Corporate venturing deal net: 14-18 January 2019
A round up of all the latest news on www.globalcorporateventuring.com for our subscribers.
Fundraising
Von Tobel leaves NM to start Inspired Capital
NM Future Ventures alumni Alexa von Tobel and Mark Batsiyan have launched Inspired Capital, a venture capital firm aiming to raise $200m for its debut fund.
Indico Capital gets $47m influx
Led by two former Caixa Capital team members, Indico Capital Partners has raised $47m for the first close of a fund that will target Portuguese and Spanish startups.
Magenta Venture Partners, a joint venture between Mitsui and two Israeli venture capitalists, is seeking a $100m close to invest in Israel-based startups.
Genesia generates $45m for second fund
Venture firm Genesia Ventures has secured Tokyu Fudosan, Marui Group, Mixi, JA Mitsui Leasing and Mizuho Financial Group for a fund with an $80m target.
CTA sets up $10m diversity fund
The Consumer Technology Association’s newly formed fund will target startups and funds focusing on underrepresented groups such as women and people of colour.
SleepScore beds in venture investment scheme
SleepScore Labs and parent company ResMed have formed SleepScore Ventures to fund and support startups developing technology and products aimed at improving sleep quality.
Corporates help Set Ventures ready third fund
Shell, BNP Paribas and PTT Group have all made commitments to the third fund to be raised by energy-focused VC firm Set Ventures, which is targeting an $85.5m close.
Mayo Clinic and ASU fuel MedTech Accelerator
The accelerator is open to medical device and healthtech businesses that have already amassed $500,000 of capital or are generating revenues.
People
Williams leaves Shell for NGIF
Shell Ventures investment principal Tyler Williams has joined Natural Gas Innovation Fund as an executive committee member.
Comcast’s Yang to hang at Omers
Michael Yang, managing director at Comcast Ventures for nine years, will oversee Omers Ventures’ US-based office as a managing partner.
NTT Docomo Ventures calls in Asada
Ken Asada has left his investment director position at Intel Capital to become managing director at NTT Docomo Ventures.
Merck GHI managing director Francesca Wuttke has joined Almirall to lead the drug producer’s digital transformation efforts.
Robinson returns to Greenwich BioMedical
Perry Robinson, a managing director at corporate venturing unit GIS Strategic Venture Capital, has rejoined venture firm Greenwich BioMedical Digital Health Ventures.
Lee lands CFO role at SoftBank Ventures Asia
The former Morgan Stanley executive will help manage funds and limited partners on behalf of SoftBank Ventures Asia’s as its new chief financial officer.
Exits
Byju’s buys Osmo in $120m deal
Mattel, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, JF Shea and Sesame Workshop have exited connected toy producer in an all-share acquisition by Byju’s.
American Express swipes Pocket Concierge
Adways, Allied Architects, Isetan Mitsukoshi, Line and Fuji TV scored exits after Pocket Menu, the owner of restaurant reservation app Pocket Concierge, was acquired by American Express.
Cirius seeks entry to public markets
Novo-backed Cirius Therapeutics, which was supported at launch by Metabolic Solutions Development Company, will put the IPO proceeds into its lead liver disease treatment.
Samsung closes in on Corephotonics acquisition
Samsung could potentially pay up to $160m to acquire the smartphone camera technology developer, after investing in its last round.
Slack slides in plans for direct listing
Slack, which is backed by Comcast Ventures, SoftBank and GV, and valued at $7.1bn, is set to forego an initial public offering and instead opt for a direct listing.
Meniga gives Wrapp investors an exit reward
Meniga has bought Wrapp, the retail rewards platform that had raised at least $34m from investors including Qualcomm, H&M, Klarna and American Express, in an all-share deal.
Maoyan to make for $344m in IPO
The Meituan Dianping spinoff, which is also backed by Enlight Media and Tencent, has set the range for its Hong Kong initial public offering.
IT
Fractal Analytics sizes up $200m in funding
Aimia-backed Fractal Analytics has added funds advised by Apax Partners to its shareholders following a $200m transaction involving a primary investment and secondary sale.
Alation aligns with Salesforce to raise $50m
Salesforce Ventures has backed the data cataloguing software producer in a series C round that took its funding to $82m altogether.
Bringg receives $25m series C delivery
Next47 has joined existing investors including Coca-Cola, Ituran and Salesforce in the round, which increased the logistics software provider’s total funding to $53m.
Workday Ventures and Salesforce Ventures both contributed to the business procurement management platform’s series C round, taking its total funding past $60m.
The bluetooth tag maker is now valued at $120m following a series B round featuring Qualcomm Ventures, Merck Group, Amazon, Samsung Ventures and Avery Dennison.
Measurabl builds out series B round
The real estate data management platform has closed an $18.7m round following commitments from Berman Enterprises, DivcoWest, Exelon and S&P Global.
AnyVision spies Qualcomm to advance series A
The computer vision technology developer has added a $15m second tranche backed by Qualcomm Ventures to a round that now totals $43m.
Macnica makes $40m investment in CrowdAnalytix
Macnica has purchased a 41.8% stake in the AI crowdsourcing platform through a primary and secondary share deal having been a partner since late 2017.
B2Link connects to corporates to secure $15m
The artificial intelligence software provider, which counts Alibaba, Qualcomm, Suning and Dalian Wanda as investors, is looking to raise about $2bn in funding.
Lambda School passes $30m exam
The computer science academy has raised series B funding at a $150m valuation from investors including GV, three months after closing its series A round.
