Seven Ages, a China-based company that produces live musicals based on western properties, raised an undisclosed amount last month in a series B+ round led by e-commerce firm Alibaba’s Live Entertainment Business Group, it revealed yesterday. The round, described by Seven Ages as the largest single investment ever in China’s musical industry, included existing investor Legend Capital, the venture capital firm formed by conglomerate Legend Holdings, though Seven Ages has not disclosed firm details of its earlier funding.
US-based radar system developer Metawave secured $10m on Tuesday in a round led by auto parts supplier Denso. The round included Toyota AI Ventures and SAIC Capital, subsidiaries of carmakers Toyota and SAIC, as well as automotive manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company, glass producer Asahi Glass, Motus Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Autotech Ventures, Bold Capital, Western Technology Investment and Alrai Capital, and followed a $7m round in September 2017 that Metawave has now revealed included SAIC Capital.
Hint Health, the US-based developer of a health provision plan for employers, has raised $10m in a series A round led by Axa Venture Partners, the corporate venture capital arm of insurance group Axa. The corporate, which will take a board seat as part of its investment, was joined by Webb Investment Network, Draper Associates, Springrock Ventures, Meridian Street Capital, Launchpad Digital Health and angel investor Tom Williams.
Summation Health Ventures, an investment fund formed by care providers Cedars-Sinai Health System and MemorialCare Health System, has co-led a $10m series A round for Wellist, the US-based creator of an online platform where health systems can direct their patients to non-medical services. The round was co-led by VC firm .406 Ventures, and followed $3.9m in debt financing secured between 2014 and July 2017 according to regulatory filings.
Israel-based modem technology developer Sckipio has secured $10m in a funding round led by semiconductor producer MegaChips Corporation. The round included Intel Capital, an existing investor and the corporate venturing subsidiary of chipmaker Intel, as well as Amiti Ventures, Aviv Ventures, Pitango Venture Partners, Genesis Partners, Gemini Israel Ventures, CIRTech Fund and Axess Ventures, and increased Sckipio’s overall funding to $50m, the company said.
Workframe, the US-based creator of a communication platform for members of the real estate industry, raised $9.5m yesterday in a series B round led by real estate advisory firm Newmark Knight Frank that included real estate technology provider MetaProp. The round also featured Venrock, which helped provide $5m for Workframe – then known as Kontor – in 2015, before the company added $4.6m from BBG Ventures, a fund owned by digital media group Oath, FF Angel, Founders Fund, Wellington Partners and Female Founders Fund the following year.
Bonnier Ventures, the strategic investment arm of media group Bonnier, took part in a €7.5m ($8.8m) funding round for Pamono, the Germany-based operator of an e-commerce marketplace for design objects, on Wednesday. DN Capital, HV Holtzbrinck Ventures and Atlantic Labs also invested as part of the round, having previously backed a mid-seven figure euro round for the company in early 2016 that included Ringier Digital Ventures and Gruner + Jahr Digital Ventures, subsidiaries of media companies Ringier and Gruner + Jahr.
Compound, a US-based startup developing a trading platform for cryptographic assets, secured $8.2m in seed capital from investors including cryptocurrency technology provider Coinbase on Wednesday. The round was co-led by Bain Capital Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and Polychain Capital with contributions from Compound Ventures, Transmedia Capital, Abstract Ventures and Danhua Capital, and will support the launch of Compound’s first market, which it expects to introduce by the end of 2018.
HCM Capital, a corporate venturing subsidiary of contract electronics manufacturer Foxconn, led the $7m first close of a series A round for blockchain-equipped identity verification technology developer Cambridge Blockchain on Tuesday. Partech Ventures and Digital Currency Group also participated in the round, having previously supplied $2m of convertible note financing for the company in January 2017.
Bushel, a US-based grain production software developer backed by media company Forum Communications and livestock analytics software provider MetaFarms, has received $7m in funding from undisclosed investors. The company, also known as Myriad Mobile, had raised $800,000 in seed capital when it added $1.5m in a June 2017 round backed by MetaFarms, Forum subsidiary Gen7 Investments, Falls Angel Fund, HA Dahl Family and Thoreson Steffes Trust Company.
