In the world of D.C. funding, it seems like not much has changed. In 2016, our list of the top 8 venture capital deals for D.C. startups fell between $20 million and $100 million. In 2017, that range for the top 15 falls between $20 million and $190 million, with big name investors swaying the top ranks.
SoftBank invested in a D.C. startup. The Rise Fund, with backing from the likes of Bono and Reid Hoffman, led an education technology startup's venture round. In a lot of ways, it seems like both everything has changed and nothing at all.
DC Inno collects daily funding news in our email newsletter, The Beat. To compile this list, we took a look through our archives to find the top deals we reported on. Let's take a look at the top 15 venture capital deals of 2017.
(Editor's note: Fundraising for VC funds and similar groups was left out of the rankings. Sorry, Rise of the Rest.)
EverFi: $190M
Founded in 2008, Washington, D.C.-based EverFi is a software-as-a-service subscription that offers students from kindergarten to college a variety of courses, including online math and engineering classes and career training courses. In April, EverFi closed what is now the third largest edtech funding round in history at $190 million. The Series D round was led by The Rise Fund, which boasts backers like U2’s Bono and LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman.
2U: $189M
Edtech company 2U is raking in the cash. The publicly traded company just raised under $189 million, according to recent SEC filings around Sept. 18. 2U offered 3.65 million shares for $49 per share, although the company is currently trading at $53 per share. The latest sale aims to replenish 2U’s cash as it continues to spend its capital up front to land new clients, new acquisitions and market grad programs.
Mapbox: $164M
Mapbox, a D.C.-based startup, is one of the latest companies to secure an investment from SoftBank’s Vision Fund. The mapping technology company closed a $164 million Series C round led by SoftBank, with participation from Foundry Group, DFJ Growth, DBL Partners and Thrive Capital, on Oct. 10. The new investment brings Mapbox’s total funding to about $227 million, according to Crunchbase.
Upside Travel: $50M
Priceline founder Jay Walker raised $50 million for his new small business travel site Upside.com on Jan. 18. The site had opened to the public two days before the funding was announced, and the round brings D.C.-based Upside's valuation up to $200 million.
Federated Wireless: $42M
Arlington, Va.-based wireless infrastructure provider Federated Wireless raised $42 million in Series B funding on Sept. 15. Investors include Charter Communications, American Tower Corp. and ARRIS International.
Fugue: $41M
Maryland cloud data infrastructure startup Fugue brought in a $41 million Series D round led by New Enterprise Associates, the company announced Jan. 5. Investors included existing investor the Maryland Venture Fund and Australia's The Future Fund.
ZeroFox: $40M
Baltimore, Md. social cybersecurity intelligence startup ZeroFox closed a $40 million Series C round on July 12. Redline Capital Management and Silver Lake Waterman led the round, while existing investors NEA, Highland Capital Partners and Core Capital also participated.
FS Card: $30M
FS Card filed a Form D for $30 million in funding on June 28. This filing follows the announcement of an $8 million round in May, and as CEO Marla Blow explains to DC Inno, “Some of our existing investors exercised their pro rata rights as part of the last capital raise, and we amended the filing to reflect the last dollars in the door.”
CarLotz: $30M
Richmond, Va.-based CarLotz raised $30 million in funding from TRP Capital Partners, according to reports on Sept. 20. CarLotz describes itself as a physical used car marketplace that allows buyers and sellers to interact anonymously. According to its Crunchbase profile, the company has raised a total of $37 million in venture funding to date.
ThreatQuotient: $30M
Reston, Va.-based ThreatQuotient closed a $30 million round, the company announced on Nov. 13. One of its investors? Cisco Systems. The threat intelligence platform provides customers with a wealth of cyber threat data and helps companies assess their own internal systems for weaknesses. Adams Street Properties led the latest round, with participation from NTT DoCoMo, New Enterprise Associates and Silicon Valley Bank. ThreatQuotient has now raised $54 million total.
Omnispace: $30M
Tysons Corner-based satellite tech company Omnispace raised $30 million on June 22. Omnispace’s product is a hybrid satellite wireless platform aimed at making it easier for customers to communicate with others in rural locations or oil rigs. Investors include Alexandria-based firms Columbia Capital and Telecom Ventures.
AppGuard: $30M
Chantilly, Va.-based AppGuard raised more than $30 million in Series B funding on Sept. 15. AppGuard provides intelligent prevention endpoint protection software, and JTB Corporation led the round.
LookingGlass Cyber Solutions: $26.3M
Reston, Va.-based LookingGlass Cyber Solutions closed a $26.3 million round, including both debt and equity funding, according to a press release on Aug. 29. New investors Eastward Capital and Triangle Peak Partners joined the round, including participation from existing investors Alsop Louie Partners, Neuberger Berman and New Spring Capital.
Perfect Sense: $22.9M
Reston-based digital platform Perfect Sense raised a $22 million round led by Carrick Capital Partners. Perfect Sense is the developer of content targeting software platform Brightspot.
Axios: $20M
Arlington, Va.-based media startup Axios closed a $20 million round, The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 17. Greycroft Partners and Lerer Hippeau Ventures both led the round, and both investors participated in the $10 million round in 2016. The new media company launched about a year ago and was founded by Politico co-founder Jim VandeHei, former Politico Chief Revenue Officer Roy Schwartz and former Politico reporter Mike Allen.
