UK-based open banking software developer Railsbank received $10m in series A funding from investors including online lending platform CreditEase and insurance provider Singapore Life on Tuesday. Moneta Capital, the growth equity arm of venture capital firm Moneta VC, led the round, which also featured Clocktower Technology Ventures and Firestartr, the latter having led the company’s $1.2m seed round, which was also backed by Kima Ventures and angel investors including Peter Jackson, Tim Levene and Phillip Riese, in August 2017.
US-based virtual reality gaming platform developer VRChat sealed its $10m series C round yesterday, the funding coming from consumer electronics manufacturer HTC, Makers Fund, Brightstone VC and GFR Fund, a subsidiary of social media company Gree. HTC joined GFR (then known as GVR), Brightstone and Rothenberg Ventures to provide $1.2m in seed funding for the company in 2016, before it secured $4m in a 2017 round led by HTC subsidiary HTC Vive that included the other seed investors.
Value Simplex, a China-based investment data provider backed by consumer electronics producer Xiaomi, closed a series B round of undisclosed size on Tuesday that was led by venture capital firm Gaorong Capital. The company had previously secured $14.5m in a November 2018 series A round led by Xiaomi and backed by Harvest Partners and Beijing Qingquanshi Investment Center, the latter of which had invested $1.6m in Value Simplex eight months earlier.
Real estate developer Tokyu Fudosan’s TFHD Open Innovation Program has invested an undisclosed amount in Japan-based smart lock technology provider Linough that increased the latter’s total funding to ¥1bn ($9.4m). Property developer Mitsubishi Estate provided an undisclosed sum for Linough in February 2016 before joining DG Incubation and Seibu Shinkin Capital – subsidiaries of internet company Digital Garage and Seibu Shinkin Bank – to add $3.2m nine months later. Linough raised another $2.9m from corporate investors Itochu Technology Ventures, Haseko Anesis, Sumitomo, FFG Venture and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital in January 2018.
Astrocast, the Switzerland-based developer of a nanosatellite network for the internet of things, completed a $9.2m series A round on Monday without disclosing the participants, which it described as new and existing investors. Airbus Ventures, the corporate VC subsidiary of aerospace manufacturer Airbus, led the $3m first tranche of the company’s seed round in August 2017, before investors including Investiere.ch added $1.1m three months later. Astrocast said this week it has raised about $17m to date.
Chemicals producer Evonik provided an undisclosed amount yesterday for Meditool, a China-based developer of 3D-printed implants for use in neuro and spine surgery, as part of a high single-digit euro round (€1m = $1.1m). The other participants in the round, which marks the first investment by Evonik corporate VC unit Evonik Venture Capital in China, were not revealed.
US-based mobile phone maker Light revealed on Wednesday that it has raised $8.4m in equity funding from contract electronics manufacturer Foxconn, Bullish, Hinge Capital, Product Co-Op and angel investors including John Zimmer, Tim Kendall and Scott Belsky. The financing was disclosed alongside more than $3.5m in crowdfunding for its second feature-light mobile device, Light II.
Short-form video platform developer Kuaishou has invested an undisclosed sum in China-based comic publishing platform Crossingstar, Kr-Asia reported on Wednesday, citing a story from sister publication 36Kr. Crossingstar had reportedly received approximately $2.9m from internet group Tencent – itself an investor in Kuaishou – in November 2018.
Sweden-based small-business lending platform Capcito has secured SEK74m ($7.4m) in new funding from Schibsted Growth and SEB Venture Capital, subsidiaries of media company Schibsted and financial services firm SEB, as well as Ventech and Collector Ventures, Breakit reported on Wednesday. Investors including Peter Gyllenhammar and his Galjaden Fastigheter investment vehicle had provided a total of about $1.6m in funding for Capcito, before SEB and Collector Ventures added $2.5m in September 2017.
Sourcewater, the US-based developer of an oilfield water analysis device, completed a $7.2m series A round led by electronic components distributor Bison Technologies on Wednesday. The round included diversified trading group Marubeni Corporation and undisclosed energy industry-related family offices, and the cash will be used to improve Sourcewater’s technology and hire data science and engineering staff.
Diversified trading group Mitsubishi Corporation led a $7m series A round for US-based industrial edge-computing technology developer Litmus Automation on Wednesday. Litmus secured $1.5m from unnamed investors in its 2016 seed round and has now received $12.6m in funding altogether, it said. Mitsubishi made its investment after working with the company’s technology.
Israel-based autonomous driving technology developer Cartica AI closed a series B round of undisclosed size on Tuesday, securing the capital from Toyota AI Ventures and BMW i Ventures – subsidiaries of carmakers Toyota and BMW – as well as automotive component maker Continental and equity crowdfunding platform OurCrowd. Cartica AI has not revealed details of any earlier funding but will put the series C cash into international growth and the launch of its Autonomous AI technology.
