Funding
UK-headquartered satellite communication technology developer Isotropic Systems has secured over $35m in series B funding from investors including AEI HorizonX, a joint venture between aerospace manufacturer Boeing and private equity firm AE Industrial Partners. The round was led by Seraphim Space Investment Trust and also featured Promus Ventures and Firmament Ventures. The company had raised a total of $60m from investors including Boeing HorizonX Ventures, the investment vehicle since spun off by Boeing, as of a $40m round in February this year.
Media company EW Scripps has invested $10m to lead a $35m funding round for US-headquartered esports team operator and investor Misfits Gaming. Scripps will get a seat on the company’s board of directors and could distribute Misfits content through its online and offline television resources.
US-based genetic medicine developer GenEdit has completed a $26m series A round featuring pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly and conglomerate SK. It was joined by KTB Network, Company K Partners, Korea Investment Partners, Dayli Partners, KB Investment, IMM Investment, TimeFolio Asset Management, DCVC Bio, Bow Capital and Sequoia Capital. The company had previously raised $8.5m in a 2018 seed round co-led by SK and DCVC Bio that included Sequoia Capital and Bow Capital – both billed as existing backers.
South Korea-based immersive reality technology developer 3i has closed a funding round sized at almost $24m that included YG Investment, a subsidiary of entertainment agency YG Entertainment. It was led by SV Investment and backed by Korean Development Bank, LB Investment, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management, Intops Investment, Enlight Ventures, NBH Capital and Korea Asset Investment Securities.
Hungry, the US-based operator of an online marketplace for food services, raised $21m on Friday in a series C round featuring Motley Fool Ventures, the investment arm of financial advice provider Motley Fool. It was joined by Sands Capital Global Venture Fund, Evolution VC Partners, Marcy Venture Partners, Stonewall Robb Investments, Studio Management, Bread and Butter Ventures, Ames Watson, The Syndicate Fund, James Madison Innovations, GP Ventures, Center for Innovative Technology, Private Access Network, The Torch Fund, The Heritage Fund, Flight VC and various individuals. The deal came after Hungry secured $20m in a March 2020 series B round which boosted its total funding to over $32m.
Awning, the US-based operator of a digital real estate brokerage, has come out of stealth with $9.3m from investors including MassMutual Ventures, a corporate venturing vehicle for insurance firm Massachusetts Mutual. Venture Capital fund Global Founders Capital led the round, which also featured angel investors Guy Gal, Ed Wu, Auren Hoffman, Lucy Guo, Peter Fishman and Justin Overdorff.
Owl’s Brew, a US-headquartered tea product brand backed by alcoholic beverage producer Anheuser-Busch InBev, has completed a $9m series A round led by Formidable Asset Management that included Cambridge SPG, Connecticut Innovations, Tidal River, Wheelhouse, Owl’s Brew chief brand officer Jeannie Mai and angel investors Sam Taylor-Johnson and Keleigh Teller. It came four years after an undisclosed sum from Cambridge SPG and Anheuser-Busch InBev’s ZX Ventures unit.
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, a subsidiary of financial services firm Mitsubishi UFJ, invested an undisclosed amount in Israel-based electronics monitoring technology provider ProteanTecs today. The announcement came days after ProteanTecs boosted its latest round to $95m, the cash coming from chemicals producer Koch Industries (through Koch Disruptive Technologies), fabless semiconductor producer MediaTek (through MediaTek Ventures), carmaker Porsche, luxury car importer Champion Motors and undisclosed existing investors.
Japan-based agricultural digitalisation technology developer Agri Smile received ¥170m ($1.5m) today in a series A round backed by Monex Ventures, the corporate VC arm of currency exchange Monex Group. The round included The Seed and angel investors Yuma Umeda and Tatsuya Suzuki, and it came in the wake of $360,000 in seed funding from Monex Ventures, The Seed and assorted individuals in January 2020.
Papamo, the Japan-based owner of an online children’s exercise platform called Heyasupo, secured ¥56m ($505,000) in seed funding today from investors including Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital, a subsidiary of insurance provider Mitsui Sumitomo. VC firm W Ventures led the round, which included unnamed individuals and debt financing from undisclosed investors.
PR Table, the Japan-based, corporate-backed owner of online content management platform Talentbook, raised an undisclosed amount from recruitment firm Egg Forward today. The company had received a total of $9.6m as of a $4.3m series C round in November 2020 featuring Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital as well as digital media company Gree’s Strive unit, business intelligence provider Uzabase’s UB Ventures subsidiary, financial services firm Mizuho Bank’s Mizuho Capital vehicle, postal service Japan Post (through Japan Post Capital) and financial exchange operator Monex (through Monex Ventures).
IT services provider Metrodata Electronics is supplying $500,000 in bridge financing for Indonesia-based on-demand grocery provider Sayurbox, DealStreetAsia reported on Friday, citing a regulatory filing. Conglomerate Astra International invested $5m in the company in March this year following an undisclosed amount from Patamar Capital and Insignia Ventures Partners in 2018.
Mobile game publisher Akatsuki invested an undisclosed amount today in Webtoon, a Japan-based online webcomic platform. The deal came three months after Webtoon was spun off by Japan-based digital marketing and entertainment group 1LDK.
Additional reporting by Liwen-Edison Fu.
