Germany-based professional platform ResearchGate has collected $52.6m in a series D round backed by luxury consumer goods producer LVMH, TechCrunch reported yesterday.
The round was also supported by Wellcome Trust, Goldman Sachs Investment Partners, Four Rivers Group, Benchmark, Founders Fund, Xavier Niel, Ashton Kutcher and Bill Gates.
The company closed the round in November 2015, but did not disclose the capital until now.
Founded in 2008, ResearchGate operates a social network for scientific researchers, including academics, students and doctors, where users can upload papers and discuss their research. The money is being used to add more features to the platform.
The company has secured $100m to date. It previously closed a $35m series C round in 2013 co-led by Bill Gates and Tenaya Capital, with participation from Dragoneer Investment Group and Thrive Capital.
Remaining investors include Accel Partners and angel investors Simon Levene, Michael Birch, Joachim Schoss, Martin Sinner, Ulrich Essmann, Christian Vollmann and Rolf Christof Dienst.