Meural, the US-based creator of a gesture-controlled digital art frame, completed a $5m series A round on Tuesday led by venture capital firm Corigin Ventures that included networking hardware producer Netgear, Resolute Venture Partners and angel investors including Elio Leoni Sceti and Eric Ries. The round brought Meural’s total funding to $9m, $3m of which came in a seed round led by Corigin Ventures in April 2016.
Music publisher Round Hill Music has invested an undisclosed amount in Zync Music, a US-based licensing and publishing company that focuses on placing music in other media such as games and television. The funding was provided as part of a joint publishing business that will expand Zync’s rights representation activities, and cash will also support the signing of publishing deals with new artists.
Zolar, a Germany-based startup that allows users to source solar energy through plans they can customise online, closed a €4m ($4.7m) series A round co-led by Statkraft Ventures, the corporate VC subsidiary of energy utility Statkraft, and VC firm Sunstone Capital yesterday. VC firm Partech Ventures and angel investor Tim Schumacher also participated in the round, which will fund the expansion and roll-out of the company’s commercial portfolio.
Catalia Health, a US-based patient engagement system developer backed by internet company DeNA and semiconductor provider Macnica, completed a $4m pre-series A round led by merchant bank Ion Pacific on Wednesday. The startup has now raised $7.75m in total, including $2.5m from DeNA, Macnica subsidiary Macnica Ventures, NewGen Capital, Q Venture Partners, InnoLinks Ventures, Abstract by Flight.VC, Lucky Capital and Khosla Ventures in May this year.
NeoPhore, a UK-based oncology-focused spinout of phenotypic screening technology provider PhoreMost, raised £3m ($4m) on Wednesday from Sixth Element Capital, which manages investments for the Oxford University’s CRT Pioneer Fund. The startup is working on small-molecule drugs that will treat cancer by stimulating a patient’s immune system, and the cash will fund research and development.
US-based satellite services marketplace Loft Orbital has secured $3.2m in a seed round featuring MDI Ventures, the corporate venture capital vehicle for telecommunications company Telkom Indonesia, Axios reported on Monday. Uncork Capital led the round, which included research institute Remote Sensing Tech Center of Japan, VC firm V1 VC and private equity firm Mercuria Investment Japan.
ScoreStream, the US-based creator of a crowdsourced platform for local sports, has received an undisclosed amount from investors including media company Sinclair Broadcasting, marketing firm R/GA, Intel Capital, the corporate venturing arm of semiconductor technology provider Intel, and Verizon Ventures, which fulfils the same function for telecoms firm Verizon. The round also featured VC firm Avalon Ventures, and followed $4.55m in financing from investors including Sinclair, Avalon and New Enterprise Associates.
Modulated Imaging, a US-headquartered developer of light-based imaging technology, completed a $2.9m series A round yesterday that included Photonics Management Corporation, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and Fresenius Medical Care Ventures, respective subsidiaries of light technology developer Hamamatsu Photonics, financial services group Mitsubishi UFJ and dialysis machine producer Fresenius Medical Care. The round was led by Grey Sky Venture Partners and followed $500,000 in seed capital from Photonics Management Corporation and Cove Fund in July 2016.
MassMutual Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of insurance group Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance, led a $2.5m round yesterday for Gainfully, a US-based developer of software that connects insurance and financial services providers. The startup, which raised $150,000 from unnamed investors in March 2017 according to a regulatory filing, will put the funding into expanding its business development and customer success teams
Eventtus, a United Arab Emirates-based events management platform backed by mobile network Vodafone, has raised $2m from Algebra Ventures and 500 Startups, Entrepreneur Middle East reported yesterday. Vodafone’s corporate VC unit, Vodafone Ventures, combined with Cairo Angels to invest $175,000 in Eventtus in 2013, before Raed Ventures, the VC firm formed by diversified holding group Almajdouie Holding, and Middle East Venture Partners added $450,000 in 2016, according to Entrepreneur Middle East.
