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ISSUE 013 - April 2024

Startup investment picks up with Wonder’s $700 million fundraise

Global venture funding is gaining momentum, with a 6% increase QoQ and over 70 mega-deals announced year to date. Among the largest mega-deals is the New York-based food delivery startup Wonder. 

Wonder raised $700 million in its latest funding round, with investments by New Enterprise Associates and Accel, amongst others, both of which made our list of top VC firms

Wonder has raised over $1.5 billion since it was founded in 2018, and the company partners with top chefs and restaurants to prepare and deliver dishes ordered via a mobile app.

Crunchbase has more here

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Snacks

The growing appeal to divest beauty companies

Recent acquisition discussions, including L’Oreal’s interest in acquiring the luxury perfume company Amouage, indicate a rising interest for private equity firms to exit their beauty investments.

Why? We think it’s being driven by reestablished multiples and rising valuations of beauty companies, plus expectations for increased M&A activity. Learn how growth equity firms are preparing for more active markets in our growth equity deal sourcing guide.

Pitchbook has more here

Biotech M&A is heating up

On March 25, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk announced its plans to acquire biotech startup Cardior Pharmaceuticals for $1.1 billion. This marks a recent resurgence in biotech M&A activity—with four private venture-backed biotech companies closing merger deals since the beginning of the year.

For investment banks seeking a competitive edge, check out our 2024 investment banking deal sourcing guide for three key strategies to find and win high-quality mandates. 

The Wall Street Journal has more here

Press Play

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Of the 700+ investors we surveyed for our 2024 predictions report, 84% said they plan to adopt AI tools this year to create deal efficiencies and become more data-driven, with many noting a heavy focus on deal sourcing.

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