US-based methane-emission monitor developer Kairos Aerospace completed a $9m series C round on Tuesday that included mechanical component manufacturer John Crane. The round was led by OGCI Climate Investments and also featured Energy Innovation Capital. Kairos had previously raised a total of $600,000 in debt financing and $4.1m in equity funding between 2014 and 2016, according to regulatory filings.
Germany-based healthcare nanotechnology developer Leon Nanodrugs closed a series B round of undisclosed size yesterday that included drug development alliance Evotec, TVM Life Science Innovation, CD-Venture, Albany Private Equity Holdings, Eckenstein-Geigy-Stiftung, LOF Leon Partnership and BayBG. The company had secured $20.4m in a 2015 series A round led by TVM Capital Life Science that also featured CD-Venture, Albany Private Equity Holding, Signet Healthcare Partners, LifeCare Partners and an unnamed family office.
Crop Enhancement, a US-based provider of products that improve crop yields, raised $8m on Tuesday in a series B round featuring Cavallo Ventures, the strategic investment arm of agribusiness Wilbur-Ellis. The round was led by Spruce Capital Partners and included 1955 Capital, Phoenix Venture Partners, Davinia Investments and Alexandria Ventures. The company received $8.5m in funding in 2016 from investors including MLS Capital Fund, 1955 Capital, Bandgap Ventures and Phoenix Venture Partners before adding a seven-figure amount from Cavallo Ventures in January 2019.
Design software provider Autodesk provided an amount indicated by a regulatory filing to be $8m in funding on Tuesday for Aurigo Software, the US-based creator of a software platform that helps manage infrastructure investments. The investment was made in connection with a strategic partnership agreement and it came after $3.2m in equity funding for Aurigo in 2006 and another $6.3m in 2013, according to regulatory filings.
Growth equity firm Insight Partners has invested an amount in US-based fitness app developer Aaptiv likely to be about $8m, according to a TechCrunch report on Tuesday stating it has now raised more than $60m altogether. Aaptive had received a total of $52m as of a 2018 series C round featuring Insight Partners, e-commerce firm Amazon, conglomerate NWS Holdings and entertainment producers Walt Disney and Warner Music Group at a reported $200m valuation. Audio product maker Bose added an undisclosed amount the following month through its Bose Ventures unit.
Aerospace manufacturer Airbus led a $7m series A round for US-based financial and agricultural data software provider Atlas AI on Tuesday through corporate venture capital unit Airbus Ventures. The round included memory storage technology producer Micron Technology and The Rockefeller Foundation, which was billed as an existing investor. Lewis Pinault, a partner at Airbus Ventures, is joining the company’s board of directors in conjunction with the round.
Japan-based suborbital spaceplane developer PD Aerospace increased its series A round to ¥740m ($6.9m) on Wednesday, raising $930,000 from diversified trading group Sojitz Corporation and financial services firm Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank’s OKB Capital unit. The first two tranches were closed in May and December 2018 and included airline operator ANA Holdings, travel agency HIS, broadcaster Chubu-Nippon, paper product manufacturer Awa Paper & Technological Company, theme park operator Huis Ten Bosch, Mizuho Bank’s Mizuho Capital unit, Optima Ventures, Tohoku University Venture Partners and Future Venture Capital. It had raised $260,000 from HIS and $180,000 from ANA in a 2016 round.
Darmiyan, a US-based company developing an early-stage diagnostics tool for Alzheimer’s disease, has completed a $6m seed round led by pharmaceutical firm Eisai. The round also featured IT-Farm and Y-Combinator, and it followed $4.5m in equity and grant funding, according to Darmiyan. Existing invesors in Darmiyan include Pegasus Tech Ventures, Soma Capital, UpHonest Capital, DHVC, AAF Management and Arkitekt Ventures.
Tecotec, the Japan-based developer of a crypto asset trading system, raised ¥620m ($5.8m) today from financial services provider SBI’s SBI Securities and SBI Investment subsidiaries, NEC Capital Solutions, the leasing services subsidiary of IT services firm NEC Corporation, financial data provider Minkabu the Infonoid and private investors including Akira Katayama. The company had previously received a total of $5.5m from investors including game producer Sega, digital advertising agency United Neo, the NEC Capital Solutions-backed CSV Venture Fund, financial services firm Nanto Bank’s Nanto CVC unit, consulting firm Hongo Tsuji and Venture Labo Investment between 2015 and mid-2018.
