Guru, a US-based developer of automated coaching software for sales teams, has raised $9.3m in a series A round led by venture capital firm Emergence Capital that included FirstMark Capital and MSD Capital, the former having invested $1m in Guru in June 2016. Enterprise software producer Salesforce invested in Guru as part of a $2.7m seed round in 2013 that was led by FirstMark Capital and backed by MSD Capital and undisclosed angel investors
Japan-based tourism services provider WAmazing has received $9.2m in equity and debt financing, The Bridge has reported. The equity came from e-commerce firm Beenos as well as SBI Investment, Mizuho Capital, Sony Innovation Fund and Opt Ventures – subsidiaries of banks SBI and Mizuho Bank, electronics producer Sony and digital marketing agency Opt – Shizuoka Capital, and angel investors Naoki Aoyagi and Nobuhiro Ariyasu, while Japan Finance Corporation, Mizuho Bank and Shizuoka Bank supplied the debt.
US-based genetic sequencing technology startup Paragon Genomics completed an $8m series A round on Tuesday co-led by Fosun Industrial, a subsidiary of conglomerate Fosun, and VC firm Cowin Venture Capital. The round also featured VC firm Heda Ventures, early-stage investment firm Wisemont Capital and Cloudstone Venture, and will be used to develop additional sequencing products.
Fosun RZ Capital, the corporate venturing vehicle for Fosun, has led a RMB50m ($7.7m) series A round for China-based indoor positioning technology provider Shuwei, China Money Network has reported. Big data technology producer Jiguang also took part in the round, and Shuwei plans to use the proceeds to expand its presence to 200 Chinese cities by the end of 2017.
Airbus Ventures, the corporate venturing unit for aerospace company Airbus, led a $7.3m round for Infostellar, the Japan-based developer of a cloud-based satellite antenna sharing platform, on Wednesday. Sony Innovation Fund, the strategic investment subsidiary of electronics manufacturer Sony, also participated in the round alongside Weru Investment, D4V, FreakOut Holdings and 500 Startups Japan, the latter two having contributed to the startup’s $550,000 seed round in October 2016.
US-based wireless sensor technology startup Cognosos closed a $7.1m series A round led by diversified conglomerate Cox Enterprises on Wednesday. Hedge fund manager Covalent Partners and Pete Kight, founder of financial electronics producer CheckFree, also took part in the round.
Santander InnoVentures, the strategic investment vehicle for financial services firm Santander, co-led a $6m round for US-based smartphone financing service Payjoy on Monday with trading group Itochu that included unnamed strategic partners from Brazil, Nigeria, Mexico, China, Vietnam and Europe. Payjoy has now raised $30m in total, it said, its past investors including telecom firm Orange, Draper Nexus Ventures, Fenway Summer Ventures, Union Square Ventures and Core Innovation Capital.
DivvyCloud, a US-based cloud management software developer backed by media company Discovery Communications, has secured $6m in a funding round led by venture capital firm RTP Ventures. Discovery contributed to the $3m the company had previously raised, investing an undisclosed sum in November 2016, and its other investors include CIT Gap Funds.
CashShield, the Singapore-based developer of an online fraud management platform, completed a $5.5m round yesterday led by VC firm GGV Capital that included gaming equipment producer Razer, Heliconia Capital Management, Stream Global and angel investor Tony Fadell. The funding was closed as CashShield, which had been bootstrapped since 2008, opened its first US office, in Menlo Pakr, California.
US-based financial data management and analytics platform developer DV01 raised $5.5m on Wednesday in a round featuring online lender CreditEase’s Fintech Investment Fund. The round included OCA Ventures, Ribbit Capital, Illuminate Financial Management, Leucadia National Corporation and Pivot Investment Partners, the latter two having joined Quantum Strategic Partners to provide $7.5m in seed capital for DV01 in June 2016, three months after Soros Fund Management and Jefferies Group had invested $5m in the startup.
CreditEase Fintech Investment Fund also took part in a $5.25m series A round for Lenda, the US-based operator of an online platform that enables homeowners to refinance or secure mortgages, on Monday. The round, which was led by SF Capital Group with participation from Rubicon Venture Capital, increased Lenda’s total funding to approximately $8.3m, its earlier capital coming from Lakestar, Rubicon and 500 Startups across a $1m seed round in 2014 and a $2m follow-on round late the following year.
Singapore-based online payment technology provider Red Dot Payment closed a $5.2m series B round on Monday that included GMO Venture Partners and MDI Ventures, subsidiaries of internet company GMO and telecom company Telkom Indonesia, as well as Wavemaker Partners, private investor Toivo Annus and Dorr Group. Red Dot had previously raised at least $2m from MDI Ventures, GMO Venture Partners, Wavemaker Partners and Annus across rounds in 2014 and 2016.
