{{#if first_name}}Hi, {{capitalizeFirst (lower first_name)}}.{{else}}Hi.{{/if}} With the IPO market still in a slump, startups are increasingly relying on M&A for exits. And while usually this involves a sale to a strategic buyer, the next-likeliest suitor is probably a private equity firm. Over the past five years, private equity firms have spent more than $56 billion in disclosed-price acquisitions of private, venture-backed companies, Crunchbase data shows. Plus, there were no billion-dollar U.S. startup funding rounds last week, but there were lots of good-sized financings for a variety of startups nonetheless.
Acquisitions of U.S. startups by private equity firms spiked in 2024, and so far this year we aren’t seeing signs of a slowdown. There have been 22 acquisitions of seed- or venture-funded private companies already in 2025, Crunchbase data shows.
Related Crunchbase Pro lists:
• Private Equity Acquisitions Of US Startups, Past 5 Years
• US Unicorns
Last week’s largest U.S. funding deals went to startups working on everything from messaging to fintech, with the biggest round going to a cybersecurity startup.
See also: The Crunchbase Megadeals Board
A slew of interesting, recently funded startups popped onto our radar this month, and picking the five most fascinating was a challenge. Nonetheless, we take a closer look at a handful of freshly funded startups working on everything from environmental remediation automation to better cancer care.
Over the past year, at least 423 U.S. venture- or seed-backed companies have sold to other private, VC-funded companies, per Crunchbase data. They included some very sizable deals, too, altogether valued at more than $6.3 billion. For a sense of where the money is going, we curated a list of the largest disclosed-price startup-to-startup acquisitions of the past year.
Related Crunchbase Pro lists:
• Acquisitive Startups
• Largest Startup Purchases Of Other Startups In The Past Year
The Founder’s Office, which acts as a bridge between the founders and the rest of the organization, is becoming essential for rapid growth, writes guest author Julio MartĂnez of Abacum, who shares four reasons why every high-growth startup needs one.
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