Pharmaceutical firm Bristol Myers Squibb invested an undisclosed amount in US-based programmable cell therapy developer ArsenalBio yesterday through a collaboration deal focusing on T cell therapies to treat solid tumours. The partnership deal includes a $70m upfront payment and it comes after ArsenalBio launched in October 2019 with $85m in series A funding from investors including Westlake Village BioPartners, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Kleiner Perkins, University of California, San Francisco Foundation Investment Company, Euclidean Capital and Osage University Partners.
Ai Robotics, the Japan-based artificial intelligence-equipped digitisation service formerly known as HowTwo, reached a first close of its series D round last month having raised ¥1bn ($9.7m) from Nissay Capital, the venture capital arm of insurer Nippon Life. The tranche also featured financial services firm Mizuho Bank, VC firm Nippon Venture Capital and unnamed individuals.
Media company HT Media has provided Rs 540m ($7.4m) in series F1 funding for India-headquartered short-term accommodation provider Oyo through its Hindustan Media Ventures unit, Inc42 reported yesterday. Oyo approved $1.5bn in funding from telecommunications and internet group SoftBank’s Vision Fund1 and RA Hospitality Holdings, a vehicle formed by its founder and CEO, Ritesh Agarwal, in late 2019, following $1.45bn in earlier funding from investors including Vision Fund and corporates Didi Chuxing, Huazhu Hotels Group and Hero Enterprise.
Rexev, the Japan-based developer of an electric vehicle power system, secured ¥740m ($7.2m) last month in a series A round that included gas utility Osaka Gas, IT services provider Kyocera, electronics manufacturer Toshiba and leasing services provider Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing. The round was led by Jafco and also featured fellow investment firm aStart.
Japan-based lithium-ion battery producer APB raised an undisclosed amount last month from speciality chemicals producer Sanyo Chemical Industries, casting equipment manufacturer Sinto Kogyo and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, a VC subsidiary of financial services firm Mitsubishi UFJ. APB secured $74.4m in a March 2020 round featuring corporates JXTG Holdings (through JXTG Innovation Partners), JFE Chemical, Obayashi Corporation, Teijin, Nagase & Co and Yokogawa Electric before adding an undisclosed sum from carmaker Toyota’s Toyota Tsusho subsidiary three months later.
Taiho Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of pharmaceutical firm Taiho, co-led a $6.8m series A round yesterday for Theolytics, a UK-based spinout of Oxford University developing oncolytic viral therapies for cancer. Venture capital firm Epidarex Capital co-led the round, which included the university’s VC arm, Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI). Taiho Ventures president Sakae Asanuma will join the company’s board of directors in connection with the round, which follows $3.2m from OSI that was disclosed when Theolytics emerged from stealth in June 2019.
Voxy EnGen, a US-based developer of personalised language learning technology, received $6.75m in series A funding from investors including insurance firm American Family’s Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact yesterday. Rethink Education, Social Entrepreneurs’ Fund, University System of Maryland Momentum Fund and Juvo Ventures also took part in the round, which comes after the company was incubated within language learning app developer Voxy.
US-based cryptocurrency tax software provider TaxBit raised an undisclosed amount yesterday from PayPal Ventures and Coinbase Ventures, the respective investment arms of digital payment processor PayPal and digital currency exchange Coinbase, in addition to Winklevoss Capital, the family office for the Winklevoss twins. TaxBit secured $750,000 in a January 2019 pre-seed round led by album VC according to a securities filing, adding over $5m in seed capital from Winklevoss Capital, Album VC, TTV Capital, Valar Ventures, Dragonfly Capital Partners, Collaborative Fund, Table Management and Global Founders Capital.
Crypto wallet developer Bitcoin.com supplied €4m ($4.9m) in funding for Slovenia-based crypto payment technology developer Eligma yesterday at a $61.5m valuation. Eligma had previously raised $4.4m in financing from Bitcoin.com and Pangea Blockchain Fund in September 2019.
BHL Holdings, the insurance group that owns online price comparison platform Comparethemarket.com, invested £3m ($4.1m) in ThingCo, a UK-based developer of telematics technology for the insurance industry, on December 31st, London Loves Business reported on Wednesday. The funding will help the company commercialise its solar-powered telematics system.
Thinca, the Japan-based operator of customer database Kaiwa Cloud, received ¥400m ($3.9m) last month from telecoms software producer Tobila Systems, Kiyo Bank’s Kiyo Lease & Capital subsidiary, Bank of Kyoto’s Kyogin Lease & Capital vehicle, Oita Bank’s Oita Venture Capital unit, consulting firm Yamanishi Chugin Keiei, brokerage Daiwa’s Corporate Investment unit, Lead Capital Management, Hiroshima Venture Capital and unnamed others, taking its total funding to approximately $13.3m. It had raised $6.2m from Daiwa Corporate Investment, Lead Capital Management, SBI Investment, Tokimeki Ouen Fund, Sansei Capital and Yokohama Capital in 2019.
