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Goldman Sachs and MasterCard bet big on new payment startup, the USA lags behind in climate investing

News in VC this week

  • Atomico raises $1.24 billion for European startups: The firm raised $1.24 billion across two funds: $485 million for early-stage investments and $754 million for growth-stage startups, from Series B to pre-IPO. (Source: The Next Web)

  • MCJ raises $80.6 million for climate tech investments: Boston-based firm will be investing in early-stage startups focusing on climate resilience and energy transition. The firms puts particular interest in carbon capture, sustainable infrastructure and energy storage. This is MCJ’s second fund. (Source: ImpactAlpha)

The Graph

Investments from the past week

Seed

Fastn (USA) - $2.5m: Simplifying data integration for non-coding analysts
AI & SaaS

Platform streamlining the integration of multiple data sources through a unified API. This no-code/low-code solution enables developers to create abstraction layers, design data queries and mutations, monitor data flows, troubleshoot issues, and optimize system performance. With this, users can accelerate API development and expedite time-to-market for their products. The company recently secured $2.5 million in seed funding, led by Antler and LiveOak Ventures, with participation from Chris Bach and Kyle Hency.

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Flex (USA) - $3.2m: Accepting new payment methods
FinTech & HealthTech

Platform enabling businesses to easily accept flexible spending accounts (FSA) and health savings account (HSA) card payments. The company offers a ready-to-use hosted checkout page or customizable UI components that integrate seamlessly into existing payment systems. By accepting HSA/FSA payments, businesses can attract new customers, increase cart sizes, and boost conversion rates. Flex recently secured $3.2 million in seed funding, led by Harvest Venture Partners, Precursor Ventures, and Liquid 2 Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator and SV Angel.

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Entalpic (France) - $9.39m: Sustainable industrial chemistry
Manufacturing, AI & CleanTech

AI-driven platform focused on revolutionizing industrial chemistry by discovering new chemical processes and materials that reduce carbon footprints. The platform designs catalysts to optimize energy storage, fertilizer production, and pollution control, blending open and proprietary research to help industries transition to sustainable practices. The company raised €8.5 million in seed funding led by Breega, Cathay Innovation, and Felicis, with participation from Thomas Wolf and others. The funds will support global expansion and further decarbonization efforts in the chemical industry.

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Rebalance Earth (UK) - $7.24m: Restoring biodiversity through blockchain
Crypto/Blockchain, CleanTech & LifeSciences

Platform enhancing biodiversity and restoring ecological resilience, focusing on critically endangered species such as African Forest Elephants. The company utilizes blockchain technology and voluntary carbon markets, employing advanced methodologies to capture carbon dioxide and improve ecosystem health. Recently, the company secured €5.9 million in seed funding from the West Yorkshire Pension Fund, giving the company a pre-money valuation of €15 million. The funds will be used to assemble a team of experts and initiate projects to restore landscapes and seascapes throughout the UK.

Series A

Rentberry (USA) - $90m: Home rentals with transparency
Real Estate Tech

Decentralized platform that simplifies the long-term home rental process for tenants and landlords. By utilizing a transparent rental auction system with the ability for users to submit custom offers, Rentberry aims to reduce conflicts and make the rental process smoother and more efficient. The company recently raised $90 million in Series A funding, led by Berkeley Hills Capital and GTM Capital, pushing its pre-money valuation to $910 million.

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Adden Energy (USA) - $15m: Bettering solid-state battery technology
CleanTech & Manufacturing

Solid-state batteries that showcase fast charge times and long-lasting capacity retention, aiming to drive mass adoption of electric vehicles. The company is focused on creating next-generation battery technologies that allow for more efficient energy storage. Adden Energy recently secured $15 million in funding from undisclosed investors, bringing its pre-money valuation to $30 million.

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retraced (Germany) - $16.6m: Empowering sustainable supply-chains for fashion
SupplyChain Tech & AI

Sustainable supply chain management platform tailored for fashion brands looking to meet their sustainability objectives. Leveraging artificial intelligence, the platform gathers data from the supply chain, covering aspects like suppliers, working conditions, materials, certifications, and environmental impacts. This information is then shared with customers, enabling fashion brands to make more informed and responsible purchasing decisions. retraced recently raised €15 million in funding led by Samaipata, F-LOG Ventures, and ALSTIN Capital, with participation from Alante Capital and Partech.

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Péntech (Hungary) - $13.28 m: Affordable lithium power solutions
E-Commerce, FinTech & SaaS

Digital factoring platform designed to streamline financial management and financing for businesses. The platform provides online administration for bank loans, receivable management, and financial advice, while allowing flexible payment terms for business buyers and enabling instant payments to sellers. The company raised €12 million funding, led by Platina Capital, with participation from MBH Bank, Quantic Financial Solutions, BNL Start Partners, STRT Holding, and Advance Global Capital. The funds will support the company’s expansion beyond Central and Eastern Europe.

Series B

Finally (USA) - $200m: Automated bookkeeping for SMBs with AI
FinTech & SaaS

Bookkeeping software designed to automate accounting and finance tasks for SMBs. The platform utilizes artificial intelligence and a robotic accounting engine to handle tasks like automated expense categorization, bank reconciliation, and document retrieval. This allows SMBs to efficiently manage their financials, reduce accounting costs, and save significant time. Finally raised $200 million in Series B funding through a combination of debt and equity. The $50 million equity portion was led by PeakSpan Capital, while $150 million in debt came from undisclosed lenders.

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Formo (Germany) - $61m: Innovative, sustainable dairy alternatives
FoodTech

Clean, vegan-friendly dairy products by utilizing fermentation and biotechnology to create real dairy proteins. Their process transforms nutrients into milk proteins, offering consumers sustainable, healthy, and equitable dairy alternatives. Formo recently raised $61 million in Series B funding, led by M Ventures, Happiness Capital, and Foodlabs, with participation from REWE Group and nine other investors.

Series C 

ArsenalBio (USA) - $325m: Programmable cell therapies to fight cancer
LifeSciences & Oncology

Programmable cell therapy company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing curative immune cell therapies. Utilizing a full-stack research and development engine, the company creates multifunctional T-cell therapies through the precise insertion of large synthetic DNA sequences. These next-generation autologous T-cell therapies aim to help clinicians defeat cancer. The company recently raised $325 million in Series C funding, led by Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Hitachi Ventures, with participation from Regeneron Ventures, NVentures, SoftBank Investment Advisers, and others.

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Form3 (UK) - $220m: Payments reimagined for financial institutions
FinTech & SaaS

Cloud-based payment technology that offers seamless payment processing, clearing, and settlement services. Through its platform, businesses can access agency payment services via an API, operating on a per-transaction model with no upfront costs. Form3 provides secure and reliable connections to various payment schemes and banking partners. The company recently raised $220 million in Series C funding, led by The Goldman Sachs Group, with participation from MasterCard and five other investors, bringing its pre-money valuation to $350 million. The funds will support the company's expansion, with a particular focus on entering the U.S. market, where they are in advanced discussions with several banks.

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