Susquehanna Growth Equity puts $35m into Poppulo
The employee communication software provider will use SGE’s investment to expand its operations internationally.
Trusfort triggers series C round
SIG China participated in a $44.4m round that Trusfort will use to develop its mobile identity authentication portfolio and expand its business overseas.
HyperScience hits series B round with $30m
QBE and TD Ameritrade have taken part in a series B round that will be used to develop the company’s artificial intelligence-based data entry technology.
Health
Trice Medical traverses series C extension
The orthopaedic diagnostics equipment developer has added $18.5m to a series C round featuring Smith & Nephew that now stands at $37.6m.
Mitsui helps Napajen nab series C funding
P&E Directions has joined existing investor Mitsui in a $12.4m round that increased the immunotherapy developer’s total funding to more than $37m.
Beta Bionics bets on corporates in $63m round
Zealand and Dexom has contributed to a $13m extension to the artificial pancreas developer’s series B round, which also includes Novo Nordisk.
Medbanks checks in series D funding
Tencent and CLP Fund helped provide $58.8m of funding for the cancer data platform developer, whose early investors include Ping An.
Biond Biologics forms corporate bonds to raise $17m
Celgene has taken part in a Harel Insurance Finance-led series B round that will fund the progress of Biond’s lead immuno-oncology drug into clinical trials.
Tyto Care collects $9m series C extension
Investors including Sanford Health and Itochu have added $9m to a series C round for the medical examination technology developer that now stands at $33.5m.
Bolder Surgical performs $27m funding operation
Formerly known as JustRight, Bolder has raised fresh funding in a Providence Ventures-backed round and rebranded to expand beyond paediatric equipment.
Vast Therapeutics inhales $15m
The respiratory disease drug developer has collected series A funding from investors including Shionogi to fund clinical trials of its lead drug candidate .
Media
Niantic wins funding game with $245m
Google’s augmented reality game spinoff has secured $245m in a Samsung and Axiomatic-backed series C round at a $4bn post-money valuation.
Consumer
Bukalapak buckles up to raise $50m
Mirae Asset-Naver Asia Growth Fund has contributed $50m to the latest round for e-commerce platform Bukalapak, whose shareholders include Aucfan, Emtek and Gree.
WeWork turns gold to Laird in $32m round
The workspace operator invested in a round that will support superfood supplier Laird’s product development and acquisitions.
B2Link connects to corporates to secure $15m
Cosmetics e-commerce platform and services provider B2Link has reeled in $15m in a round backed by Posco Capital and Kolmar Korea.
FirstCry looks to grow up with $400m
SoftBank is exploring a $400m direct investment in Brainbees Solutions, the owner of childcare product retailer FirstCry, to take a 42% stake in the business.
Financial
ANZ has joined Macquarie Bank, Bailador and Pepper Group as an shareholder in the online mortgage broker, following a $28.7m investment.
American Express swipes Pocket Concierge
Adways, Allied Architects, Isetan Mitsukoshi, Line and Fuji TV scored exits after Pocket Menu, the owner of restaurant reservation app Pocket Concierge, was acquired by American Express.
Singapore Life swings $33m in funding
Aberdeen Standard Investments has supplied $13m for the digital insurance provider, adding to the $20m Aflac provided earlier this month.
The Paypal and GV-backed online lending platform will spin out its credit card business following its latest funding round.
Energy and Natural Resources
Evergy revamps branding for investment affiliate
Evergy has rebranded corporate venturing affiliate from GXPI to Evergy Ventures following a 2018 between component utilities Great Plains and Westar Energy.
The EV charging management software provider has secured funding in a round co-led by Centrica that also featured CEZ’s Inven Capital.
Transport
The scooter and bicycle rental service, which counts Uber and Alphabet as backers, is reportedly set to raise funding at a $2bn valuation.
Ola bonds with Bansal to get $21m
Flipkart founder Sachin Bansal has invested $21m in the on-demand ride service, which already counts Tencent, SoftBank and Didi Chuxing as backers.
Go-Jek mints Coins.ph investment
Go-Jek has invested an undisclosed amount in Naspers-backed fintech developer Coins.ph, reportedly acquiring a majority stake in the process.
Services
Dada dedicates itself to $255m series D
TAL Education has returned to invest in a $255m series D round for Dada, the online tutoring platform formerly known as DadaABC.
CommonGrounds works up $100m series A
Seed investor Pacifica returned to back the workspace provider in a series A round that will fund its expansion to approximately 50 locations in the next two years.
Outdoorsy gets $50m series C on the road
Aviva returned to back a $50m series C round for Outdoorsy, having previously contributed to the RV rental platform’s $25m series B less than a year ago.
SoftBank parks funding in SoCar
The car sharing platform developer raised $44.5m in a round backed by SoftBank Ventures Asia that increased its funding to almost $180m altogether.
Katerra begins constructing $700m round
The building services provider is lining up a $700m round that looks set to be led by SoftBank Vision Fund, valuing it at more than $4bn.
Prologis invested in logistics and delivery service Shanghai Yimi Dida in a series D round that will go to R&D and the expansion of its transport options.
Emeritus retains Bertelsmann in $40m series C
The online education provider will add blockchain and cybersecurity courses to its roster following the Bertelsmann India Investments-backed round.
Homeking reigns in series C round
The household services marketplace has secured $44.3m in a Haier Capital-led round that included IDG Capital and Puhua Capital.
Managed by Q maxes series C funding to $55m
DivCo West and Oxford Properties joined existing investors GV and RRE Ventures to add $25m to the office services provider’s series C round.