US-based edge computing technology developer Ampere secured an undisclosed amount yesterday in a funding round led by private equity firm Carlyle and backed by Arm, the semiconductor technology subsidiary of telecommunications and internet group SoftBank. The round represented the second batch of funding raised by Ampere, which had secured an undisclosed sum from Carlyle when it emerged from stealth in February 2018.
Gradient Ventures, internet technology provider Google’s artificial intelligence-focused fund, led a $10m round for Labelbox, a US-based developer of training software for machine learning applications, on Tuesday that included Kleiner Perkins, First Round and angel investor Sumon Sadhu. Anna Patterson, managing partner of Gradient Ventures, joined Labelbox’s board of directors in connection with the round, which came after Gradient, Kleiner Perkins (then Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and First Round had supplied $3.9m of seed capital for the startup in July 2018.
Avectas, an Ireland-based cell engineering technology developer backed by biopharmaceutical company Emergent BioSolutions, closed a $10m funding round on Tuesday, raising the cash from a consortium of private investors led by Seamus Mulligan. Emergent subsidiary Adapt Pharma had provided $6.1m of convertible note financing for Avectas across investments in 2017 and March 2018, and the company received another $1m in convertible debt from unnamed backers during 2018.
Internet technology provider Google has invested approximately $5m to lead a Rs 684m ($9.8m) funding round for India-based delivery services platform Dunzo, TechCircle reported on Monday, citing a regulatory filing. The corporate was joined by Blume Ventures, Patni Wealth Advisors, Alteria Capital and unnamed others, having led Dunzo’s $12.5m series B round in late 2017, investing through its Google Asia Pacific subsidiary alongside Aspada and Blume Ventures. Dunzo has now raised more than $24m altogether.
Diameter Health, a US-based developer of clinical data management software, raised $9.6m on Tuesday in a series A-1 round led by Optum Ventures, the strategic investment arm of healthcare business services provider Optum. The round included Activate Venture Partners, Connecticut Innovations, Excelerate Health Ventures and LRVHealth, all identified as existing backers, and followed $1.8m in equity financing in 2016 and a total of about $1.3m in debt secured across 2015 and May 2018, according to securities filings.
Fore Coffee, the Indonesia-based operator of a chain of coffee shops where users can place orders online, has increased a series A round featuring SMDV, the corporate venturing arm of diversified conglomerate Sinar Mas, from $8.5m to $9.5m, DealStreetAsia reported yesterday. The first tranche was closed in January 2019 and led by East Ventures with backing from Pavilion Capital, Agaeti Venture Capital, Insignia Ventures Partners and unnamed angel investors.
1mg Technologies, an India-based online pharmacy backed by semiconductor technology producer Intel, has secured Rs 654m ($9.4m) in a round led by a $7.2m investment by Redwood Global Healthcare Fund alongside funding from PinPoint Ventures, New Flight, ES Investor, Kae Capital, Omidyar Network, Sequoia Capital India, HBM Healthcare Investments and angel investors Nikhil Kumar and Rubal Jain. It had previously raised at least $36m from investors including Intel subsidiary Intel Capital.
Real estate developer and services provider Salarpuria Sattva Group has supplied $9.2m in series A funding for India-based shared living space provider Colive, Hindu Business Line reported on Monday. Colive had previously received $1.8m in a February 2018 round led by Ncubate Capital Partners, the investment arm of healthcare and energy equipment producer SAR Group, following $1m from a vehicle known as Sachin Khimji Nuvo Investors & Realtors two years before.
UK-based energy sharing platform developer Verv raised more than £6.5m ($8.5m) in series A funding on Wednesday from investors including energy utility Centrica. The round was led by a £5m investment by environmental fund manager Earthworm and also featured InnoEnergy and Crowdcube. It came after approximately $1.1m from Ignite Social Enterprise in 2016 and £1.9m in convertible debt financing from Centrica that was converted to equity in the latest round.
BrightFlag, an Ireland-based developer of artificial intelligence-powered software for use by law firms that is also a graduate of telecommunications firm Telefónica’s Wayra accelerator, has received more than €7m ($8.5m) in a funding round led by Sands Capital Management, the Irish Times has reported. The round included Frontline Ventures, Tribal VC and Enterprise Ireland, and it followed a $1.1m round co-led by Tribal VC and 500 Startups in 2016, and a $1.5m round co-led by Frontline Ventures and Tribal VC in November 2017.
