Innovative region: Germany
Author: Alice Tchernookova
IPO of the Year: DocuSign
A leading company in the e-signature and digital transaction management space, San Francisco-based DocuSign went public in April last year, with a market capitalization of $4.4bn.
M&A of the Year: Prexton Therapeutics
Having emerged from the Merck Serono Entrepreneur Partnership Program (EPP) in 2015, Prexton Therapeutics raised a total $41m of funding before it was acquired by pharmaceutical firm Lundbeck for an estimated $1.1bn last year.
Sub-$50m Investment of the Year: Maana
Maana recently won GCV’s inaugural award for energy-tech corporate venture capital (CVC) investment of the year, presented during its Venture Houston conference in November. Now, Maana has gone one-stage further and won the Sub-$50m Investment of the Year award across all industries.
New Entrant of the Year: Severstal Ventures
In May last year, Severstal announced the launch of Severstal Ventures – a corporate venture fund that would invest directly as well as through other funds in advanced materials and associated technologies, in Russia and abroad.
Fund of the Year: Swisscom Digital Transformation Fund
Launched in July last year, Swisscom Digital Transformation Fund is Swisscom Ventures’ first investment vehicle that is open to third-party institutional investors.
Unit of the Year: Salesforce Ventures
Among the many news released by Salesforce Ventures last year, the unit announced in early December two new $100m funds in Canada and Japan, both aiming to boost startup innovation that is part of the global Salesforce ecosystem.
Large Investment of the Year: Lyft
Having significantly increased its market share in the US in recent years, on-demand transportation company Lyft recently appointed JP Morgan to lead its planned initial public offering (IPO) with an estimated valuation of $15.1bn.
Mid-sized Investment of the Year: Katerra
Currently valued at over $3bn, Katerra, which aims to revolutionise the construction sector with its technology, is said to be the most well-funded construction tech startup.
How China modernised its economy at speed
Innovative region: China
Corporates in Finland remain cool on venturing
University and government venturing successes fail to attract significant corporate interest
Challenging the dominance of South Korea’s chaebols
Surrounded by the Yellow Sea to the west, the East China Sea to the south, and the Sea of Japan to the east, South Korea forms the southern part of the Korean peninsula, just south of its controversial North Korean neighbour after the nation’s sundering in the 1950s Korean War. With a land area of… Continue reading Challenging the dominance of South Korea’s chaebols
The shoulders of giants: going beyond capital
What went on at the eighth GCV Symposium in London last month
GCV Symposium Day Two: The morning session
The morning of the second day covered university venturing, intellectual property in healthcare, and the potential in Africa and India.