StrictlyVC: July 25, 2016

Hi, happy Monday, everyone!

Some quick notes before we get started. Our September event is now sold out, though feel free to join our waitlist and we’ll happily squeeze you in if we have any cancellations. We’re also very excited to announce that author, entrepreneur, and former Google exec Kim Malone Scott and investor Hunter Walk are joining the program to talk about “radical candor,” a movement that also been likened to “front-stabbing.” (You’ll want to learn more.)

Giant thanks again to our sponsors, including Ballou PR, which has been helping European and U.S.-based startups navigate the European media world for the last dozen-plus years; the seed-stage hardware investing firm Bolt, with offices in San Francisco and Boston; and Mattermark, the San Francisco-based company that’s busily organizing the world’s business information.

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Top News in the A.M.

It’s official. Yahoo has sold to Verizon for $4.8 billion. CEO Marissa Mayer is staying onboard the company, she says, though she hasn’t disclosed for how long.

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CrunchFund Has a New Partner in Susan Hobbs

CrunchFund has a new partner, and it didn’t need to look far for her, either.

Last week, Susan Hobbs joined the five-year-old, seed-stage outfit from Y Combinator, where she spent the last 15 months as Y Combinator’s director of programming and events. But as readers may recall, Hobbs had spent the previous four years as director of global programming right here at TechCrunch, where she helped select and recruit tech leaders to the Disrupt stage.

CrunchFund was famously co-founded by TechCrunch cofounder Michael Arrington, who launched the San Francisco-based firm with former college friend and longtime VC Patrick Gallagher.

CrunchFund is currently raising its third fund and targeting $30 million fund, according to an SEC filing. Assuming it closes on that amount, it will be very much in line with its previous two funds, which closed with $32 million and $27 million, respectively.

Gallagher, who declined to comment on CrunchFund’s newest fund, remains managing partner at the firm. Arrington stepped away from it last spring, owing to health concerns, and now serves as an advisor.

More here.

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New Fundings

Bluebridge, a five-year-old, Indianapolis software-as-a-service startup that has developed a mobile app communication platform allowing organizations to connect with their audience, has raised $3 million Series A funding from Cultivation Capital, with participation from Allos Ventures. St. Louis Business Journal has more here.

Kandou Bus, a five-year-old, Lausanne, Switzerland-based company that has developed a chip-to-chip link technology, has raised $15 million from Bessemer Venture Partners. More here.

SNÉ, a three-year-old, Ra’anana, Israel-based startup that provides commercialization of intellectual property for more than 40 Israeli colleges and government-funded research institutes and hospitals, has raised $2.5 million in funding from Arieli Capital. Globes has more here.

StackPath, a Dallas, Tex.-based cybersecurity startup, has raised $150 million in Series A funding from ABRY Partners in one of the largest single rounds for a security platform. TechCrunch has more here.

Tide, a 1.5-year-old, London-based mobile-first banking service for small businesses, has raised $2 million in seed funding from Passion Capital and numerous individual investors. TechCrunch has more here.

Tricida, a three-year-old, South San Francisco-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on chronic therapies for patients with chronic kidney disease, has raised $55 million in Series C funding led by Longitude Capital, with participation from Vivo Capital and earlier backers OrbiMed, Sibling Capital Ventures and Limulus Venture Partners. The company has now raised $95 million to date. More here.

Zoomcar, a four-year-old, Bangalore, India-based car rental company that lets individuals rent by the hour or day, is raising $25 million in Series C funding from Ford Smart Mobility, Reliance Venture Asset Management and Sequoia Capital, according to Business Standard, which says the deal represents Ford’s first investment in India. More here.

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Exits

Indian classifieds startup Quikr has acquired Hiree, a hiring startup focused on white-collar jobs with over 2,000 employer partners. Terms of the deal aren’t being disclosed. Hiree had raised $6 million from IDG Ventures India and numerous angel investors. Quickr has raised close to $350 million from investors, including Tiger Global. TechCrunch has more here.

Teradata, the publicly listed, U.S.-based big data company, has acquired Big Data Partnership, a London-based startup that provides training to help companies become more savvy in the use of big data. Terms of the deal aren’t disclosed. Big Data Partnership has raised just over £4 million in funding, backed primarily by Beringea.

Publicly traded WorkDay has agreed to acquire Platfora, a four-year-old, San Mateo, Ca.-based maker of big data management software for undisclosed terms. According to CrunchBase, Platfora had raised roughly $95 million in funding, including from Allegis Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and Battery Ventures. Fortune has more here.
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People

Cyanogen, which has struggled in its quest to sell Android phone makers on an alternative to Google’s version of Android, is making significant staff cuts.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly “spending time” with actress Amber Heard. (Again, it’s not that we care about these things, but we thought you might.)

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Jobs

Siemens Venture Capital is looking to hire an associate. The job is in Boston.

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Essential Reads

Tesla and Solar City are nearing a merger agreement.

How and where to stream the Democratic National Convention.

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Detours

The right way to bribe your kids to read.

The weird, wild world of death fraud.

Ask for an odd number, and 20 other tips for getting the salary you want.

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Retail Therapy

Something to keep you cool.


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