Funding flows freely to water-saving startups

​​ Plus, layoffs and top 10 deals February 12, 2024 Hi, {NAME}. It’s estimated that more than 650 million people in almost 40 countries suffer from water scarcity. Groundwater supplies worldwide are under serious threat due to population growth, industrial development, overuse, climate change and poor water management. The good news? For [startups tackling some of the existential problems related to water]( investor money is flowing, with VCs often writing the biggest checks to the companies taking on the biggest problems. Plus, last week’s [tech layoffs]( and [10 largest funding deals](. 💧[Funding flows freely to water-saving startups]( Venture funding [may be running dry]( but money for water conservation-related startups has not, [Crunchbase]( data shows. In fact, [startups working on water industry-related technologies raised more money last year than they did in 2021](. Related Crunchbase Pro list: [Water-Related Funding]( 🏅 [Top 10 deals: Disney makes an Epic investment, but that’s not all]( [Disney]( $1.5 billion investment in [Epic Games]( certainly grabbed headlines last week — it is tied for the [biggest round this year]( in the U.S. — but there were a good number of other large deals as well. We look at the 10 biggest. See also: [The Crunchbase Megadeals Board]( ✂️ [Tech layoffs: Big Tech and startups keep trimming]( [DocuSign]( signed the largest number of pink slips among U.S. tech employers last week, our tally shows, but it was far from the only one. Other companies that cut jobs include [Amazon]( (again), [Uber]( and [Grammarly](. 💰 [Investors who opened their checkbooks the most in January]( Along with leading [Quora]( first investment since 2017, [a16z]( made 14 other deals in January, by far leading investors in U.S.-based startups. Let’s look at who else invested last month. 🤔 [3 things to consider when taking over as a non-founder CEO]( Taking the reins at a company from its founders can be intimidating and tricky. Guest author [Marissa Fayer]( highlights what she says are three common threads in such transitions — and how to navigate them if you find yourself considering becoming CEO at a startup founded by others. Get more with Crunchbase Enterprise Find out more about Crunchbase’s prospecting software that enables your entire team to find the right companies, identify the right people, and connect with the decision-makers who can move deals forward – all in one solution. [BOOK A MEETING NOW]( Recent Investments [Boardwalk Pipeline]( [$600M]( / [Debt Financing]( Boardwalk Pipeline provides transportation, storage, gathering and processing of natural gas and liquids for its customers. Categories: Oil and Gas [Neurona Therapeutics]( [$120M]( / [Series E]( Neurona Therapeutics develops cell therapies for neurological disorders, focusing on treatments like NRTX-1001 for epilepsy. Categories: Biotechnology • Health Care • Therapeutics Founders: [Arnold Kriegstein]( [Cory R. Nicholas]( Investors: [Cormorant Asset Management]( (Lead), [Viking Global Investors]( (Lead), [Alexandria Venture Investments]( [+ 11 more]( [Unlearn.AI]( [$50M]( / [Series C]( Unlearn.AI combines AI, digital twins, and novel statistical methods to enable smaller, more efficient clinical trials. Categories: Artificial Intelligence (AI) • Bioinformatics • Clinical Trials • Life Science Founders: [Aaron Smith]( [Charles Fisher]( [Jonathan Walsh]( Investors: [Altimeter Capital]( (Lead), [8VC]( [DCVC]( [+ 6 more]( More Fundings Company Amount / Round Lead Investor [Sensorion]( 50M EUR / [Post-IPO Equity]( - [Jow]( $13M / [Series A]( [Northzone]( [Lilli]( 8.2M GBP / [Series A]( [West Hill Capital]( [All Recent Funding Activity]( Recent Acquisitions [Beach House Pictures]( Pending acquisition by [FremantleMedia]( for Unknown More Acquisitions Company Acquired By Amount [ColoradoBiz]( [BridgeTower Media]( Unknown [All Recent Acquisition Activity]( Upcoming Tech Events [DeveloperWeek 2024]( February 21 - 29, 2024 The world's largest developer & engineering technology conference & expo Accelerator Deadlines Date Accelerator Location Mar 1, 2024 [Peachscore]( Los Angeles Apr 1, 2024 [Founderville]( Greenville [More Upcoming Deadlines]( Don’t see your event? Reach out to us at events@crunchbase.com. #{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 © 2024 Crunchbase Inc. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Service]( [Unsubscribe]( from Crunchbase Daily.