Big Deal: iFlix inflates funding with $90m
The streaming service plans a quick geographic expansion after closing funding from Liberty Global, Sky, new strategic partner Zain and founding partners Evolution Media and Catcha.
Corporate venturing deal net: 13-17 March 2017
Each Friday the Global Corporate Venturing Deal Net rounds up the week’s smaller deals and tracks the emerging companies accessing corporate funds.
Fundraising
Nan Fung puts $300m into Pivotal fund
The property developer has backed the $300m first fund for Pivotal BioVenture Partners, a biotech venture firm formed by an ex-Roche Venture Fund investment director.
Cemex cements corporate venturing plans
The construction materials producer has formed an open innovation and venture investment unit and will launch a startup competition later this month.
Maris to amass $100m for new fund
The ex-GV chief executive is reportedly set to close his $100m Section 32 fund in the next few weeks and will be the entity’s sole investing partner.
Spectrum to add colour with venture capital unit
The healthcare provider has formed a corporate venturing subsidiary called Spectrum Health Ventures and will invest up to $100m in the next 10 years.
Verizon and R/GA to give startups studio time
The Verizon Media Tech Venture Studio will work with 10 startups developing disruptive digital entertainment and media technology.
Philips and EDBI connect further for healthtech funding
Royal Philips and the Singaporean state-owned EDBI will accelerate a digital health investment partnership that has just made its first deal.
People
Schöfer looks to make mark at Merck
Merck Ventures, the corporate venturing subsidiary of Merck Group, has hired Sebastian Schöfer from HTGF as a senior associate.
Exits
Gestigon gets acquired by Valeo
Valeo has acquired gesture tracking software provider Gestigon, providing an exit to corporate venturing vehicle Vorwerk Ventures.
Avantium ventures to public markets in $109m IPO
The renewable chemicals technology developer, which counts Coca-Cola and Swire among its corporate shareholders, is now listed in Belgium and the Netherlands.
TechStyle seeks buyer for $1.5bn deal
The Intelligent Beauty-incubated online fashion company has raised about $250m from investors also including ProSiebenSat.1.
The data analytics provider has set the range for an initial public offering that will raise between $108m and $126m and which will allow Thomson Reuters to exit.
National Association of Realtors will record an exit as SmartZip agrees to acquire referral management platform Reach150 for an undisclosed sum.
The Intel and Alphabet-backed big data technology provider has confidentially filed paperwork for an offering likely to value it at more than $4bn.
Fenqile to fetch $600m in US flotation
The instalment buying-based e-commerce platform is reportedly preparing for an IPO in the US that will allow Bertelsmann and JD.com to exit.
IT
CNex stores Microsoft-led series C
CNex has now secured more than $60m from investors also including Cisco, Samsung, Seagate and Micron, after closing a Microsoft Ventures-led round.
Evrything goes all in on series B
Cisco and Samsung-backed supply chain management company Evrything has attracted $24.8m in a series B round that took its total funding to more than $42m.
The company, which has now added Alibaba to its shareholders, is working on holographic augmented reality dashboards for smart cars.
Salesforce-backed Skuid has developed a cloud-based platform to enable users to build apps without needing to learn how to code.
Borqs International books Qualcomm for $10m round
Qualcomm Ventures co-led the series E roud, ahead of the Intel-backed internet-of-things device developer’s $303m reverse merger with Pacific Special Acquisition.
Innovium inherits Qualcomm for series C
Existing backer Qualcomm Ventures has taken part in a $38.3m round that boosted the data centre equipment developer’s total financing to $90m.
RiskSense quantifies $14m series A
Jump Capital has joined a consortium of existing investors including telecom company CenturyLink to supply a $7m extension to RiskSense’s series A round.
Microsoft helps provide Prevedere with $10m
Predictive analytics software producer Prevedere has raised $10m in a Norwest Venture Partners-led series B round that featured Microsoft Ventures.
LawGeex signs off on $7m series A
Recruit Holdings has invested in the automated contract review startup’s series A round, closed just four months after its $2.5m seed round.
