More than 50 firms, including Naspers, MTN, Sasol and Nandos, have contributed to the newly formed SME Fund.
Month: September 2016
Novan cleans up in $45m IPO
The Malin-backed dermatology treatment developer floated at the bottom of its range, but is currently 65% up after its first day of trading.
Roobo boots up with $100m
Smart hardware and robotics technology startup Roobo has closed a $100m series A round led by language and speech software company iFlytek.
Metromile flags up $191m in funding
The pay-per-mile auto insurance provider raised the series C and D funding from investors including Mitsui, China Pacific Insurance Group and Intact Financial.
Telstra hears Whispir in series A round
Four years after it provided the cloud-based communication technology developer’s seed funding, Telstra has returned for a $8.9m series A round.
Heliatek tools up with $89m
The capital included a $46m equity round backed by RWE, Engie, BASF and BNP Paribas, and took the solar film manufacturer’s total financing to $160m.
Ikea sprays funding to Terramera
The corporate’s GreenTech subsidiary has added to the sustainable pest control product maker’s $10m round, which already features Sumitomo and The Andersons.
Kasikorn Bank to deposit new fund
The financial services firm is planning to set up a corporate venturing fund to back fintech products and services later this year.
Google programs API.ai acquisition
API.ai, backed by corporates Motorola Solutions, Intel, SAIC Motors and Alpine Electronics, has been acquired by Google for an undisclosed amount.
Tennor resonates with investors for $25m series B
Existing backer WuXi Pharmatech Healthcare Fund returned for a series B round that will enable Tennor to move its antibiotics into late-stage development.
Vlocity to accelerate with $50m round
Returning backers Salesforce and Accenture were joined by investors including New York Life for a series B round that will fund the expansion of Vlocity’s industry-specific cloud app service.
FirstP2P receives $70m series C investment
The NCF peer-to-peer lending spinout has added $70m from backers including CCB International and San Shan Capital Partners to a $41m round closed last year.
U51 sinks $310m in series C funding
The JD.com-backed credit card management platform raised the funding in a round co-led by Xinhu Zhongbao and Tiantu Capital at a $1bn valuation.
Baidu reportedly lines up $150m fund
The internet company is said to be planning an investment unit that will back content producers, though it is not clear whether it will be separate from a reported $200m fund.