Forager, a US-based cross-border logistics technology developer that counts logistics services provider TFI International as an investor, received $10m yesterday in a series A round led by venture capital firm US Venture Partners. The round included Chicago Ventures and Soma Capital, and it brought the company’s overall funding to $14.5m. TFI International and Chicago Ventures co-led a $3.25m round for Forager in September 2019 that also featured angel investors Ezra Galston, Herb Shear and Steven Galanis.
IT Pro Partners, a Japan-based company that offers career support services, raised ¥1bn ($9.1m) from investors including employment services provider En-Japan on Monday. The round included debt financing from three undisclosed banks, and the capital will support hiring, staff training, service development and a micro-scale corporate venturing initiative launched in December 2019.
KabuK Style, the Japan-based operator of a cooperative living service called HafH, also secured ¥1bn ($9.1m), closing a seed round yesterday featuring JR West Innovations, a vehicle for rail operator JR West, in addition to apartment manager Tateru, NEC Capital Solutions, the leasing services subsidiary of IT services firm NEC Corporation, investment firm Dogan and undisclosed VC funds. It had previously received $900,000 from Genki-na Nagasaki Ouen Fund, a joint venture between Dogan and financial services firm Eighteenth Bank, in April 2019.
Diversified trading group Marubeni led a $9m funding round on Tuesday for Cyprus-based ePlane, the operator of a business-to-business marketplace for aerospace components and repair services that gets more than $50m in demands each month. The company has not revealed details of its previous financing but stated entrepreneur Benny Shabtai was among its earlier investors.
US-based data management software developer Yaguara disclosed $7.2m in funding on Wednesday from investors including Gradient, the artificial intelligence-focused investment arm of internet technology provider Google. The round was led by Foundation Capital and included Rainfall Ventures, Zelkova Ventures and various angel investors from the tech space. The company had previously raised $30,000 in convertible note financing in March 2018 and closed this funding in October 2019 according to securities filings.
Financial services provider HSBC has supplied £5.5m in growth capital for VoxSmart, a UK-based provider of communications monitoring technology for the financial services industry, VoxSmart disclosed yesterday. The company said the amount equated to $7.2m, which would place it as taking place earlier this month. DeepBridge Capital had led a $7m funding round for VoxSmart in 2017.
Japan-based autonomous learning software developer AIsing completed a ¥700m ($6.3m) series B round on Monday, adding funding from insurance firm Dai-ichi Life and Mirai Creation Fund II, which was formed by asset manager Sparx Group with carmaker Toyota and financial services firm Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. The first ¥300m had come from MS&AD Insurance Venture Capital, the VC arm of insurance group MS&AD, in November 2019, after VC firm TechAccel Ventures had invested about $1.8m in AIsing in 2017.
Nextory, the Sweden-based operator of an online platform for e-books and audiobooks, has secured SEK60m ($6m) in funding from heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment producer LK Finans, Industrifonden, Frescano Group and Acacia, Breakit reported on Wednesday. Industrifonden and VC firm Aggregate Media invested $1.2m in Nextory in 2016 before it raised $3.3m from Industrifonden and Acacia the following year and $6.2m from the same investors in March 2018.
Coin Metrics, a US-based provider of crypto asset data services, closed a $6m round yesterday featuring Coinbase Ventures, the strategic investment vehicle operated by digital currency exchange Coinbase. The round was led by Highland Capital Partners and included financial services and investment group Fidelity, Castle Island Ventures, Communitas Capital, Collaborative Fund, Avon Ventures, Raptor Group and Digital Currency Group. It followed $1.9m in seed capital from Fidelity, Highland Capital and Dragonfly Capital in March 2019.
Revuze, a US-based customer and brand management software provider backed by enterprise software provider SAP, media data producer Nielsen, market research firm NPD Group and inventory services supplier TIC Group, received $5.1m on Wednesday in a series A round led by VC fund Maverick Ventures Israel and backed by investment group Prytek. The company said it has now raised $12m in total, having secured $4m from Nielsen, NPD Group and TIC in 2016 followed by undisclosed amounts from SAP subsidiary SAP.io, in August 2019, and Prytek.
