Weekly corporate venturing deal net: 4-8 January 2016
Each Friday the Global Corporate Venturing Deal Net rounds up the week’s smaller deals and tracks the emerging companies accessing corporate funds.
2016 outlook: tech to change the world
Technologies that are changing the world and the 2015 venture-backed deals that showcase their potential – today genome editing and quantum computing.
2016 outlook: tech to watch part two
The second of the series each day this week looks at the technologies that are changing the world and the 2015 venture-backed deals that showcase their potential. Today looks at food and entertainment – list below.
2016 outlook: communications access and applications
The third of the series each day this week looks at the technologies that are changing the world and the 2015 venture-backed deals that showcase their potential – list below.
2016 tech to watch: fusion energy and storage
The fourth of the series each day this week looks at the technologies that are changing the world and the 2015 venture-backed deals that showcase their potential – list below.
2016 tech to watch: conclusions
This final part in our series looking at the technologies to watch out for in 2016.
Fundraising
Ford combines with Techstars for mobility accelerator
Techstars Mobility, Driven by Detroit will invest $120,000 in 12 mobility technology startups, with data analytics, flexible ownership and connectivity among the areas considered.
Luxury goods company LVMH has joined Groupe Arnault and Catterton, two firms it already backs, to set up a private equity firm focused on the consumer sector.
Primarc sets out corporate venturing plans
Primarc iVenture will invest up to $150,000 in West Bengal startups developing ideas that are unique or which have the potential for social impact.
Ford and DJI launch $100,000 drone challenge
The two companies are asking startups to create drone-to-vehicle communications technology that could be used by the UN to conduct search and rescue missions.
People
Ahmad hitches a ride on Hyundai
Salmaun Ahmad, formerly a business development manager at Disney, has taken on a role at Hyundai’s Silicon Valley strategic innovation office.
Blaustein bids farewell to DuPont
Managing director of its corporate venturing unit since 2006, Michael Blaustein is leaving chemicals producer DuPont and retiring at the end of this quarter.
Exits
Lifesize to fit outside parent company Logitech
Lifesize, Logitech’s videoconferencing division, will be spun out with $17.5m in series A capital, with Logitech retaining a 37.5% stake.
Novo and AbbVie-backed Reata plans to use the proceeds to fund a series of clinical trials for its hypertension treatments.
The oncology-focused biotechnology company, backed by Fidelity Management and Research, withdrew a previous filing in January 2015.
SoftBank makes Legendary exit as Wanda invests
Dalian Wanda is acquiring a stake of over 50% in film studio Legendary Entertainment at a valuation of up to $4bn, allowing SoftBank and Waddell & Reid to exit.
Intel catches Ascending Technologies
Intel will use technology developed by the drone producer, already an Intel Capital portfolio company, to beef up its RealSense drone depth-sensing system.
The Google Ventures-backed genome editing technology company has raised $163m in equity across two rounds.
Novo and Roche-backed Corvus has raised more than $108m in venture funding in just over a year and will spend the IPO proceeds on developing its immuno-oncology therapies.
Merck-backed Visterra targets $69m in IPO
The antibody-based drug developer has raised $77m in financing, with Merck leading its $30m series B round in 2014.
Hudson’s Bay buys former unicorn Gilt Groupe for $250m
The flash sales platform had raised $290m in venture funding, and was valued at $1bn in a SoftBank-led round in 2011.
IT
Greenwave connects to E.ON for $45m series C
The IoT management system producer secured the fresh funding in a round raised over two tranches, in addition to a $15m debt facility, bringing its overall financing to $90m.
RapidMiner extracts $16m from investors
Nokia Growth Partners has led a series C round for RapidMiner, boosting the predictive analytics platform’s total funding to $36m.
Health
Hometeam to get bigger with $27.5m
Human resources company Recruit has made its second investment in the senior care company, which raised $11m in its series A round in July.
Scholar Rock rolls to $36m series B
Kraft Group returned to back the biotechnology company’s second financing round, taking its equity capital to $56m in less than 18 months.
