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{"text": "Tech.eu Podcast #124: Apple’s response to Spotify; Why is Monzo successful; NordicNinja’s Claes Mikko Nilsen; Investing in podcasts; and more.\n\nTech.eu Podcast hosted by Natalie Novick and Andrii Degeler is a show in which we discuss some of the most interesting stories from the European technology scene and interview leading entrepreneurs and investors from across the region.\n\nYou can find the latest episode here or embedded below.\n\nBy the way, you can also subscribe and listen to the podcast on Spotify, SoundCloud, or iTunes.\n\nHere’s what we discussed this time.\n\n🎧 Apple’s response to Spotify’s complaint\n\n🎧 What’s made Monzo Europe’s fourth most valuable fintech startup?\n\n🎧 Interview: Claes Mikko Nilsen, investment director at NordicNinja\n\n🎧 Event of the week: Sonar+D 2019 on July 17­­–20 in Barcelona, Spain\n\n🎧 Reading recommendations:"}
{"text": "Berlin- and San Francisco-based blockchain startup Centrifuge raises $3.8 million to build the operating system for global commerce.\n\nThe blockchain startup Centrifuge today announced the closing of a $3.8 million financing round, which was led by Mosaic Ventures and BlueYard Capital. Started by the founders of Taulia in 2017, Centrifuge is developing a decentralized, blockchain-based protocol which aims to rethink how businesses transact with each other, in a more efficient and open way. Invoicing as we know it, and more importantly the resulting delays in payment and access to liquidity will be solved for good by liberating the data from today’s siloed systems.\n\nCentrifuge is the fourth startup for the team of Silicon Valley veterans who previously built and exited successfully companies in the procure-to-pay and finance space. Centrifuge is growing its engineering and product team in Berlin, while commercial activities are based in San Francisco.\n\nA new open B2B commerce protocol with the tools to fuse traditionally walled-off silos of business data and business logic on a public, decentralized network can create significant value and facilitate a number of new use cases and applications, including a more open marketplace for funding supply chain members and smart contracts that make payment when goods are delivered or services are performed.\n\nMaex Ament, the CEO and Co-founder of Centrifuge, stated: “We want to fundamentally change how businesses interact, by consigning antiquated invoicing processes to the history books. To do this, we are building a world class team in Berlin, which has some of the most talented blockchain engineers in the market. We are super excited that Mosaic and BlueYard are leading this round – their expertise in the blockchain and decentralized internet space is a tremendous asset for Centrifuge.”\n\n“We have been actively investing in the blockchain arena for over 4 years and have interacted with hundreds of teams. We love the bold vision and the unmatched experience of the Centrifuge team, which make this a compelling opportunity and strong match with our investment thesis for the space”, said Toby Coppel, Partner and Co-founder of Mosaic."}
{"text": "Ardian provides loan to refinance Carlyle-backed Evernex’s debt.\n\nArdian has provided financing to refinance Evernex‘s existing debt. No financial terms were disclosed. A portfolio company of Carlyle Europe Technology Partners, Evernex is a provider of third-party maintenance services for IT infrastructures.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nParis, July 17th 2018 – Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, today announces the arrangement of a Unitranche facility to refinance the existing debt of Evernex, a leading global provider of third party maintenance services for IT infrastructures and a Carlyle Europe Technology Partners portfolio company. The unitranche package will also include a dedicated committed acquisition facility to finance future build ups.\n\nFounded in 1983, Evernex has built a broad global network over time covering 160 countries through 330 stocking locations and over 400 employees, of which 200 specialized engineers. This footprint enables the Company to support and maintain its customers’ locations 24/7, leveraging over 750,000 available spare parts from its inventory.\n\nEvernex’s rapid growth can be explained by dynamic organic performance, enabled by the expansion of its operations into new geographies, as well as by a selective external growth strategy, with the aim of securing the Company’s leadership in its core markets and enhancing its service range. Evernex is indeed involved in a fragmented competitive landscape, which offers enticing consolidation opportunities, from which the company wishes to benefit as it did in 2016 with the acquisition of Nexeya. The Group intends to further capitalize on these opportunities to densify its network and continue supporting its customer base in their evolving IT hardware needs.\n\nCarlyle acquired a majority stake in Evernex in 2015 (named CapVert Finance at the time) and the Company has now chosen Ardian Private Debt as financing partner, thanks to its tailor-made Unitranche financing, which combines flexibility and rapidity of execution.\n\n“The acquisitive ambition of Evernex made the Unitranche choice an obvious one to unlock further opportunities and contribute to the continued growth of the business.” commented Jean-David Ponsin, Director in the Private Debt team of Ardian. Charles Villet, Associate Director at Carlyle Europe Technology Partners, added: “Ardian’s ability to deliver terms perfectly in line with the Company’s needs was key in this partnership. Ardian demonstrated a strong level of creativity and has set up a financing package particularly well suited to the story we wish to continue writing with Evernex.”\n\n“We are delighted and excited to carry out this transaction alongside Carlyle Europe Technology Partners, to support a Company with such an impressive growth track record and quality management team.” said Olivier Berment, Co-Head of Ardian Private Debt and Managing Director. “Evernex’s preference for a Unitranche solution demonstrates the strength of this type of financing, especially in the context of fast-growing companies, by providing them with the flexibility and reactivity they need to unlock their full development potential.”\n\n“With this Unitranche financing, our intention is to accelerate even further the execution of our original investment thesis and establish Evernex as the uncontested global leader in its market.” concluded Vladimir Lasocki, Managing Director at Carlyle Europe Technology Partners. “We are convinced that Ardian will prove to be a strong growth partner for Evernex in the long run, and will have the capacity to further finance the Group’s needs for its development.”\n\nABOUT ARDIAN\n\nArdian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$71bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.\n\nThrough its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.\n\nHolding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 500 employees working from fourteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo). It manages funds on behalf of around 700 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Funds of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.\n\nArdian on Twitter @Ardian\n\nwww.ardian.com\n\nABOUT THE CARLYLE GROUP\n\nThe Carlyle Group is a global alternative asset manager with $201 billion of assets under management across 324 investment vehicles. Founded in 1987 in Washington, DC, Carlyle has grown into one of the world’s largest and most successful investment firms, with more than 1,575 professionals operating in 31 offices in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia.\n\nCarlyle Europe Technology Partners (CETP) is a pan-European growth & small-cap buyout fund predominantly investing in technology, media and telecoms companies. CETP seeks to partner with entrepreneurs and management teams and invest in businesses with substantial potential for growth which typically have enterprise values between €25m and €250m.\n\nwww.carlyle.com"}
{"text": "GPP-backed American Surgical Professionals acquires Chesapeake Medical Staffing.\n\nAmerican Surgical Professionals, a portfolio company of Great Point Partners, has acquired Maryland-based Chesapeake Medical Staffing, a provider of nurse staffing and allied health services to acute and post-acute care facilities throughout the East Coast. No financial terms were disclosed.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nGREENWICH, CT and HOUSTON, TX – Great Point Partners (“GPP”) today announced that American Surgical Professionals (“ASP”), a GPP I portfolio company, has acquired LuthervilleTimonium, MD-based Chesapeake Medical Staffing (“CMS”). CMS focuses on providing nurse staffing and allied health services to acute and post-acute care facilities throughout the East Coast. The addition of CMS will enable ASP to provide a comprehensive set of outsourced healthcare staffing solutions to its existing client base of over 250 hospitals and health systems and provide infrastructure support to CMS’ current and future clients.\n\n“The acquisition of Chesapeake Medical Staffing enables American Surgical Professionals to further establish itself as a leading provider of outsourced staffing services for hospitals and health systems nationwide,” said Tom Kirk, CEO of ASP. “The addition of CMS enables us to partner with the fantastic team that Jeff McClure and Terri Weller have built and collectively provide a greater set of service offerings to ASP and CMS’ existing clients.”\n\n“This transaction is a clear demonstration of ASP’s commitment to expanding its breadth of service offerings for our clients,” said Rohan Saikia, Managing Director at Great Point Partners.\n\n“ASP will continue to partner with leading nurse staffing and allied health businesses throughout the United States to further solidify its position as a leading provider of outsourced health care staffing solutions.”\n\nAbout Great Point Partners\n\nGreat Point Partners (“GPP”), founded in 2003 and based in Greenwich, CT, is a leading health care investment firm with approximately $1.1 billion of equity capital under management and 28 professionals, investing in the United States, Canada and Western Europe. GPP is currently making new private equity investments from GPP II, a $215 million fund. Great Point Partners manages capital in private (GPP I, $156 million and GPP II, $215 million) and public (BioMedical Value Fund, approximately $675 million) equity funds. Great Point Partners has provided growth equity, growth recapitalization and management buyout financing to more than 100 growing health care companies. The private equity funds invest across all sectors of the health care industry with particular emphasis on biopharmaceutical services and supplies, services, outsourcing, pharmaceutical infrastructure and information technology enabled businesses. The firm pursues a proactive and proprietary approach to sourcing investments and Great Point Partners tuck-in acquisitions for its portfolio companies. For further information, please contact Great Point Partners at 203-971-3300 or www.gppfunds.com.\n\nAbout American Surgical Professionals\n\nFounded in 1993 and headquartered in Houston, TX, American Surgical is the nation’s leading provider of professional surgical assistant services to hospitals, clinics (ASC), surgeons and patients. The Company offers custom tailored solutions to perioperative staffing situations. These include providing surgical specialists on an outsourced, as needed or contract basis. In addition to being Joint Commission certified, ASP’s professionals are experienced in all state-ofthe-art technologies such as robotics and current medical techniques such as endoscopic vein harvesting. The utilization of ASP’s services results in a reduction of staff management complexities, enhanced economics and improved outcomes for surgical procedures. For more information, please visit www.amerisurg.com or call 713- 779-9800."}
{"text": "Healthcare Logistics Solution Provider Aethon Announces Follow-on Investment from Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc.\n\nFunding Aimed at Accelerating Domestic and Global Market Opportunities in Burgeoning Field\n\nPITTSBURGH–(BUSINESS WIRE)–January 9, 2014–\n\nAethon, the premier developer of autonomous mobile robots for hospitals and health systems announced today that it received a $3.0 million investment from Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc. (“Mitsui USA”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., a leading international trade and investment company. This augments Mitsui USA’s initial $4.0 million growth capital investment in Aethon in April 2012.\n\nMitsui USA’s additional investment will provide funds to support Aethon’s planned expansion of its US-based sales force as well as increased marketing efforts. In addition, the funding will allow Aethon to increase its business development efforts in foreign markets assisted by Mitsui’s extensive relationships and contacts in markets worldwide.\n\n“Mitsui USA’s add-on investment is a sign of their confidence in the worldwide interest for Aethon’s solutions both in healthcare logistics and the potential for applications outside of healthcare,” said Aethon President and CEO Aldo Zini. “We have an opportunity to grow the company rapidly and this additional investment provides the resources necessary to accelerate our growth.”\n\nAethon has grown significantly since its launch into the commercial market in 2004 with its smart autonomous mobile TUG® robots, over 400 of which are currently making more than 50,000 deliveries each week in hospitals across the country. Hospitals rely on TUGs to transport medication, meals, linen, equipment and supplies more safely, securely and promptly.\n\n“Mitsui USA’s decision to increase its investment in Aethon was based on the company’s immediate opportunity for growth and longer term market potential. Their products are proven and Aethon is a nimble organization poised to take advantage of emerging opportunities,” said Shigeyuki Toya, General Manager of Mitsui USA’s New Business Development Department. “We anticipate substantial growth in healthcare robotics over the next five years, and continue to expect Aethon to be at the forefront of that movement.”\n\nIn addition to Mitsui USA, Aethon has previously received investment funding from the Bosch Group and some of the nation’s largest venture capital firms including Trident Capital, a key investor in many successful robotic and technology companies. Aethon’s solutions represent efficiency and improved utilization of the clinical workers in a hospital. These are benefits sought after by hospitals worldwide as every healthcare system faces the same pressures of controlling costs and increasing availability of clinical staff for direct patient care.\n\nAbout Aethon\n\nAethon automates Intralogistics™ in hospitals by delivering goods and supplies using its TUG® smart autonomous mobile robot and tracks deliveries in real time using MedEx™, a software system used to track medication deliveries from the pharmacy. Over 400 TUG autonomous mobile robots are making more than 50,000 deliveries each week in hospitals across the United States. For more information, visit www.aethon.com.\n\nAbout Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc.\n\nMitsui USA was incorporated in 1966 in New York as a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the most diversified and comprehensive trading, investment and service enterprises in the world, with 147 offices in 67 countries as of November 1, 2013. Mitsui is multilaterally pursuing business that range from product sales, worldwide logistics and financing, through to the development of major international infrastructure and other projects in the following fields: Iron & Steel Products, Mineral & Metal Resources, Infrastructure Projects, Integrated Transportation Systems, Chemicals, Energy, Food Resources, Food Products & Services, Consumer Service, and Innovation & Corporate Development. Mitsui USA aspires to meet the needs of its customers as “Your Global Business Partner®”, while remaining committed to sustainable growth and good corporate citizenship. More information on Mitsui USA may be found at www.mitsui.com/us.\n\nAethon\n\nTony Melanson, VP Marketing, 412-322-2975\n\ntmelanson@aethon.com"}
{"text": "Event platform Showpass wins mezz funding from BDC Capital.\n\nShowpass, a Calgary-based event and ticketing platform, has secured undisclosed mezzanine financing from the Growth and Transition Capital division of BDC Capital. Showpass serves more than 2,000 mid-size event organizers across Canada, including music, film and beer festivals, concerts and conferences, helping them improve mobile ticketing sales, management and tracking. The funds raised will help the company continue expanding its reach in the domestic market, in part by attracting more technical and sales talent to its team. Showpass was founded in 2014 by CEO Lucas McCarthy.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nShowpass Secures BDC Investment\n\nCanada’s event and ticketing innovator advances industry with technology that improves mobile ticketing sales, management and tracking\n\nCALGARY, Alberta, Canada—March 8, 2018- Showpass, Canada’s fastest-growing event and ticketing platform, and one of the country’s leading technology startups, announced today that it has secured mezzanine debt financing investment from BDC Capital, the investment arm of BDC. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.\n\nShowpass serves more than 2,000 mid-size (1,000-15,000 attendees) event organizers throughout Canada, including well-known music, film and beer festivals, concerts and conferences. The company’s full product feature set is described in detail on the company’s website. Highlights include:\n\nA fully integrated shopping experience, enabling organizers to sell tickets/products directly on their brands’ websites, driving an average 17 percent extra revenue over previous providers;\n\nA powerful seller network turning retailers, sponsors, and global platforms into mobile box offices;\n\nSocial media ticket sales without redirecting customers outside the app;\n\nA powerful mobile point-of-sale plugin for tickets, products, or on-site purchases.\n\n“This investment by BDC Capital will increase the growth capital available to Showpass as we continue to expand our mobile-focused event ticketing platform’s reach across Canada,” said Lucas McCarthy, CEO of Showpass. “We are excited to form a strong relationship with one of Canada’s leading players in the high-growth company space which amplifies our ability to give our customers more tools to truly increase their top and bottom lines, while also making check-in at events dead-simple for attendees.”\n\nBDC Capital focuses its investments on the most innovative companies in Canada. Showpass has won several Calgary-based business awards and was honored to be chosen as a member of the Lazaridis Institute’s current Scale-Up cohort.\n\n“With more than 2,000 clients and a rapid growth curve, the market is taking notice of the innovations offered by Showpass,” said Vern Malcolm, Director, Growth & Transition Capital for Southern Alberta at BDC Capital. “BDC Capital’s financing will allow the Company to continue to attract top technical and sales talent to its team and confidently move forward with its expansion plans.”\n\nAbout Showpass\n\nShowpass is the leading technology innovator in the event ticketing industry, increasing event managers’ ticket sales and unleashing their power to sell anytime, anywhere. Showpass is transforming the event experience with proprietary technology that expands users’ ability to sell more widely and activate powerful seller networks, while streamlining the event ticketing experience for both ticket sellers and buyers. Showpass serves an ever expanding variety of organizers including festivals, venues, university and trade show clients. Showpass is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Showpass is well-funded, including investment by BDC Capital. For more information, visit www.showpass.com.\n\nAbout BDC Capital\n\nWith more than $2 billion under management, BDC Capital is the investment arm of BDC, serving as a strategic partner to Canada’s most innovative and high potential firms. It offers a range of equity, venture capital and flexible growth and transition capital solutions to help Canadian entrepreneurs scale their businesses into global champions. To find out more, visit bdc.ca/capital.\n\nContact:\n\nKara Udziela media@showpass.com/949.282.3506\n\nPhoto courtesy of Showpass"}
{"text": "East Africa corporate deals in 2014 total $3.4 bn.\n\nThe number of publicly disclosed corporate deals in East Africa grew by 49 per cent in 2014 as compared to the previous year, with the total value of deals topping US$3.4 billion in 2014, according to a new report.\n\nEast African corporate finance advisory firm Burbridge Capital has released its 2014 Annual East Africa Financial Review, revealing that 145 publicly announced corporate deals took place in 2014 to a total value of US$3.4 billion, with the natural resources sector proving the most active.\n\n38 deals closed in the natural resources sector in 2014, up from 22 in the previous year; with Kenya and Tanzania home to 80 per cent of the deals.\n\nThe financial services sector also stood out for its activity in 2014, with 30 deals announced at the total value of US$515.8 million.\n\nOn the contrary, the ICT sector took a significant hit, with the number of deals occurring in 2014 almost half of the figure in 2013.\n\nThe report highlights the increase in private equity in the region, with 35 deals taking place in 2014 – at a total value of UA$678 million -, as well as five private equity exits; with the report concluding the sector will see further growth in 2015.\n\n“We are delighted to publish our second Annual East Africa Financial Review, revealing astounding growth in corporate deal making in the East African region, which we expect to increase to even higher levels in 2015,” said Edward Burbridge, chief executive officer (CEO) of Burbridge Capital."}
{"text": "Inaugural Crowd Invest Summit to Kick Off in Los Angeles.\n\nRobust Two-Day Equity Crowdfunding Event Will Unite Crowdfunding Experts, Investors, Entrepreneurs and Everyday Americans\n\nLOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 29, 2016–\n\nThe first ever Crowd Invest Summit will debut December 7-8, 2016 at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in Santa Monica, California. The summit will feature a robust agenda spanning a variety of equity crowdfunding themes including investment analysis, marketing strategies, trends and insights from industry experts. Early bird discounted tickets are available for $99 for a limited time via the summit’s website.\n\nFounded by three equity crowdfunding industry pioneers (Josef Holm, Darren Marble and Alon Goren), the Crowd Invest Summit was developed with the vision that every American – whether accredited or not – can now be a venture capitalist.\n\nNotably, the summit will bring together every facet of the equity crowdfunding industry including angel investors, venture capital investors, retail investors, real estate investors, startups / entrepreneurs, issuers, funding portals, broker-dealers, marketing and PR firms, crowdfunding service providers, FinTech service providers and members of the media.\n\n“As the first event of its kind in the United States, the Crowd Invest Summit connects retail investors and top crowdfunded investment opportunities,” said Josef Holm, co-founder of Crowd Invest Summit, and founder and CEO of crowdfunding marketing and PR software firm Krowdster. “Given the recent shifts in the equity crowdfunding industry, we created this event to be inclusive of all types of investors. Our first summit will take place in Silicon Beach and we’re already exploring a series of domestic and international events to follow.”\n\n“The majority of crowdfunding conferences are way too technical,” said Darren Marble, co-founder of the Crowd Invest Summit and CEO of crowdfunding agency CrowdfundX. “They are filled with attorneys, accountants and platforms – who are all important resources – but the industry is desperate for a conference that caters to the everyday Americans. They are the retail investors who will ultimately fuel the growth of the industry. I am excited to be partnering with Josef and Alon on this initiative. I couldn’t think of two more experienced and connected crowdfunding experts to make this vision a reality.”\n\n“I am honored to be working with crowdfunding industry colleagues Darren and Josef on what will be the largest crowd investing event to date,” said Alon Goren, co-founder of the Crowd Invest Summit, and founder and CEO of enterprise crowdfunding software company InvestedIn.com and monthly Ventura / Santa Barbara area event 805 Startups. “For years, all three of us have been pioneers an industry with promise and excitement for a world where anyone could invest in any company, regardless of economic or social status. We’ve now built that world, and we expect to unite more companies and investors than ever before.”\n\nGoren added, “Until now, crowdfunding events have been predominantly focused on debating the potential rules and laws that are now finally in place and available. In contrast, this will be the first large-scale event in the crowdfunding sector focused on companies and investors raising real money and closing actual deals. We want all Americans to know that any of them can become venture capitalists now.”\n\nEquity Crowdfunding For All: Brief Background on Key Rulings\n\nIn an unprecedented development in March of 2015, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ruled on Title IV of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (also known as the JOBS Act), paving the way for private companies to raise up to $50M from both accredited and unaccredited investors. This ruling is known as “Reg A+” and is expected by many to be pivotal in the future of popular investments in America.\n\nEffective in May of 2016, regulation Crowdfunding under Title III of the JOBS Act allows private companies to raise up to $1 million annually from both accredited and unaccredited investors.\n\nGiven the groundswell of interest in both Reg A+ and Title III opportunities, the Crowd Invest Summit agenda will explore both categories.\n\nAbout The Crowd Invest Summit\n\nThe Crowd Invest Summit was founded by three pioneers in the equity crowdfunding sector: Josef Holm, Darren Marble and Alon Goren. The conference was developed with the vision that every American – whether accredited or not – can now be a venture capitalist. The summit brings together every facet of the equity crowdfunding industry including angel investors, venture capital investors, retail investors, real estate investors, startups / entrepreneurs, issuers, funding portals, broker-dealers, marketing and PR firms, crowdfunding service providers, FinTech service providers and members of the media.\n\nVisit us online at www.crowdinvestsummit.com. Follow and engage with us on social media via: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and via the event’s primary hashtag #CrowdInvestSummit.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160629005353/en/\n\nRushing PR for Crowd Invest Summit\n\nLana Rushing, 310-428-1805\n\nlana@rushingpr.com"}
