Naspers Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of media and e-commerce group Naspers, led the $5m second tranche on Tuesday of a series A round for Philippines-based blockchain-equipped mobile payment platform Coins. The $5m first tranche closed in October 2016 and included Kickstart Ventures and Ideaspace Foundation, respective subsidiaries of telecom firms Globe Telecom and Smart Communications, as well as Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund, Wavemaker Partners, Global Brain, BeeNext, Rebright Partners, Innovation Endeavors, Pantera Capital and Digital Currency Group.
Discuss.io, the US-based creator of a video platform for consumer feedback, completed a $5m series A round co-led by Unilever Ventures, the strategic investment subsidiary of consumer goods manufacturer Unilever, and venture capital firm Pereg Ventures on Tuesday. Unilever Ventures had previously led Discuss.io’s $1.4m seed round in April 2016, and the latest funding will be used to grow the startup’s sales and engineering teams.
E-commerce services firm TransCosmos has provided $5m of series A funding for Malaysia-based digital payment technology provider Soft Space, Tech in Asia reported today. Soft Space raised the funding, which follows an undisclosed amount of grants and angel investment, as it prepares to expand into Japan, where TransCosmos is based, and where it signed a memorandum of understanding with payment services firm Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company in January this year.
Technology conglomerate Kuang-Chi has supplied $4m for SkyX, the Israel-based developer of an unmanned aerial vehicle used to monitor oil and gas assets, as part of an investment that will ultimately reach $5m, Times of Israel reported on Monday. The deal follows a pledge by Kuang-Chi in May 2016 to invest $300m in Israel-based technology developers.
Formation Biologics, a Canada-based cancer and orphan disease-focused spinout of pharmaceutical company YM BioSciences, has closed a series B round of undisclosed size led by investment firm HBM Healthcare Investments. The cash will support the advance of Formation’s two lead drug candidates, AVID100 and AVID200, through the clinical validation process.
United Arab Emirates-based financial and insurance product comparison platform Compareit4me has raised $3.5m in funding, the majority of which came from STC Ventures, the VC firm sponsored by telecom group Saudi Telecom, and Wamda Capital, with Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority and Saned Partners also contributing, Gulf Business reported on Wednesday. Compareit4me had previously raised $5.4m from STC Ventures, Wamda Capital Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority across rounds in 2015 and 2016.
People Power, a US-based developer of internet-of-things technology for energy retailers and digital service providers, has raised $2m from Innogy, a subsidiary of energy utility RWE, and $1.2m from energy supplier Origin Energy as part of a series B-1 round that increased its overall funding to $14m. It had raised $6.3m in funding between 2009 and 2013 before securing $4.4m in a 2015 series B round led by fabless semiconductor producer MediaTek.
US-based Embrace.io launched a performance feedback platform for mobile apps on Tuesday with $2.5m of seed capital from investors including media company Chernin Group. The round was led by seed-stage VC firm Eniac Ventures and included Techstars Ventures, BoxGroup and angel investors including Walter Driver and Tikhon Bernstam.
Consulting firm Accenture invested an undisclosed amount in Canada-based pricing and profitability management technology provider Nomis Solutions on Tuesday, forming a strategic alliance with Nomis in the process. Nomis had previously raised a total of $20.5m from Bain Capital Ventures, SVB Capital, August Capital and Red Rock Ventures between 2004 and 2007, according to securities filings and press releases.
Italy-based online lending platform OrsadelCredito.it has received €1.6m ($1.8m) in a round led by VC firm P101 that included payment services provider GC Holding, Il Sore 24 Ore has reported. The round, which included Azimut Enterprises Holding, a subsidiary of asset manager Azimut, followed €1m in funding from P101 in December 2015.
Bowery, the US-based creator of a commercial appraisal firm that utilises advanced technologies including big data, closed a $1.75m seed round on Tuesday that included Camber Creek, the strategic investment fund formed by real estate developer Berman Enterprises. The round’s other participants were Fika Ventures, Corigin Ventures, LeFrak, and Expansion Venture Capital.
Meta SaaS, a US-based startup working on technology that helps companies more efficiently manage their software-as-a-service subscriptions, completed a $1.5m seed round on Tuesday that included cybersecurity and networking software provider Barracuda Networks. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban led the round and was joined by fellow angel investors including Brett Hurt.
VC firm Capnamic Ventures has supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for Contiamo, a Germany-based data science platform developer that counts media company Vogel Business Media as an existing backer. Vogel had invested a six-figure euro amount in Contiamo through its corporate venturing subsidiary Vogel Ventures, and Hub:raum, the incubator subsidiary of telecommunications firm Deutsche Telekom, is also a backer.
Binded, a US-based startup that uses the blockchain to help photographers protect the rights to their images, rebranded from Blockai yesterday and disclosed $950,000 of new funding from investors including media company Asahi Shimbun to TechCrunch. The rest of the funding, which brought the total raised by Binded to $1.5m, came from Mistletoe, Vectr Ventures, M&Y Growth Partners, Tokyo Founders Fund and Social Starts.
Advertising technology provider FreakOut Holdings has invested more than ¥80m ($720,000) in Zeals, the Japan-based developer of a chatbot management platform, The Bridge has reported. Zeals had previously raised an undisclosed amount of funding from human resources firm Will Group in January 2015.
Italy-based trend forecasting software developer iCoolhunt has received an undisclosed amount of funding from an unnamed family office, Finsmes reported on Wednesday. The investment followed $1m investment of funding from Atlante Ventures Mezzogiorno/IMI Fondi Chiusi, a VC subsidiary of financial services firm Intesa San Paolo, $650,000 of which was invested in 2013.
Sky Capital America, a subsidiary of solar power producer Sky Solar, invested an undisclosed sum indicated by a securities filing to be $500,000 in AmberWave, a US-based producer of solar photovoltaic cells that can be integrated into building materials, on Monday. AmberWave had previously raised $96m from investors including Adams Capital Management, TeleSoft Partners, Arch Venture Partners, 3i and The Hillman Co, according to regulatory filings and press releases.
India-based property consultancy Zipgrid has raised $500,000 from JLL Technology Ventures, a strategic investment subsidiary of real estate consultancy Jones Lang LaSalle India, and crowdfunding platform 1Crowd, Hindu Business Line reported on Monday. Founded in 2013, Zipgrid had previously secured $200,000 in equity financing through 1Crowd in August 2016.
Italy-based fundraising platform builder Growish has received €400,000 ($450,000) in funding from financial services group Banca Sella Holding as well as Club Degli Investitori, R301 Capital, angel investors Lodovico Rosnati and the company’s founders, Finsmes reported on Monday. Growish had previously raised €500,000 in 2014 from Anna Siccardi, Nader Sabbaghian, Antonino Pisana and Alessandro Rivetti, all part of the network of Digital Magics, the incubator from where Growish emerged.