AAA Corporate venturing deal net: 17-21 April 2017

Corporate venturing deal net: 17-21 April 2017

Bloomberg Beta and BBG Ventures, respective subsidiaries of media group Bloomberg and online media company AOL, have contributed to a $7.5m series B round for US-based mobile communication technology developer GoTenna that was led by Union Square Ventures and backed by Walden Venture Capital, MentorTech Ventures and Collaborative Fund. GoTenna has now raised $17m in total, with Bloomberg Beta, BBG, Walden, MentorTech and Wareness.io having invested in its $7.5m series A round in March 2016.

Media group Axel Springer has invested an undisclosed amount in US-based on-demand ride service Uber, it has confirmed to technology news site t3n.de. Axel Springer did not disclose the size of the deal or when it was made, but the report indicated it was along similar lines to the “very minor” investment the corporate made in short-term accommodation marketplace Airbnb in 2012.

Qover, a Belgium-based creator of tools that help developers build digital insurance products, has secured €5.5m ($5.9m) in a series A round led by investment and advisory firm Anthemis, Tech.eu reported on Monday. The round came after Qover raised €1.5m from banking software producer Callatay & Wouters and angel investment fund Belcube in 2016, according to Tech.eu.

Switzerland-based fleet automation platform developer BestMile has added $2m from Airbus Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of aerospace company Airbus, Partech Ventures and Serena Capital to a seed round that now totals $5.5m. BestMile closed $2.5m of the round in July 2016, the capital being supplied by Perot Jain, Forticap and various angel investors, and the seed round will support the strengthening of its technology, sales and marketing as it looks to accelerate adoption of the software internationally.

Oil and gas company Shell has invested an undisclosed sum in Halfwave, a Norway-based inspection services provider for the oil and gas industry, through its corporate venturing unit, Shell Technology Ventures. The funding, provided alongside an investment by University of Texas Investment Management Company, follows an undisclosed amount of startup capital provided by Chevron Technology Ventures, a subsidiary of energy producer Chevron, and private equity firm Energy Ventures in 2012.

Farmnote Holdings, a Japan-based developer of internet-of-things technology for dairy and livestock farming, received ¥500m ($4.6m) in funding on Wednesday from diversified conglomerate Sumitomo, financial services firm Norinchukin Bank, Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations. The company has now raised ¥1.1bn in total, ¥210m of which came from trading firm Kanematsu’s Kanematsu Agritech subsidiary, mobile game publisher Gree and two angel investors in 2015.

Netherlands-based renewable energy optimisation software developer Enervalis has secured €4.2m ($4.5m) in funding from power and automation equipment manufacturer ABB, investment firm LRM and Nuhma, with each investor providing a third of the money. Enervalis will use the capital for product innovation and development as it seeks to expand globally.

KPN Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of telecommunications company KPN, has invested in Sensara, a Netherlands-based creator of monitoring technology for elderly citizens in care homes, as part of a €3.8m ($4.1m) round that included Van Herk Ventures. Sensara intends to put the funding toward product development and the growth of its sales and customer service teams as it looks to begin expanding internationally.

US-based educational resources provider Lumen Learning has raised $3.75m in a series A round backed by education content supplier Follett as part of a deal that will involve it offering Lumen’s services across more than 1,200 higher education institutions, Geekwire reported on Monday. Portland Seed Fund and Alliance of Angels also participated in the round, having previously contributed to Lumen’s $2.5m seed round, which was led by Oregon Angel Fund in 2015.

Fishbrain, the Sweden-based creator of a social network for anglers, has received $3.7m in funding from investors including Recruit Strategic Partners, the corporate venturing vehicle for human resources firm Recruit. The round brought Fishbrain’s overall funding to almost $15m and featured Northzone, Industrifonden, Active Venture Partners, all of which like Recruit invested in Fishbrain’s $8m series A round in 2015, as well as investment firm FJ Labs.

Intact Ventures, the strategic investment vehicle for insurance provider Intact Financial Corporation, led a round of undisclosed size for Canada-based home protection technology developer Alert Labs on Wednesday. The round also featured BDC Capital, Garage Capital, Hedgewood and various unnamed angel and private investors, and will be used to boost the startup’s marketing capabilities as it looks to scale operations.

Shine, a US-based startup that provides a text messaging service intended to promote well-being, has received $2.5m in seed capital from investors including Comcast Ventures, the corporate venturing subsidiary of mass media group Comcast, BBG Ventures and media group New York Times, VentureBeat reported on Tuesday. Betaworks and Eniac Ventures co-led the round, which also featured Female Founders Fund and Felix Capital, and which followed an undisclosed amount of pre-seed funding from unnamed backers in 2016.

CMFG Ventures, the VC arm of financial services provider Cuna Mutual Group, led a $2.25m seed round for US-based digital mortgage software startup MortgageHippo on Tuesday. The strategic investment subsidiary of real estate brokerage @properties had led the round’s $750,000 first tranche in January 2016.

Netherlands-based smart intercom startup Nello raised €1.5m ($1.6m) in funding on Wednesday from investors including KPN Ventures. The round also featured HBT Holdings and development bank KfW, and will be used to grow Nello’s team as it looks to accelerate market entry and form partnerships with European delivery service providers.

India-based healthcare information and access platform CrediHealth has secured $1.5m in a pre-series A round featuring the family office of conglomerate Tolaram Group, YourStory reported on Monday. Investment and advisory firm Mountain Pine Capital also participated in the round, as did angel investor Bala Swaminathan, and the funding will be used to further develop CrediHealth’s technology and expand the range of services it offers.

Rubicoin, the Ireland-based robo-investor developer backed by financial services and media company Motley Fool, has received €1.4m ($1.5m) in funding from undisclosed backers, the Irish Times reported yesterday. The round took Rubicoin’s overall funding to more than €5m, with Motley Fool, the state-backed Enterprise Ireland and unnamed angel investors having providing $2.2m as of December 2015 when Rubicoin publicly launched.

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