{"text": "Romania Start-Up Plus: €105 Million to Stimulate Entrepreneurship.\n\nRomania Start-Up Plus is the title of the new program aiming to solve the problem of limited access to funding in Romania. The program is designed by The Ministry of European Funds (MFE) and is also part of the Human Resources Operational Program (POCU) 2014-2020. Its main objective is to stimulate entrepreneurship and job creation in Romania through financial support amounting to €105 million. In the focus for receiving the finance are domestic startups with a proven record of soaring sales.\n\nThe funding mechanism for Romania Start-Up Plus is designed in an efficient way which includes payments in two installments. “This funding mechanism in installments is a step towards more clever funding, adapted to economic realities. The support is not only a quantitative numeric indicator, it becomes an instrument to boost entrepreneurs that record results in the initial phase of their business,” explains Dan Barna, State Secretary at MFE.\n\nAs further detailed in the official press release, the entrepreneurship and funding scheme of the program is to be coordinated by an administrator. The role of the administrator could be assumed by any of the following bodies: public local authorities, Chambers of Commerce, lifelong learning and vocational training service providers, universities, or NGOs. The administrator is responsible for signing contracts with eligible entrepreneurs and tracking their performance records.\n\nDuring the first phase, the entrepreneurs sign the contracts and receive the first installment worth €24,000. In order to continue to the second phase, startups are obliged to obtain a gross revenue which equals to €12,000, i.e. half the value of the installment they have already received. If this requirement is satisfied, they could receive up to €16,000 in additional funding as part of the second installment.\n\nAccording to the program developers, upon successful implementation of Romania Start-Up Plus, the optimal results would involve: funding of 1,500 new SMEs, opening 2,000 new job positions, and training more than 10,000 citizens. Proposals and recommendations on the guidelines of the program can be submitted by July 25, 2016, at the following e-mail address: rsup@fonduri-ue.ro. The starting date for the project submission is August 12, 2016. For further details, you can access the official program calendar."}
{"text": "Exclusive: Zodius, Avendus Invest $2.7 Mn In Lingerie Startup Zivame.\n\nAt present, almost 42% of sales for Zivame come from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities\n\nThe funding was to be used for the ongoing and future retail expansion\n\nIn March, Zivame said it has raised INR 60 Cr in bridge series C round\n\nBengaluru-based online lingerie retailer Zivame has raised equity funding from existing investors Zodius Capital and Avendus Capital.\n\nAccording to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs filings accessed by Inc42, the company has been issuing equity shares as well as Series C CCPS to a bunch of investors. Here’s the breakdown of recent fundings:\n\nAugust 2019: Zodius Capital via Indiblu Investment Advisors (Mauritius) Limited picked up 12,334 and 14,715 equity shares in two tranches worth INR 6.7 Cr and INR 8 Cr, respectively. The issue has been made at a nominal value of INR 10 and premium of INR 5,426.85 per share.\n\nZodius Capital via Indiblu Investment Advisors (Mauritius) Limited picked up 12,334 and 14,715 equity shares in two tranches worth INR 6.7 Cr and INR 8 Cr, respectively. The issue has been made at a nominal value of INR 10 and premium of INR 5,426.85 per share. August 2019: Avendus Capital picked up 9,916 equity shares worth INR 4,99 Cr at a nominal value of INR 10 and premium of INR 5,426.85 per share.\n\nAvendus Capital picked up 9,916 equity shares worth INR 4,99 Cr at a nominal value of INR 10 and premium of INR 5,426.85 per share. May 2019: Avezo Advisors Limited picked up 5,442 Series C6B CCPS worth INR 2.43 Cr at a nominal value of INR 100 and premium of INR 4,370.71 per share.\n\nAvezo Advisors Limited picked up 5,442 Series C6B CCPS worth INR 2.43 Cr at a nominal value of INR 100 and premium of INR 4,370.71 per share. April 2019: Zodius Capital via Indiblu Investment Advisors (Mauritius) Limited picked up 11,160 Series C6A CCPS worth INR 4.98 Cr at a nominal value of INR 100 and premium of INR 4,370.71 per share.\n\nZodius Capital via Indiblu Investment Advisors (Mauritius) Limited picked up 11,160 Series C6A CCPS worth INR 4.98 Cr at a nominal value of INR 100 and premium of INR 4,370.71 per share. March 2019: Allana Investment and Trading Company picked up 22,368 Series C6A CCPS worth INR 10 Cr at a nominal value of INR 100 and premium of INR 4,370.71 per share.\n\nIn March, the company announced that it has raised INR 60 Cr funding as part of a bridge Series C funding round led by Zodius Technology Fund and group of HNIs. The company had said that aligning with its growth strategy, Zivame plans to raise a larger round later in 2019.\n\nThe funding was to be used for the ongoing and future retail expansion, augmentation of technology, product development and strengthening Zivame’s omnichannel strategy.\n\nRelated Article: Trifecta Capital Makes Fresh Infusion In Lingerie Retailer Zivame As It Expands ESOP Pool\n\nZivame: New CEO And Omnichannel Growth\n\nZivame was founded in 2011 by Richa Kar and Kapil Karekar. It began its operations as an aggregator of lingerie brands. Now along with lingeries, the startup has also forayed into other segments such as activewear, sleepwear and shapewear. Grappling with an over 80% increase in losses, and just 38% growth in net sales in FY16, Zivame team was struggling to continue its survival.\n\nAs expected, the company went through a serious strategy and management revamp. Zivame re-instituted its marketplace model, pivoting from the then private label model. Then Zivame founder and CEO Richa Kar stepped down in what was called an investor-led rejig in January 2017. Shaleen Sinha, who was hired as the COO in November 2015, took over the daily operations. With the future of Zivame in jeopardy, the company’s shareholders and investor consortium appointed Amisha Jain as Zivame CEO in May 2018.\n\nThe strategy paid off a year later when the company recorded a 56.4% increase in its revenues for the financial year 2017-18 at $12.81 Mn (INR 94.26Cr) from $8.19 Mn (INR 60.25 Cr) in the previous year. As of October 2018, the company had set up over 30 brand stores and is currently looking at setting up 100 stores by the end of FY19.\n\nAt present, almost 42% of sales for Zivame come from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where online sales are being complemented by physical retail outlets.\n\nIn an earlier interaction with Inc42, Zivame CEO Amisha Jain said that as company looks at expand its reach and scale, Zivame is looking at tech-based innovations to bring more customers. It’s also launching Fitcode 2.0 which Jain said will further revolutionise the online lingerie industry by bringing customised product requirements and stocking inventory in a smart manner according to customer needs.\n\nIn January, Delhi-based lingerie startup Clovia raised $10 Mn in a Series B funding round led by AT Capital. According to startup, the fresh funds were to be used for its product and technology development, scaling up the brand portfolio, expanding to newer geographies, increasing operational efficiencies and strengthening the team.\n\nAccording to a report by Franchise India, the lingerie market in India is valued at about $3 Bn, growing at a CAGR of 42.32% between 2014 and 2019. Some other notable players in this space are Prettysecrets, Cilory, and Shyaway, among others."}
{"text": "BDC Capital invests in Fiasco Gelato as part of broader deal.\n\nBDC Capital recently provided undisclosed quasi-equity financing to Fiasco Gelato Cafés Ltd, a Calgary-based artisan gelato and sorbetto maker and wholesaler.\n\nBDC, which invested through its Growth & Transition Capital group, said the financing is part of a broader deal that includes equity investors and government grants. No details were released.\n\nBDC’s investment, its second in Fiasco, was led by Director Matthew Hanson.\n\nFounded in 2003 and led by Chief Idea Officer and CEO James Boettcher, Fiasco sells its products through more than 2,800 retailers across Canada.\n\nThe company will use the funds raised to expand distribution in Ontario, Québec and Atlantic Canada as well as develop and market new flavours.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nFiasco Gelato of Calgary Secures Investment From BDC Capital as Part of Larger Capital Raise\n\nCALGARY, May 16, 2019—BDC Capital’s Growth and Transition Capital division recently provided quasi-equity financing to Fiasco Gelato of Calgary, Alberta. Founded in 2003, Fiasco is an artisan gelato and sorbetto manufacturer and wholesaler which prides itself on using quality ingredients and production processes. A Certified B Corp since 2016, Fiasco was named a “Best for the World” honouree in 2018. The company was also recognized last month as one of the “Best Workplaces in Canada” by Great Place to Work and one of “Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers” by Mediacorp Canada. The financing from BDC Capital is part of a larger capital raise that includes equity investors and government grant funding.\n\nThe funds will primarily be used to expand Fiasco’s distribution through outlets of two major national retailers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, as well as to develop and market new flavours. This is the company’s second financing from BDC Capital, which assisted Fiasco in 2015 with building additional production capacity and inventory.\n\n“We’re happy to expand our relationship with BDC Capital as we head into a big year for Fiasco,” says James Boettcher, Chief Idea Officer and CEO. “This capital will allow us to do our best work in 2019 and expand Fiasco’s reach in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada while ensuring we never forget our roots in Calgary and Western Canada.”\n\nThe transaction for BDC Capital was led by Matthew Hanson, Director, Growth & Transition Capital, Calgary. “Fiasco’s management is succeeding in rapidly scaling a quality product while maintaining strong enthusiasm for the brand and exemplary corporate values,” says Hanson. “James Boettcher and his team are very good at identifying opportunities, and we are confident there is a lot of room left for the company to grow.”\n\nAbout Fiasco Gelato\n\nMaker of Canada’s No. 1—selling gelato and sorbetto, Fiasco has quickly become the industry leader not only for their commitment to the craft but also for their approach to doing business differently. Fiasco’s unique flavour offerings, one of a kind packaging & passionate brand promise in building something that matters is the steady foundation for creating a company that pushes the limits on what it means to be an innovative culture and a steward for the environment and community. In just under four years of their first pint hitting grocers shelves, Fiasco is now available in over 2800 retailers across Canada.\n\nThe purpose driven team at Fiasco stands by their mission to enrich people’s lives. They just happen to do it by making gelato. For more visit www.fiascogelato.ca.\n\nAbout BDC Capital\n\nBDC Capital is the investment arm of BDC—Canada’s only bank devoted exclusively to entrepreneurs. With more than $3 billion under management, BDC Capital serves as a strategic partner to the country’s most innovative firms. It offers a full spectrum of risk capital, from seed investments to transition capital, supporting Canadian entrepreneurs who wish to scale their businesses into global champions. Visit bdc.ca/capital."}
{"text": "Amazon India Wants A Bite Of India’s Online Food Segment; Might Invest In Swiggy.\n\nOnline shopping platform Amazon India is reportedly considering an investment in online food delivery startup, Swiggy.\n\nAccording to sources close to the development, it has already held several rounds of discussion with the startup over the past three months. But both Amazon India and Swiggy declined to comment on what they described as “market speculation”.\n\nBengaluru-based Swiggy was founded in August 2014 by Sriharsha Majety, Nandan Reddy and Rahul Jaimini.\n\n“Everyone is talking, since they are doing really well, but it is not certain that a deal will be closed,” stated the source in an official statement. According to the same statement, Swiggy has also attracted the attention of other strategic investors, including Alibaba-backed Chinese food delivery venture Ele.me.\n\nIn April 2015, Swiggy raised $2 Mn from Accel Partners and SAIF Partners. In June 2015, the company secured $16.5 Mn in Series B funding from Silicon Valley-based venture capital investor Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), SAIF Partners, Accel Partners, and from an undisclosed global investment entity. In January this year, it raised $35 Mn in Series C from New York-based investors Harmony Partners and Singapore-based RB investments.\n\nSwiggy’s executives have reportedly held at least three rounds of meetings with Amazon’s India head Amit Agarwal, alongside discussions with corporate development head Abhijeet Muzumdar. Seattle-based Amazon has expressed interest in the strong consumer focus demonstrated by Swiggy, the sources said. However, it is also keen that Swiggy records gross profits before a deal is finalised.\n\nPreviously, Amazon had backed hyperlocal services company Housejoy, and retail gift card startup QwikCilver. It also invested $60 Mn in online financial marketplace Bankbazaar in India.\n\nAn investor in the hyperlocal market said, “For Swiggy, getting a high order density will lead to better utilisation of the hyperlocal fleet leading to a sustainable business. After food, the next logical expansion would be grocery and Amazon Now does grocery, so maybe that’s the synergy.”\n\nSwiggy is, at present, focussing on expanding its restaurant base across cities and to break even at an operational level. It claims its core value proposition to be a dedicated delivery fleet to fulfill orders and a zero minimum order.\n\nIn August 2016, Inc42 reported that restaurants associated with Swiggy and Shadowfax have pulled back from having their orders delivered by the startups. They cited a sudden spike of 25% per order as commission charged, as one of the key reasons to end the partnership. In an attempt to increase user acquisition, Swiggy, Shadowfax, Runnr, and others charged extremely low and attractive rates of commission that ate into their own revenue.\n\nFollowing this development, four food aggregators based in Gurugram shut down their services due to severe cash-crunch. In May 2016, foodtech startup operating in the daily meals segment, Yumist, stopped its services in Bengaluru.\n\nIn yet another development, Google India too announced in August 2016 that users can now place food orders from restaurants on their phones directly via Google search. If the restaurants are listed with either Zomato or Swiggy, then they’ll see an option to “Place an order” in the search results.\n\nThis development was first reported in ET."}
{"text": "Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist Confidence Index™ Falls in Q3 Due to Continuing Concerns on Valuations and On-Going Economic and Political Uncertainty.\n\nSAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist Confidence Index™ for the third quarter of 2019 registered 3.58 on a 5 point scale (with 5 indicating high confidence and 1 indicating low confidence). This quarter's index measurement fell from the previous quarter's index reading of 3.76 and below the nearly 16 year average of 3.70.\n\nThis is the 63rd consecutive quarterly survey, and thus, provides unique quantitative and qualitative trend data and analysis on the confidence of Silicon Valley venture capitalists in the future high-growth entrepreneurial environment. Dr. Mark Cannice, professor of entrepreneurship and innovation with the University of San Francisco (USF) School of Management, authors the research study each quarter.\n\nIn the new report, Professor Cannice indicated \"The decrease in sentiment was tied in part to concerns on lofty valuations due to a continuing enormous supply of capital being made available to new ventures as more mega funds ($500M or more) are being established.\" For example, Venky Ganesan of Menlo Ventures wrote, \"The private markets have been fueled by the availability of cheap capital and the surge of new entrants to private investing.\" Bob Ackerman of AllegisCyber confirmed there is \"too much capital chasing too much undifferentiated innovation with unrealistic return expectations.\"\n\nDr. Cannice also noted \"challenging trends to the financial model of venture capital come in the context of continuing uncertainty in the larger economic and political environment.\" To that point, Dag Syrrist of Vision Capital reasoned \"We're settling in an 'expect the un-expected mentality,' flattening equity markets and no end in sight to trade friction and policy inaction.\" Additionally, Ricky Lu of CZV Capital elaborated, \"The trade uncertainty has continued to put pressure on the venture community and increased our scrutiny of start-ups.\"\n\nCannice concluded the report by writing \"With new sources and unprecedented amounts of capital being made available to new ventures and evolving expectations of public markets for venture-backed firms in terms of paths to profitability, it could be argued that the venture industry is itself in the midst of a transformation.\"\n\nAbout the USF School of Management\n\nFounded in 1925, University of San Francisco's School of Management is on the forefront of educating the next generation of conscious, mindful business leaders. Each year those students join the over 40,000 School of Management alumni around the world to create ethical and innovative change in the private, public, and non-profit management sectors. The School is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).\n\nAbout the University of San Francisco\n\nThe University of San Francisco is located in the heart of one of the world's most innovative and diverse cities and is home to a vibrant academic community of students and faculty who achieve excellence in their fields. Its diverse student body enjoys direct access to faculty, small classes, and outstanding opportunities in the city itself. USF is San Francisco's first university, and its Jesuit Catholic mission helps ignite a student's passion for social justice and a desire to \"Change the World From Here.\" For more information, visit usfca.edu.\n\nSOURCE University of San Francisco\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttp://www.usfca.edu"}
{"text": "TRAI Gives Nod To Mobile Calls And Internet Surfing On Flights.\n\nThe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released its recommendations for In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) on January 18, 2018. The recommendation has come after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had sought for the TRAI’s proposal last year.\n\nFollowing the consultations and discussions on IFC, the foremost recommendation made is that both the Internet and Mobile Communication on Aircraft (MCA) service should be permitted as In-Flight Connectivity in the Indian airspace. There is, however, a minimum height restriction of 3,000m in the Indian airspace for MCA applications.\n\nInternet services through Wifi on electronic devices would be allowed for use only in the flight or aeroplane mode. To build an internet service in the flight, a separate category of ‘IFC Service Provider’ registered with DoT would be created to permit IFC services in the Indian airspace and a flat annual Licence Fee of token amount INR 1 would be imposed which may be later amended as well.\n\nHowever, the service provider would be permitted to provide the IFC services only after entering into an arrangement with a Unified Licensee having Internet Service (Category ‘A’) authorisation.\n\nThe DoT letter had earlier communicated that TRAI should submit its proposal to introduce In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) for voice, data and video services over Indian airspace for domestic, international and overflying flights in the Indian airspace.\n\nThe Department had also asked TRAI to submit the associated issues such as entry fee, license fee, spectrum-related issues including usage charges and method of allocation and other conditions that surround.\n\nThe recommendation agrees that the regulatory requirements for IFC should be the same for both Indian registered and foreign registered airlines in the Indian airspace. If the recommendation is agreed upon, then the IFC service provider would be permitted to use either INSAT systems (Indian Satellite System or foreign satellite capacity leased through DoS) or foreign satellites outside INSAT systems in the Indian airspace.\n\nPost the acceptance of the recommendation, there is a humongous infrastructural work to be looked after. The imperative one being to adopt spectrum neutral approach to condition the frequency bands to harmonise and co-ordinate for their use at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).\n\nSuch a move would facilitate IFC services in all the bands (L-, Ku- and Ka-) in which IFC services are currently being provided. A major challenge lies in making the IFC services applicable for all types of flights such as commercial airlines, business jets, executive aircrafts, etc. The acceptance of the recommendations will see many private players jumping into the arena to place their stakes on In-Flight Connectivity."}