Socially Determined, a US-based developer of risk assessment software for care providers, secured $3.15m last month according to a regulatory filing, with TransUnion Healthcare, a subsidiary of credit information provider TransUnion among the investors. Manufacturing group 3M, health insurance provider CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and hospital managers Lafayette General Health, OSF Healthcare and ProMedica had supplied $11.3m in series A funding for the company in January 2020.
Online marketplace Mercado Livre’s Meli Fund has helped Brazil-based online used car marketplace Carflix close a series A round of undisclosed size, Time 24 News reported last month. The company had raised $2.7m for the round as of June 2020, with financial services firm Banco BV leading the close. It had previously secured approximately $370,000 from unnamed investors in 2019.
Japan-based co-working space operator IiOffice received ¥240m ($2.3m) in funding from consulting firm NKC Asia and individuals including Katsuyoshi Eguchi and Naohiro Takahara on Tuesday. The round increased the company’s overall funding to approximately $3.9m. $940,000 coming from sales and marketing services provider Suprieve and its CEO, Takeshi Mori, in September 2020.
Co-Nect, the Japan-based developer of a business-to-business ordering system, secured ¥210m ($2m) from internet company GMO and data management technology provider Pipedo HD last month, the corporates investing through GMO VenturePartners and Double Sharp Partners respectively. It came after GMO VenturePartners led a $1.1m round for Co-Nect – then known as Hideout Club – in November 2019, investing with existing backer Genesia Ventures.
Internet company CyberAgent and VC firm XTech Ventures provided ¥200m ($1.9m) for Call Doctor, the Japan-based operator of an on-call doctor service focused on holiday and night visits, last month. The startup has 100 physicians in its network and is recruiting more as it looks to expand its skills base.
Japan-based financial planning service 400F also raised ¥200m ($1.9m) last month, in a series A round that included marketing agency Loyalty Marketing, incubator operator Dream Incubator’s Dimension fund, Breakthrough Partners Go Fund and unnamed angel investors. 400F had secured an undisclosed sum from design technology provider Goodpatch’s Design Fund and Money Forward Fund, a vehicle for accounting software provider Money Forward, in October 2020.
Zaiko, a Japan-based online ticket sales platform backed by currency exchange operator Monex and music entertainment provider Space Shower Networks, closed $1.8m in series B funding from VC firm Infinity Ventures last month. Space Shower Networks and investment firm North Base Media supplied an undisclosed amount of seed capital for the startup in April 2019 before North Base and Monex subsidiary Monex Ventures added $1m in August 2020.
Astmax Trading, a subsidiary of finance and energy holdings group Astmax, invested an undisclosed amount in Live Smart, a Japan-based developer of internet-of-things living space technology, last month. The companies have also formed a partnership agreement covering marketing and promoting smart home technology.
Japan-based remote intensive treatment provider T-ICU has secured ¥153m ($1.5m) on Tuesday in a round led by Beyond Next Ventures and backed by Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and Tokai Tokyo Investment, subsidiaries of financial services firms Mitsubishi UFJ Group and Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings respectively, in addition to Quantum Leaps Capital Partners. It closed a $1.4m round in late 2019 featuring Minato Capital, a subsidiary of logistics service provider Minato, as well as SMBC Venture Capital, Beyond Next Ventures, Seiho Investment Works, Future Venture Capital, Milestone Turnaround Management and Tomoyuki Nakanishi.
Japan-based working holiday facilitator Otetsutabi received an undisclosed amount last month in a pre-series A round featuring Kemuri Ventures, a VC fund spun off by restaurant operator En-Rest. The round was led by VC firm Now and included financial services firm Dai-Ichi Kangyo Credit Cooperative and Chiiki Sosei Solution, the owner of All-Japan Kanko Rikkoku Fund, as well as VC firm Seiho Investment Works and angel investor Toshihito Kobayashi.
US-based veterinary telemedicine platform developer Hello Ralphie completed a $1m seed round yesterday that included media group Hearst’s women-focused investment vehicle, HearstLab, and VC fund WPMC Fund. The startup was founded in 2019 and said its user numbers have risen 800% since March 2020.
Inovabra Ventures, the corporate venturing vehicle for financial services firm Bradesco, has supplied $1m for 4intelligence, a Brazil-based provider of data analysis software for the mining industry, Baguete reported last month. The fund’s portfolio already includes Beep Saúde, Semantix, R3, Cuponeria, MarketUp, D1 and Agrosmart, according to Baguete.
