Hail to the Chieftesses
Presidents Day
Hello, Shirley. Thank you for running, and for speaking the truth. We're still waiting for the unity you preached.
Hello, Victoria. One hundred years before Shirley, you lead the charge and locked arms with Frederick Douglass on your ticket. And thanks for starting one of the first female-founded newspapers and a brokerage house on Wall Street. And for believing in free love. I wish I could have dinner with you.
Photo by Lynsey Addario for New York Magazine
Hello, Hillary. Thank you for being one of the toughest, smartest and complicated of our candidates. You were the mirror for the double standard we face as women in politics, business and life. Robbed.
Funding
Haute Hijab, $2.3 million Seed, Melanie Elturk, CEO
New York-based ecommerce hijab brand. Cue Ball led the round, joined by Ludlow Ventures, Sinai Ventures, Maveron, Muse Capital, AngelList, and The Helm. Check out their team diversity.
Second Measure, $20 million Series A, Lillian Chou, COO and Co-Founder
San Mateo-based behavior analytics platform used by financial firms and corporate brands. Second Measure’s round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners and Goldman Sachs.
Skylar, $8 million Series A, Cat Chen, CEO and Founder
Los-Angeles-based natural beauty brand. Skylar’s round was led by FirstMark Capital, whose partner and managing director Beth Ferreira will join Skylar’s all-female board. Also participating in the round were Upfront Ventures, Amplify LA, Gingerbread Capital and several individual investors, including the Honest Company’s Brian Lee.
Zilingo, $226 million Series D, Ankiti Bose, CEO and Co-Founder
Singapore-based online fashion platform raised $226 million at a $970 million valuation. Zilingo investors include Sequoia Capital India, Sofina, Temasek Holdings, EDBI and Burda Principal Investments.
Exits
The Apothecarium, acquired for $118 million, Jamie Shira, Co-Founder
Medicinal cannabis dispensary with locations in San Francisco and Las Vegas acquired by TerrAscend. (Green Market Report)