The Sales Signal is a series that analyzes key signals in Crunchbase that indicate when a private company is growing to uncover new opportunities for sales reps.
Methodology
Companies included in each issue of The Signal are U.S. based and selected using a number of factors within the Crunchbase dataset. These include Crunchbase rank, Crunchbase trend score and signals such as raising new funding and actively hiring. Combined, these factors are analyzed and used to shine a light on where sales reps can find opportunities.
Quick facts
Insights for the month of February 2022:
- 1,098 companies raised new funding.
- Over $31.3 billion in funding was raised across sectors.
- Seed rounds made up the bulk of the funding with 271 seed stage companies (25.3%) announcing new funding.
- The average funding round from seed to Series D was:
- $4.4 million for seed
- $20.4 million for Series A
- $50.6 million for Series B
- $82.2 million for Series C
- $169.3 million for Series D
Now, let’s take a look at five companies sales reps should have on their radar.
5 high-growth companies that should be on your radar
1. Cruise
- Recent funding amount: $1.4 billion
- Round type: Venture Round
- Announced date: Feb. 1
- Employee size: 1001-5000
- Headquarters: San Francisco, CA
Founded in 2013, Cruise develops technology for self-driving vehicles. In 2016, the company was acquired by one of the biggest auto manufacturers in the world, General Motors.
Cruise’s most recent round, led by SoftBank Vision Fund (see additional investments), brings its total funding to $13 billion over 12 rounds. The company is also among the 1,220 companies globally that have reached unicorn status.
Sales insights: The total funding for companies working on autonomous vehicle technology skyrocketed by 857% year-over-year. In addition, Cruise added Chief Operating Officer and former Delta executive, Gil West, to its leadership team last year as it marches toward the commercialization of its technology.
Similar companies that raised funding in February:
- Superpedetrian, a robotics company that develops lightweight electric vehicles with integrated online platforms, announced a $125 million Series C on Feb. 1.
- Helm.ai, a provider of AI technology for autonomous vehicles, announced a $30 million Series B on Feb. 15.
- ThorDrive, a software company that builds autonomous technology, announced a $16.7 million Series A on Feb. 17.
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2. Uniphore
- Recent funding amount: $400 million
- Round type: Series E
- Announced date: Feb. 16
- Employee size: 510-1000
- Headquarters: Palo Alto, California
Founded in 2008, Uniphore is a global conversational AI technology company that offers a customer service platform that is powered by AI and automation. With its most recent round of funding, led by New Enterprise Associates (see additional investments), the company has raised a total of $620.9 million over 8 rounds. Like Ramp, Uniphore has reached unicorn status.
Sales insight: In 2021, Uniphore expanded its leadership team with Stéphane Berthier joining as Chief Financial Officer and Ritesh Idnani as Global Chief Revenue Officer. In addition to leadership expansion, the company is actively hiring for over 250 roles signaling a focus on growth and expansion.
Similar companies that raised funding in February:
- Salt Security, a company that provides an API protection platform designed to prevent attacks by leveraging machine learning and AI, announced a $140 million Series D on Feb. 10.
- Cyble, an AI-powered cyber intelligence company that offers darkweb, cybercrime monitoring and mitigation services, announced a $10 million Series A on Feb. 22.
- Tailspin, a company that’s developing a virtual, augmented, and mixed reality platform for the future of employment, announced a $20 million Series C on Feb. 17.
3. Somatus
- Recent funding amount: $325 million
- Round type: Series E
- Announced date: Feb. 22
- Employee size: 1001-5000
- Headquarters: Mclean, Virginia
- Diversity Spotlight: Black/African American founded
Founded in 2016, Somatus is a health care company that focuses on providing comprehensive care for patients with or at-risk of developing kidney disease. The company has raised a total of $465.1 million over 5 rounds. Its most recent funding round was led by Wellington Management (see additional investments) and values the company at $2.5 billion.
Sales insights: Somatus’ funding round was the third highest in the health care sector in February. In addition, total funding raised by health care companies increased by 57% year-over-year.
Similar companies that raised funding in February:
- Omada Health, a virtual health care company that leverages data to help people make lasting health changes, announced a $192 million Series E on Feb. 23.
- Memora Health, a company that digitizes and automates care journeys to simplify how patients and clinicians navigate complex care delivery, announced a $40 million venture round on Feb. 15.
- Kallyope, a biotechnology company that focuses on the therapeutic potential of gut-brain circuits, announced a $236 million Series D on Feb. 15.
Check out Somatus on Crunchbase’s list of the top 30 companies founded by Black and Latinx entrepreneurs that raised the most funding in 2021.
4. Cart.com
- Recent funding amount: $240 million
- Round type: Venture Round
- Announced date: Feb. 3
- Employee size: 251-500
- Headquarters: Austin, Texas
Founded in 2020, Cart.com is an e-commerce-as-a-service platform designed to help brands accelerate online growth. Led by Legacy Knight (see additional investments), the company’s recent round brings its total funding to $383 million over 7 rounds.
Sales insight: In 2021, Cart.com announced several additions to its leadership team, including its new Chief Delivery Officer, Tony Puccetti; Chief Financial Officer, Frank Parker; Chief People Officer, Sara Patterson; and Chief Revenue Officer, Randy Ray.
Similar companies that raised funding in February:
- Bloomreach, a software company that connects both customer and product data to personalize all customer touch-points, announced a $175 Series F on Feb. 23.
- Alloy Automation, a company that builds technology to help e-commerce brands organize their data and automate actions across 150+ apps, announced a $20 million Series A on Feb. 22.
- Chargebee, a provider of subscription and recurring billing system technology for SaaS and e-commerce businesses, announced a $250 million Series H on Feb. 1.
5. Ramp
- Recent funding amount: $200 million
- Round type: Series D
- Announced date: Feb. 2
- Employee size: 101-250
- Headquarters: New York, New York
Founded in 2019, Ramp is a fintech company that creates corporate cards designed to save businesses money. With its most recent round of funding, led by Founders Fund (see additional investments), the company has raised $810 million over 7 rounds cementing its place among the 1,219 other companies that have reached unicorn status.
Sales insight: Ramp is actively hiring for over 40 roles across recruiting, engineering, sales and several other departments as the company continues to roll out new products like its recent Ramp for Travel offering.
Similar companies that raised funding in February:
- Groundfloor, a crowdsourced real estate investing and lending platform, announced a $5.8 million venture round on Feb. 21.
- Flutterwave, a fintech company that provides a payment infrastructure for global merchants and payment service providers, announced a $250 million Series D on Feb. 16.
- C2FO, an online platform that helps businesses manage accounts payable and receivable on-demand, announced a $140 million Series H on Feb. 1.
