Corporate venturing deal net: 13-17 August 2018
Each Friday the Global Corporate Venturing Deal Net rounds up the week’s smaller deals and tracks the emerging companies accessing corporate funds.
Fundraising
Line lays down $10m for token fund
The messaging platform developer, which has become increasingly involved in cryptocurrency activities, will invest in token offerings through Unblock Ventures.
JD.com joins efforts to raise $5.8bn fund
The e-commerce firm has joined Sequoia Capital China and the state-owned China Reform Holdings for a late-stage fund with a $5.8bn target.
Nabtesco puts $85m fund in motion
The motion control technology producer has set up an $85m corporate venturing unit, Nabtesco Technology Ventures, with Emerald Technology Ventures.
New Oriental enrols corporates in $220m fund
New Oriental Education and Technology will invest in education-focused startups through a fund backed by fellow corporates 51Job and Sunlands Education.
People
Frazier extracts Saxton for EIR role
Tracy Saxton, formerly of Roche Venture Fund and Pivotal BioVenture Partners, has joined Frazier Healthcare Partners as an entrepreneur-in-residence.
Nobutake Suzuki, former partner at Global Brain, has returned to Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group as a managing director.
Susana Quintana-Plaza, formerly a partner at Siemens’ Next47 vehicle after seven years at Eon, has left the unit.
Telefónica twists corporate venturing personnel
Ana Segurado’s departure and Miguel Arias’ arrival earlier this year were followed by the promotion of Guenia Gawendo.
Munich Re/HSB Ventures captures Kaplan
Oshri Kaplan, formerly venture partner at Silicon Foundry until June , has taken an investment director position at Munich Re/HSB Ventures.
Exits
Babytree bets on $1bn IPO target
The social parenting community operator counts Alibaba, Fosun, Tal Education and Jumei as shareholders and is seeking a $5bn valuation.
Nio starts engine on $1.8bn IPO
The smart electric vehicle producer, whose largest investor is Tencent, was valued at $5bn as of late last year and has filed to go public in the US.
Millendo overtakes OvaScience in merger deal
Roche and AstraZeneca-backed endocrine disease therapy developer Millendo will merge with publicly-listed OvaScience, raising a further $30m in the process.
Boston Scientific spikes Veniti in $108m acquisition
Boston Scientific, which paid $25m for a 25% stake in the venous stent developer two years ago, has agreed to buy the company in full.
IT
Twistlock secures $33m in series C funding
Dell Technologies Capital contributed to a round that more than doubled the container security software provider’s overall funding to $63m.
UL makes RiskSense in $12m series B
Cyber threat analysis software provider RiskSense took its funding to $26m in total after closing a UL Ventures-backed round.
Exabeam extracts $50m in series D round
Cybersecurity software provider Exabeam has welcomed back the same consortium that backed its series C round last year, including Cisco Investments.
Union Tech Ventures took part in the series D round, which increased the personalised marketing software provider’s total funding to $77m.
Phoenix Contact helps iS5 secure funding
Industrial cybersecurity software provider iS5 Communications has received $18.8m in a round backed by Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures.
SenseTime scouts Li for investment role
Jennifer Xuan Li has moved from an investment position at Baidu to a similar post at SenseTime, which is becoming increasingly active in corporate venturing.
Domino dots the i’s on $40m round
Domino Data Lab has now raised more than $81m altogether, having received $40m in a round co-led by Sequoia Capital and Coatue Management.
Yesware sells corporates on $15m round
Shea Ventures and existing investor GV contributed to a round that boosted the email technology developer’s overall funding to $48m.
Health
Pfizer coughs up funding for Biontech
Immunotherapy developer Biontech has received an undisclosed amount of equity funding as part of a collaboration deal that could reach $425m.
CMS gets a taste of Blueberry’s series B round
Blueberry Therapeutics will use the proceeds from the $12.8m China Medical System-backed round to advance its skin and nail infection treatments.
Corporates help plant $150m in Orchard
Sphera Global Health Care and Medison were among the participants in a round that took Orchard Therapeutics’ overall funding past $290m.
Corporates help provide $45m for Profusa
Maxim Integrated and Tasly Pharmaceutical contributed to Profusa’s series C round, which will fund commercialisation of its biosensor technology.
EdiGene approaches series B with $15m
The genomic drug developer has secured $15m in a pre-series B round led by Lilly Asia Ventures that included Huagai Capital, IDG Capital and WI Harper.
Capsule delivers $50m series B
Online pharmacist Capsule has taken new funding, just over a year after its Virgin-backed series A round.
