Mineral exploration technology provider High Power Exploration (HPX) has invested an undisclosed amount in Pu Neng, a China-based flow battery technology developer formerly known as Prudent Energy. HPX’s investment, which increased Pu Neng’s total funding to more than $90m, will support the deployment of several large-scale projects related to microgrids and grid-scale solar and wind energy storage.
US-based smart lock technology developer UniKey Technologies has secured an amount of funding the Orlando Sentinel reported as $5m, from investors including electronics producer Samsung’s Samsung Next unit, FF Venture Capital, Asset Management Ventures and two unnamed new strategic investors. It followed approximately $12.9m in funding from investors including Samsung, Asset Management Ventures, FF Venture Capital, real estate services firm CBRE, Oriza Ventures, Axcit, Broadway Angels and angel investors Haas Portman.
Marketing firm Dentsu invested an undisclosed amount in US-based cancer diagnostics technology developer Grail on Tuesday as part of Grail’s ongoing series B round, which reached a $900m first close in March 2017. The round’s other confirmed investors are pharmaceutical companies Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene and Merck & Co, pharmaceuticals supplier McKesson, e-commerce firm Amazon, internet group Tecnent and Arch Venture Partners.
ZenIQ, the US-based creator of an account-based sales and marketing orchestration platform, completed a $4.6m round on Wednesday that was co-led by Salesforce Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of enterprise software producer Salesforce, and VC firm Costanoa Ventures. As part of the deal, Salesforce customers will be able to access the technology for free.
Private equity firm Great Hill Partners invested an undisclosed sum in US-based healthcare management company Quantum Health on Wednesday, recapitalising existing shareholders including GE Ventures, an investment subsidiary of industrial product maker General Electric. Quantum raised an undisclosed sum from GE Ventures, Altaris Capital, angel investor Harian Levine and a co-investment group comprising Lawrence Leisure and Steven Shulman in 2014.
Eighteen94 Capital, the corporate venturing arm of packaged food producer Kellogg, led a $2m round for Bright Greens, the US-based creator of a range of plant-based frozen smoothies, yesterday. Blu Venture Investors also participated in the round, which will support product development, sales and marketing, and the growth of Bright Greens’ headcount.
US-based cellular immunotherapy developer Carma Therapeutics raised an undisclosed sum on Monday in a round co-led by AbbVie Ventures, the corporate venturing subsidiary of pharmaceutical firm AbbVie, and VC group HealthCap. The round included Grazia Equity and IP Group, and the proceeds will be used to advance Carma’s lead drug candidate, an adoptive cellular immunotherapy that will treat metastatic solid tumours.
Youmiam, the France-based developer of a social recipe app, has received €1.1m ($1.2m) in funding from media company M6 and investment banking advisory firm Maslow Capital Partners, EU-Startups reported on Monday. The company, which had raised $410,000 from angel investors Patrick Robin, Thierry Petit and Denis Chavanis as of early 2014, will put the funding toward the growth of its community, international expansion and monetising its platform.
Household cleaning products manufacturer SC Johnson invested an undisclosed amount in Clean Hands Safe Hands (CHSH), a US-based developer of sensor-based technology designed to boost hand-washing in hospitals, on Monday. CHSH, which secured $180,000 in debt financing in 2014 according to a securities filing, will use the funding to expand across the US and further develop its analytics platform.
Goodbox, the India-based creator of an e-commerce platform for small and medium-sized businesses, has secured $1m in a round led by VC firm Nexus Venture Partners, VCCircle reported yesterday. Media company Manipal Media Network had invested $200,000 in Goodbox in May 2015, before Nexus Venture Partners provided $2.5m in series A funding for the startup in November the same year.
Canada-based urban data technology startup Local Logic completed its first funding round on Tuesday, securing C$1.15m ($865,000) from investors including classified listings provider Yellow Pages. VC firm Cycle Capital Management led the round, which included BDC Capital and 500 Startups Canada, and the proceeds will support the expansion of the company’s big data-equipped urban planning platform across North America.
Loyaal, the US-based creator of a blockchain-equipped loyalty and rewards platform, raised an undisclosed amount of funding on Tuesday in a series A round led by information and communications technology holding company Integrated Networks. The round’s other participants were payment services provider UAE Exchange Group, investment firm Hayaat Group and Day One Investments.
IT services firm Wipro has exercised an $810,000 convertible note to increase its stake in US-based cloud services provider Drivestream to 26.1%, the Economic Times reported on Tuesday. Wipro invested $5m in Drivestream in 2015, and provided the convertible note financing in March 2016.
MDI Ventures, the corporate venturing unit formed by telecommunications firm Telkom Group, has led a pre-series A round of undisclosed size for Indonesia-based marketing automation technology startup Kofera, E37 reported on Monday. The round also featured conglomerate Gunung Sewu, boutique investment firm Indosterling Capital and VC fund Discovery Nusantara Capital.
MDI Ventures has also co-led a pre-series A round of undisclosed size for Indonesia-based online identity verification startup PrivyID, with Mandiri Capital, the strategic investment arm of financial services firm Bank Mandiri, Tech in Asia reported on Wednesday. Telkom Group and Mandiri, which have already tested PrivyID’s technology, were joined in the round by conglomerate Gunung Sewu Group and financial services provider Mahanusa Capital.