Artificial intelligence software producer SenseTime has provided an undisclosed amount of series A funding for China-based transport and urban data platform developer Zhiyuanhui, Sohu reported on Tuesday. The companies intend to collaborate in areas such as the development of intelligent products as well as smart media and retail technology.
Israel-based soil and crop analysis software developer CropX completed a $10m funding round on Wednesday that included Sumitomo Corporation Europe, part of diversified conglomerate Sumitomo. The round also featured Armada Investments, Tal Capital, Finistere Ventures, Germin8 Ventures, GreenSoil Investments, Innovation Endeavors and OurCrowd, and it took CropX’s total funding to $20.5m. Its earlier investors include Robert Bosch Venture Capital and Lab IX, subsidiaries of industrial product maker Bosch and supply chain services firm Flex.
India-based supply chain technology developer ShopKirana has secured $10m in series B funding from investors including mobile game producer Akatsuki’s AET Fund and classified listings operator Info Edge, the Economic Times has reported. Incubate Fund, NPTK Emerging Asia Fund and Better Capital also took part in the round, which followed $2m from Info Edge, Akatsuki AET Fund, Incubate Fund and the Better Capital AngelList syndicate in December 2018, and an undisclosed sum from investors including Incubate Fund and Lead Angels two years earlier.
Internet group Baidu has paid an undisclosed amount for a 9.4% stake in China-based science media and online education platform Guokr, KrAsia reported on Monday, citing an earlier report by Chinaventure.com. Guokr raised $20m from educational services provider TAL Education, existing backer IDG Capital and unnamed additional investors in 2014, after receiving $3m from Trustbridge Partners in 2011.
Nudge Rewards, a Canada-based employee communication platform developer backed by financial services firm Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), has completed a $9.3m funding round led by venture capital firm Jump Capital that included Business Development Bank of Canada, Brightspark Ventures, Generation Ventures and Standup Ventures. The company has now raised about $14m in total, approximately $360,000 of which came from RBC Generator Fund as part of a $960,000 seed round in 2013. Its early backers include Mars IAF and Golden Triangle Angel Network.
Electronics manufacturer Quanta Computer has provided $9m of series A funding for Japan-based autonomous driving system developer Tier IV. The cash will be added to approximately $105m in series A funding raised by Tier IV last month, in a series A round led by insurer Sompo Japan Nipponkoa and backed by motorised vehicle producer Yamaha Motor, telecommunications firm KDDI, agricultural machinery provider Aisan Technology and VC firm Jafco. It had previously received $28.4m in a March 2018 round.
Infrastructure services provider Stobart Group has co-led an $8.6m series A round for UK-based airline luggage collection service AirPortr with Hargreave Hale VCT, a vehicle owned by wealth management and brokerage group Canaccord Genuity, Skift has reported. Stobart invested $2.7m in AirPort in October 2017 that may have made up its contribution to a $7.5m round the company closed in March 2018 which also featured Hargreave Hale VCTs and Force Over Mass Capital. It had previously raised at least $9.4m from backers including Vela Technologies.
Japan-based internet-of-things platform developer Idein raised $7.8m on Monday from investors including Hakuodo DY Ventures, a corporate VC vehicle for public relations group Hakuhodo DY, as well as Sony Innovation Fund by IGV and Sony Financial Ventures, which invest on behalf of electronics and media conglomerate Sony. The round was led by VC firm Global Brain and also featured DG Daiwa Ventures, a joint venture between internet company Digital Garage and brokerage Daiwa Securities, which had previously invested in Idein prior to September 2017.
South Korea-based enterprise blockchain technology provider Blocko secured ₩9bn ($7.4m) yesterday in a round featuring artist management firm Big Hit Entertainment, financial services firms Shinhan Bank and KEB Hana Bank, and VC firm LB Investment. The company had raised $14m as of an $8.9m series B round in June 2018 that included steelmaker Posco, SparkLabs Ventures, Premier Partners and existing investors Samsung Venture Investment – a subsidiary of electronics producer Samsung – Daesung Private Equity and Wonik Investment Partners.
