US-based cloud collaboration security startup Altitude Networks emerged on stealth on Wednesday with $9m of series A funding from investors including Slack Fund, enterprise communication platform Slack’s corporate venturing unit. The round was led by venture capital firm Felicis Ventures and included Accomplice and angel investor Alex Stamos. The company identified Accomplice as an existing backer and also named Rain Capital as an investor.
Media and information group Thomson Reuters paid an undisclosed amount to acquire the stake in UK-based enterprise collaboration software provider HighQ Solutions held by investment banking firm Morgan Stanley’s Expansion Capital unit. Morgan Stanley Merchant Banking had joined investment bank Goldman Sachs’ Private Capital vehicle and private equity firm One Peak Partners to invest $50m in HighQ in 2016.
Internet group Baidu has invested an undisclosed amount in China-based literature app developer Qimao Novels in return for a 37.4% stake, KrAsia reported on Wednesday. Qimao’s online platform provides a range of novels that can be read online for free while generating revenue through advertising. Users can also receive cash rewards from frequent use of the service.
KPN Ventures, telecommunications firm KPN’s corporate venturing unit, has led an $8m series A round for Minut, the Sweden-based creator of a home security system that eschews cameras, TechCrunch reported on Monday. Energy utility Centrica also participated in the round, which included Karma Ventures, SOSV and Nordic Makers, the latter three having supplied $2.4m in seed capital for Minut in November 2017. The company had already received an undisclosed amount of pre-seed funding from Nordic Makers, SOSV and angel investors Tord Wingren, Hampus Jakobsson, Don Lindsey and Anders Frankel.
Minute.ly, an Israel-based developer of artificial intelligence-equipped video enhancement technology, has completed an $8m financing round that included sports marketing agency Infront. The round also featured sports marketing agency Ansonia Holdings and existing private investor Gilad Shabtai, and it boosted Minute.ly’s overall funding to $12m. The cash will be spent on technology development and international growth.
Datagrail, the US-based data privacy platform developer backed by law firm Gunderson Dettmer, received $5m on Tuesday in a funding round led by VC firm Cloud Apps Capital. The company said it has now raised $9.2m altogether, having secured $4m in a September 2018 series A round that was also led by Cloud Apps Capital, and which included Gunderson Dettmer, valuing it at $16m. It also identified Steve Lucas, formerly chief executive of marketing software producer Marketo, as an investor.
Nature, the Japan-based creator of intelligent air conditioner Nature Remo, raised ¥500m ($4.6m) from investors including internet company DeNA and VC firm Environment and Energy Investment on Wednesday. DeNA intends to pass its stake along to its newly formed Delight Ventures unit, and the round came in the wake of approximately $920,000 from Daiwa Corporate Investment, the VC arm of brokerage Daiwa Securities Group, in February 2018.
Media company New York Times and Comcast Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of mass media group Comcast, have contributed to a $4.6m seed round for Holloway, a US-based online publisher of long-form how-to guides, TechCrunch reported yesterday. It also featured financial services firm Royal Bank of Canada, New Enterprise Associates, South Park Commons, Precursor Ventures, Day One Ventures, Social Capital, Abstract Ventures, 415, Lightspeed Ventures, Full Tilt Capital and various angel investors.
AI Samurai, a Japan-based developer of artificial intelligence technology for use in patent evaluation, secured ¥470m ($4.3m) in series B-plus funding on Wednesday from investors including intellectual property services provider NGB Corporation, patent information provider Hatsumei-Tsushin and Sansei Capital Investment, part of insurer Taiju Life. The round also featured financial services firms Nanto Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Bank of Yokohama and Tokyo Kiraboshi Financial Group, the latter three through SMBC Venture Capital, Yokohama Capital and Kiraboshi Capital; Osaka University Venture Capital, Elite Network and Venture Labo Investment.
Experian Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of credit services provider Experian, co-led a $4m series A round for US-based consumer finance app developer Stackin’ on Tuesday. The round was co-led by Dig Ventures and Cherry Tree Investments and also featured Social Leverage, Wavemaker Partners and Mucker Capital. The company’s earlier investors include PLG Ventures, Techstars and Clocktower Technology Ventures.
SafetyWing, a Norway-based provider of health insurance for digital nomads, has received $3.5m in seed capital from investors including online lender CreditEase’s Fintech Fund and DG Incubation, a subsidiary of internet company Digital Garage, TechCrunch reported yesterday. The round was led by VC firm ByFounders and it followed $500,000 from Nordic Web Ventures, the government-owned Innovation Norway, friends and family in March 2018. SafetyWing had graduated from accelerator YC Combinator the previous year.
