Technology and trading firm Susquehanna International Group invested $5m in UK-based online and mobile financial trading technology developer TigerWit yesterday. The funding will be invested in developing the company’s mobile trading technology, including the use of blockchain in the trading process.
Tagnos, a US-based developer of automation technology for clinical healthcare logistics processes, raised $5m yesterday from investors including Zebra Ventures, the corporate venturing vehicle for data tracking technology provider Zebra Technologies. The round also featured venture capital firms Benhamou Global Ventures and Morpheus Ventures, and was disclosed roughly two weeks after a regulatory filing indicated Tagnos had raised $5.8m of a $6.8m round.
Intermedia Ventures, the corporate venturing vehicle for media group Media Union, co-led a series B round sized in the seven-digit euro range (€1m = $1.2m) for Germany-based tourism activities platform Bookingkit with VC firm High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and angel investor Robert Kabs on Monday. The round included media company Müller Medien and came after the company raised an undisclosed amount from Intermedia, HTGF and Kabs in a mid-2016 series A round.
Amino Payments, the US-based developer of a transparent payment platform for digital advertising, has completed a $4.5m seed round featuring You & Mr Jones Brandtech Ventures, a subsidiary of marketing technology producer You & Mr Jones. The round was led by VC firm First Round Capital and included Nyca Investment Fund, Tessera Venture Partners and angel investors Auren Hoffman and Tod Sacerdoti.
Japan-based microfinance holding company Gojo & Company has received an undisclosed amount of series B funding from consulting firm Link and Motivation and Nissay Capital, the corporate venturing arm of insurance firm Nippon Life. The capital represents the second close of a round expected to be sized between $10m and $15m and follows $5.4m from mutual insurance provider Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company and VC firm Nippon Venture Capital in October 2017.
Saturas, the Israel-based creator of a sensor system that analyses the irrigation status of plants, secured $4m on Monday in a series A round featuring fertiliser additive producer Hubei Forbon. The round included collective farm Ramat Magshimim and winery operator Miguel Torres Winery, as well as Israel Farmers Union, Gefen Capital, Trendlines and angel investor Shlomo Nechama – the participants in the company’s $1m seed round in February 2016.
Specialty chemicals producer Evonik invested an undisclosed amount in Israel-based inkjet technology developer Velox today through its corporate venturing unit, Evonik Venture Capital. Velox’s inks are used in digital printing to create embellishment effects on a wide range of products made of metal, plastic and glass, and it is developing dedicated products for use on cylindrical plastic and aluminium containers.
Authlete, the Japan-based developer of a secure framework for the viewing of documents, has completed a $3m pre-series A round, raising funding from printing services provider Toppan Printing, data management software producer MTI and NTT Docomo Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of mobile network NTT Docomo. The company, which was founded in 2015, had closed a $1.2m seed round featuring VC firm 500 Startups in May 2017.
Communications and sensor system provider L3 Technologies supplied an undisclosed amount of series B funding for US-based Peak Nano Optics, a optical-focused joint venture between nanotechnology developer Peak Nano and optical product maker Polymer Plus, earlier this month, it announced on Wednesday. The investment, which follows a $5.8m series A round in March 2017 featuring unnamed family offices, will be used to enhance the development of Peak Nano’s biomedical, virtual and augmented reality technology.
Suit manufacturer Dayang Group invested $2.5m in InStitchu, an Australia-based provider of custom-fit suits, on Monday as part of a commercial deal through which Dayang will become the latter’s production partner. InStitchu had previously received an undisclosed amount from Disruptive Capital, a subsidiary of corporate advisory firm Aura Capital Group, at a $2.4m valuation in 2013, before Aura invested approximately $1.7m the following year.
Switzerland-based online grocer Bring secured CHF2.3m ($2.4m) on Tuesday from Swisscom Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of telecommunications firm Swisscom, Swiss Founders Fund and undisclosed angel investors. Bring had previously raised approximately $1.3m from Investiere, which supplied $550,000, and assorted angel investors in an August 2016 seed round.
