Fintech funding tumbles, inside Black Founders Matters’ first fund, and more - March 8, 2022

March 8, 2022 [Enthusiasm for fintech funding wanes]( VCs’ enthusiasm for fintech, which ranked as the hottest sector for startup investment last year, is showing signs of waning. In the past two weeks, a total of 51 fintech companies across the globe collectively raised $1.1 billion in seed through late-stage venture funding, per Crunchbase data. This represents a definite drop. [Inside VC firm Black Founders Matters’ first fund]( Portland-based Black Founders Matter, a new VC firm focused on investing in Black founder-led companies, closed $3 million for its first fund. The firm is among a growing group of micro VCs investing specifically in diverse founders. [How AI will cure the American health care system]( The lack of access to health insurance Americans face leads to higher morbidity and hospitalization rates for otherwise preventable problems, driving up medical costs overall. Instead of placing an even greater burden on health care personnel, America’s health care system should look to AI, argues Flint Capital’s Sergey Gribov. [These recently public companies are worth less than they raised]( Many venture-backed companies that went public last year have created little value beyond the capital invested in them. Some are even worth less than the capital they raised. That’s the finding from our review of valuations for recently public companies that were among the largest recipients of venture funding. [Are the good times over for startups?]( Sources we spoke with say although funding deals are still being made, valuations are sinking and some companies are reevaluating their fundraising efforts amid a maelstrom of geopolitical tensions, inflation, expected interest rate hikes, and a seemingly never-ending pandemic. [Outbound prospecting: Your guide to success in 2022]( In sales, outbound prospecting is all about the pursuit. But, before you embark on the hunt for prospects, you need to know what outbound prospecting is and why it’s an important sales strategy. Here are five secrets to outbound success that will help you close more deals in 2022. [Enhance Your Sales Team’s Prospecting]( [Crunchbase Enterprise is an all-in-one prospecting solution. Download this product overview sheet to learn how to close more deals without the headache.]( [Download Now]( Crunchbase Pro: Searches and Lists Name Type Entries [Venture Capital Investors]( Investors 8807 [Venture debt firms with 10+ investments]( Investors 94 [Companies that went public in the last year]( Companies 1543 [More Featured Searches and Lists]( [Check out our Crunchbase solutions here]( – prospecting tools made for everyone Recent Investments [Splunk]( [$1.4B]( / [Post-IPO Equity]( Splunk is a software company that provides operational intelligence software that monitors, reports, and analyzes real-time machine data. Categories: Analytics • Information Technology • Intelligent Systems • Machine Learning • Real Time Founders: [Erik Swan]( [Michael Baum]( [Rob Das]( Investors: [Hellman & Friedman]( (Lead) [iQiyi]( [$285M]( / [Post-IPO Equity]( iQiyi is an ad-supported television and movie portal providing fully-licensed, high-definition media content. Categories: Content • Media and Entertainment • TV Founders: [Yu Gong]( Investors: [Baidu]( [Oasis Management]( [Immutable]( [$200M]( / [Series C]( Immutable provides a blockchain infrastructure that transforms digital asset ownership in the video-gaming industry. Categories: Blockchain • Gaming • Trading Platform Founders: [James Ferguson]( [Robbie Ferguson]( Investors: [Temasek Holdings]( (Lead), [AirTree Ventures]( [Alameda Research]( [+ 12 more]( More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [Volocopter]( $170M / [Series E]( [WP Investment]( [CredAvenue]( $137M / [Series B]( [B Capital Group]( [Captain Fresh]( $50M / [Series C]( [Prosus Ventures]( [Convelio]( $35M / [Series B]( [Alma Mundi Ventures]( [Flume Health]( $30M / [Series A]( [Optum Ventures]( [Zeta]( $30M / [Venture Round]( [Mastercard]( [AssemblyAI]( $28M / [Series A]( [Accel]( [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [EdgeCast]( Pending acquisition by [Limelight Networks]( for $300M More Acquisitions Company Acquired By Amount [VitaCare]( [GoodRx]( $150M [All Recent Acquisition Activity]( #{Rails.configuration.daily.cb_url} Discover innovative companies and the people behind them. [Follow Us on Crunchbase]( [View Jobs on LinkedIn]( [Follow Us on Twitter]( [Like Us on Facebook]( 564 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94104 © 2022 Crunchbase Inc. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Service]( [Unsubscribe]( from Crunchbase Daily.