Corporate venturing firms Siemer Ventures, Recruit Strategic Partners and GMO Venture Partners have co-invested in start-up e-commerce and digital media venture firm and incubator, Ardent Capital, in what is being called a strategic move to get access to South East Asia entrepreneurs and technologies.
Month: June 2013
Lancers lures $2.9m from Globis, GMO
Globis Capital Partners, the corporate venturing unit of Japan-based global corporate management education business, and GMO Venture Partners, the corporate venturing unit of Japan GMO Internet Group, both see a growth trend in crowdsourcing or outsourcing of designers, engineers and IT specialists in their local market of Japan. Their latest $2.9m seed investment in Japan-based Lancers illustrates that trend.
Mixi to form venturing unit
Mixi, the Japan-based social networking site and Facebook rival, is following other Japanese media and telecommunications companies into the corporate venturing market. Following two start-up investments in recent weeks, Mixi now plans to set up its own venturing unit later this year.
In-Q-Tel hordes with Pure Storage
In-Q-Tel (IQT), the corporate venturing style unit of the US government’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), has invested an undisclosed amount of funding into US-based all-flash enterprise storage array company Pure Storage. IQT has also entered into a technology development agreement with the company. The agreement will allow Pure Storage to develop its FlashArray technology. TJ… Continue reading In-Q-Tel hordes with Pure Storage
SAP high-fives with $22m
Five9 raises $34.5m in new funding, $22m in a Series D round from SAP and $12.5M in a bank revolver debt facility.
Google tunes in with $25m
Radio app TuneIn has raised $25m in new funding led by IVP, with involvement from return backers Google Ventures.
Capital 18 triples investment with Webchutney exit
Capital18, the corporate venturing unit of India-based Media & Investments (Network18) has been on a very active exit path over the past 12 months, namely with its latest divestment in India-based digital media agency, Webchutney. Capital 18 has sold its 70% stake to the India unit of Japan-based advertising agency, Dentsu, for an undisclosed sum, which has reportedly made investors three times their investment.
Rocket goes vintage with $2.5m Airu deal
Rocket Internet, the German e-commerce incubator, is heating things up again in Brazil with its latest $2.5m series B investment in Airu, an internet site that hosts independent retailers selling homemade and vintage goods. The latest deal reportedly almost doubles Rocket’s investment in the Brazilian company.
GP mixes it up with Apen take-over
Latin America private equity player GP Investments has joined forces with US secondaries specialist Newbury Partners and US multi-asset manager Fortress Investment Group to acquire and fund a new investment strategy through Switzerland-based private equity firm Apen. A total of $280m was provided in a mix of equity and debt finance, which will ultimately enable GP Investments to widen its remit into the secondaries segment.
Global investing 2.0
The next wave of investing: going from taking ideas to new or underdeveloped markets around the world to being better able to connect up the dots and share ideas across borders.
The Big Deal: Rocking into Roku
Roku Ready devices access the Roku 3 platform, which streamed more than one billion hours of video and music last year, through the Roku Streaming Stick.
E.ON re-energises Orcan Energy
Orcan Energy completes its second round of financing, adding E.ON as investor and partner.
Phagenesis expands series B round
Phagenesis, a UK-based medical device company focused on the treatment of dysphagia, has expanded its series B round to $17m. It originally announced a €7m ($9.1m) first close led by Inventages, a life sciences firm backed by Switzerland-based food and nutrition corporation Nestlé, in autumn 2011. Founded in 2007 after it spun off from research… Continue reading Phagenesis expands series B round
Debiopharm funds Urturn
Swiss drugs firm funds London-based self-expression platform.