GUESTY SECURES $130M TO EXPAND ITS PROPERTY MANAGEMENT PLATFORM
Flashpoint
Since 2012, we have been investing in U.S. and Western European tech companies originating from Europe and Israel
#1?GUESTY SECURES $130M TO EXPAND ITS PROPERTY MANAGEMENT PLATFORM
Guesty, a platform that lets accommodation managers manage their business on platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo, and directly to travellers, has raised $130 million. The company, based out of New York with roots in Israel, says its revenue has increased 5x in the last 3 years, and it expects to turn profitable this year. The company did not specify actual revenue figures. KKR is leading this round, with Apax Funds, BDT & MSD Partners, and Sixth Street also participating.
#2?A VC'S PERSPECTIVE ON AI'S ROLE IN RESHAPING THE MEDIA LANDSCAPE
The media sphere has undergone profound transformations. What once constituted a diverse tapestry of voices has evolved into a hyper-personalized, often polarizing environment. This transformation owes much to the ascent of social media and algorithmic curation, which have steered the media landscape toward fragmentation, fostering echo chambers that reinforce biases while sensationalism often takes center stage.
#3?THE EU WASTED €60M ON A POINTLESS FINTECH FAD
EBSI, the project — originally backed by the European Commission, 27 member governments, dozens of lobbyists and hundreds of EU officials — had hoped to use highly hyped blockchain technology to spruce up the bloc’s digital infrastructure. But waning enthusiasm for blockchain initiatives linked to the technology's repeated failure to deliver on industry expectations had seen the project relegated to Brussels' backwaters.
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#4?BREAKTHROUGH OPPORTUNITIES IN TECHNOLOGY FOR 2024 AND BEYOND
In 2021, the European tech ecosystem was in rude health, smashing the $100 billion mark in VC funding for the first time. Two years later, however, that number had halved, with the annual State of EU Tech report placing annual funding for 2023 at $45 billion. 2023 saw another challenging macro environment. However, it’s important not to let a broad, region-wide perspective gloss over the performance and characteristics unique to each market.
#5?A NEW DAWN FOR BALTIC STARTUPS?
Both deal count and value dropped sharply last year in the Baltics—made up of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania—with only €537 million invested across 176 deals. This is compared to 262 rounds worth a combined €1.75 billion in 2022. Of the VC funds surveyed that disclosed their plans for 2024, 80% said that they aim to maintain or increase their investments in Baltic startups compared to 2023. This year’s anticipated rise in investment volume is 60%.?
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