AAA Weekly corporate venturing deal net: 22 December 2014-2 January 2015

Weekly corporate venturing deal net: 22 December 2014-2 January 2015

Germany-based enterprise software developer WeSustain has raised €4m ($4.9m) in series B financing from its existing backers – corporate-backed venture capital fund High-Tech Gruenderfonds, state-backed bank KfW and MBG – as well as VNT Management, which participated as a new investor. The funds will go to market development and the strengthening of WeSustain’s sales capabilities.

UK-based broadcaster ITV has invested an undisclosed amount in US-based digital media accelerator Zealot Networks, bringing its overall funding to more than $30m. Zealot, which is now valued at over $100m, raised an initial $25m from undisclosed investors in August, and will use the latest funds to upgrade its digital studio capabilities.

Private healthcare company Bupa has paid NZ$5m ($3.9m) for a 25% stake in New Zealand-based health monitoring technology developer Vigil Monitoring. Spark Ventures, the corporate venturing unit of telecommunications company Spark New Zealand, has also recently invested NZ$5m in Vigil, according to local news source Scoop.

Aurus Network, the India-based operator of online education company SuperProfs, has secured Rs 180m ($2.8m) from IDG Ventures, a corporate venturing affiliate of publishing and data firm IDG, and Kalaari Capital, the Economic Times reported on Monday. The cash will be invested in research and development and an expansion of the range of courses on SuperProfs.

US-based grid-scale energy storage company Eos Energy Storage has raised $2.5m of a $30m series C round, according to an SEC filing. Eos, which raised $18.9m between 2011 and November 2014 from investors including power producer NRG Energy, is developing zinc-air batteries for use with megawatt-scale energy production. It also received $2.1m in grant funding from California Energy Commission earlier this month.

Wedgies.com, a US-based developer of digital survey software, has secured $700,000 from a seed round led by venture capital firm Greycroft Partners and backed by KBS+ Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of advertising agency KBS+, as well as Vegas Tech Fund and Battle Born Venture. VegasTechFund and a selection of angel investors provided $500,000 in seed funds for Wedgies in 2012.

High-Tech Gruenderfonds has invested an undisclosed amount it described as being in the mid-six digits in euros in POSpulse, a Germany-based provider of smart data for retailers. POSpulse, which raised seed funding from EtVenture earlier this year, will use the funding to grow its sales team and further develop its analytics platform.

Eco4Cloud, an Italy-based developer of energy-efficient technology for data centres, has received €250,000 ($300,000) from TIM Ventures, the corporate venturing unit of telecommunications company Telecom Italia. The company had previously raised €2.3m from VC firm Principia and seed fund DPixel in 2012.

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