Magnolia colours in $31m series A
Eli Lilly, AbbVie, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and WuXi AppTec have all backed neurological disorder drug developer Magnolia Neurosciences at launch.
Sarepta intercepts Lacerta for $30m investment
Gene therapy developer Lacerta Therapeutics has secured funding from Sarepta Therapeutics as part of a licensing agreement.
Ambys shows ambition with $60m series A
Takeda invested $20m in the round and is providing $80m in development financing through a strategic partnership deal.
Media
Founding investors One97 Communications and AGTech Holdings have put $16m into mobile game developer Gamepind as it appoints a new COO.
The augmented reality technology developer, which closed an A+E and Google-backed round five months ago, has raised series B funding.
Mykoon mines SoftBank for $17m series B
SoftBank Ventures Korea invested in Mykoon, the owner of social radio platform Spoon, alongside KB Investment and Goodwater Capital.
Tencent invested in the audio streaming platform as part of a round that valued it at about $3.5bn post-money.
Consumer
Electrolux helps feed Karma with $12m
Anti-food waste platform developer Karma has secured Electrolux as a strategic partner as well as an investor in a Kinnevik-led round.
Investors dispatch $51m to Sendo
FPT, SoftBank, EContext Asia and Beenos were part of a consortium that committed $51m in funding to online marketplace operator Sendo.
Thunder Stone rocks $29m series B
Beijing Yue Meters Technology, which produces keyboards for the karaoke system provider, has also invested in its series B round.
ShopClues reveals $16m in funding
The BCC-backed online marketplace raised the cash over the course of this year, and is preparing to expand internationally.
Financial
MoneyLion hunts down new funding
The personal finance app developer, which is backed by Grupo Sura, has secured $28.8m of a $40m round, according to a securities filing.
City National pays out for Exactuals acquisition
Financial services firm City National Bank has bought royalties payment platform having led a series B round that included Entertainment Partners.
Axoni accepts $32m in series B round
Series A investors NEX Group, Citi and Wells Fargo all returned for a round that boosted blockchain technology developer Axoni’s total funding to $55m.
Alphabet wins $375m Oscar role
Oscar Health has received funding from existing backer Alphabet, which acquired a 10% stake in the health insurer through the deal.
GSR Capital will inject up to $270m in Overstock’s blockchain technology developer, TZero, and invest almost $105m in Overstock itself.
Even Financial beats the odds in series A
American Express Ventures participated in the round’s first tranche earlier this year, and Even Financial has now raised a total of $25m.
NFL helps dish up $50m for Appetize
Appetize now has more than $50m in its coffers after the National Football League’s 32 Equity made an investment of undisclosed size.
Hakim Unique is the largest external shareholder for the Chinese vehicle-backed loan provider, which is set to float in the US.
Energy and Natural Resources
MineSense finds $18m capital deposit
Mitsubishi, ABB and existing investor Caterpillar have helped MineSense close a round that will support the launch of its mining data technology.
Sila Nano charges up with $70m
Amperex and Siemens’ Next47 unit both chipped in as the battery technology developer secured series D cash, lifting its funding to $125m in total.
Inari fuels growth with $40m series B
Strategic vehicles Acre Venture Partners and Alexandria Venture Investments have joined agronomy technology developer Inari’s backers.
Industrial
Digital Alloys forges series B round
The metal printing technology provider has secured $12.9m in a round backed by Lincoln Electric and Boeing HorizonX Ventures.
Transport
Volvo-backed trucking services marketplace Cargomatic has completed a series B round featuring strategic partner Genesee and Wyoming.
ZipGo buses in Essel for series B round
Essel Group has invested $43.7m in ZipGo through its Essel Green Mobility subsidiary that will fund the expansion of its bus service.
Services
DoorDash accelerates with $250m round
The food delivery platform has almost tripled its valuation to $4bn in the five months since SoftBank led its $535m series D round.
Ucommune gets Prosperity in series D round
Prosperity Holdings led a $43.5m round for the co-working space provider, which already had several corporate backers, at a $1.8bn valuation.
MyDreamPlus wakes up to $120m series C
Giant Network Group has returned for the co-working space provider’s latest round, having backed its series B in March.
SGE finds PerkSpot with $50m investment
12-year old employee benefits platform PerkSpot raised its first external funding, securing $50m from Susquehanna Growth Equity.
GLP sends series A funding to Wangjiahuan
Fresh produce distributor Wangjiahuan has raised $58.5m from Global Logistic Properties subsidiary Hidden Hill Modern Logistics Private Equity Fund.