Tara AI, the US-based creator of an artificial intelligence-equipped product management platform, raised $10m on Tuesday in a series A round that included Slack Fund, communication platform developer Slack’s corporate venturing vehicle. Venture capital firm Aspect Ventures led the round, which also featured Y Combinator and Moment Ventures. The latter two had joined GSV, Lattice VC and Jaan Tallinn, co-founder of video messaging platform Skype, to provide $3m of seed capital for the company in January 2018.
Women’s healthcare product supplier CooperSurgical has led a $10m series A round for DotLab, the US-based developer of a test for endometriosis, a condition that causes severe pain in the uterus, Fortune has reported. The round included hedge fund managers Tiger Global Management and Luxor Capital Group as well as, according to TechCrunch, law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
Credit assessment service Experian disclosed today that it is contributing an undisclosed sum to Singapore-based ride hailing service Grab’s ongoing series H round. Grab has targeted a $6.5bn close for the round and had raised a total of $4.8bn as of last week, from investors including telecommunications group SoftBank’s Vision Fund, insurer Ping An’s Ping An Capital unit, travel booking service Booking Holdings, carmakers Hyundai and Kia Motors, retail centre owner Central Group, motor vehicle producer Yamaha, software provider Microsoft and leasing firm Tokyo Century.
Lemon Healthcare, the South Korea-based developer of a patient engagement platform, has secured ₩10bn ($8.6m) in series B funding from investors including insurers KB Nongshim and Nonghyup Life, and Mirae Asset-Naver Asia Growth Fund, the vehicle formed by internet company Naver and financial services firm Mirae Asset Daewoo, Platum reported on Monday. Financial services firm Shinhan Bank took part in the round through its Shinhan Investment and Shinhan Capital Finance units, while Korea Development Bank subsidiary KDB Industrial Bank also invested.
Telecommunications firm SK Telecom has provided ₩10bn ($8.6m) of funding for US-based blockchain software producer Consensys, Chosun reported on Tuesday. Consensys had not disclosed any earlier equity financing since being founded in 2014, but it has invested in startups out of its own corporate venturing unit, Consensys Ventures, since 2017.
Ritase, an Indonesia-based logistics services provider backed by diversified trading group Mitsubishi Corporation, has raised $8.5m in a series A round led by Golden Gate Ventures that also featured Jafco Asia, ZWC Ventures, Insignia Ventures, Beenext and Skystar Capital, DealStreetAsia reported yesterday. The company had reportedly already raised $4.4m from Mitsubishi, Insignia Ventures, Beenext, Skystar, Agung Venture Capital and various angel investors across seed and pre-series A rounds.
Freight Tiger, an India-based provider of logistics services for businesses, has received $8m in funding from investors including Alsthom Industries, a subsidiary of diversified conglomerate Dalmia Group, YourStory reported on Tuesday. Lightspeed Venture Partners led the round, which also featured Pawan Munjal Family Trust, and which followed an undisclosed amount from commercial vehicle finance provider Shriram Transport Finance Corporation and angel investor Mathew Cyriac.
Japan-based kitchen robotics technology developer Connected Robotics closed an ¥850m ($7.9m) series A round on Wednesday featuring property developer Mitsui Fudosan and Sony Innovation Fund, consumer electronics producer Sony’s corporate VC unit. Global Brain led the round, which included 500 Startups Japan and University of Tokyo Innovation Platform. The company’s earlier investors include DNX Ventures.
France-based online recruitment service CleverConnect has completed a €5.5m ($6.3m) funding round led by Sofiouest, media company Sipa Ouest France’s corporate venturing subsidiary, EU-Startups has reported. The company operates three separate online platforms and works with businesses to source employees. Founded in 2010, it has so far been self-funded and will put the latest financing toward marketing and research and development.
TableCheck, the Japan-based operator of cloud-based restaurant management software platform TableSolution, received ¥600m ($5.6m) in funding on Tuesday from SMBC Venture Capital, financial services firm Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s VC subsidiary, and VC firm DNX Ventures. It has now raised a total of approximately $9.9m, its past funding coming from SMBC Venture Capital, Jafco and angel investors Nobuyuki Idei and Shintaro Yamada.
Financial services firm Nordea has invested €5m ($5.6m) in PFC, the Sweden-based digital banking platform developer also known as Personal Finance Company, TechCrunch reported yesterday. Formerly known as Betalo, PFC received $1.6m from investors including NFT Ventures in 2015, before the VC firm added $1.2m the following year. PFC subsequently raised $5.4m in a November 2017 round that was led by Nordea and backed by existing investors including NFT, financial services provider Svea Ekonomi and angel investor Mattias Weinhandl.
