Funding
Consumer
Telecommunications and internet group Softbank co-led a $100m seed round on Monday for Neso, a Singapore-based eyewear brand owned by eyeglass group Lenskart Solutions, Inc42 reported yesterday. KKR, Alpha Wave Global and Temasek all co-led the round.
Retailer Carrefour has provided between €60m and €70m ($63.2m and $73.8m) for Germany-based grocery delivery service Flink, valuing it at $5bn, people familiar with the development told TechCrunch today.
Construction
Future Energy Ventures, a VC scheme backed by Germany-based energy utility Eon, took part today in Israel-based construction management technology developer Buildots’s $60m series C round. Viola Growth and OG Tech co-led the round, participating together with Lightspeed Venture Partners and Maor Investments.
Crypto and NFT
Cryptocurrency wallet provider Daedalus and cryptocurrency exchange FTX, took part yesterday in a $24m series A round for Metatheory, a US-based web3 gaming technology developer, the latter through its FTX Ventures unit. Andreessen Horowitz led the round, which included Pantera Capital, Breyer Capital, Merit Circle, Recharge Thematic Ventures, Dragonfly Capital Partners, Sfermion and Global Coin Research.
Cryptocurrency exchange Animoca Brands led a $15m series A round today for CyberConnect, a US-based web3-driven social graph protocol provider, investing alongside Sky9 Capital.
Drive by DraftKings, a corporate venturing unit of esports betting company DraftKings, and virtual trading card developer Dapper Labs took part in a $4m seed round today for US-based non-fungible token management system developer Evaluate.Market. Rho Capital led the round, which featured Castle Island Ventures, Arca, Notation Capital, Flamingo Capital Syndicate, Visary Capital, Niche Capital and Dan Nova.
Healthtech
Pharmaceutical firm Dexcel Pharma took part in US-based gene therapy developer Kriya Therapeutics’s $270m series C round yesterday. Patient Square Capita led the round, which included Bluebird Ventures, CAM Capital, Dexcel Pharma, Foresite Capital, JDRF T1D Fund, Lightswitch Capital, Narya Capital, QVT, Transhuman Capital and undisclosed others.
Medical services provider M3 was among the participants in a $10m bridge round for CarePoint, the Nigeria-based healthcare technology developer formerly known as Africa Health Holdings, TechCrunch reported today. TRB Advisors led the round, investing alongside company founder and CEO Sangu Delle, Breyer Capital, Beyond Capital Ventures, Asia Pacific Land/Natural World and Alan Waxman, bringint the company’s total funding to $30m after an $18m series A round revealed in November 2021.
Human resources
DG Daiwa Ventures, a joint vehicle between internet company Digital Garage and brokerage Daiwa Securities, joined other investors including quantitative trading firm Susquehanna International Group and Energy Environment Investment to provide an undisclosed amount for Japan-based freelancers’ job-matching platform Zehitomo. The company’s total funding now stands at ¥2.6bn ($20.1m).
Arrive, a VC initiative formed by entertainment agency Roc Nation, took part today in a $55m series A round for A.Team, a US-based gig worker-focused team formation platform, Forbes reported today. Insight Partners, Tiger Global and Spruce House co-led the round, investing alongside Adam Grant.
Mobility and supply chain
Woven Capital, a corporate venturing fund of carmaker Toyota Motor Corporation, provided an undisclosed amount of funding today for Japan-based short-distance mobility system developer Whill.
Automotive part manufacturer Toyota Boshoku has supplied an undisclosed sum for Aroma Bit, a Japan-based developer of odour visualisation technology, Nikkan reported yesterday. The deal is set to close later this month.
Prosus Ventures, the investment subsidiary of internet group Prosus formerly known as Naspers Ventures, and Westbridge have co-led a $100m series B round for Fashinza, an India-based, fashion retailer-focused logistics platform, the Economic Times reported today. Accel, Elevation and ADQ filled out the participants in the round, which included $40m in debt financing.
Quantum computing
Enterprise technology provider Hewlett Packard Enterprise, conglomerate Sumitomo Corporation (through In Venture) and electronics manufacturer Samsung (through Samsung Next) joined financial services providers HSBC, NTT Finance and Intesa Sanpaolo (the last one through its Neva SGR subsidiary) in a $3m series B second close yesterday for Israel-based quantum software developer Classiq. The tranche took the round to $36m and the company’s overall funding to $51m. Other participants included Wing VC, Entrée Capital, Team8, Phoenix, OurCrowd, Spike Ventures, Lip-Bu Tan and Harvey Jones.
M&A
Grocery ordering platform Flink agreed to pay between €90m and €100m ($94.8m and $105m) for Cajoo, a France-based instant delivery service that had secured more than $40m in funding from investors including supermarket chain operator Carrefour, sources privy to the matter told TechCrunch today.
Funds
Insurer Cathay Life and CTBC Venture Capital, a subsidiary of financial holding company CTBC, have agreed to invest $35m in private equity vehicles, Ares Insurance Partners and WestCap Strategic Operator Fund II, DealStreetAsia reported today, citing exchange filings.
Financial services and investment firm Fidelity’s Eight Roads Ventures unit has formed a $250m healthcare and life sciences-focused fund in India to back local startups, VCCircle reported today.
