The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the global lockdown were still noticeable in May but our data suggest that after the initial shock, investors have rolled up their sleeves to either fund existing portfolio companies or look for new opportunities.
According to GCV Analytics, the number of corporate-backed deals was 244, down 18% from the 297 rounds from the same month last year. Investment value also decreased by 32% to $8.48bn – down from the $12.5bn from May 2019. In comparison with April this year, May registered a fairly similar result in terms of the total deal count (244 vs 242).
The US came first in the number of corporate-backed deals, hosting 80 rounds, while Japan was second with 54 and China – third with 22.
The leading corporate investors by number of deals were diversified internet conglomerate Alphabet, financial conglomerate Mizuho and insurance firm Axa. In terms of involvement in the largest deals, brokerage firm Huatai Securities topped the list along with Alphabet and genomics company Illumina.
GCV Analytics reported 10 corporate-backed funding initiatives in May, including VC funds, new venturing units, incubators, accelerators and other. This figure suggested a 60% drop compared to May 2019 which had registered 25 such initiatives. The estimated capital raised in those initiatives amounted to $683m, also considerable drop from the $1.9bn during the same month last year. The fewer funding initiatives reported clearly have to do with lockdown measures around the globe and the general atmosphere of economic uncertainty around the unfolding of the pandemic.
Deals
Emerging businesses from the IT, health, financial services and the consumer sectors led in raising the largest number of rounds during the fifth month of 2020. The most active corporate venturers came from the financial, IT, health and industrial sectors.
MGI Tech, a gene sequencing technology developer spun off by China-based genomics services provider BGI, completed a $1bn series B round. VC group IDG Capital and private equity fund CPE Capital co-led the round, which included investment bank China Renaissance’s New Economy Fund and Goldstone Investment which, like CPE, is part of state-owned investment manager Citic. Huatai Securities’ private equity arm, Huatai Zijin Investment Fund, filled out the round with fund manager Sailing Capital, private equity firm Co-Stone Asset Management, VC firm Green Pine Capital Partners and an entity called Shanghai Guofang FoF. Formed in 2016, MGI Tech is working on high-throughput sequencing technology, reagents and consumables for applications in life sciences, precision medicine and agriculture. The applications of the company’s systems range from mass spectrometry and medical imaging to laboratory automation.
US-based cancer diagnostics technology developer Grail received $390m in a series D round backed by Illumina. Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board also took part in the round, as did several unnamed new and existing backers. Grail had secured an initial $125m in December 2019, when a regulatory filing showed a $250m target size for the round. Spun out of Illumina in 2016, Grail has created an early detection blood test for more than 50 cancer indications with a false positive rate of less than 1%. The test uses a proprietary database and machine learning algorithms to detect the presence of cancer and identify where in the body it is located. This series D funding will go towards the continued development of Grail’s test.
UK-based renewable energy supplier Octopus Energy secured A$507m ($327m) from utilities company Origin Energy. The transaction will give Origin Energy a 20% stake in Octopus Energy. The corporate will provide the investment in tranches over four financial years, with $98.7m released immediately. Founded in 2015, Octopus Energy is an electricity and gas retailer focused on the UK market that relies exclusively on renewable energy and enables customers to carbon offset their gas. The company has also developed a cloud-based software platform, Kraken, to interact with consumers through the web, mobile devices and smart meters, and with industry, enabling features such as wholesale market trading and consumption forecasting. Origin’s strategic investment is specifically related to Kraken and the corporate will adopt the platform for its own offering. Octopus will use the capital to further develop its technology and expand internationally.
Singapore-based logistics service provider Ninja Van collected $279m in series D funding from a consortium led by logistics service provider GeoPost. Mapping software producer Carmenta, ride hailing service Grab and telecoms firm Intouch Holding all contributed to the round, as did B Capital, Monk’s Hill Ventures, Golden Gate Ventures Growth Fund and two unnamed sovereign wealth funds. Ninja Van runs a last-mile logistics network for online merchants and small businesses across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. The company is offering contactless deliveries during the pandemic.
BYD Semiconductor, a smart sensor subsidiary of China-based electric vehicle manufacturer BYD, raised RMB1.9bn ($265m) in a round representing its first external funding, according to a regulatory filing. The cash was provided by a consortium co-led by VC firm Sequoia Capital China, investment bank China International Capital Corporation’s CICC Capital unit and SDIC Venture Capital, a subsidiary of state-owned fund manager State Development and Investment Corporation. Each contributed through multiple funds. Consulting firm Shenzhen Xindi Consultancy, Himalaya Capital, China Merchants Capital, Zhongdianzhongjin Intelligent Industry Equity Investment, Unicom Zhongjin Innovative Industry Equity Investment Partnership, Han’er Qingya Investment Partnership and Avic Kaisheng Auto Semiconductor Investment Partnership also took part. The investors will own a 20.2% stake in BYD Semiconductor once the round has closed, with BYD retaining a 78.5% majority share. The transaction valued it at approximately $1.31bn. Founded in 2004, BYD Semiconductor provides products such as smart sensors, integrated circuits and power semiconductors. It will use the funding to drive recruitment, purchase assets and supplement working capital.
