Elon Musk this morning disclosed a group of co-investors in his Twitter takeover. The names are impressive, but most of their check sizes aren't.

Driving the news: Musk secured around $5.2 billion in equity commitments from 18 investors, plus a rollover of nearly 35 million Twitter shares from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.

• The largest equity commitment is $1 billion from Oracle founder and major Tesla shareholder Larry Ellison, followed by $800 million from Sequoia Capital, $700 million from VyCapital, $500 million from crypto company Binance and $400 million from Andreessen Horowitz.
• In a statement, Sequoia said: "For over two decades, we’ve had a front row seat to Elon’s business and technical prowess, from X.com, which became PayPal, to SpaceX and The Boring Company. We see, as he does, the opportunity to drive meaningful product innovation that will help unlock Twitter’s full potential as a global platform that connects the world."
• Other backers include Baron Capital, DFJ Growth, Fidelity and the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar (a noted "free speech" advocate).

Notably absent (so far) are many of the private equity firms that were kicking tires on the deal, such as Thoma Bravo, likely because they can't figure out how post-buyout Twitter will generate much cash flow with its new debt service requirements.

• Also missing is Twitter co-founder and Musk acolyte Jack Dorsey, who has around a 2.4% stake he could roll over —although today's SEC filing does say that discussions with Dorsey are ongoing.
• Plus Founders Fund, which has backed many of Musk's past ventures.

Market reactions: Twitter stock is up in early trading, as Musk's disclosure gives more confidence that the deal will close. Tesla shares are down, as Musk's disclosure gives more confidence that the deal will close.

Next deal: There's been talk this week that Musk eventually plans to bring Twitter back to the public markets, and that's bolstered by a group of investors with limited partners who will eventually want liquidity.

Big picture: This isn't quite like building the airplane after takeoff, but certainly while it's on the runway.

• This extends past the financing and to Twitter's actual business. The company is trying to calm advertisers by telling them not much will change, while admitting to employees it has no idea what will change.
• Including at the top level, with a CNBC report that Musk himself plans to serve as interim CEO.

The bottom line: Elon no longer plans to go it alone.

Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) agreed to buy Deliverr, a SF-based e-commerce fulfillment firm, for $2.1 billion.

Why it's the BFD: This is Shopify's largest-ever acquisition, and is intended to help it compete with Amazon's fulfillment service.

Details: Around 80% of the purchase price will be paid in cash, with the remainder in Shopify stock (which is getting pummeled this morning, tied to this deal and an earnings report). A source familiar with the situation says that Shopify initiated deal talks a couple of months ago.

ROI: Deliverr raised around $490 million in VC funding, including a Tiger Global-led Series E round late last year (announced in February 2022) at a $2 billion post-money valuation. It previously raised at a $900 million mark in early 2021. Backers include 8VC, Activant Capital, Coatue, Brookfield Technology Partners, GLP and Alumni Ventures.

The bottom line: "Deliverr, which rents out warehouse space and uses warehouses’ fulfillment departments to pick and pack ecommerce orders, anticipates the demand for products based on geography and other variables. The platform then uses the analysis to 'pre-position' items close to areas of demand." — Kyle Wiggers, TechCrunch

⚡ Group14 Technologies, a Woodinville, Wash.-based manufacturer of silicon battery materials, raised $400m in Series C funding. Porsche led, and was joined by OMERS Capital Markets, Riverstone Holdings, Vsquared Ventures, Moore Strategic Ventures and Decarbonization Partners. http://axios.link/9bez

⚽ OneFootball, a German soccer media platform, raised $300m. Liberty City Ventures led, and was joined by Animoca Brands, Dapper Labs, Senator Investment Group, DAH Beteiligungs, Quiet Capital, RIT Capital Partners, Alsara Investment Group. http://axios.link/sM4Y

• Neo Financial, a Canadian neobank, raised C$185m. Valar Ventures led, and was joined by Tribe Capital, Altos Ventures, Blank Ventures, Gaingels, Maple VC and Knollwood Advisory. http://axios.link/uO0S

