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

Molcure, a Japan-based AI-driven drug discovery and developing company backed by University of Tokyo affiliate University of Tokyo Edge Capital (UTEC), has raised $7.2m in series C funding from GMO Venture Partners, Japan Post Capital, Strive and SBI Investment, respective vehicles for internet company GMO, postal service Japan Post, digital media group Gree and financial services firm SBI, in addition to pharmaceutical firm Nippon Chemiphar and VC firm Jafco. Molcure raised $2.5m from GMO VenturePartners, Nippon Chemiphar and insurer Dai-ichi Life Insurance in December 2018. UTEC supplied $1.8m in funding in September 2014. Gross-Wen Technologies, a US-based wastewater treatment company spun out of Iowa State University, has closed a $6.5m series A round co-led by ISA Ventures and Iowa Farm Bureau’s Rural Vitality Fund. Next Level Ventures, Mid-American Angels, Ankeny Angels, Ag Startup Engine, Oman Ventures and 1330 Investments also took part. Gross-Wen secured $2m from engineering services provider Doerfer Companies in June 2018. ThirdAI, a US-based developer of tools to speed up deep learning technologies without requiring specialised hardware, has collected $6m in seed funding co-led by Neotribe Ventures, Cervin Ventures and Firebolt Ventures co-led the investment. The company is based on work by chief executive and co-founder Anshumali Shrivastava, an associate professor at Rice University. Arkivum, a UK-based data management software spinout from University of Southampton, has completed a £1.6m ($2.2m) funding round backed by commercialisation firm IP Group and its fund management subsidiary Parkwalk Advisors, as well as private equity firm Growthdeck. Parkwalk most recently also contributed to a round of undisclosed size in 2018 and Arkivum had earlier secured a total of $12.8m in funding. Melt&Marble, a Sweden-based company using fermentation to produce animal fats, has completed a €750,000 ($883,000) in a funding round backed by Chalmers Ventures, the venture arm of Chalmers University of Technology. The round was led by Nordic FoodTech VC and also included PINC, the corporate venturing arm of food and drink company Paulig, as well as Purple Orange Ventures. The company was originally known as Biopetrolia and its technology was first developed at Chalmers University of Technology in 2010. Seatti.co, a Germany-based developer of a software for companies to manage a hybrid workforce, has secured €500,000 ($590,000) in pre-seed funding backed by the Hasso Plattner Institute Seed Fund, a vehicle for the eponymous institute at University of Potsdam, according to EU-Startups. The round also included venture capital firm Peak and private investor Ralph Müller. 25 Holdings, a Singapore-based pet food and supplies…

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Thierry Heles

Thierry Heles is the editor of Global University Venturing, host of the Beyond the Breakthrough interview podcast and responsible for the monthly GUV Gazette (sign up here for free).