The Austin tech scene came alive with new developments last week. Read more about the latest venture raises and more. This is the Built In Austin weekly refresh.
Bumble had a booming market debut. The dating app where women spark up conversation is now valued at $2.25 billion after a successful IPO backed by investors including Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. The company sold 50 million shares of its stock for $43 each, closing out the next day at 64 percent above its IPO price. At 31, CEO and founder Whitney Wolfe Herd has been dubbed the youngest woman to have taken a company public. [Built In Austin]
UpEquity secured $25M. This mortgage platform uses computer vision and algorithms to help its users make cash offers on homes. It’s working to lower interest rates and close deals faster, and with the funds from its Series A round led by Next Coast Ventures, UpEquity is planning to expand into new markets and make new hires at its Austin headquarters. [Built In Austin]
Austin Tech Quote of the Week
Stoplight pulled in $11M. As it works to assist enterprises in developing and managing the tools that help their programs function cohesively, API startup Stoplight announced an addition to its Series A round. This installment was co-led by Next Coast Ventures and Bill Wood Ventures. With the fresh funding, Stoplight is planning to up its engineering efforts and bring new marketing and customer engagement offerings to its users. [Built In Austin]
CLEAR raised $100M, plans Austin hires. NYC-based identification tech developer CLEAR just closed on a strategic funding round from investors including Danny Meyer’s Enlightened Hospitality Investments. The new capital will help the company expand its tech into new avenues, having already implemented uses within the aviation and health industries. Additionally, CLEAR is looking to invest in adopting new customers, developing its tech, and hiring at its Austin office. [Built In Austin]
ActiveProspect acquired LeadsBridge. The Austin-based SaaS provider for consent-based marketing announced the acquisition of LeadsBridge, whose software integrates major ad platforms with their clients’ customer relationship management tech. With the addition of LeadsBridge’s tech, ActiveProspect is looking forward to expanding its headcount and customer base and better serving its users. [PR Newswire]
