Weekly corporate venturing deal net: 6-10 July 2015
Each Friday the Global Corporate Venturing Deal Net rounds up the week’s smaller deals and tracks the emerging companies accessing corporate funds.
Fundraising
Fund in the News: Qualcomm Robotics Accelerator
The semiconductor maker’s technology links up with the robotics technology it is funding through the accelerator, according to its head, Houman Haghighi.
Cisco commits $150m to UK startup funding
The company will invest the cash in ‘internet of everything’ startups as part of the $1bn investment it plans to make in the next three-to-five years.
IdInvest launches $1.1bn Sino-European investment initiative
The corporate-backed private equity fund is in talks with China-based firms over financing the Chance platform, which would link them with European portfolio companies.
Dai leaves CyberAgent for new ventures
Joey Dai has left his general manager position at CyberAgent Ventures’s China outfit to launch a new corporate-backed firm dubbed Gravity Venture Capital.
Infosys allocates $10m for Irish startups
The IT services provider previously revealed it was considering setting aside $120m for venture capital investments in the US, Israel and India.
McRock powers up with EDF investment
EDF joined Cisco and a host of Canadian venture capital investors in backing McRock Capital, which is targeting $65m for its industrial internet of things fund.
Anhui Xinhua Media commits $80m to VC unit
The media distributor has invested an initial $32m, and will provide the rest at a later date in a bid to increase its stake in the fund to 100%.
People
Venturing industry toasts retiring Sodhani
Arvind Sodhani, who is stepping down as head of Intel Capital in January, was praised as the de facto leader of the corporate venturing community.
Exits
Novartis-backed GenSight, which is developing eye disease treatments, raised almost $42m in its only publicly disclosed funding round.
Quipper graduates to become Recruit subsidiary
Recruit Holdings has paid $40m to acquire learning quiz app provider Quipper, allowing education and publishing company Benesse to exit the company.
IT
Sony looks to Latin America with $100m IMS investment
Sony Pictures Television, the TV production division of Sony, has paid a reported $100m for a 51% stake in the Latin America-focused digital advertising network.
Antivirus software provider PSafe has secured series D funding from investors including Qihoo 360 in order to support its expansion across Latin America.
DigitalOcean secures Access for $83m series B
The cloud infrastructure provider has now raised $210m in the past 18 months, and will use the Access Industries-led round to expand its engineering team.
Confluent brings investors together for $24m series B
LinkedIn-backed real-time data platform Confluent has completed a $24m series B round, eight months after its $6.9m series A.
Landr brings in Warner Music for $6.2m round
Audio production software startup Landr raised the cash in a Warner-led round that also featured Nas and Plus Eight Private Equity, a fund launched by a collection of DJs.
IFC and Intel Capital both contributed to a round that will support NxtGen’s expansion plans, including the completion of its latest data centre.
100msh connects to SF Express in $80m series A
The wifi connection provider will also help delivery service SF expand its e-commerce service following the funding.
Health
Xagenic passes $15m series C test
Molecular diagnostics platform Xagenic, backed by peer Qiagen and spun out of University of Toronto, boosted its total funding to more than $52m in the round.
Genesis turns it on again for $5.1m
Mitsui and Founders Fund provided the funding, which will support the consumer genomics company’s international expansion.
Procept BioRobotics stays liquid with $42m
Procept, which has developed a medical device that uses a waterjet for tissue removal, has closed a funding round led by pharmaceutical firm Novo.
PipelineRx calls in corporates for $9.1m
Mitsui, McKesson and existing investors AMN Healthcare jointly provided $9.1m in funding for remote pharmacy management platform PipelineRx.
Wuzhou sweetens Oramed stake with $52m
Wuzhou has purchased a 10% stake in the Oramed for $52m, gaining distribution rights to the insulin drug developer’s platform in China.
23andMe accumulates $79m in series E
The Google and Johnson & Johnson-backed genomic testing service is seeking $150m in a series E round that follows its establishment of a therapeutics group.