Epitomee Medical, an Israel-based developer of medical treatments for conditions that affect the overweight and obese, completed an $8m funding round on Tuesday led by XT Hi-Tech, the VC arm of diversified holding group XT Holdings Group. The round also featured GCB and Shimon Eckhouse, co-founder and chairman of Epitomee. The capital will fund a phase 2b clinical trial for its proprietary Epitomee Capsule.
Landed, a US-based housing finance provider backed by home improvement retailer Lowe’s, has closed a $7.5m series A round that included venture capital firm Initialized Capital. The company has not revealed details of its earlier funding, but Lowe’s subsidiary Lowe’s Ventures lists it as a portfolio company, as does Ulu Ventures and Clocktower Technology Ventures, and it graduated from accelerator Y Combinator in 2016.
SB Energy, SoftBank’s renewable energy subsidiary, invested $7m in US-based weather forecasting technology provider ClimaCell on Monday. ClimaCell had previously raised at least $63.8m, $45m of which came in an October 2018 series B round led by Clearvision Ventures that included Ford Smart Mobility and JetBlue Technology Ventures, respective subsidiaries of carmaker Ford and air carrier JetBlue, as well as Envision Ventures, Canaan, Fontinalis Partners and Square Peg Capital. Its backers also include National Grid Partners, part of energy supplier National Grid.
Limitless Technology, a UK-based provider of artificial intelligence-equipped artificial intelligence technology, received £5m ($6.6m) yesterday in a series A round that included Unilever Ventures, consumer goods manufacturer Unilever’s corporate venturing unit. The round was led by AlbionVC and also featured Downing Ventures, and it came after Unilever Ventures led a round of undisclosed size for Limitless in January 2017 before returning to co-lead a $2.9m round in November 2017 with Downing Ventures that took its total funding to almost $4m.
TearSolutions, a US-based developer of treatments for dry eyes, secured $6.4m in equity and convertible note financing last month from investors including PharmStandard Ventures, pharmaceutical company PharmStandard’s corporate venturing unit. VTC Innovation Fund led the round, which also featured UVA Seed Fund and Medarva Foundation. The company had previously received $11.5m across rounds in 2015 and late 2017, from Pharmstandard, VTC Innovation, Medarva, Santen Ventures – part of pharmaceutical firm Santen – CIT and Launch Capital.
Simudyne, the UK-based developer of a simulation modelling software platform for the banking industry, completed a $6m series A round led by financial services firm Barclays on Monday. VC fund Graphene Ventures and fintech investment firm Gauss Ventures also participated in the round, which boosted the company’s total funding to $10m, it said. Its earlier investors include accelerator operator Techstars, and the latest funding will be used for hiring and the expansion of its software into other parts of the financial sector.
Automotive manufacturer Ford Motor Company invested an undisclosed amount in US-based solid-state battery developer Solid Power yesterday in connection with a technology development partnership. Solid Power had raised $20m in September 2018 from automotive systems producer Sanoh, advanced battery maker A123, and Hyundai Cradle, Samsung Venture Investment and Solvay Ventures, subsidiaries of carmaker Hyundai, electronics manufacturer Samsung, chemicals supplier Solvay, and VC firm Volta Energy Technologies.
Moi, the Japan-based owner of livestreaming platform TwitCasting, has raised ¥650m ($5.8m) in funding from investors including telecoms company KDDI’s Open Innovation unit and financial services provider SBI’s AI & Blockchain Fund, TechCrunch Japan reported on Wednesday. VC firm Global Brain also participated in the round, which almost doubled the company’s overall funding to ¥1.34bn since it was founded in 2010.
Enlightened Hospitality Investments, the growth equity affiliate of restaurant owner Union Square Hospitality Group, provided an undisclosed amount of funding yesterday for Gather, the US-based developer of an events platform for the hospitality industry. Gather had secured $3m, including $2.5m in a 2016 round led by Storm Ventures that included Ludlow Ventures and individual investor Nick Romano, before private equity firm Vista Equity Partners invested an amount reported by Axios to be $55m in September 2017.
