In the paper, “Unicorniphobia,” Alexander I. Platt counters the viewpoint held by many legal scholars and regulators, including the SEC, that unicorns pose regulatory, financial, and social risks. Many recent articles argue that unicorns pose concerns because: they are not subject to SEC reporting and SEC scrutiny and oversight; unicorn CEOs/founders are usually innovative but
Notable Trends in the Private Markets
The private market ecosystem experienced strong growth in 2021. The number of recognized unicorns (defined as private companies having $1B+ valuation) grew from 564 in 2020 to 882 in 2021. Nasdaq Private Markets’ (“NPM”) 2021 Annual Report noted that in addition to elevated deal size for companies, secondaries have evolved as an avenue to provide
Global Venture Financing Trends in 2021 Q2
According to CB Insights’ latest State of Venture Report, global startup financing in Q2’21 reached $156.2 billion, a 157% year-over-year increase and a record quarter high. U.S. startup funding accounted for the largest portion of the global quarter total, raising $70.4 billion, followed by Asia raising $42.2 billion. Meanwhile, funding to China-based companies continued
A Look Back at Automotive & Mobility Financing Trends
Global funding for companies in the automotive and mobility sectors fell to $27.6 billion in 2020, a 5% decrease year-over-year, with 522 deals completed according to CB Insights’ recent report and webinar on the State of Mobility. While the first half of 2020 was particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the second half of
Alternative Venture Capital: The New Unicorn Investors
In a new paper, Alternative Venture Capital: The New Unicorn Investors, professor Anat Alon-Beck explores the rise of alternative venture capital (AVC) investors and the ways in which these investors are affecting unicorn companies. The paper cautions that that many of the calls being made by industry groups, such as the Institute for Portfolio
A Deep Dive Into Capital Raising Alternatives: IFLR’s New Book and Free Webinars
In the International Financial Law Review’s latest publication, A Deep Dive Into Capital Raising Alternatives, Mayer Brown provides context on the changes in market structure and market dynamics that led to the enactment of the JOBS Act. Specifically, the trend for many private companies to remain private longer, defer or dispense with traditional
Fintech Sector Financing Update
Funding in the fintech sector increased 17% quarter-over-quarter, after two quarters of declines, to $9.3 billion according to CB Insights’ recent State of Fintech report. Despite the funding increase, the number of deals continued to decline globally, continuing the decline since the fourth quarter of 2019. In the second quarter of 2020, 397 global venture-backed
Update on Venture Financings
PwC and CB Insights’ latest MoneyTree Report reports a 3% increase in U.S. venture capital deals this past quarter. There were 1,374 deals in the second quarter of 2020 compared to 1,336 deals in the first quarter 2020. This increase comes after a three-quarter decline in venture deals. While the number of deals is down
Late-Stage Private Placements and the Unicorn Phenomenon
Professor Anat Alon-Beck from the School of Law at Case Western Reserve University joined our annual conference on Late Stage Private Placements earlier this week. Prof. Beck spoke about the unicorn phenomenon, valuation concerns relating to unicorns and the new investors that have fueled the growth of unicorns. Prof. Beck’s slides may be accessed here
A New Financing Environment: 2019 Tech Sector Trends in Review
The financing environment for startup companies in the technology sector has changed substantially over the last few years. As evidenced by findings in CB Insights’ latest report, The 2020 Tech IPO Pipeline, tech companies have raised more funding than ever before by accessing the private venture markets. These startups reach unicorn status well before