text: S|W: The SaaS Weekly - 1Password goes Hollywood | BetaKit
  S|W: The SaaS Weekly – 1Password goes Hollywood
  Plus: Microsoft inks deal to acquire Activision Blizzard.
  1Password claims $744 million CAD round is largest in Canadian history (BETAKIT)
  Toronto-based password manager startup 1Password has closed a massive, Hollywood star-studded round of Series C financing at a $6.8 billion USD valuation, more than triple its valuation last summer. The fresh funding follows a period of growth for the firm, which has increased its B2B business by more than 70 percent year-over-year over the past 24 months, and grown its customer base to more than 100,000 companies.
  Competition for software developers is intensifying
  The Information and Communications Technology Council is expecting digital jobs in Canada to surge above 2.2 million, adding nearly 250,000 vacancies by 2025.
  Microsoft has agreed to buy Activision Blizzard in an all-cash deal valued at about $75 billion USD, as it looks to grab a videogame heavyweight—the company behind titles like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft—that has been roiled by claims of workplace misconduct in recent months. Microsoft says the deal stands to make it the "third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony."
  Financial data and analytics firm Canalyst raises $70 million USD Series C (BETAKIT)
  Founded in 2015 by James Rife (head of research) and Damir Hot (CEO), Canalyst has developed a SaaS platform that enables access to structured fundamental data and models on global public companies.
  Lattice raises $175M at a $3B valuation for its people management platform (TECHCRUNCH)
  The funding brings the total raised by Lattice to $330 million, and it's coming just 10 months after the company last raised (a Series E at a $1 billion valuation).
  Why Netflix keeps cranking up its prices (THE VERGE)
  The cost of streaming is starting to sting.
  One of Uber's top dealmakers is leaving the company (BUSINESS INSIDER)
  Jeremy Fine had been at the company for almost seven years and oversaw acquisitions including Postmates and Drizly.
  TikTok's global marketing chief abruptly departs (THE INFORMATION)
  TikTok has ousted Nick Tran, its global head of marketing. Tran, who had been at TikTok since mid-2020, was known for his out-of-the-box ideas and campaigns, which one executive reportedly called "stunt marketing."
  Pluribus Technologies starts trading on TSX Venture Exchange after reverse takeover (BETAKIT)
  Pluribus claims it acquires small, profitable B2B software companies at "reasonable prices" in a range of verticals and industries.
  Funnelytics snags $1.85 million to launch version 2.0 of its analytics platform (BETAKIT)
  Funnelytics, a Toronto-based customer journey visualization and analytics startup, has landed a $1.85 million CAD seed extension round from the GreenSky Accelerator Fund IV, with participation from MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund and angel investors from the GreenSky President's Club.
  VCs approached Facebook to fund a spinout of Workplace valued at over $1B, but Facebook declined (TECHCRUNCH)
  A deal would have valued a newly independent Workplace as a "unicorn" (at least at $1 billion) according to the source.