E-bot7, a Germany-based customer chatbot developer, has received €5.5m ($6.1m) in funding from financial services firm Commerzbank’s Main Incubator vehicle, RTP Global, 42Cap and an undisclosed angel investor, Gründerszene reported on Monday. Main Incubator led a six-digit euro round for the company in 2017 that also featured Wayra, a VC and accelerator subsidiary of telecoms firm Telefónica, and undisclosed individual investors.
Facilities manager Sodexo invested an undisclosed amount in China-based food delivery service Meican on Tuesday through its Sodexo Ventures unit. Meican had raised at least $32.6m from restaurant listings platform Dianping (now Meituan Dianping), NGP Capital, KPCB China, Trustbridge Partners and ZhenFund as of 2015, before adding an undisclosed sum in a 2017 series D round led by investment bank Goldman Sachs’ Investment Partners unit.
NTT Docomo Ventures, Mizuho Capital and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, respective subsidiaries of mobile network operator NTT Docomo and banks Mizuho Bank and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, participated in a ¥650m ($6.1m) funding round for Japan-based customer service technology developer Solairo yesterday. The round included World Innovation Lab and S5 I Fund, and it increased the company’s overall funding to approximately $9.4m.
Robert Bosch Venture Capital led a $5.5m seed round on Wednesday for Versatile Natures, a US-based developer of internet-of-things technology for the construction industry. Conductive Ventures, Root Ventures and angel investors Leigh Jasper and Rob Phillpot also contributed to the round, which will fund hiring and the company’s expansion in North America.
Tool manufacturer Stanley Black & Decker has invested an undisclosed amount in Argentina-based domestic services marketplace IguanaFix, Reuters reported yesterday. IguanaFix received $16m in a 2016 series B round led by Temasek that included Qualcomm Ventures, mobile chipmaker Qualcomm’s corporate venturing arm, as well as Endeavor Catalyst and undisclosed existing investors that included the founders of private equity firm Riverwood Capital, bringing its overall funding to $20m.
US-based app-testing technology developer Kobiton raised $5.2m yesterday in a funding round led by VC firm BIP Capital that also featured software development services provider KMS Technology, VC firm Kinetic Ventures, Kobiton CEO Kevin Lee and angel investors Jon Hallett and Ken Walters. The company was spun off from KMS incubator Upstar Labs in 2016 and secured $3m in a September 2018 seed round led by Kinetic Ventures and backed by KMS and Service Provider Capital.
Solborn Investment, the VC arm of holding company Solborn, has provided $5m in funding for New Zealand-based higher education information platform Crimson Education at a $245m valuation, TechCrunch reported yesterday. Crimson has now received $42m in funding altogether, including $30m from hedge fund manager Tiger Global Management in 2016 at a $160m valuation.
Gitai, a Japan-based company developing robotics systems for use in space, has secured $4.1m in a series A round featuring energy utility J-Power, The Bridge reported on Wednesday. Spiral Ventures Japan led the round, which included the Development Bank of Japan-owned DBJ Capital and Coral Capital, the VC firm formerly known as 500 Startups Japan. The company had raised $1.25m from investors including Coral Capital in 2017.
Kedai Sayur, the Indonesia-based creator of an online platform that allows vegetable sellers to connect to farmers, has raised $4m from investors including conglomerate Sinar Mas’ corporate venturing arm, SMDV, and IT services provider Multi Persada. The round was led by VC firm East Ventures and also backed by investment firm Triputra Group. It will support technology development and the expansion of the startup’s user base.
RT, a Japan-based developer of robotics technology for the food preparation industry, received ¥400m ($3.8m) today from investors including automotive manufacturer Toyota. The round included financial services firms Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mizuho Bank and Senshu Ikeda, the latter two through Mizuho Capital and Senshu Ikeda Capital, as well as Sparks Asset Management and DBJ Capital.
