Quarter of records for the global venture funding

By: Miguel A. Rodriguez

18:00, 14 April 2021

1618393695.png
Global venture funding reached an all-time high in Q1 2021

So far, 2021 was a year of records, from the American markets closing at record highs to the cryptocurrency market cap topping $2 trillion, and Tencent and Prosus completing the world’s largest block trade.

But those are not the only worth-mentioning records. According to Crunchbase, the number of companies valued at $1 billion or higher (also known as unicorns) is higher than ever, with almost two new companies popping up every two days in the first quarter. Moreover, the report shows that the global venture investments hit $125 billion in the first three months of 2021. This represents a 50% growth quarter-on-quarter and a 90% surge year-on-year. The figures topped the previous record reported in Q4 2018 when the global funding reached $92 billion.

The most significant increases were reported in healthcare, financial services, transportation, commerce, and shopping – a 56% growth quarter-over-quarter, roughly $100 million.

But only the global venture investments reached new highs. The pace of acquisitions rose 26% in Q1 2021 and 44% year-over-year. The most significant purchases were of GlobalLogic by Hitachi for $9.6 billion (both companies are specialized in tech and cloud computing services), Auth0 by Okta for $6.5 billion (management platforms), and finally Moonton’s purchase by Nuverse for $4 billion (game developers and publishers).

The Asia-based companies took the markets by storm with their IPOs — one of the most significant being Kuaishou’s, valued at $150 billion. At the same time, the largest US-based direct offering was of the gaming platform Roblox, valued at $30 billion.

While the first quarter ended on a high note, now all eyes are on the most anticipated public debut of 2021 – Coinbase’s direct listing. Read more about it here!

Stay updated with CAPEX.com!

Sources: crunchbase.com, itproportal.com

Share this article

The information presented herein is prepared by CAPEX.com/eu and does not intend to constitute Investment Advice. The information herein is provided as a general marketing communication for information purposes only and as such it has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research, and it is not subject to any prohibition on dealing ahead of the dissemination of investment research.                                                                                                                            Users/readers should not rely solely on the information presented herewith and should do their own research/analysis by also reading the actual underlying research. The content herewith is generic and does not take into consideration individual personal circumstances, investment experience, or current financial situation.Therefore, Key Way Investments Ltd shall not accept any responsibility for any losses of traders due to the use and the content of the information presented herein. Past performance and forecasts are not reliable indicators of future results.