A round up of all the latest news on www.globalcorporateventuring.com for our subscribers.
Big Deal: Bertelsmann re-enrols in Udacity
Bertelsmann led coding course provider Udacity’s $105m series D round days after investing $230m in education technology producer HotChalk, possibly heralding a big drive in educational corporate venturing for the firm.
Weekly corporate venturing deal net: 16-20 November 2015
Each Friday the Global Corporate Venturing Deal Net rounds up the week’s smaller deals and tracks the emerging companies accessing corporate funds.
Fundraising
Tasly and Taikang combine for $780m healthcare fund
The China-based corporates will invest across the healthcare industry in order to build a diversified ecosystem in the sector.
FXiaoke and IDG partner on $20m fund
IDG Capital Partners and FXiaoke are teaming up for a fund that will invest in early-stage China-based sharing economy software developers.
Razer sharpens up corporate venturing unit
The gaming hardware manufacturer is readying a corporate venturing unit that will fund startups while also offering strategic support.
Alibaba puts $436m into Asian startup funds
The $307m Taiwan Entrepreneurs Fund and $129m Entrepreneurs Fund for Hong Kong will invest in companies leveraging its technology ecosystem to develop products.
AIA and Konica Minolta combine for digital health accelerator
Konica Minolta Digital Health Accelerator will fund Singapore-based startups operating in the digital health technology space.
Microsoft to help scale internet access with new fund
The fund will invest about $75,000 a time in companies working on technology that can expand internet access in markets underserved by internet connectivity.
Medtronic ventures to China with $60m fund
Medtronic has joined forces with Sequoia Capital and Suzhou-BioBay to invest in healthcare technology startups based in, or which intend to expand into, China.
People
Nokia Growth Partners makes two appointments
Nokia’s corporate venturing unit has hired Todd Forrest as an operating partner, and Bryan Biniak from Microsoft as an entrepreneur-in-residence.
Exits
Square raises $243m in downpriced IPO
The Visa and Starbucks-backed payment technology provider priced its shares at $9, a good deal below the $11 to $13 range set earlier this month.
Rdio to stop broadcasting as Pandora swoops
Pandora is paying $75m for assets owned by Rdio, which had raised more than $125m from backers including Skype but has now filed for bankruptcy.
Panoramic Power goes Direct for acquisition
Qualcomm, Autodesk, Alexander Schneider and Israel Electric Company were among the existing investors in a $60m acquisition by utility Direct Energy.
Mesoblast reaches US markets in $68m IPO
The Cephalon-backed stem cell therapy developer had been listed in Australia since 2004, and also counts Celgene as a shareholder.
IT
APX Labs gets $13m series B result
The wearable software technology took its overall funding to $29m with a round backed by GE Ventures and Salesforce Ventures.
Deutsche Telekom calls on Numecent for $15.5m round
Cloud services company Numecent has now raised $38m in total, after raising $15.5m in series B capital, $4.5m of which was put up by Deutsche Telekom.
Cogito engages Salesforce for $5.5m series A
Cogito, which is developing analytics technology for customer service representatives, will use the funding to scale its sales, marketing and customer success teams.
Samsung gains Sentiance for portfolio
Mobile analytics technology developer Sentiance has secured $5.2m in a series A round led by Samsung’s $100m Catalyst Fund.
Health
Johnson & Johnson aims high with First Aid Shot
First Aid Shot Therapy, the developer of a range of over-the-counter treatments, has completed a $24m series C round led by Johnson & Johnson.
Google Ventures and F-Prime Capital have co-led a round for PatientPing, which helps healthcare facilities share patient data.
ElMinda thinks up $28m series C
Kraft Group has contributed funds to an ElMinda funding round that will support continued development of a medical device to measure brain function.
Alphaeon goes to the well for $70m
Alphaeon, which offers personalised wellness services, has raised $70m from a consortium including conglomerate Chow Tai Fook Enterprises.
Media
Film studios help sink $6m into AdRise
AdRise, the operator of on-demand entertainment service Tubi TV, has now raised $10m overall, securing new funding from backers including MGM and Lionsgate.
Noitom captures corporates for $20m series B
Motion capture software producer Noitom has received $20m in series B capital from investors including Legend Holdings and Alpha Animation.
Discovery has returned to lead a series B round for the animal-focused media provider, which also counts Softbank as an investor.
Watchwith finds time to raise $8m
Samsung has joined existing shareholders Rogers and Arris for a series B round that increased the video adtech company’s overall funding to $13m.
Consumer
The fashion subscription service has now raised more than $27m, closing a Simon Property-backed series B round less than a year after its series A.
Mas dresses $35m series C round for Athos
The smart apparel developer has now raised more than $51m altogether, securing funding from backers including apparel producer Mas Holdings.
Flypro reaches new heights with $12.4m series A
The drone manufacturer has obtained $12.4m in a round that comes less than a year after it secured $130,000 in a crowdfunding campaign.
BGF expands portfolio by three
Business Growth Fund has invested a combined $21.5m in Acro Aircraft Seating and Giggling Squid, and an undisclosed sum in Braidwater.
Ticketing platform Weiying closes $235m series C
Weiying followed a $105m series B round in May with a Tencent and Wanda Group-backed round that values it at over $1.5bn.
GetYourGuide finds its way to $50m
Nokia has backed a series C round for GetYourGuide, an online marketplace through which tourists can book excursions and buy tickets to attractions.
E-commerce website Avenida has added Naspers and Tiger Global to its shareholders in a series C round that boosted its overall funding to more than $50m.
Financial
Align Commerce coordinates $12.5m series A
Recruit and the corporate-backed Digital Currency Group are among the investors in a $12.5m round for payment services provider Align.
Energy and Natural Resources
NatPet helps pump $25m into Siluria
National Petrochemical Industrial Company has led the natural gas-to-fuels company’s latest round, boosting its overall funding to $150m since 2008.
3M helps distribute $13m to Varentec
3M has led a first close of a series C round that will fund grid control technology developer Varentec’s international expansion.
Transport
The ride sharing app developer, backed by Rakuten, Alibaba, Tencent and Didi Kuaidi, is reportedly looking to raise a bumper round at a $4bn valuation.
Ola hails corporates in $500m round
The ride hailing service raised the series F funding at a reported $5bn valuation, with Didi Kuaidi and existing investor SoftBank both taking part.
Panasonic hops on Gogoro for $130m series B
Electric scooter maker Gogoro has now raised $180m altogether, after closing a round backed by its battery cell supplier, Panasonic.
Services
TutorGroup graduates to $200m series C
The language learning platform, backed by Alibaba and CyberAgent, raised the money at a $1bn valuation and intends to expand into other on-demand services.
GeoPost delivers $23.5m to Stuart
Stuart secured the capital in a series A round led by the La Poste subsidiary as it prepares to launch its rapid logistics service in five European cities.
Times Internet assigns $15m to Taskbucks
Times Internet has taken a majority stake of undisclosed size in the microjobs marketplace, which pays users for completing small assignments.
The Pearson-backed adaptive learning company took its overall funding to almost $150m in a round expected to close at about $47m.
