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

    The Self Boutique

    Self-expression, happiness drive expansion of Selfie Boutique playground

    By Tommy Felts | April 16, 2018

    What started as a side project four months ago has grown into a huge, interactive exhibit dedicated to cultivating joy, said Alex Altomare, founder of the Selfie Boutique. “The mission is to bring people together and create happiness,” Altomare said. “The growth has been entirely driven by our supporters on all fronts, and we have…

    Lisa Bledsoe, Tea-Biotics Kombucha

    Brewers ferment market opportunity, health benefits with kombucha startups

    By Tommy Felts | April 14, 2018

    Fermented foods represent more than just trendy, niche products, Kansas City’s kombucha startups say. They’re where gut health and market opportunity meet. “If it’s not local, it’s not fresh,” said Lisa Bledsoe, emphasizing the quality advantage Kansas City brewers have over national brands competing for cooler space at metro grocery stores. Bledsoe’s Tea-Biotics Kombucha has…

    Applicants pour in for a chance at $500K in LaunchKC grants

    By Tommy Felts | April 13, 2018

    Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by LaunchKC but was independently produced by Startland News. After dishing out $1.5 million to 29 startups over the last three years, LaunchKC returns in 2018 with more experience and an enduring determination to drive entrepreneurial impact in Kansas City. The area’s most-popular grants contest already has garnered hundreds…

    Christine Clutton, The Wild Way Coffee Creations

    Peek inside: Wild Way coffee rolling Austin flavor onto Kansas City’s bean scene

    By Tommy Felts | April 12, 2018

    Christine Clutton is taking the rollout of her Wild Way coffee camper concept one cup at a time, she said. Debuting Friday in Midtown, the mobile shop — serving coffee, tea and pastries with a mix of Austin and local flavors — is envisioned as a temporary stop on Clutton’s entrepreneurial journey, she said. “Our…