News round up 15 April 2019

Agerris reaps $4.6m
Uniseed, Carthona Capital and BridgeLane Group provided the funding for University of Sydney-founded Agerris, which is preparing to commercialise products including robotic farm hand systems.
Liopa gets more than lip service in seed round
Queen’s University Belfast speech recognition technology spinout Liopa is working on a product that analyses lip movements to provide more robust analysis in noisy environments.
Deep Lens recruits $14m
Nationwide Children’s-founded advanced pathology platform Deep Lens has now raised $17.5m in all as it looks to grow its business in the clinical trial recruitment segment.
HistoSonics sounds out corporates to raise $54m
Varian Medical Systems led University of Michigan’s robotic-assisted ultrasound device spinout’s series C round, which also included Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC.
Reeve takes chair at Albion Capital
Patrick Reeve, managing partner at Albion Capital, which manages UCL Technology Fund, has passed his position onto his deputy to become the firm’s first chairman.
Bonsal moves on from Towson
Bonsal will return to venture capital, ending a six-year spell as director of venture creation at Towson through which he was credited with the realignment of its incubator.
Theya settles into $750,000
NovaUCD-based patient lingerie manufacturer Theya Healthcare has been backed by investors including Enterprise Ireland as it prepares for expansion in the US.
TearSolutions eyes $6.4m
UVA’s seed fund and corporate venturing unit PharmStandard Ventures featured in topical dry eye syndrome peptide spinout TearSolutions’ financing round, taking its total to $21.5m.
Avectas collects $10m
NUI Maynooth spinout Avectas has added capital to converted equity previously supplied by therapeutics developer Adapt Pharma among others.
Vector delivers $10m series A
Vector has received funding from UC-backed Congruent Ventures among others as it looks to enhance its software in supporting back office logistics functions.
Mallinda takes temperature for $2m
Sabic has equipped Mallinda with funding as the CU Boulder-founded thermoset resins provider gears up for the launch of its first commercial product.
Fusion gets reaction in $105m series B
Varian led a round for the targeted cancer drug developer that included existing investors such as Facit and Johnson & Johnson.
UTokyo enlivens EdiGene’s $15m series B
UTokyo’s Innovation Platform joined subsidiaries of SBI, Sumitomo Mitsui and Mizuho Bank to help double genetic disorder treatment developer EdiGene’s funding.
Inozyme hardens up with $67m
Novo and Sanofi Ventures returned to reinvest in Yale spinout Inozyme Pharma as it looks to advance its lead mineralisation disorder drug towards the clinic.
Aqdot emulsifies $7.8m series B
Cambridge-founded chemicals products maker Aqdot has welcomed the return of IP Group and Parkwalk Advisors in its latest round, taking its funding total to $16.5m.
Xibus captures $1m
Newly-founded MIT food pathogen sensor spinout Xibus has secured seed funding to develop its technology, which utilises synthetic particles to identify bacterial contamination.
Sano Genetics matches up $650,000
Cambridge Enterprise joined Seedcamp and private investors for Sano Genetics’ seed round, proceeds of which will support the company’s data-sharing platform for genomic research.
Nanology Labs finds Facit for funding
The Toronto oncological MRI agent spinout has been backed by Facit’s Prospects Oncology vehicle, to target applications including the identification and treatment of tumours in the brain.