Sequoia’s Doug Leone turns on Trump

While quiet to the media in his support, the investor has donated hundreds of thousands to Trump-related re-election campaigns and reportedly sought to use his ties in a bid to help keep a Sequoia portfolio company, Chinese-backed social media company ByteDance, from being banned in the U.S.

On Wednesday, the investor at the influential venture capital firm came out to publicly denounced Trump’s actions following the storming of Capitol Hill last week.

“I strongly condemn the attack on the US Capitol and all acts of violence,” Leone wrote in a statement as first reported by Recode. “After last week’s horrific events, President Trump lost many of his supporters, including me. The actions of the President and other rally speakers were responsible for inciting the rioters.”

And in a nod to President-elect Joe Biden, he continued: “We need to find the best way to move forward as a country, get behind our newly-elected President, and start working on the many difficult issues facing America.”

Sequoia itself declined to comment. Though notably, fellow Sequoia investor Mike Moritz has donated heavily to Democratic causes and has not been shy about his criticisms of Trump in years past.

At any rate, eyes now turn to others who have supported Trump in the past within tech, including Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison and venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who has in recent months distanced himself from Trump altogether.

THE FIRST-DAY POP: Buy-now-pay-later fintech Affirm went public yesterday after significantly bumping up its IPO price. And then the stock rose over double in its first day of trading, enriching investors and founder Max Levchin alike—but also inevitably raising the question as to whether the company had left money on the table.

Markets are frothy right now. Airbnb is now valued at over $105 billion on an undiluted basis, a new high. Explanations of the stock’s rise centered around optimism towards a return back to normal and a rejuvenation in the travel industry. Makes sense, as vaccines are coming back. But if that is the case, then why the heck is DoorDash’s stock also hitting an all-time high? The food delivery company’s shares have soared as social isolation has become a norm. Now, the company is valued at $66 billion.

VENTURE DEALS

- Grab Financial Group, a Singapore-based fintech linked to the ridesharing firm, raise dover $300 million in Series A funding. Hanwha Asset Management led the round and was joined by investors including K3 Ventures, GGV Capital, Arbor Ventures, and Flourish Ventures.

- sennder, a Berlin-based logistics tech company, raised $160 million in Series D funding, valuing it at over $1 billion. Investors included Accel, Lakestar, HV Capital, Project A, and Scania.

- IO Biotech, a Copenhagen, Denmark-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing cancer therapies, raised €127 million in Series B funding. HBM Healthcare led the round.

- Premise Data, a San Francisco-based data and analysis company, raised $65 million in Series E funding. WestCap Group led the round and was joined by investors including NightDragon, Winslow Capital, DRW, and Vista Credit Partners, the credit-lending arm of Vista Equity Partners. 

- Budbee, a Swedish, logistics startup, raised €52 million. AMF led the round.

- JobNimbus, a Lehi, Ut.-based software maker, raised $53 million in funding. Mainsail Partners was the investor.

- Komodo Health, a San Francisco-based health data company, raised $44 million in Series D funding led by ICONIQ Growth. Previous investors Andreessen Horowitz, Oak HC/FT, IA Ventures, Felicis Ventures, and McKesson Ventures also participated in the round.

- iziwork, a Paris-based recruitment platform, raised $43 million from Cathay Innovation and Bpifrance.

 - La Haus, the a Mexico City-based proptech company operating in Mexico and Colombia, raised $35 million in Series B funding. Greenspring Associates led the round and was joined by investors including Acrew Capital, Kaszek Ventures, NFX, IMO Ventures, and Zillow co-founder Spencer Rascoff. 

- Carbyne, a New York-based maker of emergency communication technology, raised $25 million in Series B1 funding. Hanaco Ventures and ELSTED Capital Partners led the round and were joined by former CIA Director General David Petraeus, Founders Fund, and FinTLV.

- Moss, a Berlin-based payment platform and credit card for small-midsize businesses, raised €21 million of Series A funding. Valar Ventures led and was joined by Cherry Ventures and Global Founders Capital.

- Weez, a London-based supermarket delivery company, raised $20 million in Series A funding. Left Lane Capital led the round and was joined by investors including DN Capital, Heartcore Capital, and Groupon founder Chris Muhr. Read more.

- Xentral, a German maker of business planning software for small and medium-sized businesses, raised $20 million in Series A funding. Sequoia Capital led the round and was joined by investors including Visionaries Club. 

