Newly formed corporate venturing unit Gradient Ventures plans to back up to 15 artificial intelligence startups this year, investing up to $8m a time.
Month: July 2017
TrueSpeed connects to Aviva for $96m
UK-based fibre optic infrastructure provider TrueSpeed Communications has received £75m ($96m) in funding from Aviva Investors, the asset management arm of insurance firm Aviva. TrueSpeed is building an ultrafast broadband network that it expects will eventually cover rural areas across south west England, serving both residential and commercial clients. The company’s offering is currently available… Continue reading TrueSpeed connects to Aviva for $96m
SenseTime schedules closure of $410m series B
The figure includes previously reported tranches of $120m in December and $60m in April 2017, the former featuring conglomerate Dalian Wanda.
Toyota Research Institute revs up $100m fund
Carmaker Toyota’s research division has put $100m into a unit called Toyota AI Ventures and disclosed its first three portfolio companies.
Lastline draws corporates for series C
Malware protection software developer Lastline took its overall funding to almost $50m in a $28.5m round backed by Barracuda Networks, WatchGuard Technologies and NTT Finance.
Corporates elevate Evelo series B to $50m
Monoclonal microbial developer Evelo Biosciences has completed a $50m round featuring GV, Celgene and Mayo Clinic that followed a $35m series A in 2015.
Consumer products platform Brandless launches with $50m
Brandless, the developer of an online budget supermarket, has emerged from stealth with $50m, $35m of which came in a recently closed series B round.
NewLeaf Symbiotics sows $24m series C
The agricultural product developer has doubled its overall equity funding, closing a round led by corporate venturing unit Monsanto Growth Ventures.
Cisco provides $100,000 for Project Vive
Speech generation device developer Project Vive is the grand prize winner at the Cisco Global Problem Solver Challenge.
Engage3 prices series B at $12m
The retail pricing intelligence platform has secured series B funding, three years after raising capital from Swift Communications and McClatchy Company.
Comparing venturing effects on portfolio companies
Comment from Massimo Colombo, department of management, economics and industrial engineering, Politecnico di Milano, and Samuele Murtinu, University of Groningen
Why your law firm cannot innovate – the rise of the innovation killers
General Electric pitches itself as an innovation hub. Amazon brought us many new ideas about retailing. Google, well, any company that thought about bringing the world the internet through hot air balloons obviously thinks outside the box. Amazon has changed how almost every consumer product is sold. Facebook has reinvented communication. What do these companies… Continue reading Why your law firm cannot innovate – the rise of the innovation killers
Staying ahead of the curve – how corporates innovate
In Australia, venture capital has helped create and grow many innovative firms, including Austral, a leading manufacturer of fast ferries and passenger watercraft, medical device company Cochlear, and internet job-advertising service Seek. However, relative to other countries, it is clear that VC can have a much larger impact on innovation, job creation, and economic growth.… Continue reading Staying ahead of the curve – how corporates innovate
Corporates take up innovation imperative
Comment from Tracy Isacke, managing director, corporate venturing, Silicon Valley Bank