{"text": "Coca-Cola Africa Foundation launches digital platform for entrepreneurs.\n\nThe Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (TCCAF) has launched a digital platform aimed at connecting young people to training, mentoring and employment opportunities provided by its pan-African youth empowerment initiative Youth Empowered for Success (YES!).\n\nThe YES! initiative was launched last month, and aims to empower marginalised youth in six countries through a US$4.5 million investment from TCCAF. It aims to reach 500,000 youth by 2020.\n\nIt is being introduced in Kenya, South Africa and Tunisia by TCCAF and partners such as Mercy Corps, Microsoft, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator and Kuza Biashara. Future launches will also take place in Liberia, Nigeria and Uganda.\n\nThe digital platform intends to provide wider accessibility and greater scale for the programme, offering life skills training, business skills training and access to employment and mentoring for 25,000 young Africans over the next three years.\n\n“The rapid pace of technology adoption across Africa presents significant opportunity for private sector, civil society and government partners to engage with youth in new ways while building the skills and connections that are essential for employment,” said Kelvin Balogun, trustee at TCCAF and business unit president at Coca-Cola Central, East and West Africa.\n\n“Harnessing the talent and ambition of youth will be essential to Africa fulfilling its long-term potential, and we aim to help support this aspiration through Youth Empowered for Success. The launch of the new YES! digital platform is an important introduction in allowing us to reach more young people across Africa while rapidly scaling the programme as it expands into new countries across the continent.”\n\nThe platform aims to ensure inclusive reach for the initiative, providing access to services for young people in remote locations and those with limited literacy skills. Built by TCCAF and its programme partners, it has been designed to support widely-available technology including SMS and voice-based mobile devices, and will be available through devices at YES! programme hubs."}
{"text": "Merchant Advance Capital closes $30 million debt facility.\n\nMerchant Advance Capital, which offers online lending to small and medium-sized businesses, has closed a $30 million debt facility from Comvest Credit Partners, which provides financing solutions to middle-market companies.\n\nComvest’s credit facilities typically range from $20 million to $100 million for companies with revenues greater than $20 million. The funding to Merchant is being used to refinance existing debt and provide growth capital.\n\n“We’re thrilled to have the support of Comvest in our journey to provide convenient access to working capital for Canadian small businesses,” said David Gens, CEO of Merchant Advance Capital. “In addition to providing us with a significant quantity of institutional capital, Comvest has an incredibly deep understanding of our space, making them an ideal long-term financial partner as we continue to build out our business.”\n\nLaunched in 2010, Merchant Advance Capital provides loans to small businesses based on future sales, rather than charging a fixed monthly rate. The company currently has 1,300 clients and $160 million in loans provided.\n\n“Merchant has built an impressive platform with a strong reputation across Canada. We are excited to partner with the Company and look forward to supporting their growth initiatives in the years to come,” said Jason Gelberd, partner at Comvest."}
{"text": "Aam Aadmi To Soon Put a Fullstop On Surge Pricing In Delhi.\n\nThe Delhi government is planning to impose a fare restriction on app-based cab aggregators including Ola and Uber. They will be barred from charging tariffs over an upper ceiling set by the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi in the near future.\n\nTransport Minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said, “The draft is ready. Soon, it will be put up for public consultation. After consultation, it will be sent to the Lt Governor (for approval).” The policy could be sent to a High Court- appointed panel to debate further considerations and then on to the Lt. Governor.\n\nAccording to Jain, the ministry has recommended to install meters in the vehicles run by the cab aggregators. The tariffs will be fixed by the government. Thus, the aggregators will not be able to impose surge pricing beyond the upper ceiling.\n\nJain said that setting the upper ceiling on tariffs would automatically set limits on how low the aggregators will charge. He further added, “We are fixing maximum (tariff) now, and they won’t be able to charge beyond that. (This maximum) tariff will depend upon the vehicle (which will be used).”\n\nCab Aggregators’ Run In With Trouble\n\nThe cab aggregators have been at the receiving end of flak from State governments lately. In July, the Karnataka Transport Department issued a notice to Ola, for flouting the rules after obtaining its license in the state. This came a week after Ola was seen defending Karnataka’s new regulations governing tech-based cab hailing services. Both Uber and Ola registered themselves with the Karnataka On Demand Transportation Technology Aggregators Rule, 2016. While, Ola received the license, Uber didn’t.\n\nUber had approached the court last month, after the state transport department had its vehicles impounded for not having licenses sanctioned under the new rules. Earlier this month, during a hearing, the Karnataka High Court while encouraging the advent of startups, displayed its distaste towards the ‘stifling’ policies adopted by the state government against startups, questioning regulatory norms that are restrictive in nature.\n\nLast month, the Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh and Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union called for an indefinite strike against app-based taxi services in New Delhi.\n\nEarlier in April 2016, Delhi High Court issued a notice to Delhi Government asking to file a reply on steps taken by government to stop cab aggregators (Ola & Uber,) from charging fares arbitrarily. The uproar started when Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh and Delhi Pradesh Taxi Union had called a strike against surge pricing on 18th April during the odd-even drive in Delhi. Owing to the orders by the Delhi Government, Ola and Uber have temporarily withdrawn the surge pricing. After facing backlash in Karnataka and Delhi, reports surfaced that Maharashtra too would impose restrictions on the functioning of app-based taxi aggregators such as Uber and Ola that operate in the state.\n\nThe development was reported by ET."}
{"text": "US Strategy Takes Center Stage for Spreadshirt’s Global Success.\n\nScaling the Partner Business is Centerpiece of 2017 Strategy\n\nBOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–January 12, 2017–\n\nPhilip Rooke, CEO of Spreadshirt, the e-commerce platform for spreading ideas on something tangible, has unveiled the grand plan for the company in 2017. The mission for the global enterprise includes a hyper focused scale up in the U.S. as harnessed by significant and sustained growth in the U.S. partner business and an aggressive plan to consolidate market leadership in the EU. These benchmarks will help fulfill the company’s mission to become a $1 billion entity that enables anyone to publish an idea on everything in less than 60 seconds.\n\nAfter leading Spreadshirt for nearly 8 years, Rooke knows that 2017 will be pivotal for sustained corporate survival. These key market forces are driving this year’s general global e-commerce strategy for sustained long-term value:\n\nSize Matters: The year ahead promises to be a tough and competitive market for smaller players as they struggle with increased marketing costs. Financing for companies without a unique niche will dry up. Serious players must grow and get really good or they will die or be absorbed by larger market players.\n\nThe year ahead promises to be a tough and competitive market for smaller players as they struggle with increased marketing costs. Financing for companies without a unique niche will dry up. Serious players must grow and get really good or they will die or be absorbed by larger market players. Internationalization is hard but urgent: Internationalization will get tougher, as Brexit and a trend towards protectionism make it harder to enter new regions. The EU is a bigger market than the U.S., providing a powerful incentive for those who get it right, but the U.S. market is too big to be ignored. Global entities must become market leaders in both regions for long-term business relevance.\n\nInternationalization will get tougher, as Brexit and a trend towards protectionism make it harder to enter new regions. The EU is a bigger market than the U.S., providing a powerful incentive for those who get it right, but the U.S. market is too big to be ignored. Global entities must become market leaders in both regions for long-term business relevance. Expectations vs. Market Opportunities: In the United States, every market is developed and the number of people chasing each market ends up growing faster than the overall market–making the global e-commerce market saturated and conditions more difficult.\n\nSpreadshirt, as the European market leader, is poised to navigate 2017 successfully and skillfully. As a well-respected e-commerce business celebrating their 15th EU anniversary and 13th U.S. anniversary in 2017, they understand that they can no longer rely on what has worked in the past. Spreadshirt recognizes that the key to global dominance is to emerge as the top print on demand platform in the U.S. to deliver sustained revenue growth and credibility as a mature global brand. Spreadshirt plans to drive U.S. sales this year as fueled by these drivers:\n\nNew Tools for Sellers: Steep investments in the new publishing system for shop owners and designers (partner area) have resulted in increased visibility for the company’s Marketplace designers across multiple international marketplaces. Early indicators are strong: an initial rise in sales of over 25%, shop registrations are up 28% globally, and the number of uploaded designs is also up a noteworthy 36% since launch. The community of 70,000 plus active partners has attained critical mass for attracting buyers with unsurpassed designs. This is the foundation of building long-term value and profits for partners and a loyal and engaged global customer base.\n\nSteep investments in the new publishing system for shop owners and designers (partner area) have resulted in increased visibility for the company’s Marketplace designers across multiple international marketplaces. Early indicators are strong: an initial rise in sales of over 25%, shop registrations are up 28% globally, and the number of uploaded designs is also up a noteworthy 36% since launch. The community of 70,000 plus active partners has attained critical mass for attracting buyers with unsurpassed designs. This is the foundation of building long-term value and profits for partners and a loyal and engaged global customer base. Leading Commission Structures and Pricing: Spreadshirt’s ongoing investments in their pricing and a new commission structure will enable sellers to earn much higher commissions. Some are already earning over $100,000 a month. Consumers will also benefit from clearer pricing and great design templates for groups and teams.\n\nSpreadshirt’s ongoing investments in their pricing and a new commission structure will enable sellers to earn much higher commissions. Some are already earning over $100,000 a month. Consumers will also benefit from clearer pricing and great design templates for groups and teams. Spreadshirt’s Collection: The ethically produced Spreadshirt Collection is the only range of clothing designed by printers for printers and has the highest customer retention within the assortment- generating nearly $30m in sales already. Spreadshirt will be introducing more fashion-orientated products to the line this year.\n\nSpreadshirt expects to win the global e-commerce race one month at a time in 2017 by driving the U.S. growth as the world recognizes that their platform is unsurpassed by any global competitors.\n\nAbout Spreadshirt\n\nSpreadshirt, an innovative global e-commerce platform for print-on-demand apparel and accessories, empowers everyone to easily buy, sell, create and share their ideas on over 175 different products. Examples of spreading it with Spreadshirt include social influencers from all genres such as gaming, YouTube creators, entertainment, non-profit organizations and over 70,000 selling partners.\n\nFounded in 2002, Spreadshirt is active in 18 markets, available in 12 languages, and operates five global production sites. In 2015, Spreadshirt hit global revenue of approximately $105 million, printed more than 3.6 million items, and shipped to 180 countries.\n\nwww.spreadshirt.com\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170112005587/en/\n\nKel & Partners\n\nDanielle Heath, 518-424-7875\n\ndanielle@kelandpartners.com"}
{"text": "Serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk invests in the Helsinki-based media and events company ArcticStartup.\n\nOur friends at ArcticStartup, a Helsinki-based startup media and events company, will announce today that the serial entrepreneur and social media heavyweight Gary Vaynerchuk has become an investor in the company. Vaynerchuk, who is based in New York, has also been appointed company advisor with the aim of transforming ArcticStartup into the leading community builder for entrepreneurs and businesses in the Nordic and Baltic region. The amount of funding has not been disclosed.\n\nSince I’m a bit sceptical when it comes to Venture Capital funding for events and media businesses related to the startup industy, I asked ArcticStartup CEO Dmitri Sarle yesterday about his plans and if he sees ArcticStartup as a venture capital case.\n\nDmitri stated: “We do not see ourselves as a standard Venture Capital business. Frankly – it is something we basically are trying to tackle in the startup world. Our belief is that the “scene” is too focused on funding and that the startup world is often run by “rockstar mentality”. That is why we like to work with people like Gary who are the real deal. We also do not consider an exit for our mother company anytime soon. Once, I heard Kasparov give a talk and he mentioned something I really loved – back in the day Steve Jobs wanted to build up Apple and destroy IBM. Today, the highest level of ambition is to build a startup and sell it to Apple. We want to change that. Not only for ourselves but also for anyone we work with. Basically – the funding round is not for the media/events side of our business, instead it is for our initiative to build a community of real entrepreneurs, building real businesses.”\n\nArcticStartup plans to become more than just a media and events company, as they aim to build a community of founders. Real entrepreneurs that will not focus on raising money but on making money. One example of how they want to put this in action is to let any of their employees start a business at anytime and ArcticStartup will help them launch it and will act as co-founders. These newly created businesses will also be able to share resources with the rest of ArcticStartup and its portfolio companies. This includes switching employees, sharing office costs, etc.\n\nVaynerchuk’s straight-talk and upfront presentation style have helped him amass millions of followers on Snapchat and Twitter. His New York-based social media marketing agency VaynerMedia had 600 employees and $100 million revenue in 2016. Vaynerchuk is an angel investor and advisor to Uber, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter among others. He is also co-starring alongside Jessica Alba, Gwyneth Paltrow and Will.I.Am in Apple’s first ever TV show production, Planet of the Apps.\n\nOn his last visit to Finland as a speaker at last year’s Nordic Business Forum, Vaynerchuk got to know ArcticStartup and its ambitions to help startup entrepreneurs through creating communities.\n\nVaynerchuck concluded: “I admire the ArcticStartup founders’ perseverance and I believe this company will be successful. What fascinates me in the Nordics is learning about the consumer behavior, and you also have some great brands I’d love to bring into 2017 in terms of social selling. In addition to working with leading brands, I’m open to ideas for making new investments in the region.”\n\nPartner and Chief Innovation Officer Jan Ameri at ArcticStartup commented: “Getting Gary on board is probably the biggest win in our 10-year history, something we are really proud of that validates our big vision of creating communities that truly benefit businesses from startups to big corporations. We are looking forward to working with him during our next growth leap.”\n\nArcticStartup was launched as a blog in 2007 and has lately transformed into a media, community and events organization. Startups will have an opportunity to meet Gary Vaynerchuk and apply to pitch to him live on stage at the company’s flagship event Arctic15, held in Helsinki in May, 2018."}
{"text": "Goldman Sachs invests €25 million in Berlin-based fintech Raisin to expand its savings marketplace in the US.\n\nBerlin-based Raisin, a pan-European savings marketplace, has announced a new investment of €25 million from Goldman Sachs. The new investment follows the fintech’s recent Series D round of €100 million raised in February 2019.\n\nRaisin will use the funding to launch in the $12.7 trillion US savings market in 2020, as well as enter two new European markets in 2019. Following Raisin’s acquisition of Manchester-based PBF Solutions in 2017, now Raisin UK, the startup bought its long-time servicing bank MHB-Bank in early 2019.\n\nWith its ‘deposits-as-a-service’ platform, Raisin offers savers access to higher-interest savings products through partner banks across Europe. Since it was founded in 2013, Raisin has brokered more than €14 billion for over 185,000 customers. With more than 480 savings products from 80 European partner banks, the fintech provides a deposits marketplace to banks all over the European Economic Area looking to diversify with high-quality retail funding from markets beyond their own. Raisin has also built distribution partnerships with N26, Commerzbank, o2 Banking of Telefónica Germany and Yolt among others, making Raisin a marketplace of competitive deposit products.\n\nNow, the fintech aims to further advance its technology, acquire top-notch talent, and broaden its product portfolio. With the backing of preeminent global investment bank Goldman Sachs, Raisin will be able to further accelerate its mission of removing barriers and simplifying access to better and fairer savings and investments in Europe and the US.\n\n“Raisin has developed a unique savings marketplace with a solid business model, impressive growth and a loyal customer base,” said Managing Director of Goldman Sachs Principal Strategic Investments Rana Yared. “We are excited to support the company’s outstanding management team in executing their vision.”\n\n“This investment from such a renowned brand is a very encouraging confirmation for us that our core business, as well as growth strategy, are on the right track,” added Raisin CEO and co-founder Dr. Tamaz Georgadze. “We’re really proud to have Goldman’s backing, especially given the expertise in investment products, along with an extraordinary 150-year history and record of success.”"}
{"text": "Belfast medtech startup Neurovalens grabs €5.4M funding for its weightloss headband.\n\nA Belfast-headquartered technology startup, Neurovalens has developed a headband which can help users lose weight. Also recently, the company has grabbed £4.6 million (€5.4 million) in a highly successful ‘Series A’ funding round, one of the largest ever raised by a Northern Ireland startup.\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nThe funding raise was led by London-based Wharton Asset Management with long-term backer TechStart Ventures also participating. Other backers included IQ Capital, Beltrae Partners, Co-Fund NI and the Angel CoFund.\n\nNeurovalens was established in 2015 by Dr Jason McKeown and neuroscientist Paul McGeoch was elected as Northern Ireland’s best startup in the Invest NI Propel Programme awards the same year.\n\nThe company has also created in the past Modius, a headband that stimulates the part of the brain associated with appetite and cravings.\n\nDr McKeown noted the investment will allow for further medical trials in the areas of obesity and type 2 diabetes and is also to be used to support the company’s wider research into issues such as insomnia, mental health and epilepsy.\n\n“This latest wave of funding is vital as it will propel our work to a new level,” he said. Dr McKeown said the company expects to get medical approval for Modius within the next 12 to 18 months.\n\n“With the concept now proven our immediate focus is on the development of neurological science to tackle the wider health and lifestyle issues affecting today’s generations. It’s a very exciting time for our business,” Dr McKeown added.\n\nNeurovalens previously raised more than €1 million in late 2017 in a crowdfunding round on Indiegogo, with the campaign receiving backing from more than 4,000 people in 84 countries.\n\nTalking about the importance of the funding round, Jamie Andrews of Techstart Ventures reportedly added: “We are very proud to have been investors in Neurovalens from its earliest days.\n\nStay tuned to Silicon Canals for more updates in the tech startup world."}
{"text": "Egypt’s Breadfast reported to have raised a ‘seven-figure’ investment led by 500 Startups.\n\nBreadfast, a Cairo-based startup which delivers breakfast products to its users, is reported to have raised a “seven-figure” Series-A round led by 500 Startups and Egyptian business man Mohamed El Sewedy.\n\nBreadfast was founded in 2017 by CXO Muhammad S. Habib (pictured above, far left), CEO Mostafa Amin (pictured above, second from right) and CTO Abdullah Nofal (pictured above, far right).\n\nMiddle East and North Africa (MENA) focused tech publication MenaBytes said in an report yesterday (25 June) that the Breadfast will use the investment to expand its coverage of Cairo, as well as finance expansion into another un-named city, as well as to grow its team.\n\nBreadfast was founded in 2017 by Muhammad S. Habib, Mostafa Amin and Abdullah Nofal\n\nThe publication also said that Breadfast has been accepted into Y Combinator‘s Summer 2019 cohort. The US accelerator invests up to $150 000 in startups selected for its programme.\n\nIt is not clear when the Series-A round was held or how much Breadfast has raised since launch. Ventureburn sought comment from Amin, but had not received a response at the time of publication.\n\nBreadfast delivers to New Cairo, Al Rehab City, Madinaty, El Shorouk City, Mokattam and Maadi. Last month the company announced in a post on Twitter that it now delivers to Sheikh Zayed and 6th of October City in the Giza Governorate.\n\nFeatured image: Breadfast via Facebook"}
{"text": "Sberbank invests $500 million in new ecommerce venture with Yandex.\n\nRussian internet firm Yandex and Sberbank have announced plans to build a new ecommerce ecosystem on the Yandex.Market platform with Sberbank investing 30 billion rubles ($500 million) into the shopping site.\n\nThe non-binding deal, which will likely close by the end of 2017, will value the platform at 60 billion rubles ($1 billion) while both firms will hold an equal stake in the ecommerce venture. Up to 10% of shares will be set aside for an equity incentive program for employees.\n\nThe new venture will bring Sberbank’s payments infrastructure to the Yandex.Market, according to Maxim Grishakov, CEO of Yandex.Market, which has 20 million users. It will also add consumer lending to the platform.\n\n“The proposed investment will strengthen Yandex.Market’s position in the ecommerce segment allowing us [to] improve our logistics capabilities, accelerate the wide-scale introduction of Checkout on Yandex.Market and enhance our value proposition to domestic and international merchants,” said Grishakov.\n\n“This partnership opens up new opportunities for Russian producers, ecommerce players, and small and medium businesses, unlocks opportunities for Russian exports abroad, and creates a new channel for international participants in the market,” added Herman Gref, president and chairman of the board of Sberbank.\n\nMaxim Ghishakov will continue on as the CEO of Yandex.Market and will join the board of directors. Three representatives from Yandex and three from Sberbank will also join the board.\n\n(Featured image: Wikimedia Commons)"}
