Israel-headquartered fabless semiconductor technology developer Xsight Labs completed a series D round of undisclosed size on Wednesday co-led by Valor Equity Partners and Atreides Management and backed by chipmakers Xilinx and Intel (through Intel Capital), software producer Microsoft (through M12), investment and financial services group Fidelity and venture capital firm Battery Ventures. It had previously raised $100m as of an $80m series D round led by Intel Capital in May 2020.
Around, the US-based developer of a video collaboration platform, received $10m in series A funding on Tuesday from investors including Slack Fund, the corporate venturing vehicle for messaging app developer Slack. The round was led by VC firm Wing Venture Capital and included Forerunner Ventures as well as Initialized Capital, Credo, Floodgate and angel investor Naval Ravikant, all of which had participated in the company’s $5.2m seed round in March 2020.
Financial services firm UBS led a $10m series A1 round on Wednesday for Futurefuel.io, the US-based operator of a student loan repayment platform, that included financial technology producer Fiserv, insurer Aflac and enterprise software provider Salesforce, the last two through Aflac Ventures and Salesforce Ventures. The round also featured Rethink Impact, Vulcan Capital, Breton, SixThirty and Impact Engine, and follows an $11.2m series A round backed by Salesforce Ventures and First Data (now a Fiserv subsidiary) in mid-2019 that took the company’s total funding to $15.7m.
Baseload Capital, a Sweden-based investor in geothermal and heat power projects, raised an undisclosed amount from investors including oil and gas producer Chevron on Monday. The corporate was joined by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Gullspang Invest – both of which were described as existing investors – and came in the wake of a $12.5m investment by Breakthrough Energy Ventures in March 2019.
Online lending platform developer CreditEase’s Fintech Investment Fund has led a $9.4m series A round for Singapore-based insurance brokerage technology developer Symbo that included AJ Capital, the real estate investment platform that incubated the company, The Business Times reported yesterday. The round included Think Investments and existing investors Integra Partners and Insignia Ventures, and it supported Symbo’s all-share acquisition of a digital health software developer called Vivant.
American Express Ventures, the strategic investment arm of payment services firm American Express, provided an undisclosed amount of funding for US-headquartered supersonic aircraft developer Boom Supersonic yesterday. Boom was reportedly raising $50m in a WRVI Capital-led round valuing it above $1bn, as of December 2020, to take its total funding to $210m. Its earlier investors include online travel agency Ctrip and air carrier Japan Airlines.
US-based data privacy technology developer TripleBlind completed an $8.2m seed round featuring Okta Ventures and Accenture Ventures, on behalf of identity verification software provider Okta and consulting firm Accenture respectively. It was led by Dolby Family Ventures and included NextGen Venture Partners, Operator Partners, Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health, AVG Basecamp Fund, Anorak Ventures, Quiet Capital, Clocktower Technology Ventures, Parity Responsible Technology Fund, Manresa Ventures, Flyover Capital and KCRise Fund. It came after Accenture Ventures invested an undisclosed sum in the company four months ago.
US-based home medical care provider Upward Health received an undisclosed amount on Tuesday in a funding round led by investment firm Heritage Group and backed by existing investors Blue Venture Fund – which represents 36 BlueCross BlueShield health insurers – Noro-Moseley Partners and Windham Ventures. The company had previously raised $750,000 from unnamed investors in 2017, $8.7m later the same year, $7.2m in February 2019 and $7.6m in November 2020, according to regulatory filings.
M12, the corporate venturing subsidiary of software provider Microsoft, led an $8m series A round for US-based online meeting platform developer Parabol on Tuesday that also featured CRV, Haystack, Techstars and unnamed additional investors. Parabol was admitted to the Techstars Anywhere Accelerator in February 2019 and secured $4m nine months later from Slack Fund, the investment arm of messaging platform developer Slack, as well as CRV and Haystack.
