Lots of news came out of the Bay Area discussing all sectors of tech, including food, autonomous vehicles, venture firms and more. This is the Built In SF weekly refresh.
Pony.ai’s valuation rose to $8.5B. Ponyi.ai closed a Series D round for an undisclosed amount that brought its valuation to a whopping $8.5 billion. Pony.ai creates different types of autonomous driving vehicles. The fresh funding will be used to invest in commercialization and increase its production. The company is also hiring for multiple roles. [Built In SF]
Roofstock gained $240M. The Series E round was led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Roofstock is an end-to-end platform for investing in single-family rental homes. Roofstock will continue to innovate and develop products and services. It also plans to double its team throughout the year. [PR Newswire]
SAN FRANCISCO TECH QUOTE OF THE WEEK
AutoFi raised $85M. AutoFi is a one-stop-shop for buying and financing cars. AutoFi gained $85 million in fresh financing, bringing its valuation up to $700 million. The company plans to continue its hiring efforts and is currently seeking 20 new employees. [Built In SF]
AngelList Venture pulled in $100M. Tiger Global, Accomplice and others invested $100 million in AngelList Venture, valuing the company at $4 billion. AngelList is also opening a community round for general partners that have invested in the company over the past year. AngelList is continuing to hire internally. [AngelList Venture]
Course Hero acquired Scribbr. Course Hero, the provider of education and studying tools and resources, acquired proofreading and editing platform Scribbr for an undisclosed amount. Course Hero will be able to expand its footprint with Scribbr and provide more resources to its users. [TechCrunch]
These Bay Area companies made Forbes’ best startup employers list. The Forbes list of best startup employers has been released. Out of the 500 startups included, several came from the Bay Area. Five of the top 15 companies included Figma, Gong, Brex, Lyra Health and Nuro. [Built In SF]
In more VC funding news: Forma, formerly known as Twic, raised $40 million for product development and hiring efforts. Forma allows companies to expand their benefits programs. [Built In SF]
Finless Foods, the maker of cell-cultured seafood, raised $34 million to launch its plant-based tuna nationally and expand its team. [Finless Foods]
