G.News 🗞|Your weekly dose of Tech #10
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1 | Aircall reaches Centaur status by exceeding $100M in annual recurring revenue
📞 Cloud, SaaS - Startup
💡The key success factors are strengthened partnerships, global expansion, acceleration towards mid-market customers, and investing in R&D.
💰Aircall has raised over $226M in funding, with a valuation over $1bn. Large customers contributed the most to this acceleration with a +107% YoY growth of this segment and 70% YoY growth in revenue.
Aircall is the cloud-based call center and phone system of choice for modern businesses. Aircall is built to make phone systems easy to manage and is listed in Deloitte Technology Fast 500 for leading the way in technology innovation.
2 | IBanFirst acquires Cornhill to strengthen their position against competitors
🏦 FinTech - Startup / VC
💡To simplify GBP transfers and to offer Cornhill clients access to its state-of-the-art cross-border technology.
💰This acquisition builds on iBanFirst’s partnership with investor Marlin Equity Partners and its ambition to accelerate its international expansion, strengthen its partnerships, and cement its market leadership across Europe.
iBanFirst is a global financial service provider delivering solutions across banking borders and helps international SMEs to thrive while simplifying their daily operations. Cornhill is a UK-based payment institution specializing in foreign exchange and risk management.
3 | Kaiko raises $53M in Series B, tripling its valuation
💶 Cryptocurrencies - VC
💡To further consolidate its position as the global industry reference for centralised and decentralised digital assets data services.
💰Operation led by Eight Roads, with participation from Revaia and existing investors (Alven, Point9, Anthemis and Underscore).
Kaiko is the leading cryptocurrency market data provider for institutional investors and enterprises. Kaiko’s mission is to be the foundation of the new digital finance economy by serving as a single source for market information.
4 | Front becomes a unicorn by raising $65M
🦄 Customer service, SaaS - VC
💡To accelerate investments in both product and go-to-market initiatives. Front will also use the funds to continue driving its global expansion, particularly in EMEA where the company has offices in Paris and Dublin.
💰Round led by Salesforce Ventures and Battery Ventures and with participation from PagerDuty CEO (Jennifer Tejada) and existing investors (Sequoia Capital, Threshold Ventures and Uncork Capital).
Founded and led by a French woman (Mathilde Collin), Front is a customer communication hub that allows companies to offer tailor-made service at scale. It combines the simplicity of the email inbox with the automation and insights of a CRM.
5 | €160M raised by Electra to accelerate the deployment of its electric charging stations
⚡️Sustainable infrastructure - Startup / VC
💡To accelerate its coverage of France (by deploying over 8K charging points by 2030) and expand in Europe to provide fast charging solutions.
💰Operation led by Eurazeo and with participation from RGREEN Invest, RIVE Private Investment, Serena, Groupe Chopard, SNCF (574 Invest) and RATP Group.
Electra specialises in fast charging for electric vehicle (EVs). They want to create a high-performance recharging network using the best of digital technology and the best of infrastructure.
See you next week 👋
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