China-based facial recognition technology developer CloudWalk obtained RMB1.8bn ($254m) in a funding round backed by Haier Financial Holdings, a unit of home appliances manufacturer Haier. A range of national and municipal government-owned entities also contributed, including investment company Guosheng Group, financial services firms Nansha Financial Holding and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, as well as the China Internet Investment Fund. Spun out of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2015, CloudWalk produces facial recognition software and hardware that is used by police departments in more than 30 provinces across China as well as financial services, aviation and security companies nationally. The company was reportedly mulling an initial public offering by the end of 2020.
Construction services provider Katerra, based in the US, secured $200m in funding from SoftBank Vision Fund, the investment vehicle formed by internet and telecoms conglomerate SoftBank. The financing was revealed in tandem with the promotion of Katerra’s chief operating officer Paal Kibsgaard to chief executive in a planned transition that will involve him succeeding co-founder Michael Marks. Founded in 2015, Katerra has created an end-to-end construction offering, offering manufactured components that can be configured into thousands of building designs and structural systems, in addition to supply chain, renovation and assembly services. The company has more than 6,000 multi-family units under construction and employs 8,000 staff globally. The additional capital is intended to position it for long-term growth.
China-based automotive e-commerce platform Chehaoduo increased its series D round to $1.7bn following a $200m extension from SoftBank and VC firm Sequoia Capital China. SoftBank invested through its Vision Fund, having supplied the initial $1.5bn tranche through the same vehicle in February 2019. Spun off from classified marketplace Ganji in 2015, Chehaoduo runs new and used car trading platforms. The company also supplies automotive parts and offers car financing and maintenance services. The series D extension will enable the company to expand its after-sales offering, bolster operations of its car trading portals and seek strategic collaborations.
US-based telehealth technology provider Amwell completed a $194m series C round that was backed by pharmaceutical firm Takeda and Allianz X, insurance group Allianz’s digital investment arm. The round included undisclosed other investors and strategic partners, and the funding will support the bolstering of its services and technology. Formerly known as American Well, Amwell has built a telehealth system used by some 2,000 hospitals, allowing care providers to remotely assess patients. It said use of the platform has increased significantly over recent weeks as patients seek diagnosis of possible Covid-19 symptoms.
Asapp, a US-based developer of an artificial intelligence-powered customer support platform, picked up $185m in series B capital from investors including telecoms firm Telstra. Emergence Capital, March Capital Partners, Euclidean Capital, Hof Capital and Vast Ventures also backed the round, as did private investors John Doerr, John Chambers, David Strohm and Joe Tucci. Telstra contributed through its corporate venturing subsidiary, Telstra Ventures. Founded in 2014, Asapp has built a platform that exploits artificial intelligence technology to assist customer support and sales agents in identifying the right action to take when interacting with customers on the phone or through chat. Asapp did not specify what it intended to do with the series B funding, but said interest in its product had increased dramatically as the pandemic led to growing pressures on call centres.
Exits
GCV Analytics tracked 15 exits involving corporate venturers as either acquirers or exiting investors in May. The transactions included nine acquisitions, five initial public offerings (IPOs) and one merger.
The exit count figure was lower than in April, which registered 17 exits. The total estimated exited capital, however, nearly tripled $3.1bn, up from to $1.12bn in the previous month. In comparison, during the same month of 2019, the exits count was 38 and the estimated total capital stood at $12.95bn.
Networking equipment manufacturer Cisco agreed to acquire ThousandEyes, a US-based network management software provider backed by Alphabet and enterprise software producer Salesforce. The price was reported to be approximately $1bn. Founded in 2010, ThousandEyes provides cloud analytics software that collects data from a range of points, such as data centres and consumer devices, to identify potential sources of disruption and ensure websites, applications and services are delivered optimally. Cisco will integrate the company’s technology into its new Networking Services division and expects the combined capabilities to help clients accelerate their digital transformation.
Israel-based urban mobility app developer Moovit confirmed an acquisition by its existing shareholder, semiconductor producer Intel, for a total consideration of $900m. Intel paid $840m, net of the equity gain of its corporate venturing unit Intel Capital. Founded in 2012, Moovit has built a real-time transit data app for users that pulls in public traffic data and user-generated updates to calculate the most efficient routes. It also offers third-party business access for clients such as municipalities or ride sharing providers such as Uber. The service currently covers 3,100 cities in 102 countries, where it has attracted more than 800 million users – a sevenfold increase over two years. Intel will integrate Moovit’s enterprise platform into its autonomous driving technology subsidiary Mobileye, turning it into a full-fledged mobility provider with offerings such as robotaxi services. It will maintain the consumer app under the existing branding.
Kingsoft Cloud, the cloud services subsidiary of China-based enterprise software producer Kingsoft, priced its shares at $17 to raise $510m in its IPO. The company increased its offering from 25 million American depositary shares (ADSs) – each representing 15 ordinary shares – to 30 million ADSs and has a market cap of more than $4.7bn. The company had set a price range of $16 to $18. Shares rose 27% on the first day of trading on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Founded in 2012, Kingsoft Cloud runs a cloud infrastructure business focused on enterprise cloud computing and artificial intelligence of things services. Kingsoft and smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi had expressed an interest in purchasing $25m and $50m in the stock offering.
