Daily deal net: November 11, 2021

Antiva Biosciences, a US-based developer of treatments for human papillomavirus spun out of University of California, San Diego, has secured $31m in a series D round backed by Osage University Partners. The round included internet and technology group Alphabet and pharmaceutical firms EMS and Dong-A, the first two through GV and Brace Pharma Capital respectively. The round was led by Adjuvant Capital and also featured Alexandria Venture Investments, HBM Healthcare Investments, Avestria Ventures, Gaingels, Mana Ventures, Canaan Partners, Sofinnova Ventures, Lumira Ventures and Sirona Capital. The company had raised a total of $57m as of its $15m series C1 round in 2018.

PierianDx, US-based clinical genomics data producer based on research at Washington University in St Louis, has raised $30m from investors including healthcare provider Inova Health System. OrbiMed led the round, which included research institute RTI, Health Catalyst Capital, ATW Partners and SJF Ventures, all four of which had joined Inova in the company’s $27m series B round in 2019. That round pushed PierianDx’s total funding to over $39m, and the latest round gives it the option to access a further $17.5m in capital from the latest investors should it choose.

Swimm, an Israel-based documentation software developer, has received $27.6m in a series A round backed by Tel Aviv University’s TAU Ventures. The round was led by Insight Partners that also featured Dawn Capital and Pitango First. TAU and Pitango had joined financial information provider FundFire, Axon Ventures and unnamed angel investors in Swimm’s $5.7m seed round in January this year.

GRO Biosciences, a US-based protein therapeutics developer based on work at Harvard University, has raised $25m in a series A round co-led by chemical and pharmaceutical group Bayer’s corporate venturing unit Leaps by Bayer and Redmile Group. It included Digitalis Ventures and Innovation Endeavors. GRO said it has now raised $31.2m altogether, $2.1m coming from Digitalis Ventures and Innovation Endeavors in a 2017 seed round.

Sync Computing, a US-based cloud computing optimisation tool developer spun out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Risilience, a UK-based emissions-lowering analytics product developer spun out of University of Cambridge, are among a group of six companies that have received a combined $24m in funding from electricity distributor National Grid’s corporate venturing subsidiary National Grid Partners. Individual amounts were not disclosed.

Qualifyze, the Germany-based operator of an online marketplace for pharmaceutical supplier audits that was founded out of TU Darmstadt, has closed a $14m series A round featuring Axel Springer Porsche, the joint venture between media group Axel Springer and carmaker Porsche, Nordic 9 reported last month. HV Capital, the VC firm backed by publisher HV Holtzbrinck, led the round, which included Cherry Ventures, Rheingau Founders and private investor Udo Jung. Qualifyze had raised $1.9m from Cherry Ventures and Auxxo in July 2019, and $3.5m in April 2020 from Rheingau Founders, Cherry Ventures and angel investors.

Evergrow, a US-based climate fintech developer, has raised more than $7m in seed funding co-led by Congruent Ventures, the venture capital firm aligned with University of California, according to TechCrunch. The round was co-led by XYZ Venture Capital and also attracted First Round Capital, Garuda Ventures, MCJ Collective, Skyview Ventures and assorted angel investors.

Happe Spine, a US-based orthopaedic and spinal implants developer based on research at University of Notre Dame, has closed a $3.4m series A round led by undisclosed “strategic investors within the spine industry” and also backed by Genesis Innovation Group’s Cultivate(MD) Seed II Fund. Happe Spine raised approximately $295,000 in funding in June 2020 and $600,000 in April 2019, according to regulatory filings. Genesis invested an undisclosed amount in the spinout when it was formed in July 2018.

AutoFill, a Netherlands-based creator of transport inspection management software, has received €2.6m ($3m) in a pre-series A round featuring Deeptech Labs, the accelerator formed by University of Cambridge and semiconductor producer Arm. It was joined by Innovation Industries and angel investors Rick Belluzzo and Bram Schot, and the cash will fund technology development and the growth of AutoFill’s engineering team.

GenEp, a US-based epilepsy therapeutics developer, has completed a $1.45m seed round co-led by University of Virginia’s UVA Licensing and Ventures Group Seed Fund. The round was co-led by Angelini Lumira Biosciences Fund, the joint venture formed by pharmaceutical company Angelini Pharma and VC firm Lumira Ventures, and 3B Future Health Fund. It included Virginia Innovation Partnership, Kids Connect Charitable Fund, PDI Ventures and GenEp’s management team.

CrowdCare, Japan-based homecare matching service, has raised ¥110m ($966,000) in a round led by Keio Innovation Initiative, a vehicle for Keio University, and backed by growth equity firm Basepartners. The round also included debt from unnamed financial institutions.

Airth, India-based antimicrobial air purifier developer, has secured an undisclosed amount in a seed round featuring Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur’s First investment vehicle, contract manufacturer Syrma Technology and Whiteboard Capital, VCCircle has reported.

Craif, a Japan-based urinary biomarker discovery platform spun out of Nagoya University, has raised an undisclosed amount of series B funding from investors including insurers Aflac and Tokio Marine Nichido as well as internet company MTG. Daiwa Corporate Investment, a vehicle for brokerage Daiwa Securities, led the round, and Aflac and MTG were represented by Aflac Ventures and MTG Ventures respectively. It is planning to raise additional funding and close the series B round by the end of the year.

– Additional reporting by Thierry Heles and Liwen-Edison Fu