{"text": "Vensana Capital Launches with Inaugural $225 Million Fund.\n\nNew independent firm founded by leading medical technology venture capital investors Justin Klein & Kirk Nielsen with the support of Versant Ventures\n\nVensana seeks to back the next generation of breakthrough innovations in medical devices, diagnostics and data science, and other medical technology sub-sectors\n\nMINNEAPOLIS & WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–September 4, 2019–\n\nVensana Capital today announced the closing of its inaugural fund, Vensana Capital I, with $225 million in committed capital. The fund was oversubscribed, and it was raised from a broad range of institutional investors, including public pensions, university endowments, foundations, leading academic health systems, family offices, and fund-of-funds.\n\nVensana Capital is a venture capital and growth equity investment firm that seeks to partner with innovative medical technology companies in their clinical development and commercial stages. Medtech sub-sectors of interest to the firm include medical devices, diagnostics and data science, drug delivery, digital health, and tech-enabled services. Versant Ventures has supported the launch of the independent new firm and will continue to provide strategic advisory, fund administration, and operations support going forward.\n\nVensana’s team has a proven track record of identifying, financing, and building medtech companies to establish new standards of care in their field. Co-founders Kirk Nielsen and Justin Klein, M.D., J.D., were previously leading medtech-focused investors at Versant Ventures and New Enterprise Associates, respectively. In the aggregate, they have led capital raises for healthcare start-up companies in excess of $1B, with which entrepreneurs have obtained U.S. approval for nearly three dozen products that have treated hundreds of thousands of patients and have generated billions in cumulative revenue. Many of those innovations have been first- or best-in-class therapies supported by robust clinical evidence and have delivered bellwether exits within the sector.\n\n“Our team aims to be the capital partner of choice for leading medtech entrepreneurs, investors, and strategics. Together, we share a deep, personal commitment to medtech entrepreneurship and innovation, and we believe in the opportunity to build great companies that can both improve the lives of patients and deliver exceptional returns for our partners,” said Managing Partner Justin Klein, M.D., J.D.\n\nVensana, whose name is derived from the Latin root for “health,” features an investment team that is led by Klein and Nielsen as Managing Partners and includes Principal Cynthia Yee and Senior Associate Greg Banker, as well as an advisory board comprised of senior operating executives, entrepreneurs, and policy experts from across the medtech sector.\n\n“We are grateful for the trust and confidence of our limited partners, and for the support of the Versant team, in launching Vensana Capital,” said Kirk Nielsen, Managing Partner. “Medtech will continue to play a critical role in the healthcare system of the future, and we are excited to partner with entrepreneurs whose innovations will improve outcomes and lower the cost of care.”\n\n“We are very proud of Vensana reaching this critical milestone and in the overall achievements of Kirk and Justin in launching this unique platform to foster development of novel products and valuable companies in such an important sector of the life science ecosystem,” said Brad Bolzon, Ph.D., Managing Director and Chairman of Versant.\n\nAbout Vensana Capital\n\nVensana Capital is a venture capital and growth equity investment firm dedicated to partnering with entrepreneurs who seek to transform healthcare with breakthrough innovations in medical technology. Launched in 2019, Vensana is actively investing in clinical development and commercial stage companies across the medtech sector, including medical devices, diagnostics and data science, drug delivery, digital health, and tech-enabled services. Vensana’s investment team has a history of successfully partnering with management teams behind industry-leading companies including Cameron Health, CardiAQ, Cartiva, CV Ingenuity, Epix Therapeutics, Lutonix, Neuwave Medical, Sequent Medical, Topera, Ulthera, and Vertiflex. Learn more at www.vensanacap.com.\n\nAbout Versant Ventures\n\nVersant Ventures is a leading healthcare venture capital firm committed to helping exceptional entrepreneurs build the next generation of great companies. The firm’s emphasis is on biotechnology companies that are discovering and developing novel therapeutics. With $3.2 billion under management and offices in the U.S., Canada and Europe, Versant has built a team with deep investment, operating and R&D expertise that enables a hands-on approach to company building. Since the firm’s founding in 1999, 75 Versant companies have achieved successful acquisitions or IPOs. Versant is currently investing out of its seventh fund, Versant Venture Capital VII, a $600 million biotech fund closed in December 2018. Furthermore, the firm continues to invest out of its Canadian strategic fund called Versant Voyageurs I and its opportunity fund called Versant Vantage I. For more information, please visit www.versantventures.com.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190904005026/en/\n\nKirk Nielsen\n\nJustin Klein\n\n(612) 217-8680\n\ninfo@vensanacap.com"}
{"text": "Croatian Aspida raises 146,000 euros on Funderbeam.\n\nAspida, the Croatian new digital media company best known for their Izzy keyboard and TVizzy broadcaster, raised 146,000 euros on the fund raising platform – Funderbeam, Croatian media reported.\n\nStarting with an initial goal to raise 100,000 euros, in just a month Aspida managed to attract 99 investors (most of them coming from overseas) investing 146,000 euros in this startup to date.\n\n“We are collecting money so we can move from the local market – the one in Croatia and its surroundings- to the bigger international markets. We strongly believe that both our products – Izzy keyboard and TVizzy broadcaster- would have a great chance on the global market as well”, – Marin Erceg, the CEO of Aspida told Netokracija.\n\nThe biggest investors so far are from Croatia and Germany. Moreover, the biggest investor is Croatian Jadran Kapital, a company that is investing in this startup since the very first day. This is the company that, back in 2015, secured their first fund. Now, in this round Jadran Kapital has invested 15,000 euros, followed by the investment from a German undisclosed company that has invested 13,000 euros. The rest of the money is coming from smaller investors who are investing 100 euros and more in this startup.\n\nFounded in 2015, Aspida is a startup with headquarters in Croatia and branches in Macedonia (Aspida d.o.o. Skopje) and United Kingdom (Aspida Ltd. London). At the moment, two fully developed applications for mobile devices (iOS and Android) are on the market: Izzy and TVizzy.\n\nIzzy keyboard represents uniquely designed keyboard application for faster, easier and fun way to write symbols and emoticons with one swipe. Izzy keyboard is branded which means its designs can represent various sports clubs, musicians, tourist associations, movies, political parties and so on. Whereas, TVizzy is video push-notification application which offers users real time videos with content preselected by end-user. TVizzy is developed in partnership with Hrvatski Telekom (Croatian Telekom), which is part of Deutsche Telekom group and it has potential to become a new digital broadcaster.\n\nFunderbeam, on the other side, is world’s first primary and secondary market for early-stage investments secured by the blockchain and with free data intelligence on +180k startups/investors. Its mission is to make it easy to invest and trade in growth companies so that great teams and investors everywhere can create the world where good ideas always win."}
{"text": "Endemol Invests $13M in Plumbee.\n\nTweet LONDON, ENGLAND, Social casino gaming company Plumbee has received a $13 million investment from Endemol.\n\nTo export Plumbee funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on PlumbeeTo export Plumbee funding data to PDF and Excel, click here Endemol, the world's largest independent producer of multiplatform entertainment, today announced it has invested $13 million in social casino gaming company Plumbee. The digital start-up's existing investor, Idinvest Partners, also participated in this round. The deal values the business at $40 million.\n\n\n\nPlumbee is a fast expanding business that creates, operates and markets free-to-play online and mobile games on social networks such as Facebook.\n\n\n\nThe two companies will create premium social casino games, exploiting Endemol's global entertainment brands and building on Plumbee's worldwide user base.\n\n\n\nSince launching in October 2011, Plumbee's rapid growth has been driven by successes such as its flagship game Mirrorball Slots, which launched online and on iOS in July 2013 and is coming soon on Android. It is among the top ten highest grossing social casino games on Facebook.\n\n\n\nSocial casino games are free to play but players can purchase virtual credits in order to unlock more features and get upgrades, gifts, bonuses and more.\n\n\n\nPlumbee also has a joint venture with leading online gambling company Unibet, called 'Bonza Gaming'. The jv is behind 'Bonza Slots', one of the first ever real-money casino games on Facebook; and more recently has launched 'Bonza Casino'.\n\n\n\nPlumbee was co-founded by Chief Executive Officer Raf Keustermans, Chief Operating Officer Gerald Tan and Chief Technology Officer Jodi Moran; who together combine expertise across areas including digital gaming, advertising, design, marketing, technology and finance.\n\n\n\nToday their London based company has employs over 50 people including designers, engineers, product managers, analysts and marketers.\n\n\n\nLucas Church, Chair of Endemol's Group Commercial Board, comments: 'Social casino gaming is a fast emerging market and Plumbee is one of the most innovative and dynamic operators in this space. This new partnership will allow us to accelerate the growth of Endemol's digital gaming business around the world, whilst capturing more of the value created by our entertainment brands.'\n\n\n\nRaf Keustermans, Chief Executive Officer of Plumbee adds: 'Joining forces with a world leading content creator like Endemol ideally positions us to develop a new generation of premium social games. Endemol will become a strategic shareholder and this will enable us to leverage the company's international network and globally recognised brands. This will significantly boost the growth of our worldwide user base as we create gaming experiences that stand out from the competition.'\n\n\n\nEndemol's current digital gaming projects include a new initiative to move into app publishing, launching with gaming apps based on hit shows Pointless and Deal or No Deal. Recent successes include The Money Drop second screen game, which has so far had over 30 million games played worldwide; The Million Pound Drop app in the UK, which has had over 2.5 million downloads to date; and a multitude of online and mobile games around the world for the company's global brands such as Big Brother.\n\n\n\nPlumbee was advised on the investment by Ingenious Corporate Finance."}
{"text": "Bamboo Learning Introduces Alexa Skill Highlighting Many of the World's Most Fascinating Historical Figures.\n\nSEATTLE, Dec. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Bamboo Learning , the leader in voice-powered education, announced Bamboo® Luminaries skill for Alexa, a free, education-focused game that showcases prominent or lesser-known influential historical figures from diverse fields including architecture, art, film, geography, history, literature, music, science, social justice, and sports. The company also announced $1.4 million in seed financing, which will be used to build more experiences like Bamboo Luminaries.\n\n\"Bamboo Luminaries brings important historical figures to life in a fun, educational, interactive game that adults, teens, and families will enjoy playing together,\" said Ian Freed, CEO of Bamboo Learning. \"Bamboo Luminaries builds on our award-winning work developing Alexa skills to give people a new, engaging way to learn history and about the people who helped shape our world.\"\n\nEach day Bamboo Luminaries offers a different \"Luminary of the Day\" -- some well-known and some more obscure -- as well as opportunities to earn points, badges, and advance in the rankings by taking Luminary quizzes and playing Guess a Luminary. Players who have Alexa screen-based devices, including Echo Show, Fire TV Cube, Fire TV stick, and Fire tablets, can view images, text, and graphics that enhance the voice-first educational game.\n\n\"With Bamboo Luminaries, our goal is to give people a new and enjoyable way to learn about important historical figures with different areas of expertise, as well as a broad range of ethnic, racial, and geographic backgrounds,\" said Irina Fine, COO and Senior Vice President of Content for Bamboo Learning. \"Based on early feedback, we believe we have enlivened history in a way that has never been done before, introducing game-interaction using voice and visual Alexa capabilities. If Bamboo Luminaries can spark adults, teens, and families to explore more about history, we will have succeeded.\"\n\nBamboo Luminaries introduces captivating historical anecdotes, such as how Ada Lovelace came to be known as the world's first computer programmer, how many roles Harriet Tubman had with the Union Army during the Civil War, or why Impressionism is so closely associated with Claude Monet. It currently features 76 historical luminaries.\n\n\"The Bamboo Luminaries skill for Alexa introduces historical figures in a new and entertaining way, through voice and rich visuals,\" said Kevin Sontgerath, General Manager, Alexa Skills, Amazon.com. \"We're excited that Alexa customers can listen to the Luminary of the Day, compete on points, badges, and rankings, and have fun learning about history at the same time.\"\n\nBamboo Luminaries can be enabled for free in more than 80 countries by saying \"Alexa, open Bamboo Luminaries\" to any Alexa-enabled device. Bamboo Luminaries also can be enabled using the Alexa app or via Bamboo Learning at: www.bamboolearning.com . A video demo of Bamboo Luminaries can be found here: https://www.bamboolearning.com/luminariesdemo .\n\nToday Bamboo Learning also announced integration of Bamboo Luminaries into Bamboo Grove, Bamboo Learning's web-based application to follow progress in Bamboo's suite of Alexa skills. Bamboo Grove customers can view the number of Luminaries explored, correct and incorrect quiz answers, points, ranking, and badges earned. To learn more about Bamboo Grove and how to set up an account and link it to the Bamboo Luminaries skill for Alexa, visit www.bamboolearning.com/grove .\n\nHOW BAMBOO LUMINARIES WORKS\n\nBamboo Luminaries starts each day with a short description of the Luminary of the Day. Customers with screen-based Alexa devices will see an artistic , historically-relevant photo. After hearing the brief introductory information about the luminary, players can choose to hear more details and take a quiz to earn points and badges. At any point, players can \"Guess a Luminary\" by listening to three to five clues and seeing if they can identify a randomly selected luminary and earn points. Additionally, customers may \"Explore Luminaries\" to learn about other important historical figures, which Alexa lists in successive groups of three. After earning points, customers often move up in the ranking relative to other Bamboo Luminaries players.\n\n\"It is sometimes difficult to remember a large number of historical facts,\" said 14 year-old Max S. \"When I play Bamboo Luminaries, I have a blast competing with friends, my sisters and my parents, and it almost makes me forget that I'm learning about history.\"\n\n\"I loved Bamboo Luminaries! It was super-easy to use as a family, over breakfast and after school,\" said Amy Montoya from New York. \"We learned cool facts about history as we lived our lives. It also helped my girls narrow down topics for their social studies project. A big hit with our family!\"\n\nHOW BAMBOO GROVE WORKS\n\nBamboo Grove lets players review progress in Bamboo Luminaries, including dates and times used, number of quiz questions attempted, correct and incorrect answers, points earned, badges earned, and overall player ranking.\n\nCustomers sign up for a Bamboo Learning account at www.bamboolearning.com/grove to access Bamboo Grove where they can link to the Bamboo Luminaries skills within the Alexa App. Then they can view results and follow progress in the skill using a PC or mobile browser.\n\nAbout Bamboo Learning\n\nBased in Seattle, Bamboo Learning is the award-winning leader in voice-powered education with a mission to bring engaging, high-quality educational experiences to customers around the world. Bamboo Learning develops skills for Alexa that enable families, teens, and adults to have fun learning and practicing diverse subjects while listening, viewing images, and using their voice. Bamboo skills, including Bamboo Luminaries, Bamboo Books, Bamboo Math, Bamboo Music, and Highlights Storybooks from Bamboo, offer a range of challenging and engaging exercises to help customers master different levels of subjects. Customers can sign up for a Bamboo Grove account to follow their progress in Bamboo Learning Alexa skills.\n\nBamboo's co-founders are Ian Freed, CEO, and Irina Fine, COO and SVP of Content. Ian Freed is a thirty-year veteran of the technology industry, including twelve years at Amazon, having served as vice president of Amazon devices, where he led both the Amazon Echo and the Amazon Kindle businesses, and served as technical advisor to Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos. Irina Fine is a thirty-year veteran of curriculum development and teaching, having worked in public and private sectors of education in New York, Washington DC, London, and Moscow, after receiving her M.Ed. in Curriculum Development and an undergraduate degree in Piano Performance and Music Education. Learn more at: www.bamboolearning.com .\n\nSOURCE Bamboo Learning\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttps://bamboolearning.com"}
{"text": "Canadian government invests over $900,000 in Whitehorse innovation hub.\n\nThe Canadian government has announced that it’s invested $922,253 in supporting the innovation ecosystem in Yukon through the Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development program (SINED).\n\nThe announcement was made on October 12 by Larry Bagnell, Member of Parliament for Yukon, on behalf of Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor).\n\nThis funding is in addition to CanNor’s previous contribution of $1.5 million towards the first phase of NorthLight Innovation.\n\n\n\nThe funding will go to nonprofit makerspace YuKonstruct for the completion of the NorthLight Innovation building that merges Yukonstruct’s existing collaboration hubs under one roof. The 24,000 square foot NorthLight Innovation facility—located in downtown Whitehorse—will merge Makespace, which provides access to manufacturing equipment and offers educational workshops to potential innovators, and Cospace, which provides a shared workspace and collaborative environment for Yukon’s entrepreneurs and innovators.\n\n“The passion, vision and entrepreneurial spirit shown by Northerners is an inspiration to all Canadians and is sure to inspire new entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial movements,” said Bains. “The government of Canada is very proud to have partnered with Yukonstruct on this new and unique Northern-focused innovation hub.”\n\nThis funding is in addition to CanNor’s previous contribution of $1.5 million towards the first phase of NorthLight Innovation, which was announced in March. The Yukon government contributed $1.95 million to the first phase in addition to cash and in-kind contributions from the private sector.\n\n“It is truly exciting to see talented and innovative entrepreneurs, leaders in new technologies, and Yukon’s forward-looking business community working together under one roof,” said Larry Bagnell, Member of Parliament for Yukon. “I am happy to see the Government of Canada and the Government of Yukon supporting an innovation hub that incubates new ideas, bolsters economic diversification and fosters long-term sustainable growth in the North.”"}
{"text": "Winona Capital’s Ancora invests in natural luxury cosmetic brand Vapour Organic Beauty.\n\nAncora Investment Holdings has invested in Vapour Organic Beauty, a natural luxury cosmetic brand. No financial terms were disclosed. Ancora was co-founded by Winona Capital.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nTAOS, N.M. and CHICAGO, July 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Ancora Investment Holdings, a new generation of investor redefining the growth model for nascent brands, announced today that it has invested in natural luxury cosmetics brand, Vapour Organic Beauty. Ancora was founded through a partnership between leading beauty industry veterans, Lori Perella Krebs and Nicky Kinnaird, and consumer private equity firm, Winona Capital. The partnership offers a unique mix of brand building, financial acumen and operational expertise combined with entrepreneurial passion, creator appreciation and love of innovation.\n\nAncora offers a unique platform to partner with global health, beauty and wellness brands that have an authentic voice and raison d’être. Through its unique business model, Ancora nurtures early stage brands by providing operational and strategic guidance fueled by capital to empower founders and entrepreneurs to exceed their dreams.\n\nVapour marks Ancora’s second investment in clean beauty, solidifying Ancora’s strong commitment to the category.\n\n“We are committed to supporting creators of truly authentic, difference-making ideas and brands in the health, beauty and wellness realms. We are in this to break new ground and change the game” said Lori Perella Krebs and Nicky Kinnaird, founding partners of Ancora Investment Holdings. “Ancora is excited to work with brands that are championing the shift in the industry. Brands like Vapour that have the potential to be a truly authentic, authoritative voice in the clean color cosmetics arena.”\n\nFounded by category pioneers, Krysia Boinis and Kristine Keheley, Vapour is a luxury natural color cosmetics brand that prioritizes personal and planetary health. Firmly committed to sophisticated performance, clean ingredients, integrity, transparency and sustainability, Vapour’s mission is to elevate inclusive organic beauty across the spectrums of age, race and gender.\n\n“Partnering with Ancora is a dream come true. Our creative bond is powerful, and we are well matched with a mutual passion for excellence” said Vapour co-founder Kristine Keheley. “With Ancora we have chosen true partners who are as committed to the Vapour brand vision as we are. We’re elated to have the opportunity to evolve and expand Vapour with these amazing women” added co-founder Krysia Boinis.\n\nAbout Vapour Organic Beauty\n\nVapour Organic Beauty is a progressive indie cosmetics brand with a modern point of view. Thought Leaders with an unwavering commitment to personal health, product purity, sustainability and performance, Vapour is actively reinventing beauty. Acknowledged since inception for leading innovation among luxury natural beauty brands, Vapour launched with 33 products in 2009. Its offering has grown to 180 skus. Vapour’s high-performance formulas combine exceptionally pure, antioxidant botanicals with a universally flattering color palette. Vapour is especially known for radiant complexion products and its award winning natural deodorant AER. For more information, please visit www.vapourbeauty.com.\n\nAbout Ancora Investment Holdings\n\nBased in Chicago, New York and London, Ancora knows how to support leaders. Its principals, Lori Perella Krebs and Nicky Kinnaird, bring decades of developmental experience within the beauty industry. Lori, former President of Fekkai and SVP during Joint Venture with Chanel, has built her career working with a variety of companies, from public and privately held to family- owned and personality brands. Nicky, founder of global retail concept, Space NK is a visionary entrepreneur and beauty guru. Ancora’s financial partner, Winona Capital, is a seasoned private equity investor with a strong track record of building businesses through sound decision-making and operational excellence. Ancora’s first investment was Indie Lee, a clean eco-chic skincare line whose products are grounded in nature, supported through science and inspired by life. For more information, please visit www.ancoraholdings.com.\n\nAbout Winona Capital\n\nWinona Capital provides acquisition and growth capital in lower middle-market consumer and retail companies that have attractive revenue and brand enhancement opportunities. Winona partners with high energy, passionate executives who have a shared focus on building great brands with sustained growth over long-term investment horizons. Winona Capital manages more than $300 million on behalf of its family office and institutional investors. For more information, please visit www.winonacapital.com."}