- DecisionLink, an Atlanta-based company focused on sales, raised $18.5 million in Series A funding.  Accel led the round.

- Stacklet, an Arlington, Va.-based developer of a cloud governance platform, raised $18 million in Series A funding. Addition led the round and was joined by investors including Foundation Capital and Liam Randall. 

- Tradeswell, a Baltimore, Md.-based maker of an e-commerce platform, raised $15.5 million in Series A funding. SignalFire led the round and was joined by investors including Construct Capital, Allen & Company, and The Emerson Group.

- Lumiata, a San Mateo, Calif.-based healthcare A.I. company, raised $14 million in Series B funding. Defy.vc and AllegisNL Capital led the round and were joined by Khosla Ventures and Blue Venture Fund. 

- RecVue, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based billing software maker, raised $13 million in Series A funding. Cota Capital led the round and was joined by investors including Epic Ventures and Long Light Capital.

- Nayya, a New York-based insurance benefits company, raised $11 million in Series A. Felicis Ventures led the round and was joined by investors including Social Leverage, Guardian Life, Cameron Ventures, and Unum Business Ventures.

- ShotTracker, a Kansas City-based sports analytics company, raised $11 million in funding. Evertz Technologies and Verizon Ventures were the investors.

- Arca, a Los Angeles-based asset management firm focused on investing in digital assets, raised $10 million in Series A funding. RRE Ventures led the round.

- WatchTower, a Chicago-based company focused on insurance paperwork now known as ThreeFlow, raised $8 million. Emergence Capital led the round and was joined by investors including Equal Ventures and First Trust Capital Partners.

- OncoLens, an Atlanta-based company focused on tumor board and cancer treatment planning solutions, raised $7.3 million in Series A funding. Investors included BIP Capital, Martin Ventures, and SeedToB Capital.

- Kuato Studios, a U.K.-based edtech company focused on games, raised £4.5 million ($6 million). Horizons Ventures led the round.

- Drata, a San Diego-based  compliance and security automation company, raised $3.2 million in seed funding. Cowboy Ventures led the round and was joined by investors including Leaders Fund, and SV Angel.

- Human AI, a San Diego, Calif.-based company creating personalized A.I., raised $3.2 million. Differential VC led the round and was joined by investors including Village Global VC, Good Friends VC, Beni VC and Keshif Ventures. Read more.

- Frankie Health, a Dublin-based mental health platform for organisations, raised $1.3 million. Investors included E15 VC. 

- Picky, a Seoul and Palo Alto, Calif.-based beauty content company, raised $1.3 million in pre-seed funding. NLVC led the round and was joined by investors including Wishcompany and Klim Ventures.

PRIVATE EQUITY

- Sixth Street invested $500 million in Convex Group, a London-based specialty insurer and reinsurer.

- GIC, Siemens, Fidelity Management and Research, and Mubadala Investment Company invested $720 million in ThoughtWorks, a Chicago-based software consultancy, valuing it at $4.6 billion.

- Warburg Pincus invested $125 million in LendingPoint, an Atlanta, Ga.-based financial technology platform. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- Assured Healthcare Partners invested in Allied Digestive Health, a New Jersey-based gastroenterology practice. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- Blackford Capital invested in Aqua-Leisure Industries, a Massachusetts-based provider of water sport goods. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- Blue Sage Capital invested in Impact Floors, a Dallas, Tx.-based flooring and countertop replacement services company. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- BV Investment Partners made a majority investment in Talent, a New York-based career services company. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- CC Capital and Motive Partners acquired Wilshire Associates, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based investment advisory company. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- Corlex Capital acquired 10 Wingstop restaurants in Indianapolis and Boston. It also signed an agreement with Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) to develop or acquire an additional 13 restaurants. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- Critical Process Systems Group, a portfolio company of Wynnchurch Capital, acquired Nuance Systems, a Porland, Ore.-based maker of chemical delivery systems and sensing technologies to the semiconductor and solar industries. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- General Atlantic took a majority stake in CareMetx, a company for patient access to specialty medications. The Vistria Group, the existing majority shareholder in CareMetx, will maintain a stake. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- Housatonic Partners invested in Working Solutions, a Dallas, Tx.-based provider of contact center outsourcing. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- Lipari Foods, a portfolio company of H.I.G., acquired the assets of Tut's International, a Dearborn, Mich.-based importer of Middle Eastern and Eastern European foods. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- Pluralsight (Nasdaq: PS), backed by Vista Equity Partners, acquired Next Tech, a San Diego, Calif.-based provider of cloud-based computing environments. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- PSG merged Meal Ticket and Trackmax, two revenue analytics companies based in Boise, Id. and Cape Coral, Fla. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- Renovus Capital Partners invested in Inflow Communications, a  Portland, Ore.-based provider of advisory services for call center. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- Salt Creek Capital acquired Cul-Mac Industries, a Wayne, Mich.-based chemical blending, filling, and packaging company. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- SFW Capital Partners recapitalized Caron Products and Services, a provider of laboratory equipment used in small and large molecule drug development and manufacturing. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- Stoic Holdings and Aldine Capital Partners partnered to invest in Accredited Home Elevator, a Barnegat, N.J.-based home elevator manufacturer, installer, and servicer. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

