A round up of all the latest news on www.globalcorporateventuring.com for our subscribers.
Weekly corporate venturing deal net: 4 – 8 July 2016
Each Friday the Global Corporate Venturing Deal Net rounds up the week’s smaller deals and tracks the emerging companies accessing corporate funds.
Fundraising
Hanmi hands over $8.7m to corporate venturing unit
Korea-headquartered drug producer Hanmi Pharmaceutical will back biotech and pharmaceutical startups through its newly formed Hanmi Ventures subsidiary.
Publicis to invest in #90 startups
Publicis Groupe will provide between $11,000 and $550,000 to 90 startups through the #Publicis90 scheme in a bid to celebrate its 90th birthday.
Corporates to help Microsoft grow Latin American investments
Monsanto and Qualcomm are partnering Microsoft on a $92m fund that will support Latin America-founded agribusiness technology startups.
Israel Biotech Fund picks Vidac as first investment
IBF, backed by Biogen and Medison, has led an $8m series A round for small-molecule drug developer Vidac Pharma, which has an actinic keratosis treatment in phase 2 trials.
Fund in the News: Eighteen94 Capital
The Kellogg-founded unit will generally invest between $1m and $3m at a time and the impetus behind its launch was the rate of innovation in food technology, Kellogg’s vice-president of investor relations told GCV.
SingTel looks to future with social impact incubator
The telecommunications company will invest $15,000 each in up to seven social impact-focused startups participating in its Singtel Future Makers initiative.
People
GV’s Miner aims to strike gold with edtech unit
Rich Miner, a general partner at GV when it was founded as Google Ventures in 2009, is moving down to venture partner so he can work on a new edtech venture within the company.
Goldstein joins Microsoft Ventures
Matthew Goldstein has spent three years investing in cybersecurity, software-as-a-service, fintech and cloud infrastructure deals on behalf of VC firm Trinity Ventures.
Exits
Shandong Tyre tracks $390m in IPO
Two of Legend Holdings’ investment units have exited the tyre manufacturer through the initial public offering, after taking part in a $15m round in 2010.
Syros Pharmaceuticals closes IPO at $57.5m
The genomic medicine company initially raised $50m in an offering that enabled WuXi PharmaTech to exit, before its stock rose significantly post-IPO.
GenSight comes home for $44m IPO do-over
Novartis-backed eye therapy developer GenSight filed for a $100m offering in the US a year ago, only to withdraw in November.
Klik & Pay grinds out Paymill acquisition
Rocket Internet-backed online payment technology provider Paymill has been bought by Klik & Pay for an undisclosed amount, three months after it filed for insolvency.
Simply Hired joins Recruit’s job search stable
Recruit Holdings has acquired IDG and Fox Interactive-backed job listings platform Simply Hired and will partner it with existing subsidiary Indeed.
Alibaba snaps up Wandoujia in $200m deal
SoftBank-backed Android app store Wandoujia was reportedly valued at $1bn in early 2014 and turned down a $1.5bn offer from Alibaba later the same year.
Corporates line up for Jabong acquisition
Snapdeal, Flipkart, Aditya Birla, Future Group and Alibaba are all said to be in talks to buy Rocket Internet-backed Jabong at a steep discount from its 2014 valuation.
The Alphabet and IDG-backed furniture e-commerce marketplace had raised $21m in the past two years but has now ceased operations.
IT
Salesforce Ventures was among the investors in a round that increased behavioural analytics platform developer CoolaData’s total funding to $13m.
Black Swan drifts to $8m series B
The data analysis platform developer has completed a round featuring Mitsui which will go to product development and the expansion of its team.
Darktrace detects investors to raise $65m
The SoftBank and Indosat-founded SB Isat fund was among the investors in a round that valued the cybersecurity software producer at more than $440m.
Consumer analytics platform developer Jornaya, backed by Comcast at series A stage, has secured $10m in series B funding as it changes its name from LeadID.
What3words maps out $8.5m round
Aramex led a series B round forWhat3words which also featured Intel Capital, the lead investor in the mapping system developer’s November 2015 series A.
Swiss Re helps Digi.me compile series A funding
Personal data disclosure platform Digi.me has secured $6.1m in a round led by reinsurer Swiss Re.
HPE finds path to Keen IO’s series B round
Hewlett Packard Enterprise has invested as part of the cloud analytics platform’s $14.7m series B, participating through its Hewlett Packard Pathfinder division.
Health
The preventative health app developer was only incorporated two months ago but has already raised $15m in an IDG Ventures-backed series A round.
