Tel-Aviv based VAT refund startup Refundit raises $9.8 million

In an attempt to make VAT refunds easier for travelers, Refundit, a Tel Aviv-based startup, has raised $9.8 million in funding. The round was led by the venture capital arm of travel-tech giant Amadeus and saw participation from Portugal Ventures and returning seed investors.

“At Amadeus, we constantly look for opportunities to take friction out of travel. We’re very excited to welcome Refundit into the Amadeus family and we look forward to working together with the team to bring this much-needed improvement to travelers,” said Stefan Ropers, president, Strategic Growth Businesses, Amadeus.

Freshworks raises $150M in funding

Freshworks, a company that provides integrated business management software solutions with CRM and help-desk modules, has raised $150M in a Series H financing. The round, led by Sequoia Capital, CapitalG, and Accel, resulted in a $3.5 billion valuation.

Founded in 2010, Freshworks has over 250,000 customers globally, 40,000 of which are paying. They plan to use the money to invest in R&D for the platform. “We are actually investing in really bringing all of this together to create the “Customer-for-Life Cloud,” CEO and co-founder Girish Mathrubootham said in a statement.

EV Startup Xpeng Motors raises $400M

Chinese EV startup Xpeng Motors announced that it has raised $400M in Series C funding. The company is already backed by Alibaba and Foxconn and the latest round saw the onboarding of Xiaomi as a strategic investor.

“Xiaomi Corporation and Xpeng Motors have achieved significant progress through in-depth collaboration in developing technologies connecting smartphones and smart cars,” Xiaomi’s Jun said in a statement