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| Hey Insiders, Here are the latest stories: - Skeleton Technologies, a battery developer that uses a novel type of graphene conductor, raises ~$114M.
- Ripcord raises $20M for document-scanning robots
- Elyos Energy raises $3M to optimize energy for commercial buildings
If you find this newsletter useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues. Thank you. Nicolas
p/mobilitynerd | |
| 1 | | Recent Y Combinator graduate Elyos Energy, a London-based startup that focuses on optimizing energy for commercial buildings, raised a $3M Seed round led by Rebel Fund. The company works with hotels, schools, and other organizations to automatically adjust heat pumps and thermostats to use energy during off-peak hours. More: - "By shifting 10% of the peak time consumption, businesses can typically save 15% on the electricity bill. To put that into context, a medium-sized hotel could save $150k per year," said Elyos co-founder Adrian Johnston.
- Commercial buildings comprise 30% of global energy consumption, per the International Energy Agency.
- Eleven climate technology startups came out of YC's 2023 summer cohort, including HyLight, which uses airships to monitor methane leaks.
Q: What climate tech areas would you like to see funded? Join the conversation here. |     | |
| 2 | | Battery manufacturer Skeleton Technologies announced a €108M (~$113.7M) equity and debt round from conglomerates Marubeni Corporation and Siemens. The company uses curved graphene, which can be combined with lithium-ion to provide a buffer for peak power loads, extending the battery's lifespan to one million charging cycles. More: - Skeleton has been working with Siemens on the digitalization of its supercapacitor production using its manufacturing operations management system.
- Marubeni also has an existing relationship with the battery company, selling its technology in Asia (minus China and India).
- Skeleton last raised a €37.6M Series D in Jan. 2022, led by money transfer software Wise CEO Taavet Hinrikus.
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| 3 | | California-based startup Ripcord has raised $20M in funding. The round, which has not officially closed, could near $35M in total raised. More: - Ripcord, specializing in digitizing paper records through autonomous robots, is looking to secure additional funding for further expansion.
- The company's robots autonomously scan documents and remove staples, collaborating with logistics firms for document transportation and processing.
- The proposed investment round is expected to bring the total raised by Ripcord to around $150M, primarily from investors including Kleiner Perkins, Silicon Valley Bank, Tyche Partners, Icon Ventures, and Baidu, with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak participating in an earlier round.
- The company generates revenue through document scans and is developing Docufai, a generative AI tool for document discovery, with a planned launch date in October or early November.
- The new funding would be smaller than Ripcord's previous Series B round, which amounted to $45M.
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| 4 | | Investors announced the launch of a fund dedicated to Israeli startups facing challenges amid ongoing conflict. The fund called Safedomr will provide funding for early-stage startups. More: - Those funding Safedomr include Hilla Haddad Chmelnik, previously holding the position of Director General at the Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, who is partnering with Ehud Schneorson, the former leader of the IDF's 8200 unit, and Itzik Parnafes, an Advisor affiliated with Battery Ventures, a venture capital fund.
- The fund will invest up to half a million dollars in around 100 startups by the end of 2023.
- Criteria for assistance include raising at least a quarter of a million dollars in the past two years, significant damage to operations due to the war, an activity horizon of up to six months, and monthly expenses not exceeding $100,000.
- Startups meeting these requirements will receive funding within weeks of their application, aiding them in sustaining their operations during challenging times.
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| 5 | | Japanese financial services company SBI is investing $15M in Alpaca. The startup recently received its broker-dealer license from the Japan Financial Services Agency. More: - Alpaca, founded in San Mateo, California, claims over 150 clients across 30 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Thailand, and India.
- SBI Group has over ¥400B (~$2.67B) in assets under management.
- Alpaca has raised over $86.8M since 2015. Its latest investments include a Series C of an undisclosed amount by London-based Unbound in Feb. 2022 and a $50M Series B led by Tribe Capital in Aug. 2021.
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| 6 | | Spanish startup Webel has raised €2.1M in Seed funding. The round was led by Trind Ventures and included additional venture participation from Zaka Ventures and Decelera Ventures. More: - Webel, founded in 2019 by Nacho Tejero, Carlos Estévez Rincón, Guillermo Mateo, and Javier Ginés Sánchez, connects customers with various service providers.
- The startup delivers over 100,000 services annually in major Spanish cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, and Zaragoza.
- Webel offers services including beauty, personal training, and dog grooming and has experienced impressive growth with a 10x yearly increase for two consecutive years.
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| 7 | | Quick Hits: - Block (Square) acquired musician-focused fintech startup Hifi for an undisclosed sum.
- Tier Mobility launched in Bristol with 2,000 e-scooters, making it the U.K.'s largest market by fleet size.
- NYBC Ventures invested in Portland, Oregon-based biotech company Aronora, which is working on advancing blood clot treatment and prevention.
- Par Equity raised a £100M fund targeting early-stage startups in the U.K.'s north
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INSIDE STARTUPS LEADERBOARD (7 DAYS) |
 | Sr. Analyst | | Nicolas S. is a Sr. Analyst at Inside, covering transportation and startup trends. He is an avid map maker and data nerd. Nicolas has worked in the shared-scooter space, as well as advised e-bike and moped startups. Follow him at @MobilityNerd. _________________________
Born and raised in the Bay Area, Robel Kelkile is passionate about all things tech, venture, and financial education. He has previously served both universities and state governments in their engagement strategy and tracking legislation. | | This newsletter was edited by Vibha Chapparike | |
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