IT

Conversational software developer Uniphore has confirmed a $51m series C round backed by Sistema, though it did not verify reports of National Grid’s involvement.

Virtual scheduling assistant developer Clara has been acquired by recruitment services provider TopFunnel two years after raising $7m from investors including Slack Fund.

JD.com, iFlytek and Wanda Group have thrown their weight behind Terminus Technologies, backing a $283m series C1 round led by China Everbright.

Wangsu-backed computer vision technology developer Clobotics has received pre-series B financing to extend its overall funding to at least $48m.

Insurance group MS&AD Holdings has boosted the size of its corporate venturing unit eight months after its launch, having reportedly made in excess of 20 investments.

Cisco is set to buy portfolio company memo-transcription software provider Voicea in a deal that would allow Alphabet, Microsoft, Salesforce and Workday to exit.

Park Place has purchased the network analytics software provider in a deal of undisclosed size that will enable Mitsubishi to exit.

Last year there was a peak in number of IPOs of corporate-backed emerging business, while the first half of 2019 hosted some much-awaited flotations like those of Uber, Lyft and Slack. We look at the broader picture for corporate-backed companies going public.

Each Friday the Global Corporate Venturing Deal Net rounds up the week’s smaller deals and tracks the emerging companies accessing corporate funds.

Exiting investor Mahindra Partners contributed to an Intel Capital-led round that increased the industrial internet-of-things technology developer's total funding to $39m.

Every day, Global University Venturing rounds up the smaller investments from across the university innovation ecosystem in its deal net.