Haisco helps guide $12.5m to MST
Medical Surgery Technologies has developed a medical device that enables minimally invasive surgery with little user interaction.
GNA processes $6.6m in series B
The diagnostic technology developer will use the funds secured in the Robert Bosch-led round to bring its laser-based lead product to market.
Media
Influitive rallies advocates for $30.5m series B
NTT Docomo joined investors including Blackberry-backed Relay Ventures to fund a round that will enable Influitive to further develop its digital marketing platform.
Disney Accelerator draws up 2015 startup list
The Walt Disney-backed accelerator, run in co-operation with Techstars, has announced the 10 startups that will make up its second class.
Bertelsmann and Liberty Media were among the investors in a round that will support the India-based music streaming service’s expansion into video.
Whipclip compiles $40m series C
The video content platform raised the cash seven months after a $20m WME-backed round that valued it at $100m, and will spend it on product development and expanding content.
Consumer
Ulmart confirms IPO plans in 2016, considers private equity deal in late 2015
Naspers is among the prospective investors in a proposed equity round for the Russia-based e-commerce company that would be raised at a $1.5bn valuation later this year.
Ping An Insurance has led IDG and Bertelsmann-backed luxury goods retailer Secoo’s series E round, taking its total equity funding to more than $200m.
Meituan seeks investors to buy into $1bn round
The Alibaba-backed group buying service aims to raise the series E funding at $15bn, more than double that at which it closed its $700m series D in January.
Chernin plugs into $17m Doppler series B
Chernin Group has joined a series B round revealed last month to include Live Nation Entertainment, WME and Universal Music Group.
Growth equity firm Time for Growth has paid $11m for for a 10% stake in TeliaSonera-backed consumer electronics manufacturer Zound Industries.
Sole Society walks away with $8m
Women’s shoes, bags and accessories producer Sole Society has raised the series B funding from investors including retail chain Nordstrom.
MMB successfully shops series D to corporates
The mobile commerce company had reportedly raised $265m in funding from backers including Tencent and MediaTek before closing a JD.com-backed series D.
Financial
Go4Ventures and Centerboard merge operations as Silverpeak
Advisory service Go4 Venture Advisers and investment bank Centerboard Partners will offer advice to fundraising companies and investors under the name Silverpeak.
Social network Renrenled the online investment platform’s series B round as part of its $500m fintech investment initiative.
BankBazaar sells $60m series C to Amazon
Amazon has led BankBazaar’s latest round, boosting the financial services marketplace’s overall funding to $79m.
Grant Thornton commits up to $34m to Geniac
Grant Thornton has agreed to make the funding commitment alongside the provision of mentoring and other resources to the business management platform.
Ant Financial raises cash at $50bn valuation
E-commerce company Alibaba’s online payment affiliate raised the series A funding in a private placement featuring several major insurance firms.
Prêt d’Union unites investors for $34m series D
Schibsted and AG2R La Mondiale both participated in a round that will support the peer-to-peer lending platform’s expansion across Europe.
Utilities
Creative Functionapps adds Spice
Spice Mobility’s subsidiary, Spice Digital, has paid an undisclosed sum for a 26% stake in Functionapps Lab, which is now one of its associate companies.
Transport
Didi Kuaidi picks up monster $2bn fare
Ping An, Tencent and Alibaba all contributed to the round, raised at a $15bn valuation, which will help the China-based ride sharing service fend off Uber.
Services
Babbel stays course to raise $22m
Nokia and Reed Elsevier returned to reinvest in the language learning app developer, which has now secured $34m in total funding.
Alibaba splashes $300m to boost e-commerce holdings
The firm has invested $206m in SingPost and its e-commerce logistics subsidiary, and a further $100m in flash sales site Mei.com.
Priceline pays $60m to visit Hotel Urbano
Priceline invested the capital as part of a strategic agreement that will involve it helping the Brazil-based online travel company to enhance its global offering.
LY.com makes itself destination for $966m round
Wanda provided $577m of the money, as the Ctrip-backed online tourism guide raised cash at a $2.1bn valuation from investors also including Tencent.