Cere Network, the US-based creator of a blockchain-equipped customer relationship management platform, closed a $3.5m seed round featuring Binance Labs, the VC arm of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, on Monday. Fenbushi Capital, Neo Global Capital, Arrington XRP, Kenetic Capital, Alphabit Fund, Block VC, Kosmos Capital, LD Capital, Monday Capital, Pre Angel Fund and Republic Labs were also among the participants.
Financial services firm Capital One invested an undisclosed sum in US-based business analytics software provider Outlier through corporate venturing subsidiary Capital One Growth Ventures on Tuesday. Outlier received $1.2m in 2015 and another $1.2m the following year according to securities filings, before Ridge Ventures led a $6.2m series A round in July 2018 that also featured 11.2 Capital, First Round, Homebrew, Susa Ventures and SV Angel.
TVS Motor (Singapore), a subsidiary of motorcycle manufacturer TVS Motor Company, agreed last Saturday to provide $3.2m in funding for Predictronics Corporation, the US-based developer of an analytics platform that can predict when a vehicle will need maintenance. The funding will support technology development, as Predictronics looks to prepare its technology for commercial release.
Revuze, the Israel-based creator of a customer service review platform, received an undisclosed amount on Tuesday from SAP.iO Fund, the strategic investment arm of enterprise software producer SAP. The company had raised $4m in seed capital from media data supplier Nielsen, market researcher NPD Group and supply chain services provider TIC Group in 2016 and said this week that investment and technology transfer platform Prytek is also among its investors.
US-based short-term accommodation provider Frontdesk completed a $2.75m funding round on Tuesday featuring La Macchia Holdings, the holding group for travel agency La Macchia Enterprise, as well as Sand Hill Angels, Motivate Ventures and unnamed participants in the company’s seed round. The startup secured $590,000 of a $1.1m round from undisclosed investors in July 2018 according to a regulatory filing.
Financial technology group Hashkey Global has provided an undisclosed amount for South Korea-based stablecoin payment technology developer Terra through affiliate Hashkey Capital, Cryptoninjas reported today. Terra completed a $32m seed round in August 2018 featuring cryptocurrency exchanges Binance Labs, OKEx, Huobi Capital and Dunamu, the latter two through Huobi Capital and Dunamu & Partners, as well as Polychain Capital, FBG Capital, Hashed, 1kx, Kenetic Capital, Arrington XRP Capital, TransLink Capital.
One 97 Communications, the owner of payment services platform Paytm, has invested $1.8m in India-based catering services provider Hungerbox as part of a funding round currently sized at $2.2m Inc42 reported on Tuesday. Sabre Partners Trust has also contributed to the round, which has a Rs 580m ($8.1m) target for its close. Hungerbox raised $2.5m from Lionrock Capital and angel investor Kris Gopalakrishnan in January 2018 before both investors joined Sabre Partners and Neoplux for a $4.5m round series A round six months later.
Blu Smart Mobility, the India-based operator of a taxi service that only uses electric vehicles, has raised $2.2m from investors including motorcycle producer Hero Motorcorp and smartphone maker MicroMax, Hindu BusinessLine has reported. The round also featured financial services firm Centrum, Jito Angel Network, which led the round, MayField Fund and unnamed angel investors. The proceeds will help the startup expand beyond the city of Delhi-NCR where it bases its operations.
Automotive manufacturer Porsche has provided an amount reported by Calcalist to be $2m for Israel-based vehicle sensor technology startup TriEye on Wednesday. The capital will be added to the company’s $17m series A round, which was led by Intel Capital and backed by Marius Nacht and Grove Ventures in May this year. Grove Ventures had previously led a $3m seed round for TriEye in January 2018.
