US-based personality profiling software developer Crystal has raised $5m in series B funding from investors including enterprise software providers HubSpot and Salesforce, the latter through its Salesforce Ventures unit. The round also featured venture capital firms Birchmere Ventures and Falmouth Ventures, and Crystal will use the cash to introduce more content, tools and partnerships to its platform.
China-based electric car sharing service Mango Chuxing has secured an undisclosed eight-figure renminbi amount (RMB10m = $1.6m) in a pre-series A round featuring media company Wenxin Group, Kr Asia reported yesterday. Mango will use the funds to move into new cities, grow its fleet and strengthen its research and development, with a particular focus on big data technology.
Dealer Tire, a provider of tire-oriented services to the automotive production and vehicle dealer industries, led a $4.5m series A round on Tuesday for Tyrata, the US-based creator of a sensor that can detect the amount of wear on a tire in real time. Tyrata, a spinout from Duke University, will put the funding into developing the technology into a full-scale product and readying its manufacturing capabilities.
Logistics services provider Port Logistics Group supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for US-based e-commerce order and warehousing management software producer Whiplash Merchandising on Tuesday. Whiplash, a graduate of 500 Startups’ 15th accelerator batch in 2016, has also secured Port Logistics as a member of its partner network.
American Express Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of payment services firm American Express, led a $3m round for Even Financial, a US-based developer of technology that helps online lenders find customers, on Tuesday. Plug and Play and Arab Angels also took part in the round, which followed $2.8m in seed capital in 2015 from Canaan Partners, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, Brooklyn Bridge Ventures, Conversion Capital, Social Leverage, 555 Capital and angel investors including Ron Suber and Jon Kelfer.
Semiconductor technology producer Intel led a seed round yesterday for LegUp Computing, the Canada-based creator of a cloud platform for the development of field-programmable gate array devices, through its corporate venturing unit, Intel Capital. LegUp’s technology was originally developed in the University of Toronto’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the investment is part of a concerted effort by Intel Capital and another division, Intel Labs, to target technology developed through university collaborations.
Mallzee, a UK-based consumer pricing comparison platform backed by postal service Royal Mail Group, has received £1.9m ($2.7m) in funding from Scottish Investment Bank, Par Equity, Equity Gap and London Scottish Investment Group, Herald Scotland reported on Tuesday. Royal Mail invested as part of a $3.9m round in 2015 also backed by Scottish Investment Bank, Par Equity and various angel investors, and Mallzee has now raised a total of about $7.5m.
Automotive component producer Denso invested an undisclosed amount in Dellfer, a US-based developer of cybersecurity software for vehicles and internet-of-things devices, on Wednesday. Dellfer had raised almost $2.2m of an expected $2.5m in funding as of last month, according to a regulatory filing, and will use the capital to expand its development team as it prepares to enter talks with prospective early adopters of the technology.
KitSplit, the US-based owner of a rental marketplace for creative equipment, has secured $2.1m in seed funding from investors including HearstLab, part of media group Hearst, TechCrunch reported on Wednesday. The round included Entrepreneurs Roundtable, 3311 Ventures, NYU Innovation Venture Fund, Western Technology Investments and angel investor Mike Krieger, and came after an undisclosed amount of pre-seed capital from HearstLab, Broadway Video Ventures, a subsidiary of entertainment producer Broadway Video, Aspiration Growth and angel investors Joanne Wilson and Isaac Oates.
Transport and logistics services provider 2Go Group has supplied an undisclosed seven-figure dollar amount for Philippines-based on-demand delivery service Mober, DealStreetAsia reported today. Mober will also begin partnering 2Go for on-demand delivery following the investment, particularly for large items.
Ncubate Capital Partners, a VC representative of energy storage and electrical products supplier SAR Group, has led a $1.8m round for CoLive, the India-based operator of working space provider CoWork247, VCCircle reported on Wednesday, citing a press statement. CoLive had previously raised $1m from Sachin Khimji Nuvo Investors and a vehicle called Realtors Pvt. Ltd in 2016, according to VCCircle.
US-based podcast and serialised audio fiction subscription service Serial Box has received $1.65m in a seed round led by entertainment producer Boat Rocker Media, it announced on Wednesday. The startup’s other investors include Mattias Lundgren, CEO of audiobook and digital content publisher Word Audio Publishing, and Richard Sarnoff, formerly a co-chair of media group Bertelsmann.
Cemex Ventures, the strategic investment arm of building materials supplier Cemex, invested an undisclosed sum in Saalg Geomechanics, the Spain-based developer of a real-time ground analysis platform for construction sites, on Wednesday. The cash will support the commercial launch of the software product, Daarwin, which is currently in the project case stage, once any necessary modifications have been made.
Molly, the US-based creator of an online platform that can find people’s specific views on subjects by perusing their social media accounts, has raised $1.5m from investors including BBG, the female-focused VC fund owned by online media group Oath, TechCrunch reported on Monday. Its other investors include startup studio Betaworks, VC firm CrunchFund and VC fund Halogen Ventures.
FastFox, an India-based property listings platform backed by internet company CyberAgent, has secured Rs 100m ($1.5m) in funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Blume Ventures and angel investor Pallav Pandey, Financial Express reported today. CyberAgent unit CyberAgent Ventures had joined Lightspeed and Blume Ventures to provide $4.7m in series A funding for FastFox in April 2017, after the company had raised Rs 640m from Lightspeed India in 2015.
Hardt, the Netherlands-based hyperloop technology startup backed by rail operator NS, has received €1.25m ($1.5m) in funding from sustainable energy fund Enfuro Ventures and angel investors Gregory Van der Wiel and Paul van Keep. Formerly known as Delft Hyperloop, the company had received $315,000 each from NS and proof-of-concept fund Uniiq in February 2017 and will put the new funding into technology development.
Vested Ventures, the strategic investment vehicle for public relations firm Vested, has provided an undisclosed amount of seed capital for Dojo Technology Corp, the Canada-based creator of a gamification app that helps train users in good financial habits. Dojo’s product is currently focused on children but it intends to expand to teenage and adult users.
Reinventure, the VC firm sponsored by financial services firm Westpac, led a A$1.5m ($1.2m) seed round for Australia-based digital identity verification startup Everproof on Tuesday that included investment firm Allectus Capital. Kara Frederick, a general partner at Reinventure, has joined Everproof’s board of directors in conjunction with its investment, and the round came after a A$100,000 ‘friend and family’ round in early 2017, CEO Nathan Merzvinskis told Smart Company.
Automotive manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra has paid $1m for a 22.9% stake in Carnot Technologies, the India-based operator of smart car technology developer CarSense, VCCircle reported on Wednesday. CarSense’s earlier backers include angel investors Sandeep Tandon and Kunal Shah, and it was one of the three winners of mobile semiconductor producer Qualcomm’s Design in India Challenge in 2016.
Insurance brokerage Verspieren provided S$1.3m ($980,000) of seed capital for Singapore-based insurance portal UEX on Wednesday. UEX, which focuses on health insurance, will use the funding to expand the range of insurance services it offers and grow its presence in Singapore.
WebEngage, an India-based customer engagement technology developer that counts IT services firm Capillary Technologies as an investor, has secured an undisclosed sum from VC firm Social Capital to take its overall funding to a little more than $2m, the Economic Times has reported. Capillary invested an undisclosed amount in WebEngage in early 2016 following funding from Indian Angel Network and undisclosed angel investors.