Quantitative trading firms Susquehanna International Group and XR Trading have provided an undisclosed amount of funding for US-based low-latency network technology provider McKay Brothers. The company’s founders will retain a share of more than 70%, McKay having previously received funding from trading firms IMC and Tower Research Capital.
Medical services provider Shulan Health has led a RMB30m ($4.5m) pre-series A round for Hsmap, the China-based creator of a big data platform for the healthcare industry, 36kr reported today. Hangzhou Wangmei investment also participated in the round, and the capital will be used for product development, company growth and the expansion of the company’s data reserves.
Germany-based light detection and ranging (lidar) technology developer Blickfeld raised $4.25m on Tuesday in a seed round led by Fluxunit, a corporate venturing subsidiary of lighting manufacturer Osram. The round also featured Tengelmann Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of retailer Tengelmann, as well as VC fund High-Tech Gründerfonds and VC firm Unternehmertum Venture Capital Partners, and the funding will be used to accelerate product development as Blickfeld aims to begin trialling its systems in early 2018.
Tyre producer Michelin North America has led a round of undisclosed size for SmartDrive Systems, a US-based provider of driving analysis technology. The round also featured vehicle safety equipment provider Wabco, Oak Investment Partners and New Enterprise Associates, the investors that supplied $50m in funding for SmartDrive in early 2015, and the cash will support an expansion into new markets and verticals.
Australia-based homeware e-commerce platform Brosa has secured A$5m ($3.8m) in a series A round featuring financial news provider BMY Group, investment firm Bailador Technology Investments and VC firm AirTree Ventures, Power Retail reported on Wednesday. Brosa received approximately $18,000 when it graduated from Melbourne Accelerator Program in 2014 before pulling in about $1.4m in funding from AirTree in July 2015.
Centrica Innovations, the strategic investment vehicle for energy utility Centrica, combined with VC firm Braemar Energy Ventures on Tuesday to supply an undisclosed amount of funding for LO3 Energy, a US-based startup applying blockchain technology to energy transactions. Centrica was already working with LO3 on blockchain projects in the US and UK.
E-commerce services firm Transcosmos has invested an undisclosed sum in Sweden-based omnichannel commerce services provider Vaimo as part of an ongoing strategic partnership. The deal follows the initial investment made by Transcosmos when the collaboration was formed in September 2015.
Human resources firm Allegis Group made a strategic investment of undisclosed size in HiringSolved, the US-based creator of a software platform that uses artificial intelligence to automate elements of the recruitment process. HiringSolved, which had previously raised $1m from undisclosed investors in 2013, described the investment as “significant,” but will continue to operate as an independent company.
Financial services group SBI has led a $2m pre-series B round for Malaysia-based financial services comparison platform Jirnexu that included Celebes Artha Ventura and Cento Ventures, Tech in Asia reported on Wednesday. Jirnexu has now raised $8m altogether, having secured $3m in a May 2016 series A round led by VC firm DMP that included mobile network NTT Docomo’s corporate venturing unit, NTT Docomo Ventures, as well as Celebes, Tuas Capital Partners, Nullabor, Anfield Equities and angel investor Steve Melhuish.
Lisnr, a US-based data-over-audio technology developer backed by semiconductor producer Intel and advertising firm R/GA, raised an undisclosed amount from consumer financial services provider Synchrony Financial, Mercury Fund, Jump Capital, NGMP and Danmar Capital on Wednesday. Intel unit Intel Capital led Lisnr’s $10m series B round in late 2015, investing alongside R/GA’s corporate venturing unit, R/GA Ventures, as well as Mercury Fund and Jump Capital, taking the company’s total funding to more than $13.5m.
Mara Labs, the India-based operator of logistics optimisation software platform Locus, has received an undisclosed amount of funding from investors including RSP India Fund, a local investment vehicle for Japan-headquartered human resources firm Recruit, VCCircle reported on Tuesday. Exfinity Venture Partners, Blume Ventures and BeeNext also participated in the round, having backed a $2.75m series A round for Mara in May 2016 that included angel investor Rajesh Ranavat. The company also secured an undisclosed amount in 2015 from GrowX Ventures and various angel investors.
DataSine, the UK-based developer of a customer relationship management platform for the financial services industry, has closed a €1m ($1.2m) seed round that included Sistema VC, the corporate venturing unit operated by conglomerate Sistema, as well as Force Over Mass and C. Entrepreneurs, the joint venture between Cathay Innovation and BNP Paribas Cardif. The startup, a graduate of TechStars’ London accelerator, will use the funding to grow ts team and complete the basic version of its product.
JetBlue Technology Ventures, the strategic investment arm of aviation group JetBlue Airways, provided an undisclosed amount of funding on Monday for Skyhour, the US-based creator of an online platform that allows users to gift air miles to each other. Skyhour, which was founded in 2016, will use the capital to expand its presence in the global travel market.