SupplyStack, the Netherlands-based developer of a freight-tracking tool for shippers and logistics providers, has received €5m ($5.6m) in funding from investors including Mainport Innovation Fund, the joint venture formed by corporates Schiphol, KLM, TU Delft, NS and Port of Amsterdam, Tech.eu reported on Monday. The round also featured Flemish government-owned Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen and growth equity firm Fortino Capital, the latter taking part as an existing investors according to Tech.eu.
Smilegate Investments, the corporate venturing subsidiary of game producer Smilegate, has led a $5.5m series A round for India-based digital payment platform developer Cashfree, Inc42 reported on Tuesday. Y Combinator and angel investors George Osborne and Vellayan Subbiah also participated in the round, which came after Cashfree received $120,000 from Y Combinator in October 2017.
Hoy Health, the US-based operator of a bilingual health technology platform, closed a “multimillion-dollar” amount of seed funding from investors including radio station operator Raad Broadcasting and real estate developers 3 Ríos and Ríos Commercial on Tuesday. Raad will also supply access to its media resources for Hoy, which will use the capital for product development and the strengthening of its consumer data.
Sweden-based last-mile logistics service Budbee has secured €4.8m ($5.4m) in funding from clothing retailer H&M and investment firm Kinnevik at a valuation of roughly $110m, EU-Startups reported on Monday. Kinnevik disclosed a $9.3m investment in Budbee in April 2018, which came after some $5m from earlier investors. H&M’s Co:Lab unit initially acquired its stake in 2017 from 41:an Invest, the investment vehicle for H&M chief executive Karl-Johan Persson.
Trint, the UK-based creator of an automated translation tool, has received $4.5m in a series A round that included media company Associated Press, seed-stage fund Horizons Labs and startup services provider TechNexus, TechCrunch reported yesterday. Horizons Labs had previously led Trint’s $3.1m pre-series A round in June 2017, and TechCrunch said its earlier backers also include internet technology provider Google’s Digital News Innovation Fund and Knight Enterprise Fund, the VC arm of non-profit organisation Knight Foundation.
Industrial sensor producer Flir provided an undisclosed amount of funding for DroneBase, the US-based operator of a network of drone pilots, on Wednesday. DroneBase had previously raised more than $17m in funding, most recently securing $12m in a February 2018 series B round co-led by Upfront Ventures and Union Square Ventures and backed by Hearst Ventures and SkyFund, representing media group Hearst and drone producer DJI respectively, as well as Accel.
IT services firm TIS invested $4m in Indonesia-based digital payment technology developer Aino Indonesia in November 2018, Aino president Hastono Bayu Trisnanto told DealStreetAsia on Monday. Aino’s earlier investors include VC firm Indogen Capital, but the company has not disclosed precise details of its investment, and Indogen exited as part of this round.
Positivo Tecnologia, the computing technology subsidiary of diversified conglomerate Grupo Positivo, has paid undisclosed amounts of funding for a 12% stake in smart farming software developer Agrosmart and a 20% stake in another Brazil-based company, precision livestock monitoring software provider @Tech, GS Noticias reported late last month. Baita and Start-Up Brasil had invested $100,000 in AgroSmart in 2014, before the company pulled in $1m from Baita and SP Ventures two years later.
Flyreel, a US-based developer of artificial intelligence technology for the insurance industry, secured $3.85m yesterday, in a funding round led by Google’s Gradient Ventures. The round also featured forensic engineering services provider Donan and State Auto Labs Fund, the corporate venturing subsidiary of insurance firm State Auto Insurance Companies, and the proceeds will be used to meet customer demand, increase headcount and further develop the company’s core technology.
Japan-based Firebug has received ¥420m ($3.8m) in funding from investors including mobile game developer Akatsuki, app developer and mobile advertising services provider United and broadcasters Shizuoka, Chukyo TV and Hokkaido Cultural, The Bridge reported on Wednesday. Anri, East Ventures and angel investors Kyosuke Kato, Yusuke Sato, Hidetoshi Takano, Kensuke Furukawa and Yusuke Mitsumoto also participated in the round.
