Category: FinTech

Gatik opens Texas hub for autonomous middle-mile deliveries

Automating transport is one way companies are looking to trim supply chain costs, primarily through reduced labor use. The pathway for middle-mile autonomous truck adoption is easier than in the last mile, as its routes are far more consistent. Fixed, predictable movements are well-suited for autonomous trucks, Michael Molitor, Great Dane executive director of business development, said […]

Funding sets stage for Gatik to transform the self-driving middle-mile

A lot of the recent buzz around autonomous trucking technology has focused on long-haul and heavy-duty tractors moving freight between distribution points hundreds of miles away. Autonomous startup Gatik, however, is focusing on medium-duty box trucks and the middle mile—on and off highways. Like other AV companies, Gatik is setting up a presence in regulatory-friendly Texas with a […]

Lending Startup Upgrade Closes $105M Series E Round

Upgrade, the lending startup co-founded by the former CEO of Lending Club, Renaud Laplanche, has raised $105 million in a Series E funding round that takes the firm’s valuation to $3.325 billion. The funding round was led by Koch Disruptive Technologies with contributions from new and existing investors, including BRV and Ventura Capital advised by […]

Laplanche’s Upgrade Hits $3.3 Billion Valuation With New Funding

Upgrade Inc., a lending startup that counts former LendingClub Corp. executive Renaud Laplanche as a co-founder, raised $105 million in a funding round that values the company at more than $3.3 billion. The round was led by Koch Disruptive Technologies, the investment arm of Koch Industries, Upgrade said in a statement Wednesday. The startup is […]

Insurtech The Zebra earns its unicorn stripes with $150 million raise

US-based insurance comparison platform The Zebra has secured a $150 million Series D funding round, making it the latest fintech unicorn, per TechCrunch. This brings The Zebra’s total funding to date to $261.5 million since its founding in 2012. The fresh capital was raised not to fund operations, but to accelerate growth and new product plans, as […]

The Zebra Becomes A Unicorn With $150M Series D

In the complex world of insurance, The Zebra wants to bring simplicity and transparency. The Austin-based company, which operates an insurance comparison site, raised $150 million in Series D funding, led by an unnamed investor. Joining the round were a group of investors, including Weatherford Capital, as well as Accel, which led the company’s $38.5 million Series C last year. The […]

Austin’s newest unicorn: The Zebra raises $150M after doubling revenue in 2020

The Zebra, an Austin-based company that operates an insurance comparison site, has raised $150 million in a Series D round that propels it into unicorn territory. Both the round size and valuation are a substantial bump from the $38.5 million Series C that Austin-based The Zebra raised in February of 2020. (The company would not […]

Koch Disruptive Technologies backs mobile payment and rewards ‘unicorn’ Ibotta

Investment to benefit business growth, job creation in the Denver metro area Ibotta, the leading mobile rewards app and startup born and grown in Denver, is about to get even bigger. With Series D financing led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (Koch) and a new valuation of $1 billion, Ibotta crossed the threshold into “unicorn” territory – or, […]