🚑 Alan, a French health insurance startup, raised €183m at a $3b valuation. Teachers' Venture Growth led, and was joined by insiders Temasek, Index Ventures, Coatue, Ribbit Capital, Exor, Dragoneer and Lakestar. http://axios.link/HwZm

• Fictiv, an Sf-based provider of digital transformation solutions to manufacturers, raised $100m in Series E funding. Activate Capital led, and was joined by Angeleno Group, Cross Creek, The Westly Group and William Blair Merchant Bank. http://axios.link/3RDK

🚑 Curebase, a Walnut, Calif.-based provider of distributed clinical trials software, raised $40m in Series B funding. Industry Ventures led, and was joined by Acrew Capital, World Innovation Lab, Positive Sum, Gilead Sciences and insiders GGV Capital, Bold Capital and Xfund. http://axios.link/Gf2g

• Voyage Foods, an Oakland-based food tech startup, raised $36m in Series A funding co-led by UBS O'Connor and Level One Fund. http://axios.link/f85V

• Outerspace, a Carlstadt, N.J.-based brand fulfillment and logistics startup, raised $30m in Series B funding, per Axios Pro’s Kimberly Chin. Prysm Capital led, and was joined by backers like Tishman Capital Partners. http://axios.link/gXFF

• Scalapay, an Italian BNPL startup, raised $27m in new Series B funding from Poste Italiane. www.scalapay.com

• AutoRabit, an SF-based provider of automated release management and data backup software, raised $26m in Series B funding led by Full In Partners. http://axios.link/Tlkc

• Possible Finance, a Seattle-based lending startup, raised $20m from Euclidean Capital and insiders Union Square Ventures, Canvas Ventures and Unlock Venture Partners. http://axios.link/MnVa

🚑 Walnut, a BNPL provider focused on healthcare, raised $10m in Series A equity funding (plus $100m in debt) from Newark Ventures, Afore Capital, 2048 Ventures, AngelList, Weekend Fund, Company Ventures, Banana Capital, Goodwater Capital and Muse Capital. http://axios.link/ZRrd

• Getlife, a Madrid-based life insurance startup, raised €6m in seed funding led by Singular. http://axios.link/iis9

• Stakes, a web3-focused social wagering platform, raised $5.3m in seed funding from Digital Currency Group, FBG Capital, CMS Holdings, LD Capital, Cadenza Ventures, Matrixport Ventures and Sterling Select Group. www.playwithstakes.com

• YvesBlue, a New York-based ESG-as-a-service platform, raised $5m in seed funding. Illuminate Financial led, and was joined by Aflac Ventures, Tribeca Early Stage Partners, SixThirty, Day One Ventures and Walter Ventures. http://axios.link/C0we

• Masa Finance, a decentralized credit protocol, raised $3.5m from backers like Unshackled Ventures and Lateral Capital. http://axios.link/kWA5

• SipMargs, a New York-based ready-to-drink margarita maker, raised $3m from Lab Capital Advisors and GlossLab. www.sipmaargs.com

🚑 The Chartis Group, a Chicago-based portfolio company of Audax Private Equity, bought Just Health Collective, an Atlanta-based health equity advisory firm. www.justhealthcollective.com

🚑 Great Point Partners recapitalized JPA Health, a Washington, D.C.-based healthcare marketing communications agency. www.jpa.com

• The Jordan Company invested in Flywheel Software, an SF-based enterprise data activation platform. www.flywheelsoftware.com

• Mill Point Capital invested in Cancos, a Farmingville, N.Y.-based distributor and retailer of luxury ceramic tile and natural stone. www.cancostileandstone.com

• Nordic Capital agreed to buy a majority stake in ProGlove, a German maker of wireless industrial gloves that had raised over $50m from firms like Summit Partners, Knife Capital, Bayern Kapital and Deutsche Invest Capital Partners. http://axios.link/spo6

• OurFamilyWizard, a Minneapolis-based portfolio company of Spectrum Equity Investors, bought Cozi, a Seattle-based family organizing app. http://axios.link/Xoj8

