IT

Existing investor Microsoft Ventures came back for a round that valued customer engagement platform Outreach at $500m and took its total funding to $125m.

Strategic partner Continental has supplied $25m in series C funding for the optics technology developer, boosting its stake to 18%.

Nasdaq Ventures and DRW Venture Capital both invested in a round that will fund product development and international growth for location data provider Cuebiq.

"the closest thing the world has to a strategy"

The $50m unit, which was set up by blockchain technology supplier Consensys, has funded six more projects and launched an accelerator.

The blockchain-based money transfer platform will incubate, invest in and acquire projects or startups that use its XRP digital asset.

Tom Zhang, an engineering partner at corporate venturing unit GV, has taken the chief data scientist position at VC firm Sinovation.

Quantum computing spinout Zapata has emerged from stealth with a $5.4m seed round from investors including the Engine.

University of Tehran and telecoms provider MTN-Irancell are preparing to seed a VC fund of undisclosed size to help nurture IT startups.

Cisco, which has invested through its own unit for 25 years, will be the anchor investor in a fund with a nine-figure budget for enterprise software deals.

The Salesforce-backed business planning software producer has filed for a $100m initial public offering having raised $176m in VC funding.