Follow the Money

Another big round for a San Diego digital marketing and analytics company. Certona, a company that operates under the radar here while doing work for some of the biggest brands in the country, has raised $30 million in a round led by Primus. You may not have heard of Certona, but you have definitely heard of their customers, such as Puma and GameStop.

Fintech company Kyriba has taken in $23 million in Series D funding hoping to enhance services and support the company’s growth into new locations. The round was led by Bpifrance and also inlcuded HSBC and Daher Capital.

Follow the Money – Literally!

Dmitry Shapiro has made quite a splash this week upon his return to San Diego. A week after announcing he would base his new startup, GoMeta, in San Diego, the company sent San Diegans on a treasure hunt on Saturday. In a nod to the success of Pokemon Go, the company created a one-day experience for those who downloaded the app promising a haul of $500 for one lucky hunter. And there is more to come. The company plans similar events in Los Angeles and San Francisco before it launches the full Metaverse later this fall.

Kickstagram Grows San Diego’s Marketing Cluster

Another success story on the marketing front is downtown’s Kickstagram. Specializing in marketing on Instagram, the company offers its service for $149 per month and currently has 5,000 subscribers.  You do the math. So it isn’t surprising that founder Ronan Galvin shared that the company will be adding new employees next month.

Hera Hub Makes Forbes Top 5 List

Forbes recognized five co-working spaces nationwide that are “working to affect the lives of people outside work.” Local co-working community Hera Hub, specifically designed for female entrepreneurs, made the list.

Pivots and Opportunities

San Diego Venture Group is now taking applications for their annual Pitch Fest that takes place in December. Deadline is October 21.

Be There or Be…

• 6 Degrees Career Accelerator Series
  October 11, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., DeskHub, 2159 India St
  Sabrina Cadini from La Dolce Idea will be talking about social media and how to utilize it to the best of its ability.
• Evonexus Fall Demo Day
  October 20,  5:30-8:30 p.m., Qualcomm

Tags: Blogs, Startup Buzz