Game developer Riot Games has invested an undisclosed sum in 4D Sight, a US-based developer of unobtrusive advertising technology for livestreamed and video content creators, according to a newsletter from an existing investor, Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, last month. The company had raised an undisclosed amount from SkyDeck Fund and angel investors William Hockey, Michael Dubin and Kai Huang as of August 2020.
Japan-based project management tool developer Sharegantt secured an undisclosed amount of seed funding from bespoke home builder JibunHouse, IT consultancy Open Source Innovation Labs and public relations agency The East Times in October 2020, it has revealed. The cash was raised the month before Sharegantt released the beta version of its product.
Apto, the Japan-based developer of data management software platform HarBest, raised ¥60m ($580,000) last month from investors including insurance provider Mitsui Sumitomo’s investment arm, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital. The round also featured Anobaka, the VC firm formerly known as KLab Ventures, in addition to unnamed angel investors.
Japan-based food and beverage e-commerce platform AoyamaLab closed a ¥60m ($580,000) series A round last month that included management consulting firm Intloop and VC firm Apricot Ventures. It was announced alongside the formation of a commercial partnership with diversified trading group Itochu.
Real Tech Fund, the investment partnership formed by biofuel supplier Euglena, research firm Leave a Nest and investment firm SMBC Nikko, provided an undisclosed amount of funding last month for Japan-based virus detection technology developer SudX-Biotec. The company was spun out of Kagoshima University and its technology involves fixing sugar chains to metal particles.
Content management software provider ContCentric IT Services has invested Rs 38m ($520,000) in India-based legal software developer Legalwiz.in, YourStory reported on Tuesday. Founded in 2016, Legalwiz will put the funding into expanding its technology offering.
KDDI Open Innovation Fund III, the joint venture formed by telecoms firm KDDI and VC firm Global Brain, joined Global Brain’s EP-GB Investment Limited Partnership vehicle to supply an undisclosed amount for South Korea-based optical system developer LetinAR on Wednesday. LetinAR raised an undisclosed sum from internet group Naver’s D2 Startup Factory in 2017 and $3.6m from Naver and Kakao Ventures – part of internet group Kakao – DSC Investment, Korea Asset Investment Securities and Platinum Technology Investment in in 2018 to take its total funding to $4.3m.
Shikomel Food Tech, a Japan-based provider of technology that helps restaurants improve efficiency, secured ¥43.8m ($420,000) from tuna fishery operator Japan Fisheries Innovation and investment firm Midas Capital yesterday. The round increased the company’s overall funding to about $1.1m and the cash will go to further development of its Shikomel product, which promotes recipe preparation between restaurants and packaged food facilities.
Japan-based digital experience technology developer Avant received an undisclosed amount of funding from real estate developer Property Agent yesterday. Property Agent’s own digital experience subsidiary, DXYZ, is working on facial recognition technology to support identity verification.
Undisclosed investors supplied ¥30m ($290,000) in seed capital last month for Hakki Africa, a Japan-based company providing microfinance for African taxi drivers. Hakki had previously received an undisclosed amount from handbag brand Farce, Samurai Incubate’s Samurai Africa Fund and Daisuke Yanasawa in April 2020.
Japan-based gaming accessory manufacturer Willow raised an undisclosed amount from IT services firm Animo Holdings and Osaka Entrepreneurship Investment Limited Partnership (also known as Daishin Entrepreneurship Support Fund) last month. The funding will go to further development of Willow’s gaming desk.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturer Secure Personal Care Products provided $200,000 in seed funding on Wednesday for Care Package Direct, the US-based operator of an online marketplace for PPE. The startup, which was founded in July 2020, focuses on small and medium-sized businesses as well as local organisations such as churches.
Impl, the Japan-based provider of a web and mobile app development service, secured an undisclosed sum from IT consultancy TechnoBrave and its management team last month. The capital was supplied in conjunction with a business partnership agreement.
LG Technology Ventures, a strategic investment vehicle for conglomerate LG, has revealed it was part of the $22.4m series A round disclosed by US-based quantum computing technology developer Seeqc in September 2020. EQT Ventures led the round, which includes $5m from pharmaceutical firm Merck Group’s M Ventures unit and additional capital from FAM, BlueYard Capital, New Lab Ventures and Partnership Fund for New York (PFNY). Seeqc had raised $6.8m in seed capital from investors including BlueYard Capital, Cambium, NewLab and PFNY in 2019.
Electric utility Chubu Electric Power has committed an undisclosed amount to the SBI 4&5 Investment Limited Partnership B1 fund being raised by SBI Investment, a vehicle for financial services provider SBI. The capital was supplied by the corporate’s Chubu Electric Power Community Fund.
Additional reporting by Liwen-Edison Fu.
