Ant Financial, the financial services affiliate of e-commerce group Alibaba, has led a series B round of undisclosed size for China-based cybersecurity software provider Seclover, China Money Network has reported, citing business data Tianyancha. The company had received $4.5m in pre-series A funding from CrestValue Capital in 2015, before adding $10m from CrestValue and Shandong Luxin High-Tech Industry two years later.
Audioburst, the US-based developer of a platform offering short-form audio content, raised $10m on Monday from advertising agency Dentsu and automotive manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company. The company had previously received $14.3m in funding including $3m from broadcaster Nippon Broadcasting System in August 2018, a likely $4.6m in March 2018 from Samsung Ventures, electronics producer Samsung’s corporate venturing unit, and $6.7m from speech recognition technology provider Advanced Media, Flint Capital, 2B-Angels and Mobileye investors consortium in 2017.
Atmopshere, a US-based ambient television content provider spun off from media and e-commerce group Chive Media, completed a $10m series A round on Wednesday that was led by venture capital firm S3 Ventures. The round included investment firm Capstar Capital and the proceeds will go to enhancing the startup’s business-to-business distribution, technology, data and monetisation activities.
China-based customer relationship management software provider Bizvane completed a series B round of undisclosed size on Tuesday that was led by Alibaba. VC firm Ventech China led an eight-figure renminbi (RMB10m = $1.5m) series A round for Bizvane in November 2017 that also featured Momentum Capital and China Creation Ventures, after China Creation Ventures had supplied an undisclosed amount of pre-series A financing earlier the same year, according to China Money Network.
Jazz Pharmaceuticals has led a $9.3m series A round for Onera Health, the Netherlands-headquartered creator of a patch-based sleep sensor, Mass Device reported on Tuesday. The round included BOM Brabant Ventures, the incubator and accelerator owned by Brabant Development Agency, and Imec, the technology campus that spun off Onera. The two had previously invested an undisclosed amount in the company in June 2018.
US-based digital marketing technology developer Jivox has closed a $9m funding round featuring brand technology provider You & Mr Jones. The round included investment firm Fortisure Ventures along with Diaz Nesamoney, Jivox’s founder and chief executive, and it comes in the wake of $37m of earlier funding from You & Mr Jones, which led a $6m round for Jivox in 2016, Diaz Nesamoney, Fortisure Ventures, Shah Capital, Opus Capital and Helion Advisors.
US-based animal-free protein developer Clara Foods secured an undisclosed amount yesterday in a series B round led by food ingredient developer Ingredion that included B37, a VC affiliate of baking product provider Grupo Bimbo, Hemisphere Ventures, SOSV and unnamed other investors. It also disclosed that it had raised $15m in a 2016 series A round led by technology incubator The Production Board, the year after securing $1.7m in seed funding from SOS Ventures and angel investors David Friedberg, Scott Banister and Ali and Hadi Partovi.
Germany-based solar system rental service DZ-4 has raised €7.7m ($8.6m) in a series B round led by energy utility EnBW’s strategic investment arm, EnBW New Ventures, and backed by undisclosed existing investors, PV Magazine reported yesterday. EnBW New Ventures paid an undisclosed sum for a 15% stake in DZ-4 in 2015, the first deal conducted by the unit, which was formed the same year.
Digital media company ByteDance has invested an undisclosed amount in China-based talent agency Mountain Top, DealStreetAsia reported on Wednesday. Mountain Top had previously received approximately $14.8m in funding from private equity firm Guangdian Capital in 2016, and its earlier backers also include VC firm ZhenFund, according to DealStreetAsia.
Healthcare provider Cedars-Sinai Health System co-led a $7.8m series A round for US-based health risk management startup Censinet on Tuesday with healthcare technology investment firm HLM Venture Partners. The round also featured Schooner Capital, LRVHealth and Excelerate Health Ventures, Censinet having raised $2m in September 2017 and $500,000 in July 2018 according to regulatory filings.
Internet group Tencent has provided an undisclosed amount of funding for Argentina-based payment app developer Ualá, Buenos Aires Times reported on Tuesday. Ualá had previously received $34m in an October 2018 series B round featuring investment banking firm Goldman Sachs’ Investment Partners unit, investment bank Jefferies, Ribbit Capital, Point72 Ventures and Soros Fund Management, the latter four having previously joined entrepreneur Steve Cohen to invest $10m in the company.