Anzu, the Israel-based developer of an in-game advertising system, secured $6.5m last month in a series A round that included advertising group WPP and Axel Springer Digital Ventures, a corporate VC vehicle for media company Axel Springer. The round was led by VC fund Bitkraft Esports Ventures and it will fund business development in Europe and North America.
Media group Bennett, Coleman and Co has invested Rs 450m ($6.2m) in India-based smart wearable product maker Goqii, Inc42 reported on Tuesday, citing a stock exchange filing. The deal took Goqii’s overall funding to $51m, its earlier investors including diversified conglomerate Mitsui, mobile app developer Cheetah Mobile, Galaxy Digital, Denlow Investment Trust, DSG Consumer Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Edelweiss Financial Services, Great Wall Club and Akshay Kumar.
Consumer electronics producer Sony’s Innovation Fund added an undisclosed amount of funding to the $29.4m series C round raised by US-based manufacturing software developer Sight Machine in April this year, on Wednesday. The first close featured industrial manufacturer LS Group, energy utility Eon, media group O’Reilly’s OATV unit, Mercury Fund and Jump Capital, and it boosted Sight Machine’s total funding to $85.4m. It had been looking to close the round at $35m.
Binance Labs, the corporate venturing vehicle for cryptocurrency exchange operator Binance, led a $5.7m series A round for US-based digital finance-transfer technology provider Dapix yesterday. The round included Blockwall Capital, NGC Ventures, LuneX Ventures, Dundee Venture Capital, Access Venture Partners and FirstMile Ventures, the latter three being cited as existing investors. Dapix had received $125,000 in equity financing in July 2018 and a further $1.5m in convertible note financing the following month, according to securities filings.
Veralox Therapeutics, a US-based company developing treatments for unmet medical needs, secured $5.4m yesterday in a seed round that included Sanofi Ventures, pharmaceutical company Sanofi’s strategic investment arm. Diabetes charity JDRF’s T1D Fund led the round, which also featured VTC Innovation and VTC Seed Fund, as well as Maryland Momentum Fund, University of Vermont Health Network and Tedco.
Microblogging platform Weibo has provided an eight-figure renminbi amount (RMB10m = $1.4m) of series A-plus funding for China-based entertainment agency Online Star Dream Works, Sohu reported yesterday. The company promotes a stable of social media figures with a combined following of some 300 million fans, and will put the funding into marketing.
China-based technology media platform Technode closed its pre-series B round on Tuesday having raised an eight-figure renminbi sum from investors including workspace provider UCommune and investment firm XCGT Holding Group. Technode, which also offers services such as data, branding and events, will use the funding for technology development and international growth.
E-commerce company IndiaMart has paid approximately $4.2m to lead a Rs 360m ($5m) series A round for India-based accounting and billing software producer Vyapar, Inc42 reported on Tuesday. India Quotient and Axilor Ventures also contributed to the round, both participating as existing investors, and the proceeds will be allocated to accumulating customers and introducing new tools to the company’s platform.
Suplari, the US-based creator of an artificial intelligence-equipped enterprise insights platform, received an amount reported by Geekwire to be $5m on Wednesday, from Workday Ventures, enterprise software producer Workday’s corporate VC unit, as well as Amplify Partners, Madrona Venture Group, Shasta Ventures and Two Sigma Ventures. The company has now raised $18.4m in total, the same five investors having supplied it with $10.3m in series A funding in April 2018.
US-based pharmaceutical production technology developer Continuus Pharmaceuticals closed a $5m series B round yesterday that included packaging machinery producer IMA. The round was led by private investor Mark Bamforth, who will take a board seat, and included unnamed existing investors. IMA had previously led a $2m series A round for Continuus in 2014 that increased its overall funding to $2.4m.
Vietnam-based social commerce services provider Ecomobi is raising funding from investors including e-commerce firm GS Shop, internet company Naver Corporation and Line Ventures, the corporate VC arm of Naver’s mobile messaging offshoot, Line, DealStreetAsia reported on Wednesday. VinaCapital Ventures is leading the round, which DealStreetAsia had previously reported would likely be sized at $4m to $5m, and existing investor ESP Capital also took part. ESP Capital and Nextrans had provided an undisclosed amount for Ecomobi in late 2018.
Digital currency services provider Bitcoin.com and investment firm Pangea Blockchain Fund have provided €4m ($4.4m) of funding for Eligma, the Slovenia-based developer of a system that enables brick-and-mortar stores to accept payment in cryptocurrency. The startup’s technology is being utilised across 450 locations in Slovenia, Croatia and Turkey, and it intends to use the funding to expand into additional markets.
CapBridge, a Singapore-based investment syndication platform backed by investment holding company Singapore Exchange (SGX), has received $4m in funding from Hanwha Investment & Securities, an asset management subsidiary of diversified conglomerate Hanwha, Business Times reported yesterday. SGX subsidiary Asian Gateway Investments and angel investors including Tim Draper had provided $3m for CapBridge in October 2017, before undisclosed investors supplied a further $3.7m in May 2018.
