Pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly made a $10m equity investment in UK-based immunometabolic drug developer Sitryx on Tuesday as part of a licensing and research collaboration deal involving a $50m upfront payment and up to $820m in milestone payments. Sitryx closed a $30m series A round in late 2018 that was co-led by SV Health Investors and Sofinnova Partners, and backed by pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline and Longwood Fund following an undisclosed amount of seed capital from SV Health,
IN Venture, the Israel-focused investment arm of conglomerate Sumitomo, co-led a $10m first close of Israel-based mobile analytics technology developer Anagog’s series C round on Tuesday. The tranche was co-led by venture capital firm MizMaa and included tire producer Continental. Anagog raised $1.5m from Skoda in July 2018 and an undisclosed sum from fellow carmaker Porsche three months earlier, having secured $10m in series B financing from investors including MizMaa and automotive manufacturer Daimler in March the same year.
India-based furniture rental service Furlenco has completed a $10m debt and equity financing round, the Economic Times reported yesterday, Lightbox and Chowdry Associates supplying the equity funding and private investors including Kris Gopalakrishnan and Gautham Radhakrishnan providing non-convertible debentures. Furlenco had raised more than $70m in financing as of December 2019, from investors including CE Ventures, a subsidiary of conglomerate Crescent Enterprises, as well as Innovative Quest, the owner of office furniture supplier Featherlite.
Zhejiang Pushikang Biotechnology, a China-based developer of in-vitro diagnostics technology, has raised “millions of dollars” in series B funding from investors including Sinopharm Capital, a corporate VC subsidiary of pharmaceutical firm China National Pharmaceutical Group, DealStreetAsia reported on Wednesday. VC firm YuanBio Venture Capital led the round, which was preceded by an undisclosed amount of series A funding from Yonghua Capital and ThunderstormVC in 2017 according to DealStreetAsia.
Activ8, a Japan-based virtual talent agency and expanded reality content provider, received ¥1bn ($9.3m) on Wednesday in a series C round featuring publishing company Shogakukan, publishing and design technology provider Too Corporation and talent management firm HoriPro. Mobile game publisher Gumi and entertainment-focused VC fund Makers Fund had supplied $5.4m in funding for Activ8 in August 2018, and Too Corporation invested in the latest round through a strategic partnership deal.
Hotelmize, an Israel-based developer of price optimisation software for the hospitality industry, has closed a series B round of undisclosed size that was co-led by e-commerce group Alibaba’s Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund and VC fund Brilliance Ventures, China Travel News reported on Wednesday. Travel agency Talma and early-stage investment group Investible had previously supplied $5m in series A financing for the company according to media reports, and it will use the latest funding to open an office in Hong Kong.
Squeeze, the Japan-based creator of a smart hotel management system, secured ¥900m ($8.4m) in funding on Wednesday from property developer Es-Con Japan as well as Canal Ventures and FFG Venture Business Partners, representing IT services firm Nihon Unisys and banking firm Fukuoka Financial Group respectively. The company had raised $3.8m from investors including Jafco and Incubate Fund in 2016 before real estate asset manager Kenedix invested $7.6m in March 2018.
Livly, a US-based apartment management technology developer backed by real estate services provider JLL, received $8m in funding yesterday from VC firms OCA Ventures and Founder Equity, private equity group Geolo Capital and unnamed strategic investors from the real estate industry. JLL subsidiary JLL Spark had participated in a $10m seed round for the company in March 2019 that was co-led by Pritzker Group Venture Capital and Navitas Capital.
Kamet Ventures, the company builder backed by insurance group Axa, led a $7.8m series A round on Monday for Air Doctor, the Israel-based developer of an outpatient network that links travellers with local medical practitioners for healthcare. The round also featured insurance firm Phoenix Insurance Company and followed $3.1m in seed capital from Kamet Ventures in July 2018.
Raed Ventures, the VC arm of conglomerate Almajdouie, has led a $6.6m funding round for Saudi Arabia-based business-to-business marketplace Sary, Magnitt reported yesterday. MSA Capital and Derayah Ventures also participated in the round, which followed Sary’s participation in telecommunications firm STC’s InspireU accelerator.
