A summary of some of the most active corporate venturing units last year, with the link to our 2013 data supplement.
Month: January 2014
Fon expands its networks with $14m
Spain-based WiFi-sharing network Fon raises $14m in a venture round led by the venture capital unit of California-based microchip manufacturer Qualcomm. Other previous investors also took part in the round, including Google, Deutsche Telekom and ventures capital firms Index Ventures, Coral, Atomico.
Investors say just ask ‘Warren’
Kensho, a US company developing a cloud-based intelligent computer system capable of answering complex financial and market research questions posed in natural language, has attracted $10m in a seed round. ‘Warren,’ the company’s virtual market research assistant, is currently being tested by a select set of asset managers and research teams and has attracted capital… Continue reading Investors say just ask ‘Warren’
Zepp bats in $15m
The US sports technology company, Zepp, which has developed clever and easily applicable sensor gadgets to improve sportsmen on their game, such as The Zepp Sensor and bat mount that allows batsmen to get feedback on their swing, has raised $15m in what is its first reported funding round. The deal was led by GGV… Continue reading Zepp bats in $15m
Nexmo calls in $18m
Nexmo, a UK company that specialises in translating internet push messages into SMS, has raised $18m in a funding round led by US private equity firm Sorenson Capital. The company has raised $22.8m to date including from corporate venturing units Intel and NHN Investment, both of which participated in this latest round.
IDG Ventures India homebound for funding
IDG Ventures is raising its second fund and according to local business news reports, is looking to High Net Worth investors and family offices from India to meet its fundraising needs.
Brainbees growth sweet as honey
Vertex, a subsidiary of Temasek Holdings, has led a $15m series C investment into Brainbees Solutions, the company that owns the ‘FirstCry.com’ brand, India’s most popular baby and kids focused e-commerce site. IDG Ventures India and SAIF Partners, the existing investors in Brainbees, also participated in the round. Joo Hock Chua from Vertex will join… Continue reading Brainbees growth sweet as honey
Pushing the frontiers of venture capital
At Global Corporate Venturing, we think the next wave of corporate venturing units have the potential to transform venture capital. Since our company was started in in 2010, corporate venturing, the activity, has boomed and is now arguably at a key inflexion point, which we have dubbed the “Golden Age”, due to the strong levels… Continue reading Pushing the frontiers of venture capital
L Capital says the Vicini shoe fits
L Capital has acquired a 30% stake in Vicini, an Italian shoe maker and retailer that also owns luxury shoe brand Giuseppe Zanotti, the creative inspiration behind the company. Vicini makes shoes under its own brand name, under other luxury licenses and the Giuseppe Zanotti label, with Zanotti (pictured) as the creative director for the… Continue reading L Capital says the Vicini shoe fits
China start-ups pitch perfect for Microsoft?
The Microsoft Ventures Accelerator in Beijing China has selected the 19 start-ups that will participate in the fourth Beijing Accelerator class taking place in January. Accelerator Participants receive an average $250,000 worth of resources.
IDG dials into mobile workforce
Corporate venturing unit IDG Ventures sees a buoyant future in the mobile-based field sales technology segment. The investor has invested an undisclosed amount of capital in this series A round of funding for India field employee-focused sales software company FieldEZ Technologies.
High-Tech Grunderfonds shines a light on ICE Gateway
ICE Gateway, a German LED-lighting company that specialises in its own designs that communicate and control electronics for the M2M infrastructure of smart cities and outdoor facilities of industrial customers, has raised an undisclosed amount of capital from a public/private partnership. The investor, High-Tech Gründerfonds, is a financial entity that includes funding from Germany’s Federal… Continue reading High-Tech Grunderfonds shines a light on ICE Gateway
NBCUniversal feeds need for speed with NowThisNews
The NBCUniversal News Group has taken a minority stake in US social video start-up NowThisNews. Existing backers of the Lerer-start-up include Softbank Capital, Bedrocket, Lerer Ventures and Oak Investment Partners. The two companies will work with each other out of New York. Prior to the NBCUniversal transaction the start-up had raised just under $10m.
GE unveils ecomaginaton Center in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City
The center is part of GE’s ecomagination initiative, a technology platform to improve customer productivity and find more efficient energy solutions for cities. Since more than half of the world’s population already living in urban areas, GE considers that dense cities must improve its energy, water and waste management systems to reduce its environmental impact… Continue reading GE unveils ecomaginaton Center in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City