Broadcaster TV Azteca SAB de CV has agreed to provide $7m of funding for Israel-based social music streaming app developer Mugo as part of a strategic partnership agreement, Calcalist has reported. Mugo, which has created an app that enables multiple listeners to share playlists and histories or sync to the same part of a song, had previously received $1m from undisclosed investors in May 2017.
Telecommunications firm Charter Communications led a series B round of undisclosed size yesterday for Cujo AI, a US-based developer of artificial intelligence products for telecoms network operators. Cujo has not disclosed information concerning past funding rounds, but a regulatory filing in May 2017 revealed that it had raised $8.5m in equity funding.
Winky Lux, a US-based cosmetics brand backed by Oath, has raised $6m in a series A round led by VC firm GGV Capital, Forbes reported on Tuesday. The startup had initially secured $300,000 in a friends and family round before adding $2m in seed capital from Oath’s BBG Ventures as well as Female Founders Fund, which led the round, GGV, SoGal Ventures and TGZ Capital in August 2017.
Implandata Ophthalmic Products, the Germany-based developer of a monitoring system for intraocular pressure, closed a series C round sized in the mid-seven figure euros range (€5m = $5.9m) on Monday that included imaging technology producer Heidelberg Engineering and industrial equipment group NKB. KfW, High-Tech Gründerfonds, Peppermint Charité Beteiligungsfonds and assorted private investors also took part in the round, which followed $3.8m in 2014 and a $3.8m series A round that had closed two years earlier.
Globin Solutions, a US-based company developing an antidote for carbon monoxide poisoning, has secured more than $5m in series A funding from investors including UPMC Enterprises, the commercialisation vehicle for healthcare provider University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, MedCity News has reported. TUS Science and Technology Services, part of Tsinghua University-affiliated business and science park operator TUS Holdings, led the round.
Chakratec, an Israel-based company developing a flywheel energy storage system, received $4.4m in funding on Sunday from investors including industrial vehicle supplier Goldbell Corporation, Calcalist has reported. Family office iArgento led the round, which followed a $2m series B investment by power control equipment manufacturer Zhengzhou Runner Electric in 2015, after Chakratec had raised undisclosed sums from Capital Nature and Israel G-Tek.
Kaizen Health, the US-based operator of a medical logistics and transportation platform, has raised $3.8m in a round that included an undisclosed amount from medical transport provider MTM, which invested last month. Lewis and Clark Ventures led the round, and MTM’s funding was supplied as part of a collaboration agreement that gave Kaizen access to MTM’s non-emergency medical transportation provider network.
Baidu Ventures, a corporate venturing subsidiary of internet group Baidu, co-led a pre-series A round of undisclosed size for Jianwei Data, the China-based developer of a search platform for financial data, Kr-Asia reported today. The round was co-led by Next Capital and the proceeds will be used by Jianwei to strengthen its technology.
Student Loan Genius, a US-based provider of financial management tools that employers can use to help their staff handle student debt, secured $3.5m on Wednesday in a seed round featuring insurers Prudential Financial and Cuna Mutual Group, the latter through subsidiary CMFG Ventures. VC firm Vestigo Ventures led the round, which included VC fund Rubicon Venture Capital and which came after a $3m seed round in 2016 backed by Prudential affiliate Gibraltar Ventures and an affiliate of insurance firm John Hancock/Manulife.
CareTaker Medical, the US-based developer of a monitor for tracking blood pressure and vital signs, closed a $3.4m funding round on Wednesday that included Kofa Healthcare, an investment vehicle for diversified group Kofa. The round included angel investor group IrishAngels and Felton Group, the family office for Jaffray Woodriff, and the proceeds will support commercialisation activities for the system.
UCare.ai, the Singapore-based developer of an AI platform that helps allocate healthcare resources, has received an undisclosed amount of series A funding from insurance firm Great Eastern, Walden International, WPGrowth Ventures and angel investor Peter Lim, DealStreetAsia reported on Wednesday. The startup has now raised a total of $8.2m from its series A and 2016 seed round, founder Neal Liu told DealStreetAsia, without specifying whether the figure was in US or Singaporean dollars (the latter would equate to US$6.1m).
