Pfizer Venture Investments, the corporate venturing arm of pharmaceutical company Pfizer, invested $5m in G-Con Manufacturing, a US-based producer of specialised laboratory environments, on Tuesday. G-Con will use the funding to expand its technical and production capabilities, while also developing new products, and Bill Burkoth, senior director of Pfizer Venture Investments, will join G-Con’s board.
UK bank-backed venture fund Business Growth Fund has invested £3m ($5m) in UK-based drainage contractor Flowline in return for a minority stake. Founded in 1991, Flowline provides a range of waste management and drainage services and used the investment to acquire competitor Clearaway Drainage Services, which will provide it with expertise in the rail and industrial sectors.
Moi Corporation, the Japan-based operator of social video app Twitcasting, raised $5m on Thursday from Indonesia-based conglomerate Sinar Mas and East Ventures, the venture capital firm that provided it with $640,000 in seed funding in May 2013. Moi plans to use the funding to expand geographically.
Intel Capital, the corporate venture capital arm of semiconductor manufacturer Intel, made an undisclosed investment in Performance Lab, a New Zealand-based developer of exercise and coaching management software, on Thursday. Deepak Natarajan, Intel Capital’s director of Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, will join the company’s board as an observer
AnyPerk, a US-based startup that offers employee benefits to companies, has raised $3m from the Vegas Tech Fund and assorted private investors to bring its series A round to $4.5m. The company previously secured $1.5m from internet company CyberAgent, IT and marketing firm Digital Garage, Andreessen-Horowitz, SV Angel, YCombinator and Funders Club in March 2013, as well as an undisclosed amount in 2012.
Sapho, the US-based developer of a mobile app that can use software APIs to provide personalised updates from enterprise apps, raised $3m on Wednesday from media company Bloomberg’s venture capital unit Bloomberg Beta, along with SoftTech VC and numerous private investors. The startup will use the capital to expand its development team and the app’s range, CEO Peter Yared told VentureBeat.
Number 26, the Germany-based developer of a mobile banking app, has secured €2m ($2.7m) in series A funding from backers including the Axel Springer Plug and Play Accelerator, owned by publisher Axel Springer, as well as Earlybird Ventures, which led the round, and Redalpine, according to Unquote. The app is currently in beta.
GenNext Ventures, conglomerate Reliance Industries’ corporate venturing subsidiary, has invested an undisclosed sum in India-based video surveillance technology developer Videonetics Technologies, the Economic Times reported on Wednesday. The funding is the first round raised by Videonetics, which was founded in 2008, and the second investment by GenNext, which also funded enterprise software firm Covacsis late last month.
Constellation Technology Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of energy company Exelon, led a $2.5m series A round on Tuesday for Ecurv, a US-based startup working on technology that can cut electricity charges for commercial customers. The round also included Vodia Ventures, which provided $800,000 in seed funding in September, and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and the cash will be invested in scaling the firm’s operations and hiring additional employees.
US-based medical care provider Aspire Health has raised an undisclosed sum of funding from investors including BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners, a corporate venturing fund sponsored by health insurer Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Aspire previously raised $1m in August 2013.
Inpria, a US-based developer of photo-condensed molecular oxides for semiconductor production, has secured $1.45m in a round led by the Oregon Angel Fund. The company received $7.3m in February this year from the corporate venturing units of electronics manufacturer Samsung, semiconductor producer Intel and semiconductor equipment maker Applied Materials, and has now raised almost $10m altogether.
US-based contextual mobile marketing platform MobileRQ raised $1.3m in series A funding on Wednesday from Verizon Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Verizon, as well as Coremix Capital, Rogue Ventures and TiE Oregon. Verizon provided $800,000 in seed funding for MobileRQ in September 2013.
Germany-based water desalination technology developer Akvolution closed a seed round on Wednesday that comprised a six-figure euro amount invested by state and corporate-backed fund High-Tech Gruenderfonds. Akvolution’s technology involves a ceramic-based flotation-filtration process that cuts the energy consumption involved in desalination, and is expected to come on the market in 2015.
Any+Times, a Japan-based startup that enables people to crowdsource solutions to everyday problems, has raised ¥51m ($500,000) in a seed round co-led by gaming company DeNA and venture capital firm Incubate Fund, Tech In Asia reported on Wednesday. The company will invest the funds in hiring additional employees, and in enhancing its technical capabilities and marketing.