TactoTek, a Finland-based 3D molded part producer backed by automotive components producer Faurecia, has received $6m of funding from VC and advisory firm Ascend Capital, Nordic9 has reported. The company had previously raised more than $20m from Faurecia unit Faurecia Ventures, university-affiliated firms VTT Ventures and Leaguer Group, Conor Venture Partners, Tekes and various angel investors.
Private equity firm China Broadband Capital provided an undisclosed amount of series E-1 funding for Payoneer, a payment processing platform backed by insurer Ping An, on Tuesday. Payoneer raised more than $225m in a 2016 series E round featuring Susquehanna Growth Equity, Technology Crossover Ventures and W Capital, and its earlier investors include Carmel Ventures, Vintage Venture Partners, Wellington Management, Nyca Partners and 83North as well as Ping An.
Consumer and engineering product maker Honeywell agreed yesterday to pay an undisclosed amount for a 25% stake in China-based warehouse and supply chain management software provider Flux Information Technology. Honeywell will also form a joint venture with Flux’s founder, in which it will own a 75% stake, to serve customers outside China, and the JV will initially focus on Southeast Asia.
Tattoodo, a Denmark-based online tattoo services marketplace that counts apparel supplier Threadless as an investor, has raised DKK31m ($4.9m) from VC fund Nordic Eye and angel investors including footballer Daniel Agger, actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Christian Stadil, Jan Bech Andersen and Bjarke Ingels, Nordic9 reported on Monday. The company had previously raised $14m, according to Nordic9, with Threadless having invested an undisclosed sum in 2013.
Axa Strategic Ventures and Microsoft Ventures, respective subsidiaries of insurance group Axa and software provider Microsoft, invested an undisclosed amount in US-based cybersecurity technology provider Contrast Security yesterday. The capital will be added to the $30m in series C funding Contrast raised in October this year, in a round led by venture capital firm Battery Ventures and backed by existing investors General Catalyst and Acero Capital, increasing the company’s total funding to $54m.
Pharmaceutical firm Shire has invested an undisclosed sum in US-based drug delivery system developer Rani Therapeutics on Tuesday as part of a collaboration agreement. The deal came after Rani had raised about $100m as of September this year, from investors including GV, a subsidiary of internet technology conglomerate Alphabet, and Ping An unit Ping An Ventures, as well as pharmaceutical packaging manufacturer Stevanato and pharmaceutical firms Novartis, KPC and AstraZeneca.
US-based transportation security technology startup Overhaul closed a $4.5m seed round yesterday that was led by Abbey International Finance Group, a business-focused financial services provider that also oversees a vehicle leasing business. The capital will be used to enhance Overhaul’s risk management platform, Sentinel, which detects and fixes non-compliance behaviour in real time using automated data.
Germany-based football media app Onefootball has secured an undisclosed amount of funding from investors including sports apparel producer Adidas, TechCrunch reported on Monday. Onefootball, then known as The Football App, raised approximately $13m in a 2013 series A round led by Earlybird Venture Capital before Union Square Ventures led a $7m round for the company the following year.
Netherlands-based bird control technology and services startup Clear Flight Solutions has secured €2.6m ($3.1m) in funding from drone services provider Aerium Analytics and VC fund Cottonwood Euro Technology Fund as part of a series B round it aims to close at €6m. Cottonwood Euro Technology Fund had previously invested $1.7m in Clear Flight in March 2015, and the series B proceeds will support growth in North America and an upgraded version of its remotely-controlled robotic bird of prey.
Leapmotor, a China-based automotive energy technology spinoff of video surveillance equipment maker Dahua Technology, has received an undisclosed amount of funding from VC firm Sequoia Capital China, China Money Network reported on Tuesday. The company is developing smart electric vehicles and has some 400 employees, the majority of which work in research and development.
Insurance firm Assurant invested in Maxwell Financial Labs, a US-based developer of cloud software for the mortgage industry, on Wednesday, as part of a $3m round led by Anthemis Group that included Route66 Ventures. The startup had raised approximately $2m in a seed round that closed in November 2016, and which was led by Math Venture Partners and backed by Techstars Ventures, Sovereign’s Capital, Zelkova Ventures, Cantos Ventures, Timberline Venture Partners and undisclosed angel investors.