Ascension Ventures, the VC firm backed by 13 healthcare providers including Ascension, co-led a round of undisclosed size on Monday for Strive Health, the US-based developer of a care platform for kidney disease patients. The round was co-led by VC firm New Enterprise Associates and also featured healthcare technology investment firm Town Hall Ventures and Echo Health Ventures, the joint investment venture for care provider Cambia Health Solutions and healthtech investor Mosaic Health Solutions.
Japan-based sleep technology developer Neurospace has raised ¥340m ($3.05m), consisting of ¥250m in equity funding from property developer Tokyu Fudosan Holdings’ TFHD Open Innovation Program; Tepco Frontier Partners, a subsidiary of electric utility Tokyo Electric Power; MTG Ventures, the corporate VC arm of consumer goods supplier MTG Corporation; Nippon Venture Capital; and joint venture Euglena SMBC Nikko Leave-a-Nest Capital, as well as ¥90m in debt financing from financial services firms Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mizuho Bank and Tokyo East Shinkin Bank, TechCrunch Japan reported on Monday.
Zipnosis, a US-based telehealth technology developer backed by healthcare providers Fairview Health Services and Ascension, has received $3m from undisclosed investors according to a securities filing. The company had raised a total of $18m from Ascension’s corporate venturing arm, Ascension Ventures, as well as Fairview, Safeguard Scientifics, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Arthur Ventures, Waterline Ventures and Omphalos Ventures as of 2016, and added $3m from unnamed backers in August 2018.
US-based blockchain deployment platform Blockdaemon has secured an undisclosed amount in a funding round featuring Comcast Ventures, mass media group Comcast’s corporate venturing unit. VC fund Lerer Hippeau led the round, which included Boldstart Ventures, Coinfund, Republic and CRCM Ventures, and which followed a $3.3m seed round led by Comcast Ventures and backed by Boldstart, Plug and Play, mState and various angel investors.
Classified listings operator Info Edge has provided a total of Rs 200m ($2.9m) in funding for two India-based companies – online footwear marketplace ShoeKonnect and farming consultancy Gramophone – VCCircle reported on Wednesday, citing stock exchange filings. It invested $2m in Gramophone, having previously supplied $1m in March 2018 following $1.5m from angel investors, to increase its stake from 25% to 37.2%, and paid $870,000 to increase its stake in ShoeKonnect, in which it had already invested $840,000, from 27.3% to 29.8%.
Data science and marketing technology provider 4C has made an investment of undisclosed size in US-based television brand-tracking service iQ Media on Wednesday as part of a deal that will involve them jointly creating a new company called Kinetiq. Growth equity firm Edison Partners had provided $9m of series B funding for iQ in 2015, and will remain an investor, as will media monetisation technology provider Civolution Holdings, GMH Ventures, Jump Capital and Kayne Capital.
SBI’s AI & Blockchain Fund has supplied approximately $1.3m of funding for PixelPin, the UK-headquartered developer of an image-based identity authentication system, as part of a £1.5m ($2m) funding round, City AM reported yesterday. PixelPin had previously raised funding through a series of rounds on crowdfunding platforms Seedrs and CrowdCube in addition to participating in Telefónica’s Wayra accelerator.
Japan-based online recruitment platform developer Grooves has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from All-Japan Kanko Rikkoku Fund, the investment vehicle formed by 60 Japanese companies including air carrier Japan Airlines and property developer Sekisui House, VentureTimes reported yesterday. Grooves had previously received more than $3.4m from internet company CyberAgent, insurer Mitsui Sumitomo, Japan Finance Corporation, Nippon Venture Capital and PNB-Inspire Ethical Fund, the latter of which invested $920,000 in January this year.
IT services firm Tech Mahindra committed up to Rs 130m ($1.9m) in funding on Tuesday to support its acquisition of 18.1% stakes in two India-based companies, Business Standard reported, citing a regulatory filing. The portfolio companies in question are radio-frequency identification technology producers Vitaran Electronics and Infotek Software and Systems, neither of which have revealed details of past funding.
Talent agency Yoshimoto Kogyo invested an undisclosed amount in Malaysia-based online streaming service iFlix, Variety reported on Monday. The company had raised a total of approximately $308m as of August 2017, from investors including media groups Liberty Global and Sky, internet company Catcha Group, telecoms firms Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company and Zain, and Evolution Media Capital (EMC), the investment bank co-founded by talent agency CAA, as well as EDBI, Jungle Ventures and clients of financial services firm DBS.