Companion, the US-based creator of an electronic dog training system, secured $8m in seed capital on Wednesday from investors including design consulting firm Frog Design, garden and pet product supplier Central Garden & Pet and pet product makers PetStock and Mars Petcare, the latter through its Companion Fund. The corporates were joined by IA Ventures, Tuesday Capital, Wheelhouse Partners and Michelson Found Animals Foundation.
E-commerce group Alibaba invested an undisclosed amount in China-based oncology data provider LinkDoc yesterday through healthcare services subsidiary AliHealth, DealStreetAsia reported. LinkDoc raised an undisclosed amount of series B funding from China Broadband Capital (CBC), Ally Bridge Group, Cenova Ventures and New Enterprise Associates in 2016, $151m in series D financing from China Investment Corporation at a $1bn valuation in 2018, and $102m in a September 2020 series D-plus round featuring CBC Capital, CICC Capital, Youshan Capital and iFOF.
US-based tissue imaging technology developer TechsoMed completed a $7m series B round on Wednesday featuring Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, the strategic investment arm of medical product group Johnson & Johnson. The round was led by Axil Capital and included Yongjin Capital, Cobro Ventures, Magna Capital Partners, NextLeap Ventures and Radianx Capital. It came in the wake of $2.6m from JJDC, semiconductor technology producer Screen Holdings, NextLeap Ventures, Axil Capital and research university Technion’s AMIT-Technion vehicle in mid-2019.
Payment services providers PayPal and American Express provided an undisclosed amount of series A funding for UK-headquartered business data platform developer Codat on Tuesday through corporate venturing subsidiaries PayPal Ventures and American Express Ventures. The cash was added to the $10m Codat raised from VC firm Index Ventures for the round in June 2020 and came as it launched its offering in the United States.
SomaDetect, the Canada-based creator of a system that detects the bacterial disease mastitis in cattle, has raised $6m in series A funding from investors including Merck Animal Health Ventures and Cavallo Ventures, subsidiaries of pharmaceutical firm Merck & Co and agribusiness Wilbur-Ellis respectively, AgFunder News reported on Tuesday. Private equity fund AgCapital Canada led the round, which also featured Builders VC and Wilbur-Ellis’ Cavallo Ventures and which followed $2m from New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF), Western New York Impact Investment Fund and New York Ventures in 2019.
Petroleum supplier Boyett Group led a $5m series A round for Cipher Skin, the US-based developer of a software platform that converts physical information into data that can inform business decisions, on Tuesday. The round also featured Draper Capital, Tribe Capital and TKC Capital, and the capital will go to geographic expansion along with the growth of its product range.
First Boulevard, a US-based financial services provider focusing on black customers, has secured $5m in a seed round that included financial services firm Barclays, TechCrunch has reported. The corporate was joined by VC firm Anthemis and angel investors including Gabrielle Union, John Buttrick and Jamere Jackson. The funding will support recruitment and the growth of First Boulevard’s customer base along with the range of features the startup offers.
CerebrumX, the US-based developer of an automotive data services platform, completed a series A round of undisclosed size yesterday that was led by LG Technology Ventures, the corporate venturing vehicle for electronics manufacturer LG Group. The round also featured in-car voice assistant developer Cerence, which invested through a newly formed strategic partnership agreement.
Nota, the Japan-based operator of an online question-and-answer platform called Helpfeel, received ¥500m ($4.7m) in series B funding on Tuesday from investors including Hakuhodo DY Ventures, Salesforce Ventures and Persol Process & Technology, subsidiaries of marketing technology provider Hakuhodo DY, enterprise software producer Salesforce and recruitment firm Persol respectively. The round was led by VC firm One Capital and the cash will fund product development, sales and marketing.
US-based online learning platform developer 101edu closed a $4.6m series A round on Monday featuring textbook publisher Zanichelli’s investment arm, Zanichelli Venture. The round was led by Recurring Capital Partners and included Birchmere Ventures, University Ventures, Matzliach Capital and individual investors James Caras, Mark Miller, Torsten Geers and Vineet Madan. The company said it has now raised $7.8m in total, and securities filings show it received $350,000 in debt financing in 2017, $2.3m in 2018 and $770,000 in June 2019.