Australia-based car sharing platform Car Next Door has secured A$2.3m ($1.8m) from investors including Caltex, a subsidiary of petroleum producer Chevron, and accelerator Investible as part of a series B round expected to close at between A$4m and A$5m, Australian Financial Review has reported. Caltex had already paid almost $1.8m for a 20% stake in the company in March 2016, five months after Investible led a $960,000 seed round that included a range of angel investors.
NTT Docomo Ventures, the corporate VC vehicle for mobile network NTT Docomo, provided an undisclosed amount of funding for US-based endpoint security technology developer CounterTack yesterday. CounterTack had raised $20m in its series D round as of May this year, and $84m in total, and its investors include corporates Singapore Telecommunications, SAP National Security Services, Siemens, ManTech, Mitsui, OnPoint Technologies and Alcatel-Lucent.
Hmlet, a Singapore-based provider of short-term shared living spaces, has received $1.5m in a seed round led by Aurum Investments, the corporate venturing vehicle for construction and civil engineering firm Woh Hup, Tech in Asia reported on Tuesday. The round also featured co-working space provider Collision8, which is also a subsidiary of Woh Hup, and Hmlet intends to close its next round in 12 to 18 months time.
Intel Capital has made a strategic investment in Iotas, the US-based creator of a smart home platform for the rental market, increasing its total funding from $5.3m as of May 2017 to $6.5m, the company said on Wednesday. The earlier funding came from National Science Foundation, Creative Ventures, Oregon Best, Portland Seed Fund, Oregon Angel Fund and Rogue Venture Partners.
Canopy, a UK-based rental credentials platform developer backed by insurance firm Direct Line, raised an undisclosed sum from property investment and management firm Round Hill Capital on Monday. The investment comes after Canopy closed a $2.1m round last month that included approximately $1.7m from Direct Line.
Singapore-based online business payment platform iPaymy, has completed a $1m round co-led by DG Incubation, a subsidiary of internet company Digital Garage, and VC firm Beenext, DealStreetAsia reported on Monday. The startup, which has created a platform that small businesses can use to pay employees, taxes and bills using a credit card, had previously received $500,000 from angel investors.
Reinventure, the strategic VC firm sponsored by financial services firm Westpac, has provided an undisclosed amount of funding for Australia-based online property investment platform BrickX as part of an ongoing series A round, Startup Daily reported on Wednesday. BrickX had previously raised A$3.5m ($2.7m at current rates) in funding from alternative asset manager BridgeLane Capital.
Democrance, a United Arab Emirates-based provider of insurance to low-income populations, has received $800,000 in its first external funding round, which included internet company Jabbar Internet Group, Entrepreneur Middle East has reported. The round also featured financial consultancy F-Horizon Group, Eos Venture Partners, Turn8, Seedstars and undisclosed angel investors from Europe, South Asia, the US, Middle East and North Africa.
Wonky Star, the UK-based educational tool developer backed by telecoms company Telefónica’s Wayra accelerator, has raised £600,000 ($790,000) in a round led by Newable Private Investing (NPI), BusinessCloud reported on Tuesday. The company graduated from Wayra in 2012 and closed approximately $670,000 in seed funding from NPI, then called London Business Angels, and angel investor Richard Taylor in 2014.
RGAx, the accelerator formed by reinsurance firm Reinsurance Group of America, has invested an undisclosed amount in Bitspark, a China-based provider of cryptocurrency brokerage services to money exchange operators, as part of a collaboration agreement. Bitspark was incubated in the Hong Kong government-backed Cyberport, which supplied it with an undisclosed amount of funding.
Tomaruba, the Japan-based operator of a holiday business focused on traditional houses, has secured an undisclosed amount of capital from crowdfunding platform Crowdworks, taking its overall funding to ¥83m ($730,000), The Bridge reported on Monday. Its earlier backers include B Dash Ventures, the VC fund that invests as a joint venture on behalf of several corporates, VC fund Anri and undisclosed angel investors.
Tr3Dent, the Ireland-based developer of a business ecosystem-modelling software platform, raised $350,000 yesterday from enterprise software provider Intermedia, state-owned startup fund Enterprise Ireland and XIventures Fund, part of recruitment, advisory and startup services firm XIboss. The cash will support marketing, business and product development, and the growth of the company’s channel partner network.