{"text": "ProtectWise Lands $20M Series B Round.\n\nTweet DENVER, CO, ProtectWise, provider of the industry's first Cloud Network DVR for complete detection, visibility and response to enterprise threats, today announced it has closed its Series B round of funding of $20 million.\n\nTo export ProtectWise funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on ProtectWiseTo export ProtectWise funding data to PDF and Excel, click here In total, the company has raised more than $37 million dollars in venture capital funding since May 2013. The new funding will be used to support the company's continued growth, technology innovation and market expansion.\n\n\n\nTola Capital led the round, with follow-on investment from Crosslink Capital, Trinity Ventures, Paladin Capital Group and Arsenal Venture Partners. Sheila Gulati, managing director at Tola Capital, has joined the ProtectWise Board of Directors.\n\n\n\n'ProtectWise's Cloud Network DVR Platform represents a quantum leap in enterprise security by empowering CISOs and security teams to deftly manage risk and threats to their network. ProtectWise collects network data, provides context and intelligence to surface the most relevant threats, and delivers actionable insight through advanced visualization,' said Gulati. 'I'm joining the Board at an exciting time for ProtectWise and look forward to working closely with the company as they scale the business and continue to conquer some of security's most difficult challenges.'\n\n\n\nNetwork breaches have become commonplace with attackers present on victims' networks an average of more than six months before being discovered. Since most organizations have no long-term network memory, they're often left in the dark after they suffer a breach and it can take weeks or longer to assess the damage it has caused.\n\n\n\nThe ProtectWise Cloud Network DVR works like a virtual camera in the cloud, providing unlimited retention of full-fidelity network traffic. It correlates threat detection from proprietary research, machine learning, flow-based traffic algorithms as well as multiple commercial intelligence feeds across its customer base--providing collective security. This is combined with advanced visualization tools that allow for deep-dive forensics and faster incident response. The Cloud Network DVR is delivered as a service allowing for rapid deployment, evaluation and time to value, and eliminates the costs associated with appliance-based solutions.\n\n\n\n'ProtectWise is hitting a critical inflection point, moving from innovative start-up to proven and trusted security platform provider,' said Larry Orr, general partner at Trinity Ventures. 'Since we've begun working with ProtectWise, they haven't missed a beat, executing and expanding their deployments, growing their team effectively and continuing to innovate on their technology. The company continues to design and build ahead of the curve and is fundamentally reshaping network security.'\n\n\n\nProtectWise is seeing increased adoption of its technology as enterprises seek to better identify and respond to network threats. The company has customers in the entertainment, new media, healthcare, financial services and technology industries, including Universal Music Group.\n\n\n\n'We are driving a shift away from the old school, prevention-centric, endpoint approach to network security to a modern, integrated platform approach that is based on vastly improved detection, visibility and response,' said Scott Chasin, CEO and co-founder of ProtectWise. 'The new funding reflects the massive market opportunity for a newer way to address network security and in particular, for delivering security at scale with a unique utility model. The funding will help propel us into 2016, and Tola Capital's focused experience with enterprise software platforms makes them a great addition.'\n\n\n\nAbout ProtectWise\n\nProtectWise is disrupting the network security industry with its Cloud Network DVR, a virtual camera in the cloud that records everything on the network. The service allows security professionals to see threats in real time and continuously goes back in time to discover previously unknown threats automatically. By harnessing the power of the cloud, ProtectWise provides an integrated solution with complete detection and visibility of enterprise threats and accelerated incident response. The Cloud Network DVR delivers unique advantages over current network security solutions, including an unlimited retention window with full-fidelity forensic capacity, the industry's only automated smart retrospection, advanced security visualization, and the ease and cost-savings of an on-demand deployment model.\n\n\n\nFounded in April 2013, the company is based in Denver and led by a team of security and SaaS industry veterans from McAfee, IBM, Mandiant and Proofpoint. ProtectWise has raised more than $37 million in funding and was named to Network World's list of '10 Security Start-Ups to Watch.' For more information, visit www.protectwise.com."}
{"text": "Nigeria’s Athari Fund to back local startups.\n\nNigeria’s Athari Fund is to invest in between two and five local tech startups as it pilots its operations in the first half of next year.\n\nThe Athari Fund is an impact investment fund aimed at empowering African youths by investing in bright ideas that can generate measurable social and environmental impacts as well as financial returns.\n\nCo-founder Ayobami Olufadeji told Disrupt Africa the fund will invest in startups in the education, agriculture, financial inclusion, health and nutrition, and community development spaces, and was currently accepting applications for its pilot.\n\n“During the pilot phase we will not have our own incubator. However, we are developing partnerships with incubators and co-working spaces in Nigeria to ensure that the companies will have access to the synergies that come from being in an incubator,” Olufadeji said.\n\n“The plan is to ensure that, for companies who need it, we’re able to support with access to such services for the first year, after which we will re-evaluate.”\n\nThe Athari Fund will work with the selected companies to define impact investing and help them understand how to identify, track, and report impact metrics.\n\n“Our expertise is primarily in investment management and social sector enterprises. Between the founding team and our advisers we have extensive experience in impact investing, healthcare, education, risk assessment, venture capital, entrepreneurship, non-profits, agriculture, customer service, org management. We’re a well-rounded team with a strong network,” Olufadeji said.\n\nFunds for investing in startups have been raised internally, amongst the founding team and some angel investors. Though Olufadeji said the fund has made a conscious decision not to limit itself by setting a price point for investments, it will focus on seed and early stage.\n\nThe Athari Fund plans to have identified between two and five “solid companies” by the first quarter of next year, and to have disbursed the investments by June 2017.\n\n“We’ll keep this pilot class of our portfolio for one year, continue to take applications on a rolling basis, and make another round of investments in 2018,” Olufadeji said."}
{"text": "Alliance Consumer Growth Announces Investment In Herschel Supply Co.\n\nNEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Alliance Consumer Growth (\"ACG\") announces signing a minority investment in Herschel Supply Co. (\"Herschel\"), a design-driven global lifestyle brand. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Herschel is known for timeless backpacks and travel accessories sold in over 90 countries via its direct-to-consumer and distribution platforms. ACG is investing alongside a consortium comprised of Eurazeo (\"Eurazeo\"), a leading global investment company, and HOOPP Capital Partners (\"HOOPP\"), the private capital arm of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan.\n\n\"Eurazeo, ACG and HOOPP are ideal partners for Herschel, a global iconic brand that transcends cultures, ages, genders, and demographics,\" said Jamie Cormack, Herschel co-founder. \"We're looking forward to expanding our reach with our timeless products that are part of global culture and synonymous with travel, experience and discovery\" said Lyndon Cormack, Herschel co-founder.\n\nFounded in 2009 by brothers Jamie, Lyndon and Jason Cormack, Herschel's range has expanded from backpacks to include luggage, headwear, accessories, apparel, and more. Today, Herschel products are sold in over 9,000 points of distribution worldwide with the support of over 250 employees across offices in Vancouver, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Ghent and London.\n\n\"Herschel is a once-in-a-generation iconic lifestyle brand, and we are incredibly excited to work with Herschel to grow globally,\" said Julian Steinberg, Founder and Managing Partner of ACG.\n\nAbout Herschel Supply Co.\n\nHeadquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Herschel Supply is a design-driven global lifestyle brand that produces timeless products with utility design. Founded in 2009 by brothers Jamie, Lyndon, and Jason Cormack, Herschel's product range has expanded from backpacks to include luggage, headwear, accessories, apparel, and more. Today, Herschel products are sold in over 90 countries with over 9,000 points of distribution worldwide and the support of over 250 employees across offices in Vancouver, New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, Ghent and London.\n\nAbout ACG\n\nACG is a leading growth equity fund providing capital and value-added partnership to the most promising emerging consumer product and retail brands. Notable brands that ACG successfully partnered with as an early investor include Shake Shack (later completed an IPO asNYSE: SHAK), Babyganics (later acquired by SC Johnson), barkTHINS (later acquired by Hershey's), Krave Jerky (later acquired by Hershey's), Suja Juice (later acquired by CocaCola), Harry's (announced sale to Edgewell, expected to close Q1 2020), Tata Harper, Milk Makeup, Good American, Pacifica Beauty, Nudestix, Lola, Blaze Pizza, Snooze AM Eatery, and The Honest Kitchen, among others. ACG has offices in New York City and Los Angeles. www.acgpartners.com\n\nSOURCE Alliance Consumer Growth\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttps://www.acgpartners.com"}
{"text": "Citi Private Bank names Bailin as global investments head.\n\nCiti Private Bank has appointed David Bailin as global head of investments. Prior to joining Citi, Bailin worked at Bank of America Global Wealth and Investment Management where he served as managing director and head of alternative investment asset management.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nNEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Citi Private Bank announced today that David Bailin has been appointed Global Head of Investments effective immediately. In this capacity Mr. Bailin will oversee the Private Bank’s investment business worldwide. This includes its investment management and capital markets activities, including the formulation of investment strategy, advice, solutions and execution across all asset classes for all Private Bank clients globally. He will continue to be based in New York.\n\n“Over the past eight years, David has demonstrated an enormous amount of passion and enthusiasm for the Private Bank and its clients. He built world class investment management capabilities, globalized and unified the delivery and messaging related to our investments and established Citi as a leader in wealth management for the world’s most sophisticated families, Endowments and Foundations. As a result, the Private Bank’s investment businesses have grown much faster than the industry, as our clients have sought our independent, objective investment advice and implementation,” said Peter Charrington, Global Head, Citi Private Bank.\n\nPrior to this, Mr. Bailin served as Global Head of Managed Investments for Citi Private Bank. Mr. Bailin was the architect of the global managed investments platform, including its Citi Investment Management unit and the bank’s private equity, real estate, hedge fund and traditional investment teams. Additionally Mr. Bailin was responsible for operational due diligence, portfolio asset management, asset allocation modelling, and product innovation. Prior to joining Citi, Mr. Bailin was Managing Director and Head of Alternative Investment Asset Management for Bank of America Global Wealth and Investment Management, where he was responsible for client alternative investments across private equity, real estate, venture capital and hedge funds.\n\n“This is a fantastic time for our Investments business. We have built an institutional quality investment management business. We are experiencing strong AUM growth in discretionary and advisory management and in Capital Markets. This is also an opportunity for us to further develop and leverage the partnership between the Private Bank and our colleagues in the broader Institutional Clients Group so that we expand the delivery of the full breadth of Citi’s institutional capabilities to all Private Bank clients,” said David Bailin.\n\nCiti Private Bank is dedicated to serving worldly and wealthy individuals and families, providing customized private banking across borders. With approximately $390 billion in global assets under management, the franchise includes 48 offices, serving clients across 130 countries. Citi Private Bank helps clients grow and preserve wealth, finance assets, make cash work harder, and serve family and family business needs. The firm offers clients products and services covering capital markets, managed investments, portfolio management, trust and estate planning, investment finance, banking and aircraft finance, as well as art and sports advisory and finance.\n\nAbout Citi\n\nCiti, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management."}
{"text": "London startup Pusher sends 110 billion messages per month.\n\nAnd now for some additional proof that you can build an impactful technology company out of Europe even when your target audience is basically ‘other developers’, and without raising tons of funding:\n\nPusher, a small but growing London tech startup that helps app developers and publishers build real-time apps, this morning announced that it is now sending more than 110 billion messages per month – that’s over 150 million messages every hour – to 4.6 billion devices around the world. With just 26 staff, Pusher’s technology is used by 80,000+ customers to add features like in-app notifications, chat and activity feeds to apps, including media giants such as ITV, The Financial Times and The New York Times, and other tech companies such as MailChimp and Quizup.\n\nAnd yet Pusher has only raised a modest amount of seed funding – the last round dating back more than 4 years ago – from investors like Eileen Burbidge / Passion Capital, prominent American investor Bill Lee (Tesla, SpaceX, Yammer, HootSuite etc.) and the founders of Heroku.\n\nPusher CEO and co-founder, Max Williams, comments in a blog post:\n\n“Users demand a satisfying, realtime experience to the standard of Facebook, Google and co. They don’t care if you’re a startup, a large corporate or based somewhere that makes hiring the best developers challenging. We started Pusher to provide that focused expertise to all companies and level the playing field for the realtime web.”\n\nWilliams tells Tech.eu that Pusher is adding ‘hundreds of paying customers’ a month and is on course to send half trillion messages every month in the near future."}
{"text": "SoftBank leads $140M funding round for Brazil’s VTEX.\n\nSoftBank Group Corp said on Friday its Latin American fund is investing 580 million reais ($138 million) in e-commerce software provider VTEX, together with Brazilian funds Gavea Investimentos and Constellation Asset Management.\n\nVTEX provides e-commerce support in Latin America for clients including cosmetics brand Boticario, cellphone maker Motorola and appliance maker Electrolux.\n\nIts founder and CEO, Geraldo Thomaz, said in a statement that the proceeds will be used to expand research and development, including new artificial intelligence software for e-commerce.\n\nThe investment is the latest in a series of bets on Latin American technology startups from Argentina to Mexico by SoftBank’s $5 billion fund dedicated to the region.\n\nIn addition to the three new investors, Riverwood Capital, which first invested in VTEX in 2014, continues to be a shareholder, the companies said.\n\nReuters"}
{"text": "SA’s first equity crowdfunding platform to launch later this month.\n\nSouth Africa’s first equity crowdfunding platform will be unveiled by ThundaFund founder Patrick Schofield in a soft launch later this month, Schofield confirmed today.\n\nSchofield did not want to comment on the launch of the platform, which is expected to take place in Johannesburg, saying only “at this stage, no comment, treading lightly right now :-)” in an email to Ventureburn.\n\nHowever a source said the soft launch is aimed at creating awareness on the platform to those in the media and to startups in search of equity finance. The platform is expected to initially list six startups or projects, the source said.\n\nSouth Africa’s first equity crowdfunding platform will initially list six startups or projects, a source said\n\nWhen asked on whether the Financial Services Board — which has not crafted any regulations on equity crowdfunding for South Africa — had approved the setting up of the platform, the source said only that they were “not at liberty to discuss these details” but added that the platform would “stand legal muster”.\n\nRead more: FSB misses its own crowdfunding deadline\n\nSchofield in August last year told The Financial Mail that his idea is that deals on the platform would first be approved by venture capital (VC) funds before being placed on the platform for other investors to consider. A VC or angel investor would then agree to provide a sizeable portion of the required equity for the investee company."}
{"text": "The Copenhagen Letter calls for better practices in technology.\n\nOver 150 people, from entrepreneurs to designers to philosophers, have signed The Copenhagen Letter this week calling for better practices in technology and design.\n\nThe letter, which was published by Copenhagen's Techfestival, calls for a “new Renaissance” in the future design of technology to put the human, and not just the “user”, ahead of business.\n\nThe manifesto, which is now published in full online, has been signed by authors from Europe and the US, including The Pirate Bay and Flattr founder Peter Sunde and Kickstarter founder Charles Adler, among other analysts, experts, and founders in technology, artificial intelligence, and design.\n\n“The bottom line is that we feel tech is dissociating from social progress and it’s more and more in its own bubble,” Aydogan Ali Schosswald, co-organizer of Techfestival told Tech.eu.\n\n“It’s a good time for Europeans to wake up and say 'hey this is our idea of tech' and it’s a little bit more aligned with what we want to get out of tech on a human level, it’s not all about business, it’s not all about growth.”\n\nHe added that he hopes the letter will be a conversation starter among tech communities.\n\n“It’s not very difficult to see the options people have, they can sign it, they can respond to it. They can ignore it of course but we want to make it difficult for people to ignore it,” he said.\n\n“The idea here is to really start a conversation and put critical thinking back on the agenda. Why are we doing this? What for?”"}
{"text": "Falfurrias invests in Tax Guard.\n\nFalfurrias Capital Partners said April 17 that it invested in Tax Guard. Financial terms weren’t announced. Tax Guard, of Boulder, Colorado, provides data and services that help lenders accurately assess tax-related credit risk associated with potential borrowers. Holland & Hart LLP served as legal adviser to Tax Guard. Raymond James & Associates was Tax Guard’s financial adviser.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nCHARLOTTE, N.C., April 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Falfurrias Capital Partners, a Charlotte-based private equity firm focused on investing in growth-oriented, middle-market businesses, today announced it has closed an investment in financial technology firm Tax Guard. Tax Guard is the leading provider of proprietary data and services that help lenders accurately assess tax-related credit risk associated with potential borrowers.\n\nTax Guard, co-founded in 2009 by CEO Hansen Rada and based in Boulder, Colorado, is the first company in the U.S. to give lenders real-time insights into a client’s hidden tax liabilities, information typically not available to lenders unless and until the IRS files a tax lien. With the IRS filing far fewer liens relative to the increase in delinquent tax accounts, the visibility gap – and underwriting risk – for lenders has grown rapidly.\n\n“Tax Guard has been a pioneer in identifying and successfully leveraging the opportunity presented by the growth of ‘shadow’ tax liabilities and the complications they create for lenders in underwriting debt,” said Marc Oken, co-founder of Falfurrias Capital Partners. “Tax Guard is well positioned for significant growth organically and through complementary investments, and we look forward to working with Hansen and his team to scale the business by providing new technology and data solutions to financial services providers.”\n\nChris Marshall, co-founder and former CFO of Capital Bank, an early Falfurrias Capital Partners portfolio investment, will join Tax Guard as executive chairman. Marshall was previously a senior executive at Bank of America and served as CFO of Fifth Third Bancorp. Mr. Oken, a former Bank of America CFO and Joe Price, also a former Bank of America CFO and Head of Consumer and Small Business Banking, will be joining the board along with Geordie Pierson, a principal in Falfurrias Capital Partners.\n\n“Falfurrias Capital Partners, with its unmatched depth of experience in financial services, industry relationships and understanding of the forces driving the adoption by banks of third-party technology and data solutions, is the ideal partner for Tax Guard as we seek to take advantage of the significant growth in demand from new and existing customers,” said Mr. Rada. “We are excited about the insights and opportunities Marc and the rest of the team can bring to the challenge of identifying new ways to meet the evolving needs of financial institutions.”\n\nHolland & Hart LLP served as legal advisor to Tax Guard on the transaction. Raymond James & Associates was Tax Guard’s financial advisor.\n\nAbout Tax Guard\n\nEstablished in 2009, Tax Guard is the first company in the U.S. to give lenders insight into their clients’ hidden real-time tax risks well before federal tax liens are filed. Lenders throughout the U.S. rely on Tax Guard’s proprietary due diligence and monitoring reports both prior to financing and throughout the course of their lending relationships. Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, Tax Guard utilizes a patent-pending, integrated process based on data obtained directly from the Internal Revenue Service. For more information, visit www.tax-guard.com or email info@tax-guard.com.\n\nAbout Falfurrias Capital Partners\n\nFalfurrias Capital Partners is a Charlotte-based private equity investment firm founded in 2006 by Hugh McColl Jr., former chairman and CEO of Bank of America, and Marc Oken, former CFO of Bank of America. The firm is focused on acquiring or investing in a diverse portfolio of growth-oriented middle-market companies. By leveraging the extensive strategic and operational experience and business relationships of the firm’s principals, Falfurrias Capital Partners is positioned to be a value-added partner for both its portfolio companies and its limited partners. For more information, visit www.falfurriascapital.com.\n\nSOURCE Falfurrias Capital Partners"}
{"text": "Startup Sesame partners with Atomico, takes 6 startups on a whirlwind tour of Euro tech events.\n\nStartup Sesame, a young program that helps startups build out their networks across European borders, today announced the six companies that will join the second edition of its 'event accelerator' (listed below).\n\nThe organisation has also partnered with global investment firm Atomico, who in a recent report estimated that approximately 630.000 people have attended one of the 25.000 technology-­related meetups and events in Europe in 2015.\n\nUnsurprisingly, the reasons why startup attend tech events in the first place are diverse: some are looking for funding from international investors, others are looking to expand operations across borders, and other do it simply to increase visibility or build out their professional networks.\n\nFor its second program, Startup Sesame received 180 applications from startups in 35 countries. After the call for entries, the following six startups were selected:\n\n\\[dealroom\\_widget entity\\_id=\"mysteryvibe\\_limited\"\\]\n\n\\[dealroom\\_widget entity\\_id=\"openback\"\\]\n\n\\[dealroom\\_widget entity\\_id=\"talent\\_io\"\\]\n\n\\[dealroom\\_widget entity\\_id=\"wefarm\"\\]\n\n\\[dealroom\\_widget entity\\_id=\"30minmba\"\\]\n\nThe sixth one is TOPDOX, from Portugal.\n\nStartup Sesame and Atomico are hosting a kick­-off event at Second Home in London today, where the above startups will get to pitch and get feedback before embarking on their 'tech event journey'.\n\nShari Doherty, Partner, Communications at Atomico, comments:\n\n“Startup Sesame helps fast-growing European startups navigate the annual event circuit in Europe to accelerate their growth and development of powerful international networks. In our continued efforts to help unlock more of Europe's potential by building closer links between our tech hubs, Atomico is proud to partner with Startup Sesame”.\n\nStartup Sesame was created in June 2015, and now includes the following events: Slush (Helsinki), Pioneers Festival (Vienna), Tech Open Air (Berlin), Challengers (Barcelona), Arctic15 (Helsinki) Webrazzi Summit (Istanbul), 4YFN (Barcelona), Pirate Summit (Cologne), Web2Day (Nantes), France Digitale Day (Paris), Lisbon Investment Summit (Lisbon), Stockholm Tech Fest (Stockholm) and DigitalK (Sofia)."}