Ghana-based apparel producer DTRT Apparel has received an undisclosed amount of funding from beverage producer Red Bull and private equity firm Verod Capital Management. In addition to its equity investment, Red Bull intends to become an anchor customer for DTRT, sourcing part of its own apparel from the company, which was founded in 2013.
Zenport, the Japan-based creator of a supply chain management tool, secured approximately ¥155m ($1.5m) on Tuesday in a pre-series round that included Strive and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital, which represent digital media company Gree and insurer Mitsui Sumitomo respectively. The round was also backed by Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Reality Accelerator and Genesia Ventures, the latter, like Strive – which used to be known as Gree Ventures – participating as an existing investor.
Eyecandylab, the US-based developer of augmented-reality video technology Augmen.tv, raised $1.5m in seed funding on Wednesday from investors including LG Technology Ventures, a corporate venturing vehicle for diversified conglomerate LG. The round was led by Band of Angels and also featured undisclosed angel investors, and it followed the startup’s participation in the 2018 batch of Comcast NBCUniversal Lift Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars, which was backed by mass media group Comcast NBCUniversal.
Investors including fashion retailer H&M’s Co:Lab unit have provided SEK13m ($1.3m) in funding for Sweden-based styling services booking platform Dashl, Breakit reported on Monday. The round also featured entrepreneur Cristina Stenbeck’s Ameriana vehicle, joint investment venture Invest in Her and various angel investors, and it followed approximately $540,000 in earlier funding from backers including Invest in Her.
ClaimCompass, a US-based company that organises compensation for missed flights, has received $1.3m from investors including telecoms software provider Global Edge, PhocusWire reported yesterday. Rambleside, Telegraph Hill Ventures, Good News Ventures and Ramen Ventures also took part in the round, as did existing backers Social Capital, Hustle Fund and David Houser, the latter an angel investor, and it reportedly lifted the company’s overall funding to about $2m.
Investors including restaurant and amusement operator DD Holdings have supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for Ginkan, the Japan-based creator of restaurant marketing platform Synchro Life, yesterday through subsidiary DD Holdings Venture Capital’s Open Innovation Fund. The company has also formed a partnership with DD subsidiary SLD, the owner of restaurant chain Kawara Cafe & Dining.
Indonesia-based fitness and wellness service provider Ride has rebranded to R Fitness, securing $1.25m from investors including SMDV, in the process, DailySocial reported on Monday. VC firms Intudo Ventures and Agaeti Ventures also contributed to the round, as did another Sinar Mas subsidiary, Sinar Mas Land, in addition to Centre Park, RHL Ventures and East Ventures according to DealStreetAsia. It had previously received $750,000 from Intudo, East Ventures and Prasetia Dwidharma across two rounds.
Solarstone, an Estonia-based company that produces solar panels capable of interlocking with existing roof tiles, has received an undisclosed amount of funding from renewable energy product maker Sunly, EU-Startups has reported. Sunly will also offer its expertise to the company, which is preparing to expand into other European markets beginning with Germany and Scandinavia.
AirX, the Japan-based provider of an on-demand helicopter service called Airos, has raised ¥130m ($1.2m) in a series A round that included Kintetsu Venture Partners, a subsidiary of rail operator Kintetsu Group Holdings. VC firm Monex Ventures also contributed to the round, which will be used to grow the company’s inventory and expand to more Japanese cities.
Agricultural media and investment firm AgFunder has invested in Ai Palette, a Singapore-based provider of technology that helps food brands devise products, as part of a S$1.45m ($1m) seed round, e27 reported today. Decacorn Capital led the round, which included SGInnovate, existing backer Entrepreneur First and unnamed angel investors.
B-Tech, the VC arm of digital asset trading platform BitMax, has made its first investment, co-leading a $500,000 seed round for Germany-based stablecoin payment technology startup xDai. The round was co-led by Focus Labs and included blockchain-focused VC firms Bixin Invest and NGC. It will fund further development of the xDai Stable Chain protocol.
