Capillary Technologies, an India-based consumer analytics provider that counts payment services firm American Express and mobile semiconductor maker Qualcomm as investors, has raised $20m in new funding, LiveMint reported yesterday.
The funding was provided by private equity firm Warburg Pincus, venture capital firm Sequoia Capital and undisclosed existing investors.
Capillary has developed a customer relationship management platform that brands can use to track and analyse each customer, and communicate with them through automated marketing campaigns across mobile platforms.
The majority of the funding will go to ongoing research and development for the company’s artificial intelligence technology. It intends to expand into supplying AI offerings that can be used by brick-and-mortar retailers that focus on footfall and conversion rather than detailed analytics.
Capillary CEO Aneesh Reddy said: “We are also looking to further strengthen our presence in China and the Middle East, besides penetrating further into Southeast Asia.
“We will soon be opening our second office in China at Guangzhou and then another at Beijing later this year. Going beyond retail, we are expanding into adjacent industry, consumer goods (FMCG), which has a close affinity to retail.”
The round increased Capillary’s overall funding to approximately $99m. Qualcomm’s corporate VC unit, Qualcomm Ventures, invested an undisclosed amount at seed stage before returning for a $15.5m series A round in 2012 alongside Sequoia and Norwest Venture Partners.
American Express supplied $4m for the company in early 2014 through its strategic investment arm, American Express Ventures. Capillary subsequently added $14m from backers including Sequoia and Norwest later in the year.
The company’s last funding came in a $45m series C round featuring Norwest, Sequoia and Warburg Pincus the following year.