ADC Therapeutics, a Switzerland-based cancer drug developer that was spun off by pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca’s Spirogen subsidiary, closed its IPO at almost $268m. The company floated with more than 12.2 million shares at $19 each, above the IPO’s $16 to $18 range, increasing the size of the issue from the initial 10.3 million shares. On the first day of trading, ADC’s shares opened at $30.00 and rose to $31.14 at close, giving it a $2.21bn market cap. Joint book-running managers Morgan Stanley, BofA Securities and Cowen then bought nearly 1.84 million additional shares to close the offering. Founded in 2011, ADC is working on antibody drug conjugates to treat solid tumours and haematological malignancies. It has two drug candidates that have reached phase 2 clinical trials and proceeds from the offering will fund the advancement of its product pipeline. The company had raised approximately $531m in funding as of a $276m series E round featuring AstraZeneca, private equity firm Auven Therapeutics, hedge fund Redmile Group and Wild Family Office that closed in June 2019.
China-based cancer treatment developer Kintor Pharmaceutical raised HK$1.86bn ($240m) in an IPO, featuring an $89m cornerstone investment by appliance manufacturer Gree. The funding formed part of a $115m cornerstone investment in which it was joined by healthcare investment firm Highlight Capital and mutual fund Foresight Fund. The company issued approximately 92.4 million shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange priced at the top of the IPO’s HK$17.80 to HK$20.15 range. Kintor’s lead product candidate is a prostate cancer drug called proxalutamide that is currently in phase 3 clinical trials in China and phase 2 trials in the US, but it is also working on treatments for breast cancer. The IPO proceeds will go to clinical trials and research and development in addition to the creation of a planned hair loss treatment.
Qingdao Victall Railway, a China-based railroad equipment manufacturer backed by insurance provider Hua Insurance, raised $172m on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s Main Board. The company issued approximately 75.6 million shares priced at RMB16.14 ($2.30). Founded in 2007, Victall produces a full range of compartment interiors and exteriors for trains, trams and subways, such as seats, toilets, water supply and air duct systems and sun visors. The company operates through six subsidiaries and four joint ventures in China as well as three subsidiaries in Germany, the US and Canada.
Idaptive, a US-based identity management platform spun out from cybersecurity company Centrify, was acquired by cybersecurity technology producer CyberArk for $70m in cash. CyberArk expects Idaptive’s platform to help it bolster its market position in areas including hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Founded in 2018, Idaptive has built an artificial intelligence-powered secure access management technology based on zero-trust architecture – that is, users operating within a network are not automatically assumed to be safe. The technology relies on functionality such as multi-factor authentication and behaviour analytics, ensuring users are who they say they are – preventing misuse of login credentials – and can only access files they are allowed to see.
Cashlez, an Indonesia-based digital payment technology provider backed by corporates Sumitomo and Bank Mandiri, completed a R87.5bn ($5.8m) IPO on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The amount fell short of Cashlez’s $7.3m projection although its share price did climb from $0.023 to $0.025 within four minutes of trading. Founded in 2015, Cashlez supplies Bluetooth-equipped card payment terminals that let merchants process customer transactions via a mobile app. The terminals also support digital payment methods like matrix barcodes and Cashlez’s mobile wallet service. Cashlez will use around 61% of the IPO proceeds to pursue an acquisition of smart card technology supplier Softorb Technology. The remainder will be used for working capital. Cashlez believes buying Softorb will aid its expansion, bringing its client base to 10,000 by the end of 2020 from about 7,000 at present. About 88% of its customers are micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
Cumulus Networks, a US-based data centre software developer backed by telecoms firm Telstra, agreed to an acquisition by graphics processing unit producer Nvidia. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Cumulus’ technology will complement that of another recent Nvidia acquisition, networking switches producer Mellanox, which had already been collaborating with the former since 2016. The businesses will allow Nvidia to market both networking hardware and software. Founded in 2010, Cumulus Networks has created an operating system for network switches enabling the design, running and operation of networking infrastructure. The software is scalable and extendable.
IIluminOss Medical, a US-based developer of orthopaedic implants backed by pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline, was acquired by musculoskeletal healthcare-focused private equity firm HealthpointCapital. The financial terms of the acquisition remained undisclosed. Founded in 2007, IlluminOss Medical has developed minimally invasive technology to repair and stabilise bone fractures. Its implants consist of a light-curable polymer within an expandable balloon, enabling the implant to conform to the bone’s intramedullary canal. The implant has received regulatory approval in the US and EU and is particularly aimed at elderly patients who suffer from osteoporotic and compromised bones. It can be used in conjunction with existing procedures, such as screws and nails. HealthpointCapital will work to drive company further growth and secure regulatory approval for additional anatomical indications for the implant.
Note: Monthly data can fluctuate as additional data are reported after each issue of GCV magazine goes to press.