If this year's numbers are any indication, venture capital for Charlotte startups is on an upward swing.
Queen City startups raised just shy of $250 million over 30 major funding rounds this year. Though that's slightly behind the $258 million raised overall in 2020, $185 million of last year's total was raised by local tech unicorn AvidXchange.
Nine local startups scored eight-digit funding deals this year, according to Crunchbase. Check them out below:
Oyster: $70 million
Oyster, founded in 2020, is a human resources software platform that simplifies the process of hiring remote, full-time employees anywhere in the world. The startup topped the list of most capital raised this year with a $20 million Series A round in February, followed by a $50 million Series B round in June. Its total funding is $74.2 million.
Carewell: $25 million
Carewell, founded in 2015, is an e-commerce platform designed to improve the lives of family caregivers. The startup closed a $25 million funding round in May. Carewell has raised $30 million, to date.
Payzer: $23 million
Payzer, founded in 2012, closed its $23 million Series D round in late June. The startup has raised $42.2 million since 2015. Payzer's mobile app and online payment platform allows contractors to take payments in the field and provides customers with instant credit approval. The platform has more than 5,000 contractor businesses, totaling more than 40,000 individual users.
Ekos: $21 million
Ekos, founded in 2014, is exiting 2021 with a $21 million Series B round that it will use to nearly double its team in the new year. The startup provides business management software to breweries, wineries, cideries and other independent makers. It helps them manage things like inventory, production, sales and accounting. Ekos has raised $29.5 million since 2016.
Airwavz Solutions: $15 million
Airwavz Solutions is a telecommunications infrastructure company that serves the commercial real estate industry and the major wireless carriers by providing innovative in-building wireless solutions. The company, founded in 2013, raised $15 million is capital in late June, bringing its total funding since 2014 to $52.9 million.
Whip Around: $14 million
Whip Around, founded in 2016, is a mobile-based platform that allows fleet managers to manage driver vehicle inspection reports for compliance, track damage with photos and capture accurate mileage. Earlier this month, the company closed a $14 million Series B funding round. Whip Around has raised $19.3 million since 2019.
Anduin: $14 million
Andiun, founded in late 2020, is an AI platform that automates and improves accounts receivable for accounting and consulting firms. The company closed a $14 million seed round in July that it is using to scale its platform and grow its customer base.
Stratifyd: $11 million
Stratifyd, founded in 2015, raised an $11 million Series B round in August, bringing its total funding to $52.9 million. The startup's AI platform uses data analytics solution and predictive insights to help businesses grow revenue and improve efficiency.
Rent Ready: $10 million
Rent Ready closed a $10 million Series A funding in March that it is using to launch a new platform and expand operations beyond North Carolina. The startup, founded in 2016, was successful in becoming a single-stop go-between for apartment properties in need of turnover services in the Charlotte region, Raleigh-Durham and Atlanta. To date, Rent Ready has raised $11.5 million.