{"text": "Silvertree invests in Cape Town development agency We Are Monsters.\n\nSilvertree Internet Holdings has announced an investment in newly-founded web and mobile development agency We Are Monsters (WAM), while the two have also signed a partnership that makes WAM the preferred development provider for Silvertree’s portfolio.\n\nSilvertree, which recently invested over ZAR10 million (US$730,000) in Cape Town-based organic e-commerce startup Faithful to Nature and also has the likes of Cybercellar, WineCo, Click n Compare and Sprout in its portfolio, said recently it had invested over ZAR20 million (US$1.47 million) in tech companies in the first seven months of 2015.\n\nThe latest confirmed investment is in We Are Monsters, a development agency serving digital agencies and startups that want to develop campaigns or applications. Silvertree said the startup has a wealth of knowledge in the processes of large multinational corporations, and assists and mitigates the risk for their clients in the development life cycle of a campaign.\n\nFounders Stephan Steynfaardt and Pieter van Reenen have a combined twenty years of development experience in the IT security and digital marketing environment. After only three months of business, WAM has already acquired Ogilvy and Gorilla Media as clients for a multitude of online commerce projects.\n\n“We will be working with many of the most exciting companies in South Africa – and the rest of the continent – on ground-breaking and innovative projects,” said Van Reenen.\n\n“This partnership with Silvertree gives us a chance to really showcase our ability. To create not just great websites and apps, but also top-class digital marketing.”\n\nSilvertree director Paul Cook said the company was “incredibly excited” to be working with the We Are Monsters team as its preferred developers.\n\n“They have top-of-the-range technical expertise, deep interest in building businesses, and an incredible, young culture,” Cook said.\n\nA number of other Silvertree investments are set to be announced in the coming weeks, with the company saying its investments so far this year include over ZAR16 million (US$1.18 million) of first-time investments in the e-commerce, online travel and IT development industries respectively.\n\nSilvertree Internet Holdings is the holding vehicle of early-stage investor Silvertree Capital and strongly focused on operational and marketing execution within portfolio companies.\n\nThe trio behind Silvertree – Cook, Peter Allerstorfer and Manuel Koser – believe the biggest opportunities for tech investment in Africa are in working with businesses driven by strong teams that are executing simple, proven models. The company has what it describes as a “continuous focus” on revenue and margins.\n\n“We watch the numbers every day, every hour, checking progress, making adjustments. It’s all about execute, execute, execute,” Koser said.\n\nCook said African startups and investors can be too quick to try to copy Silicon Valley, and sometimes forget that building a viable business requires finding customers and generating revenue.\n\n“Smart potential investors are seeking businesses that have proven they will be able to make money – not just great ideas,” he said."}
{"text": "Breakwater provides $60 mln loan to Global Restoration Holdings.\n\nGlobal Restoration Holdings has secured a $60 million term loan from Breakwater Management LP. The transaction was part of a recapitalization that included a revolving credit facility led by Wells Fargo. The capital infusion will be used to refinance debt, support future growth for the business and provide a shareholder dividend. Global Restoration Holdings is a provider of disaster restoration, reconstruction and renovation services for residential, industrial and commercial property in response to general loss and catastrophic events. Delos Capital formed Restoration via the merger of portfolio companies Interstate Restoration and FirstOnSite Restoration.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nLOS ANGELES, MARCH 2018 – Breakwater Management LP (“Breakwater”), a provider of flexible capital solutions to growing lower middle market companies, announced today that it recently completed an investment in Global Restoration Holdings (“Restoration” or the “Company”). The Company provides disaster restoration, reconstruction and renovation services for residential, industrial and commercial property in response to general loss and catastrophic events. Delos Capital (“Delos”) formed Restoration through the merger of Interstate Restoration, based in Fort Worth, Texas and FirstOnSite Restoration, based in Mississauga, Canada, two existing portfolio companies. With this combination, Delos has created the second largest provider of restoration and reconstruction services in North America, with a diversified footprint across the U.S. and Canada.\n\nBreakwater provided Restoration with a $60 million senior secured unitranche term loan, as part of a recapitalization that included an asset backed revolving credit facility led by Wells Fargo. Proceeds from the credit facilities were used to refinance debt, support future growth for the business and provide a shareholder dividend.\n\nSaif Mansour, Managing Partner at Breakwater, commented: “We are excited to partner with Delos and the impressive management team at Restoration as they continue to build a best-in-class provider of restoration and reconstruction services in North America.” Darrick Geant, Managing Director at Breakwater, added: “We were pleased to provide the Company with a customized solution that addressed complex ownership and cross-border issues. The successful transaction is a tribute to the close collaboration between Breakwater and Delos on the deal.”\n\nJeff Johnson, Executive Chairman of Restoration Holdings, cited, “Breakwater’s support allowed us to execute on a transformative transaction that solidifies our position in North America.” Willard DeBruyn, Partner at Delos added, “This combination was a significant component of our strategy to create a market leading services provider. We appreciated Breakwater’s thoughtfulness and flexibility in helping us achieve this milestone and we look forward to having Breakwater as our long-term partner.”\n\nABOUT BREAKWATER\n\nBased in Los Angeles, Breakwater Management provides flexible debt and equity capital to growing lower middle market companies. The firm aligns itself with committed management teams, owners, and sponsors, providing creative financing solutions tailored to meet individual borrower needs. Breakwater’s senior investment team has over 55 years of private company investing experience and has built the firm on a deep commitment to integrity, partnership and growth."}
{"text": "Next Coast Ventures Announces Inaugural $85 Million Fund.\n\nOversubscribed Fund Set to Transform Business in Emerging ‘Next Coast’ U.S. Markets\n\nLed by Former ServiceSource CEO Mike Smerklo & Former Austin Ventures VC Tom Ball\n\nAUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–March 2, 2017–\n\nNext Coast Ventures, the Austin-based venture capital firm focused on investing in disruptive ideas and thematic marketplaces, today announced the close of its debut fund at $85 million, oversubscribed by $35 million. One of the largest funds in Austin within the last three years, Next Coast’s limited partners include leading institutional investors, funds of funds and family offices.\n\n“Austin has already arrived in the VC realm but now it needs to evolve,” said Mike Smerklo, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Next Coast Ventures. “We are finding outsized opportunities between the coasts with talented, tech-savvy entrepreneurs with vision. Our connections to Silicon Valley mean we can ink deals that accelerate our startups’ growth and open them up to national and international markets-turning the middle of the country into the center of the next tech revolution.”\n\nWith a focus to transform the traditional venture capital model, Next Coast Ventures boasts a thematic approach to investing backed by entrepreneurial experience. The fund will concentrate on software-powered, full-stack business models designed for digital natives as well as innovative companies in the education, retail, B2B and B2C sectors, addressing surging regional demand for progressive startup capital.\n\n“The time is ripe to build something in Austin that drives real impact,” said Tom Ball, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Next Coast Ventures. “It is a privilege and honor to work with an amazing group of investors as well as some of the very best entrepreneurs in the world. We’re thrilled to bring a hands-on, thematic and focused VC experience to the market, better serving the community and building amazing companies in the process.”\n\nTo date, Next Coast Ventures has deployed capital from its inaugural fund into four Austin startups-Umuse, Dropoff, OnRamp and Phlur, one San Francisco-headquartered startup Cloverpop and one New York-based startup Clarity Money.\n\nAbout Next Coast Ventures\n\nNext Coast Ventures was born in 2015 with a simple vision to create a different kind of venture capital firm focused on company building, thought leadership and giving back to the community. With a dedication to investing in entrepreneurs building disruptive companies in big markets, Next Coast Ventures is pursuing a new model of VC “built for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs.” For more information, visit http://www.nextcoastventures.com.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170302005329/en/\n\nTreble\n\nEthan Parker, 512-960-8230\n\nnextcoastventures@treblepr.com"}
{"text": "New $10m VC fund to invest in tech startups from Kenya, Nigeria, SA.\n\nVenture capital (VC) firm Oui Capital has launched a US$10 million fund for investments in innovative tech startups from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.\n\n\n\nOui Capital has been launched by, among others, Oluwaseun Oyinsan, previously in charge of investments at Ingressive Capital, an early-stage venture fund that has made investments in the likes of Paystack, Wifi.com.ng and OgaVenue.\n\n\n\nThe new US$10 million venture fund is dedicated to backing high-growth tech startups in Africa, while simultaneously offering mentorship services from technology and industry experts. It will invest in companies in spaces such as fintech, mobility, healthcare and education.\n\n\n\n“With Oui Capital, we will make funding available for early-stage technology startups on the continent. Africa is undergoing a transformation largely driven by technology – similar to the Asian boom of a decade ago which has created over 200 unicorns to date. It is pertinent that ventures like Oui Capital are available to finance this transformation to create wealth and impact,” said Oyinsan.\n\n\n\n“We are mostly interested in companies which are solving real problems with scalable solutions, technology companies solving the everyday problems of Africa’s 1.2 billion people. Our very early-stage investments support startups with significant growth and impact potential.”"}
{"text": "Berlin-based business travel startup Comtravo raises €21 million additional funding to accelerate growth.\n\nComtravo, a Berlin-based platform for business travel bookings, just raised additional €21 million in venture capital. The round is led by Endeit Capital and joined by new investors Deutsche Bank, AER Ticket, the largest seller of air travel tickets in Europe, as well as Jan Valentin, the former Head of Europe at Kayak. The existing investors Project A, Creandum and btov also participated in the funding round.\n\nFounded in 2015, Comtravo’s software translates text-based requests like emails into structured data and uses AI technologies to offer the best travel options based on saved preferences and previous booking patterns. Personalized offers can be booked from an email with just one click. Comtravo was founded by Michael Riegel, Jannik Neumann, Marko Schilde and an experienced team of the travel and internet industry. Comtravo now has 110 employees. More than 700 medium-sized businesses in the DACH region use Comtravo.\n\nMichael Riegel, founder and CEO of Comtravo, stated: “The German business travel market is huge – €52.5 billion. But it’s also very fragmented and shaped by tedious and inefficient processes. With Comtravo, we want to radically simplify the management of business travel. Since founding the company in 2015, we have managed to automate 60% of the processes by using technology, and we enjoy popularity from our customers and the continued support from our investors.”\n\nIn the past two years, the company has grown more than 300%, and its core business is now profitable. Among Comtravo’s ~700 customers are primarily medium-sized businesses from the DACH region, incl. the Nagel-Group, LG Innotek or Hachez. Comtravo’s systems handle over 1000 travel bookings per day. Standard requests (e.g., flight and hotel bookings) are already 60% automated with the help of technologies like natural language processing and artificial intelligence. More complex requests (e.g., group bookings) are still handled by travel experts.\n\n“We want to use the fresh funding to automate 80% of the booking process in the near future. Currently, well-trained travel agents have to handle time-consuming, repetitive tasks instead of dealing with more complex requests. We want to change this by continuing to automate simpler tasks so that our travel agents can focus on the really important topics and on providing excellent service,” added Michael Riegel.\n\nPhilipp Schroeder, who earlier this year joined Endeit Capital as Partner, responsible for the DACH markerts, stated: “Technology and automation is constantly improving several segments of the travel industry, however, the remaining holy grail of B2B travel, SME travel, has yet to be conquered. We believe, that Comtravo has a leading position to tap into this market. Their engineering team of more than 30 people has built an outstanding tech stack that can automate the majority of its processes powered by Machine Learning. This leads to operational efficiencies and cost advantages on a large scale, enabling Comtravo to offer competitive prices and a superior service level to its customers. We are looking forward to working with this exceptional team with a strong mix of market know-how, data science, and operational excellence.”\n\nBookings on Comtravo can be done either, through the online booking tool, or by email. An internal software translates the email into structured data and automatically books the requested trip. This approach reduces the costs per booking dramatically, with the result that Comtravo can process business travel bookings almost 65% cheaper than traditional travel agencies.\n\nPartners such as airlines and hotels are directly connected to Comtravo’s backend with interfaces that guarantee seamless integration and good fares. Integrating more and more providers keeps getting more important in the industry. In addition, a recommendation algorithm helps provide personalized offers in terms of price, availability, etc. based on travelers’ previous booking behavior, policies and other aspects. In the future, new features will be released as, for example, automatic check-in."}
{"text": "Egypt’s iCommunity raises $600k from Algebra Ventures in Series-A round.\n\nCairo-based community management platform iCommunity has raised $600 000 from Egyptian VC firm Algebra Ventures in a Series-A funding round.\n\nThe startup — which was founded in 2016 by managing director Karim Akram and CTO Antoine Megalla — connects residents, real-estate developers and facility management through its app. The platform’s target market is Egypt’s gated communities.\n\nCommenting in a statement from Algebra Ventures today (2 October), Akram said the startup intends to use the investment to expand in both its home country and internationally.\n\nCairo-based iCommunity was founded in 2016 by managing director Karim Akram and CTO Antoine Megalla\n\n“We want to build the best team to deliver a world-class platform that disrupts the real estate industry,” he added.\n\nAkram said the startup believes in the “paramount importance” of customer satisfaction in gated communities beyond just moving in. “We aspire to make sure residents have exceptional experiences within their communities,” he said.\n\n“With our targeted strategy and fast-growing platform, we’re in a great position to offer exceptional value to both developers and residents as we have a unique understanding of our residents’ needs,” added Akram.\n\nAlgebra Ventures managing partner Tarek Assaad said the VC firm’s is attracted to startups that go after sizeable multi-billion dollar industries, like real estate.\n\n“The digitisation of the real-estate industry will create significant value in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa — Ed) region and iCommunity is at the forefront of that transformation. We look forward to continuing to support the company as it further expands its reach and grows its customer base,” said Assaad.\n\nFeatured image: iCommunity team photo (Supplied)"}
{"text": "SoftBank Invests $60 Mn In Grofers’ Larger Funding Round.\n\nTiger Global and Sequoia also participated in the round\n\nGurugram-based online grocery startup Grofers has raised nearly $60 Mn in a fresh Series F funding round from Masayoshi Son-led SoftBank Vision Fund (SVF). This is reportedly the first tranche of the larger $120 Mn-$140 Mn funding round that is under works for Grofers.\n\nA source close to the development confirmed the funding to Inc42. With the fresh funding, Grofers is now valued at $425 Mn post-money according to data intelligence platform paper.vc. Currently, SVF holds around 42% stake in the company.\n\nFounded in 2013 by IIT graduates Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar, Grofers offers products across categories such as grocery, fruits and vegetables, beauty and wellness, household care, baby care, pet care, bakery, and meats and seafood, among other things. It operates in 13 cities.\n\nSoftBank had earlier led a $62Mn funding round in Grofers, acquiring 35-40% stake in the company in February.\n\nThe funding comes after reports surfaced in October 2018 that SoftBank may invest $140 Mn – $150 Mn (INR 1,027 Cr – INR 1,100 Cr) in the company with participation from German retail group Metro AG.\n\nIn the funding round, Grofers’ existing investors Sequoia and Tiger Global also invested $1.8 Mn and $19 Mn. SoftBank is further expected to invest $40 Mn in Grofers as it looks to close a deal with the new investor.\n\nGrofers closed FY 2018 with $129.49 Mn (INR 950 Cr) in sales. It is now chasing a revenue target of $34 Mn (INR 2,500 Cr) and plans to roll out more than 500 stock keeping units (SKUs) for FY 2019.\n\nHere’s a look at some of the recent activities at Grofers:\n\nGrofers recorded revenue of INR 310 Cr in January 2019 in lieu of its sale season\n\nGrofers has stopped offering fresh products as it is concentrating its energy on private labels — Budget and Popular G-Brands\n\nIt has expanded its private labels to offer 250 food and non-food products to its consumers\n\nIt is targeting a stronger growth trajectory in 2019, with a 50% contribution from its private brands\n\nGrofers has changed its focus to establishing its foothold in Delhi-NCR by investing in its supply chain and technology\n\nThe company claims to be profitable in Delhi on a per-order basis\n\nOnline grocery sector is expected to almost quadruple over the next three years to touch $1.38 Bn (INR 100 Bn) in terms of revenue. A Goldman Sachs report forecast that the Indian online grocery market is set to reach $40 Mn (INR 270 Cr) by FY19, growing at a CAGR of 62% from 2016 to 2022.\n\nThe sector, which has seen with high-investor attraction from the likes of SoftBank, Tencent, Temasek, etc, has been struggling for growth and to manage high rates of cash burn."}
{"text": "Heiko Hubertz invests in Gigalo and Toptranslation.\n\nHeiko Hubertz (co-founder and CEO of Bigpoint) recently invested in the German startups Gigalo and Toptranslation. Both startups were started by the Hamburg based incubator Hanse Ventures. The investment, wich the marketplace for micro-jobs (Gigalo / Gigalocal) and the translation service (Toptranslation) just received from Heiko Hubertz and other business angels, is in the 6 digits. In relation to his investment Hubertz stated: “Hanse Ventures boasts a fast and professional implementation of ideas. Gigalocal is a good example for this and the team has really impressed me”.\n\nGigalo is a Fiverr-type-of-service wich was founded in the beginning of 2011. It operates a plattform for 5 EUR microworking and supports the languages Spanish and German. The startup just launched the alpha-version of a new app called Gigalocal.\n\nThe online translation agency Toptranslation was founded at the end of 2009. Hubertz said in relation to Toptranslation: “As CEO of an international company like Bigpoint I experience every day first-hand how important high-quality translations are. Therefore, I see high potential for Toptranslation in the business-to-business segment”."}
{"text": "Booker Software Partners with Como to Launch Dedicated Mobile Apps for Every Local Service Business.\n\nLeading Cloud-Based Business Management Platform Partners with Leading Mobile App Platform to Help Businesses Grow With Mobile Booking, CRM, Retention Tools, and More\n\nNEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 19, 2014–\n\nBooker, a cloud-based software provider that helps businesses automate their marketing and streamline back-office operations, today announced a partnership with Como, the leading mobile app-creation platform, to provide local service businesses with their own dedicated branded mobile app. The Booker Customer App enables consumers to book appointments with their favorite merchant wherever and whenever they want, right from their mobile phones.\n\nPeople spend almost three hours each day on their mobile device, phone and over 85% of that time is spent in apps1. Now merchants who run Booker can capture some of that valuable mindshare and mobile real estate with a dedicated mobile app.\n\n“With the Booker Customer App merchants get a permanent daily presence on the one thing that never leaves their customers’ sight,” said Matthew Mahoney, vice president business development at Booker. “For consumers, not only will their favorite local service business be more top of mind, it will also be much easier to book appointments with them.”\n\nUnlike directory applications that list merchants alongside competing businesses, the Booker Customer App is specifically dedicated to a merchant’s business. It works across all major device platforms (iOS, Android, and Kindle). The app displays essential information for consumers, such as a map to the merchant’s location and their hours of operation; the ability to ‘click-to-call’; and, most importantly, allows clients to check real-time availability and book appointments directly from the app.\n\n“Como has quickly become the break out leader in building and distributing powerful apps. Their technology dramatically simplifies the creation process, which means together we can create real-time professional booking apps in a matter of seconds,” added Mahoney.\n\nWith the Booker Customer App and its suite of offerings, Booker merchants can now move seamlessly into the mobile space to offer mobile services. In addition, businesses looking to create their own mobile apps themselves can also add Booker’s appointment and scheduling service integration directly through Como’s DIY mobile app-creation platform. These offerings are becoming increasingly critical given the mobile lifestyles of today’s consumers.\n\n“Our partnership with Booker creates a flawless in-app experience; whether a customer wants to schedule a nail-clipping appointment for Fido, or a mani-pedi for themselves, they can do so while on the go,” said Li-at Karpel Gurwicz, VP Marketing at Como. “Consumers are demanding immediate access and intuitive interactions on mobile. Scheduling appointments, visits, and reservations generates loyalty and increased revenues – and our collaboration with Booker is an ideal solution for local service businesses seeking those benefits,” she added.\n\nFor more information on Booker, or to sign up for the company’s services, please visit http://info.booker.com/Booker-Customer-App.\n\nAbout Booker\n\nBooker helps businesses run and grow successfully by streamlining their operations and helping to increase their revenues. Booker enables service businesses to sell their services online, via mobile device or in person, creating a seamless online booking experience for their customers. With Booker’s platform, business owners can manager their social media presence and email marketing as well as automate their customer retention. Booker processes over one million appointments each month across 73 countries in 11 languages. Headquartered in New York City, Booker’s customers include thousands of local service businesses as well as Fortune 500 companies. For more information, visit www.booker.com.\n\nAbout Como\n\nComo™ is the world’s leading do-it-yourself app-creation platform, powering nearly one million small business apps around the world-with over 3,500 new apps created every day. Founded in 2010, Como makes it easy for brands and businesses to become an integral part of their customers’ lifestyle, helping them build lasting loyalty and thrive in today’s digital world. Featuring a host of customization options, advanced features, and marketing tools, Como’s unique platform enables anyone to quickly and easily create custom mobile apps and sites for all major mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire, and HTML5), with minimal cost and no coding necessary. Como is a division of Conduit, a leading global software innovation company.\n\n1 *Source: http://www.flurry.com/bid/109749/Apps-Solidify-Leadership-Six-Years-into-the-Mobile-Revolution#.U5rrL_mSy4J\n\nMedia:\n\nBooker\n\nDeborah Szajngarten, 646-380-4041\n\ndebs@booker.com\n\nor\n\nDKC Public Relations for Como Mobile\n\nAlison Crisci, 312-340-6997\n\nAlison_Crisci@dkcnews.com"}
