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Here’s what you need to know today in startup and venture news, updated by the ¸½½üÉÏÃÅ News staff throughout the day to keep you informed.

Bumble eyes $6B+ IPO

, the dating app geared for women to make the first move, is reportedly preparing for an initial public offering that could come early next year.

that the Austin-based company may seek a valuation of between $6 billion and $8 billion, citing unnamed sources. Talks about a potential  IPO are said to be still in the early stages and may not come to fruition.

Founded in 2014 by , a co-founder of Tinder, Bumble has since grown to become one of the . The company sold a majority stake last year to private equity firm .

Skillz to go public in SPAC merger

Mobile game developer is the latest startup that plans to go public via a special purpose acquisition company, or blank-check company. It will go public at a $3.5 billion pre-money valuation via a merger with a SPAC called Flying Eagle Acquisition. . Read more about Skillz’ plans here.

Funding rounds:

• Neon Pagamentos raises $300 million: The Brazilian fintech startup raised $300 million in a Series C round led by General Atlantic. The new funding will be used to expand the team and grow the company’s user base, according to a from Neon.
• Unacademy raises $150M at $1.45B valuation: Bengaluru-based online education provider raised $150 million in a new financing round that sets a post-money valuation of $1.45 billion. led the financing for the company, which focuses on preparing students for competitive exams.
• Patreon raises $90M to pay artists: , operator of an online platform that lets artists get paid directly by fans for content subscriptions, has raised $90 million in new funding at a valuation of $1.2 billion. and led the financing.
• Mosaic lands $14.3M Series A, $100M home-building contract: Construction technology company raised $14.25 million in a Series A financing round led by , with participation from , , , , , , , and angel investors. This brings the Phoenix-based company’s total funding, to date, to $24.75 million. In addition to the funding, Mosaic said it secured a $100 million strategic agreement with, under which the two companies will build 400 homes in the next two years in northern Arizona.
• Reachdesk poised for expansion with $6M Series A: , a New York-based direct mail and corporate gifting software platform for B2B companies, announced on Wednesday a $6 million Series A round of funding. Led by , the funding will be used for further expansion throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific.
• Insurance tech startup ProNavigator raises CAD $5.6M: , an Ontario, Canada-based startup with an AI knowledge platform for the insurance industry, said Wednesday that it had closed a CAD $5.6 million financing round. Co-led by new investor ​​ and existing investors ​ and ​​, with participation from ​​, ​​ and ​, the latest round brings ProNavigator’s total funding raised to date to CAD $7.8 million.
• Conversica lands $20M Series D: , a Foster City, California-based company creating intelligent virtual assistants to serve as virtual team members, raised a $20 million Series D funding round led by with participation from existing investors , and .
• bitBiome brings in $6.6M Series B: Japan-based microbiome analysis company raised approximately $6.6 million in Series B financing from existing and new investors including and . This new funding will support the company’s launch of a large-scale study on patient stool and saliva samples for more than 20 diseases, including cancer, intestinal diseases, autoimmune diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders.

M&A:

Regent to acquire Deep Longevity

, a Hong Kong-based specialist health care, wellness and life sciences investment group, has agreed to acquire 1-month-old biotech startup for $3.79 million, the company announced Wednesday. Following the transaction, DLI, which is researching AI-discovered biomarkers of aging, will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Regent. The acquisition will create an integrated global platform for longevity biotechnology and aging research.

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