Bit Stew Systems, a Canada-based developer of data integration technology for the internet of things, reached the first close of a series C round featuring GE Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of industrial product maker General Electric, Yaletown Partners, BDC Capital and Kensington Capital Partners yesterday, having raised an undisclosed amount. It raised $17.2m in May 2015 from Cisco Investments, a subsidiary of networking technology producer Cisco, GE Ventures, Yaletown and BDC Capital.
Kontor, the US-based creator of a visual network for commercial interior designers, has received $4.6m in series A funding from BBG Ventures, a female-focused venture capital firm founded by mass media company AOL, as well as FF Angel, Founders Fund and Wellington Partners and Female Founders Fund. The company previously secured $5m in series A funding in 2015, including $4.5m from VC firm Venrock.
Mobile game publisher FunPlus has made a ‘multi-million dollar investment’ in Singapore-based mobile developer XII Braves, it announced on Tuesday. FunPlus provided the funding as part of a deal that will involve it securing the worldwide publishing rights to Valiant Force, an online role-playing game XII Braves plans to release on mobile devices in July this year.
US-based cybersecurity software provider Illusive Networks secured $3m on Monday, taking a series B round featuring Cisco Investments and Citi Ventures, the respective corporate venturing arms of networking technology provider Cisco and financial services firm Citi, as well as New Enterprise Associates, Bessemer Venture Partners, Innovation Endeavors and Marker, to $25m. Team8, a cybersecurity foundry and venture firm backed by Cisco and telecoms equipment producer Alcatel-Lucent, invested $5m in Illusive in June 2015.
Comcast Ventures, the corporate venturing subsidiary of mass media group Comcast, led a $3m funding round for US-based virtual reality startup Shapes on Wednesday. The round also featured game publisher Colopl and online video platform Youku, which invested through Colopl VR Fund and Youku Global Media Fund respectively, as well as digital media company Gree, Boost VC, Canyon Creek Capital, Venture Reality Fund, Sinovation Fund, CRCM Venture Capital and angel investor Kai Huang.
US-based online forum Imzy has raised $3m in seed funding from O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of digital media company O’Reilly Media, and VC firm CRV. The funding, originally reported last month by The Information, will be used to help build a platform that in essence operates as a more positive-leaning, considerate version of Reddit.
Electronics producer Sony made a strategic investment of undisclosed size in US-based artificial intelligence technology developer Cogitai on Tuesday. Cogitai, which was incorporated in September 2015, is working on AI systems that can learn from their experience interacting with the real world, and will use the Sony funding to boost the size of its team.
US-based healthcare management platform developer Healthify closed a $2.5m seed round on Tuesday that included health insurance provider Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, VC funds Primary Venture Partners, Milestone Venture Partners and Acumen, and Kapor Capital, the venture capital vehicle for Kapor Center for Social Impact. Healthify’s technology connects patients with community services that can provide them with help.
Seabury Human Capital, a subsidiary of advisory and professional services firm Seabury Group, provided an undisclosed amount of funding for Ireland-based software engineering company Rainmaker Business Technologies on Tuesday. Founded in 2008, Rainmaker specialises in airlines and secured an undisclosed amount of funding from Investec Ventures in 2012.
Connecterra, a Netherlands-based developer of connected health monitoring technology for dairy farmers, has closed a $1.8m seed round featuring internet company DeNA and Breed Reply, the accelerator run by digital services provider Reply, EU-Startups reported yesterday. MENA Ventures and angel investor Elias Tabet also participated in the round, which the startup will use to enhance its machine learning technology.
Ancillary healthcare services provider Next Health invested $1.65m in US-based orthobiologics technology developer Bone Solutions yesterday. Bone Solutions, which signed a distribution deal for its technology with Next Health last month, closed the funding alongside a $1.5m private placement.
Home Craft Online, the India-based owner of online furnishings retailer BedBathMore, has received an undisclosed amount of funding from e-commerce holding company Rocket Internet, investment firm Kinnevik and undisclosed backers of online furniture brand FabFurnish, the Economic Times reported on Monday. Founded in 2010, the company raised an undisclosed sum from VC firm Blume Ventures in 2013.
Publishing and education services group S Chand and VC fund AdvantEdge Partners have co-led a $1m round for Smartivity, an India-based developer of augmented reality-equipped education tools, the Times of India reported on Monday. The round, which also included CFG Offshore Holdings, Tandem Capital and unnamed angel investors, will support the development of interactive learning and internet of things-related products and toys.
IT consulting firm TriCore Solutions and private equity firm BV Investment Partners jointly invested an undisclosed amount in US-based cloud strategy, migration and managed services company Rean Cloud on Tuesday. Founded in 2013, Rean will put the money towards geographic expansion, internal resources, sales and marketing.