Funding
Unico, the Brazil-based digital identity protection technology developer formerly known as Acesso Digital, has secured BRL625m ($120m) in a funding round co-led by telecoms group SoftBank’s Latin America Fund and General Capital, according to LABS News. The round also featured Ribbit Capital and Big Bets, and valued Unico at more than $1bn. SoftBank’s Latin America Fund and General Atlantic had already co-led a $107m series B round for the company in September 2020. Unico secured $9.5m in series A financing from e.Bricks Ventures in January 2020.
China-based biopharmaceutical company Zentera Therapeutics has closed a $75m series B round backed by Lilly Asia Ventures, a vehicle for pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly. The round was co-led by Orbimed Advisors Asia and Tybourne Capital Management, and also featured Partners, Casdin Capital, Surveyor Capital, Farallon Capital Management, Logos Capital, Perceptive Advisors, Redmile Group and Viking Global Investors. Zentera was spun off from small molecule drug developer Zentalis Pharmaceuticals in May 2020 with $20m in series A funding led by Tybourne. The series A round also included Orbimed Asia.
Engrail Therapeutics, a US-based developer of treatments for nervous system disorders, has extended its series A round to $64m following an additional $32m investment led by Nan Fung Life Sciences, the healthcare investment arm of property development conglomerate Nan Fung. The corporate had already led the first $32m tranche in June 2020.
WorkJam, a Canada-based digital workplace technology provider backed by telecommunications firm Novel Group, has received $35m in funding from Silver Lake Waterman. The deal follows a $50m series C round raised in April 2020, when Novel Group’s Novel TMT Ventures unit invested together with Claridge, Fonds de Solidarité FTQ, Lerer Hippeau, Blumberg Capital, Harmony Partners, WorkJam’s management team and Inovia Capital, which led that round. Novel TMT Ventures previously took part in a $12m round in 2017, when Lerer Hippeau, Founder Collective, Blumberg Capital and WorkJam’s management team also injected capital.
US-based professional email platform Titan has received $30m in series A funding from software developer Automattic. The round valued Titan at $300m. Its email suite is available through WordPress.com, the online blogging portal owned by Automattic.
Iterative Scopes, a US-based precision medicine company focused on gastroenterology, has completed a $30m series A round backed by pharmaceutical firms Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson, the latter investing through corporate venturing arm Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC. The round was led by Obvious Ventures, with additional commitments from Breyer Capital, Seae Ventures and private investors. Iterative Scopes, a spinout of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, concurrently confirmed a total of $13.5m in seed capital raised from Wavemaker Partners, Micron Ventures, Time BioVentures, Valor Capital Group, Tau Ventures, P5 Health Ventures and Wavemaker 360. It is unclear when the seed round closed.
UK-based carbon dioxide (CO2) separation technology developer Carbon Clean Solutions has added $8m to its series B round, bringing it to a $30m total, thanks to building materials company Cemex, oil and gas supplier Equinor’s corporate venturing arm Equinor Ventures, Icos Capital and Wave Equity Partners. Equinor and Icos had already backed the $22m initial close in July 2020. Chevron Technology Ventures, a subsidiary of oil and gas supplier Chevron, trading group Marubeni and Wave Equity Partners had invested in a $16m series A round in February 2020.
Rentable, a US-based rental platform incorporated as MoveIn and formerly known as Abodo, has pocketed $22.5m in a series B round led by Susquehanna Growth Equity, a vehicle for technology and quantitative trading firm Susquehanna International Group. Rentable previously secured an undisclosed amount – thought to have been almost $4m – from Novel Growth Partners and Flyover Capital in October 2019, taking its overall funding up until that point to $12m. Insurer American Family’s investment arm, American Family Ventures, contributed to a $4.8m round in 2016 and a $1.25m round in 2014.
ZeroEyes, a US-based developer of an artificial intelligence-equipped weapons detection system backed by education and technology consultancy Natoma, has picked up $20.9m in a series A round led by Octave Ventures. The round included Legion Capital, Grateful Investments, Alliance Holdings, and Alpha Intelligence Capital. Natoma was among the investors in a $1.5m round in October 2020.
Ahana, a US-based developer of an analytics platform for database software product PrestoDB that is backed by technology group Alphabet, has obtained $20m in a series A round led by Third Point Ventures. Ahana previously received $2.3m in seed funding led by Lux Capital, with participation from Alphabet’s GV unit in September 2020. GV had already led a $2.25m initial seed round three months earlier, when Leslie Ventures and angel investors also contributed.
US-based gene-editing diagnostics company Sequre Dx has unveiled $17.5m in series C capital co-led by Mass General Brigham Ventures, on behalf of health system Mass General Brigham, and RiverVest Venture Partners. The round featured real estate investment trust Alexandria Real Estate Equities’ Alexandria Venture Investments as well as Digitalis Ventures, Casdin Capital, KdT Ventures and Bold Capital Partners.