Ireland-based architectural design software developer FenestraPro has raised €1.2m ($1.5m) in funding from investors including Applied Software, a reseller of AutoDesk’s design software, the Irish Times reported on Wednesday. Property-focused VC firm Pi Labs and government agency Enterprise Ireland also participated in the round, which increased the startup’s overall funding to €2m according to the Times.
Bloomberg Beta, the early-stage investment arm of media group Bloomberg, has joined VC firm FirstMark to provide $1.5m of funding for Bonusly, the US-based operator of an employee rewards and recognition service for businesses. The company had received $1m in seed capital from the same two investors in 2014, before they added an undisclosed amount the following year.
Airline ticketing services provider Airlines Reporting Corp (ARC) has supplied an undisclosed amount of series A funding for Blockskye, a US-based developer of blockchain-equipped travel distribution technology. The deal represents ARC’s first corporate venturing investment as well as the first “significant” external funding to be raised by Blockskye, and it comes after the companies signed a partnership agreement in January this year.
Underground railway operator Tokyo Metro has provided an undisclosed amount of funding for Japan-based physical space provider Space Market, TechCrunch Japan reported yesterday. Space Market had previously raised at least $11.7m from investors including and Opt Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of digital marketing firm Opt, as well as property developer Tokyo Tatemono, travel agency JTB, human resources provider Recruit, SBI, fellow financial services firms Orix and Mizuho Bank, and XTech Ventures.
Human resources firm House of HR has invested more than €1m ($1.1m) in Happy Recruiter, the Romania-based developer of a chatbot for use in recruitment, taking a stake of more than 20% in the process, Business Review has reported. The bot, dubbed Dora, can locate prospective hires by searching social media platforms and can also submit preparatory questions and schedule interviews.
Japan-based agricultural consulting services provider Nouentai has received an undisclosed amount of funding from Mizuho Information & Research Institute, an IT services subsidiary of financial services firm Mizuho Bank, VentureTimes reported on Monday. The corporate, which oversees an agricultural technology division called Mizuho Global Agri-Innovation, will be able to enhance its knowledge of the agribusiness segment through the deal.
Neopenda, the US-based developer of a wearable neonatal monitor, has raised just over $1m in seed capital from medical device maker Axel Johnson and VC firm Sunu Capital, Crain’s Chicago Business reported yesterday. Axel Johnson revealed it had invested in Neopenda in February this year, and the company had previously received $750,000 in grant and equity funding, the latter being supplied by investors including Relevant Health, Adap Capital and Techstars Chicago according to EnStartup.
Zupee, the India-based developer of a trivia and gaming app in which players can stake real money, has secured $1m in seed funding from internet company Smile Group, VCCircle reported on Wednesday. Smile Group had incubated Zupee, which was launched in November 2018, and its investment will go to expanding the business along with its 15-strong team.
Medical device developer Genesis Innovation Group and its Cultivate(MD) Capital subsidiary provided an undisclosed amount of funding for US-based polymer spine implant developer Happe Spine yesterday as part of a round revealed by a regulatory filing to be $600,000 in size. Happe said the deal represented the second investment by Cultivate(MD) but did not reveal additional details.
Voyage Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of advertising distributor Carta Holdings Group, has invested an undisclosed amount in Breaker, a Japan-based cross-border online and video advertising services provider, VentureTimes reported on Wednesday. Breaker had raised $5m through 2015, including $2m from Dream Incubator, DFR Asia and Wavemaker Partners in 2014 and an undisclosed sum later that year from Gumi Ventures, social game developer Gumi’s VC arm, as well as an undisclosed amount in a Gumi-backed round the following year.
Financial software producer Latinia Group led a $500,000 funding round yesterday for Facturedo, the Chile-based operator of an online marketplace where small businesses can secure financing against their accounts receivable. The corporate took part alongside unnamed angel investors, and the round followed Facturedo’s participation in the Startupbootcamp Fintech Scale accelerator in 2018.
Satellite broadcaster Wowow has provided ¥35.5m ($320,000) for Japan-based video distribution platform JOCDN, VentureTimes reported today. Wowow will also integrate the company’s technology into its own services.
