Alphabet is clearly looking to buy, so who's selling, and why did Wiz say no? | Equity Podcast

21 Aug 2024 (26 days ago)

Cleo's Success in Legal Tech

Cleo, a cloud-based software provider for the legal industry, reached a $3 billion valuation. The company attributes its growth to embedded payments and AI integration. (00:01:41)
Cleo, a 16-year-old Canadian company, raised $900 million in a Series F round led by Nea with an investment of over $500 million. The round included secondary financing to provide liquidity to long-term investors and employees.
Cleo reached $200 million in ARR, double what it was two years prior.
Cleo is a fintech company that offers payment processing services specifically designed for the legal industry, addressing the unique needs of trust fund transactions.

Alphabet, through its CFO, announced a multi-year investment of up to $5 billion in Waymo, aiming to solidify its position as a leading autonomous driving technology company.
Wiz, a four-year-old cybersecurity startup, declined a $23 billion acquisition offer from Google. (00:16:45)
Wiz, a young cybersecurity company, recently declined an acquisition offer from Alphabet.
Alphabet was also rumored to be acquiring HubSpot about a month prior, but the deal fell through.

Avato, a startup founded by a 17-year-old, recently came out of stealth mode and secured $2.3 million in funding to develop a database focused on private market data, similar to Crunchbase or PitchBook, but with added features.
Eric JW, a 17-year-old entrepreneur, founded a company called Avato. Avato provides investors with analytical tools to make investment decisions.
Eric JW's first startup, esocial, was a digital platform for schools. It was acquired ten months after its launch.

Discord, like Clubhouse and Twitter, declined acquisition offers from larger companies, with Discord remaining independent and experiencing growth and success.
Wiz, a four-year-old cybersecurity startup, declined a $23 billion acquisition offer from Google. (00:16:45)

Mercury, a digital banking startup, faced criticism for abruptly halting services for startups in Ukraine and Nigeria, citing compliance challenges related to US sanctions and the complexity of verifying customer locations in Ukraine.
Mercury is closing the accounts of startup founders outside the U.S., even if their businesses are U.S.-based. This has caused an uproar, especially in Nigeria.
Brex, another fintech company, is offering assistance to Mercury customers in Ukraine affected by the account closures.