Stem Disintermedia, a US-based music distribution startup backed by mass media provider AOL’s BBG Ventures unit, has raised $4.5m from investors including venture capital firm Upfront Ventures and music manager Scooter Braun, the New York Times has reported. Stem had previously collected seed funding from entrepreneur Mark Cuban and $4.5m in a seed round backed by music management agency Three Six Zero Group, Upfront, Vayner Capital, Ludlow Ventures and angel investors including Braun in April 2016.
Marketing group WPP provided $4m of series A funding on Monday for Subvrsive, a US-based startup developing virtual and augmented reality technology for use in advertising. The capital will support company growth and hiring, and Subvrsive will work with clients of WPP and its subsidiaries.
US-based 3D printed footwear provider Wiiv Wearables secured $4m on Wednesday in a series A round led by an undisclosed private tech investor syndicate that included Evonik Venture Capital, the corporate venturing vehicle for specialty chemicals producer Evonik, as well as Eclipse VC, Real Ventures and Asimov Ventures. Evonik VC had previously invested an undisclosed amount in Wiiv in mid-2015 alongside VC firm Formation 8 before taking part in a $3.5m seed round in April 2016 with apparel producer MAS Holdings, Eclipse, Asimov and Real Ventures.
Lifestyle Design, the Japan-based operator of an online platform called LaFabric that sells tailored clothing, has closed a ¥400m ($3.5m) funding round featuring Nissay Capital, the corporate venturing arm of insurance firm Nippon Life Insurance, The Bridge has reported. The round was also backed by IMJ Investment Partners, Chibagin Capital, Future Venture Capital and angel investors including Kotaro Chiba and Shingo Iwata, and will support company growth and the establishment of a clothing production platform.
Venture and technology development company TechAccel and Iowa Corn Opportunities, an equity fund owned by trade body Iowa Corn Growers Association, invested an undisclosed amount in US-based feed additive enzyme producer Agrivida yesterday. Agrivida had raised more than $58m from investors including Syngenta Ventures and Presidio Ventures, respective subsidiaries of agribusiness Syngenta and conglomerate Sumitomo, as of a $20.4m round in September 2016 that the company planned to close at $24m.
Brandzooka, the US-based developer of an automated ad buying platform, raised $1.5m in funding on Monday led by led by Batshit Crazy Ventures to take a seed round backed by digital marketing agency IMM to $3.2m. Other investors in the round’s first tranche, which closed in April 2016, include Galvanize Ventures, EonCapital Ventures, Mahalo Capital and RSVP Ventures.
CME Ventures, the VC arm of options and futures exchange operator CME Group, provided an undisclosed amount of funding for CrossLend, a Germany-based company that is making debt an investible asset by securitising individual loans into bonds. CrossLend raised the capital alongside an undisclosed sum from VC fund and existing investor Lakestar, and its other existing backers include Northzone and Atlantic Labs.
E-commerce firm ePrice has invested €1m ($1.05m) in Italy-based heating and air-conditioning service provider Termostore and now holds a 43% stake in the company. The investment in Termostore, which offers a turnkey service for the installation and maintenance of heating and air-conditioning systems, was made as part of a strategic drive that will involve ePrice moving further into home services.
Medici Ventures, the blockchain investment arm of retail technology provider Overstock.com, paid $750,000 on Tuesday for a 2.5% stake in Factom, a US-based company applying blockchain technology to the mortgage compliance process. Factom had previously raised approximately $5.7m from investors including Kuala Innovations, Fenbushi Capital, private investor Tim Draper and crowdfunding platform BnkToTheFuture.
US-based banking technology developer Plaid Technologies revealed on Monday that the $44m series B round it announced in June 2016 included Citi Ventures and American Express Ventures, respective subsidiaries of financial services firm Citi and payment services provider American Express. The round, which was led by Goldman Sachs Investment Partners, included New Enterprise Associates and followed a $2.8m round in 2013 featuring GV, a corporate venturing subsidiary of internet technology group Alphabet.
Wayra Chile, a regional subsidiary of Spain-based telecommunications group Telefónica, has invested a total of almost $400,000 in four startups. The four in question are mobile crowdsourcing platform RocketPin; Hitmap, the developer of a platform to source ideal locations for investments; Ipsum, the creator of a web and mobile platform to manage construction and engineering projects; and ComunidadFeliz, which provides software that helps manage expenses related to building administration.