Corporate venturing unit executives were in an ebullient mood in Silicon Valley at the annual summit of trade body NVCA’s Corporate Venture Group last week, although doubts are beginning to surface that the past few years have perhaps been a little too good for those working in startup land. There were a decent quantity of… Continue reading Silicon Valley sentiment changing, yet corporate thirst for innovation undimmed
Month: October 2015
Nokia drives Zoomcar to $11m
The car rental service has now raised about $22m in total, securing series B funding from backers including Nokia Growth Partners.
Naspers reaps $200m from Czech exits
The e-commerce group has sold its stakes in e-commerce company Netretail and price comparison service Heureka to investment firm Rockaway Capital.
Off Grid Electric powers up $25m series C
The off-grid solar power supplier has now raised almost $48m altogether, with SolarCity investing in the company for a third time.
Facebook awards $1.2m to Indian startups
Facebook has followed its unsuccessful Internet.org programme in India with $1.2m of investments across 12 startups.
Acacia puts off $230m IPO amid market flux
Novo and Lundbeck-backed Acacia Pharma has postponed a $230m initial public offering in London as the healthcare IPO market continues to slow.
BCG warms up DV Hatch incubator
BCG Digital Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of US-based management consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG), launched an internal incubator called DV Hatch on Friday. DV Hatch will focus on bringing internally developed intellectual property to market. Startups will receive funding as well as incubation and scaling support from both BCG and unnamed corporates, and receive… Continue reading BCG warms up DV Hatch incubator
Hubert Burda performs LP role for Acton
Growth equity firm Acton Capital Partners has closed a $200m fund that counts publishing group Hubert Burda, from which it spun out, as an anchor investor.
Viacom books DigiTour stake in $10m round
Live media event organiser DigiTour has reportedly raised approximately $10m in a round backed by Viacom, which has also secured a board seat.
AmEx helps transfer cash to Abra
American Express and Ruben Tata have added an undisclosed amount to an oversubscribed series A round that initially closed at $12m in September.
Uber to look for another $1bn
The ride sharing service, backed by Alphabet, Baidu, Times Group and Microsoft, will reportedly look to raise cash at a valuation of up to $70bn.
General Mills cooks up corporate venturing unit
The consumer foods manufacturer has expanded its 301 incubator into an investment vehicle that will back early-stage food companies.
Weekly corporate venturing deal net: 19-23 October 2015
Zhongding Power, a subsidiary of China-based construction, power and engineering conglomerate Zhongding, agreed yesterday to lead a series D round for US-based fuel-efficient engine developer EcoMotors. EcoMotors had previously raised approximately $61m from Braemar Energy Ventures, Khosla Ventures and Bill Gates, and has been a strategic partner of Zhongding Power, which has committed $200m to… Continue reading Weekly corporate venturing deal net: 19-23 October 2015
Great expectations for Brazil still untapped
With 256 large corporations in Brazil, a million students graduating each year and increasing government support for entrepreneurs and investors, the world’s seventh-largest economy should already be one of the most vibrant in terms of its innovation capital ecosystem. But ‘should’ rarely translates into action unless the constituents in the ecosystem want to be part… Continue reading Great expectations for Brazil still untapped