Singapore-based field management software developer Novade closed a series B round of undisclosed size on Wednesday co-led by quantitative trading and technology firm Susquehanna International Group. Vulcan Capital, the investment vehicle for Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, co-led the round while Wavemaker Partners also invested. Novade had already raised an undisclosed sum in a December 2018 round featuring Wavemaker Partners and Seeds Capital.
Dorsata, the US-based developer of a maternity care management platform, has secured $5.2m in a series A round that included Motley Fool Ventures, the VC firm sponsored by financial media and investment services platform The Motley Fool, in addition to obstetrician-gynaecologist services firm Women’s Health USA and research and testing services provider LabCorp. The corporates were joined by QED Investors and Gore Range Capital, the former of which had joined 5 Cap Ventures, 1776, Partnership Fund for New York City and various individuals to invest $1.1m in Dorsata in 2016.
Hyundai Venture Investment, a corporate VC vehicle for automotive manufacturer Hyundai, has led a $5.1m series A round for Energy X, the South Korea-based creator of an investment platform for renewable energy projects, Tech in Asia reported on Monday. Simbon Investment Partners and Ophir Equity Partners also contributed to the round, which increased the total raised by the startup and its financial technology subsidiary, Energy X Square, to $13.2m according to a statement cited by Tech in Asia.
US-based oilseed crop grower CoverCress has completed a $5m funding round that was co-led by packaging manufacturer Hermann Companies and Fulcrum Global Capital and backed by Leaps by Bayer, the strategic investment arm of pharmaceutical and agricultural product supplier Bayer, as well as Prelude Ventures, St Louis Arch Angels and Prolog Ventures. It had raised $2m from Leaps by Bayer predecessor Bayer Growth Ventures, BioGenerator, Prolog Ventures, St Louis Arch Angels, Prelude Ventures, Fulcrum Global Capital, Cultivation Capital and Missouri Technology Corporation.
Pharmaceutical firm Merck Group has invested $5m in US-based quantum computing technology developer Seeqc through corporate venturing subsidiary M Ventures, through a partnership that will involve the company developing problem-specific systems for Merck. Spun off from superconductor electronics producer Hypres, Seeqc said it had previously received $6.8m in seed capital from wireless technology provider Cambium, BlueYard Capital, NewLab and Partnership Fund for New York City, securities filings indicating it closed $2.8m of that sum in June 2019 and $4m two months later.
Philippines-based livestreaming app developer Kumu has raised between $4m and $5m from investors including telecommunications company Globe Telecom, broadcaster ABS-CBN, digital media company Summit Media and conglomerate Ayala Corporation, which invested through corporate venturing subsidiary Kickstart Ventures, DealStreetAsia reported on Monday, citing sources aware of the development. Openspace Ventures led the round, which also featured Gobi Partners and Foxmont Capital Partners, and which followed a $1.2m round led by Summit Media in late 2018.
Foresight Williams Technology EIS Fund, a joint venture between engineering services provider Williams Advanced Engineering and private equity fund manager Foresight Group, invested $670,000 in UK-based imaging technology developer Living Optics yesterday as part of a £3.3m ($4.1m) funding round. Oxford Sciences Innovation led the round, the proceeds of which will support commercialisation of the startup’s low-cost, compact camera system.
Hanwha Systems, a smart technology subsidiary of diversified conglomerate Hanwha, provided an undisclosed amount of funding for Switzerland-based cryptocurrency exchange Lykke yesterday. Lykke had raised an undisclosed amount from media company Tamedia in September 2018, following $3m in equity crowdfunding the previous year.
Grain, the US-based developer of a software product that enables users to record and share clips from Zoom video calls, has received $4m in seed capital from investors including enterprise communication app developer Slack’s corporate VC unit, Slack Fund, TechCrunch reported yesterday. Acrew Capital, Founder Collective, Peterson Partners, NextWorld Capital, Kickstart Seed Fund and angel investors Scott Belsky, Sriram Krishnan, Andreas Klinger and Scooter Braun also took part in the round.