Presidio Ventures, the US-based corporate venturing subsidiary of diversified Japan-headquartered conglomerate Sumitomo, provided an undisclosed amount of funding for US-based nano-porous silica manufacturer TruTag Technologies on Monday as part of a strategic partnership. TruTag closed a $16.8m round in 2014 according to regulatory filings, which included pharmaceutical research firm WuXi PharmaTech’s corporate venturing unit. Joint investment syndicate VPG Asia is also an investor.
Skincare and cosmetics product maker Emami agreed yesterday to invest an undisclosed sum in return for a 30% share of Helios Lifestyle, the India-based operator of male grooming brand The Man Company. The deal, which is expected to close sometime in 2018, represents Emami’s first step into the male grooming market.
E-commerce company Zalando has invested SEK20m in Sweden-based women’s fashion e-commerce platform Ivyrevel as part of a SEK21m ($2.5m) funding round, Di Digital has reported. Fashion brand H&M had paid SEK20m for a 20% stake in Ivyrevel in mid-2015 and secured approximately $5.9m in convertible note financing from undisclosed investors in October 2016.
Engineering and construction services firm Subsea7 has supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for Airborne Oil & Gas (AOG), a Netherlands-based provider of thermoplastic composite pipe equipment for the oil and gas industry. AOG had previously received €42m ($50m) of funding from petroleum firms Saudi Aramco, Shell and Chevron, chemicals producer Evonik, HPE Growth Capital, Pangaea Ventures and Adveq.
Gradient Ventures, the specialist artificial intelligence fund formed by internet technology provider Google, has led a $2.3m seed round for US-based coding automation technology startup PullRequest, TechCrunch reported yesterday. Slack Fund, the corporate venturing vehicle for enterprise communication platform Slack, also took part in the round, as did Fika Ventures, Defy Ventures, Lynett Capital, FundersClub and Liquid2 Ventures.
Elves, the Egypt-based developer of an online assistant for e-commerce services, has raised $2m in seed capital from property developer Emaar, Kauffman Fellows Syndicate, Dubai Angel Investors and undisclosed additional angel investors, MENAbytes has reported. The company, which was founded in 2015, has a 40-strong team and will use the proceeds from the round, described by MENAbytes as “by far the largest seed round ever for an Egyptian startup,” to enhance the platform and expand internationally.
Israel-based conductive copper ink developer Copprint Technologies has received an undisclosed amount of funding from adhesives, beauty and laundry product maker Henkel. Copprint, which was founded in 2016, will put the funding into expanding its product lines and increasing production of its technology.
In-Q-Tel, the strategic investment arm for the US intelligence community, provided an undisclosed amount for US-based data security developer Enveil on Tuesday. Enveil raised $4m last month from Bloomberg Beta, the data-focused investment arm of media company Bloomberg, as well as market analysis firm Thomson Reuters and an affiliate of financial services provider USAA, after securing $1m from DataTribe in late 2016.
Continuum Security, the Spain-based creator of a cyber threat modelling platform, received €1.5m ($1.8m) on Tuesday in a round led by VC fund Swanlaab Venture Factory that included Sonae IM, the corporate venturing arm of telecoms and retail company Sonae, as well as JME Venture Capital. The funding will go to growing Continuum’s sales and R&D teams as the company looks to expand internationally.
Sanctuary, the creator of a digital media platform focused on astrology, tarot and numerology content, raised $1.5m yesterday in a seed round that included Broadway Video Ventures, the corporate VC subsidiary of entertainment production studio Broadway Video. The round was led by Advancit Capital and also featured Greycroft Partners, KEC Ventures and Blue Collective.
Payment services firm Mastercard invested an undisclosed amount in Hypr, the US-based creator of a decentralised authentication platform, on Wednesday, that increased Hypr’s total funding to $14m, in advance of the company joining its Mastercard Start Path accelerator. Hypr closed an $8m series A round led by RRE Ventures in October this year that included existing investors RTP Ventures, Boldstart Ventures and Mesh Ventures, and which took Hypr’s overall funding to $12.8m.
Telecommunications firm Bharti Airtel has made a strategic investment of undisclosed size in Juggernaut Books, the India-based creator of an online literary publishing platform, Hindu Business Line reported on Monday. The startup had previously received approximately $2.2m in funding from angel investors William Bissell, Nandan Nilekani and Neeraj Aggarwa in September 2015.
– This article was amended on December 13, 2017 to reflect the precise amount in the TactoTek round.