Chipper Cash has closed a $13.8 million Series A funding round led by Deciens Capital. The Joe Montana-backed company is a cross-border payments service that lowers barriers for transactions for SMBs and individuals across several African countries.
— Employee wellness startup Origin has raised a $12 million funding round led by Felicis Ventures, with participation from General Catalyst and Founders Fund. The company’s software automates and optimizes employee wellness programs, pursuant to greater employee retention and tax incentives.
— GoFor Industries has raised a $9.5 million funding round led by Builders VC, with participation from CEMEX Ventures, Mucker Capital, Plug & Play Ventures, Panache Ventures, and others. The company’s logistics software manages construction materials supply chain and last-mile delivery.