Qarnot, the France-based developer of a computer storage system that also works as a room heater, has raised $6.5m from investors including retail group Groupe Casino and Engie Rassembleur d’Énergies, the social impact fund owned by energy utility Engie, TechCrunch reported on Tuesday. The corporates joined Banque des Territoires, Caisse des Dépôts and A/O PropTech, and the round followed $2.7m in seed capital from Colony Data4 and Avolta Partners in 2016.
Pulse, the US-based operator of an interactive social research platform, completed a $6.5m series A round yesterday that was led by AV8 Ventures, the VC fund backed by insurance group Allianz. The company, a graduate of Y Combinator’s accelerator, said the round lifted its overall funding to $10.5m and the cash will go to the expansion and further development of its product and the recruitment of engineering and content staff.
Inteluck, the Singapore-based operator of an online logistics services platform, received $5m on Tuesday in a pre-series B round led by venture capital firm MindWorks Capital and backed by courier services provider Lalamove and VC firm Infinity Venture Partners. The company had previously received $1m from Infinity in 2017 before adding a seven-figure dollar amount in an April 2019 series A-plus round led by VC firm FutureCap.
Russia-based online grocery delivery service Elementaree has raised $5m from investors including processed vegetable producer Bonduelle, VC.ru reported yesterday. Russian Direct Investment Fund and an unnamed individual also took part in the round, which came after an undisclosed amount from Skolkovo Ventures in 2018, $2m from angel investors including Ilya Ogay, Boris Zhilin and Anton Antich the year before and $800,000 in earlier angel funding.
Israel-based orthopaedic robotics technology developer OrthoSpin secured up to $5m series B financing on Tuesday, the close being co-led by pharmaceutical firm Johnson & Johnson through its Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC unit. Technology commercialisation firm Trendlines co-led the transaction, which came after Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC led a $3m round for OrthoSpin in mid-2018.
US-based digital life insurance provider Jenny Life received $3.5m in series A funding from investors including CMFG Ventures, the strategic investment arm of insurance group Cuna Mutual, Geekwire reported yesterday. The other participants in the round were not disclosed but it increased the company’s overall funding to $5m. It plans to double its staff numbers by the end of 2020.
Sweden-headquartered digital healthcare app developer Doktor.se has invested in Brazil-based counterpart VivaBem through a $2.5m seed round led by investment firm Webrock Ventures. VivaBem has formed a strategic partnership with Doktor.se and will integrate the investor’s artificial technology into its own offering as it looks to expand across Brazil.
Gra&Green, a Japan-based developer of agricultural production technology and new seed types, raised ¥250m ($2.3m) from investors including insurance firm Sompo Holdings on Tuesday. The round took the company’s total funding to approximately $3.1m and was co-led by VC firm Beyond Next Ventures and Nagoya University-Tokai Regionwide University Venture Fund II, a joint investment venture formed by several Japanese universities.
Wellium, the France-based developer of telemedicine platform developer Leah, has received €2m ($2.2m) in funding from investors including insurance group MACSF, EU-Startups has reported. Biotech-focused VC fund Advent France Biotechnology also took part in the round, which will support further expansion of the Leah platform and its growth throughout France.
Jinjib, the Japan-based operator of a recruitment service focused on high school graduates, secured ¥180m ($1.7m) in funding yesterday from Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and Nanto CVC, VC subsidiaries of financial services firms Mitsubishi UFJ and Nanto Bank respectively. The company, which has 2,500 companies among its user base, will put the funding towards expanding its business.
Online advertising services provider DA Consortium was among the investors that provided ¥220m ($2m) for Siiibo, a Japan-based provider of bond issuance support services, on Tuesday. The round included entrepreneurial support community Chiba Dojo’s Chiba Dojo Fund as well as Dogan Beta, a subsidiary of investment and consulting services firm Dogan, VC firm AG Capital and angel investor Nobuhiro Ariyasu. Siiibo has now secured a total of $2.8m, $370,000 coming from VC firm East Ventures and unnamed angel investors in June 2019, and a further $350,000 in pre-series A funding from East Ventures and undisclosed individuals in December.
Hope For, the corporate venturing arm of e-commerce platform Felissimo, led a round for Japan-based Wagyu beef provider Good Good on Tuesday that increased its total funding to ¥194m ($1.8m). Medical goods producer Rohto Pharmaceuticals, hygiene product manufacturer Saraya, real estate developer Fujihisa and engineering firm A’s also contributed to the transaction, which forms part of an ongoing series A round.
