A lot.
Per data from PWC and CB Insights, the $130B that US VCs deployed in 2020 (up 14% from 2019) is the highest total going back to 2000.
Here are a few notable takeaways from the data:
Mega-rounds ($100m+) are on the rise
While total funding in 2020 hit an all-time high, there were actually 9% fewer deals YoY, which means larger rounds. In fact, 49% of the total funding — across 318 deals — was $100m or more (a record).
There were also 147 IPOs over the year, a big jump from 90 in 2019 (M&A activity was down).
There are more unicorns than ever
At the end of 2020, a record 225 US-based private companies were valued at $1B+, with a cumulative value of $659B.
Of these, 28 became unicorns in Q4 2020. That’s also a record (we think there’s a theme here). The most valuable among them:
- SpaceX ($46B)
- Stripe ($36B)
- Instacart ($18B)
- Epic Games ($17B)
- Chime ($16B)
These valuations — particularly for Stripe (rumored at $100B) — will be much higher after the next round of funding.
The most popular investing verticals in Q4 2020
- Biotechnology
- Accounting & Finance SaaS
- Monitoring & Security SaaS
- Automotive & Transportation
- On Premise Software
San Diego, Miami, Denver, and Atlanta…
… were 4 US metro areas that are seeing increased deal activity, with funding doubling from Q3 to Q4. Meanwhile, the top 3 metro areas remain the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, and Boston.
Miami — which is rising in prominence (check our Q&A with Mayor Francis Suarez here) — scored some notable deals:
- REEF Technology (investment = $700m)
- Shipmonk ($290m)
