US-based connected car data software developer Vinli collected $13.5m on Tuesday in a series B round that included energy utility Eon.
Venture capital firm The Westly Group, family office Hersh Family Investments and private investor Hal Brierley also took part in the round.
Founded in 2014, Vinli has built a data intelligence platform called Era that maps behavioural, diagnostic and contextual data for automotive software products. Eon plans to use Era to enhance its mobility and electric vehicle fleet management services.
Konrad Augustin, an investment director at Eon subsidiary Eon Scouting and Co-Investments, will join Vinli’s board of directors in connection with the series B round, as will Kenneth Hersh of Hersh Family Investments.
Vinli had previously closed a $6.5m series A round led by Samsung Venture Investment, a subsidiary of electronics manufacturer Samsung, in 2015. The round included Westly Group, car components producer Continental and Cox Automotive, the auto retail and services arm of media conglomerate Cox Enterprises.
Frank Meyer, senior vice-president of innovation and customer solutions at Eon, said: “With the information from the car itself, we are closing a gap in our data world for e-mobilty.
“By combining customer vehicle and network data, we can identify trends at an early stage and will continually create new digital mobility offerings for our customers. Beyond the competitive advantage, we see Vinli as an attractive investment. The company is the global innovation leader in a technology of the future.”