EXITS

- BBH Capital Partners acquired DynaGrid, a Dallas, Tx.-based providers of subgrade and sitework services for electric utility transmission infrastructure, from CIC Partners. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- Entrust acquired HyTrust, a Mountainview, Calif.-based data encryption company. Investors of HyTrust included Advance Venture Partners, Sway Ventures, and Vanedge Capital. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

- PowerPlant Ventures acquired ZICO coconut water from The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO). Financial terms weren't disclosed.

OTHER

- Telefonica, a Spanish telecom company, agreed to sell its mobile phone masts in Europe and Latin America to American Towers for 7.7 billion euros ($9.41 billion).

- Qualcomm Technologies (Nasdaq: QCOM), will acquire Nuvia, a Santa Clara, Calif.-based silicon company for about $1.4 billion.

- Cargill, a Minneapolis-based food company, is in talks to sell its sugar trading business, Alvean, to Copersucar SA. Read more.

- Amazon plans to make a bid for the TV rights of Serie A, an Italy-based soccer league competition, per Bloomberg citing sources. Read more.

IPOs

- Petco Health and Wellness Company, the San Diego, Calif.-based pet goods retailer, raised $864 million. CVC Capital Partners and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board back the company.

- Beijing Ronglian Yitong Information Technology, a Chinese Chinese cloud communications company, is weighing an IPO to raise $500 million, per Bloomberg. Sequoia backs the firm. Read more.

- Poshmark, a second-hand retail marketplace, raised $277 million. Mayfield, GGV Capital, and Menlo Ventures back the firm. Read more. 

- Sana Biotechnology, a Seattle-based preclinical biotech developing engineered cell therapies, filed to raise $150 million. Investors include ARCH Venture Partners and Flagship Pioneering. Read more.

- Landos Biopharma, a Blacksburg, Va.-based biotech focused on autoimmune diseases, filed to raise $100 million. Perceptive Advisors backs the firm. Read more.

- First High-School Education Group, a Chinese operator of private high schools, filed to raise $100 million. EQT backs the firm. Read more.

SPACS

- Z-Work Acquisition, a SPAC targeting work tech, filed to raise $200 million. P. Schoenfeld Asset Management is an investor. Read more.

- Clarim Acquisition, a SPAC founded in part by 1-800-Flowers.com founder James McCann and is targeting an e-commerce business, filed to raise $250 million. Read more.

- Pivotal Investment Corp III, a SPAC by businessman Jonathan Ledecky, filed to raise $200 million. Read more.

- Novus Capital Corp II, a SPAC seeking a tech target backed by Novus Capital, filed to raise $250 million. Read more.

F+FS

- Silver Lake, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based tech investment firm, raised about $20 billion for its buyout fund, Silver Lake Partners VI.

- TA Associates, a Boston-based growth equity firm, is seeking to raise $11 billion for its next flagship fund, per the Wall Street Journal. Read more.

- New Mountain Capital, a New York-based private equity firm, raised $10.2 billion across two funds: its sixth flagship private equity fund with $9.6 billion, and its first non-control private equity fund with $640 million.

- March Capital, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based venture investor, raised $450 million for March Capital Fund III.

- Heritage Group, a Nashville, Tenn.-based healthcare-focused private equity firm, raised over  $300 million for its third fund.

- Ultratech Capital Partners, the U.S. investment arm of Damazein Family Office, launched a $100 million Critical Technology Fund focused on deep tech spun out of the U.S. defense and national security sector.

PEOPLE

- SV Angels named Steven Lee as a partner.

- Bessemer Venture Partners promoted Sakib Dadi to vice president.