Merge, an API integration service focused on HR and accounting systems, raised a $55M Series B led by Accel, says over 2,500 companies use it in their SaaS apps (Frederic Lardinois/TechCrunch)

Accel:
Valuation of public cloud companies in the US, Europe, and Israel fell from $2.8T to $1.2T in the past year; private market funding fell 42% YoY in Q3 2022  —  This article was co-authored with my colleagues Richard Kotite and Will Sheldon.  The Accel 2022 Euroscape was unveiled earlier today …

Aisha Malik / TechCrunch:
TikTok begins testing its research API, announced in July, with members of its Content and Safety Advisory Councils, and is working on a content moderation API  —  Earlier this year, TikTok announced that it’s developing a research API to improve access to public and anonymized data about content and activity on its app.

Sharon Goldman / VentureBeat:
OpenAI releases DALL-E API in public beta, letting developers integrate DALL-E into their apps and products; the API is priced per image  —  Get ready, developers: Today, OpenAI released the hotly anticipated DALL-E API in public beta, which means developers can now integrate DALL-E directly into their apps and products.

Rafaela Lindeberg / Bloomberg:
Swedish last-mile delivery startups Instabox and Budbee plan to merge and create Instabee, valued at ~$1.66B  —  Swedish last-mile delivery operators Instabox AB and Budbee AB plan to merge to create a new company at a valuation of 18 billion kronor ($1.66 billion), according to an emailed statement.

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Atomico: European startups are on track to raise $85B in 2022, down from $100B+ in 2021; the European tech industry lost ~$400B in value, dropping to $2.7T  —  Startups across Europe are on track to raise $85 billion in funding this year — a drop of $15 billion on 2021 levels …

Paul Sawers / TechCrunch:
Cledara, which gives companies greater control and insights into their SaaS subscriptions, raised a $20M Series A led by CommerzVentures  —  Cledara, a software management platform that gives companies greater control and insights into their SaaS subscriptions, has raised $20 million in a series A round of funding.