Automotive leasing services firm Sumitomo Mitsui Auto Service invested an undisclosed sum in Japan-based mobility data technology provider SmartDrive yesterday through a strategic partnership. SmartDrive raised $15.3m in 2018 from a fund run by contract electronics manufacturer Foxconn, and Monoful, a subsidiary of warehouse operator GLP, as well as Goldman Sachs and Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), following $9m in series B funding from unnamed investors the previous year. The company had secured $5.3m from INCJ and Axa Direct Japan, a subsidiary of insurer Axa, in 2015, and a six-figure dollar sum from Anri the year before.
Ox, a US-based developer of digital fulfilment tools, secured $3.5m in seed capital from investors including wearable display technology producer Vuzix on Tuesday. Mac Venture Capital and Cortado Ventures co-led the round, which also featured Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, Florida Funders, KCRise Fund and Willow Growth Partners. The capital will support the expansion of the company’s product portfolio.
Engineering services firm Williams Advanced Engineering’s Foresight Williams unit and DSM Venturing, the corporate VC vehicle for health and nutrition product maker Royal DSM, contributed to a £2.5m ($3.5m) funding round for UK-based 3D printing technology provider Additive Manufacturing Technologies on Tuesday. NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance led the round, which included unnamed private investors and which followed $5.2m in series A funding from investors including DSM Venturing and Foresight Williams’ EIS Fund in October 2019.
InVent, the corporate venturing vehicle for telecoms firm Intouch Holdings, has provided series A funding for Thailand-based cybersecurity software developer Datafarm, DealStreetAsia reported on Wednesday. The unit has also supplied a similarly undisclosed amount of pre-series A funding for Swift Dynamics, the Thailand-based creator of an internet-of-things platform for the construction industry.
Japan-based blockchain consulting services provider HashPort raised ¥350m ($3.3m) from investors including media company Ceres on Tuesday. University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners’ UTEC Fund IV also participated in the round, and Ceres’ investment was related to the merger of HashPort and one of its portfolio companies, Fressets.
UK-based enterprise blockchain technology developer Finboot received £2.4m ($3.3m) in funding on Monday from investors including Repsol Corporate Venturing, a subsidiary of oil and gas provider Repsol. The round also featured Development Bank of Wales and Tom Singh, founder of fashion retailer New Look, who was identified by Finboot as its original lead investor in 2018.
Ecomedes, a US-based creator of cloud collaboration tools for the construction industry, closed a $3.25m seed round yesterday led by software producer Microsoft’s corporate venturing unit, M12. The round included advanced materials manufacturer Saint-Gobain’s open innovation arm, Nova, in addition to construction firm Arco/Murray Ventures’ AM Ventures unit, PivotNorth, Mission Innovations Network.
Energy utility EDF has paid an undisclosed amount for a 23% stake in Bboxx Kenya, a regional subsidiary of UK-headquartered solar power system provider Bboxx, having formed a Togo-based joint venture with the company in 2018. Bboxx had raised a total of $90m in debt and equity financing from investors including corporates Mitsubishi Corporation and Engie as of 2019. Africa Infrastructure Investment Managers had provided $31m for its Kenya, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo operations earlier the same year.
Japan-based 3Sunny, a provider of medical and nursing care software, secured ¥320m ($3m) yesterday from investors including medical information portal MedicalNote, medical equipment wholesaler Medius Holdings, textile manufacturer Teijin and Anobaka, the subsidiary of mobile game producer KLab formerly known as KLab Venture Partners. The corporates were joined by VC firm Anri and unnamed private investors, and the round pushed 3Sunny’s overall funding to approximately $3.7m.
Agrist, a Japan-based developer of robotic harvesting systems, raised an undisclosed amount on Wednesday from investors including Eneos Innovation Partners, Dogan Beta, Miyagin Venture Capital and Miyazaki Taiyo Capital, representing petroleum supplier Eneos Group, investment and consulting services firm Dogan and financial services firms Miyazaki Bank and Miyazaki Taiyo Bank respectively. Jafco Group and Incubate Fund also took part in the round.
