LA tech companies made some big moves last week, including Facebook acquiring a local startup and the announcement of several funding rounds. This is the Built In LA weekly refresh.
Mythical Games raised $150M. The gaming technology studio develops play-to-earn games in which creators, brands and developers all own digital gaming assets. The fresh funding values Mythical Games at $1.25 billion and will go toward growing its team and platform. The funding will also go towards expanding its team. [Built In LA]
Shareholders approved combination with Bird. Switchback II Corporation’s shareholders approved a business combination with Bird Rides, meaning Bird is one step closer to going public via a SPAC. Bird is an electric vehicle company focused on bringing affordable and environmentally conscious transportation, such as electric scooters, to communities. The merger is expected to value Bird at $2.3 billion. [PR Newswire]
LA TECH QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Facebook to buy Within. As Facebook works to rebrand as Meta, the tech giant bought the creator of VR fitness app Supernatural. Supernatural provides cardio exercises that virtually put users in different settings like Mars. The acquisition will allow LA-based Within to operate independently and be part of Meta’s Reality Labs. [Built In LA]
Huckleberry gained $12.5M. The Series A round was led by Morningside Ventures. Huckleberry is an app that combines AI, data science and pediatric sleep experts to help parents navigate sleep patterns and health with their babies. The app has a SweetSpot feature that analyzes sleeping patterns. The recent funding will go toward expanding the team. [PR Newswire]
Afterparty raised $3M. Afterparty will allow streamers and other creators to issue NFT tokens to their fans. The company uses blockchain web technologies to allow creators to monetize and manage relationships. Acrew Capital and TenOneTen Ventures led the $3 million round. [VentureBeat]
true[X] + Gimbal named new executives. Christa Carone was appointed president and Laurel Rossi as chief marketing officer. The company focuses on advertising and location-based marketing services to help brands better interact with consumers. Both newly appointed leaders bring a field of expertise and knowledge that will further help true[X] + Gimbal’s purpose. [Newswire]
