Health insurance provider Medicash invested £4m ($5m) in UK-based digital healthcare technology startup Now Healthcare Group (NHG) on Monday. NHG, which claims to be Europe’s largest supplier of telehealth services, will use the funding to further develop its artificial intelligence and machine learning-equipped app and online pharmacy, as well as its private medical insurance product.
US-based cellulosic technology producer EdenIQ raised $5m from biofuel provider Flint Hills Resources as well as Angeleno Group, I2BF Global Ventures, Trinity Capital Investment and Cyrus Capital on Monday. EdenIQ said it has now raised $12m over the past year, adding to the $81m in equity and debt financing it had racked up as of an early 2015 round featuring Flint Hills, I2BF, Angeleno Group, Cyrus Capital, Westly Group, DFJ and Nimes Capital.
US-based diabetic eye disease diagnostics Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems secured an undisclosed amount on Tuesday in a series B round led by venture capital firm Ballast Point Ventures that included care providers CoxHealth and Providence St. Joseph Health, the latter through its Providence Ventures unit. It will use the funding to develop products that can detect eye disease in diabetes sufferers.
Education and healthcare services provider Manipal Education and Medical Group has led a $4.5m series A round for India-based mobile health coaching app developer Grow Fit, the Economic Times reported on Wednesday. Energy technology and medical device producer SAR Group and Grover Trust, which had previously combined to provide an undisclosed amount of funding for the startup at seed stage, also participated.
Tire manufacturer Bridgestone Americas invested an undisclosed amount in US-based road-sensing technology developer ClearMotion on Monday. ClearMotion had previously raised $130m since it was founded in 2009, including $100m in a February 2017 series C round featuring Qualcomm Ventures, a subsidiary of mobile chipmaker Qualcomm, as well as New Enterprise Associates, World Innovation Lab, Eileses Capital and clients advised by JP Morgan Asset Management.
US-based FinalPrice launched its travel subscription app on Tuesday with $4m of funding from Sistema VC, the corporate venturing subsidiary of conglomerate Sistema, VC firm Almaz Capital and undisclosed additional investors. FinalPrice charges subscribers an annual fee for its service, which in return secures them deals on travel and accommodation.
Mobile semiconductor producer Qualcomm invested an undisclosed amount in Amionx, a US-based developer of technology that prevents lithium-ion batteries from catching on fire or exploding, on Tuesday. Amionx, which was spun out of lithium-ion battery developer American Lithium Energy, is licensing its Safe Core technology to be used in batteries across the world.
Z-Works, the Japan-based creator of connected elderly healthcare technology developer Life Engine, has received ¥400m ($3.6m) in series A capital from office equipment producer Canon Marketing Japan, information and communication technology provider Infocom, building materials supplier Lixil, diversified conglomerate Kokusai Kogyo, Spiral Ventures and the Kanagawa Science Park-owned KSP fund, The Bridge has reported, citing local media.
Food retail group Metro provided an undisclosed amount of funding for Denmark-based workforce management software developer Planday on Wednesday. Planday had previously raised approximately $17.8m across two rounds from SEB Private Equity, a subsidiary of financial services firm SEB, as well as Idinvest Partners, Creandum and angel investors Klaus Nyengaard and Arthur Koste.
China-based artificial intelligence semiconductor developer Westwell Lab has raised an undisclosed amount in a series A round led by Fosun Tonghao, a subsidiary of diversified conglomerate Fosun, China Money Network reported today. Westwell is working on chips that can learn and train themselves, and will invest the series A capital in research and development.
France-based business decision management software startup Cosmo Tech secured $3m on Tuesday in a round that included Aster Capital, the VC firm sponsored by corporates Alstom, Solvay and Schneider Electric. The round was led by Sofimac Partners, which had previously joined Aster to invest $5.2m in Cosmo in early 2014, and also featured BNP Paribas Deìveloppement, a subsidiary of financial services firm BNP Paribas.
Kite Power Systems, a UK-based offshore wind energy technology developer backed byoilfield services provider Schlumberger, energy utility Eon and oil and gas company Shell, received £2m ($2.5m) from Scottish Investment Bank, the investment branch of state-owned agency Scottish Enterprise, yesterday. Schlumberger, Eon and Shell’s corporate venturing unit Shell Technology Ventures invested $6.2m in the company in December 2016.
Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, the corporate VC subsidiary of oil and gas company Saudi Aramco, invested an undisclosed sum in Ireland-based wastewater treatment technology developer OxyMem on Tuesday. Oxymem had previously raised an undisclosed amount of funding from chemicals producer Dow, water technology cluster The Water Council, private equity firm Kellysan Enterprises, government organisation Enterprise Ireland and NovaUCD, a VC hub at University College Dublin.
Maritime services provider Alphard Maritime Group has provided $2m of seed funding for PortDesk, the India-based creator of a software platform that helps merchant ships manage their port-related expenses, VCCircle has reported. The startup, which was launched in December 2016, has offices in India, Singapore and Dubai plans to use the capital to expand beyond Asia.
Axa Strategic Ventures, the corporate venturing vehicle for insurance group Axa, led a $2m series A round for US-based local resident engagement platform Modern Message on Wednesday. Modern Message, which raised $300,000 in a 2013 angel round, will put the funding towards hiring, both in the state of Texas where it is headquartered, and across the US as it looks to expand.
Aramex Ventures, the strategic investment arm of logistics firm Aramex, has provided Rs 66m ($1m) in convertible debenture financing for India-based hyperlocal delivery services provider Grab a Grub Services, VCCircle reported on Wednesday. Aramex had paid Rs 133m for a 17.8% stake in the company, which reportedly also counts restaurant listing platform Zomato and VC firm Oliphans Capital as investors, in July 2016.
Brazil-based livestreaming platform Netshows has raised R$1.2m ($360,000) in a round that included investment firm Provence Capital, Estadão has reported. The company was incubated by Wayra, a subsidiary of telecommunications firm Telefónica, and has now raised R$1.2m altogether.
Electronics and communication technology distributor Mitra Komunikasi Nusantara (MKNT) has paid an undisclosed amount between $370,000 and $450,000 for a 4.9% stake in Kioson, the Indonesia-based operator of a service that allows unbanked users to pay for online services, Tech in Asia reported on Tuesday. MKNT will help Kioson expand the range of telecom products and services it offers through the service.
GE Ventures, the corporate VC subsidiary of industrial product and appliance maker General Electric, has launched a US-based inspection services provider called Avitas Systems. The startup will use a combination of predictive data analytics, robotics and artificial intelligence technology to offer inspection services to customers in the oil and gas, transportation and energy industries.