The Japanese recruiter will seek to invest in early-stage overseas companies, and has already funded holiday home search engine Tripping.

Sinch, which enables developers to incorporate free calling and messaging into their apps, has spun out of Rebtel with a round also backed by Index and Balderton.

The online fashion site has now secured $7m, after talent agency CAA joined Novel Group among its backers.

The social marketing analysis startup has closed a $6m led by Softbank Capital, which it will use to develop its product and expand beyond the US.

FieldLens, developer of a mobile field management app, has now raised more than $12m after Softbank returned as an investor.

The Bloomberg-backed web and app communication platform has now raised $22m after a round that valued it at about $60m.

Anokion, which is developing treatments for autoimmune diseases and allergies, is planning the first clinical trials of its treatments in 2017.