{"text": "EDC provides $1.5 million in financing to Vancouver’s Mio Global.\n\nExport Development Canada (EDC) announced today that it has provided a $1.5 million loan to Vancouver’s Mio Global, which makes wearable tech for fitness (here’s a video of Mio CEO Liz Dickinson demonstrating the company’s Alpha heart rate wearable to BetaKit).\n\n“It’s very hard to get credit for a company that is growing as fast as ours.”\n\nMio Global ships its products throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and has licensing deals with adidas, TomTom, and Garmin. The company says it will use the financing for additional shipping inventory to help double revenue.\n\n“This loan is an absolute game-changer for us,” said Antonio Arciniega, Mio’s CFO and vice-president of operations, in a statement. “It’s very hard to get credit for a company that is growing as fast as ours. Traditional credit is tough and rarely available.”\n\nEDC is Canada’s trade finance agency, and the leading provider of financing, insurance, and bonding for Canadian companies of all sizes that do business outside of Canada.\n\n“Mio Global has an impressive product that required significant research and development to commercialize,” said Bruce Dunlop, EDC vice-president of Commercial Markets and Small Business. “This is a Canadian SME that is constantly innovating to remain competitive in their industry and EDC is excited to play a supportive role in their international growth.”"}
{"text": "India Israel Business Innovation Forum: Israel Invites Indian Startups, Collaborations With Israeli Companies.\n\nAs Part Of The Forum, More Than 10 MOUs Were Signed Between Indian And Israeli Companies\n\nOn the eve of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s six-day visit from January 14 to January 20, the India Israel Business Innovation Forum was also launched today to take the collaboration between the two countries further. The event saw one of the largest business delegations ever from Israel to participate in an event in India.\n\nOver 100 delegates from 74 Israeli companies from various industry sectors such as water, agriculture, foodtech, cybersecurity, homeland security, defense, software, IT and others have joined the forum. Additionally the Israel Innovation Authority is leading a delegation of 20 Israeli startups, in collaboration with Invest India and Startup India.\n\nBarak Granot, Head of the Israeli Economic and Trade Mission in New Delhi said: “We are excited and highly optimistic about India Israel Business Innovation Forum. With a leading economy, a striking concentration of innovative people and countless Israeli tech startup, Israel is the best place for Indian businesses to grow. Ranked at the top of the list of the world’s most innovative capacity and entrepreneurship, Israel’s creative, skilled, and the ambitious workforce is one of the most obvious reasons leading executives to turn to Israel to do business and scout for innovative solutions.”\n\nThe India Israel Business Innovation Forum, therefore, aims to provide technology solutions and business opportunities to Indian startups, corporates, entrepreneurs, and investors. The summit will also witness more than 10 business collaborations/MOUs being forged between Indian and Israeli companies.\n\nKey among these include an MOU between Ashok Leyland and Israeli startup company Phinergy, which is a leading developer of clean energy systems based on metal-air technology; an MOU between the Department of Electronics and IT, Government of Andhra Pradesh and Israel Electric Corporation wherein the Israel Electric Corporation will provide knowledge, services and capacities to the State of Andhra Pradesh in the field of critical infrastructure as well as a collaboration between TechM and ContextSpace Solutions Ltd for a joint cyber solution.\n\nAdditional MOUs will be signed between Reliance Industries and mPrest – a global provider of mission-critical monitoring, control and big data analytics software – for the power utility, industrial IoT, smart cities, critical infrastructure and defense sectors and between Dhampur Sugar Mills Pvt Ltd and clean energy company Ayala Water & Ecology with a scope of $500 Mn.\n\nFurthermore, a collaboration between Best Group and Cortica Ltd has been forged with a focus on security, automotive, Industry 4.0 machines etc.\n\nWhen asked to point out some of the key differences between the Israeli and Indian startup ecosystems, Wendy Singer, Executive Director of Start-Up Nation Central told Inc42, “There is a lot in common in terms of the DNA of Israeli and Indian entrepreneurs. With that, each country brings to the table its strengths and weaknesses. There is no question that Israel has no market. This makes it a high-impact fit because India is looking to create a market for some of its high companies. On the other hand, Israel doesn’t really have huge companies. With the right connectors, Indian companies can look at specific Israeli technologies.”\n\nThe two day event will also see the Prime Ministers of both the countries addressing selectively invited guests. The event will also see panel discussions on agri-innovation, startups, health, tech transfer and venture capital for innovation among others.\n\nWith regards to the sectors that Indian startups are thriving in, Start-Up Nation Central Wendy Singer stated, “Start-Up Nation Central decided at some point that we could not be deeply mapped in every single sector. So, we chose three focus sectors: digital health, agritech and industrial IoT. Within these sectors, we did a deeper mapping to understand what is really happening in terms of innovation.”\n\n“Our approach to India is to apply some of the key Israeli technologies in those sectors to the big challenges in India. Essentially, we want to connect Israeli entrepreneurs with corporates and governments in India that are interested in finding solutions to particular challenges. Our aim is to make the Israeli ecosystem aware of the tremendous opportunities in India and vice versa,” she added.\n\nCommenting on what the summit aims to achieve, Ziva Eger, CEO Invest In Israel stated, “ This summit is only the first phase in getting coordination between the two industries and the two nations. It reflects the potential of our joint venture. When you see the companies from both sides, you see businesses that are hungry to get and give each other business. We have a lot of technology and innovation coming from Israel while we have a great market and companies in India. this summit is only the beginning to getting together on the same road and having a future.”\n\nShe also added that incentives to Indian companies who do real business would include tax rebates, subsidised salaries of employees labor, and a host of tailor made programmes depending on their investment model.\n\nA Quick Look At The Growing Collaboration Between India And Israel\n\nLast year in July, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel, among other agreements, the two countries also two countries also launched a bilateral innovation challenge for startups in Israel and India – India Israel Innovation Bridge. PM Modi had launched a five-year technology fund – The Israel India Innovation Initiative Fund, or I4F to grow the business relationship between both countries. Also, both the countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a $40 Mn Industrial Research and Development (R&D) and Technical Innovation Fund.\n\nManaged by the Israel Innovation Authority and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt. of India, the programme is jointly managed by Invest India (on behalf of DIPP). The Bridge is a tech platform to facilitate bilateral cooperation between Indian and Israeli startups, tech hubs, corporations and other key innovation ecosystem players.\n\nLater in September 2017, the platform hosted a bilateral innovation challenge for Israeli and Indian startups to combine forces to develop solutions for critical challenges agriculture, water and digital health. In December, 18 teams from various sectors like agriculture, water technology and digital health were chosen as the winners of the India-Israel Innovation Bridge.\n\nThe 18 winners were given the opportunity to take their ideas to the next level with the support of the two governments and an opportunity to participate in ‘the Co-Creation Summit’, which will bring together stakeholders from both startup ecosystems to facilitate collaborations.\n\nWith this further follow up collaboration post the India-Israel Innovation Challenge, the India Israel Business Innovation Forum will open more doors for Indian companies and startups in Israel-which is one of the most fertile startup ecosystems in the world."}

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{"text": "iCapital Network to buy Deutsche Bank’s US private equity access fund platform.\n\niCapital Network has agreed to acquire the US private equity access fund platform from Deutsche Bank‘s asset management division. No financial terms were disclosed. The US private equity access fund platform is comprised of 33 funds with about $2.5 billion in invested assets. The deal is expected to close before the end of the year.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nNEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–iCapital Network, the financial technology platform democratizing alternative investments for high-net-worth (HNW) individuals and their advisors, today announced it has entered into a definitive purchase agreement to acquire the US Private Equity Access Fund Platform from the Asset Management division of Deutsche Bank.\n\nThe US Private Equity Access Fund Platform is comprised of 33 funds representing a range of investment strategies and underlying managers with approximately $2.5 billion in invested assets and more than 7,000 domestic and international investors. iCapital Advisors LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser, will take over as investment manager for the portfolio of private equity access funds and iCapital’s end-to-end technology solution will be leveraged to streamline and automate the ongoing administration of the funds and provide operational support for investors. With the transfer of assets, iCapital will service approximately $5 billion in private fund assets making it one of the largest US-based independent alternative investment platforms for the HNW community.\n\n“We see this deal as an important step forward in our mission to connect alternative asset managers with high-net-worth individuals, and are excited to work with a new universe of advisors and investors who can benefit from our state-of-the-art tech-enabled services,” said Lawrence Calcano, Chief Executive Officer of iCapital Network. “This strategic acquisition perfectly complements our existing business and brings with it an outstanding team of experienced professionals as well as expanded relationships with leading general partners, which will strengthen our value proposition to the marketplace and our growing investor network.”\n\nTo ensure continuity of service, iCapital plans to maintain relationships with the funds’ third-party service providers and will offer positions to the 18 employees currently managing the fund portfolio and servicing the investors within Deutsche Asset Management. As part of iCapital, the team will continue to support existing fund investors, which include clients of Deutsche Bank Wealth Management and Raymond James.\n\n“iCapital is a well-known leader in the alternative investments space delivering a suite of digital capabilities that are well-suited to foster and grow the US Private Equity Access Fund Platform,” said Pierre Cherki, Head of Alternatives at Deutsche Asset Management. “We remain committed to Private Equity as part of our growth strategy for the Alternatives platform in the institutional space.”\n\n“The core of our offering is the technology behind it, which gives us the ability to scale exponentially while continuing to offer the high-touch, seamless service that our network expects when investing in alternatives,” said Tom Fortin, Chief Operating Officer of iCapital Network. “This acquisition presents new possibilities for consolidation and growth, and further solidifies our position as the preferred alternative investments technology solution for asset managers and wealth managers.”\n\nThe transaction is expected to close before the end of 2017. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.\n\nAbout iCapital Network\n\niCapital Network is a financial technology platform that provides modular alternative investments solutions for registered investment advisors, broker-dealers, private banks, family offices and other sophisticated investors. The state-of-the-art online portal offers a curated menu of private equity, private credit, venture capital, real estate and hedge funds, along with extensive due diligence support, an automated subscription process and integration with a wide range of custodians and reporting packages. The firm’s configurable technology and specialized suite of services is also used by asset managers and financial institutions to streamline and automate their private fund operational infrastructure.\n\nFor additional information, please visit the Company’s website at www.icapitalnetwork.com | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icapital-network-inc | Twitter: @icapitalnetwork | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icapitalnetwork/\n\nAbout Deutsche Bank\n\nWith EUR 711 billion of assets under management (as of June 30, 2017), Deutsche Asset Management¹ is one of the world’s leading investment management organizations. Deutsche Asset Management offers individuals and institutions traditional and alternative investments across all major asset classes.\n\n¹ Deutsche Asset Management is the brand name of the Asset Management division of the Deutsche Bank Group. The respective legal entities offering products or services under the Deutsche Asset Management brand are specified in the respective contracts, sales materials and other product information documents.", "entities": []}
{"text": "CoachHub doubles up, raising €10 million just after its €6 million round, to democratise business coaching.\n\nCoachHub, the Berlin-based digital coaching platform, has announced a €10 million round from existing investors HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, Partech, and Speedinvest, plus new investor RTP Global. The news comes just three months after its inaugural €6 million fundraise.\n\nDubbing itself a “mobile coaching cloud,” the startup democratises professional coaching, taking services usually reserved for top executives and making them available to employees at any level in the company. CoachHub’s AI-based matching system recommends three business coaches that fit the employee’s individual requirements and personal requests.\n\nThe platform boasts a global network of more than 400 certified coaches across six continents and over 30 languages. Coaches work remotely with employees at over 100 organisations, including large corporations like Generali and Bosch Rexroth, and household tech companies like SoundCloud and HelloFresh.\n\nSerial entrepreneurs and brothers Yannis and Matti Niebelschuetz founded the company in 2018, and have since built a team that’s currently 75 employees and forecasted to grow to 200 by mid-2020.\n\nYannis Niebelschuetz explained the company’s success: “Our customers are seeing measurable results in terms of increased rates of employee retention and happiness. Regular, tailored coaching sessions have been shown to have a positive impact on business and employee performance. However, the reliance of traditional formats on in-person coaching sessions, which is inflexible, time-consuming and unscalable, has kept coaching out of reach for all but the most senior staff. We are fundamentally disrupting the learning and development landscape and democratising access to business coaching.”\n\nThe funding will help the startup grow its pool of coaches in the UK, as well as its core markets in France, Germany, Benelux and the Nordics. In addition to the platform and business operation side of things, the funds will further develop the company’s Coaching Lab, a think tank for behavioural research in the coaching space, designed to support coach development.\n\nCommenting on the investment, David Kuczek of HV Holtzbrinck Ventures said: “Digital coaching has become a billion dollar market that’s increasing year on year, and we see CoachHub as the clear category leader in Europe. We’re really impressed by the team’s execution in building this platform and the rapid customer traction it’s gained since launching last year.”", "entities": [[0, 8, "org_in_focus"], [29, 40, "money_funded"], [109, 117, "org_in_focus"], [123, 129, "headquarters_loc"], [179, 190, "money_funded"], [221, 244, "investor"], [246, 253, "investor"], [259, 270, "investor"], [290, 300, "investor"], [1123, 1127, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "Amsterdam-based Pride Capital Partners provides mezzanine loan to German social intranet app, COYO.\n\nIn a recent development, Hamburg-based social intranet app COYO has secured a mezzanine loan from Amsterdam-based Pride Capital Partners to finance its national and international growth strategy. Pride Capital Partners was previously known as Main Mezzanine Capital, and back then it provided a loan to leading Dutch online travel company Travelbird — which got acquired by UK’s Secret Escape recently.\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nThis is the first loan offered by Pride Capital Partners since it became an independent mezzanine provider. According to the company, the mezzanine loan will be used to finance COYO’s expansion strategy. Initially, the focus is on supporting the continuous development of the platform and strengthening the sales channel for large and extra-large clients. However, the loan amount is not disclosed.\n\nWhat is a Mezzanine loan?\n\nAccording to Internet definition, ‘A mezzanine loan is a financing option that combines the elements of both debt and equity financing. It is considered as high-risk debt, but also offers high returns for the lender. In more simple terms, the mezzanine loan is a type of funding that can be transformed into an ownership/equity if the borrower fails to pay.\n\nIn case of Pride Capital Partners, it provides loans from € 2M and the focus is on SME companies with at least €3M in revenues, more than 20 employees and a strong track record with profitable growth.\n\nCOYO – serves as a digital home!\n\nFor the starters, COYO offers an in-house developed social collaboration and intranet platform that serves as a digital home for many medium to large companies in Europe. Furthermore, the platform is sold in a SaaS and private cloud model resulting in a scalable and recurring business.\n\nEnables companies to heighten their reach!\n\nAt present, the company employs around 100 people. With this platform, it enables companies to increase their reach amongst their staff and substantially promote content creation and collaboration within the staff.\n\nAdditionally, It helps employees to better identify themselves with their employer and the company culture as they are more democratically involved in decision-making processes and generally better informed about recent developments within the company.\n\nNotably, COYO has customers currently between 75.000 and 300.000 users active on the platform. Currently, only 30% of European enterprises use some sort of social collaboration platform.\n\nPride Capital Partners\n\nPride Capital Partners provides mezzanine loans to profitable and growing companies in the software and ICT market in the Benelux and DACH region. Currently, Pride Capital Partners is in the process of raising a Mezzanine fund with European Investment Fund amongst its institutional investor base.\n\nJan Marius Marquardt (Founder & CEO of COYO):\n\nWe’re very happy that our profitable and fast growth allowed us to attract a mezzanine loan from Pride Capital Partners. After becoming the leading German social and mobile intranet vendor with over 700.000 users and without external financing, the loan will now allow us to reach our international growth goals while maintaining the existing shareholder structure.\n\nLars van ‘t Hoenderdaal (Managing Partner of Pride Capital Partners):\n\nCOYO’s strong technology, scalable and recurring business model, combined with a very dedicated management team convinced us to provide the means for their growth strategy. The mezzanine loan is a perfect fit for COYO’s growth ambitions, allowing management and shareholders to secure their future without major changes in their legal and operational setting.\n\nStay tuned to Silicon Canals for more updates in the tech startup world.\n\nDid you know you can post your job for free on our job board? If you require extra promotion, reach out to [email protected] for a discounted offer.", "entities": [[16, 38, "investor"], [48, 62, "type_of_funding"], [66, 72, "headquarters_loc"], [94, 98, "org_in_focus"], [126, 133, "headquarters_loc"], [160, 164, "org_in_focus"], [179, 193, "type_of_funding"], [215, 237, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Amaranth Medical Provides Clinical and Commercial Update on 115-micron APTITUDE Sirolimus-Eluting Bioresorbable Scaffold.\n\n– Late-breaker and Symposium at EuroPCR will Review Results 9-Months Post Implantation –\n\n– Partnerships and other funding sources under consideration to support 2018 launch –\n\nMOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 16, 2017–\n\nAmaranth Medical, a medical device company developing next-generation bioresorbable scaffolds for the interventional cardiology market, presented nine-month follow-up results from the company’s RENASCENT-II study of the APTITUDE® sirolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffold (BRS) on Tuesday, May 16th during the Evolving BRS Technology session. In addition, the APTITUDE results will be reviewed during the company’s sponsored symposium: Design Considerations and Clinical Experience of a Novel Thin-Walled High-Performance Bioresorbable Coronary Scaffold, which is scheduled for Wednesday, May 17th. APTITUDE is a poly-L-lactide-based, sirolimus-eluting BRS with a strut thickness of 115-microns. Clinical results from 60 patients enrolled in RENASCENT-II indicate high device success rate (98.3%), scaffold stability as assessed by OCT lumen area maintained at 9 months, high level of strut coverage (97.0%) and low rate of malapposition (0.037%, all covered struts) by OCT at 9 months. Importantly, no instances of thrombosis nor binary restenosis have been reported in these patients.\n\nThe company submitted an application for CE Mark for the 115-micron APTITUDE in December 2016, and expects that the CE Mark may be granted in the second half of 2017. Development of a marketing strategy and preparations for commercial launch following allowance of the CE Mark are underway. On the basis of the very positive results from the APTITUDE clinical study, Amaranth plans to begin discussions with potential partners and sources of financing to continue the development of its technology for coronary, peripheral and neurological applications. The company’s near-term efforts also include initial commercial preparations for the world’s first sub-100-micron BRS, MAGNITUDE®, for which the company anticipates a potential market launch in 2018.\n\nJuan F. Granada, executive director and chief innovation officer of the CRF-Skirball Center for Innovation and co-principal investigator of the study, commented, “The BRS field is navigating turbulent waters right now; however, I continue to believe that complete scaffold absorption brings additional value to the patient by decreasing progressive late lumen loss and expanding the re-intervention options in comparison to metallic DES. The technical and clinical performance of the thin-walled APTITUDE BRS has been successfully evaluated in a multi-center clinical trial. I am looking forward to seeing this device used in real-world cases.”\n\n“Clinical outcomes at 9-months for the patients in the RENASCENT-II trial have been excellent, displaying a safety and efficacy profile compared to metallic DES. We hope that long-term data continue to confirm the structural stability and safety of the device and add momentum to the field again,” added Dr. Antonio Colombo, co-principal investigator and director of the Hemodynamics Division at Ospedale San Raffaele in Milan, Italy.\n\nTCT Presentation Details:\n\nNine-month clinical and imaging outcomes of a novel ultra-high molecular weight poly-L-lactide BRS. A prospective multicenter international investigation: The RENASCENT II\n\nSession: Evolving BRS technology\n\nChairpersons: E. Edelman, Y. Onuma\n\nMay 16, 2017 from 12:00 -1:30 PM in Room 351\n\nDesign Considerations and clinical experience of a novel thin-walled high-performance bioresorbable coronary scaffold\n\nSponsored symposium\n\nChairpersons: A. Colombo and G.W. Stone\n\nMay 17, 2017 from 4:30-6:00 PM in Room 351\n\nAbout Amaranth Medical\n\nAmaranth Medical, Inc. is a medical device company which has created a novel technology platform for the development and manufacturing of fully bioresorbable scaffolds. The Company’s products include the 150-micron FORTITUDE® and 115-micron APTITUDE®, which have each completed patient enrollment in their respective studies; and the sub-100-micron MAGNITUDE® scaffold. Each are designed to afford the strength of metal stents to assist the artery during the remodeling process following an interventional procedure, without leaving behind a permanent implant with inherent clinical limitations. Amaranth Medical is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and its research and manufacturing operations are located both in Singapore and at its Silicon Valley headquarters. Amaranth Medical is led by Kamal Ramzipoor, and its investors include Charter Life Sciences, Bio*One Capital, Philip Private Equity, DCP Management and Venstar Capital.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170516005571/en/\n\nCorporate and Media Relations Contact:\n\nAmaranth Medical\n\nSandy Liu, 650-965-3830\n\nsliu@amaranthmedical.com\n\nor\n\nScienta Communications\n\nAline Sherwood, 312-238-8957\n\nasherwood@scientapr.com", "entities": []}
