US-based sustainable cold chain packaging producer Vericool has closed a $5m series A round led by packaging company BillerudKorsnäs’ investment division BillerudKorsnäs Venture. The funding will be used to expand the company’s capacity as it faces increasing demand from meal delivery services and the life sciences industries. Vericool’s packaging is recyclable and compostable, as opposed to commonly used Styrofoam which can take centuries to decompose in landfills.
US-based regulatory reporting services provider Regtek Solutions has attracted $5m in a series A round co-led by equity trading marketplace operator Deutsche Börse and Illuminate Financial Management. Regtek’s software facilitates regulatory reporting across multiple jurisdictions and asset classes. Deutsche Börse made its investment through corporate venturing division DB1 Ventures. The money will enable Regtek to scale its operations.
Wizer, a US-based software-as-a-service consumer research company, has closed a $4m series A round that included Nielsen Innovation, the early-stage investment unit of research firm Nielsen, and State of Mind Ventures, which led the round. Wizer relies on artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to offer comprehensive research tailored to a client’s needs.
US-based over-the-top video delivery platform Streamroot has raised $3.2m in funding from Verizon Ventures, the mobile telecoms firm’s strategic investment unit, advertising agency R/GA, Partech Ventures, Techstars Venture Capital Fund. The company, which has now secured a total of $6m according to the latest press release, is producing peer-to-peer delivery technology for online video publishers. Streamroot claims to be processing more than 400 million video sessions per month.
CMFG Ventures, the investment arm of insurer CUNA Mutual Group, has contributed to an equity funding of more than $3m for US-based car repair marketplace ForeverCar. Method Capital, SAP Fieldglass founder Jai Shekhawat as well as unnamed, existing backers also took part in the round, which was raised alongside $12m in debt financing. ForeverCar previously raised $10m from CMFG, KDWC Ventures and Shekhawat in November 2016.
Co-working spaces provider UrWork has taken part in a $3m pre-series A round for its Indonesia-based peer ReWork, TechCrunch reported today. The round was co-led by ATM Capital and Convergence Ventures, while Social Capital, Fortune Union Investments, ACE Capital and unnamed backers also joined. UrWork’s commitment is expected to give it an edge in Southeast Asia as competition in the sector heats up in China.
Thailand-based digital ticketing provider Event Pop has raised more than $2m in a series A round led by InVent, the corporate venturing division of telecoms firm Intouch Holdings, according to TechCrunch. It also involved the Beacon Fund, the investment vehicle of financial services firm Kasikorn Bank. Opt Sea, the venture capital affiliate of marketing firm OPT, participated in a $500,000 seed round in February 2016 alongside KK Fund, which led the round, and angel investors.
Reaktor Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of software development and design firm Reaktor, has participated in a $2m funding round for Finland-based artificial intelligence technology developer Valossa, according to FinSMEs. The round was led by 01Ventures and further included Butterfly Ventures as well as angel investor Jari Ovaskainen. Valossa is working on products that use artificial intelligence to offer visual content search and recognition.
Lireas Holding, the strategic investment arm of reinsurer Hannover Re Group Africa, has backed a $400,000 seed round for Pineapple, a South Africa-based insurtech developer formerly known as Amyti. The money will allow the startup to launch its peer-to-peer insurance platform by the end of this year.
CheckYeti, an Austria-based platform to book winter sports trips and outdoor activities, has received an undisclosed sum from investors including Ringier Digital Ventures, the corporate venturing division of media group Ringier, Startup300, Michael Altrichter and Stefan Kalteis. The platform currently offers more than 2,000 activities across some 300 ski resorts, and will use the capital to further expand its operations.
Conglomerate Sony has supplied an undisclosed amount in series A funding to Switzerland-based robotics developer Acutronic Robotics, according to TechCrunch. Sony supplied the cash through its Sony Innovation Fund. The corporate will also adopt the startup’s Hardware Robot Operating System for its own robotics division. Acutronic had previously obtained an undisclosed amount from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa), an agency of the US Department of Defense.
US-based fintech developer Cloud Lending Solutions has collected an undisclosed sum from the Digital Impact Fund, the investment vehicle of financial services firm ABN Amro. The startup has developed a cloud-based lending platform built on customer relationship management platform Salesforce.
Malaysia-based online property management service iResidenz has collected an undisclosed amount in pre-series A funding from e-commerce company Interbase Resources, Tech in Asia reported yesterday. The company enables tenants to access their bills, make payments, book facilities and submit complaints, while landlords can access real-time reports into the performance of their properties and automate certain administrative tasks.