Port operator PSA International has led a $2.7m funding round for Singapore-based haulage services platform developer Haulio through corporate venturing unit PSA Unboxed, valuing it at $10.2m, DealStreetAsia reported on Tuesday, citing data from VentureCap Insights. The round included ComfortDelGro Ventures and Supply Chain Angels, on behalf of public transport operator ComfortDelGro and supply chain services firm YCH Group respectively. Haulio had raised an undisclosed sum from ComfortDelGro Ventures in mid-2019, following a total of $800,000 from PSA Unboxed, 500 Startups, NUS Enterprise and various individuals as of the year before.
Singapore-based autonomous delivery drone developer F-drones secured an undisclosed amount on Monday in a seed round led by shipping manager Eastern Pacific Shipping. Another ship owner, Schulte Group, took part in the round through corporate venturing vehicle Innoport, along with Seeds Capital, Entrepreneur First, Orient Ventures, Superangel and unnamed angel investors. The round came after F-drones entered Techstars Eastern Pacific Accelerator in November 2019.
VC firm QVentures has supplied an undisclosed amount for UK-based disease analysis software provider Congenica, adding to the $50m in series C funding it raised from internet group Tencent, insurance firm Legal & General, Parkwalk Advisors, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Xeraya Capital, Puhua Capital, IDO Investments and Downing Ventures in November 2020. It had raised a total of $85m at that point, its earlier backers including IT services firm Digital China Holdings, genomics technology producer BGI Genomics and healthcare services provider Healthlink.
Europe-based crypto asset insurer Unslashed Finance has completed a $2m funding round featuring staking services provider Chainlayer, Tech.eu reported yesterday. Lemniscap, P2P Capital and Bitscale Capital also contributed to the round along with several undisclosed angel investors.
Authentic Japan, the Japan-based operator of an emergency helicopter subscription service for hikers dubbed Cocoheli, received ¥220m ($2m) today from investors including newspaper publisher Nishinippon Shimbun. It was joined by Unicorn Fund, which is backed by financial services firms Kitakyushu Bank, Momiji Bank and Yamaguchi, as well as Nishi-Nippon City Bank’s NCB Venture Fund, while undisclosed financial institutions provided debt financing.
Cryptocurrency exchange Okex invested an undisclosed amount in Stake Technologies, the Japan-based owner of public blockchain Plasma Network, on Tuesday through its Block Dream Fund. It came after Binance Labs, a subsidiary of digital currency exchange Binance, led a $2.4m round for the company last month, investing together with automotive component provider Wanxiang’s HashKey Capital vehicle as well as LongHash, Digital Finance Group and Paka Ventures.
Industrial machinery manufacturer Yamazen Corporation provided an undisclosed amount of convertible equity financing for Ascent Robotics, the Japan-based developer of a robotic warehouse picking system, today through a strategic business partnership. Ascent had previously received $10.3m in a 2018 series A round led by SBI Investment, a subsidiary of financial services provider SBI, through its AI and blockchain fund. The 2018 round also featured angel investors including Bart Joseph Broadman.
TimeLeap, the Japan-based owner of remote customer service provider Rura, raised ¥180m ($1.7m) on Monday in a seed round that included accounting software provider Money Forward’s Hirac Fund and travel technology producer Voyage Group’s Voyage Ventures unit. The investors were rounded off by VC firm Jafco and the cash was secured as TimeLeap prepares to roll out its service in 12 locations by the end of next month.
Postmates, the US-based food delivery service acquired by on-demand ride provider Uber in December 2020, spun off its robotics technology division into an independent company called Serve Robotics on Tuesday. The startup has been supplied with an undisclosed amount of funding through a round led by VC firm Neo that also featured Uber and unnamed other investors.