US-based oncology drug developer Cancer Prevention Pharmaceuticals (CPP) received $5m in convertible note financing from biopharmaceutical company Sucampo Pharmaceuticals on Monday as well as $4.5m in option fees, both conditions of a commercialisation agreement the companies formed in January 2016. CPP had previously raised $4.3m in equity and $8.3m in debt financing since 2009, according to regulatory filings.
Packaged food delivery group Schwan’s Company invested $5m in US-based baby food delivery service Raised Real on Tuesday. The funds will support hiring and geographic expansion as Raised Real seeks to grow its distribution capabilities from five states in the western US to the entire country by the end of 2017.
Credly, the US-based creator of a digital credentialing platform, received $4.6m in financing from apparel identity and badging product maker Lion Brothers, New Markets Venture Partners, University Ventures, Lumina Foundation and City & Guilds Group on Wednesday. The same investors had previously supplied $2.5m of seed capital to the company in March 2016.
Cardiac Insight, a US-based medical device and diagnostic software developer backed by medical device producer Welch Allyn, has raised $4.5m in series C-1 capital to take its series C funding to $10m. Welch Allyn led the company’s $7m series B round in 2014, investing alongside WRF Capital, and it has now secured a total of approximately $19m altogether.
UK-based last-mile delivery and tracking service Localz has closed a “multi-million pound” (£1m – $1.3m) series A round, securing funds from logistics firm GeoPost and VC firm Notion Capital, Tech.EU reported on Wednesday. Localz plans to use the funding to double the size of its business in the next year, as it prepares to expand into the US.
Patatam, the France-based operator of an e-commerce platform for second-hand children’s clothing, has secured €3m ($3.6m) in funding from property-focused conglomerate Groupe Duval, West Web Valley, Swen Capital Partners, Aquiti Gestion, PG Développement, Kernel Investissements, Herrikoa, Adour Business Angels and various angel investors. The company had raised €150,000 in 2013 before adding €700,000 from Aquitaine Création Investissement, PG Développement, Herrikoa, Adour and assorted angel investors two years later.
Liveoak Technologies, a US-based developer of customer on-boarding software for financial services firms, received $2.5m on Wednesday from investors including insurance firms Manulife, Northwestern Mutual and Prudential, the latter two participating through subsidiaries Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures and Gibraltar Ventures. The round also featured Techstars Venture Capital Fund, Math Venture Partners, Zelkova Ventures and angel investor Glenn Shimkus, and increased Liveoak’s overall funding to $5.3m, it said.
Money transfer and currency exchange services provider UAE Exchange Group has invested an undisclosed sum in US-based mobile gifting startup Swych as part of a series A round indicated by a regulatory filing to be $2.3m in size, which closed yesterday. Swych had previously received $565,000, according to security filings, from angel investors spanning the banking, financial services, payments, gifting, telecommunications and enterprise computing sectors.
Netherlands-based RNA medicine producer ProQR Therapeutics spun out a company called Amylon Therapeutics on Tuesday with seed funding from undisclosed institutional and private investors. Amylon will develop drugs to treat central nervous system disorders, and will concentrate on beta amyloid-related disorders such as cerebral amyloid angiopathy, which is a leading cause of strokes in the elderly.
Food and beverage producer Strauss Health has led a $2m series A round for Yofix, the Israel-based developer of a plant-based yoghurt, AgFunder News has reported. Yofix produces a yoghurt made from seeds and lentils, and will put the cash toward building a manufacturing plant and expanding its distribution capabilities within its home country.
Germany-based intensive care device developer Reactive Robotics has raised an undisclosed seven-figure euro amount (€1m = $1.2m) from investors including electronics engineering and manufacturing firm TQ Group. The round was led by Dr Doll Holding and included MTIP MedTech Innovation Partners, High-Tech Gründerfonds and Bayern Kapital, Bayern having joined TQ for another seven-digit round for Reactive in June 2016.
Commercial vehicle finance provider Shriram Transport Finance Company has paid Rs 70m ($1.1m) for a 17% stake in Freight Tiger, the India-based developer of an app that helps truck drivers and logistics companies optimise deliveries, VCCircle reported on Wednesday, citing a stock exchange filing. Freight Tiger has not disclosed any earlier funding.
IT services provider UST Global has invested an undisclosed sum in Singapore-based digital health platform developer MyDoc, the Economic Times reported on Wednesday. MyDoc launched in 2014 with an undisclosed amount of funding in a round co-led by VC firm August Capital Partners and Spring Seeds Capital, the VC arm of government initiative Spring Singapore.