Funding
China-based solid-state drive producer Beijing Derui Lingxin Technology (Dera) has closed almost RMB1bn ($157m) in series C funding from investors including China Unicom CICC, a joint venture for telecommunications firm China Unicom and investment banking firm China International Capital Corporation (CICC). The round was co-led by China Reform Fund and CICC subsidiary CICC Capital and it also featured Hongta Venture Capital, Citic’s New Future fund, Shenzhen Venture Capital, Nanjing Yihua Capital and existing backers including Pioneer Ventures and Yunhang Capital.
India-headquartered e-commerce company builder GlobalBees has received over $110m in funding from investors including telecommunications and internet group SoftBank and infant-focused e-commerce marketplace FirstCry, it told the Economic Times. The round was led by Premji Invest and also featured Steadview Capital and undisclosed existing investors, and it valued the company at $1.1bn.
India-based neobank Jupiter has secured $86m in funding from investors including Brazil-headquartered peer Nubank and financial services firm Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, according to the Economic Times, which cited a regulatory filing. Sequoia Capital India, QED Investors and Tiger Global Management co-led the round, which also featured Matrix Partners India, 3one4 Capital and Mirae Asset, at a $711m valuation. DealStreetAsia named e-commerce holding company Rocket Internet, Beenext and Global Founders Capital as additional participants.
Mati, a US-headquartered developer of digital trust management software, rebranded to MetaMap yesterday, disclosing it had secured $70m earlier this year in a series B round that included quantitative trading firm Alameda Research. The round was led by Tribe Capital and also backed by Craft Ventures and – according to YourStory – Titan Capital and individuals including Jerry Murdock. It valued the company at $700m.
DeBank, the Singapore-based creator of a decentralised finance portfolio tracker, has completed a $25m funding round featuring Coinbase Ventures, the investment arm of Coinbase, as well as fellow cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com, digital payment technology provider Circle and digital currency wallet provider Ledger. The round was led by venture capital firm Sequoia China at a $200m valuation and included Dragonfly Capital, Hash Global Capital and Youbi Capital.
Estonia-based metaverse gaming platform developer Ready Player Me has received $13m in series A funding from investors including Samsung Next, a corporate venturing subsidiary of consumer electronics manufacturer Samsung. Investment partnership Taavet+Sten led the round, which was also backed by NordicNinja, Konvoy Ventures and angel investor Tom Preston-Werner.
Vectura, an inhaled drug delivery subsidiary of tobacco producer Philip Morris, has led an $11m convertible debenture round for EnBiotix, a US-based developer of treatments for chronic respiratory disorders. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Sanford Biosciences also contributed to the round, which is preceding a merger with Switzerland-listed biopharmaceutical company Polyphor to form a new entity called Spexis.
GoFungibles, a United Arab Emirates-headquartered developer of play-to-earn games, has completed a $4m funding round featuring blockchain consulting firm IBC Group. The round was co-led by Moonrock Capital, Genblock Capital, AU21 Capital, X21 Digital and Oddiyana Ventures and also backed by Magnus Capital, Icetea Labs, InnMind, Metrix Capital, Ellipti, ZBS Capital, AC Capital, Asteroid Capital and BitCreed Capital.
Promon, a Norway-based provider of application security software for the financial services industry, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from investors including IT services group Trifork. The round also featured GRO Capital and Kirk Kapital and it came five years after Vasco Data Security, the cybersecurity technology producer which has since rebranded as OneSpan.
Funds
BRI Ventures, the venture capital arm of Indonesia-headquartered financial services firm Bank Rakyat Indonesia, has partnered fund manager Kiqani to set up an investment vehicle called Sembrani Kiqani. It will concentrate on direct-to-consumer, crypto and metaverse-focused startups and has raised capital from corporates and family offices towards a Rp 500bn ($35m) target. Its first portfolio company is Yield Guild Games Southeast Asia, which disclosed $15m in funding earlier this month.
