BREAKING: C2FO closes $200M investment led by backer of WeWork, Uber, Slack

August 7, 2019  |  Startland News Staff

Sandy Kemper, C2FO

Startup giant C2FO continues its climb to the top, having secured a new $200 million investment — and doubling the amount of its once-record funding raise in fewer than two years. 

“We are very fortunate to have a team who, for years, has delivered industry-leading unit economics, extraordinary customer satisfaction, and strong global growth,” Sandy Kemper, C2FO founder and CEO, said in a release Wednesday.

Updated: Click here to read more of Kemper’s thoughts on the massive funding round, including C2FO’s big challenge: proving it’s worth of Kansas City’s biggest investments.

The chart smashing round — believed to be the largest yet for a venture capital-backed startup in Kansas City — was led by the $108 billion SoftBank Vision Fund, which also has stakes in WeWork, Uber, Slack and DoorDash. The investment places Nahoko Hoshino, vice president of investment at SoftBank Investment Advisers, on the C2FO board of directors. 

Click here to read about C2FO’s previous record setting, $100 million funding round.

John Buttrick, Union Square Ventures

John Buttrick, Union Square Ventures

Investment firms Temasek and Union Square Ventures returned to the table and placed new bets on C2FO, the company said of the round’s additional participants. 

“This infusion of capital from the Vision Fund and existing investors will be used to further our expansion as we strive to build a new world wherein the increased liquidity provided by the C2FO platform helps companies and in turn, entire economies, grow more rapidly,” Kemper said. 

Streamlining the world of working capital, C2FO’s online marketplace has amassed over 300,000 clients in 173 countries — helping them control their cash flow and manage more than $1 billion in funding on a weekly basis, the company explained. 

Such reach and the ability to shake the industry helped attract SoftBank to the energy-rich startup, said Ashkay Naheta, managing partner. 

“We invested in C2FO because we think their disruptive innovation offers a solution to an industry that has traditionally lacked cost-efficient alternatives for businesses of all sizes looking to free up cash quickly,” Naheta said.

Cash injections and the ability to rapidly scale wouldn’t be possible without the C2FO team, Kemper noted. 

 “Due to their work, we have now grown to match over $1.2 trillion of accounts receivable and accounts payable,” he said.

SoftBank believes C2FO and its leaders are equipped with vision that could help the company — which is expected to reach a $1 billion valuation — become the global exchange for working capital, Naheta said. 

Startland will have more on this story as it develops.

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

2019 Startups to Watch

    stats here

    Related Posts on Startland News

    For its KC intro, WeWork plans event series to connect

    By Tommy Felts | April 27, 2017

    In efforts to pump up the Kansas City community prior to its launch, WeWork announced KC Connected, an event series at its new Corragain Station coworking space. The first event is  May 10 and aims to get local entrepreneurs prepared for the coworking giant’s global grant competition, the Creator Awards. “Our goal is to help…

    RideKC builds Uber-like app for Kansas Citians with disabilities

    By Tommy Felts | April 27, 2017

    For Kansas City residents with disabilities, it’s difficult to rely on bus schedules to get from place to place — even with paratransit options. Starting May 1, Kansas City residents with disabilities will have access to an on-demand option. The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority recently developed the ride-hailing app RideKC Freedom On-Demand, which will start…

    Mobility Designed raises nearly $900K from iiM, local investors

    By Tommy Felts | April 27, 2017

    The seed round for Kansas City-based Mobility Designed is approaching seven figures following the support of a local investment firm. Overland Park-based Innovation in Motion (iiM) recently joined the medical device startup’s round, which is approaching $900,000 and comprised mostly of individual investors. Led by CEO Liliana Younger, Mobility Designed created the M+D Crutch, a…

    KC Smart City wins ‘Oscar of Innovation,’ a gold Edison Award

    By Tommy Felts | April 26, 2017

    Validating a bold technology plan by a variety of public and private organizations, Kansas City’s Smart City initiative recently won a prestigious Edison Award for innovation. The City of Kansas City, Mo., Sprint, Cisco, Think Big Partners and other organizations won a gold award in the category of connected collaboration from the Edison Awards in…