Wellthy, an India-based digital illness management platform backed by pharmaceutical company Cipla and healthcare providers Manipal Education and Medical Group and Currae Healthcare, has secured Rs 303m ($4m) in pre-series A funding from VC firm Saama Capital, Entrackr reported on Monday. Manipal, Currae Healthcare, Beenext, GrowX Ventures and various angel investors had provided $2.1m in seed capital for Wellthy in early 2018 before Cipla subsidiary Goldencross Pharma invested $1.5m in February 2019 in return for an 11.7% stake.
Pharmaceutical firm Sanofi has co-led a $4m seed round for i2O Therapeutics, a US-based startup working on technology that will allow traditionally injectable biological drugs to be administered orally. Sanofi invested through corporate venturing vehicle Sanofi Ventures and co-led the round with the diabetes-focused JDRF T1D Fund. The cash will support development of i2O’s first product, which is targeting a class of drugs known as GLP-1 analogues.
Canada-based connected vehicle technology developer iSmartWays Technologies has received an undisclosed amount of pre-series A funding from carmaker SAIC’s strategic investment subsidiary SAIC Capital, and private equity and VC firm ChinaEquity Group. It will use the funding for research and development as it looks to enhance its technology.
E-commerce firm Amazon has co-led a Rs 290m ($3.8m) series D1 round for India-based online financial product marketplace Bankbazaar with unnamed co-investors, Entrackr has reported. The company secured approximately $2.1m from Sequoia Capital, Gus Holdings and private investor Iype Isac last month according to Entrackr. Bankbazaar had received a total of $110m as of a $30m investment by credit rating provider Experian in 2017, and its earlier backers include Amazon, Sequoia, Eight Roads Ventures, Mousse Partners and Walden International.
Opt Ventures, digital marketing agency Opt’s corporate venturing unit, has led a ¥300m ($2.8m) funding round on Tuesday for WiseVine, a Japan-based public-private partnership that maintains a finance and partner database for local government procurement. Human resources and consulting firm Morich also participated in the round, as did Globe Advisors, on behalf of non-profit organisation Globe Group.
Vuild, the Japan-based creator of a 3D printing and product fabrication system for wood, received an amount likely to be about $2.8m in funding from investors including energy utility J-Power and startup services provider Mistletoe Japan on Wednesday. It has now raised a total of about $3.7m, having secured $920,000 from domestic and enterprise services firm Lifull and startup support provider Route One Power in January 2018.
UK-based insurance software developer Sprout.ai closed a second seed round on Wednesday having raised an amount reported by TechCrunch to be $2.5m. It was led by Amadeus Capital Partners and backed by Playfair Capital and Techstars, and disclosed alongside the company’s rebranding from BlockClaim. Sprout closed a $630,000 seed round featuring Amadeus Capital Partners and unnamed insurance executives in June 2019 and joined MetLife Digital Accelerator powered by Techstars, the accelerator backed by insurer MetLife, the following month.
Publishing group Shogakukan invested an undisclosed amount in Japan-based influencer talent agency AnalyzeLog yesterday through a business partnership revolving around online video distribution. The startup had previously received undisclosed amounts from digital content-focused VC fund Next 10 Ventures through a December 2018 seed round, and from animation studio Toei Animation a year later in conjunction with a partnership agreement.
Canada-based crypto lending platform developer Atomic Loans secured $2.45m in seed capital on Tuesday from investors including ConsenSys Labs, the corporate venturing subsidiary of blockchain software provider ConsenSys, which it described as an existing investor. VC firm Initialized Capital led the round, which was also backed by Morgan Creek Digital and angel investors Joe Lallouz, Aaron Henshaw, Russell Verbeeten, Mike Cohen and Regan Bozman.
Real estate developer Mitsubishi Estate joined Isetan Mitsukoshi Innovations, the corporate VC subsidiary of retail group Isetan Mitsukoshi, to provide an undisclosed amount of series A funding for Sky Farm, the Japan-based operator of food and consumer product delivery service New Port, on Wednesday. The round followed Sky Farm’s participation in Isetan Mitsukoshi’s Group Accelerator Program in July 2019.
Crypto investment firm Multicoin Capital has led a $1.5m seed round for dForce Foundation, the China-based developer of a stablecoin product and lending platform, participating alongside Huobi Capital, a VC investment subsidiary of crypto trading platform Huobi Group, and merchant bank CMB International, CoinDesk reported on Tuesday. The capital will support product launches and recruitment.
