Weekly corporate venturing deal net 30 May – 3 June 2016
Each Friday the Global Corporate Venturing Deal Net rounds up the week’s smaller deals and tracks the emerging companies accessing corporate funds.
Fundraising
Microsoft Ventures gets into direct investments
Microsoft will invest directly in startups through a new fund called Microsoft Ventures, with the old Microsoft Ventures initiative renamed Microsoft Accelerator.
The fund has been backed by a range of unnamed Asia-based conglomerates and will focus on technology startups.
Exits
Reata gets $60m reaction in IPO
The biopharmaceutical company, which has raised about $480m in equity funding from backers including Novo and AbbVie, has floated on Nasdaq.
Metamaterial Technologies manufactures Rolith acquisition
The deal provides an exit to Asahi Glass, which backed Rolith’s series A round in 2012 through its subsidiary AGC America.
The job search engine that has grown to 30 million users and raised funding from investors including IDG is shutting down towards the end of the month.
The Naver-owned messaging platform, which first hoped to float in 2014 but dropped the plans in mid-215, is now aiming for a valuation of up to $3bn.
Clearside opens $50.4m offering
Santen-backed Clearside Biomedical, which had raised some $48m in funding, is offering 7.2 million shares on Nasdaq priced at $7 each.
NantHealth personalises $91m IPO
The personalised healthcare subsidiary of NantWorks, backed by Celgene, Blackberry and Allscripts, has priced its initial public offering at $14 a share.
Ping Identity pinpoints acquisition
Sapphire Ventures has celebrated an exit following the acquisition of portfolio company Ping Identity by Vista Equity Partners.
ServiceNow secures BrightPoint acquisition
BrightPoint, backed by EMC and originally known as Vorstack, is set to be acquired in all-cash transaction by ServiceNow.
IT
The data security platform, already backed by GV, has attracted Amazon to its shareholders as it boosted its total capital to $122m.
Innovium networks its way to $50m
Innovium has revealed it raised a total of more than $50m in series A and B funding last year, with Qualcomm Ventures participating in both rounds.
Buddybuild welcomes old friend Bloomberg back for series A
Bloomberg Beta returned for the app testing platform’s series A round, its second funding round in four months.
Lumiata finds right result to raise $10m
The healthcare analytics software startup doubled its funding with a $10m round led by Intel Capital that included existing backer BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners.
Lightbend straightens out with $20m series C
Intel Capital led the round, which increased the app development technology company’s funding to $37m since 2011.
Twiggle finds Alibaba for series A
The search engine technology developer has secured a second close for its series A round, which attracted the attention of Naspers last month.
USens disseminates $20m series A
Initially reported in March 2016 as an undisclosed size, the series A has now been confirmed to have raised $20m led by Fosun’s Kinzon Capital.
Health
Prescription services platform 1mg has raised an undisclosed amount from HBM Healthcare Investments a month after securing $15m in series B funding.
Aleva is treated to $18m series C
New investor Greatbatch has led the round with a $5m commitment, with the remaining cash coming from existing stakeholders.
Investors aggregate series B for Sipai Wangluo
Oncology-focused big data platform provider Sipai Wangluo has reportedly received tens of millions of US dollars from investors including Ping An Insurance.
ExThera filters $15.3m into series B
Fresenius Medical Care’s corporate venturing division, established only last year, has led a series B round for blood filtering technology developer ExThera Medical.
Corporate-backed EarlySense has closed a $25m funding round led by financial services firm Bank Hapoalim and backed by a range of existing investors.
Media
AmpMe finds synchronicity as it raises $8m
The music syncing app developer took its total funding to $10m in a Slaight Music-backed series A round that will fund hiring and product development.
YG puts on $85m show for Chinese corporates
LMVH-backed K-pop record label YG has received $55m from Weiying and $30m from Tencent, likely partners in a Chinese joint venture.
21st Century Fox curates series B for TheSkimm
TheSkimm, a curated news platform aimed at millennials, moves towards video with an $8m series B round led by 21st Century Fox.
Consumer
Creema rises toward the top with $10m
KDDI followed up a $1m investment two years ago by participating in the craft goods marketplace’s latest funding round, which will support marketing and system development.
The deal marks the first investment for the $400m Focus Media FountainVest Sports JV fund, established last month.
Whill circles investors for series B
Itochu and NTT Docomo-backed mobility company Whill has added $17.5m to its coffers with a series B round led by Eight Roads Ventures that featured corporate-backed fund Mirai.
Loot Crate snatches $18.5m series A
Time and Team Downey have contributed to a series A round for Loot Crate, which operates a subscription box service that delivers pop culture items to fans.
Tencent helps Tile key $18m series B
Existing investor Tencent has returned for another funding round for Tile, which produces a smart location device that users can attach to keychains.
Digital Garage has joined the ranks of used vehicle marketplace Droom’s shareholders with an investment in its series B round.
GoHigh Fund has supplied an undisclosed amount for ZTE and SIG-backed SenseLuxury’s latest round.
Blued flirts with investors for series C
China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group has contributed funds to a series C round of undisclosed size in the social networking app developer.
Financial
Digit types $22.5m into series B
GV-backed Digit has increased its funding despite still having $8m remaining from its $11.3m series A round a year ago.
Qingsongchou campaigns for funding
Tencent and IDG have contributed to a $20m series B+ round for crowdfunding platform Qingsongchou.
Energy and Natural Resources
Thermondo kindles $26m series C
E.ON and other existing backers have returned to provide fresh funding to the heating installation service.
Industrial
The robotics technology developer, a spinout of Ritsumeikan University, has received money from a consortium including INCJ and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital.
Transport
Zubie reconnects to corporates for $6m
Castrol, Nokia, Magna and Comporium have returned to participate in a $6m round for the connected car software provider, which has now raised $32m in total.
Fr8 Revolution ships $8.5m investment
Man Truck and Bus has injected cash into the cloud-based platform aimed at the logistics sector, boosting the total funding to $100m.
Uber flags down $3.5bn investment
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF has injected $3.5bn in the ride hailing app developer’s latest round just a week after Uber announced a partnership with Toyota.
Services
Yuanfudao studies $40m investment
Tencent has supplied capital for Yuanfudao, the edtech company previously known as Yuantiku whose backers also include International Data Group.
Naspers is set to help online education marketplace Udemy strengthen its position in international markets.