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Champ Titles Raised $18M from Point72 Ventures
Champ Titles Raised $18M from Point72 Ventures

Architect Partners was the exclusive Financial Advisor to Champ Titles.

Transaction Overview

On March 27, 2024, Cleveland-based digital title and registration platform Champ Titles announced an $18 million Series C equity round led by Point72 Ventures with participation by existing investors.

Company Description

Champ Titles provides a digital title and registration suite to streamline the vehicle titling process. Their platform enables the creation of legal, digital titles for easy transfer and verification, serving insurance carriers, lenders, state governments, auto dealers, and owners. Stakeholders, including state motor vehicle departments, lenders, and vehicle owners, benefit from a unified and transparent system, where all information is readily accessible and transaction times are markedly reduced. The governance of the digital platform is established through clear guidelines, ensuring all parties adhere to the updated processes and regulations.

Champ Titles’ success is measured by the elimination of more than 5 million pieces of paper annually on average per state; a reduction in processing time from 40-60 days to a matter of hours; increased productivity of DMV title clerks processing more than five times as many titles per day; and the improved experience for consumers in each state that has adopted Champ Titles’ solutions. Over the last twelve months, the company has successfully onboarded new states including New Jersey, Kentucky, and Illinois, and expanded its relationship with West Virginia by creating the first National Digital Titling Clearinghouse (NDTC). Through these efforts, the company has grown rapidly with revenue increasing by more than 300% year over year. 

Founded in 2018 by CEO, Shane Bigelow, the company now has 63 employees and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Funding

In this Series C funding round, Champ Titles raised $18M from Point72 Ventures and existing investors including W.R. Berkley Corporation, Eos Venture Partners, Guidewire Software, and Rev1 Ventures, bringing the total amount raised since inception to $45M. 

In the prior Series B round, Champ Titles raised $13M from Guidewire Software, Eos Venture Partners, and Ally Ventures.

Before that, Champ Titles raised $13.5M in 2021 in a Series A. Emergents, now Architect Partners, served as the exclusive Financial Advisor for that financing. 

Competition

Champ Titles’ biggest competitors are existing state DMVs deciding to be a software company and developing solutions on their own or via large systems developers.  However, they also compete with other digital title networks such as Cario and Oxhead Alpha/Tezos. In addition, technology-enabled DMV solutions such as Fast Enterprises are seen as competitive but don’t offer the same efficacy.

 

Architect Partners’ Perspective

Champ Titles’ SaaS-based solutions present a compelling example of blockchain-enabled infrastructure solving real-world problems.  By focusing on the needs and pain points of legacy auto title, registration, and lien processing, Champ has leveraged the power of blockchain to transform critical government services.  The result is exponentially accelerated processing time for DMV constituents, with improved accuracy and reduced cost.  Yet Champ’s solutions capture many key benefits of on-chain data processing – which include trust, transparency, data integrity, security, and efficiency – without users even being aware of their blockchain foundations.  

While much attention is focused on recent resilience in crypto asset prices, we believe 2024 will see significant growth in non-speculative enterprise applications for distributed ledger technology.  Champ’s successful raise demonstrates investor interest in practical and scalable solutions to real-world problems.

Insights

Week of May 27 – June 2

Glenn Gottlieb
June 6, 2024
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36 Crypto Private Financings Raised ~$179M 

Rolling 3-Month-Average: $266M

Rolling 52-Week Average: $195M

 

With five months of the year behind us, it’s an instructive exercise to review the year to date, especially as it relates to 2022, the last year of “real financing” prior to the downturn in the crypto industry.

 

Crypto Investment Landscape Evolving in 2024

As the crypto market emerges from the prolonged downturn of 2022 and 2023, the investment landscape is undergoing a notable shift, reflecting the maturation and evolving priorities within the industry.  A comparison of the top investment subsectors in 2022 and the first five months of 2024 reveals a realignment of investor focus.

 

 In 2022, the top five subsectors attracting investments were (by funds invested):

 

  • Brokers and Exchanges 19%
  • Investing Infrastructure 16%
  • Blockchains & Protocols 15%
  • Data & Data Analytics 9%
  • Developer Tools 9%

 

However, the top five subsectors attracting investments year to date in 2024 showcase a discernible shift (by funds invested):

 

  • Blockchain & Protocol 18%
  • Investing Infrastructure 14%
  • Consumer Media 13%
  • Gaming 9%
  • Enterprise Use Case 9%

 

While brokers, exchanges, and investing infrastructure dominated in 2022, garnering a combined 35% of funds invested, the current year has seen a surge in interest towards blockchain and protocol projects, capturing 18% of investments.  This shift underscores the growing emphasis on the foundational technologies underpinning the crypto ecosystem. As the market matures, investors are increasingly recognizing the pivotal role of robust blockchain protocols and infrastructures in driving innovation and adoption.

 

Emerging Sectors Gain Traction

Alongside this renewed focus on core technologies, previously underrepresented sectors are gaining momentum. Consumer media and gaming have now captured 22% of the funds invested in 2024. This trend highlights the increasing recognition of the potential for blockchain and crypto to disrupt and revolutionize consumer-facing industries.  Moreover, the enterprise use case segment has emerged as a significant area of interest in 2024, reflecting the growing appetite for real-world applications of blockchain technology across various industries.

 

Early-Stage Investments Dominate

A striking aspect of the 2024 investment landscape is the continued overwhelming dominance of early-stage financing. With 677 deals and $4.25 billion invested in seed and early-stage projects, the blockchain/crypto market continues to be a hotbed for innovative ideas and startups. This trend underscores the industry’s ongoing evolution and the constant influx of new players and concepts. 

 

In contrast, later-stage financing has seen a relatively modest 84 deals, totaling $844 million in investments. This disparity highlights the challenges faced by established projects in securing substantial funding, as well as the inherent risks associated with the crypto market’s volatility.  As the crypto market navigates its way through this transformative period, the investment landscape is poised to continue evolving, reflecting the ever-changing dynamics and priorities within the industry. Investors and entrepreneurs alike will need to remain agile and adaptable, capitalizing on emerging opportunities while mitigating the risks inherent in this rapidly evolving space.