Packaging container manufacturer Toyo Seikan supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for Japan-based healthy recipe provider Oishi Kenko on Monday in connection with a strategic partnership agreement. Insurance firm Dai-chi Life and Aflac Corporate Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of fellow insurance provider Aflac, had invested $3.6m in the company in 2018.
Cardio Intelligence, a Japan-based developer of medical analytics technology, secured ¥140m ($1.3m) on Tuesday from investors including drug discovery service Gemseki and medical information provider M3 as well as SMBC Venture Capital and Daiwa Corporate Investment – respective subsidiaries of financial services firm Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and brokerage Daiwa. The round also featured Anri, the VC firm that had provided $330,000 in seed funding for the company in August 2020.
Questt, the India-based creator of a homework assessment software platform for teachers, has received Rs 96m ($1.3m) in seed funding from investors including mobile game publisher Akatsuki’s AET Fund, VCCircle reported yesterday. VC firm Chiratae Ventures led the round, which also featured First Cheque and angel investors including Kunal Bahl, Rohit Bansal, Pranay Gupta and Ramakant Sharma.
Aequitec, the Switzerland-based creator of a system that automates corporate work processes, has raised an undisclosed amount from investors including digital contract software provider Deon Digital, Startupticker.ch reported on Tuesday. F10 Investment, the VC and incubation firm backed by financial technology producer Six Group and insurer Generali Switzerland, is also an investor in the startup.
Automotive component manufacturer Matsumoto Industry supplied an undisclosed amount for Team AIbod, the Japan-based operator of an artificial intelligence consulting service, yesterday. The capital was provided in the form of J-KISS financing, a model created as a simpler alternative to traditional startup funding structures.
Metsä Spring, the innovation arm of sustainable forestry product manufacturer Metsä Group, contributed to a €1m ($1.2m) round on Monday for Montinutra, a Finland-based company that converts forest industry by-products into bioactive products. The corporate was joined by unnamed existing and new investors, and the capital will support construction of a pilot-scale production facility for Montinutra’s technology later this year.
Japan-based warehouse distribution robot developer Lexx Pluss secured an undisclosed amount from diversified conglomerate Sumitomo and VC firms Incubate Fund and SOSV Investments on Wednesday. The capital will support recruitment and the further development of the company’s technology, slated for commercial release later this year.
CrossLog, a Japan-based provider of software that helps users schedule medical care, received an undisclosed amount of equity and debt financing on Tuesday from investors including healthcare-related media group Media Contents Factory. The round also featured financial services firm Bank of Fukuoka, and it came after the company’s product was launched in April 2020.
Japan-based children’s learning content producer WonderLab raised an undisclosed amount likely to be ¥60m ($560,000) on Wednesday from Obunsha Ventures and EduLab Capital Partners, which invested on behalf of publisher Obunsha and education technology developer EduLab respectively. The company said it has now received approximately ¥310m in total, and had secured ¥250m ($2.4m) from investors including publisher Shogakukan in July 2020.
Indonesia-based next-day grocery delivery service Dropezy has secured an undisclosed amount in a pre-seed round that included Kopi Kenangan Fund, an investment vehicle for coffee retail chain Kopi Kenangan. The corporate was joined by VC fund Taurus Ventures and the startup will spend the capital on enhancing its product, increasing headcount, adding new features, establishing new distribution hubs and developing private-labelling services.
Abbax Technologies has invested $500,000 in AirCarbon, the Singapore-based provider of a decentralised trading exchange for carbon credits, DealStreetAsia reported on Tuesday. Its website also identifies Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore, Operem and Digital Exchange Association as supporters.
Fuji America Corporation, a subsidiary of robotics and automation technology producer Fuji Corporation, made a commitment of undisclosed size to US-based VC fund Motus Ventures’ SWIF vehicle on Monday. Motus Ventures and Fuji America had previously both backed a $5m round for US-based robotics technology startup Rios in June 2020 alongside spark plug manufacturer NGK Spark Plug, Valley Capital Partners, Morpheus Ventures, Grit Ventures, MicroVentures and Alumni Ventures Group.
Additional reporting by Liwen-Edison Fu.
