AAA January 2013

Nokia looks to future with fund

The commitment is a bold move from the Finland-based mobile phone company, which lost its 14 year crown as the biggest manufacturer of phones globally last year to Samsung, the South Korea-based industrial conglomerate.

Sanderling Ventures gains GSK

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a UK-listed drugs group, has committed $50m to a planned $250m fund being raised by venture capital firm Sanderling Ventures. GSK said it had committed the money to Sanderling VII at investment bank JP Morgan’s biotech conference this month, according to news provider FierceBiotech. GSK had previously committed to Index Ventures, which is… Continue reading Sanderling Ventures gains GSK

Nokia raises $250m third fund

Bo Ilsoe, a Nokia Growth Partners managing partner, said: “On the exit front we have had a pretty good run in the last eighteen months. We have returned quite a bit of capital to Nokia. We have a proven model, which is working, that also led to the new commitment.” Our e-zine editorial out on Sunday will be on the Nokia fund and the extended interview with Ilsoe.

Morpho exits in Japan

Morpho, a Japan-based developer of image-processing technology, has seen its share price more than double in its Tokyo stock exchange flotation. The company’s opening price was Y4,840 per share compared to an expected initial public offering value of Y2,250. Morpho has 1.4 million shares after its IPO. Founded in 2004, Morpho’s shareholders include multiple corporate… Continue reading Morpho exits in Japan

Baxter cleans up with Zytoprotec

Zytoprotec, an Austria-based company developing dialysis treatments for kidney failure, has raised €2m ($2.7m) from Baxter Ventures, the corporate venturing unit of the eponymous drugs company, as part of a planned €4m series A round. Norbert Riedel, chief science and innovation officer at Baxter International, will join Zytoprotec’s supervisory board. In May, Zytoprotec completed its… Continue reading Baxter cleans up with Zytoprotec

Convercent complies with $10.2m

Convercent, a US-based maker of compliance software, has raised $10.2m in its series A round from a consortium including City National Bank. Venture capital firms Azure Capital Partners and Mantucket Capital co-led the round. Patrick Quinlan, chief executive of Convercent, said: “Convercent is the first software to aggregate corporate ethics, values and compliance management.”