E-commerce group Alibaba is investing $10m in India-based logistics service provider Xpressbees, according to regulatory documents seen by Paper.vc. The company had received $35m in series D funding from Alibaba in January 2018 having closed a $12.4m round in 2016 featuring existing investors SAIF Partners, IDG Ventures India (now Chiratae Ventures), New Enterprise Associates, Vertex Ventures and Valiant Capital, bringing its overall funding to $17.4m.
Saudi Arabia-based payment processor HyperPay has closed what it referred to as an eight-digit investment round without confirming the currency in which it took place. The round was led by Mad’a Investment Company and included virtual network operator iNet, Saudi Venture Capital Company, Middle East Venture Partners and unnamed other investors while undisclosed early backers exited in the deal. The company had previously received ‘millions of dollars’ from iNet in 2015.
Innovative Cellular Therapeutics, a US-based T-cell cancer treatment developer backed by internet and telecommunications group SoftBank, has completed a series B-plus round of undisclosed size that was led by venture capital firm LH Ventures. It had raised $28.3m from SoftBank unit SBCVC, Volcanics Venture, GTJA Investment Group, Dunhou Capital and Withtruth Capital in April 2018, following an undisclosed amount of series A funding from CDH Investments and I-Bridge Capital two years earlier.
India-based men’s grooming brand Bombay Shaving Company (BSC) has secured Rs 450m ($6.3m) in financing from investors including consumer product maker Colgate Palmolive Asia Pacific, the Economic Times has reported. VC fund Sixth Sense Ventures led the round, which increased BSC’s total funding to $11.4m and which included a Rs 200m secondary portion that allowed some early investors to exit. Colgate-Palmolive led a $2.6m round for the company in August 2018 that included existing backer Fireside Ventures.
South Korea-based medical device developer Recens Medical has received ₩7bn ($6m) in series B financing from investors including Hyundai Venture Investment Corporation, an affiliate of shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries, BioWorld has reported. LB Investment, KB Securities, BNK Securities and Lighthouse Combined Investment also invested in the round.
Sinopharm Capital, the strategic investment arm of pharmaceutical company Sinopharm, led a series A-plus round for China-based cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diagnostics technology developer ArteryFlow sized in the tens of millions of renminbi (RMB10m = $1.4m) on Tuesday. It had already raised a similar amount from Dianshi Chuangjian in September this year.
Pulpomatic, a Spain-based fleet management platform developer backed by telecommunications company Telefónica, has raised €5m ($5.5m) in a funding round led by VC fund Swanlaab Venture Factory that included Mexico Ventures, CincoDías has reported. The round is the third to be closed by the startup, which had raised $1m in each of the other two according to CincoDías. Its existing investors include Telefónica’s Wayra unit and SeedRocket 4Founders Capital.
InformedDNA, a US-based genetic services provider backed by health insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, has agreed investments of undisclosed size from TT Capital Partners, NovaQuest Capital Management and Frist Cressey Ventures. It had previously raised $4.5m from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ Zaffre Investments subsidiary in 2014 having received $3.5m from MPM Capital the previous year.
Weav Music, a US-based developer of innovative audio technology, has secured $5m in a series A round led by VC firm King River Capital that also featured fitness equipment maker Peloton, Passion Capital and Rivet Ventures. Although Weav has not disclosed details of its earlier funding, it described the latter two as existing investors and will use the funding to further developer its adaptive music platform, which will modify music in real time to fit movement in activities such as fitness.
Japan-based audio technology developer Hmcomm has received ¥540m ($4.9m) in series C funding from investors including media company Hakuhodo DY Holdings, cosmetics and health food producer Kyowa and JR East Japan Start Up, a corporate VC vehicle for rail operator JR East. The round was also backed by DBJ Capital and Kyushu Kizuna Capital’s KFG Regional Enterprise Support Fund, and it followed an undisclosed amount of funding from JR West Innovations, representing another rail operator, JR West.
Samsung Ventures Investment Corporation, a subsidiary of consumer electronics producer Samsung, has led a series B round of undisclosed size for Switzerland-based neural network developer Nnaisense. The round included glass ceramics manufacturer Schott and Repsol Energy Ventures, oil and gas supplier Repsol’s strategic investment arm. It comes after an undisclosed amount of series A funding from VC firm Alma Mundi Ventures in 2017.
Financial services holding company Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings has agreed to invest approximately ¥500m ($4.6m) in Huobi Japan, a subsidiary of Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange operator Huobi Group. The cash was provided through a strategic partnership that will encompass areas like a crypto asset exchange, crypto-based financing, local currency issuance and digital-asset storage and management.