Network Locum prescribes series B cash injection
BGF Ventures, funded by several financial services firms, has helped the doctor sourcing platform close about $7m in funding.
Fosun Pharmaceuticals breathes cash into Spirometrix series C round
Breathalyser technology developer Spirometrix has secured $17.4m in the Fosun Pharma-led first tranche of a round also backed by NGK Spark Plug.
WuXi PharmaTech helps invest $150m to uncover CStone
The pharmaceutical firm’s WuXi Healthcare Ventures unit contributed to a series A round that will support CStone’s drug candidates advance through clinical trials.
Progyny adds to inheritance with series B capital
The GlaxoSmithKline and Merck Group-backed digital fertility platform has raised $14.7m, a year after it was formed by the merger of Auxogyn and Fertility Authority.
Owlstone spins out diagnostics division with $7m
Medtekwiz Advisory led the round, which will fund clinical tests for Owlstone Medical’s breathalyser in lung and colon cancer diagnostics.
Media
SmartNews publishes details of $38m series D
News aggregation platform SmartNews took its overall funding to about $90m, having previously received investments from Gree and Mixi.
Citic Guoan contributes $20m to $80m NextVR round
NextVR, already backed by Comcast, Time Warner, Madison Square Garden and Dick Clark Productions, has raised $20m from IT technology company Citic Guoan.
Kin Community takes in corporates for series D funding
Tengelmann unit Emil Capital led the female-focused digital media company’s latest round, which also included strategic partners Corus, Allure and Tegna.
Jiemian posts $45m in series B round
PetroChina subsidiary Kunlun Trust led the round, which will fund hiring for the business and tech media company as well as multimedia content.
Woven Digital forms $18.5m series B
WPP’s corporate venturing unit led a round that increased millennial male-focused digital media company Woven’s overall funding to $42m.
WPP to help develop ADD in $10m round
Entertainment producer All Def Digital has now secured $15m in under two years, after raising $10m in a series B round that included WPP Ventures.
Consumer
Qudian installs Liaison Interactive as investor in $449m round
The app and smart device maker co-led the round for Qudian, the instalment buying platform founded as Qufenqi, doubling its overall funding.
Light captures $30m in GV-led series C
The Foxconn-backed multi-aperture camera developer took its total funding to almost $65m in a round that will support the expansion of its worldwide supply chain.
BookMyShow admits Network18 to $81m round
The media company reinvested as part of a funding round that valued the India-based online ticketing platform at more than $440m.
Financial
Strategic partner Mitsubishi UFJ was among the new investors that provided the cash for the Docomo-backed bitcoin exchange, which has now secured more than $115m in total.
DV01 secures $7.5m in seed financing
The lending markets analytics platform raised the money in a round led by diversified holding company Leucadia National Corporation alongside the launch of its first product.
Energy and Natural Resources
Mueller to energise EnBW’s CVC activities
Inga Mueller has been appointed investment manager for utility EnBW’s corporaate venturing unit, EnBW New Ventures.
Industrial
Zahroof Valves filters through series C funding
Saudi Aramco’s corporate venturing unit has led the latest round for valve manufacturer Zahroof, investing alongside NGP Energy Technology Partners.
Services
Oyo to welcome back investors for $61m round
Budget hotel booking platform Oyo Rooms plans to raise $61m from existing investors, which include SoftBank, at a $460m valuation.
Bertelsmann considers helping to grow Treebo
Budget hotel booking service Treebo is reportedly in talks with Bertelsmann India Investments over participation in a round set to be sized between $20m and $25m.
Service Partner One orders up $10m
The office management platform developer has followed a 2015 seed round with $10m in series A funding from backers including Ringier Digital Ventures.
Alcom helps transmit funding to Ukkovervot
Mobile data service provider Ukkovervot has raised $10.9m in equity and bond financing in a round featuring telecom company Alcom.
HourlyNerd welcomes back GE for $22m series C
The business expertise connection platform has closed a round that increased its funding to more than $33m altogether.
Everplans shows where there’s a will there’s funding
Online will creation platform Everplans has secured $6.4m in series A funding from backers including insurers Transamerica, Aegon and Reinsurance Group of America.
SmartRecruiters welcomes another $30m in venture money
The talent acquisition technology developer, backed by Salesforce at series B stage, has raised $30m in a series C round that takes its overall funding to $55m.
Ifeelgoods goes Up in $6m round
Up Group supplied half the funding in a $6m round for the customer reward management software developer as part of a distribution agreement.