Munich Re Ventures, the strategic investment arm of reinsurance firm Munich Re, joined VC fund Hanaco Ventures to provide $4m in funding for US-based hardware cybersecurity technology developer Sepio Systems on Wednesday, taking its total funding to $15m. Sepio had received an undisclosed amount from energy utility EDP in March 2019 before adding $6.5m in a November round co-led by Hanaco Ventures and Merlin Ventures that also featured EDP, Mindset Ventures and Pio Partners.
Bravesoft, the Japan-based operator of online event management platform Eventos, secured ¥400m ($3.7m) yesterday from educational publisher Benesse, recruitment firm Dip Corporation, event manager Congres, digital payment technology provider ValueDesign, Iwai Corporation and Asahi Media Lab Ventures, a subsidiary of alcoholic beverage producer Asahi. The round included debt financing from undisclosed investors and will fund the addition of more services to the product.
Internet company Weibo has led a $3.5m round for Y-Platform, the Israel-based operator of an online multichannel video network, Calcalist reported on Monday. Internet and online gaming group Beijing Kunlun Tech also participated in the round, which increased Y-Platform’s overall funding to $5m. The funding will be used to enhance its content and expand internationally.
Germany-based lidar technology developer Blickfeld has raised an undisclosed amount in a series A round co-led by tire producer Continental and Wachstumsfonds Bayern, a vehicle for the Bavarian state-owned Bavarian LfA Förderbank’s Bayern Kapital subsidiary. The round included Fluxunit and TEV, on behalf of lighting product manufacturer Osram and retail group Tengelmann respectively, as well as High-Tech Gründerfonds and Unternehmertum Venture Capital Partners, all of them taking part as existing investors. Blickfeld had previously raised a total of $10m as of August 2018.
HDR Group, the owner of cryptocurrency exchange BitMex, has co-led a $3m series A round for India-based crypto exchange CoinDCX, The Block reported on Monday. The round was also co-led by cryptocurrency-focused investment firm Polychain Capital and Bain Capital Ventures, the VC arm of private equity firm Bain Capital, and included unnamed additional participants. Bain Capital Ventures had already led a March 2019 seed round of undisclosed size for CoinDCX that also featured assorted angel investors.
Google’s artificial intelligence fund, Gradient, led a $3m seed round yesterday for Kaizo, a Netherlands-based customer services software startup previously known as Ticketless. The corporate was joined by investment firm Partech and undisclosed angel investors. Kaizo has earmarked the funding for platform development, market growth and hiring.
Professional services firm Plante Moran invested an undisclosed amount in Introhive, the US-based developer of a software platform that uses artificial intelligence to promote sales intelligence and the automation of customer relationship management (CRM) activities, on Tuesday. IntroHive had raised a total of $9m as of a $7.2m series B round in 2015, from investors including CRM software provider Salesforce, GrowthWorks Atlantic Venture Fund, Fortify Ventures, CIT Gap Funds, New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, Tech Equity Partners and Build Ventures.
Alp, a Japan-based billing management services provider for subscription-based businesses, closed a ¥315m ($2.9m) funding round on Monday featuring Dentsu Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of marketing agency Dentsu, and Sparx Algorithm Fund, the joint venture between business data analyst Pksha and asset manager Sparx. The round included VC firms Anri and DNX Ventures and it came after approximately $1.4m from unnamed investors in March 2019.
Financial services firm Citi has ‘topped up’ its investment in Komgo, the Switzerland-based operator of a blockchain-powered trade finance platform, The Block has reported. Komgo launched in September 2018 with an undisclosed amount of capital from founding investors including Citi and fellow banks Societe Generale, ING, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, ABN Amro, BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Macquarie, MUFG Bank, Natixis and Rabobank, oil and gas supplier Shell, product tester SGS and commodity traders Mercuria, Koch Supply & Trading and Gunvor.
Mapping and data services provider Here Technologies has co-led a $2m funding round for UNL, a Singapore-based startup working on a universal addressing system for use in e-commerce, Tech in Asia reported on Tuesday. The round was co-led by VC fund Elev8 and included SGInnovate, VentureRock and SOSV, which invested through its Mobile Only Accelerator. The cash will be used to beef up UNL’s core infrastructure as it expands its business across Asia.