NextStep Interactive, a US-based company that retrains workers for employment in the healthcare sector, secured $3m yesterday from investors including SEI Ventures, the VC fund set up by adult’ education provider Strategic Education, as well as Jazz Venture Partners, Springrock Ventures, City Light Capital, Frontier Angels, Learn Capital’s LearnStart vehicle and three managing directors of startup studio Pioneer Square Labs. It had raised $3.3m from Jazz Venture Partners, Pioneer Square Labs, LearnStart and Springrock Ventures in October 2018.
Predictiva, a Spain-based developer of artificial intelligence technology that helps maintain quality standards in call centres, has closed a €2.6m ($2.9m) funding round featuring Sabadell Venture Capital, the corporate venturing arm of financial services firm Banco Sabadell, El Referente reported on Wednesday. VC fund Swanlaab Venture Factory led the round, which included the European Union’s Horizon 2020 scheme, and which will fund growth in Spain and an expansion into Latin America.
Property developer City Developments has provided S$3m ($2.2m) in pre-series A funding for Gush, a Singapore-based creator of advanced paints and building materials, Business Times reported on Tuesday. Gush will put the cash into research and development as it looks to grow its product range into areas beyond construction, while also seeking to expand further into Southeast Asia.
China-based virtual kitchen operator Nosh has rebranded to Spoonful and secured $1.7m in a pre-series A round that included e-commerce group Alibaba’s Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, DealStreetAsia reported on Wednesday, citing founder and CEO Max von Poelnitz’s LinkedIn account. The round was led by an unnamed Europe-based investor and will fund a move into Southeast Asia.
Anyble, the Japan-based owner of a second-hand scientific equipment marketplace called Ekuipp, raised an undisclosed sum from financial services firm Johnan Shinkin Bank’s Shiraume Fund I today. The funding will support marketing and product development, as Anyble looks to increase the range of the recently launched platform to incorporate all kinds of used industrial hardware.
Gatsby, a US-based options trading platform that is also a graduate of the accelerator formed by financial services firm Barclays and Techstars, has received $1.5m in seed funding from investors including SWS Venture Capital, Plug and Play Ventures and Irish Angels, co-founder Jeff Myers told AlleyWatch on Wednesday. The round boosted the startup’s overall funding to $2m across two rounds.
I-Tech Hankyu Hanshin, the systems integration subsidiary of conglomerate Hankyu Hanshin, provided an undisclosed amount of funding for Japan-based intelligent customer service technology developer Tripla yesterday. Tripla, the creator of a multilingual chatbot and hotel reservation tool, was founded in 2015.
Opt Ventures, the corporate venturing vehicle for digital marketing firm Opt, led a ¥150m ($1.4m) funding round yesterday for Crassone, the Japan-based operator of an online marketplace for construction and landscaping services. VC firm Shizuoka Capital and Sansei Capital Investment also contributed to the round.
Blue Label Ventures, the VC and accelerator vehicle formed as a joint venture by telecoms firm Blue Label Telecoms and Blue Pencil Ventures, has paid an undisclosed sum for a 26% stake in South Africa-based sports analytics and timing technology provider Mobii Systems, Business Day reported on Tuesday. The 11-year old company has not revealed details of earlier funding and will put the Blue Label investment into product development.
T-ICU, a Japan-based company that provides specialist medical staff to intensive care units, raised ¥138m ($1.3m) on Wednesday from investors including logistics service provider Minato’s corporate venturing unit, Minato Capital. The corporate was joined by Beyond Next Ventures, Seiho Investment Works, Future Venture Capital, Milestone Turnaround Management and T-ICU chief executive Tomoyuki Nakanishi.
Wayra, the open innovation hub created by telecoms firm Telefónica, has joined VC firm Nauta Capital to invest an undisclosed sum in US-based cloud management software provider Abiquo, El Referente has reported. Abiquo had raised a total of just over $25m according to regulatory filings, from investors including Nauta Capital, Oxford Capital, Balderton Capital and Caja Navarra’s Eurecan fund.
Elestyle, the Japan-based creator of a multi-mobile payment platform called Elepay, received ¥84.6m ($780,000) on Tuesday in what it referred to as an angel round, from investors including printing services firm Kyodo Printing. The round also featured startup-focused consulting firm Rocking Horse and angel investors including Kotaro Chiba and Masahiko Makabe. The funding will go towards product development.
Enterprise and governmental software producer Softplan has provided an undisclosed amount of funding for Brazil-based healthcare portal developer Bio.aps, Baguete has reported. The company’s platform collates and securely stores medical data while giving users 24-hour access to healthcare professionals.
Spain-based subterranean robotics developer Inloc Robotics has raised €550,000 ($610,000) from GoAigua, a subsidiary of water services provider Global Omnium, in return for a 20% stake, El Confidencial reported yesterday. The capital will go to research and development, as Inloc looks to enhance its automation technology.
