China-based logistics technology provider Zeek secured approximately $10m yesterday in a pre-series A round featuring delivery services provider SF Holding and real estate developer Chinachem. The round included the family behind holding company Kho Group, as well as the Hong Kong SAR government’s Innovation and Technology Venture Fund Corporation, HKSTP Ventures, Elite Time, Radiant Tech Venture Fund, Caelus Asset Management, SQ Capital Ventures and angel investor Lee Ka Kit.
Biopharmaceutical company Junshi Biosciences has confirmed it has paid $10m for a 9.9% stake in UK-based cancer therapy developer Revitope Oncology, following through on a conditional deal agreed in July this year. The company, a University of Birmingham spinout, has previously raised $8.5m from unnamed investors in 2016.
Qupital, a China-based provider of finance for online merchants, has received an undisclosed amount of series A-plus funding from e-commerce firm Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, online lender CreditEase, MindWorks Ventures and Decacorn Capital, e27 has reported. CreditEase’s FinTech Investment Fund led its $15m series A round in April 2019, investing with Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund and MindWorks Ventures, following a $2m seed round in 2017 led by MindWorks and backed by Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, Aria Group and DRL Capital.
Morni, a Saudi Arabia-based roadside assistance provider backed by conglomerate Almajdouie Holding, has raised SAR34.3 million ($9.1 million) in a series B round led by investment firm GSquare Investments that also featured Al Turairi, Wamda reported yesterday. Almajdouie Holding’s VC arm, Raed Ventures, had joined 500 Startups to supply $1.1m for the company in 2016, according to MenaBytes.
Healthcare provider Cedars-Sinai co-led a first tranche of undisclosed size on Wednesday for a series A round being raised by Advanced Bifurcation Systems, the US-based developer of a stent delivery system. The round has a targeted close of $11m and the tranche was co-led by an unnamed medical device producer.
Tonic, the US-based developer of a data sharing platform, received $8m in series A funding from investors including Bloomberg Beta, the big data-focused venture capital firm sponsored by media group Bloomberg, on Monday. VC firm GGV Capital led the round, which also featured Xfund, Heavybit, Silicon Valley CISO Investments and angel investors including Assaf Wand, Augusto Marietti and Quinn Slack. It had raised $1.8m in seed capital from Bloomberg Beta, Heavybit, Xfund and Silicon Valley CISO Investments in 2018.
Crassone, the Japan-based operator of an e-commerce marketplace for construction services, secured ¥800m ($7.7m) on Monday from Bonds Investment Group, the subsidiary of marketing firm Opt formerly known as Opt Ventures, and Japanese government-affiliated fund JIC Venture Growth Investments. The company had previously received $1.4m in an August 2019 round led by Opt Ventures and backed by Shizuoka Capital and Sansei Capital Investment.
Rail stock manufacturer Alstom has agreed to supply $7m for Cylus, an Israel-based developer of cybersecurity software for the rail industry. Cylus had raised $17m as of a $12m series A round in June 2019 co-led by Magma Venture Partners and Vertex Ventures and backed by engineering services firm Cyient, financial services provider SBI Group, Cerca Partners, GlenRock, FollowTheSeed, Christian Kern and Cylus co-founder Zohar Zisapel.
Growth equity fund TempoCap has invested $6.7m in Streetbees, a UK-based behaviour analysis software provider backed by media company Guardian Media Group. The company had secured $40m in an October 2020 series B round led by Lakestar that included Guardian Media Group’s GMG Ventures unit, LocalGlobe, Atomico and Octopus Ventures. It came after approximately $17.1m from BGF Ventures, Atomico, Octopus Ventures and LocalGlobe across rounds in 2017 and early 2018.
Singapore-based digital financing platform developer Funding Societies raised an undisclosed amount from Samsung Ventures, a corporate VC subsidiary of consumer electronics producer Samsung, on Wednesday. It had secured a total of at least $72.5m as of a $40m series C round in April this year, from SoftBank Ventures Asia, BRI Ventures and Line Ventures – on behalf of telecoms and internet group SoftBank, financial services firm Bank BRI and messaging app developer Line – as well as Sequoia Capital India, SG Innovate, Endeavor, Alpha JWC Ventures, Golden Gate Ventures and Qualgro VC.
Supabase, the Singapore-based creator of an open source app development platform, has received $6m in funding from investors including web browser developer Mozilla, TechCrunch reported on Tuesday. Investment manager Coatue led the round, which included accelerator operator Y Combinator and approximately 20 angel investors.
Orbit Fab, a US-based startup looking to create a fuel recharging system in space, has secured $6m in seed capital from investors including Munich Re Ventures, the corporate venturing subsidiary of reinsurance firm Munich Re, TechCrunch reported yesterday. Type 1 Ventures and TechStars were among the participants in the round’s $3m first tranche in October 2019, and it was followed by $1.1m from unnamed investors in June, according to a securities filing.
