'Raises': Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo Seeking New $450M Fund
Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.
This week in “Raises”: A tech company that creates exclusive travel experiences featuring the likes of Justin Bieber and Duran Duran landed a big Series C round. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Katzenberg’s venture capital firm is raising $450 million for its second fund.
Venture Capital
Pollen, a startup that curates travel experiences featuring entertainers like Justin Bieber and Duran Duran, raised $150 million in Series C funding led by Sienna Capital.
Carlsmed, a medical tech company specializing in spinal surgery, raised a $30 million Series B funding round led by B Capital Group.
Climate tech startup Enervee raised a $30 million Series B funding round led by Kerogen Capital and JPMorgan.
Energy drink startup A SHOC Energy raised a $29 million Series B funding round led by prominent athletes including Aaron Judge, Michael Strahan, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, among others.
Playable Worlds, an online game developer, raised $25 million in Series B funding led by Kakao Games Corp.
Advertising platform tvScientific raised a $20 million Series A funding round led by Norwest Venture Partners.
Music tech startup Stem raised $20 million in new funding led by QED Investors. Block, the Jack Dorsey-led fintech company formerly known as Square, also participated.
Trust, a digital adtech startup founded by Snap alums, raised $5 million in funding from Sapphire Sport and former Venmo executive Michael Vaughan.
Web3 banking startup MetaLend raised $5 million in seed funding led by Pantera Capital.
Vyng, an Android app that lets users earn Bitcoin when making phone calls, raised $5 million in funding from March Capital Partners, Newbound Venture Capital, Alpha Edison and Omidyar Network.
NFT startup Afterparty raised a $4 million funding round from investors including Paris Hilton, Jason Calacanis, Blockchange, Acrew Capital and TenOneTen Ventures.
Soundful, an AI-powered music creation platform, raised $3.8 million in seed funding from individual investors affiliated with Microsoft, Disney and Universal Music Group, among other companies.
Creator economy startup Superjoi raised a $2.5 million pre-seed funding round from investors including Ascension Ventures, QED Investors, Systema VC, Tomahawk and Modern Venture Partners.
Music NFT platform SoundMint raised a $1.7 million seed round led by Animoca Brands.
Digital content monetization startup Ink raised a $1.5 million pre-seed funding round from investors including Mark Cuban and Sound Ventures.
Direct-to-consumer golf club company Robin Golf raised a $1.5 million seed round led by Pentland Brands.Funds
WndrCo, the venture capital firm founded by former Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, is looking to raise $450 million for its second fund, according to an SEC filing.
Cultivate Next, a new venture fund launched by fast food chain Chipotle, raised $50 million to fund early-stage food tech startups.
Raises is dot.LA’s weekly feature highlighting venture capital funding news across Southern California’s tech and startup ecosystem. Please send fundraising news to Decerry Donato (decerrydonato@dot.la).
Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.
Image Source: Archer