US-based web content curation platform Digg closed a series C round of undisclosed size led by media group Gannet on Tuesday. Founded in 2004 and acquired by Betaworks in 2012, Digg raised $4m from internet company Digital Garage in November 2015, and Gannet’s investment will enable Digg to access local content from the firm’s USA Today Network subsidiary to more precisely offer content to its users.
US-based ultra-thin film battery producer BrightVolt received $5m from venture capital firm New Science Ventures on Wednesday to anchor its series B round. Formerly known as Solicore, BrightVolt had previously raised approximately $81m from investors including materials-based products maker Rogers Corporation, industrial gases producer Air Products & Chemical, Rho Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Braemar Energy Ventures, Firelake Capital and OPG Ventures, according to press releases and regulatory filings.
Sourcery, the US-based creator of a digital payments and commerce platform for accounts payable, closed a $5m round on Tuesday led by VC firm Marker that included Steadfast Capital and undisclosed existing investors which, according to TechCrunch, included data analysis provider Palantir. The company, which has raised $7.5m since it was founded in 2012, is on track to process more than $100m in payments this year.
Total Energy Ventures, the strategic investment arm of oil and gas company Total, provided an undisclosed amount of C-2 funding for US-based energy internet technology provider AutoGrid Systems today. AutoGrid had previously raised approximately $42m from investors including E.ON Venture Partners, a subsidiary of energy utility E.ON, Energy Impact Partners, Envision Ventures, Foundation Capital, Stanford University and Voyager Capital.
Singapore-based kickboxing event promoter Glory Sports International closed its series B round on Monday having raised an undisclosed amount from mass media group Liberty Global, private equity firm Yao Capital and existing investors including investment advisory firm Twin Focus Capital. Founded in 2011, Glory Sports has not revealed details of past funding, but plans to increase its live events to 18 in 2017, enter Southeast Asia and Latin America, and expand into reality television. Don Parsons at Liberty by email said: “Glory investment was done out of our content/programming investment group out of London but the CEO is based here in the US. Other investments we’ve made around the space include TheWhistle (Bruce Dines led) and Frequency Networks (which I led).”
Brazen, a US-based recruitment software developer backed by human resources provider Randstad, has secured $2m in series B funding from investors including Osage Venture Partners alongside $2m in debt financing, DC Inno reported on Wednesday. The company has now accumulated more than $14m since 2008, with Randstad’s Innovation Fund taking part in a $4.7m series A round in June 2015 alongside Osage, Militello Capital and Kegonsa Capital Partners.
Citi Ventures, the strategic investment subsidiary of financial services firm Citi, provided an undisclosed amount of funding for US-based working capital provider FastPay on Wednesday. FastPay, which has been responsible for about $1.5bn in loans to digital businesses since it was founded in 2009, had previously raised $19m in equity funding from investors including Oak HC/FT.
Uncover Truth, the Japan-based developer of native app optimisation platform Userdive, has raised about ¥400m ($3.9m) from investors including internet company CyberAgent, The Bridge reported on Monday. Draper Nexus Ventures led the round, which also featured Mizuho Capital, a subsidiary of financial services firm Mizuho Bank, as well as Nippon Venture Capital and Accord Ventures.
US-based research centre SRI International has spun out an identity verification startup called Princeton Identity with an undisclosed amount of funding from Samsung Ventures, the corporate venturing vehicle for electronics manufacturer Samsung. Formerly known as SRI Identity, Princeton Identity is developing biometric identity management software and hardware products that use iris and facial recognition.
Klara, the US-based developer of a platform that enables doctors to communicate with patients, completed a $3m financing round on Wednesday that included Groupe Arnault, the holding company for luxury goods producer LVMH. The round, co-led by Lerer Hippeau Ventures and Project A Ventures and backed by from existing investors including Atlantic Labs, comes after Klara raised $2.5m from Atlantic Labs, Creathor Venture, Partech, Heilemann Ventures and angel investor Stephan Schambach in May 2015.
In-Q-Tel, the VC fund representing the US intelligence community, has provided an undisclosed amount of funding for Zoomdata, the US-based developer of a visual analytics platform for big data. Zoomdata had previously raised approximately $47m since it was founded in 2012, including $25m in a February 2016 series C round featuring Comcast Ventures, the corporate venturing subsidiary of mass media company Comcast, as well as Goldman Sachs Principal Strategic Investments and various VC firms.
UK-based passive infra-red sensor developer Pyreos raised £1.8m ($2.4m) yesterday from London Business Angels and existing investors including Robert Bosch Venture Capital and Siemens Technology Accelerator, respective subsidiaries of industrial product and appliance makers Robert Bosch and Siemens. The round included Scottish Investment Bank and Seraphim Capital, and followed £2.5m from the company’s backers in March 2015, which in turn came after $21.2m in earlier funding.
Solar and wind energy system provider Danish Solar led a €2m ($2.2m) round for Denmark-based construction data storage and sharing platform GenieBelt on Monday which also included co-founder and chairman Klaus Nyengaard. The round will support the strengthening of GenieBelt’s sales and marketing capabilities, and Danish Solar said the investment will give it increased visibility in the construction services industry.
IT services provider Net One Systems has invested an undisclosed amount in Singapore-based cloud virtualisation technology producer Asiasoft Solutions, DealStreetAsia reported yesterday. Asiasoft, which currently operates in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, will be able to leverage Net One’s resources together with its network and cloud expertise to expand in Asia.
InstaVR, the Japan-based creator of a 360-degree virtual reality content production tool, has secured ¥200m ($2m) in a funding round led by Gree Ventures, the corporate VC vehicle for internet media company Gree, The Bridge reported yesterday. Colopl VR Fund, which was launched by mobile game developer Colopl, also participated in the round. Founded in December 2015, InstaVR is a graduate of the Tokyo VR Startups accelerator.
Reslinic, a US-based developer of supply chain resiliency and risk management software, received an undisclosed amount of funding on Wednesday from Salesforce Ventures, the corporate venturing subsidiary of cloud computing company Salesforce.com, as well as Bright Success Capital and Procyon Ventures. The company’s supply chain mapping technology is built on the Salesforce platform.
Novars, the Japan-based creator of a device called MaBeee that can turn ordinary household products into connected devices, has raised ¥120m ($1.2m) in funding from Nissay Capital, which invests as the VC arm of Nippon Life Insurance Company, and Mizuho Capital, The Bridge reported on Monday. The round follows an undisclosed amount of seed capital from VC firm Inclusion Japan and will support sales, marketing and product development.
Mobile chipmaker Qualcomm has invested an undisclosed amount in China-based eye tracking and control technology developer 7invensun. The investment is the third Qualcomm has made in 7invensun, which was founded in 2009, in the past three years.