Broadcasting group AMC Networks invested an undisclosed amount in Funny Or Die, the US-based online comedy video producer founded by actor Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay, on Tuesday as part of a collaboration deal between Funny or Die and AMC’s comedy network subsidiary IFC. Funny Or Die received $15m in a Sequoia Capital-backed round in 2007 before television network HBO paid an undisclosed sum for a stake of less than 10% the following year.
US-based mobile device connection technology developer M87 raised $5m yesterday in a round led by Madrona Venture Group that included Qualcomm Ventures, the corporate venturing subsidiary of mobile semiconductor maker Qualcomm, and investment firm Trilogy Equity Partners. Qualcomm Ventures had previously taken part in M87’s $3m series A round in 2014 alongside data centre services provider 21Vianet, after University of Texas’s Horizon Fund invested $500,000 in 2013.
Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group, a subsidiary of laptop and smartphone manufacturer Lenovo, has provided an undisclosed amount of funding for China-based virtual reality content startup SoReal, China Money Network reported on Tuesday. SoReal was launched in March this year by Zhang Yimou, the Chinese director of films including Hero and House of the Flying Daggers, in partnership with VR entertainment producer Danghong Qitian.
Illumitex, a US-based photonic LED lighting developer backed by agribusiness Syngenta’s corporate venturing unit, Syngenta Ventures, has received $4m in new funding, according to a securities filing. The company had raised a total of $64.8m in equity and $9.4m in debt as of a $16.1m series C-1 round in August 2015, and its existing backers include lighting product maker Gerard Lighting Group, New Enterprise Associates, Morgan Creek Capital, Mousse Partners and Apex Venture Partners.
Wearhaus, a US-based developer of shared headphones, secured $4m yesterday in a series A round led by software-focused consulting firm Tellus International that included media group China Southern Media and Xiaoxiang Capital. The company’s technology relies on Bluetooth to share a single track across multiple sets of headphones.
Apptentive, the US-based developer of a customer engagement platform, has reached the $3.6m first close of a funding round featuring online survey platform SurveyMonkey that it hopes to eventually close at $5m. The round was also backed by Vulcan Capital, Blossom Street Ventures and Origin Ventures, and follows a $5.3m series A round co-led by SurveyMonkey and Origin in late 2014 that included Founders Co-op and Golden Venture Partners, and a $1.2m seed round in 2012 that featured GV, the CVC unit then known as Google Ventures.
Employment Hero, the Australia-based developer of a human resources, payroll and employee benefits platform for employers, has closed a series A round featuring financial services firm AMP at A$4.5m ($3.4m), Australian Financial Review reported on Tuesday. AirTree Ventures invested A$1.5m alongside AMP’s venture capital arm, AMP New Ventures, and One Ventures, which had provided A$3m for the company in June this year.
Active AI, an India-based developer of artificially intelligent customer service software for the financial services industry, has raised $3m from IDG Ventures India, the local venture capital affiliate of IT media company International Data Group, and VC firm Kalaari Capital, Tech in Asia reported on Monday. The round follows $500,000 investment by Kalaari in May this year.
Scroll, the US-based creator of an ad-free media content subscription platform, has raised $3m from media companies Axel Springer, News Corp, New York Times and O’Reilly Media, the latter of which invested through its O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures unit, and venture capital firm SoftTech VC, Recode reported on Tuesday. The service will offer a range of media from different sources that will be available for a monthly fee.
Telstra Ventures, the corporate venturing subsidiary of telecommunications group Telstra, supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for US-based software and technical services provider Boomtown on Monday. Telstra itself is trialling Boomtown’s software in its Australian small business services offering.
Computer graphics technology producer Chaos Group invested €2m ($2.1m) in Cl3ver, the Spain-based developer of a set of cloud-based tools that convert designs into an interactive 3D presentation environment, on Tuesday. Cl3ver had previously received $800,000 in funding in a 2013 round led by telecom group Telefónica’s Wayra subsidiary, Caixa Capital Risc, the VC arm of financial services firm La Caixa, and undisclosed angel investors.
Puhua Jingxin Guzhou Health Management Partnership has made an eight-digit SEK (SEK10m = $1.1m) investment in Acarix, a Denmark-based cardiac diagnostics spinout of medical device producer Coloplast. Puhua Jingxin is a partnership between care provider Puhua Healthcare and pharmaceutical company Zhejiang Jingxin Pharmaceuticals. The deal follows €3.6m ($3.9m at current rates) from Seed Capital, an earlier investor along with Sunstone Life Science Ventures, in 2013.
Ad Lightning, a US-based programmatic advertising spinout of startup studio Pioneer Square Labs, closed a $2m seed round led by media firm Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Digital Ventures unit on Tuesday. The round, also featured angel investors including Pioneer Square founders Mike Galgon, Greg Gottesman and Geoff Entress, and Ad Lightning founder Scott Moore.
IT services provider Infosys has provided an undisclosed amount of funding for US-based software-defined server producer TidalScale. The investment follows $3m in angel and seed capital from backers including virtualisation and networking software provider Citrix’s Startup Accelerator and Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, and an $8.8m series A round led by Bain Capital that included Hummer Winblad, consumer electronics manufacturer Samsung and enterprise software provider SAP.
East Meets East, a US-based online dating service for people of Asian descent, has raised $1m from internet company DeNA, 500 Startups, East Ventures, ISGS Investment Works and Shintaro Yamada, the founder of mobile commerce platform Mercari, TechCrunch reported on Tuesday. The company plans to expand across the US before raising additional funds that will help it enter the Canadian, Australian, UK and Hong Kong markets in 2017.
Demaclenko, a snowmaking device subsidiary of conglomerate Leitner Group, has supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for NeveXN, the developer of a snow gun that can produce artificial snow at temperatures above zero. The investment, sized at €2m ($2.1m) according to EconomyUp, was provided as the companies prepare to work together to manufacture and market NeveXN’s machines.
Singapore-based virtual wallet service provider FlexM has raised approximately $890,000 in funding from backers including mobile payment technology provider MatchMove, Tech in Asia reported on Tuesday. MatchMove, with which FlexM has signed a partnership agreement, participated in the round alongside undisclosed angel investors.
GuestReady, a UK-based provider of services to users listing rooms or properties online for short-term accommodation, has completed a €700,000 ($750,000) round led by Swiss Founders Fund that included real estate developer Senn Partner Holdings and Georg Bauser, formerly a director of short-term accommodation platform Airbnb, EU-Startups reported yesterday. The service is currently available in six cities across Europe and Asia.
Canada-based patient outreach services vendor Cliniconex has raised an undisclosed sum in a seed round backed by Calian Group, a provider of engineering, business and technology services, as well as Capital Angel Network and Wesley Clover International. Scott Murray, vice-president of Calian subsidiary Calian Health Services, has joined Cliniconex’s board of directors as part of the round.
Online payment company Vindi has invested R$500,000 ($150,000) in Brazil-based small-business payment platform Aceita Fácil, E-Commerce News has reported. The deal follows a series A round consisting of R$1.8m of funding from Bozano Investimentos’ Fundo Criatec2 fund and $330,000 from undisclosed investors.