Tattoodo, the Denmark-based operator of an online community for tattoo enthusiasts, has secured $5.3m from Seed Capital and angel investors including footballer Daniel Agger and actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Tech.eu reported yesterday. The company had previously received $18.9m across multiple rounds, including a $4.9m round featuring VC firm Nordic Eye in late 2017, an $8.5m round that took place at the start of that year, and a reported $450,000 investment by T-shirt retailer Threadless in 2013.
Japan-based construction services marketplace Sukedachi added ¥500m ($4.6m) from Sparx Group Mirai Creation Fund, an investment vehicle backed by carmaker Toyota, to a round that now totals approximately $6.5m, on Tuesday. The first tranche was provided by leasing services firm JA Mitsui Leasing and power tools producer Koki Holdings in April this year. It had secured $5m from corporates Nippon Broadcasting System, Persol and Itochu as well as Genesia Ventures, Klab Venture Partners, Legend Partners and various angel investors in April 2018.
France-based investment strategy provider Active Asset Allocation has completed a funding round in which it raised almost €4m ($4.6m) from investors including Maif Avenir and InnovAllianz, corporate venturing vehicles for insurers Maif and Allianz France respectively. Région Sud Investissement, the regional investment fund managed by private equity firm Turenne Capital, also took part in the round, and both Maif and Allianz France are also among Active Asset Allocation’s customers.
Japan-based warehousing services provider Suoco received ¥400m ($3.7m) in funding yesterday from investors including Monoful, a subsidiary of logistics firm Global Logistics Properties, and Asahi Medialab Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of media company Asahi Shimbun. The round was also backed by SBI Investment, FFG Venture Business Partners and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, subsidiaries of financial services firms SBI, Bank of Fukuoka and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group.
Safe App, the US-based creator of an app that allows users to publicly post their STD test results, has secured $3.5m in funding from investors including medical researcher and treatment provider Mayo Clinic, Grit Daily has reported. Flight Ventures, Caivis Investments, Startup Health Ventures and angel investor Harry Schwefel also participated in the round, raised in advance of the debuting of the Hub app at Pride weekend last week.
Japan-based recruitment services provider Scouter rebranded to Roxx on Monday, also announcing it has raised ¥370m ($3.4m) in a round that was led by a ¥300m investment from recruitment firm Persol through its Persol Career unit. The round also featured SMBC Venture Capital, which had participated in Scouter’s $1.3m series A round in May 2017 alongside Anri and Skyland Ventures. The company has now received approximately $6.5m in total, it said.
Aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin provided an undisclosed amount of series B funding for 3D Glass Solutions, a developer of glass radio-frequency devices, on Monday. It made the investment through its corporate venturing arm, Lockheed Martin Ventures, but 3D Glass has not revealed details of its previous financing or how much it is targeting in the series B round.
Talent and Assessment, the Japan-based creator of an artificial intelligence-equipped interview tool, received approximately ¥335m ($3.1m) in equity and debt financing on Monday in a round co-led by Nissay Capital, the VC arm of insurer Nippon Life, and VC firm Nippon Venture Capital. The round consisted of $2.5m in equity funding from investors also including Persol unit Persol Innovation, SMBC Capital, Mizuho Capital and Sansei Capital, which invest on behalf of Mizuho Financial Group and Sansei Bank respectively, and Okasan Capital Partners, and $560,000 of debt from financial services firm Mitsubishi UFJ Bank.
On-demand ride provider Ola has invested an undisclosed sum in India-based consumer lender Avail Finance in connection with a strategic partnership agreement, Inc42 has reported. Avail had raised $200,000 from Bhavish Aggarwal in February 2017 before adding $17.2m in a March 2018 series A round led by Matrix Partners India and backed by angel investors including Aggarwal and fellow Ola co-founder Ankit Bhati. Matrix Partners India had invested another $9m in the company last month.
Woov, the Netherlands-based operator of a mobile app that assists both visitors to, and organisers of, festivals and music clubs, has completed a €2m ($2.3m) funding round that included M-Venture, alcoholic beverage producer Mast-Jägermeister’s investment and innovation vehicle, Silicon Canals reported on Tuesday. Wesley ter Haar, founder and chief operating officer of advertising content producer MediaMonks, also participated.