Superside, a design agency backed by communication app developer Slack, disclosed yesterday that it had raised $3.5m in a round led by Freestyle Capital that included High Alpha Ventures, Y Combinator and Alliance Venture. It was one of the 14 companies that received a total of $2m in funding from Slack subsidiary Slack Fund in 2016, back when it was still known as Konsus, shortly after it secured $1.5m from investors including Liquid2 Ventures, Acequia Capital and Axan Invest.
Consumer electronics manufacturer HTC led a $3m series A round on Tuesday for Bitmark, the Taiwan-headquartered creator of a blockchain-based digital property rights platform. E-commerce firm Alibaba and VC firms WI Harper Group and Digital Currency Group also invested in the round, the latter two having previously contributed to a $1.7m seed round led by Cherubic Ventures in 2016.
Short-term accommodation booking platform Hostelworld has invested $3m in Tipi, an Australia-based developer of automatic check-in systems for hostels. Hostelworld works with more than 17,000 hostels worldwide and will help to extend the company’s technology to them.
Electronics manufacturer Samsung supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for US-based LED display technology developer iBeam Materials on Wednesday through corporate venturing subsidiary Samsung Ventures. The investment will fund further development of the company’s on-beam crystal technology.
New Zealand-based parking app developer Parkable has raised NZ$4.6m ($2.9m) in funding from telecommunications company Spark and angel investors including Peter Beguely, Rowan Simpson, Jason Kilgour and David Brain. The cash will support growth in Parkable’s current markets – New Zealand, Australia and China – in addition to entry into new countries.
Australia-based microlearning platform developer EdApp confirmed on Monday that it has secured A$4.25m ($2.9m) in funding from workplace safety technology provider SafetyCulture. The investment, first reported by Business Insider Australia last month, came after SafetyCulture led a $2.9m round for the company in September 2018, and SafetyCulture chief executive Luke Anear is joining its board of directors in connection with the deal.
Smart Shopping, a Japan-based digital shopping concierge developer backed by online travel agency Adventure, received ¥300m ($2.8m) in funding on Tuesday from undisclosed new and existing investors. It had raised $1.9m from Adventure, Makers Boot Camp, MBC Shisaku, NOS Ventures and angel investors including Masaru Tange in February 2018, before adding $750,000 in debt financing from financial services firms Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, Japan Finance Corporation and Shoko Chukin Bank in January 2019.
Plastics product supplier NAC Corporation provided approximately ¥300m ($2.8m) in funding yesterday for Sousei Technology, the Japan-based developer of residential customer management platform My Home App Knot. The investment was made in connection with a strategic partnership that will involve Sousei offering My Home App Knot to construction companies.
Aerospace manufacturer Boeing has invested an undisclosed amount in US-based metal additive producer Morf3D through its Boeing HorizonX Ventures unit. Boeing HorizonX had previously co-led a series A round of undisclosed size for Morf3D in April 2018, and the company said the latest funding came in the wake of it doubling the size of its team.
Naspers Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of media and e-commerce group Naspers, led a $2.3m seed round yesterday for DappRadar, the Lithuania-based developer of a blockchain analysis platform. The round included Blockchain.com Ventures, which invests on behalf of crypto services provider Blockchain.com, as well as angel network Angel Invest Berlin, and the cash will be put into research and development.
Meat producer Tyson Foods provided an undisclosed amount of funding for plant-based shellfish substitute developer New Wave Foods yesterday through strategic investment vehicle Tyson New Ventures. New Wave is currently preparing a series A round as it gets ready to launch its prawn substitute in early 2020.
SBI AI & Blockchain Fund, a vehicle owned by financial services firm SBI’s SBI Investment subsidiary, has led a round for Japan-based investment deal marketplace operator Bizit sized at about ¥150m ($1.4m), Tech in Asia reported on Monday. The company, which was spun off from investment firm Tryfunds, will put the cash into product development, recruitment and marketing.
Japan-based food sharing service Togo raised ¥100m ($940,000) on Wednesday from human resources firm Mynvai and undisclosed individual investors. The deal came in connection with a reverse merger with an entity called Taberu Technologies, which will be the surviving brand.
Tnedicca, the US-based creator of a software platform that analyses car crashes, completed a $750,000 funding round yesterday featuring insurance provider Grange Insurance. The round was led by investment firm Pixel Perfect Ventures and included an unnamed additional insurer. The capital will be used for product development, as the company looks to extend the use of the technology into adjacent areas.
Kokoon, a UK-based sleep-aiding headphones developer backed by internet-of-things technology provider Reply, has received £540,000 ($660,000) in funding from investment firm Blackfinch Ventures. The company joined Reply’s Breed Reply incubator in 2016, and it has previously raised undisclosed amounts of equity financing from SOSV and Hax.
Japan-based customer loyalty technology startup Sete Mares closed ¥43.8m ($410,000) in funding from enterprise software provider Bplats, VC firm GX Partners and VC funds Miraise and F Ventures on Monday. Sete Mares, which chiefly serves the retail, beauty, restaurant and service industries, began raising the money in August 2018.
