China-based service robot developer Yunji Technology raised an undisclosed amount of series B funding on Monday from travel agency Ctrip and Guangkong Zhongying, the investment fund set up by outdoor advertising firm Focus Media and investment holding group Everbright Capital, as well as Haiyin Capital and Jinmao Capital. It had reportedly raised an eight-figure dollar amount in a November 2017 series A round featuring internet group Tencent Holdings and HNA Capital, a subsidiary of airline operator HNA Group.
Electronics producer Lenovo has led a $10m funding round for US-based programmable robotics developer Vincross that also featured venture capital firm GGV Capital and investment firm Seekdource, VentureBeat reported on Tuesday. The round took the company’s total funding to $7m, its earlier capital coming from GGV and ZhenFund, and the proceeds will be used to expand its product range.
India-based politician ratings app developer Neta has raised the equivalent of $10m in an ad-for-equity round featuring media companies Bennett, Coleman and Company (BCC), HT Media, ARG Outlier Asianet News, ITV Group and Network18, TechCircle reported yesterday, citing a person familiar with the development. BCC and Network18 participated through their Brand Capital and Capital18 Fincap subsidiaries, though Network18 subsequently denied its participation. The cash was raised in advance of Indian national elections that will take place in the next three months.
Beyond Meat, the US-based vegetarian meat substitute developer that counts packaged food producers General Mills and Tyson Foods as investors, received an undisclosed amount of funding on Wednesday from a consortium of athletes including Kyrie Irving, Shaquille O’Neal and Shaun White. It had previously raised at least $160m from investors including General Mills unit 301, Tyson subsidiary Tyson New Ventures, DNS Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Obvious Ventures, Cleveland Avenue, GreatPoint Ventures and Union Grove Venture Partners.
Rabbet, the US-based developer of an intelligent construction finance software platform, closed an $8m series A round on Wednesday featuring Camber Creek, the VC arm of real estate developer Berman Enterprises, as well as investment banking firm Goldman Sachs’ Principal Strategic Investments group and boutique VC firm QED Investors. The startup graduated from accelerator Y Combinator in 2017 and raised an undisclosed amount in a seed round led by VC fund Tectonic Capital later the same year.
Spain-based digital signature technology provider Signaturit has completed a €7m ($7.9m) round featuring financial services firm Banco Sabadell, Expansión reported on Tuesday. 360 Capital led the round, which included Bbooster Ventures, Bonsai Partners, Faraday Venture Partners and Nero Ventures, the latter three of which had joined Banco Sabadell to invest $3.1m in the company in June 2017. It had previously received $640,000 from Banco Sabadell’s BStartup10 initiative and Esade Ban in 2015.
GreenWaves Technologies, a France-based developer of processors for use in edge computing devices, also raised €7m ($7.9m) on Tuesday, in a series A round co-led by wearable device producer Huami. The round’s participants also featured additional investors but the only one to be identified was semiconductor materials producer Soitec, which GreenWaves said had led its seed round, without giving additional details.
Healthcare providers Christiana Care Health System and The Texas Medical Center co-led a round of undisclosed size for US-based healthcare data analysis software developer NarrativeDx on Tuesday with Summation Health Ventures, the VC representative for hospitals Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and MemorialCare Health System. The round included VC firms HealthX Ventures and Cultivation Capital, both of which joined LiveOak Venture Partners to provide an undisclosed sum for the company in May 2017.
US-based telehealth platform Third Eye Health has received $7.25m in series A funding from investors including Ziegler Link-Age, the joint venture formed by senior services provider Link-Age and investment bank Ziegler, Skilled Nursing News has reported. Investment platform Generator Ventures led the round, which also featured Cane Investment Partners and private investor David Reis. Third Eye had previously raised $325,000 in debt financing in 2016 and almost $1.1m in equity funding later the same year, according to securities filings.
Automotive e-commerce platform TrueCar has paid an undisclosed sum for a 20% stake in Accu-Trade, the US-based creator of a valuation tool for used vehicle dealers. The latter’s technology will power TrueCar Trade, a platform that will provide sellers with a guaranteed offer for their car that can be delivered through TrueCar, the dealer’s website or in the dealership itself.
PlayVox, a Colombia-based call centre software provider backed by public utilities operator Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), has received $7m in funding from growth equity firm Five Elms Capital. The funding followed a $1.5m investment by EPM’s FCP Innnovación unit in 2015, and it will support company growth and the rollout of new features for the company’s core product.
Alliance Ventures, the strategic investment vehicle formed by a partnership of automotive manufacturers Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi, invested an undisclosed amount in PowerShare, the China-based creator of a software platform that allows operators of electric vehicle charging stations to monitor demand, on Monday. PowerShare CEO Ethan Zhu said the funding would be used to expand geographically and enhance the company’s core technology.
Marketing technology producer FreakOut Holdings has provided $5m in series B funding for SilverPush, a Singapore-based developer of contextualised video advertising technology, E27 reported on Tuesday. GSF Accelerator and 500 Startups supplied $100,000 for SilverPush in 2013 before Chiratae Ventures (then known as IDG Ventures India) and Unilazer Ventures had co-led a $1.5m round the following year. M&S Partners invested almost $1.2m in the company in 2015.