Gainfully, the US-based operator of a platform that connects financial services firms to insurance providers, has raised $5.5m in a series A round led by VC firm IA Capital and backed by MassMutual Ventures and Allianz Life Ventures, subsidiaries of insurers Massachusetts Mutual Life and Allianz Life, as well as VC firm ManchesterStory, Coverager reported on Tuesday. The company secured $150,000 from unnamed investors in early 2017 before MassMutual Ventures led a $2.5m round in November the same year.
Saleswhale, the Singapore-based operator of an artificial intelligence tool that helps salespeople and marketers make deals, has received $5.3m in series A funding from investors including Gree Ventures, digital media company Gree’s corporate venturing unit, TechCrunch reported on Wednesday. Monk’s Hill Ventures led the round, which also featured Wavemaker Partners and Y Combinator. Saleswhale had previously raised $1.2m in a 2017 seed round co-led by Gree Ventures.
Electronics and medical technology provider Philips has participated in a $5.2m series A round for Singapore-based medical imaging technology developer Lifetrack Medical Systems, e27 reported yesterday. UOB Venture Management, a subsidiary of financial services group United Overseas Bank, led the round through its Asia Impact Investment Fund, and the round included Kickstart Ventures, the VC firm founded by telecoms firm Globe Telecom. Kickstart had contributed to a round of undisclosed size for Lifetrack in 2015.
Restaurant owner Cali Group has invested in PopID, a US-based digital payment technology developer it co-founded and seeded, as part of a $5m round closed by the latter. The round included undisclosed restaurant brands and their owners in addition to private equity firms Inflection Capital and NRD Capital. PopID is initially concentrating on the restaurant sector but plans to expand to other service industries in future.
US-based affordable housing provider PadSplit has secured $4.6m in seed capital from investors including media group Cox Enterprises, Fortune has reported. Core Innovation Capital led the round, which also featured Kapor Capital, Techstars Ventures, 1984 Ventures, The Impact Engine, Metaprop and Enterprise Community Partners. The company, a graduate of the Techstars Atlanta accelerator, plans to use the funding to grow its 140-strong team, it told American Inno.
Pneuma Respiratory, a US-based advanced inhaler developer backed by pharmaceutical firm Haisco, has raised $4.6m in its latest round, according to a regulatory filing. The company secured $8.3m in series A funding from unnamed investors in July 2018, before Haisco provided an additional $10m as part of a distribution agreement the following month.
Amgen Ventures, pharmaceutical firm Amgen’s corporate venturing unit, led a seed round of undisclosed size for US-based cell and gene therapy developer Navan Technologies yesterday. High-Tech Gründerfonds, Hemi Ventures and unnamed institutional and private investors also contributed to the round, which will support development of Navan’s proprietary NanoStraw platform.
US-based app performance analysis tool developer Embrace has received $4.5m in a round led by Pritzker Group Venture Capital that included over-the-top media company Chernin Group, Greycroft, Miramar Ventures, Vy Capital, Eniac Ventures, Techstars Ventures and Tikhon Bernstam, TechCrunch reported on Wednesday. It had previously raised $2.5m in a mid-2017 seed round led by Eniac Ventures and backed by Chernin Group, Techstars Ventures, BoxGroup, Bernstam and fellow angel investor Walter Driver.
Japan-based vertical-axis wind turbine developer Challenergy has secured ¥500m ($4.5m) in funding from industrial parts manufacturer THK, life insurance provider Dai-ichi Life, agricultural equipment producer Kobashi Kogyo and broadcaster Sky Perfect JSat, VentureTimes reported today. The company’s early investors include Glocalink and Euglena SMBC Nikko Leave a Nest Capital, the joint venture formed by biofuel producer Euglena, investment firm SMBC Nikko and VC firm Leave a Nest, according to its website.
On-demand ride provider Grab has invested an undisclosed amount in Singapore-based last-mile delivery service Ninja Van, Straits Times reported yesterday. Ninja Van had raised a total of $32.5m from YJ Capital, a subsidiary of internet company Yahoo Japan, as well as Abraaj Group, Monk’s Hill Ventures, Insas and B Capital Group as of 2016, before logistics provider DPD Group supplied at least $87m in series C funding for the company in January 2018.