Energy utility China Light & Power invested $1.5m in Israel-based energy transition software developer Synvertec on Tuesday through corporate venturing arm China Light & Power – OSEG Energy Innovation. Synvertec will channel the funding into research and development and an Asian expansion drive. It has not revealed details of earlier financing but said it has received funding from power and industrial technology producer General Electric’s Horizon Fund, utility Israel Electric Corp’s Karat VC fund and the European Horizon 2020 Fund.
Myanmar-based digital content provider Bagan Innovation Technology has raised a seven-figure dollar amount in a series B round that included social data provider Hotto Link, e27 reported yesterday. Kyuu Roku led the round, which also featured UMJ Ikeya Investment, and which followed an undisclosed amount of seed capital from UMJ Ikeya in 2016, a seven-figure sum in a round co-led by motorcycle hire purchase company Group Lease Holdings and Alliance Technology Investments, and a six-figure dollar round led by angel investor Takashi Hatanaka in January 2018.
Closd, the France-based creator of an online legal transaction management platform, has secured €600,000 ($660,000) in funding from law firms Cuatrecasas and LPA-CGR, legal management software provider Orion and angel investor Eric Larchevêque, EU-Startups reported on Monday. The capital will support the implementation of new features to the product in addition to growth in Europe.
Vietnam-based medical care access portal eDoctor has received an amount likely to be about $500,000 from CyberAgent Capital, the investment arm of internet company CyberAgent, as well as Genesia Ventures, Bon Angels and Nextrans, DealStreetAsia reported on Wednesday. CyberAgent Capital had previously invested $500,000 in eDoctor after its founders appeared on the Vietnamese version of the Shark Tank television show in September 2019, and it has now raised more than $1m altogether.
Replace, the Japan-based operator of a service called Stand3.0 that matches food stalls with free public space, raised an undisclosed amount on Tuesday from investors including JR West Innovations, which invests on behalf of rail operator JR West. The round also featured startup accelerator Japan Startup Support Association and angel investor Kenji Yabuno, and JR West will look to cooperate with Replace following the round.
Legal Technology, the Japan-based creator of legal text database Legal Library, secured ¥50m ($460,000) in funding from Monex Ventures, the VC arm of financial exchange operator Monex, on Tuesday. The company has now raised more than $920,000 in total having received an eight-figure yen amount from angel investors including Shinjiro Masui and Hiroshi Takato in January 2019.
Monex Ventures also joined angel investor network Angel Bridge on Wednesday to provide an undisclosed amount for KYC Consulting, the Japan-based developer of a risk analysis and due diligence system for financial transactions. KYC will put the funding toward growing its database, upgrading its platform and enhancing customer experience.
Webtrace, an Indonesia-based provider of internet-of-things technology for the trucking industry, has raised an undisclosed amount in a seed round led by investment firm Prasetia Dwidharma that included Astra Ventura, a corporate venturing subsidiary of conglomerate Astra International, DealStreetAsia reported on Wednesday. The round valued Webtrace at $2m and the proceeds will support marketing and recruitment.
Digital financial services provider MatchMove has agreed to invest an undisclosed amount in Singapore-based e-commerce services platform developer Shopmatic, Business Times reported on Tuesday. Shopmatic secured $4.1m in a 2017 round co-led by investment firm August One and Spring Seeds Capital, a VC vehicle for the state-owned Enterprise Singapore, and DealStreetAsia reported that it has now raised more than $14m altogether.
Deepcore, internet and telecommunications group SoftBank’s artificial intelligence investment arm, provided ¥30m ($280,000) in funding on Tuesday for ChillStack, a Japan-based startup developing an AI-equipped fraud detection system. The deal represents the first funding to be raised by ChillStack and it will be put towards technology development.
E-commerce marketplace Tokopedia took part in the $50m series A round raised by Indonesia-based logistics services provider Sicepat Ekspres in 2018 which was disclosed in April 2019, DealStreetAsia reported on Monday. The round had also included Barito Teknologi, which invested on behalf of petrochemical producer Barito Pacific, as well as Kejora InterVest Growth Fund, a joint venture between Kejora Ventures and InterVest.
