US-based fabless semiconductor startup Wiliot completed a funding round of undisclosed size yesterday that included Qualcomm Ventures and M Ventures, the corporate venturing arms of chipmaker Qualcomm and pharmaceutical firm Merck Group, which took its overall funding to $19m. Wiliot had previously raised $14m in a January 2017 series A round featuring venture capital firms Norwest Venture Partners and 83North Venture Capital, and VC fund Grove Ventures.
Internet group Naver has invested ₩5bn ($4.5m) in South Korea-based business card management app developer Remember, VentureSquare reported on Monday. Remember, which is operated by holding company Drama & Company, had previously received $5.4m from Partners Investment, Korea Investment Partners, Ajui IB Investment and Daegyo Investment in September 2015.
US-based Lunar Wireless launched a mobile carrier service yesterday that does not charge monthly fees, at the same time disclosing a $4.1m funding round closed in February this year that included smartphone maker BLU Products. The round was led by 8VC and also featured new media technology holding company WndrCo, Betaworks, Fontinalis Partners, 1517 Fund, Detroit Venture Partners, Core Innovation Capital, Abstract Ventures, Expansion VC, Social Starts and undisclosed angel investors.
South Korea-based customer service and sales support software developer Zoyi Corporation has raised ¥450m ($3.9m) in funding from KDDI Open Innovation Fund, the fund formed by telecommunications firm KDDI, and Colopl Next, an investment vehicle for game developer Colopl, The Bridge has reported. Zoyi had received approximately $270,000 in seed capital from Bon Angels and Fast Track Asia in 2014 before adding $1.8m in a series A round featuring Korea Investment Partners and Aju IB Investment, according to The Bridge.
Stratumn, a France-based startup developing enterprise security technology based on blockchain networks and cryptography, received an undisclosed amount of funding from C. Entrepreneurs, the strategic investment unit for insurer BNP Paribas Cardif, and Cathay Innovation yesterday. The cash will be added to the $7.8m in series A funding Stratumn had raised from Open CNP, which invests on behalf of insurance firm CNP Assurances, stock exchange operator Nasdaq, Digital Currency Group and Otium Ventures as of June 2017.
Askuity, a Canada-based retail sales optimisation platform developer backed by customer science services provider Dunnhumby, completed $3m of growth funding on Wednesday, the capital being supplied by undisclosed investors. Dunnhumby’s corporate venturing unit, Dunnhumby Ventures, led Askuity’s $1.8m seed round in 2014, which included Mars Investment Accelerator Fund, and participated in a $2m round in January 2016 together with unnamed angel investors.
Next47, a corporate VC vehicle for industrial product manufacturer Siemens, led a $3m funding round yesterday for Atom Power, a US-based developer of solid-state power distribution technology. ABB Technology Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of power and automation group ABB, also took part in the round, which followed an investment of undisclosed size by Next47 in February this year.
Munich Re/HSB Ventures, the strategic investment arm of reinsurer Munich Re, has led a round of undisclosed size for WePredict, a UK-based provider of analytics technology for customers in the automotive, agriculture and construction sectors, WePredict revealed on Tuesday. Breed Reply, the early-stage investment vehicle for internet-of-things technology provider Reply, and Development Bank of Wales also took part in the round, and Munich Re plans to develop an insurance product based on WePredict’s technology.
Innogy, the renewable energy and energy retail subsidiary of energy utility RWE, co-led a $2.3m seed round for Waycare Technologies, the Israel-based developer of a traffic management control platform for cities and states, with VC firm Spider Capital on Monday. Geographic information system provider Zymestic Solutions also took part in the round, as did Goldbell Investments, UpWest Labs, Janom and SeedInvest.
Boeing HorizonX Ventures, the strategic investment arm of aerospace company Boeing, invested an undisclosed amount in US-based aluminium alloys developer Gamma Alloys on Wednesday. Gamma Alloys, which was founded in 2008, will put the capital toward developing nanoparticle materials and the full-scale industrialisation of its manufacturing capabilities.
US-based autonomous robotics and vehicle technology startup Realtime Robotics received $2m in funding from investors including Toyota AI Ventures, the artificial intelligence-focused strategic fund formed by carmaker Toyota, on Monday. The round also featured asset management services firm Sparx Group and VC firm Scrum Ventures, and the funding was raised as Realtime gears up to add more roboticists and software engineers to its team.
Gold Farm, the India-based creator of an agricultural equipment sharing marketplace, has raised $2m in seed funding from diversified conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra and VC fund Infuse Ventures, the Economic Times reported on Monday. The startup currently serves about 25,000 farmers, and its app allows owners of farming equipment to lease them out to other users, with Gold Farm taking a cut of the rental charge.
Bud, the UK-based developer of software that enables users to customise their online or mobile banking platforms, has received £1.5m ($2m) from InnoCells, the corporate venturing arm of financial services firm Banco Sabadell, VC fund Force Over Mass Capital, and asset management firm Investec, City AM has reported. The funds will be used for international expansion, with Europe a priority.
EnTouch Controls, a US-based energy management platform developer that counts energy supplier NRG Energy and corporate joint investment venture Aster Capital as backers, has secured $1.2m of a $3.2m round, according to a securities filing. The company had previously raised approximately $20m from investors also including Egis Capital Partners, Traverse Venture Partners, Calvert Investments, Trailblazer Capital, Comerica Bank and SJF Ventures.
A digital technology investment subsidiary of financial services firm Deutsche Bank has invested almost €1m ($1.2m) in Germany-based financial planning app developer Dwins, Handelsblatt reported on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank customers will be the first to test the startup’s Finanzguru app in December this year, before the platform is extended to other banks in 2018.
Mobile game publisher Nazara Games and VC firm Kae Capital have provided an undisclosed amount of funding for India-based daily fantasy sports startup HalaPlay, the Economic Times reported yesterday. HalaPlay’s platform has more than 200,000 registered users, and between 30,000 and 40,000 of those are monthly active users.
MicroBiome Therapeutics, a US-based developer of health and wellness products related to the gastrointestinal microbiome, closed a series B round featuring marketing agency Zehnder Communications on Wednesday that was sized at approximately $1m. Lagniappe Angels and NO/LA Angel Network also took part in the round alongside unnamed private investors, and the funding followed $1.1m in equity funding in 2012, $1.3m in bridge financing from investors including BVM Capital in 2013, and $740,000 in debt financing in early 2015.
Wipro Ventures, the corporate venturing unit formed by IT services provider Wipro, has supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for Headspin, the US-based creator of a mobile app testing platform, LiveMint reported today. Headspin has not revealed details of its earlier funding, but its investors include GV and Telstra Ventures, which function as respective subsidiaries of internet and technology group Alphabet and telecoms firm Telstra respectively.
Performer and music producer Pharrell Williams has invested an undisclosed amount in Roli, the UK-based advanced music keyboard developer backed by record company Universal Music Group, as part of a deal that will involve him becoming the company’s chief creative officer. Roli had previously raised approximately $40m from Universal, BGF Ventures, Founders Fund, Balderton Capital, FirstMark Capital, Index Ventures and Horizons Ventures.