TransUnion Healthcare, a subsidiary of credit ratings information provider TransUnion, provided an undisclosed amount of funding for US-based healthcare analytics technology developer Socially Determined on Tuesday through a strategic partnership agreement. The company had closed its series A round at $11.3m in January this year, its investors including manufacturing group 3M, health insurer CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and care providers Lafayette General Health, OSF Healthcare and ProMedica.
Keppel Land, the real estate subsidiary of conglomerate Keppel Corporation, has led a $4.6m series A round for Singapore-based co-living space operator Cove, DealStreetAsia reported on Wednesday. Idinvest Partners, Antler, Venturra Capital, Yuj Ventures, Picus Capital, Found Ventures and unnamed angel investors also took part. Cove had secured more than $2m in seed capital from Venturra Capital, Yuj Ventures, Investigate, Picus Capital, Aetius Capital and Found Ventures in September 2019.
B3i Services, a Switzerland-headquartered developer of distributed ledger-based reinsurance technology, recently reached the first close of its series B round having secured an undisclosed amount from reinsurance provider Türk Reasürans and unnamed existing investors, it announced on Wednesday. It had raised $6.35m when it was incorporated in March 2018 and added $8.3m a year later, according to regulatory filings seen by CoinDesk. It has named insurers Achmea, Aegon, Africa Re, Ageas, Allianz, Axa, China Pacific, Deutsche Rück, Generali, Hannover Re, IRB Brasil Re, Liberty Mutual, Mapfre Re, Munich Re, SBI Group, Scor, Swiss Re, Tokio Marine, VIG Re and Zurich Insurance Group as shareholders.
MaxWell Biosystems, a Switzerland-based spinout of ETH Zürich that is using electrophysiology technology to discover and develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, completed a CHF4m ($4.5m) series A round on Wednesday featuring microsensor producer Sensirion Holding. The round included unnamed existing and individual investors, and it came after MaxWell received $100,000 from winning a Venture Kick contest in 2017.
US-based enterprise audio sharing startup Storyboard received $4.5m in seed capital on Wednesday from investors including enterprise messaging platform developer Slack’s investment arm, Slack Fund. The round was led by VC firm CRV and also featured 20MinuteVC, Operator Partners and angel investors Dave Ambrose and Matt Ziskie.
Payment services firm Mastercard invested an undisclosed amount in Form3, the UK-based developer of a cloud-native payment system, on Wednesday, in connection with a strategic partnership agreement. Form3 completed a $33m series C round in August this year featuring financial services firms Lloyds Banking Group and Nationwide Building Society in addition to VC firm Draper Esprit to take its total funding to $51m. Banking firm Barclays and Angel Co-Fund are among its earlier investors.
Brhino, the Japan-based owner of sports shoe trading portal Monokabu, raised ¥450m ($4.3m) on Tuesday in a funding round led by Gunosy Capital, the investment arm of curated news provider Gunosy. The round included mobile game publisher Akatsuki’s Heart Driven Fund and internet companies United and Yahoo Japan, the latter through its YJ Capital unit, in addition to VC firm W Ventures. It came after the company received $2m from investors including marketing technology producer Adways in November 2019.
Consumer technology producer Honeywell led a funding round of undisclosed size for DarwinAI, a Canada-based developer of ‘explainable’ artificial intelligence technology, on Tuesday through corporate venturing unit Honeywell Ventures. The round included ACVC Partners, Redds Capital and unnamed individual and existing investors. It followed a $3m seed round in September 2018 featuring Obvious Ventures, iNovia Capital and various angel investors.
UK-based data compliancy software developer eXate secured £2.3m ($3.1m) on Tuesday in a seed round that included financial services firm ING’s corporate venturing arm, ING Ventures. The round was led by enterprise and fintech-focused VC firm Outward VC and also featured Triple Point Ventures. The proceeds will support recruitment and the further development of the company’s core product.
UK-based computer vision platform developer V7 Labs completed a $3m seed round today backed by Miele Venture Capital, the corporate venturing arm of household appliance manufacturer Miele. The round was led by VC firm Amadeus Capital Partners and also featured Air Street Capital and Partech.
Vialytics, the Germany-based developer of a system that uses artificial intelligence to assess the condition of public roads to support maintenance, raised an undisclosed amount from energy utilities Statkraft and EnBW on Monday. The companies invested through corporate venturing vehicles Statkraft Ventures and EnBW New Ventures, the latter having already supplied an undisclosed amount for the company in July 2019.
Neuet, the Japan-based owner of bicycle rental service Charichari, increased its latest round to ¥290m ($2.8m) today with funding from broadcasters Tokai Television Broadcasting and Nagoya TV (through Nagoya TV Ventures), retail group Marui, driving school operator Minami Holdings’ Minami Incubate vehicle, printing and communications services firm Nishikawa Communications and various unnamed companies and individuals. It has now raised about $5.3m in total, its last funding coming in October this year.
US-based IT microcontainer technology developer Nubix completed a $2.7m seed round on Wednesday backed by Chevron Technology Ventures, the investment arm of oil and gas supplier Chevron. The round was led by Tuscan Management and included Blackhorn Ventures, Engage Ventures, Center Electric, Momenta Ventures, Mentors Fund and Bee Partners. The company said it has now raised $4.5m altogether and identified Bee Partners as an existing backer.