Yidu Cloud sweetens Weitang series B
Weitang has closed an eight-figure series B round its chief executive claims is the largest ever raised by a diabetes management platform.
Zipnosis captivates corporates for series A
Fairview Health Services and Ascension have participated in a $17m round as Zipnosis prepares to add support for chronic conditions to its virtual care platform.
Roche helps treat Millendo to $62m
Millendo has received series B funding from investors including Roche, while AstraZeneca acquired a stake in the biopharmaceutical company through a licensing deal.
Aver savours $13.6m for series B
Healthcare reimbursement data platform Aver took its total funding to almost $25m in a round featuring Hearst and existing investor General Electric.
Flatiron Health warms up with $175m
The oncology platform provider, previously backed by Alphabet and LabCorp, has secured $175m in a round led by strategic partner Roche.
C4 explodes out the blocks with $73m
C4 Therapeutics has been launched by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute with series A funding from investors including Roche, Novartis and Kraft.
Corporates find NextCure for $67m series A
Immuno-oncology company NextCure, which will develop products licensed from Yale School of Medicine, has closed a series A round backed by Pfizer and Eli Lilly.
IBM Watson finds Pathway in $40m series E
Pathway Genomics welcomed strategic partner IBM Watson to its customer base in a round that lifted its overall funding to more than $130m.
Media
Video downloading services provider Xunlei co-led the virtual reality technology provider’s series B round, closed at a $122m valuation.
Consumer
Benlai Life sets $30m series C table
Joyoung has invested $30m in fresh produce e-commerce company Benlai Life and now holds a minority stake of approximately 3.8%.
Silvercar strikes gold with $28m
Strategic partner Audi led the series C round, which will support the expansion of airport car rental app developer Silvercar across the US.
Qufenqi to join IPO queue as it raises new funding
Existing investor Kunlun Tech has provided $27m for the round, which the instalment buying platform is raising as it gets ready for a flotation in China.
UTour boards Qyer in $60m series D
Travel agency UTour has led a fourth funding round for the Alibaba-backed travel and tourism website by purchasing both new and existing shares.
Legend pours $61m into Liquor Easy
Liquor Easy offers express delivery of alcoholic drinks to consumers and will use the cash to expand further across China.
AirCloset lets corporates in for $8.5m round
The fashion rental startup has raised funding from investors including Credit Saison, Nakazono Holdings and Terrada Warehouse.
Financial
SBI Holdings sets Freee $8m round
Cloud-based accounting platform Freee, already backed by investors including Recruit, took its total funding to $53m with an $8.4m round featuring SBI’s FinTech Fund.
HNA credits Weijinsuo in $46m series A
The peer-to-peer lending platform has received $46m in its first funding round, which was led by conglomerate HNA’s financial services subsidiary.
Ant Financial to raise up to $1.5bn
Alibaba’s financial services affiliate, which closed funding at a $50bn valuation last year, is raising the capital ahead of a future initial public offering.
The point-of-sale technology developer, which had previously secured a total of $10m in funding and debt, has added Alphabet to its shareholders.
Lufax attracts investors for $900m round
The Ping An-backed online trading platform is now the fifth most valuable venture-backed company in the world, securing its latest financing at an $18.5bn valuation.
Industrial
Zhaogang shows steel with $153m series E
The business-to-business steel trading platform, which counts IDG among its investors, has now secured $290 in total and is gearing up for an IPO in China.
Transport
Lyft followed $248m in funding last month with a $500m investment by General Motors, and the two have also formed a strategic partnership.
Lyft parks $1bn in its account
The ride ordering company has confirmed a $1bn round featuring General Motors, which invested $500m, Rakuten, Alibaba and Didi Kuaidi.
Services
Online tutoring service Zhiyou raises $9.1m
The one-to-one tutoring startup has followed a seed investment by Xueda Edcuation with $9.1m of series A funding from corporate venturing unit Legend Capital.