Reconstruct, a US-based developer of software for remote quality control of real estate assets, has added NTT Docomo Ventures, a vehicle for telecoms firm NTT Docomo, to its list of series B investors. Reconstruct said the round now stood at $17.3m, although this is the same amount it disclosed last month when construction software producer Nemetschek led the first tranche. The initial group of series B investors also included construction technology producer EquipmentShare and one of its investors, Romulus Capital, as well as general contractor STO Building Group, engineering consulting firms Syska Hennessy and ThorntonTomasetti, architecture firm Shop Architects, property developer Asia Pacific Land and returning shareholders including Serra Ventures and Cultivation Capital.
US-based geothermal energy technology developer Quaise has secured $12m in funding from land drilling company Nabors Industries. The money will accelerate the development of Quaise’s millimetre wave drilling technology towards a first field demonstration. Quaise, a spinout of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), previously obtained $6m in a seed round led by MIT-aligned tough tech fund and incubator The Engine that also included venture firm Collaborative Fund and private investor Vinod Khosla in June 2020.
Souled Store, an India-based casual clothes retailer backed by diversified group RP-Sanjiv Goenka, has picked up Rs750m ($10m) in series B funding led by Elevation Capital, with participation from assorted angel investors, according to DealStreetAsia. RP-SG Ventures, an investment vehicle for RP-Sanjiv Goenka, previously injected $3m in 2018.
US-based cryptocurrency asset management platform Onramp Invest has collected $6m in seed capital from investors including Coinbase Ventures and Gemini Frontier Fund, on behalf of cryptocurrency exchanges Coinbase and Gemini respectively, financial services provider Galaxy Digital and its Galaxy Fund Management, as well as Eterna Capital, Fox Ventures, Ritholtz Wealth Management and WisdomTree.
ZenLedger, the US-based developer of a cryptocurrency tax management platform, has pocketed $6m in series A financing from cryptocurrency brokerage operator Bigg Digital Assets and blockchain-focused media company CoinGecko. The round was led by Bloccelerate VC and also featured Radical Ventures, G1 VC, Borderless Capital, 4RC, Centrality, Accelerator Ventures, Vestigo Ventures, Castle Island Ventures, Migration Capital, Blackwater Capital and private investors. Gumi Cryptos Capital, a corporate venturing vehicle for mobile game publisher Gumi, was a backer in ZenLedger’s $3.4m seed round in 2019, participating alongside lead investor Vestigo Ventures, Castle Island Ventures, Unblock Ventures and Migration Capital.
Japan-based restaurant digitisation service Idea;Record has raised ¥500m ($4.6m) from Nissay Capital, a subsidiary of insurer Nippon Life, and venture capital firm Global Catalyst Partners Japan, which took its total funding to about $7.3m. Voice-over-IP services provider Brisys, digital media and influencer marketing firm LeoSophia and Nanto CVC Fund, the VC arm of financial services firm Nanto Bank provided $1.2m in March 2020.
Japan-based sublingual immunotherapy developer Hishoh Biopharma has raised around ¥250m ($2.3m) in a seed round from pharmaceutical firm BioLite Japan, financial services firm Mitsubishi UFJ subsidiary Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and Development Bank of Japan’s DBJ Capital unit.
Kenya-based cross-border remittance service Wapi Pay has raised a $2.2m pre-seed round backed by mobile phone manufacturer Transsion, according to TechCrunch. The round also attracted MSA Capital, Gobi Ventures, EchoVC, Kepple Africa and Future Hub.
Revery, a US-based developer of a mobile app that gamifies cognitive behavioural therapy to combat insomnia, has raised $2m in funding from investors including ZVentures, the corporate venturing division of consumer electronics company Razer, TechCrunch reported yesterday. The round was led by Sequoia Capital India’s Surge programme, while GGV Capital, Pascal Capital and assorted individuals also took part.
Japan-based elderly care service Miharu has raised ¥60m ($550,000) in a seed round from Z Venture Capital, a corporate venturing vehicle for internet group Z Holdings, app development platform Mint and VC firm Anri.
M&A
Doxper, the India-based health data digitisation platform backed by health and wellness services firm Vidal Healthcare, has been acquired by digital outpatient care platform Meddo for an undisclosed amount, according to Inc42. Doxper raised $4m in series A financing in 2019 from Alkemi Venture Partners, Rainforest Venture Network and GrowX Ventures. Vidal Healthcare co-led a $750,000 seed round with GrowX Ventures in 2017 that featured Capier Investments and Globevestor, before also leading a $1.1m pre-series A round in 2018 that attracted undisclosed backers.
– Additional reporting by Liwen-Edison Fu.
