Globe Fintech Innovations, a financial technology subsidiary of Philippines-based telecommunications company Globe Telecom also known as Mynt, received an undisclosed amount of equity funding from Ant Financial, the financial services arm of e-commerce group Alibaba, and diversified conglomerate Ayala Corporation on Monday. Mynt operates micropayment platform GCash and Fuse Lending, a service that offers loans to unbanked and underserved customers and businesses.
Ayala Corporation has also paid an undisclosed amount for a 43% stake in BF Jade E-Services, the holding company that operates fashion e-commerce platform Zalora in the Philippines, Tech in Asia reported yesterday. Ayala subsidiaries Ayala Land, BPI Capital and Kickstart Ventures also acquired small stakes, giving the firm a 49% share overall, with the rest held by e-commerce group Rocket Internet.
UK-based augmented reality product developer Zappar raised $3.75m yesterday in a series A round featuring brand services provider You & Mr Jones and mobile game publisher iDreamSky. The round was led by investment management and stockbroking services firm Hargreave Hale, and will support development and ongoing marketing of Zapppar’s lead product, an AR and virtual reality content generation platform called ZapWorks.
BMW i Ventures, the corporate venturing subsidiary of automotive manufacturer BMW, is supplying an undisclosed amount of funding to Fair.com, a US-based stealth-stage startup that is building an automotive leasing and financing platform, the Wall Street Journal has reported. Georg Bauer, the former head of BMW’s financial services subsidiary, is one of the startup’s advisors.
Energy utility Engie and venture capital fund AllVP have provided an undisclosed amount of series B funding for Mexico-based solar photovoltaic services provider Enlight. Founded in 2011, Enlight designs, installs and maintains solar systems, offering them to customers with long-term financing options. It will use the funding to increase its customer base at home.
Cosy, a US-based developer of artificial intelligence software for robots, has secured $2.35m in seed funding from investors including Intel Capital, the corporate VC arm of semiconductor technology producer Intel, Technical.ly has reported. The round also featured GreatPoint Ventures, Safeguard Scientifics and Ben Franklin Technology Partners, and will be used to further develop Cosy’s software for use in retail restocking.
Ascension Ventures, the strategic investment arm of 13 healthcare systems including Ascension, has invested an undisclosed amount in Intelligent Medical Objects (IMO), a US-based provider of medical terminology content and services for electronic health records. The funding followed an October 2016 investment of undisclosed size by private equity firm Warburg Pincus, and $4.5m in financing between 2007 and 2009, according to securities filings.
BitFlyer, the Japan-based operator of an online exchange for cryptocurrencies, has received ¥200m ($1.8m) in funding from Mizuho Capital and SMBC Venture Capital, respective subsidiaries of financial services firms Mizuho Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, as well as insurance firm Dai-ichi Life Insurance. The company had previously raised $34.9m from investors including marketing firm Dentsu, insurer Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, human resources firm Recruit Holdings and internet company GMO.
Healthcare provider Mercy Health has invested an undisclosed sum in Kyruus, a US-based provider of search and scheduling technology for health systems, as part of a strategic partnership agreement. Kyruus had raised approximately $56m from investors including McKesson Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of pharmaceuticals supplier McKesson, care provider Providence Health & Services and Fidelity Biosciences, part of the Fidelity financial group, as of a $25m series C round in 2015.
Santander InnoVentures, the VC arm of financial services firm Santander, has invested an undisclosed sum in US-based customer service technology provider Personetics Technologies, Reuters has reported. Its investment followed a $6.5m series A round featuring Carmel Ventures and Sequoia Capital in 2011, and an $11.5m series B two years later, in which the two VC firms were joined by Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Gridspace, a US-based developer of software that monitors call centre conversations, has also received an undisclosed amount of funding from Santander InnoVentures, according to Reuters. The company raised $250,000 in November 2015, according to a regulatory filing, and its investors include Bloomberg Beta and Wells Fargo Accelerator, respective subsidiaries of media group Bloomberg and financial services firm Wells Fargo, as well as research centre SRI International and Stanford University.
Leo Innovation Lab, a subsidiary of pharmaceutical company Leo Pharma, led a round of undisclosed size for Pacifica Labs, the US-based developer of a mental health management app called Pacifica, on Monday. The round, which included VC fund HealthX Ventures and investment firm PHS Capital, was announced alongside the launch of an updated version of the app together with a version aimed at clinicians.
Bharti Airtel Services, a subsidiary of telecom group Bharti Airtel, has supplied an undisclosed amount for Seynse, the India-based operator of online lending platform Loan Singh, Times of India reported on Wednesday. The corporate intends to work with Seynse to develop specialised products for its customers that will utilise the startup’s credit scoring algorithms and digital analytics.
Mainport Innovation Fund II, the VC fund formed by airline KLM, airport Schiphol, rail operator NS, seaport Port of Amsterdam, university TU Delft and investment manager NBI Investors, has invested an undisclosed amount in Netherlands-based integrated travel and mobility platform Parcompare. The company will use the cash to further develop the platform, which allows users to compare and book different types of private and public transport.
Electronic trading services provider NEX Group has invested an undisclosed amount in Rsrchxchange, the UK-based operator of an online marketplace for financial research, through its corporate venturing arm, Euclid Opportunities, Finance Magnates reported yesterday. The company will use the capital to further develop the platform, leveraging NEX’s operational expertise and networks to expand internationally.
Delft Hyperloop, the Netherlands-based winner of entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, is relaunching as Hardt and has secured €600,000 ($630,000) in funding, €300,000 each from rail operator NS and proof-of-concept fund Uniiq, Startup Juncture has reported. The contest asked participants to build a prototype pod for the Hyperloop high-speed mass transit project Musk is leading.
InMotion Ventures, the strategic investment vehicle for automotive manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover, invested an undisclosed sum in US-based, enterprise-focused carpooling platform SPLT yesterday. Although the amount was not revealed, deals database Crunchbase states InMotion and Ann Arbor Spark jointly supplied $500,000 in convertible note financing.
VC fund Mindset Ventures has invested an undisclosed amount in Geo Semiconductor, a US-based fabless semiconductor technology developer backed by electronics producer Panasonic. Mindset announced the investment in Geo, which had previously raised more than $18m in debt and equity altogether, on Monday alongside seven other deals.
Scout, a US-based developer of automated recruitment search technology, has received “a small amount” of seed capital from investors including Brazil-headquartered media company Grupo RBS, TechCrunch reported on Tuesday. The startup’s other backers include Foundation Capital, Beta Angels and angel investors Paul English, James Joaquin, Amol Sarva, Ed Roberts and Inaki Berenguer.
Modus Therapeutics, a spinout of Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University developing therapies for sickle cell disease, has closed a SKr32m ($3.5m) funding round backed by Praktikerinvest, the corporate venturing arm of healthcare company Praktikertjänst. The round also included Östersjöstiftelsen, the Swedish state-owned Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies, and KDev Investments, the investment arm of commercialisation firm Karolinska Development. Modus Therapeutics will use the capital to support a phase 2 clinical trial for which it is currently recruiting patients in Europe, the Middle East and the Carribean. (This news first appeared on our sister site, Global University Venturing.)