Cell therapy developer Portage Biotech agreed on Wednesday to provide €2m ($2.4m) in seed funding for France-based immunotherapy developer Stimunity dependent on the completion of certain milestones. The capital will support preclinical development of Stimunity’s lead drug candidate, a biologic enhancer of a protein pathway that activates the human body’s immune system to fight tumour cells.
Red Violet Blockchain and Analytical Solutions, a subsidiary of data analytics software provider Cogint, has paid an undisclosed amount for a stake of less than 5% in business blockchain technology startup Dragonchain. The investment comes after Dragonchain, which was originally formed by entertainment conglomerate Walt Disney as Disney Private Blockchain Platform, raised $13.7m in a November 2017 initial coin offering.
Boost Biomes, a US-based startup developing drugs focused on the microbiome, launched on Tuesday with $2.05m raised in a seed round featuring internet group Tencent. The round was co-led by company builder Nimble Ventures and investment firm Viking Global Investors, and Boost is a graduate of Illumina Accelerator, which was launched by genomics technology provider Illumina.
Turner Imaging Systems, a US-based X-ray imaging system startup spun out of medical technology producer Turner Innovations, completed a seed round of undisclosed size on Tuesday having received funding from Radnet Management, a subsidiary of diagnostic imaging services provider RadNet, as well as Cavendish Impact Capital and unnamed private investors. Although the amount was not disclosed, the company had raised $500,000 for a $3.8m round from one investor as of November 2017, according to a securities filing.
Aerial Technologies, a Canada-based developer of wireless motion analytics technology, raised C$1.9m ($1.5m) on Monday in a seed round led by an unnamed chipset producer that included media company Quebecor and Telefónica Open Future, a subsidiary of telecoms firm Telefónica. The corporates were joined by Fonds Innovexport, Kibo Ventures and undisclosed existing investors, and the funding followed $1.8m in convertible note financing in July 2017 from the latest named backers as well as TandemLaunch and angel investor Jean-François Grenon.
Franchising and licensing services provider Franchise India has joined angel investor Anubhav Chopra to supply $1m in funding for India-based laundry and cleaning services startup UClean, DailyHunt reported on Tuesday. The capital was secured as UClean launched a door-to-door house and office cleaning service called Mint Clean which it plans to expand to 100 franchise branches by 2020.
Fifth Third Capital, a VC arm of financial services provider Fifth Third Bancorp, invested an amount reported by TechCrunch as $1m in Current, the US-based creator of a debit card for children and teens, on Tuesday, taking its total funding to $10m according to the company. The cash will be added to the $5m in series A funding Current raised from QED Investors and Cota Capital in October 2017, which in turn followed a $3.6m seed round featuring Expa, Human Ventures and Future Perfect Ventures seven months earlier.
Signet Chemical Corporation, a supplier of raw supplies for pharmaceutical producers, has invested approximately $770,000 in India-based furniture rental platform Furlenco, Paper.vc has reported. Furlenco raised $15m in a late 2016 equity round co-led by Lightbox Ventures and Axis Capital alongside $15m in debt from financial services firms, family offices and private investors, having secured $6m from Lightbox the year before.
Japan-based automated marketing software startup ChatBook has raised an undisclosed amount of seed capital from Salesforce Ventures and YJ Capital, the corporate venturing subsidiaries of enterprise software producer Salesforce and internet company Yahoo Japan, as well as VC firm East Ventures, The Bridge has reported. Formerly known as Hect, the company has also been part of accelerators run by recruitment firm Dip, Facebook-backed developer support scheme FbStart and Code Republic.
Manufacturing and industrial services provider Seftech India has paid $350,000 for a 26% stake in Sivic, the US-based creator of a democratic engagement platform. The funding will be used by Sivic to develop its product, which will help users get in touch with influential politicians or organisations, in preparation for a soft launch of the alpha version of the product later this year.
Argentina-based agricultural monitoring software developer Auravant has secured $350,000 in seed funding from investors including news aggregation platform Glocal, iProfesional has reported. VC firm Nest and unnamed angel investors also took part in the round, Auravant having previously received undisclosed amounts from Telefónica subsidiary Wayra Argentina and NXTP Labs after graduating from their respective accelerators.