½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

Briefing

The Briefing: A16z Announces $400M Seed Fund, EngageSmart Files For IPO, And More

Illustration of CB reporters working.

Here’s what you need to know today in startup and venture news, updated by the ½ûÂþÌìÌà News staff throughout the day to keep you in the know.

Subscribe to the ½ûÂþÌìÌà Daily

A16Z rolls out $400M seed fund

Venture firm (a16z) announced the closing of a new $400 million seed fund that will invest in all areas of tech.

The fund is the latest in a number of ambitious investment vehicles raised by the Silicon Valley firm, which has been having its best exit year to date in 2021.

Seed has historically been a significant part of the firm’s strategy. The 12-year-old firm lists , , Ìý²¹²Ô»å among the successful companies for which it wrote the earliest checks. Since 2020, about half of the new investments for a16z have been in seed-stage companies.

EngageSmart files for IPO

Braintree, Massachusetts-based , a provider of customer engagement software, filed to go public on the . The company posted $181 million in revenue for the 12-month period ending June 30, and was roughly break-even over that time.

Funding rounds

Lynk Pharma raises $50M: Hangzhou-based , a drug R&D company focused on small molecule clinical development, raised $50 million in a Series B financing led by . The funds will go primarily toward Phase I and II clinical trials for multiple programs in its R&D pipeline.

— Joanna Glasner

Illustration:

Stay up to date with recent funding rounds, acquisitions, and more with the ½ûÂþÌìÌà Daily.

67.1K Followers

CTA

Discover and act on private market opportunities with predictive company intelligence.

Copy link