InterCloud connects to corporates for series B
Bpifrance and SNCF have contributed to a $10.6m round for InterCloud, which will use the cash to support further expansion efforts across Europe.
Health
Microsoft livens up Livongo in $52.5m round
Microsoft Ventures has contributed to a round featuring all Livongo’s existing investors, which include Merck, Wanxiang and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
Redshift receives $11m in series C round
Waters Corporation has co-led a round that took bioanalytical technology producer Redshift Bioanalytics’ total funding to $35m since 2005.
Takeda scoops out Scohia with $87m
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan has joined forces with Takeda Pharmaceutical and Medipal Holdings to set up Scohia Pharma with an initial $87m in funding.
Leo Pharma gets some skin in the game
The dermatology product maker has invested in five digital health startups through its Leo Innovation Lab subsidiary.
OncoResponse calls final close on series A
The company has closed its series A round at $22.5m, with its backers including Shire, Helsinn and cancer treatment centre MD Anderson.
Media
Job Today closes $35m ad-for-equity deal
Astremedia, RTL Germany and German Media Pool have taken stakes in the Channel 4-backed recruitment platform in return for advertising space.
DraftKings wins $100m in series E1 funding
Investment firm Eldridge Industries has led a round that increased the corporate-backed daily fantasy sports company’s overall funding to about $630m.
Consumer
OATV helps decorate $8m Chairish series B
O’Reilly Alpha Tech Ventures has returned to back an $8m funding round for Chairish, having previously participated in its $3.2m seed and $4m series A round.
General Mills gets a taste of Farmhouse Culture
Probiotic food producer Farmhouse Culture has raised $6.5m in a series D round led by General Mills subsidiary 301.
Intel helps fill Goldbely series A with $10m
Intel Capital co-led the round through its Diversity Fund, investing through its Diversity Fund four years after leading Goldbely’s $3m seed round.
Financial
SolarisBank cashes $28m in series A funds
Bertelsmann subsidiary Arvato and SBI Group co-led the round, with the latter set to help financial services-as-a-platform startup SolarisBank expand into Asia.
Dyadic pairs off with Citi in $12m round
Citi Ventures has joined Goldman Sachs and Innovation Endeavors for a series B round that will help the cryptographic software developer boost its sales and marketing.
Currencycloud cashes $25m in series D funding
GV has led a series D round for payments platform Currencycloud, which has also secured repeat investment from Rakuten and Sapphire Ventures.
Dream Payments wakes up with $10m
Fairfax Financial Holdings’ venture capital arm led the series A round, which will support the cloud payment platform’s expansion from Canada into the US.
Industrial
908 Devices detects corporates to raise $20m
Existing investors Schlumberger and Saudi Aramco returned to take part in a Tao Capital Partners-led round that boosted 908’s overall funding to almost $48m.
AgroSavfe grows series B round
VC firm Sofinnova Partners has invested in the biopesticide developer, boosting a Globachem-backed round to $11.7m.
Transport
The bike-sharing network has emerged from stealth with $12m in series A funding from investors including International Data Group’s IDG Ventures affiliate.
Baidu and Tencent have led the latest round for the smart electric vehicle developer formerly known as NextEV, with Lenovo and IDG Capital also contributing.
ACV Auctions closes series B at $15m
The SoftBank-backed used car auction platform has raised $15m in a Bessemer Venture Partners-led round that will support geographic expansion and hiring.
Services
Coca-Cola helps deliver $10m to Bringg
Enterprise logistics software provider Bringg has raised $10m in a round that will support an expansion in sales and marketing and R&D.
GuesttoGuest greets Maif to raise $35m
The insurance company has invested in home exchange platform GuesttoGuest through its Maif Avenir subsidiary.
CIC hands over $100m to Airbnb
The $1bn Alphabet-backed series F round recently closed by Airbnb reportedly included a $100m investment by sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp.
Legend Capital helps ship $36m to Fuyoukache
Trucking logistics company Fuyoukache has closed a series C round led by the corporate venturing unit with participation from Global Logistic Properties.
Trucking logistics company Fuyoukache has closed a series C round led by the corporate venturing unit with participation from Global Logistic Properties.