US-based online recruitment platform operator Beamery raised an amount likely to be $5m from Workday Ventures, human resources firm Workday’s corporate VC fund, on Wednesday. Beamery said the investment took its total funding to $40m, and it had raised a total of $35m from M12 and Edenred Capital Partners, respective subsidiaries of software producer Microsoft and corporate services firm Edenred, HR technology producer Grupa Pracuj, EQT Ventures, Index Ventures, LocalGlobe, GP Ventures and Angelpad Fund as of June 2018.
Home repair services provider HomeServe has invested an amount indicated by a regulatory filing to be $5m in Centriq, the US-based operator of a DIY assistance app. The deal was announced on Wednesday but the filing was dated last month. Centriq received $4.8m from investors including office supplies retailer Office Depot and VC firm Ringleader Ventures in 2017, and it added $1.2m from unnamed investors in August 2018 according to a separate filing.
Energy utility Centrica led a funding round of undisclosed size for GreenCom Networks, a Germany-based provider of energy internet-of-things software, on Monday that included Set Ventures, Munich Venture Partners (MVP) and Cosmos. The round followed an undisclosed amount of funding from Set Ventures and existing backer MVP in July 2017, and will fuel the company’s expansion in Europe.
Fresenius Medical Care Ventures, the strategic investment arm of medical device maker Fresenius Medical Care, led a series A round of undisclosed size for US-based healthcare transport provider SafeRide Health on Wednesday. Amplify.LA, Bonfire Ventures, FCA Venture Partners and Meridian Street Capital also participated in the round, which came after $2.8m from undisclosed investors in August 2017, according to a regulatory filing.
YesWeHack, the France-based operator of a bug bounty-based cybersecurity offering, has secured €4m ($4.5m) in funding from Open CNP, the corporate venturing arm of insurance firm CNP Assurances, as well as private equity and VC firm Normandie Participations, Tech.eu has reported. The deal marked the seventh investment for Open CNP according to Tech.eu, and its parent company has been using the software since July 2018.
China-based digital insurance provider 91duobaoyu has raised a 10-figure renminbi sum (RMB10m = $1.48m) from Bertelsmann Asia Investments, a corporate venturing subsidiary of media group Bertelsmann, as well as VC firm ZhenFund, 36Kr has reported. The startup has accumulated some 4 million users since the platform was launched in 2018.
US-based digital media startup WaitWhat received $4.3m yesterday in a series A round co-led by Burda Principal Investments, the corporate venturing arm of media group Hubert Burda. The round was co-led by VC firm Cue Ball and included Liminal Ventures and angel investors Reid Hoffman, Jacki Zehner, Joi Ito, Julia Popowitz, Roy Martin, Ann Lovell, Will Allen, Maria Thomas, Joshua Schacter and Scott Green. A total of $1.5m of the cash was reserved for female and minority-led funds and included Victress Capital, Human Ventures and Able Partners.
Garden and pet supplies producer Central Garden & Pet led a $3m series C round for US-based organic food and gardening equipment producer Back to the Roots yesterday, investing with VC fund Blue Scorpion Investments. Back to the Roots had previously raised $1.6m in debt and equity financing since 2013 according to regulatory filings, and plans to launch some 12 new products in 2019.
Switzerland-based pharmacological chaperone developer Gain Therapeutics completed a €2.5m ($2.8m) series A round on Tuesday that included a $1.1m investment from Helsinn Investment Fund, a subsidiary of cancer care services provider Helsinn Group. VC firm VitaTech led the round with a $1.2m investment while the rest was supplied by TiVenture, a seed fund owned by public foundation Fondazione Centenario Banca Stato.
Singapore-based smart energy management system developer SensorFlow has secured $2.7m in funding from investors including real estate developer Aurum Land and hospitality services provider InSitu Asia, E27 reported on Wednesday. Playfair Capital, Cocoon Capital, Entrepreneur First, 2be.lu Investments and individual investor Pierre Lorinet also participated in the round, which increased SensorFlow’s total funding to $3.5m according to E27, the earlier financing coming from Cocoon Capital, SG Innovate and SparkLabs.
Financial services firm BTG Pactual has provided a total of R$10m ($2.7m) in convertible note financing for three companies, Valor Econômico has reported. The recipients in question are Digesto, a Canada-based developer of automated legal document creation software; Finpass, the Lithuania-based creator of a personal financial data platform; and Brazil-based agricultural data provider Agronow.
Financial services firm Barclays co-led a funding round of undisclosed size for UK-based data science technology startup HiveMind with investment and financial services group Fidelity International on Monday. The company, which was spun off from investment management firm Winton Group in March 2018, will put the funding toward product development as it looks to hire sales, engineering and data science staff.
