Lucinda Shen

New York

Deals Reporter at Axios

Covering deals @axios. Formerly @fortunemagazine. Reach me lucinda.shen (@)https://t.co/yxq3OmkLrT. DM for signal and everything else.

Articles

Tacta's dextrous raise, Meta's voice AI bet, and STG buys Movable Ink

1 day ago | axios.com | Lucinda Shen

Venture Capital• Tacta Systems, a Palo Alto-based developer of robotics software for delicate tasks, raised $64m in Series A funding. America's Frontier Fund and SBVA led, joined by Matter Venture Partners, and B Capital. tactasystems.com🚑 Handspring, a NY-based virtual mental health therapy provider, raised $12m in Series A funding. Cobalt Ventures led, joined by NextView Ventures, nvp capital, 25madison, Arkitekt Ventures, VamosVentures, Hyde Park Angels, and Cornucopian Capital.
CoreWeave renews Core Scientific power play

1 day ago | axios.com | Lucinda Shen

Axios Pro Exclusive Content(Photo Illustration by Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Data center company CoreWeave is in talks to acquire crypto mining business Core Scientific, the WSJ reports citing sources. A deal could come in weeks, per the report. Why it matters: This is quite literally a power play. What we're watching: How CoreWeave plans to finance the deal.
Kalshi's $2b valuation and Best Buy's sale

2 days ago | axios.com | Lucinda Shen

Venture Capital• Kalshi, a New York-based predictions market, raised $185m at a $2b valuation led by Paradigm. Go deeper• Centific, a Seattle-based AI data foundry, raised $60m in Series A funding led by Granite Asia. Go deeper💊 Mandolin, an AI automation platform for specialty drug access, raised $40m from Greylock, SignalFire, SV Angel, and Maverick.
Public markets increasingly attractive

3 days ago | axios.com | Lucinda Shen

Axios Pro Exclusive ContentData: Renaissance Capital, S&P Capital IQ, SEC Filings, and Pitchbook; Chart: Axios VisualsPublic markets are beginning to lookmore attractive than private markets to some later-stage companies. The big picture: Not every unicorn is taking an IPO discount. What we're watching: Corporate card startupBrex — backed by Tiger Global and Mubadala — is among those considering an IPO, though timing remains unclear.
Polymarket's new raise raise and Lime's IPO

3 days ago | axios.com | Lucinda Shen

Venture Capital• Polymarket, a New York-based crypto prediction market, is in talks to raise $200m at a $1b valuation, per The Information. Go deeper🚑 Arinebrook, a Needham, Mass.-based insurtech focused on excess and surplus lines, raised $65m in Series C funding. The Stephens Group led, joined by Hummingbird Nomads and insiders Duquesne, Brand Foundry, Floating Point, and American Family Ventures.
Wealthfront's IPO path, Claire's weighs M&A, and a cattle ranching startup

4 days ago | axios.com | Lucinda Shen

Venture Capital • Decagon, a conversational AI startup for enterprise customer service, raised $131m in Series C funding at a $1.5 b valuation. Accel and a16z led, with participation from A*, Bain Capital Ventures, BOND, Avra, Forerunner, and Ribbit Capital. Go deeper• Halter, a provider of virtual fencing and animal management for cattle ranches, raised $100m in Series D funding at a $1b valuation.
Wealthfront files confidentially for an IPO

4 days ago | axios.com | Lucinda Shen

Axios Pro Exclusive ContentPhoto by Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesWealthfront, the robo-adviser that nearly sold to UBS for $1.4 billion three years ago, has filed confidentially to go public, it announced Monday. Why it matters: The company joins a string of companies testing the 2025 markets, but it's a unique test.
Between the lines of the U.S. Steel golden share

1 week ago | axios.com | Lucinda Shen

Axios Pro Exclusive ContentPhoto illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesU.S. Steel (finally) on Wednesday confirmed the existence of a "golden share" agreement, as it closed its $14.1 billion takeover by Nippon Steel. Why it matters: Much of what Nippon Steel agreed to with the U.S. government has precedent in past CFIUS agreements. But there are key differences.
Mars' $36b deal under EU scrutiny, Tennr's mega round

1 week ago | axios.com | Lucinda Shen

Venture CapitalðŸš‘ Tennr, an NYC-based provider of patient referral automation tools, raised $101m at a $605m valuation led by IVP with participation from new backers ICONIQ and GV, plus insiders Lightspeed, Andresseen Horowitz, Foundation Capital, and Y Combinator. Go deeperâ€¢ PolyActiva, an Australian ocular biotech, raised A$40m in Series C funding led by an undisclosed Australian sovereign wealth fund, with insider Brandon Capital also participating.
Teamwork's unicorn status, Payabli's raise, and a wave of CEO changes

1 week ago | axios.com | Lucinda Shen

Venture Capital• Teamworks, a Durham, N.C.-based sports software startup, raised $235m in Series F funding led by Dragoneer at a pre-money valuation north of $1b. It's a mix of primary and secondary capital. Go deeper• Eigen Labs, a Seattle-based Ethereum restaking platform, raised $70m through a token sale led by a16z. Go deeper🚑 HOPPR, a Chicago-based medical imaging startup, raised $31.5m in Series A funding.