Air conditioning and heating equipment maker Carrier invested an undisclosed sum in Canada-based smart thermostat manufacturer Ecobee on Monday as part of the expansion of a strategic collaboration. Ecobee had previously raised cash from Ontario Emerging Technologies Fund, JLA Ventures and Tech Capital Partners, all of which contributed to a $6.7m round in 2010, as well as energy retailer Just Energy, venture capital firm Relay Ventures and investment firm Investeco Capital.
Industrial group Evonik invested an undisclosed sum in Nanocomp, a Finland-based producer of nanophotonics technology for polymer film, on Thursday alongside Finnish state-funded firm Finnvera Venture Capital. Nanocomp intends to use the funding to expand production and enter new markets.
Scout RFP, the US-based developer of software that automates bidding processes, raised $2.75m on Tuesday in a seed round led by VC firm New Enterprise Associates that also featured Google Ventures, the corporate venturing unit of internet company Google, Zapis Capital and assorted angel investors. The startup will spend the funding on expanding its engineering team and scaling its software product for its enterprise customers.
US-based software testing company QASymphony closed a $2.5m series A round on Thursday backed by software development services provider KMS Technology, Buckhead Investment Partners and Poplar Ventures. The funding will support an increase in the company’s sales and marketing.
Telecommunications company KDDI’s Open Innovation Fund has invested an undisclosed amount in Japan-based content sharing technology developer Mist Technologies, Tech in Asia reported on Tuesday. The funding came in the same week as KDDI contributed to a $10m series A round raised by wireless charging company Ossia.
India-based online jobs portal Aasaanjobs has raised $1.5m in seed capital from IDG Ventures India, media company and data provider IDG’s Indian corporate venturing affiliate, and Inventus Capital Partners, the Economic Times has reported. The cash will go towards hiring staff and accelerating product development.
Germany-based job listings site Kimeta has received an undisclosed amount from publishers VRM, Mediengruppe Straubinger Tagblatt/Landshuter Zeitung, Mediengruppe Badische Zeitung, the Nürnberger Presse, NWZ Mediengruppe and Medienhaus Schwäbischer Verlag, all of which contributed funds as new investors, and existing backers Heilbronner Stimme and Mannheimer Morgen. VC fund High-Tech Gruenderfonds is also an existing investor in Kimeta.
Dojo, the UK-based developer of an activities listing app for London, raised £800,000 ($1.2m) on Monday from Saatchinvest, the investment unit of advertising firm M&C Saatchi, as well as Playfair Capital, which led the round, London Co-Investment Fund and several angel investors. The company, which launched its app in August, plans to bring out its second iteration next month, launch on Android in March and expand internationally over the rest of 2015.
BitFlyer, a Japan-based exchange for cryptocurrency Bitcoin, raised ¥130m ($1.1m) on Wednesday from GMO Venture Partners, the corporate venturing subsidiary of internet holding company GMO Internet Group, human resources provider Recruit Holdings, and Bitcoin Opportunity Corp. The startup, which has now raised about $2.9m in total, plans to invest the cash in overseas expansion, recruitment, service development and marketing.
People Group, the owner of online matrimonial platform Shaadi.com, has paid almost $1m for a 25% stake in India-based dating app Thrill, the Economic Times reported on Monday. Founded in 2012, Thrill raised seed funding from angel investors Samir Bangara and Rajesh Kamat the following year, and will now be merged with People Group’s dating website, Fropper.
Querium Corporation, the US-based developer of a mobile learning software platform, closed an $800,000 series A3 round on Wednesday after securing funding from ICG Ventures, a corporate venturing subsidiary of textbook publisher Ingram Industries. The startup had previously raised $1.2m in financing, according to regulatory filings.
Singapore-based fashion flash sales startup VIP Plaza has secured an undisclosed amount of seed funding from YJ Capital, the corporate venturing fund owned by internet company Yahoo’s Japanese subsidiary, Tech in Asia reported on Tuesday. VIP Plaza, which focuses its business on Indonesia, currently employs 120 people and intends to expand its workforce as it grows internationally, expanding first into Malaysia.