Financial market data provider Refinitiv invested an undisclosed amount in UK-based professional data platform developer ModuleQ on Wednesday through a strategic partnership agreement. ModuleQ raised $4m from unnamed investors in 2014 and $2m in debt financing in 2016 before closing a $6.7 round in September 2018, according to regulatory filings.
Atomica, the Japan-based spinoff from bitcoin wallet provider Bitkey that is operating a local community-focused co-working startup, raised ¥180m ($1.6m) yesterday from investors including office furniture producer Okamura Corporation and real estate and consulting firm Ippo. The round also featured financial services firms Fukuoka Financial Group, Miyazaki Bank and Miyazaki Taiyo Bank, through FFG Venture Business Partners, Miyagin Venture Capital and Miyazaki Taiyo Capital respectively, as well as VC firm Now’s Founder Foundry and unnamed angel investors.
Flare, a Thailand-based outdoor advertising service focused on cars, secured ¥150m ($1.4m) in series A funding on Monday from investors including creative services studio Sun Asterisk and Voyage Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of travel technology provider Voyage. Spiral Ventures Asia and Chiba Dojo also participated in the round, which followed an undisclosed sum from Voyage Ventures in May 2019. Sun Asterisk (then known as Framgia) had joined KLab Venture Partners to invest an undisclosed amount in Flare in mid-2018.
Ingrid, a Sweden-based e-commerce shipping software provider backed by online book publisher Adlibris, has agreed SEK12.3m ($1.2m) in funding from early-stage investor Blq Invest, Nordic9 reported on Wednesday. Formerly known as Shipwallet, the company had previously raised nearly $1m from backers including Adlibris, which invested $250,000 in 2017, and angel investor Johan Frestadius, according to Nordic9.
Idea; Record, the Japan-based developer of a business management software product for restaurants, raised ¥135m ($1.2m) in debt and equity financing yesterday from voice-over-IP services provider Brisys, digital media and influencer marketing firm LeoSophia and Nanto CVC Fund, the VC arm of financial services firm Nanto Bank. The round followed about $460,000 from investors including Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, the VC subsidiary of banking firm Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.
Japan-based robotics technology HiBot received an undisclosed amount yesterday in a funding round led by Innovations and Future Creation, an investment vehicle for Tokyo Institute of Technology, and backed by equipment leasing services firm Fuyo General Lease. It will use the funding to launch a robotics-equipped inspection platform called Hibox.
Online classified listings operator Info Edge has invested $1.1m in Univariety, an India-based provider of career guidance for students, YourStory has reported. The corporate had previously paid $2m for a 29.6% stake in Univariety in 2017, and the latest funding will support marketing, product development and the expansion of an alumni platform it offers for schools.
Info Edge has also provided Rs 70m ($930,000) for India-based health data management startup Medcords Healthcare Solutions, Equity Bulls has reported, citing a stock exchange filing. The deal will increase the size of Info Edge’s stake from 11.4% to 16.9%, the corporate having previously invested $380,000 in Medcords in August 2018.
Kargo Technologies, the Indonesia-based operator of an online freight services marketplace, raised an undisclosed amount today from Amatil X, the corporate venturing subsidiary of beverage bottler and distributor Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia. The investment came after Kargo emerged from stealth in March 2019 with $7.6m in seed capital from Sequoia India and Southeast Asia, 10100, Zhenfund, Intudo Ventures, ATM Capital, Innoven Capital, Agaeti Ventures and angel investor Patrick Walujo.
UK-based vegan snack brand Cheeky P’s has received an undisclosed amount from food ingredients producer Dasca Group and unnamed angel investors, BDaily News reported on Wednesday. The startup has secured distribution agreements with national distributors in the UK and will put the funding into developing more products.
Rainmatter Capital, the startup investment vehicle formed by online share trader Zerodha, has led a Rs 30m ($400,000) seed round for ImStrong Health & Wellness, the India-based operator of a fitness livestreaming platform, VCCircle has reported. The round featured other backers including angel investor Raghunandan G, and the company has not revealed how it will spend the funding.
IMS Digital Ventures, the VC arm of digital transformation agency Integrated Management Systems, has launched OrgHive, a China-based online community for organic and natural product consumers, with an undisclosed amount of funding. Brands can pay to access customers on different levels of OrgHive, which is intended to provide information on healthy products.
Additional reporting by Liwen-Edison Fu.
