Radio equipment maker Otto Engineering paid $5m for a 20% stake in Multivoice, a US-based developer of voice-activated mobile technology, as part of a $5.75m seed round on Tuesday. Multivoice received the other $750,000 from undisclosed angel investors, and will use the cash to boost its research and development and sales and marketing activities.
Neviah Genomics, an Israel-based joint venture formed by pharmaceutical companies Merck and Compugen, has received an undisclosed amount of seed funding from MS Ventures, a corporate venturing subsidiary of Merck, it revealed on Monday. MS Ventures and Compugen will now provide the cash necessary to fund the advancement of Proheptox, the bioassay Neviah is developing to detect chronic drug-induced liver toxicity.
Percolata, a US-based startup working on sensor and analytics technology for retailers, has emerged from stealth with $5m of seed funding from backers including Google Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of diversified internet company Google, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Other investors in the round included venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz, Menlo Ventures and Foundation Capital.
Taiwan-based restaurant reservation app developer EZTable has raised $5m from a series A round led by fabless semiconductor producer MediaTek that also featured semiconductor foundry UMC, which participated through its UMC Capital subsidiary, and confectionary company I-Mei, Business Weekly reported on Thursday. EZTable has formed partnerships with around 900 restaurants since its launch.
Hicor Technologies, the US-based developer of compression technology for oil producers formerly known as Oscomp Systems, has secured $4.5m in funding from backers including VC firm Energy Ventures, according to an SEC filing on Tuesday. Hicor has now raised $12.1m across three rounds, according to its regulatory filings, from investors including Chevron Technology Ventures, oil company Chevron’s corporate venturing unit, and Mertz Holdings.
US-based internet of things technology developer 2lemetry has raised $4m in funding from Salesforce Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of cloud computing technology company Salesforce.com, and undisclosed private investors. The round, which increased 2lemetry’s total funding to $9m, was secured as the company launched its 2lemetry Integrate app on the Salesforce AppExchange.
Preqin, a provider of data and analysis for alternative assets investors, paid an undisclosed amount on Monday for a “significant minority stake” in Baxon Solutions, a UK-based developer of software for venture capital and private equity firms. The funding was provided as part of a strategic partnership between the companies that will involve their expertise being combined in order to broaden each other’s product offerings.
Accengage, a France-based provider of mobile engagement technology, received $3m on Monday from mobile marketing company Mobile First Alliance and VC firm OTC Aggregator. The capital will be used to grow Accengage’s infrastructure as it seeks to expand, and will support the hiring of additional staff and the expansion of the features available for its push notification product.
Crowdynews, the Netherlands-based operator of a social media curation platform for media businesses, secured €2.5m ($3m) on Monday in a series A round led by VC fund Inkef Capital and backed by media company Singapore Press Holdings, which invested through its New Media Fund. The cash will be used to expand a customer base that already includes the Chicago Tribune, Washington Times and weather forecasting service AccuWeather.
Sense360, a US-based startup developing smartphone sensor technology, raised $2.75m on Friday from Qualcomm Ventures, wireless technology producer Qualcomm’s corporate venturing unit, location services provider Telenav, FirstMark Capital, which led the round, Founder Collective, Metamorphic Ventures and Double M Capital. Company founders Eli Portnoy and Kamil Mroczek sold their previous startup, Thinknear, to Telenav for $22.5m in 2012.
Networking technology provider Cisco invested an undisclosed amount in Shanghai KeyTone Information Technology, a China-based cloud computing technology and hybrid-cloud service provider, on Monday as part of a memorandum of agreement to promote hybrid-cloud technology in China. KeyTone previously raised funding from Gobi Partners and China Broadband Capital.
Indonesia-based online gift card provider Gift Card Indonesia has secured $2m in series A funding from Sinar Mas Digital Ventures and Lippo Digital Ventures, the respective corporate venturing arms of conglomerates Sinar Mas and Lippo, as well as Sovereign’s Capital and RMK Ventures, Tech in Asia reported on Thursday. The company graduated from Jakarta’s Founder Institute in 2012.
iKala, the Taiwan-based operator of live video streaming site Livehouse.in, has raised $1.3m in series A funding at a $13m valuation from gaming company Gamania and VC firm Cherubic Ventures, Tech in Asia reported on Monday. Cherubic invested $350,000 in iKala in November.
Sensbeat, the China-based developer of an app that enables users to match music with photographs, has received $500,000 from diversified conglomerate HeungKong Group to complete a $1m seed round, Tech in Asia reported on Wednesday. The startup, which raised $500,000 in October 2014 from backers including Big Bloom Investment and PradoSV, will now join the Silicon Valley-based Plug and Play Accelerator.
Indonesia-based media company Daily Social has provided an undisclosed amount in seed funding for local developer community site Dicoding, Tech in Asia reported on Tuesday. Launched earlier this month, Dicoding will use the cash to expand its staff and its features available, and to support its entry into other Southeast Asia countries.