• Shore Capital Partners invested in OC Flavors, a Chino, Calif.-based custom flavor developer and manufacturer. www.shorecp.com

• Tech24, a Greenville, S.C.-based portfolio company of HCI Equity Partners, bought Facilities Management, an Indianapolis-based provider of commercial kitchen repair and maintenance services. www.mytech24.com

• ProFrac, a Willow Park, Texas-based provider of hydraulic fracturing products and services, set IPO terms to 16m shares at $21-$24. It would have a $32.b fully diluted value, were it to price in the middle, and plans to list on the Nasdaq (PFHC). http://axios.link/4Wch

🚑 Avista Capital Partners is seeking a buyer for National Spine & Pain Centers, a Rockville, Md.-based provider of minimally invasive back treatments, per Axios Pro's Sarah Pringle. http://axios.link/QxWp

• Quadrant Private Equity is in talks to sell Australian foodservice distributor Superior Food Services to grocery wholesaler Metcash (ASX: MTS), per The Australian. www.superiorfs.com.au

• Visier, a Canadian a workforce analytics company valued at more than US$1b, acquired the assets of Yva.ai, a Santa Clara, Calif.-based collaboration analytics vendor that raised over $10m from firms like Flint Capital and Mangrove Capital Partners. www.visier.com

⚡ Berkshire Hathaway bought 5.9m new shares in Occidental Petroleum (NYSE: OXY), boosting its stake to around 15.2%. http://axios.link/UYEJ

• Caesars Entertainment (Nasdaq: CZR) is seeking a buyer for the Flamingo hotel, for which it hopes to fetch over $1b, per Bloomberg. http://axios.link/5jvr

• First Century Bank of West Virginia terminated its proposed $80m merger with First Internet Bank, a Fishers, Ind.-based digital bank. http://axios.link/8XLP

• Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), parent company of the New York Stock Exchange), agreed to buy Black Knight (NYSE: BKI), a Jacksonville, Fla-based mortgage lending software provider. The deal is valued at $13.1b, or $85 per share in cash and stock (34% premium). http://axios.link/8Uwm

• MaxLinear (Nasdaq: MXL) agreed to buy Taiwanese chipmaker Silicon Motion Technology (Nasdaq: SIMO) for around $3.8b in cash and stock. http://axios.link/Wyiw

• Aquiline Capital Partners raised $365m for its second fintech-focused VC fund, per Axios Pro’s Ryan Lawler. http://axios.link/qDo3

• Magnify Ventures, co-led by Julie Wroblewski (ex-Pivotal Ventures) and Joanna Drake (Core Ventures Group), raised $52m for its debut fund. http://axios.link/F5Mc

🚑 RoundTable Healthcare Partners raised $800m for its sixth fund. www.roundtablehp.com

• Lisa Ames joined Norwest Venture Partners as a principal and its first chief marketing officer. She previously was VP of marketing at Lucidworks. www.nvp.com

• Mike Custar joined William Blair as head of a new capital advisory business. He previously was a partner with M2O Private Fund Advisors. The group also will include director Quinn Kolberg (ex-M20). www.williamblair.com

• Sameer Dholakia joined Bessemer Venture Partners as a partner in the firm’s growth equity group. He is the former CEO of SendGrid (acquired by Twilio). www.bvp.com

• Fernanda Llera (ex-Investar Capital) joined ICV Partners as a VP. www.icvpartners.com

• Dennis Wong and Ryan Wyatt joined crypto-focused Bitkraft Ventures as venture partners. Fong is CEO of GGWP, while Wyatt is CEO of Polygon Studios. www.bitkraft.vc

• Poseidon Partners, a cannabis-focused investment firm, promoted Andres Navia to portfolio manager and head of M&A. www.poseidon.partners

Apollo Global Management this morning crushed analyst earnings estimates, with adjusted EPS of $1.52.

Why it matters: This was Apollo's first quarterly report since completing its $11 billion merger with annuities provider Athene Holdings, which has further moved Apollo away from its LBO roots (even though it remains a major private equity and private credit player).