Semiconductor and data technology producer Intel invested an undisclosed amount in Truyo, the US-based creator of a digital privacy management platform and contactless electronic health-check system, on Wednesday. Truyo is part of technology talent, services and training group IntraEdge, and will put the funding into improving its product offering.
FoodMarble, the Ireland-based developer of a hydrogen home breath testing system that helps measure digestive health, has closed a €2.1m ($2.6m) seed round that included Breed Reply, the VC arm of internet-of-things technology provider Reply, EU-Startups reported on Wednesday. Business Venture Partners led the round, which was also backed by SOSV, Delta Partners and Enterprise Ireland.
Crowd Credit, the Japan-based operator of a cross-border loan investment platform, received an undisclosed amount of funding from investment firms Edge Labs and Investment Lab on Wednesday. The round came after an undisclosed sum raised from Line Ventures Japan, a corporate venturing subsidiary of messaging app developer Line, in September 2018, alongside debt financing from Seibu Shinkin Bank.
Marketing agency Archetype led a ¥250m ($2.4m) funding round for Hokan, the Japan-based developer of an insurance contract management platform, on Monday, through corporate venturing arm Archetype Ventures. The round included consumer electronics manufacturer Sony’s Innovation Fund, contact management platform developer Sansan and VC firm Beenext. It had raised $1.3m from Sony Innovation Fund, Archetype Ventures and Beenext as well as payment services firm Credit Saison’s Saison Ventures unit, 500 Startups Japan and MID Venture Capital, in January 2019.
Consulting firm Accenture invested an undisclosed sum in Reactive Technologies, a UK-based provider of energy grid management software, on Tuesday through a strategic partnership that will involve it joining the corporate’s Project Spotlight initiative. Octopus Capital had provided an undisclosed amount for Reactive that it described as its largest round so far, in 2016, before it added an eight-figure amount from power producer Equinor’s investment arm, Equinor Energy Ventures, as well as renewable energy provider RES Group and Octopus, in March 2019.
HighTouch, the US-based creator of a software tool that syncs customer data to other platforms, has emerged from stealth with $2.1m from a seed round co-led by enterprise communication platform developer Slack’s corporate VC vehicle, Slack Fund, TechCrunch reported on Wednesday. Seed-stage fund Afore Capital co-led the round, which included undisclosed angel investors, and which came after the startup’s graduation from the Summer 2019 cohort of the Y Combinator accelerator.
Salesforce Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of enterprise software producer Salesforce, provided an undisclosed amount to help Xbit, the Japan-based owner of shift management platform Rakushifu, reach a second close of its series A round yesterday. The investment came after a $1.9m first tranche in September this year featuring Nissay Capital, YJ Capital and Mizuho Capital, on behalf of insurance firm Nippon Life, internet company Yahoo Japan and financial services firm Mizuho Bank, in addition to VC firm East Ventures.
Circulor, a UK-based developer of supply-chain tracing technology, secured an undisclosed amount from InMotion, the corporate venturing vehicle for automotive manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover, on Tuesday. Fellow carmaker Volvo Cars’ Tech Fund invested in the company in July this year, as part of a seed round of undisclosed size that closed in August with backing from petroleum supplier Total’s VC unit, Total Carbon Neutrality Ventures, as well as SystemIQ and Plug and Play.
Illuminati Learning Solutions, the India-headquartered owner of maths learning app Countingwell, has raised $1m in pre-series A funding from investors including education management firm Interstar and the United Arab Emirates-based Delhi Private School, the Economic Times reported on Wednesday. The round also featured undisclosed angel investors and the funding will go to marketing.
BRI Ventures, the VC arm of financial services firm BRI Group, has led a series A round of undisclosed size for Indonesia-based footwear brand Brodo through its Sembrani Nusantara Fund, DealStreetAsia reported on Monday, citing a company statement. GDP Ventures also participated in the round, and Brodo’s existing backers include 500 Startups, Cento Ventures’ Lyra I fund and unnamed angel investors.
Srush, the Japan-based creator of a sales engagement software tool, received ¥80m ($770,000) in seed capital on Monday from investors including Anobaka, the subsidiary of mobile game producer KLab formerly known as KLab Venture Partners, in addition to digital media company Gree’s Strive fund. The corporates were joined by VC firm East Ventures.
Online restaurant operator Rebel Foods has invested Rs 50m ($680,000) in FoodyBuddy, an India-based company that connects home chefs with clients, Entrackr reported yesterday. The corporate had previously supplied approximately $390,000 in funding for FoodyBuddy in April this year and now owns a stake sized at about 26%.
Japan-based football club Mito HollyHock raised an undisclosed amount from investors including mass transit operator Ibaraki Kotsu, civil engineering firm Nikko Ibaraki Measurement Keisoku and tatami mat producer Sekikawa Tatami Shouten yesterday. It had previously received undisclosed sums from groups of corporate investors in October and November this year.
Additional reporting by Liwen-Edison Fu.
