Funding round
Tala Series E
Tala, which works in digital financial services in Santa Monica, raised $145M in a Series E round announced on 14 Oct 2021, led by Upstart, at a $800M post-money valuation. 8 firms took part, 5 of them already investors. It is Tala's seventh venture round on record; the one before was a Series D in Aug 2019.
$145M
Amount raised
$800M
Post-money valuation
8
Investors
1 lead
1.1x
Step-up from the Series D
$750M in Aug 2019
18%
Stake sold
new money over the post-money
Valuation
What this round says about the price
This round priced Tala at $800M after the new money, 1.1 times the $750M of its Series D (Aug 2019). The $145M bought investors about 18% of the company. It came 26 months after Tala's Series D. It is 42% of the $346M Tala has raised in the venture rounds on record. No later venture round is on record for Tala.
Tala's funding rounds
Tala has 7 venture rounds on record and 3 other deals. This one is highlighted.
- Seed 21 Dec 2012 $240K
- Seed 29 Aug 2013 $1.2M
- Series A 3 Sep 2015 $10M
- Debt not a venture round 1 Sep 2016 $3.0M
- Series B 22 Feb 2017, led by Institutional Venture Partners $30M
- Series C 17 Apr 2018, led by Revolution $50M
- Series D 21 Aug 2019, led by RPS Ventures $110M$750M post-money
- Series E this round 14 Oct 2021, led by Upstart $145M$800M post-money
- Debt not a venture round 27 Oct 2021 $40M
- Debt not a venture round 1 Mar 2025, led by Neuberger Berman $150M
Investors
Who put money in
Upstart led the round with 7 other firms. Upstart, Institutional Venture Partners, Revolution and PayPal Ventures and 1 more had backed Tala before.
Lead investor
- Upstart existing investor
Also in the round
- Stellar Development Foundation new investor
- backs 66 venture-backed companies new investor
- J. Safra Group new investor
- Institutional Venture Partners backs 109 venture-backed companies existing investor
- backs 141 venture-backed companies existing investor
- PayPal Ventures existing investor
- backs 14 venture-backed companies existing investor
Joined the board: Paul Gu (Upstart) and Denelle Dixon (Stellar Development Foundation).
Use of proceeds
What the money is for
According to the announcement, the money goes to hiring, product development, geographic expansion, sales and marketing, scaling operations and working capital.
- Hiring
- Product development
- Geographic expansion
- Sales and marketing
- Scaling operations
- Working capital
Comparable rounds
How it compares
8 Series E rounds in Loans & Financing within a year either side disclosed an amount; the median was $90M, and this round was 1.6 times the median. The closest in time, other companies' Series E rounds in Loans & Financing:
| Company | Announced | Amount | Post-money | Led by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Konfío Loans & Financing | 29 Sep 2021 | $235M | $1.30B | Tarsadia Capital and QED Investors |
| Loans & Financing | 16 Sep 2021 | $50M | not disclosed | Altos Ventures |
| Upgrade Loans & Financing | 11 Aug 2021 | $105M | $3.30B | Koch Disruptive Technologies |
| Loans & Financing | 10 Mar 2022 | $225M | not disclosed | Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) and BVV Cayman Ltd. |
| Loans & Financing | 13 May 2021 | $45M | not disclosed | not named |
| Loans & Financing | 20 Apr 2022 | $50M | not disclosed | Nuveen |
| Creditas Loans & Financing | 18 Dec 2020 | $255M | $1.75B | not named |
| Kiavi Loans & Financing | 1 Dec 2020 | $75M | $405M | Benefit Street Partners |
Sources
Where this comes from
Reported by 8 sources.
Questions
Frequently asked
How much did Tala raise in its Series E round?
Tala raised $145M in its Series E round, announced in Oct 2021.
Who led Tala's Series E round?
Upstart led it, with Stellar Development Foundation, Kindred Ventures, J. Safra Group, Institutional Venture Partners and Revolution and 2 more.
What was Tala's valuation at the Series E round?
$800M post-money.
How does it compare with other Series E rounds in Loans & Financing?
8 Series E rounds in Loans & Financing within a year either side disclosed an amount; the median was $90M, and this round was 1.6 times the median.