For startups and venture capitalists, superstition isn’t just for Friday the 13th

And I think we’re all a bit picky, but perhaps especially so in startups and VCs. In a world that puts so much emphasis on data, numbers, and technology, the moment I started asking around, my inbox started flooding with the superstitions of founders, VCs, and startup employees alike.

Consider Lisa Burton O’Toole, vice president of HearstLab.

“I have a superstition about wardrobe malfunctions,” she said via email. “Female founders who break a heel or spill coffee on their jacket before pitching at one of our $100,000 pitch events often end up raising successful rounds. I see this as a sign of a founder’s resilience.”

And startup employees aren’t immune either. Anniston Ward, marketing director at social media management platform Metricool, has several superstitions around social media posts and campaigns, from her TikTok logout ritual to never posting on Sundays.

“Sundays are sacred days when you can’t post; disrupting the quiet can lead to bad interaction karma for the rest of the week,” Ward wrote via email.

A superstition I heard over and over again: never talk about the deal until it’s closed and the money is in the bank.

“Never talk about deals before you close them with the company, even if it’s a sure thing,” Amplitude CEO Spenser Skates said via email.

“I am incredibly superstitious and my golden rule is simple: never talk about a win or achievement until it is fully sealed, signed and publicly revealed,” added Tiya Gordon, COO and co-founder of itselectric. “Talking about a win before it is officially announced is like inviting bad luck, like opening an umbrella inside a house or tempting fate with unfinished business.”

In fact, if there’s one thing that’s become clear from all this information I’ve put together in collaboration, it’s that the main sources of anxiety for many are deals and presentations. Village Global investor Max Kilberg told Fortune via email that “some VCs are superstitious about meeting founders at a specific lucky coffee shop” and “conversely, some founders like to pitch their projects in places they consider lucky.”

Brendan Kamm, CEO of Thnks, takes it a step further: “Before every big deal, I write thank-you notes to everyone involved. I don’t usually send them right away (sometimes I don’t send them at all), but it’s my way of putting intention into the deal, like creating a binding pact with the universe. Every time I skip this step, something seems to go wrong. Maybe it’s the energy, maybe it’s the approach, but it always works.”

In his product management days, Thomvest Ventures director Ashish Kakran paid homage to the gods of demos, and now as a VC, he says he pays homage to the gods of FOMO.

“In this world, luck and a little superstition go a long way to keeping technology running smoothly and the best investments within reach,” Kakran said via email.

If you have ever seen the movie Friday the 13thYou know, apparently a lot of the movie doesn’t even take place on Friday the 13th. One day just wasn’t enough to accommodate the entire movie (which, by the way, features Kevin Bacon). And that’s the essence of superstition: it’s fleeting but persistent. So, while we talk about superstitions today, in the tech world, knocking on wood is a year-round task.

See you on Monday,

Allie Garfinkle
Twitter: @agarfinks
Email: alexandra.garfinkle@fortune.com
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Nina Ajemian is in charge of the deals section of today’s newsletter.

COMPANY AGREEMENTS

– Strider Technologiesa Salt Lake City, Utah-based strategic intelligence provider, raised $55 million in Series C funding. Pelion Venture Partners He led the round and was joined by AXA Venture Partners and existing investors Value Capital Partners, Data tribeand Capital of Cyfr.

– Scopea non-human identity and access management company based in Silver Spring, Maryland, raised $25 million in Series A funding. Capital of Acrew He led the round and was joined by existing investors. Ballistic companies, Ten eleven companies, Okta Enterprisesand CrowdStrike Falcon Fund.

– Nirvanaa New York City-based automated healthcare benefits verification platform, raised $24.2 million in Series A funding. Northern Zone He led the round and was joined by Inspired capital, Eniac Enterprisesand Surface companies.

– Eacha San Francisco, California-based finance and HR platform for founders, raised $22.5 million in Series A funding. Redpoint Enterprises He led the round and was joined by Y Combinator, Okta Enterprises, Base10 Partnersand Formus Capital.

– Paymoba Cairo, Egypt-based financial services facilitator in the Middle East and North Africa, raised $22 million in a Series B extension. EBRD Venture Capital He led the round and was joined by Catalyst of efforts and existing investors PayPal Businesses, BII, FMOand others.

– Rewarda San Jose, California-based developer of autonomous artificial intelligence products, raised $16 million in seed funding. Google Companies He led the round and was joined by Gate, Bloomberg Beta, Haystackand others.

– Metabase Qa San Francisco, California-based cybersecurity management company raised $11 million in a Series A extension. SYN Enterprises He led the round and was joined by Juan Watters.

– Route Presentera Montville, New Jersey-based image-sharing platform for pathology, raised $7.5 million in Series A funding. PREVIOUSLY ORGANIC He led the round and was joined by NV ship and Modi Enterprises.

– DELIan independent food and beverage platform based in London, England, raised $6 million in an initial extension of Balderton and High voltage capital.

– Bonfirea San Francisco, California-based generative AI platform for AI-native life simulation games, raised $4 million in seed funding from And Combinator, Club of funders, Immad Akhundand others.

– Titana Cayman Islands-based DEX aggregator, raised $3.5 million in funding. Digital Asset Fund Round 13 He led the round and was joined by RN Financial Corporation and angel investors.

– Cavea San Francisco, California-based automated product sourcing AI platform for e-commerce businesses, raised $2 million in funding. XYZ Venture Capital He led the round and was joined by Propulsion companies and Go Global Ventures.

PRIVATE EQUITY

– GI Partners acquired a majority stake in eClinical Solutionsa digital clinical software and services provider based in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Financial terms were not disclosed.

– mPulsebacked by PSGacquired Ziparia healthcare consumer experience technology company based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Financial terms were not disclosed.

– Silversmith Capital Partners invested $40 million in Rookiea London, England-based provider of strategic advisory software and services to financial institutions.

– Whose cybera portfolio company of Charles Bankacquired defenda cybersecurity company based in Oakville, Canada. Financial terms were not disclosed.

DEPARTURES

– MasterCard agreed to acquire Future recordeda threat intelligence company based in Boston, Massachusetts, Insight Partners for $2.65 billion.

– Sullivan Street Partners acquired ANDa residential addiction treatment group based in Borehamwood, England, Global growthFinancial terms were not disclosed.

OTHER

– Sentry Insurance agreed to acquire The Generalan automobile insurance company based in Nashville, Tennessee, American Family Insurance for $1.7 billion.

International point of sale

– Bicara Therapeuticsa Boston, Massachusetts-based targeted therapy biotechnology company plans to raise $264.6 million in an offering of 14.7 million shares priced between $16 and $18. Biocon, RA Capital Management, Red Tree Venture Fund, Omega Fund, Invus public sharesand TPG support the company.

PEOPLE

– The General Societya venture capital firm based in San Francisco, California, promoted Ben Cmejla to associate.