Provision Analytics, the Canada-based developer of a digital food safety and tracking product, has raised $1.5m in equity funding from investors including food safety information provider TrustBix, AgFunder News reported on Tuesday. The round was led by Builders VC and also featured private investors from accelerator Creative Destruction Lab. The capital was secured alongside a $1.7m grant from Protein Industries Canada.
Digital literature platform Link-U and growth equity firm East Investment Capital provided an undisclosed amount of funding today for CreoFuga, the Japan-based operator of stock music service Audiostock. CreoFuga raised an undisclosed sum from energy utility Chugoku Electric Power last month having received $2.5m from music broadcaster Space Shower Networks, financial services firms Hiroshima Bank, Fukuoka Financial Group and Tomato Bank, HBCC Technology Investment and Nippon Venture Capital in March 2018, following an undisclosed amount Hiroshima Bank and Chugin Investment Fund IV, a vehicle co-run by Chugoku Bank and its Chugin Lease subsidiary, in 2014.
Eventtus, a United Arab Emirates-based event management software provider that counts mobile network operator Vodafone and conglomerate Almajdouie Holding as investors, has secured an undisclosed amount from Algebra Ventures, Hala Ventures and Daal, Menabytes reported on Monday. The company had raised a total of $2.6m from investors including Vodafone unit Vodafone Ventures, Almajdouie subsidiary Raed Ventures, Algebra Ventures, 500 Startups, Cairo Angels and Middle East Venture Partners as of 2017.
Italy-based mobile insurance marketing service Neosurance has received €1.1m ($1.2m) in funding from insurance provider Net Insurance, Luiss Alumni 4 Growth and a pool of investors led by Mezzetti Advisory Group, Finance Community has reported. The round valued Neosurance at $11m pre-money and it comes after $250,000 in angel investment in February 2017 and $840,000 from other individuals seven months later. Digital transformation agency Neosperience and Digital Tech co-founded the company and their stake now stands at 32.4%.
Drone services provider Aerodyne Group invested an undisclosed amount in Feds, a United Arab Emirates-based counterpart, Bernama has reported. The deal is intended to give Aerodyne a foothold in the Middle Eastern market and the company recently also provided an undisclosed amount of funding for a US-based aerial intelligence provider known as Measure UAS. The latter had previously raised at least $27m from investors including Cognizant Technology Solutions as of 2017.
Delight Ventures, internet company DeNA’s open innovation and investment fund, led a ¥100m ($930,000) round for Japan-based contemporary art rental service Casie on Wednesday. VC firm KVP and investment fund FGN ABBALab also contributed to the round, which was disclosed as the startup’s customer base reached 3,000 members.
Kenya-based microfinance provider Hakki Africa raised an undisclosed amount from handbag brand Farce, VC firm Samurai Incubate’s Samurai Africa Fund and angel investor Daisuke Yanasawa yesterday. Hakki will use the funding to expand its business and improve its credit scoring system.
Inspire High, the Japan-based operator of an online learning community for teenagers, secured an undisclosed amount of seed capital yesterday from investors including department store operator Parco and Strive, the corporate VC subsidiary of digital media company Gree. The corporates were joined by unnamed angel investors and Parco participated in the round in connection with a business partnership deal.
Vietnam-based recruitment platform developer TopVC has received almost from ₫10bn ($430,000) from Next100, an investment fund operated by digital commerce group NextTech Group of Technopreneurs, Đổi Mới Sáng Tạo reported on Tuesday. The cash will support the establishment of a remote employment portal that will help businesses hire during the Covid-19 pandemic. It comes after NextTech and Next100 supplied $500,000 in seed funding for Chatbot Vietnam, the Vietnam-based creator of chatbot platform Bot Ban Hang, last week.
Consumer electronics producer Xiaomi paid an undisclosed amount for a 9.9% stake in China-based fast-charging semiconductor technology provider Hypower Microelectronics through its Xiaomi Changjiang Industrial Investment Fund last month. The corporate also invested an undisclosed amount in China-based 3D image matching technology developer Depperceptron last month, in return for a 19.1% stake.