DragonPass, a China-based operator of premium airport lounges, has raised an undisclosed amount in a round led by private equity firm Ocean Link that also featured Trip.com, the online travel agency formerly known as Ctrip, Travel Daily has reported. The funding will support international growth and the establishment of a technology platform for the company, which has appointed Ocean Link co-founder Alex Zheng deputy chairman.
Humm, a US-based neuroscience technology developer backed by media company SevenWest, has secured $2.6m in a seed round led by VC firm Blueyard Capital and backed by CRCM Venture Capital and Berkeley SkyDeck Fund. The round boosted Humm’s overall funding to $3.1m and in addition to Seven West subsidiary Seven West Ventures and Berkeley SkyDeck Fund, its earlier backers include Larsen Ventures.
Cozre, the Japan-based operator of an online parental advice-sharing platform, has received an undisclosed amount in a series B round featuring property developer Mitsui Fudosan’s 31Ventures unit, real estate data provider Lifull and VC firm Global Brain’s SFV-GB Investment Limited Partnership vehicle. The company raised $810,000 from Global Brain in 2015 before pulling in an undisclosed sum from Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Mizuho Capital and SMBC Venture Capital – subsidiaries of banks Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation – in 2017.
NTT Docomo Ventures, mobile network operator NTT Docomo’s corporate VC subsidiary, has provided ¥250m ($2.3m) in funding for Japan-based video technology provider Eviry. The company had received $910,000 from CyberAgent Capital, the corporate venturing arm of internet company CyberAgent, and digital advertising agency Digital Advertising Consortium in June 2018.
Agritech FarmERP, the India-based creator of an enterprise resource planning software platform for agricultural businesses, has raised an undisclosed amount of series A funding from IT services firm Technogen, Inc42 reported on Monday. It intends to channel the funding into development of a climate-risk analysis and mitigation tool.
Volvo Financial Services, a subsidiary of automotive manufacturer Volvo, has supplied an undisclosed amount of funding for Rein, the US-based developer of an insurance product development kit. Rein raised an undisclosed sum in a 2016 seed round before adding $7.3m in a July 2018 series A featuring insurance firm Liberty Mutual’s corporate venturing unit, Liberty Mutual Strategic Ventures, as well as Kiplin Capital, Jason Griswold, Christopher Ellis, Bert Roberts, Steve Rabbitt and Anderson Bell.
Hachi Tama, the Japan-based developer of smart cat toilet Toletta, has secured more than ¥200m ($1.8m) from Monex Ventures, the VC arm of securities trading firm Monex Group, as well as conglomerate Hatachi Industry, consulting firm Sigmaxyz, Yokohama Capital, Yamaguchi Capital and unnamed trading companies. The round doubled Hachi Tama’s total funding and comes after $360,000 from unnamed backers in February 2017, $570,000 from angel investors in March 2018 and $670,000 from investors including Keiretsu Forum Japan and Japan Finance Corporation in August 2018.
Rehasaku, the Japan-based creator of a customer relationship management platform for the orthopaedic and osteopathic treatment industry, has received ¥110m ($1m) in funding from investors including Monex Ventures. VC firms Anri and DNX Ventures also participated in the round, which came after an eight-figure yen investment by Apricot Ventures in April this year.
Animation studio Toei Animation has supplied an undisclosed amount of series A funding for AnalyzerLog, a Japan-based agency that represents social media influencers. VC firm Next 10 Ventures had provided an undisclosed amount of seed capital for the startup in February this year, and the series A investment was secured through a strategic partnership agreement.
Media company Bennett Coleman and Co (BCC) is paying Rs 32.5m ($460,000) for a 5.6% stake in India-based budget hotel operator Treebo, TechCircle reported yesterday, citing a regulatory filing. Treebo had raised more than $52m as of 2017, from investors including media group Bertelsmann’s Asia Investments unit, Ward Ferry Management and Karst Peak Capital, SAIF Partners and Matrix Partners India.
VeXeRe, the Vietnam-based operator of an online booking platform for bus tickets, has raised an undisclosed amount from food delivery service Woowa Brothers, Ncore Ventures, Access Ventures and unnamed additional investors, e27 has reported. CyberAgent invested an undisclosed sum in VeXeRe in 2014 before adding series A funding through its CyberAgent Ventures unit the following year. The company secured an undisclosed sum from CyberAgent Ventures, Spiral Ventures and Pix Vine Capital in January 2018.
Japan Healthcare, a Japan-based developer of treatments for musculoskeletal conditions, has secured ¥14m ($130,000) from seed-stage investor Glocalink. The company had previously received $100,000 in funding from internet and e-commerce company DMM in August this year.
Media company Mainichi Shimbun’s Creation Lab has provided an undisclosed amount for MimiBen, the Japan-based developer of an educational method that links a person’s auditory and cognitive abilities. The funding will support marketing and the development of the next iteration of MimiBen’s technology.