Switzerland-based autonomous driving and parking software developer Embotech received CHF2.5m ($2.5m) in funding on Tuesday from industrial manufacturer and sports equipment producer Conzzeta and financial services firm Zuercher Kantonalbank (ZKB), according to Venturelab. The round came in the wake of $1m from ZKB and undisclosed angel investors in November 2017.
Comcast Ventures, the corporate VC arm of mobile semiconductor maker Comcast, has led a $2.3m seed round for Orai, the US-based creator of a tool that coaches workplace communication skills, TechCrunch reported on Tuesday. The corporate invested in Orai after the startup participated in Comcast NBCUniversal Lift Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars, an accelerator backed by Comcast, in July 2018.
Sampler, a Canada-based consumer product sampling service that graduated from cosmetics producer L’Oréal and Founders Factory’s incubator and accelerator, completed a C$3m ($2.3m) funding round on Tuesday that was co-led by BDC Capital’s Women in Technology Fund and Shipfusion, and backed by Factory, Standup Ventures, Freycinet Ventures and Mars IAF. It had previously raised C$3.3m from investors that also include Good News Ventures.
US-based healthy frozen food producer Kidfresh raised an undisclosed amount of funding on Tuesday from Emil Capital Partners, a corporate venturing subsidiary of retailer Tengelmann, as well as Monogram Capital Partners and AccelFoods. It followed a $10m series B round led by Monogram Capital Partners and backed by Emil Capital Partners and AccelFoods in 2017, and a series A of undisclosed size led by Emil Capital in 2013.
Tonk Tonk Games, the US-based developer of a mobile fighting game where users can create fighters based on their own physical appearance, has secured $2m from entertainment producer Modern Times Group and company builder and early-stage fund Bitkraft Esports Ventures, VentureBeat reported on Tuesday. The company, which had been in stealth mode since being founded in 2016, will use the cash for hiring as it prepares its uFighter game for release.
Krungsri Finnovate, the VC arm of financial services firm Krunsgri, has provided $2m in series A funding for Silot, the Singapore-based creator of an artificial intelligence software platform for banks, managing director Sam Tanskul told DealStreetAsia yesterday. Silot has now raised a total of $8m for the round, which includes financial services provider SBI Japan, diversified conglomerate Sumitomo and Arbor Ventures, and which follows $700,000 in seed capital from ZhenFund in July 2017 and $2.9m in pre-series A financing from Arbor and Eight Roads Ventures in April 2018.
Goldencross Pharma, a subsidiary of pharmaceutical company Cipla, has paid Rs 105m ($1.5m) for an 11.7% stake in India-based disease management platform developer Wellthy Therapeutics, Press Trust of India reported on Monday, citing a regulatory filing by Cipla. The company had raised $2.1m in seed capital from care providers Manipal Education and Medical Group and Currae Healthcare, Beenext, GrowX Ventures and individuals including Ashutosh Taparia and Karan Bhagat in March 2018.
Tron, the developer of a blockchain-based entertainment platform, has invested an undisclosed amount in Indonesia-based blockchain gaming startup PlayGame, E27 reported on Monday. It intends to put the funding toward the launch of its crypto payment system in addition to expansion in markets such as Southeast Asia, Japan, China and South Korea. The deal comes three months after Tron launched Tron Arcade, a fund intended to back blockchain game developers that could reach $100m in size.
Centrica has supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for Mixergy, a UK-based spinout of University of Oxford’s Energy and Power Group that is developing an intelligent hot water tank. The company had previously raised undisclosed amounts from Oxford Science Innovation and IP Group, and it received the latest investment from Centrica subsidiary Centrica Innovation.
CommissionTrac, a US-based provider of software that helps mortgage brokerages organise their business, has completed a $1.15m seed round featuring communications and automotive services group Cox Enterprises, Hyepptoamus reported on Monday. Angel investors including Bob Matthews and Jay Young, Jr also participated in the round, which was closed after CommissionTrac took part in the Cox-sponsored Techstars Atlanta accelerator in July 2018.
Human resources firm Recruit has invested an undisclosed amount in Beam Development, the Israel-headquartered creator of a private, blockchain-based token trading platform, through its $25m RSP Blockchain Tech Fund, it revealed on Monday. The deal was closed prior to the mainnet launch of Beam’s product last month, according to CoinDesk.
BlockPunk, the Singapore-based creator of a blockchain copyright protection tool for entertainment content, closed a S$1.3m ($960,000) seed round on Tuesday that included printing services provider Dai Nippon. The round was led by SeedPlus, a VC fund that counts networking technology provider Cisco among its limited partners, and also featured seed fund Hustle Fund, investment firm Entrepreneur First and the Singaporean state-owned SGInnovate.
Classified listings operator Info Edge has provided Rs 20m ($280,000) in funding for Wishbook Infoservices, the India-based operator of a business-to-business e-commerce platform for fashion and apparel products, VCCircle reported yesterday. Info Edge had previously paid $540,000 for a 21.9% stake in Wishbook in July 2017 and the latest investment increased its share to 29%.
Photo courtesy of Yunji Technology.
