Every day, Global University Venturing rounds up the smaller investments from across the university innovation ecosystem in its deal net.
Liberaware, a Japan-based industrial indoor drone developer, has raised ¥420m ($3.8m) in a series C round led by Bonds Investment Group, a subsidiary of marketing group Opt, and backed by Kyoto University’s Miyako Capital vehicle, printing services firm Toppan, financial services firm Orix, security service Central Security Patrols and Drone Fund. The company has secured ¥970m in total, having last raised $2.4m in May 2020.
WizWe, a Japan-based habit development platform, has raised ¥260m ($2.4m) from Waseda University’s Weru Investment affiliate, financial services firm Shinsei Bank, consulting group EggForward and VC firm Mobile Internet Capital. Japan Finance Corporation supplied an additional $1.4m in debt financing. The company had raised ¥100m from Shinsei Bank, Mobile Internet Capital, Nippon Venture Capital and unnamed individuals in December 2019.
Capex, the Japan-based developer of an artificial intelligence-powered conversation companion service dubbed Patona, has raised ¥130m ($1.2m) from University of Tokyo’s Edge Capital (UTEC) unit, East Ventures and Skyland Ventures. It had raised ¥100m in December 2020, with UTEC providing equity portion of the round while Japan Finance Corporation supplied debt.
SweetBio, a US-based wound care material developer spun out of University of Memphis, has secured an undisclosed amount from consumer electronics producer Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative. SweetBio previously raised $2.2m – including $1.15m from Innova, MB Venture Partners, The JumpFund and ZeroTo510 in 2016 – prior to a 2018 round sized at $3.1m according to a securities filing. It added $800,000 in September 2019 and another $590,000 in convertible note financing in October 2020, according to other filings.
– Additional reporting by Robert Lavine.
