Funding
France-based driverless vehicle technology developer EasyMile completed a €55m ($66.4m) series B round on Wednesday featuring power and automation equipment producer Alstom and tire manufacturer Continental. The round was led by investment firm Searchlight Capital Partners and included McWin, NextStage AM and BPIfrance. It came after a $15m investment by Alstom in 2017 and $7.7m from BPIfrance the following year, while Continental was also described as an existing investor.
Ceribell, a US-based electroencephalogram (EEG) system developer backed by biopharmaceutical company UCB and medical device maker LivaNova, closed a $53m series C round yesterday co-led by venture capital firm Longitude Capital and private equity group TPG’s The Rise Fund. The round included RA Capital Management, Redmile Group, Red Tree Venture Capital and unnamed existing backers. It came after The Rise Fund and Optimas Capital Partners Fund co-led a $35m series B round in 2018 that included UCB and LivaNova.
US-based gene therapy developer Capsida Biotherapeutics emerged from stealth yesterday having raised $10m in equity funding from pharmaceutical firm AbbVie through a strategic collaboration and option agreement that included an $80m upfront payment. The startup revealed it had also raised $50m in series A funding from VC firms Versant Ventures and Westlake Village BioPartners.
China-based drug discovery platform developer Zonsen Peplib Biotech has secured RMB200m ($30.9m) in series A-plus funding from investors including Legend Star, the early-stage investment arm of conglomerate Legend Holdings, DealStreetAsia reported today. Alternative asset manager CDH Investments led the round through its CDH Wealth Management subsidiary, and it also featured ASB Ventures, Highlight Capital, Cowin Capital, Fortune Capital and existing backer CAS Investment Management.
US-headquartered venture studio and incubator 25madison completed a $25m funding round yesterday that included talent and entertainment agency Endeavor. The corporate joined Apollo Global Management and unnamed family offices and private investors in the round, which came after $12.5m in funding from undisclosed investors in 2018 and $17m in December 2020, according to regulatory filings.
Beijing Liufangyun Technology, the cybersecurity software provider also known as 6cloud Tech, received RMB150m ($23.2m) on Wednesday in a series C round featuring Zhongmei Houchi Capital Management, a vehicle backed by mining company China Coal Geology Group, DealStreetAsia reported. Ying Capital, Zanlu Fund and Beijing Zhongguan Jinxin Asset Management also contributed to the round, which followed an undisclosed amount of series A funding from Sharewin Investment in 2018, an undisclosed sum in an April 2020 series B round featuring Topping Capital, Fortune Capital, CSC Group and Infore Holding, and ‘millions of dollars’ from Topping Capital and China Science and Techinnovation Capital Management three months later.
Healthcare provider Kaiser Foundation Hospitals invested at least $22m in Q Bio, a US-based developer of technology to measure the performance of the human body, yesterday. Q Bio did not disclose the size of the deal but said it has now raised over $80m in total. Andreessen Horowitz led a $40m series B round also backed by fellow VC firm Khosla Ventures that was disclosed when Q Bio emerged from stealth in February 2020 stating it had secured $58m in funding altogether.
Spiden, the Switzerland-based creator of a technology platform which measures drugs and biomarkers, emerged from stealth yesterday having completed an $18m funding round led by digital health platform developer Ornament Health. It was joined by sanitary product manufacturer Geberit, Btov Partners and a host of angel investors, and Spiden said it has now raised $25m since it was founded in 2018.
PortalOne, the Norway-headquartered developer of a game streaming platform and a range of game recording equipment, has raised $15m in seed funding from investors including game console producer and hotel operator Atari and film camera manufacturer Arri, TechCrunch reported yesterday. TQ Ventures, Coatue Management, Rogue Capital Partners, Signia Venture Partners, Seedcamp, Talis Capital and SNÖ Ventures also took part in the round along with a range of individuals.
Flashpoint Venture Debt Fund and undisclosed additional investors have provided €10m ($12.1m) for Dispelix, a Finland-based augmented reality glasses developer backed by consumer manufacturing group 3M, Tech.eu reported yesterday. The company, a spinout of VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, received $13.7m in a 2018 series A round featuring 3M subsidiary 3M Ventures, VTT Ventures, Finnish Industry Investment and Lifeline Ventures that followed $1.6m from VTT Ventures and Lifeline Ventures two years earlier.
Grin, the US-based operator of an online platform that connects users to orthodontists, received $10m yesterday from investors including Procter & Gamble Oral Care, a subsidiary of consumer goods manufacturer Procter & Gamble. VC fund Triventures led the round, which also featured SpringRock Ventures and which came in the wake of $4.3m in seed funding from undisclosed investors in September 2020.
Financial technology producer Peak6 invested an undisclosed amount in Sportsdigita, a US-based provider of cloud sales presentation software, yesterday. Sportsdigita had previously received a similarly undisclosed sum from Peak6 in 2018 and will put the latest funding into technology development, sales and marketing.
Educational content producer Twinkl Educational Publishing has led a $1m seed round for Erase All Kittens, the UK-based creator of a video game designed to help young girls learn how to code, TechCrunch reported yesterday. The round also featured individuals including existing investor Christian Reyntjens.
M&A
Food services provider Compass Group USA has bought corporate lunch provider Eat Club for an undisclosed amount, enabling food service and facilities management provider Sodexo to exit, Crunchbase News reported yesterday. Sodexo led a $30m series C round in 2017 that included August Capital and Trinity Ventures, taking Eat Club’s total funding to $46.5m. Its earlier investors included First Round Capital, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Launch Capital, Siemer Ventures, Tekton Ventures and individuals including Mark Vadon.
Software development tool provider SmartBear agreed on Wednesday to purchase Bugsnag, a US-based provider of application stability management technology that had raised $17.6m from investors including GV, a subsidiary of internet and technology conglomerate Alphabet. GV took part in a $9m round for Bugsnag in 2017 alongside Benchmark and Matrix Partners, and its earlier backers included angel investors Jason Seats and Andy McLoughlin.
Photo courtesy of EasyMile.
