Spike Ventures Community Newsletter — August 2022
Content at the intersection of entrepreneurship, venture capital, and our Stanford community.
IN THIS ISSUE: Shopify completes $2.1 billion acquisition of Deliverr, portfolio company updates on Aquabyte and Strivr, community and portfolio news, and more.
Spike Ventures Fund 6 Opening Soon!
Stay tuned for Spike Ventures Fund 6 opening this fall. In the meantime, if you have any investing questions, connect with us for a short 1×1 call.
Spike Ventures Portfolio Updates
Shopify recently announced the completion of its acquisition of Deliverr (SV2, SV3) — a tech-enabled, asset-light fulfillment service that allows any online merchant to offer free two-day delivery across any channel. The transaction was valued at approximately $2.1 billion, offering a very positive return for Spike investors. Venture assets benefit from being largely uncorrelated to public market performance.1
Aquabyte’s (SV3) aquaculture monitoring systems use cameras and machine learning to improve fish farming efficiency. The company recently announced a $25 million Series B led by SoftBank Ventures Asia. This round of funding will help Aquabyte further scale its business, monitor more species in more countries, and help fish farms sustainably and efficiently feed the world. Spike invested in the company’s $10 million Series A in 2019.
Strivr (SV1) is a virtual reality software platform that allows organizations to run simulated-training programs for their employees, covering situations they may encounter on the job. The company recently announced a brand ambassador partnership with pro golfer and Stanford alum Patrick Rodgers. Spike Ventures deployed capital in the company’s $16 million Series A in 2018, led by GreatPoint Ventures.
Spike Portfolio Companies in the News
- Connected Fitness Company Future Gives Every Staffer Their Own Workout Coach (Fortune)
- Sentry Security Enters a Strategic Partnership With 911INFORM and RapidSOS (PR Newswire)
- Freewire Technologies Expands Leadership Team (The EV Report)
- Capella Space Adds Satellite Imagery to AWS Open Data Registry (Satellite Today)
FOR CURRENT INVESTORS
Thinking of becoming an investor? Access Materials »
The Anatomy of a Venture Exit
Our latest eGuide explores four different exit strategies — initial public offerings (IPOs), mergers and acquisitions, special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), and liquidation using examples from our portfolio. Visit our Club portal to read the piece and other exclusive content from Managing Partner Todd McIntyre (MBA ’94) and our team. Visit Club Portal »
Campus and Community Update
The Haas Center and the Bill Lane Center for the American West are working together to expand awareness of rural issues and increase geographic diversity at Stanford. Read More »
AV Talent Referrals
Interested in joining a cutting-edge startup or know someone who might be? Our portfolio companies are growing and always looking for high-caliber talent. Check out their open positions on our job board. If you find a match, fill out this short form, and we will try to make a personal referral. Visit Job Board »
1 For illustration purposes only. These investments are not intended to suggest any level of investment returns; not necessarily indicative of investments invested by any one fund or investor. Many returns in investments result in the loss of capital invested. These investments are not available to future fund investors except potentially in certain follow-on investment options. To see the performance of each exited investment for all Alumni Ventures funds over the last twelve months and our historical performance since 2014, click here.
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