Motorleaf, the Canada-based developer of an AI-equipped data platform for use in greenhouses, has added C$2m to what is now a C$2.9m ($2.2m) funding round featuring Fluxunit, a subsidiary of lighting product manufacturer Osram. The round also includes Radicle Growth, Desjardins Capital, Real Ventures, BDC Capital and 500 Startups Canada, and Lars Roessler, Fluxunit ‘s head of strategy, will get a seat on Motorleaf’s board of directors in connection with its investment.
SoftBank Ventures Korea, a subsidiary of telecoms firm SoftBank, led a $2.1m pre-series A round for Rael, a US-based menstrual care and feminine wellness product maker, on Tuesday. The round included e-commerce company Thrive Market and came after an undisclosed amount of seed funding from smartphone accessory maker Spigen, VC investment platform BAM Ventures, seed fund Strong Ventures and startup accelerator Primer.
Professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) has made an investment of undisclosed size in US-based energy analytics software provider Artis Energy Intelligence in connection with a strategic partnership agreement. Artis, which has not publicly disclosed previous funding, will partner A&M on the creation of an initiative called A&M Energy Analytics practice, which will supply energy management strategies to corporate clients.
Thryve, a US-based microbiotic and microbiome testing service provider, received $1.4m on Tuesday in a funding round backed by consumer goods manufacturer Unilever’s corporate venturing unit, Unilever Ventures. The round also featured PivotNorth Capital, Darling Ventures, Candela Paramount, Abstract Ventures and Joyance Partners, and the proceeds will go to research and development.
Baania, a Thailand-based developer of data and analytics technology for the real estate sector, has secured an undisclosed sum from investors including oil and gas producer PTT Public Company as well as Krungsri Finnovate and AddVentures, respective subsidiaries of financial services firm Krungsri and conglomerate SCG, E27 reported on Tuesday. 500 TukTuks also invested in the round, which will fund product development, and Krungsri has formed a strategic partnership with Baania in conjunction with its investment.
RSP India Fund, a subsidiary of human resources firm Recruit, and VC fund Unicorn India Ventures have co-led a pre-series A round of undisclosed size for India-based business-to-business financial settlement platform Open Financial Technologies, Inc 42 reported yesterday. Isme-Ace and the BetterCapital AngelList syndicate also contributed to the round, which came after seed funding from angel investors Amrish Rau, Jitendra Gupta, Apremaya Radhakrishnan, Chiranth Patil and Archana Priyadarshini of Unicorn India.
MeVitae, the UK-based creator of an artificial intelligence-equipped recruitment tool for businesses, has raised £500,000 ($675,000) in funding from investors including BBH Zag, a subsidiary of marketing agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty, TechCrunch reported on Wednesday. Startup Funding Club led the round, with participation from Twenty Ten Capital, London Co-Investment Fund and angel investors Dhiraj Mukherjee, Simon Samuel and Geoff Hughes. MeVitae had previously received about £250,000 in grant funding over a three-year period.
Cemex Ventures, the strategic investment arm of building materials supplier Cemex, has provided an undisclosed amount of funding for Prysmex, the Mexico-based creator of an online platform that collects data in real time to detect potential workplace accidents. The deal represents Cemex Ventures’ fourth investment, and its parent company has already installed the technology at its Mexican facilities.
Financial services firm Wells Fargo is set to invest undisclosed amounts in US-based customer behaviour analysis platform Alpharank and Amicus.io, the US-based creator of a charity-aiding platform for financial industry employees, after the startups were admitted to its Wells Fargo Startup Accelerator. Wells Fargo has also increased the limit of its investments through the unit to $1m for each participant.
LeverageRx, the US-based creator of an online comparison platform allowing healthcare staff to compare rates from lenders and insurance providers, has closed a $535,000 seed round that included student loan services provider Nelnet, Silicon Prairie News reported on Tuesday. Nelnet was joined by Invest Nebraska, M25 Group and angel investor John Nelson, and the funding will support the introduction of new products by LeverageRx.
Flare, the Thailand-headquartered operator of a car-based advertising service, has raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Framgia Holdings, a subsidiary of diversified app developer Framgia, and VC firm KLab Venture Partners, The Bridge reported on Tuesday. The funding will be used to enhance Flare’s system engineering and support international expansion.