Oriient, an Israel-based developer of indoor global positioning system technology, completed a $4m seed round yesterday that included Innogy Innovation Hub, the VC firm and accelerator funded by energy utility Innogy, as well as VC fund F2 Capital. The startup’s technology allows customers such as retailers, airports and shopping centres to identify and track the movements of customers with precise accuracy.
DoubtNut, an India-based online learning platform developer that supplies course materials in several languages, has received Rs 230m ($3.3m) in a round featuring mobile game producer Akatsuki’s AET Fund, the Economic Times reported on Tuesday. Sequoia India’s Surge fund led the round, which also featured WaterBridge Ventures and Omidyar Network India, the two investors that provided $540,000 of pre-series A funding for the company in March 2018.
Driveroo, the US-based developer of a digital platform for vehicle maintenance, raised $3.1m on Monday in a seed round that included WS Investments, the VC fund operated by law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, Vator.tv reported. The round was led by Zack Rinat, founder of revenue management software producer Model N, and Rinat is also taking the chairman position at Driveroo.
Leal, a Colombia-based provider of customer engagement software for retailers, has secured $3m of funding from FCP Innovación, the corporate venturing arm of diversified utility company EPM, and an undisclosed institutional investor, Dinero has reported. Leal has so far signed up some 450 businesses and about 1 million consumers to its loyalty scheme.
Samsung has provided €2.6m ($2.9m) in funding for France-based cryptocurrency and blockchain security technology developer Ledger at a valuation of about $290m, Capital reported on Wednesday. Ledger had raised a total of $84m from Maif Avenir, a subsidiary of insurance firm Maif, as well as Draper Esprit, Draper Associates, Draper Dragon, Boost VC, FirstMark, Cathay Innovation, Korelya Capital, CapHorn Invest, GDTRE, Xange, Kima Ventures, Whittemore Collection, Wicklow Capital, Libertus Capital, BHB Network and Digital Currency Group as of January 2018.
600 (Roppyaku), a Japan-based operator of unmanned convenience stores, has raised ¥300m ($2.7m) in funding from investors including food and beverage producer DyDo, The Bridge reported yesterday. The company had already received $915,000 from Asahi Medilab Ventures and SMBC Venture Capital, subsidiaries of media company Asahi Shimbun and financial services firm Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, as well as AG Capital, Apricot Ventures and various angel investors in January this year.
Welyco, the Japan-based operator of a chain of smart restaurants, has also secured ¥300m ($2.7m), in a series A round featuring Nissay Capital, the VC arm of insurance firm Nippon Life, VentureTimes reported yesterday. The startup had raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding in April 2018 and intends to open three restaurants in the city of Tokyo by the end of this year.
Unilever Ventures, the corporate VC subsidiary of consumer goods producer Unilever, invested an undisclosed amount in Australia-based skincare brand Dr Roebuck’s on Wednesday. The funding was secured as Dr Roebuck’s began supplying its products in Europe and Southeast Asia through a partnership with beauty product retailer Sephora this month.
HoloEyes, a Japan-based developer of virtual reality communications technology for use in medical procedures, has received ¥250m ($2.2m) in funding from SBI Investment, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and Mizuho Capital, subsidiaries of financial services firms SBI, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Mizuho Bank, TechCrunch Japan reported today. It will use the cash to expand its business and strengthen its technology, and is considering the creation of a medical education-focused product using the technology.
Akatsuki’s AET Fund has participated in a $2.2m seed round for Switzerland-based augmented reality content creator RosieReality, TechCrunch reported today. RedAlpine led the round, which also featured Shasta Ventures and angel investors Mattias Ljungman and Siraj Khaliq. Its first product is a children’s puzzle app that focuses on a robot character called Rosie (yes, like in The Jetsons).
Cognosos, a US-based internet-of-things management software developer backed by Cox Enterprises, has raised $1.5m in funding from three undisclosed investors, according to a regulatory filing on Tuesday. Cox Enterprises led its $7.1m series A round, which closed in September 2017, investing alongside hedge fund manager Covalent Partners and angel investor Pete Kight.
Software developer Latinia has led a $500,000 funding round for Facturedo, a Chile-based company that lends businesses money against their accounts receivable, participating alongside undisclosed angel investors. Facturedo also operates in Peru and Mexico, and has supplied a total of about $10m through the platform. It took part in the Startupbootcamp Scale accelerator in 2018.
