This year, Boston startup-land birthed two unicorn startups and plenty of monster funding rounds—including one that made a local startup the highest-valued venture-backed company in Massachusetts.
That company, Cambridge biotech Ginkgo Bioworks, made huge strides in 2019. In September, it closed a whopping $290 million Series E round. This year, it also launched alternative protein company Motif FoodWorks with $90 million in funding and invested $80 million in another Cambridge biotech.
Ginkgo Bioworks doesn't have a monopoly on gigantic Series E rounds, though. That same month, local AI firm DataRobot landed $206 million, reportedly pushing it over the $1 billion valuation threshold to give it unicorn status. It joined the ranks of online catering marketplace ezCater, whose $150 million Series D-1 round made it a unicorn in March.
One fun fact about this year's biggest funding rounds? Four of the largest ones—including Toast, ezCater, Examity and PathAI—all closed in April.
Here are BostInno’s top 19 funding rounds of 2019:
Ginkgo Bioworks
In September, Boston-based biotech unicorn Ginkgo Bioworks raised a $290 million Series E round from T. Rowe Price Associates and others. The financing reportedly took the 10-year-old company’s valuation to more than $4 billion, making it the most valuable venture-backed company in Boston.
Toast
In April, Boston-based restaurant management software developer Toast raised a whopping $250 million in a Series E round led by TCV and Tiger Global Management. Existing investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Lead Edge Capital and T. Rowe Price Associates, also participated in the round.
DataRobot
In September, DataRobot, the enterprise AI company with its headquarters in Downtown Boston, announced that it had raised a $206 million Series E investment round led by Sapphire Ventures. Tiger Global Management, World Innovation Lab, Alliance Bernstein PCI, and EDBI joined the round as new investors. Existing investors DFJ Growth, Geodesic Capital, Intel Capital and Sands Capital significantly increased their ownership, and NEA and Meritech also participated in the round.
ezCater
In April, online catering marketplace ezCater raised $150 million in a Series D-1 round co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and GIC to continue its global expansion spree. The round brought ezCater’s total venture funding to $320 million and its valuation to $1.25 billion, making the company a unicorn.
Motif FoodWorks
Motif FoodWorks, a Ginkgo Bioworks spinoff that makes alternative proteins, exited stealth in February with $90 million in Series A funding. In August, it raised $27.5 million in an extended round of funding and rebranded. That funding was an extension of its previous round, which was led by General Atlantic with participation from CPT Capital.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems
Commonwealth Fusion Systems, a Cambridge-based startup commercializing fusion energy and one of our startups to watch in 2019, raised $115 million and closed its Series A round. New participants in the round included Future Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Lowercase Capital, Moore Strategic Ventures, Safar Partners, Schooner Capital, and Starlight Ventures who join Eni,Breakthrough Energy Ventures, The Engine and other investors.
ClearMotion
Woburn-based ClearMotion, an automotive technology startup that makes road-sensing technology, raised $115 million in a series D round in January. The round was led by Franklin Templeton Investments. Microsoft, Bridgestone, Qualcomm, World Innovation Lab, NewView Capital and Eileses Capital also participated in the round.
eGenesis
eGenesis, the biotech startup using the gene-editing technology CRISPR/Cas9 to modify pigs so their kidneys can be transplanted in humans, raised $100 million in November. The 30-person Cambridge company was co-founded by noted Harvard researcher George Church in 2015.
Hometap
Boston-based homeownership investment startup Hometap raised $100 million in a new round of funding in December. The financing was led by ICONIQ Capital, with participation from existing investors General Catalyst, G20, Pillar VC and American Family Ventures, the venture arm of AmFam Insurance.
Jobcase
Jobcase, a platform dedicated to assisting people find work, received $100 million in growth equity funding in February. The round was led by Providence Strategic Growth, an affiliate of global private equity firm Providence Equity Partners. Since its founding in 2009, the company has raised $118.9 million.
Examity
Newton-based online proctoring platform provider Examity raised $90 million in a new round of funding led by Great Hill Partners in April. The round brought the startup’s total venture funding to over $120 million.
Markforged
Markforged, the Watertown-based maker of industrial 3D printers, raised $82 million in a Series D round led by Summit Partners in March. Existing investors, including Matrix Partners, Microsoft Ventures M12, Porsche SE and Siemens next47, also participated in the round, which brought the company’s total funding to $137 million.
Black Diamond Therapeutics
Black Diamond Therapeutics, a biotech company developing precision medicines for cancer, completed an oversubscribed Series B financing of $85 million in January. The round was co-led by New Enterprise Associates and RA Capital Management. Additional new investors NexTech Invest, the Invus Group and Perceptive Advisors joined founding investor Versant Ventures in the round.
Synlogic
In June, Ginkgo Bioworks teamed up with Cambridge-based therapeutics company Synlogic to develop drugs for rare diseases using Ginkgo’s bacteria engineering platform. As part of the deal, Ginkgo agreed to make an $80 million investment in Synlogic, ultimately owning 25 percent of the company.
Intarcia Therapeutics
Intarcia Therapeutics raised $73 million in debt in March. The company also recently launched a matchstick-sized diabetes pump—two years after an FDA rejection threw the company for a loop.
SQZ Technologies
Watertown-based SQZ Technologies, a biotech company developing cell therapies for a wide range of diseases, disclosed $71.3 million in equity to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in November.
PathAI
Boston-based PathAI, a startup that uses machine learning techniques to analyze pathological reports, raised $60 million in a Series B round in April. The round was led by General Atlantic with participation from General Catalyst.
Boston Gene
Biomedical software company BostonGene received $50 million in Series A funding from NEC Corporation in April. The startup said the funding would help it expand its long-term strategy to fight against cancer.
Turbonomic
Boston-based workload automation company Turbonomic raised $41.5 million in November, according to an SEC filing. The company has raised more than $117 million in total.
