United Arab Emirates-based weather information service ArabiaWeather secured $5m on Wednesday in a funding round co-led by venture capital firm Silicon Badia and VC community Wamda Capital, and backed by internet holding company Jabbar Internet Group and Dash Ventures. The round, which follows $2.1m of funding from investors including Jabbar, Silicon Badia, Dash Ventures and MENA Venture Investments in December 2014, will support an expansion in the reach of the company’s mobile app.
US-based online content discovery app Digg has received $4m in series A funding from internet company Digital Garage. Founded in 2004, Digg raised about $45m in venture funding before Betaworks bought the company in 2012, reportedly for only $500,000. Digg will spend the latest funding on a move to new headquarters, separate from the rest of Betaworks, elsewhere in New York City.
India-based, youth-focused media startup ScoopWhoop has raised $4m from venture capital firm Kalaari Capital, Hindu Business Line reported on Wednesday. Bharti SoftBank, a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and telecommunications firm SoftBank now known as Ignite Media, paid $1.6m for a 36.5% stake in ScoopWhoop in November 2014.
US-based web application security startup ZenEdge secured $4m yesterday in a series B round featuring telecommunications firm Telus which, according to VentureBeat, led the round. ZenEdge, which provides cloud-based security for customers in the financial services, e-commerce, technology, media, entertainment and government spaces, previously secured $3.5m in an October 2014 series A round that included angel investors Yehuda Neuberger, Fred Sorkin and Andrew Malik.
Deep Genomics, a Canada-based startup that uses deep learning technology to research genome biology, completed a C$5m ($3.8m) seed round on Wednesday led by VC firm True Ventures and backed by Bloomberg Beta, which acts as media company Bloomberg’s seed fund, and undisclosed angel investors. It will put the funding towards expanding its team and developing its deep learning technology.
McKesson Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of healthcare services firm McKesson Corporation, invested an undisclosed sum in ClearCare, a US-based provider of software for home care agencies, on Tuesday. ClearCare had previously raised $15.5m from Qualcomm Ventures, the corporate venturing unit of wireless technology producer Qualcomm, healthcare services provider Cambia Health Solutions, Voyager Capital and Harbor Pacific Capital.
India-based motorised rickshaw hailing service Jugnoo has received $3m in a series B round led by online payment company Paytm, Tech in Asia reported on Tuesday. Paytm held a 20% stake in Jugnoo as of the end of October 2015, after leading a $5m series A round in June that also included Snow Leopard Technology Ventures. Jugnoo has now raised $9m altogether.
Karadi Path, the India-based developer of a platform for English language learning, has raised $2.3m in series A funding from Pearson Affordable Learning Fund, the early-stage fund owned by educational services company Pearson, and VC fund Aavishkaar India, the Business Standard reported on Thursday. The company, whose technology is being used by more than 200,000 students, will put the money towards product development and scaling its organisation.
Enterprise cloud software provider ServiceNow and VC firm New Enterprise Associates supplied $2m in seed funding for Nuvolo Technologies, a US-based developer of applications on the ServiceNow platform, on Wednesday. Nuvolo is working on applications for the healthcare, life sciences, manufacturing and facilities asset management sectors.
Japan-based real estate platform Ietty has raised ¥200m ($1.6m) in series B capital from apartment management software provider Investors Cloud; Sansei Capital and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital, which act as investment subsidiaries of Mitsui Life Insurance and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance; Dentsu Digital Holdings, a subsidiary of marketing company Dentsu; and Mizuho Capital, a venture capital unit of financial services firm Mizuho Bank. Ietty raised $500,000 from Mercury Capital, a subsidiary of gaming company Mixi, in 2013 and $1.9m from Yahoo Japan unit YJ Capital and Incubate Fund in October 2014.
US-based moving picture sharing app Phhhoto closed a $1.5m seed round yesterday led by VC fund Eniac Ventures and backed by investors including talent agency William Morris Endeavor and Maveron. The round, completed as Phhhoto releases a social tool for the platform called Party, follows $250,000 of angel funding from backers including musician and producer Diplo, and management agency TMWRK.
Caremondo, the Germany-based operator of a digital marketplace for medical tourism, has received an undisclosed seven-figure euro amount of funding from Holtzbrinck Ventures, the venture capital firm spun out of publisher Georg von Holtzbrinck. The startup, which has signed up more than 50 clinics across Germany, Austria and Switzerland to its platform, intends to now enter new markets.
BizGround, the Japan-based creator of cloud-based back-office services platform Bizer, has raised ¥100m ($815,000) from Salesforce Ventures, enterprise software provider Salesforce.com’s corporate venturing arm, and Incubate Fund, The Bridge has reported. The cash will allow BizGround to strengthen its executive team, invest more heavily on marketing and expand the range of services it offers.
Sinar Mas Digital Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of conglomerate Sinar Mas, has invested an undisclosed amount in Indonesia-based women’s fashion e-commerce portal Cantik, Tech in Asia reported yesterday. Cantik, which received the funding in May this year, emerged from stealth this week.
Printing services provider Raksul has co-led a $400,000 seed round for Indonesia-based print outsourcing startup Prinzio with VC firm East Ventures, Tech in Asia has reported. Raksul provided $350,000 of the cash while East Ventures supplied the rest, and the funding will support Prinzio’s commercial launch, which is planned for January 2016.