Spike Ventures Community Newsletter — June 2022
Content at the intersection of entrepreneurship, venture capital, and our Stanford community.
IN THIS ISSUE: Signature deadline for Spike Fund 5 is June 30, Deliverr to be acquired by Shopify for $2.1 billion, portfolio updates on Capella Space and DevRev, and more.
Signature Deadline for Spike Ventures Fund 5
Our signature deadline for Spike Ventures Fund 5 is June 30. Our team is helping investors finalize their paperwork, and we are taking final calls from interested investors with specific investing questions. See below to make a commitment to Fund 5 or connect with us.
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Spike Ventures Portfolio Updates
Investors in Spike Fund 5 will own a diversified portfolio of ~20-30 investments, including companies like DevRev — an end-to-end development platform that connects creators and customers. See below to read more about the company and other updates from our portfolio. Click here to see a full overview of our Fund 5 investments.
DevRev (SV5) has developed an end-to-end development platform that connects creators more directly with customers to help them build products, support end users, and grow their businesses. The platform leverages data, design, and machine intelligence to encourage developer and customer collaborations, bringing user needs and requirements to the fore as developers build new features, fix bugs, or address test regressions. Spike invested in the company’s $50 million Seed alongside Khosla Ventures and Mayfield Fund.
Deliverr (SV2, SV3) entered into an agreement to be acquired by Shopify for $2.1 billion in cash and stock. Deliverr is a tech-enabled, asset-light fulfillment service that allows any online merchant to offer free two-day delivery across any channel. Spike invested in the company’s $40 million Series C in 2020, alongside lead investor Activant Capital, 8VC, and Global Logistics Properties, as well as the company’s $250 million Series E in 2021 led by Tiger Global.1
Capella Space (SV2, SV3) develops synthetic aperture radar satellites that are more cost-effective and offer a wider range of operational visibility than traditional optical imaging satellites. Spike recently invested in Capella’s $97 million Series C led by NightDragon. We previously participated in the company’s $19 million Series B in 2018 led by Spark Capital and DCVC.
Spike Portfolio Companies in the News
- Blue Note and Bixink Enter Licensing Agreement for Prescription Digital Therapeutics for Cancer Patients (PharmiWeb)
- Cybersecurity Innovator Lacework Included on CNBC Disruptor 50 List of Top Private Companies (CNBC)
- OpenComp CEO Shares Four Exec Comp Considerations High-Growth Companies Can’t Afford To Ignore (Forbes)
- Secureframe Strengthens Executive Leadership Team with C-Suite and VP Hires (Yahoo! Finance)
FOR CURRENT INVESTORS
Thinking of becoming an investor? Access Materials »
A Deep Dive Into Valuations
Our latest eGuide discusses how early-stage companies are valued, methods venture capitalists use to assess a company’s worth, how these numbers change across different fundraising stages, and more. 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
Stanford’s School of Humanities and Sciences awarded 10 scholars for the Stanford Science Fellowship. Launched in 2020 as part of Stanford’s Long-Range Vision, the program aims to support postdoctoral researchers while advancing interdisciplinary research in life sciences, mathematics, and physical sciences. Read More »
What’s New at Alumni Ventures
Our Perspective on the Growth of ClimateTech Investing
According to a PitchBook report, global investors launched as many climate-focused funds in 2021 as were raised during the previous five years combined. Alumni Ventures Managing Partner Matt Caspari and Partner Erik Hammer spoke with Venture Capital Journal to discuss the influx of capital VCs are deploying into ClimateTech. 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 »
Contact [email protected] for additional information. To see additional risk factors and investment considerations, visit av-funds.com/disclosures.
1Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and this fund involves substantial risk of loss, including loss of all capital invested. 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.