Automotive manufacturer Honda invested an undisclosed amount in Singapore-based ride hailing platform Grab on Monday as part of a strategic partnership agreement. Grab received an undisclosed amount of funding from financial services firm Tokyo Century earlier this month, after raising a total of more than $1.4bn from investors including telecommunications and internet group SoftBank, ride ordering service Didi Chuxing, online travel agency Qunar, China Investment Corporation, Coatue Management and Tiger Global Management.
Carmaker BMW made a strategic investment in US-based virtual reality training startup Strivr Labs on Wednesday through its iVentures subsidiary as part of a round reported by the Wall Street Journal as being $5m in size. The round was led by Signia Venture Partners and backed by Advancit Capital, and BMW intends to use Strivr’s technology to enhance employee training and the buying experience.
Professional services firm Deloitte has supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for Setl, a UK-based developer of blockchain technology to be used in payment settlement, CoinDesk has reported. The investment, reportedly the first that a professional services company has made in a blockchain startup, has increased Setl’s total funding to $39.5m, according to PitchBook, and comes after the companies collaborated with each other for around a year.
Ittavi, the US-based creator of an automated platform for child support payment, raised $4.1m on Tuesday in a series A round led by Fenway Summer Ventures that included Moneta Ventures and Continental Advisors. The round, which took the startup’s overall financing to $7m, follows earlier funding from enterprise software provider Salesforce.com, T5 Capital Partners, Draper Associates, TEC Ventures, Broadway Angels, Aspect Ventures and RPM Ventures.
Shell Technology Ventures, the early-stage investment arm of oil and gas company Shell, provided an undisclosed amount of money for Rocsole, a Finland-based developer of electrical and ultrasound tomographic technology, on Wednesday. Repsol Energy Ventures, a corporate venturing subsidiary of another oil and gas company, Repsol, had invested an undisclosed sum in Rocsole in January this year.
Israel-based construction data provider Dronomy has received an undisclosed amount of funding from 31Ventures Global Innovation Fund I, the corporate venturing partnership formed by real estate developer Mitsui Fudosan and investment firm Global Brain. Dronomy, which uses drones to monitor construction sites to capture information, had already raised $1.5m in seed capital from Battery Ventures, Lool Centures, Oryzn Capital and angel investors including Josh Silverman, Toivo Annus and Saul Klein in September 2015.
Leaf, the US-based developer of a smart appliance that enables users to grow cannabis, food or herbs in their homes, has secured $2m in seed capital from hydroponic nutrient supplier Advanced Nutrients, cannabis-focused venture capital funds CJV Capital and Phyto Partners, and unnamed angel investors. The ‘plug-and-plant’ device connects to a user’s smartphone and essentially automates the growing process by managing climate control, nutrient dosing and pH balancing.
Israel-based cybersecurity software startup Intezer has received $2m in a seed round co-led by Samsung Next, a subsidiary of electronics manufacturer Samsung, and angel investor Alon Cohen, NoCamels reported yesterday. The round, which included several other angel investors, will enable Intezer to double the size of its team in 2017.
PellePharm, a US-based biopharmaceutical startup developing treatments for basal cell carcinomas, has raised an undisclosed amount of financing from genetic disease therapy developer BridgeBio Pharma. Despite a statement describing the investment as connected to PellePharm’s launch, regulatory filings show the company had raised $12.1m in equity funding between June 2014 and August 2016.
VC firm Talis Capital invested an undisclosed amount yesterday in Luminana, a UK-based developer of artificial intelligence-equipped document analytics technology for the legal industry. Luminana was launched in September 2016 with an undisclosed amount of funding from law firm Slaughter & May and technology investment and advisory company Invoke Capital.
Genieworks, the South Korea-based operator of an app-based car cleaning and parking service, raised $1.7m from Samsung’s corporate venturing unit, Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, as well as private equity and VC firm Nau IB Capital, ET News reported on Tuesday. The startup, which was founded in June 2015, plans to also establish an automotive concierge service in partnership with certain large carmakers.
Critical Mass, a digital design agency that forms part of marketing and communications group Omnicom, invested an undisclosed amount in US-based mobile strategy, design and development agency Prolific Interactive on Wednesday. The companies also intend to collaborate, with each sharing their respective expertise through the partnership.
Nextlaw Labs, the venture development arm of law firm Dentons, has provided an undisclosed amount of funding for Beagle, a Canada-based developer of artificial intelligence technology for reviewing legal contracts. Beagle received a $25,000 gift from software provider Microsoft in 2015 due to it being one of the 14 startups selected for the second class of its Seattle Accelerator.
Anglers, the Japan-based developer of a social and information app for the angling community, has raised a six-figure dollar amount of bridge funding from mobile game developer Ignis, VC fund 500 Startups Japan and unnamed angel investors, The Bridge has reported. The capital follows an investment of undisclosed size by angel investor Nobuyoshi Yamagishi in December 2015.
Dating app developer Bumble invested an undisclosed sum in UK-based gay dating app Chappy on Wednesday that it described as “substantial”. Chappy’s service, which is slated to launch soon, is divided into segments for romantic dating and more immediate connections, and it plans to partner Bumble going forward.
Max Ventures and Industries, a subsidiary of conglomerate Max Group, has paid an undisclosed amount for a 2% stake in India-based online beauty and cosmetics product retailer Nykaa, Times of India has reported, citing a stock exchange filing. Nykaa had previously received $36.8m in funding from TVS Capital Funds and various angel investors across four rounds, and was valued at $116m when it raised $12.3m in funding in September this year.
India-based drone technology developer IdeaForge received an undisclosed amount of funding on Wednesday from IT services provider Infosys through its Innovation Fund. The company’s unmanned aerial vehicles are already being utilised by the Indian Armed Forces but are also available for commercial use in industries like energy, telecommunications and agriculture.