Property developer Mitsubishi Estate and smart housing provider Gooddays Holdings supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for Japan-based workspace provider Slogan on Tuesday. The cash was invested through a business and capital alliance that will incorporate collaboration on strategic planning and sales.
Brazil-based data integration software provider Dom Rock has raised R$6.5m ($1.7m) in funding from investors including EDP Ventures Brasil, a corporate venturing subsidiary of energy utility EDP, founder André Almeida has told Exame. Inseed Investimentos also participated in the round, which will support Dom Rock’s expansion into markets outside of its home country.
Capital Medica Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of hospital manager Capital Medica, today invested an undisclosed amount in OneLife, the Japan-based developer of an eSports offering targeted toward players with disabilities. OneLife has scheduled the finals of its first tournament for August 31 this year, and has set a top prize of ¥1m ($92,000).
Japan-based food imaging technology developer Life Log Technology secured ¥170m ($1.6m) on Tuesday, from investors including IT services firm TIS, drug development services supplier Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories and mental health and disability support services provider Advantage Risk Management. The round also featured DG Daiwa Ventures, a joint venture between internet company Digital Garage and investment bank Daiwa Securities.
Kredivo, the Indonesia-based digital payment technology developer formed by online lending platform FinAccel, has received an undisclosed amount from Telkomsel Mitra Inovasi (TMI) and MDI Ventures, respective investment vehicles for telecoms firms Telkomsel and Telkom Indonesia, DealStreetAsia reported yesterday. The company had raised $30m in series B funding from MDI Ventures and GMO Venture Partners, a subsidiary of internet company GMO, as well as Square Peg Capital, Atami Capital, Jungle Ventures, Openspace Ventures, Alpha JWC Ventures and 500 Startups in July 2018.
Real estate brokerage Apac Realty has participated in a S$2m ($1.5m) seed round for Singapore-based estate agent referral service UrbanAgents, e27 reported yesterday. VC firm FarSight Capital also contributed to the round, alongside undisclosed angel investors, and the capital will support the upgrading of UrbanAgents’ AI technology with regard to assessing the size of commissions.
Manufacturing group Mann+Hummel paid an undisclosed sum on Monday for a minority stake in Seccua, a Germany-based provider of water filtration technology that removes pathogens from drinking water. Seccua intends to leverage Mann+Hummel’s resources to expand throughout Europe and the US.
Carly, the Australia-headquartered operator of a subscription-based car rental service, has received A$1m ($700,000) from automotive insurance and financial services provider Turners Automotive Group, TechAU reported on Tuesday. The funding came four months after Carly launched, after being spun off by vehicle rental services firm Collaborate, also the operator of peer-to-peer car rental platform DriveMyCar.
Exest, the Japan-based owner of tour guide matchmaking platform Wow U, raised an undisclosed amount from investors including media companies Chukyo Television Broadcasting, Fukuoka Broadcasting and TV Niigata Broadcasting Network, recruitment firm Concord Executive Group, Mizuho Capital, Hiroshima Venture Capital and Daishi Management Consulting on Monday. It had received $460,000 from Mizuho Capital, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, SMBC Venture Capital, broadcaster Shinhiroshima Telecasting and Concord CEO Hidekazu Watanabe in March 2018.
Langualess, the Japan-based creator of a device that uses colour to illustrate dogs’ moods, secured an undisclosed amount on Tuesday from investors including Real Tech Fund, the vehicle formed by biofuel supplier Euglena, VC firm Leave a Nest and investment firm SMBC Nikko. The round also featured VC firm Mistletoe, and Real Tech Fund will provide assistance with sales and marketing.
Cere Network, a US-based developer of blockchain-equipped customer relationship management software, has landed an amount indicated by a regulatory filing to be $300,000, from investors including Binance Labs and Neo Global Capital, investment vehicles for cryptocurrency exchange Binance and decentralised app platform developer Neo. The round was also backed by Arrington XRP Capital and, according to the filing, seven other investors.
Re:Build, the Japan-based operator of an online recruitment portal for engineers called Tadoru, received ¥30m ($280,000) in seed capital today from investors including BOR Venture Fund, the VC vehicle for financial services firm Bank of the Ryukus’ Ryugin Research Institute. The bank’s investment was made in connection with Re:Build’s participation in Okinawa Startup Program, an incubator sponsored by Bank of Ryukyus and media company Okinawa Times.
