Funding
Japan-based sales technology provider BellFace raised approximately ¥3bn ($27.4m) in series D funding today from investors including insurer Daiichi Life, SMBC Venture Capital and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Investment, which invested on behalf of financial services firms Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank respectively. They were joined by Axiom Asia and Incubate Fund and the round boosted BellFace’s total funding to over $80m. That amount includes $47.3m from a February 2020 round featuring corporate backers Globis, Nihon Unisys and Yahoo Japan.
Australia-based blockchain protocol developer ZKTube Labs has closed a $15m funding round that included digital currency exchange Bitmart’s Amplio Capital vehicle. The round was led by Singapore Dash Foundation and also featured Canada OneUni Capital, Chainfir Capital, YFund, July Capital and undisclosed others. The company had not revealed details of any past funding.
Boom Entertainment, a US-based developer of sports gaming, received $15m yesterday in a series A round featuring media company Tegna and online casino operators Golden Nugget Online Gaming and Rush Street Interactive. The round was led by Sands Capital and included Defy Partners, Bettor Capital, Velo Capital, Alpha Bridge Ventures, Heatwave Partners and assorted private investors. Boom had secured $1.4m in a 2016 seed round co-led by Stanford-StartX Fund, Rubicon Venture Capital and private investor Mark Pincus and backed by several angel investors. Founders Fund led a $2m seed round in 2017 that included various individuals, and Boom added $4.5m in a 2018 round co-led by Defy and ZhenFund that also featured assorted angel investors.
US-based geospatial imaging technology developer Near Space Labs secured $13m yesterday in a series A round backed by automotive manufacturer Toyota through its Toyota Ventures unit. Venture capital firm Crosslink Capital led the round, which also featured Leadout Capital and Wireframe Ventures. The company said it has now raised $16.8m altogether and named Leadout and Wireframe as existing investors, part of a list which also contains CivStart, Draper Associates, Urban-X and Urban Us.
Diversified trading group MMS Group has participated in an $11.5m series A round for Indonesia-based social commerce platform developer Dagangan, The Business Times reported today. VC firm Monk’s Hill Ventures led the round, which included K3 Ventures, Spiral Ventures and Plug and Play Indonesia. It came after a $1.5m series A round in June this year featuring CyberAgent Capital, the investment arm of internet company CyberAgent, as well as taxi operator Bluebird Group, Spiral Ventures and 500 Startups.
Enterprise software producer Salesforce has invested an undisclosed amount in India-headquartered online payment platform developer RazorPay through its Salesforce Ventures subsidiary, the Economic Times reported yesterday. RazorPay had raised a total of $370m as of its $160m series E round in April this year, from internet company GMO, payment services firm Mastercard, GIC, Sequoia Capital India, Matrix Partners, Ribbit Capital, Tiger Global Management and Y Combinator.
India-based consumer finance provider ePaylater, which counts financial services firm Icici Bank and internet company GMO as backers, has secured $10m from investors including ResponsAbility Investments, Blue Ashva Capital and Pravega Ventures, co-founder Aurko Bhattacharya told the Economic Times yesterday. The company raised $2m from angel investors in 2016 before Icici invested $1.3m in 2018 for a 9.9% stake. It added an undisclosed amount of pre-series A funding in January 2019 from Icici, GMO’s Global Fintech Fund and family offices Parekh and Patni, and $2.5m from investors including Pravega Ventures in February this year.
Workday Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of enterprise software provider Workday, supplied an undisclosed amount for US-based digital care concierge developer Wellthy yesterday in connection with the latter’s entry into its Workday Software Partner Program. The investment will be part of Wellthy’s $35m series B round, which was disclosed in June this year and which included media group Hearst, Rethink Impact, Polaris Partners and Eldridge. It increased the company’s overall funding to about $45m.
Shikomel Food Tech, a Japan-based developer of digitalisation technology for the food industry, raised ¥150m ($1.4m) today from internet company United, women’s wig manufacturer Glowing Wig, logistics firm Tsukamoto Post Transport, SevenStars Capital and four undisclosed angel investors. It had secured $420,000 from tuna fishery owner Japan Fisheries Innovation and Midas Capital in January this year to lift its total funding to roughly $1.1m.
NetEase Games, a subsidiary of internet company NetEase, provided an undisclosed amount of funding for Japan-based casual game developer Grounding today. The capital was supplied through a strategic partnership which will involve NetEase helping Grounding promote its titles.
Internet company CyberAgent led a ¥115m ($1.1m) equity and debt round for Japan-based food delivery service Lisa Technologies today through its CyberAgent Capital unit. The round included Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital, a subsidiary of insurance provider Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, as well as internet company United and Lifetime Ventures. Lisa had raised $550,000 in equity and debt financing in March 2020 from Lifetime Ventures (which put up the equity funding), Bank of Nagoya and Japan Finance Corporation.
Biotechnology producer Alkido Pharma yesterday disclosed an investment of undisclosed size in US-based telehealth technology developer Kerna Health. Kerna had not revealed details of earlier funding but its chief revenue officer, Crystal Lore, said the health data it generates could form the basis for a long term partnership with Alkido.
M&A
My.Games, the online gaming subsidiary of internet company Mail.ru, agreed yesterday to pay $2m for a majority stake in one of its portfolio companies, Belarus-based casual game developer Mamboo Games. It had previously invested an undisclosed sum in Mamboo in October 2020.
Additional reporting by Liwen-Edison Fu and Thierry Heles.
