Follow the Money Edition 18

With public markets in turmoil, private investors seem to be taking pause

Deep Insight: Private Markets Pause

Public market turmoil and renewed tariff discussions over the past week have caused private investors to take pause. Deals that were moving quickly are now slowing as investors wait for more clarity on trade policy, inflation, and consumer demand. While this isn’t a full market freeze, the shift in tone is clear. Volatility at the public level always trickles down, and investors are recalibrating risk before committing new capital. Until there’s more certainty on where tariffs and rates are heading, many are opting to stay on the sidelines rather than price deals into an uncertain environment.

VC Funding Rounds

• Sizl, a Chicago-based ghost kitchen startup, raised $3.5m in seed funding led by Yellow Rocks.

• Nuro, a Mountain View, Calif.,-based developer of autonomous driving tech, raised $106m in Series E funding at a $6b valuation from T. Rowe Price, Fidelity, Tiger Global, Greylock, and XN.

  • Quick Insight: These rounds and valuations just keep getting bigger and we take note because they will eventually connect formerly separate geographical areas into super-MSAs