The Funded: Instacart has reportedly boosted its valuation by $2B after repeated cuts

For much of the last year, the recurring theme in startupland — particularly among bigger and more mature companies — has been valuation cuts.

Now one major startup believes its worth is headed in the opposite direction.

Instacart boosted its valuation from $10 billion to $12 billion as part of its latest internal review, The Information reported Sunday. The move by the San Francisco company came in response to its financial results from December to February and to the uptick in the share price of its public rivals, according to the report.

Instacart spokeswoman Lyndsey Grubbs declined to comment on The Information's report.

The reversal is a modest one. The grocery delivery service provider's valuation is still down 69% from its peak of $39 billion, set as part of a funding round two years ago. And the increase comes after the startup — legally known as Maplebear Inc. — slashed its worth four times last year.

But any kind of increase stands out from much of the rest of the pack. Just last month, Stripe Inc. slashed its valuation by a whopping $45 billion to $50 billion as part of a new funding round. Meanwhile, late last year, shares of privately held starts were trading on average at prices that implied a 50% valuation cut, according to a report from Forge Global Holdings Inc.

Much of what has weighed on startups has been the sharp drop in stock prices of publicly held companies. But many tech companies have seen their shares rebound this year. In the year-to-date, shares of Instacart rival DoorDash Inc., for example, are up 31%.

Here's what else is going on in the Bay Area's venture and startup news on a very slow start to April.

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