Startup News: 28th December 2020 - 3rd January 2021

Happy New Year 2021. Let's discover what's latest in the startup world with our weekly update. 

28th December, Monday

1. Zuoyebang raises $1.6 billion from investors including Alibaba

Zuoyebang, Chinese online education app has raised a $1.6 billion Series E+ from investors including Alibaba Group. App offers online courses, live lessons and homework help for kindergarten to 12th grade students. Funding will invest in K-12 classes and expand its product categories. Read more.

29th December, Tuesday

1. CommonGround raises $19M to rethink online communication

A startup developing technology CommonGround, has raised $19 million in funding. Amir and Ran have a bold vision to reinvent communications, team are trying to build online collaboration software and working on to improves on face-to-face conversations. Read more.

30th December, Wednesday

1. Estonian proptech Rendin raises €1.2M seed for its long-term rental platform

Estonian proptech startup Rendin,building the home rental experience better, including offering a no-deposit feature, has raised €1.2 million in seed funding. Funding will be used for digitizing the rental process and adding an insurance layer, further trust can be bridge between parties. Read more.

31st December, Thursday

1. UK startup Reboxed raises £500,000 to compete in the refurbished electronics market

Brixton-based sustainable commerce startup reboxed has raised £500,000 in pre-seed funding in current year, including a fresh round of £350,000 from angel investors. Company looking forward to work on ‘rehome’ 100 million mobile devices by 2030 in order to overcome electronic waste. Read more.

2. Atomico raised the continent’s biggest VC fund

The biggest VC funds raised in Europe in 2020 . 2020 is set to be a record year for VC investment into European startups, on track to hit $41bn. Atomico raised the continent’s biggest VC fund of $820m. Read more.

1st January, Friday

1. Turo CEO Says Car-Renting App Plans to Go Public in 2021

Turo Inc. a car-renting startup reported its first-ever profitable quarter this year. Startup plans to publicly list shares of Turo this year. When the pandemic hit the comany, major steps has been taken like cut off miscellaneous and marketing expenses and end to managed well to stand by all the hurdles. Read more.

2. Agritech startup Gramophone has raised Rs 25 crore

India based Agstack Technologies which runs agritech platform Gramophone, has raised $3.4 million (Rs 25 crore) in a Series B funding round. Raised capital will be aimed for customer acquisition and to build an agronomic intelligence-backed full-stack platform for farmers. Read more.

2nd January, Saturday

1. Ensysce Biosciences Secures $60M in Funding

San Diego, CA-based clinical phase company Ensysce Biosciences Inc raised $60m in funding. Company launching two new classes of novel opioids designed to treat severe pain, and eliminate opioid misuse, abuse and overdose, Read more.

3rd January, Sunday

1. Bitcoin Blasts Past $34K for First Time, Less Than 24 Hours After Blowing Through $30K

Once the price of the leading cryptocurrency crossed the $30,000 mark for the first time Saturday. The price of the leading cryptocurrency surged past $34,000 for the first time ever early Sunday morning Eastern time. It's a wild start to 2021, and follows a landmark year in which the cryptocurrency rose more than 300%. read more.

2. At 19, this Singapore Polytechnic student runs a US$25 million tech start-up

The 19-year-old Harsh Dalal is now chief executive officer of software development company Team Labs. Created one of the first screen recorder apps at the age of 13. app’s success paved the way for this Generation Z tech entrepreneur. Read more.

3. Steam Rings in the New Year With 25 Million Concurrent Users

Digital gaming Steam breaks its previous concurrent user record one day into 2021, has crossed 25 million. Steam Winter sale boost the graph and still woo the gaming fonders. Read more.

If you missed out the previous week or entire month updates of startup world news, follow the link to read it now and stay updated with every passing update with us.

Startup News: 21st December 2020 - 27th December 2020

Startup News: 14th December 2020 - 20th December 2020

Startup News: 7th December 2020 - 13th December 2020

Startup News: 30th November 2020 - 6th December 2020

We, at OpenGrowth, are constantly looking for latest news in the startup ecosystem. If you want to share any important news from last week, then do let us know in the comment section below.