A round up of all the latest news on www.globalcorporateventuring.com for our subscribers.
Corporate venturing deal net: 3-7 September 2018
Each Friday the Global Corporate Venturing Deal Net rounds up the week’s smaller deals and tracks the emerging companies accessing corporate funds.
Fundraising
NAB Ventures nets $36m for second fund
National Australia Bank is doubling the capital allocated to its strategic investment unit through a second fund.
Aviva devotes capital to $129m fund
Eight researchers from Cambridge have raised a $129m patient capital fund that has attracted limited partners including Aviva.
People
Suennen surfaces from GE Ventures
Lisa Suennen, a GE Ventures managing director that focused on healthcare, has left after two years at the unit.
Hartanto hurries to MDI Ventures
Aldi Adrian Hartanto has departed from Mandiri Capital after two years to take up a position at another Indonesia-based corporate venturing unit.
Exits
Meituan Dianping confirms $4.4bn IPO plans
The Tencent-backed local services portal plans to float in Hong Kong in two weeks time and has locked up $1.5bn in investment already.
Robinhood gets ready to mark IPO spot
The Alphabet and Roc Nation-backed trading platform is gearing up to go public after achieving a $5.6bn valuation earlier this year.
Hearst makes Acrobatiq exit in VitalSource acquisition
VitalSource has paid an undisclosed amount to acquire Hearst Ventures-backed educational content technology provider Acrobatiq.
Lowe’s and Capitol Broadcasting have exited real estate sales services provider GoldenKey in an acquisition by Landis.
Apttus accepts Thoma Bravo’s majority stake purchase
Thoma Bravo has agreed to buy a majority stake in the sales software producer, though it is unclear whether Salesforce and AT&T will exit.
Maoyan Weiying buys IPO ticket
Rumours about the mobile ticketing platform’s initial public offering first surfaced earlier this year and have now been confirmed thanks to a stock exchange filing.
Liulishuo talks through $100m IPO plans
Hearst Ventures is in line for an exit following Liulishuo’s filing for a $100m initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.
Meituan Dianping sets price range
The company has set its price range at $7.64 to $9.17 and is aiming to raise a total of $1.5bn from five cornerstone investors, including the previously disclosed $400m from Tencent.
Funding Circle to embrace $385m IPO
Rocket Internet-backed peer-to-peer lender Funding Circle plans to raise $385m in an initial public offering in which private investor Anders Povlsen is set to purchase a 10% stake.
IT
AnchorFree breaks away with $295m
WndrCo led the mobile VPN provider’s latest round, increasing its overall funding to almost $360m.
ThinCI to build on $65m series C
Denso and NSitexe co-led the AI technology producer’s latest round with Temasek, while Daimler and the Toyota-backed Mirai Creation Fund also invested.
HSB wins Relayr race in $300m acquisition
Munich Re’s Hartford Steam Boiler has acquired existing portfolio company Relayr for $300m, providing an exit to Deutsche Telekom.
Baidu has established a new subsidiary to focus on blockchain technologies and supplied $7.3m to the business through another subsidiary, Dinglu Zhongyuan Technology.
Health
The Pfizer-backed cancer therapy developer has secured $120m in a convertible note offering led by Perceptive Advisors.
PhaseBio attracts $34m in series D round
Existing backers AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson returned for a round that will advance PhaseBio’s orphan disease drug pipeline.
Alpha Tau gets $29m in funding exposure
Medison Ventures was among the participants in a round that will fund clinical tests for Alpha Tau’s radiation-based cancer treatment.
Sanofi Ventures and the WuXi AppTec-backed 6 Dimensions Capital contributed to a series B round that took Fulcrum Therapeutics’ total funding to $140m.
4D Molecular forces its way to $90m
Chiesi Ventures and Pfizer Ventures have helped gene therapy developer 4D Molecular Therapeutics complete its series B round.
SoYoung gets $70m funding injection
Tencent-backed cosmetic surgery booking platform SoYoung has collected $70m in a series E round that increased its overall funding to at least $229m.
GV has contributed to a series B round for Evox Therapeutics, a spinout of University of Oxford whose existing shareholders include Oxford Sciences Innovation.
NetMeds prescribes $35m series C
Daun Penh Cambodia Group and Sistema Asia Fund were among the investors in a $35m series C round for online pharmacy NetMeds.
Media
Caffeine cashes $100m from 21st Century Fox
Fox supplied some of the cash in equity funding and the rest to help fund a joint venture with the social broadcasting platform developer.
Sky pays $4m to Reimagine Ventures
Remagine Ventures, a fund formed by ex-corporate venturers Eze Vidra and Kevin Baxpehler, has secured Sky as a limited partner.
The iQiyi spinoff, which was formed with Super Sports Media last month, has secured series A funding at a $490m valuation.
Baidu Video records $100m series B
Baidu led its video aggregation platform’s series B round, which followed a $155m round two years ago.
Activ8 mobilises $5.4m funding
Gumi has returned for a third funding round in virtual talent management firm Activ8.
Consumer
The proceeds from the Danone-backed series C round will support the healthy vending machine provider’s regional expansion.
Tencent helps produce $450m for MissFresh
Online grocer MissFresh will use the proceeds from the round, co-led by Tencent and Goldman Sachs, to enhance its supply chain capabilities.
Souche trades series F shares for $578m
Alibaba and Sunshine Insurance Group have contributed to a series F round for Souche, which also revealed its acquisition of Iyunche and Breakthrough.
Rappi wraps its head around $200m
Delivery Hero-backed on-demand delivery services provider Rappi has secured $200m from investors including DST Global, achieving unicorn status in the process.
Financial
The mobile bank operator will use the funds from the PayPal and International Airlines Group-backed round for hiring and international expansion.
Beacon shows investors to series A round
Barclays and Global Atlantic helped financial software provider Beacon Platform complete a series A round with a targeted $19m close.
FinUp Financial Technology has led a reported $15m series A round for online lender SlicePay.
American Express-backed payment services provider Lianlian has raised $146m from Sequoia Capital and Boyu Capital.
Salary Finance wages $20m series B
Legal & General has co-led a $20m series B round for Salary Finance, a financial wellbeing platform for employees.
Energy and Natural Resources
Saudi Aramco scrutinises plans for $1bn fund
The oil and gas provider, which already runs the $500m Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures unit, is reportedly mulling plans for a larger fund.
Industrial
GreyOrange squeezes out $140m from investors
Robotics developer GreyOrange has raised series C funding from investors including Mitsubishi and Flipkart to drive international growth.
Caterpillar, General Electric, Microsoft and Schlumberger were among the returning investors in a round that will support hiring and production.
Transport
Ofo approaches nine-figure fundraising
Didi Chuxing and Ant Financial are said to be close to reinvesting in Ofo following reports last month they were discussing a $2bn acquisition.
Services
Kaochong caches $55m in series D round
Tencent reinvested in Kaochong, six months after leading the online study aid provider’s $29m series C round.
Online estate agent Yopa has closed a $26m funding round backed by return investors Daily Mail and General Trust and Savills.