{
  "id": 16034185,
  "title": "Acquirers Are Snapping Up Boom-Era Startups That Haven’t Raised Funding In Years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/acquirers-are-snapping-up-boom-era-startups-that-havent-raised",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-22T11:00:41.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Crunchbase News",
    "slug": "crunchbase-news",
    "url": "https://news.crunchbase.com/ma/acquired-boom-era-startups-ezcater-anyscale/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Recent acquisitions of startups that haven't raised new venture funding in years highlight that such companies often retain significant value, defying conventional wisdom. Uber's acquisition of ezCater, a catering platform, exemplifies this trend, paying $2.3 billion - 53% above ezCater's pre-money valuation from its last funding round in 2021. Other notable deals include Airtable's sale to Bending Spoons for nearly $1.36 billion, and Headspace's acquisition by Sword Health for around $300 million. These transactions, while occurring at valuations far below peak pre-2021 levels, represent a market where older startups can still secure substantial deals, despite the cyclical peak in 2021 that led many to delay or reject new funding rounds.",
  "summary": "A number of companies whose names might feature on a playlist of 2021 boom-era unicorns have sold to acquirers in recent months, including one-time highfliers like Airtable, Headspace and Miro. In many cases, companies are selling at valuations which, while not puny, are still far below their former peaks.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}