{"text": "Aquiline-backed ClearCourse Partnership buys APT Solutions.\n\nClearCourse Partnership LLP, backed by Aquiline Capital Partners, said Feb. 6 that it acquired APT Solutions. Financial terms weren’t announced. APT Solutions, of Telford, UK, is a specialist supplier of membership software and services to clients mainly in the not-for-profit sector.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nLONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ClearCourse Partnership LLP, a partnership with a mission to acquire innovative technology companies providing membership software and services to groups, organisations and businesses, today announced its acquisition of APT Solutions, a leading membership and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions provider for trade unions professional institutions, sporting bodies and charities.\n\nStuart Shepherd, APT’s Co-Founder, will continue as Managing Director, and he and his management team will be responsible for steering and growing the company.\n\n“We are excited to become the latest addition to the ClearCourse platform and look forward to working with their team. Joining ClearCourse will ensure that APT continues its position as a leading brand and allow us to expand and enhance the overall service proposition for our clients,” said Mr Shepherd.\n\nThe addition of APT Solutions to the ClearCourse platform follows the recent acquisitions of Clear Direct Debit, Silverbear and MillerTech. ClearCourse is backed by Aquiline Capital Partners, a New York and London-based private equity firm investing in businesses globally across the financial services and technology sectors.\n\nGerry Gualtieri, Chief Executive Officer of ClearCourse, added, “APT is an extremely important addition to our group of innovative technology companies. We will support the company as it grows, bringing its customers not only one of the best membership management systems on the market, but also the added benefit of products and services from across the ClearCourse group.”\n\nAbout ClearCourse Partnership LLP\n\nClearCourse is a partnership with a mission to acquire innovative technology companies providing membership software and services to groups, organisations and businesses. ClearCourse is backed by Aquiline Capital Partners, a New York and London-based private equity firm investing in businesses globally across the financial services and technology sectors. Companies that are part of the ClearCourse platform include MillerTech, Silverbear and Clear Direct Debit.\n\nFor more information on ClearCourse visit http://clearcoursellp.com.\n\nAbout APT Solutions\n\nBased in Telford, UK, APT Solutions is a specialist supplier of membership software and services to a wide range of clients predominantly in the not-for-profit sector, specialising in systems for Trade Unions, Professional Institutions, Sporting Bodies and Charities ranging from 1,000 to 1.5 million members.\n\nFor more information on APT visit https://www.aptsolutions.net.", "entities": []}
{"text": "World Bank to invest $75m in project to support Tunisian startups, small businesses.\n\nThe World Bank plans to invest $75-millionto support Tunisian startups and small businesses.\n\nIn a statement last month, the World Bank said it will invest $75-million in its Tunisia Innovative Startups and SMEs Project.\n\nThe initiative will be implemented by the Caisse de Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) and will be co-ordinated closely with the World Bank’s private-sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC).\n\nThe project is designed to support the Tunisian government’s Startup Tunisia programme, the World Bank said.\n\nThe World Bank’s Tunisia Innovative Startups and SMEs Project will invest in up to 280 startups and small businesses\n\nThe Startup Tunisia programme is led by the country’s Ministry of Communication Technologies and Digital Economy and aims to encourage the creation and growth of tech startups and digital small businesses.\n\nThe project, which was approved last month and will run until 31 December 2026, includes the provision of equity and quasi-equity investment in startups and small businesses.\n\nIt is led by World Bank senior financial specialist Fadwa Bennani and comprises three components, namely:\n\nThe provision of equity and quasi equity financing for innovative startups and SMEs through both the Anava Fund of Funds and InnovaTech Fund to invest in 280 innovative startups and small businesses.\n\nThe provision of grants to startups and ecosystem intermediaries to build a high-quality deal flow and strengthen the entrepreneurship ecosystem.\n\nCovering project management and capacity building costs incurred by the CDC in its role as the project co-ordination unit.\n\nIn May last year, Tunisia passed a startup act which includes 20 measures that aim to encourage entrepreneurship, make it easier to start a business, as well as access funding and international markets (see this story).\n\nRead more: Here are the 20 measures the Tunisia Startup Act aims to promote\n\nRead more: How Tunisia’s Startup Act is a blueprint for other African policy makers\n\nFeatured image: Keith Roper via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)", "entities": []}
{"text": "Belgian photography booking platform Utopix raises more than €730k to expand throughout Europe.\n\nThe mission of the Belgian startup Utopix is to make booking a professional photographer or videomaker possible anywhere at anytime. Founded in 2017, Utopix has now raised €730k from Be Angels, SambreInvest, and SCALE 1 funds. The startup plans to use the investment to speed up its European growth and further digitise its services.\n\nUtopix allows companies and media agencies to book photographers and videographers on its platform in Belgium and cities across Europe. The startup has attracted a growing number of national and international companies that require a large volume of photo and video equipment to promote their products or services, including clients such as Deliveroo and L’Oréal.\n\n“Utopix offers a real solution for companies or agencies that need to quickly call a professional photographer or video maker to develop their branding,” said Maxime Arcari, CEO of Utopix. “But each project is unique. This is why we want to create a platform that takes into account our customers personal needs so that they can execute their projects without any restrictions in terms of creativity.”\n\nUtopix selects carefully the professionals on its platform. Customers can just send a short briefing to Utopix via its platform, and in less than 24 hours, the startup will suggest a customised offer. Once the offer is accepted, Utopix ensures the delivery of photos or videos within 48 hours of the shooting.\n\nThe startup also plans to launch a new digital platform in early 2020 that will create even greater autonomy and flexibility for customers in completing their photo and video projects. Through the platform, clients will be able to select photographers from all over the world, manage briefings, communicate with the photographers and easily adapt their projects.\n\n“Utopix managed to convince several members of Be Angels, mainly because of the quality of the team and their innovative offer, but also thanks to the market traction they managed to prove in only 18 months of activity,” said Claire Munck, CEO of Be Angels.", "entities": [[0, 7, "headquarters_loc"], [37, 43, "org_in_focus"], [61, 66, "money_funded"], [116, 123, "headquarters_loc"], [132, 138, "org_in_focus"], [241, 245, "year_founded"], [247, 253, "org_in_focus"], [269, 274, "money_funded"], [280, 289, "investor"], [291, 303, "investor"], [309, 316, "investor"]]}
{"text": "3 of 6 startups former Dimension Data head has invested in headed by Saffers [Updated].\n\nFormer Dimension Data head Brett Dawson revealed today that he has invested in six startups, and has formed Campan, an investment company. Three of the startups have been founded by Saffers, or South Africans living overseas.\n\nThe three startups are Australian based social networking site Gather Online in which Dawson has invested R10-million and UK-based startups Fourex — which makes fast, easy and efficient forex its primary objective — and Free2cycle which aims to transform wellbeing by reimagining the cycling commuter business model.\n\nDawson said there was no “strategic reason” why three of the six investments are in startups founded by South Africans living overseas, rather these were just from those he had met in his network.\n\ny three of the six companies he has invested in are headed by Saffers.\n\nRead more: The low-down on Gather Online’s R10m investment, next round, expansion plans\n\nHe said in a press release today that Campan will invest in and nurture businesses that are poised to challenge existing business models through the positive application of technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence, data exchanges and cloud-based solutions, among others.\n\n“Campan is a vehicle through which I can live out my passion for enabling new companies that use technology as an engine to make substantial positive differences in terms of industry and process,” he said in the press release.\n\nDawson would not disclose the investment amount and details of all six deals (he has only disclosed that of Gather Online, while Wrapistry deal size was disclosed by the founder himself).\n\nCampan’s portfolio includes:\n\nGather Online, a social networking site. The platform which was founded in 2015 by South Africans Michael van Andel and CEO David Price is based in Australia and has offices in Johannesburg. Dawson has invested R10-million in the startup.\n\nBrandHubb, which was founded by Rob Anderson, allows users to personally follow all of their favourite brands within their social media sites.\n\nFourex is a UK-based company founded by Oliver du Toit and the late Jeff Paterson, London-based South African. The company makes fast, easy and efficient forex its primary objective.\n\nFree2cycle is a UK-based initiative which aims to transform well being by reimagining the cycling commuter business model. The organisation announced Dawson as the chairman in July last year.\n\nUbusha Technologies, a South African identity governance and privileged account management solutions provider, focussed on cyber security.\n\nWrapistry which provides the ultimate gifting experience. Dawson was involved with Genesis Capital in a deal that saw the two invest R4-million in the startup in November last year (see Ventureburn’s earlier story here).\n\nHe says his vision for Campan is to become a leading incubation platform that nurtures emerging, transformational Fourth Industrial Revolution businesses to make a real difference to society.\n\nDawson is also involved in investing in tech startups via 12J venture capital (VC) company Anuva Investments.\n\nIn March Anuva Investments business development manager Natasha Nicolakakis told Ventureburn that the company’s “C” class shares, are “guided by Brett Dawson and focused on the tech space”.\n\nDawson told Ventureburn that some of the six deals have been channeled by Anuva Investments to take advantage of the tax break that 12J vehicle allows investors.\n\nUPDATE 7 May 2018 Editor’s note: Dawson said there was no “strategic reason” why three of the six investments are in startups founded by South Africans living overseas, rather these were just from those he had met in his network.\n\nDawson told Ventureburn that some of the six deals have been channeled by Anuva Investments to take advantage of the tax break that the 12J vehicle allows investors.", "entities": []}
{"text": "World’s Leading Crypto Exchange Binance Partners With Uplive – Asia’s Premier Live Video Platform.\n\nHONG KONG–(BUSINESS WIRE)–December 28, 2017–\n\nBINANCE, the world’s fastest-growing cryptocurrency exchange, which was recently ranked the top exchange in the world by 24 hour volume, has partnered with Asia’s premier high-end live video platform Uplive, to bring Uplive’s over 20 million users to the Binance platform.\n\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171228005141/en/\n\nAs part of this cooperation, Uplive will feature a special virtual gift created specially for Binance’s token BNB. Uplive’s users will have the opportunity to send this special gift to the platform’s more than 60,000 broadcasters. Uplive will also offer its users the ability to use BNB in addition to Gifto, Uplive’s own virtual gifting token, in its in-app crypto wallet, when it becomes available in Q1, 2018.\n\nOver 25 million virtual gifts are purchased on Uplive on a monthly basis. This branded virtual gift places Binance in the company of previous successful international brand promotions on Uplive, including Mercedes Benz, Vogue Magazine, and Paris Fashion Week.\n\nBNB is the underlying gas powering Binance’s rapidly growing ecosystem, which passed three million users on Dec 28th.\n\nSince launching five months ago, Binance has consistently ranked among the top-3 crypto exchanges in the world by trading volume. It recently achieved the top spot in the world on Dec 17th, with over US$4 billion equivalent of cryptocurrencies traded in 24 hours. Binance has distinguished itself with its superior exchange performance, smooth and easy to use interface, and battle-tested security. Binance is also the fastest growing crypto exchange in the world, with over three million users in five months.\n\nEarlier in December, Gifto, which stands for virtual gifting protocol, launched as the inaugural project on Launchpad, Binance’s new token sale curation platform that curates high-quality token projects for its fast growing customer base. This was the first large scale crossover cooperation between crypto and traditional mobile Internet platforms. The public sale of Gifto was completed in a record time of just 1 minute, making it the fastest public token sale in Asia, and the fastest sale in the world since the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) market heated up in September.\n\n“The founders of Uplive and Gifto have extensive successful startup experience. Their team has excellent execution, with world class product development and operation capabilities. Gifto is based on the proven, real world market demand from Uplive, and will enjoy benefit of jump starting from Uplive’s huge user base.” said He Yi, co-founder and CMO of Binance. “These are the main reasons for our cooperation, we prefer teams that act more than talk.”\n\nGifto was created by the Uplive team to de-centralize the successful virtual gifting model from Uplive, which earned more than US$100m in 2017. With Gifto, any content creator in the world can create their own customized, unique virtual gifts. They can then receive these gifts from their fans via a simple Web link on any content platform, including Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram. No additional tech integration is needed, making the transition between platforms easy to execute.\n\n“It is our pleasure to work with Binance in such a mutually beneficial and innovative fashion. We believe that blockchain technology can really benefit mass consumers around the world, and we are honored to be have a partner such as Binance to bring these benefits to millions of users who previously may not understand blockchain or cryptocurrency.” said Andy Tian, co-founder and CEO of Uplive. “Binance’s world class engineering, operations, and customer care capabilities are key to their rapid ascension, and we are honored to be able to assist.”\n\nVIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtYqy_1L_Xc&feature=youtu.be\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171228005141/en/\n\nBlack Dot\n\nBenjamin Tan\n\nAccount Manager\n\nHP: 9770 4718\n\nbenjamin@blackdot.sg", "entities": []}
{"text": "Mumbai Angels backs Theranosis; Choksey invests in Anthill; Daiko in acquisition.\n\nPremium\n\nIn the latest startup funding news, Mumbai Angels Network on Monday announced that it has invested in Theranosis Life Sciences while Deven Choksey, the MD of KRChoksey Shares & Securities Private Ltd, will invest in Anthill Ventures. In another development, Japan’s Daiko has acquired a majority stake in New Delhi-based creative advertising agency.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Facebook Co-Founder Eduardo Saverin & Velos Capital Invests $11 Mn In Mumbai-Based Hopscotch In Series B.\n\nMumbai based online store for babycare and kids products Hopscotch has raised $11 Mn in Series B round of funding led by Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and Los Angeles based VC firm Velos Capital. This will be Saverin’s and Velos Partners’ first investment in an Indian startup.\n\n“I have been actively following the Indian Internet market, and I am thrilled to make my first direct investment in India in a company of the calibre of Hopscotch.in. The company’s early track record in the large and growing Indian ecommerce market combined with team’s experience, energy and vision makes this an intriguing investment opportunity,” says Savemand, who will join the company’s board as an observer.\n\nHopscotch was founded in 2012 and has raised $15 Mn in funding till date. Previously, it had raised $2 million from Singapore based Lion Rock Capital and individuals such as Nisaba Godrej, Diapers.com CTO Wei Yan and Annus.\n\nHopscotch offers products for infants and kids, the site features over 1,000 local and international brands across multiple product categories, including apparel, shoes, toys and accessories.\n\n“The latest round of funding will enable us to ramp up marketing, add more product categories and build out the senior management team,” Hopscotch founder and CEO Rahul Anand said.\n\nThe babycare and kids products market is estimated at INR 4,200 Cr. annually growing at 15-20% a year, with number of players operating in this space.\n\nLast year Firstcry had also raised INR 92 Cr. in funding led by Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, IDG Ventures & Saif partners. Babyoye, is yet another retailer which had investors like Helion Venture Partners, Accel Partners and Tiger Global backing. Last month, there were also rumors that the Mahindra Group, a $17 Bn conglomerate is looking to buy online retailer for kids products Babyoye. But just like any other ecommerce category, online kids products category also faces challenges as in 2013, Hushbabies.com was shut down by Lapis Marketing.", "entities": [[20, 35, "investor"], [38, 51, "investor"], [60, 66, "money_funded"], [70, 76, "headquarters_loc"], [83, 92, "org_in_focus"], [96, 104, "type_of_funding"], [107, 113, "headquarters_loc"], [164, 173, "org_in_focus"], [185, 191, "money_funded"], [195, 203, "type_of_funding"], [248, 263, "investor"], [294, 307, "investor"], [545, 557, "org_url"], [808, 817, "org_in_focus"], [833, 837, "year_founded"], [853, 859, "cumulative"]]}
{"text": "Furniture Rental Startup CasaOne Raises $16 Mn In Series B Led By Accel.\n\nThe fresh capital will be used to expand to newer geographies, hire talent, among others\n\nSan Francisco and Bengaluru-based furniture rental startup CasaOne has raised $16 Mn in its Series-B funding round led by Accel along with Quiet Capital, HNI Corporation and Softbank-backed WeWork.\n\nBesides these new investors, existing investors such as JLL Spark, Freestyle Capital, NextWorld, and Array Ventures also participated in the round, taking the total funds raised by CasaOne standing at $27.5 Mn.\n\nWith the recently raised funds, the company plans to expand its business in newer geographies, hiring technology talent in India, and expand into related product categories. Additionally, the company is planning to launch in its operations in London by first-quarter of 2020.\n\nFounded in 2017 by Madhusudan Kagwad and Shashank PS, CasaOne has deployed its core technology, design, product, and engineering team of around 70 employees in Bengaluru. The furniture rental company operates under two brand names CasaOne and BureauOne. For both its brands, the company offers flexible monthly plans and easy upgrades along with rent-to-own options.\n\nWhile CasaOne focuses on home furniture rentals, BureauOne, launched earlier this year, brings flexibility, speed and convenience to office landlords and tenants in commercial real estate. As of now, both these brands operate in six US markets — Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Washington DC.\n\nCasaOne, which has a B2B primary approach, claims to focus on bringing efficiency in the furniture market by using technology, logistics, and credit facilities to cater to a very fragmented and offline business. “At CasaOne and BureauOne, we are building technology for real-time inventory, supply chain, and large format logistics for the old school furniture and logistics industries,” said Shashank.\n\nCurrently, the company offers furniture related services such as furniture rental, furnishings décor and equipment for home and office, 3D visualisations and space-planning expertise. Speaking about the investments in CasaOne, Subrata Mitra, partner at Accel, said that with the fastest turnaround in the market, BureauOne is building a customer-focused business.", "entities": [[25, 32, "org_in_focus"], [40, 46, "money_funded"], [50, 58, "type_of_funding"], [66, 71, "investor"], [164, 177, "headquarters_loc"], [182, 191, "headquarters_loc"], [223, 230, "org_in_focus"], [242, 248, "money_funded"], [256, 264, "type_of_funding"], [286, 291, "investor"], [303, 316, "investor"], [318, 333, "investor"], [354, 360, "investor"], [419, 428, "investor"], [430, 447, "investor"], [449, 458, "investor"], [464, 478, "investor"], [544, 551, "org_in_focus"], [564, 572, "cumulative"], [863, 867, "year_founded"], [906, 913, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "China: Tencent leads $13m Series A in Melbourne fintech startup Airwallex.\n\nPremium\n\nMelbourne-based fintech startup Airwallex, which is building a new foreign exchange payment network, has raised a $13 million Series A funding round led by Chinese Internet major Tencent. The round also saw the participation from Sequoia Capital China and Mastercard.", "entities": [[7, 14, "investor"], [21, 25, "money_funded"], [26, 34, "type_of_funding"], [38, 47, "headquarters_loc"], [64, 73, "org_in_focus"], [85, 94, "headquarters_loc"], [117, 126, "org_in_focus"], [199, 210, "money_funded"], [211, 219, "type_of_funding"], [264, 271, "investor"], [315, 336, "investor"], [341, 351, "investor"]]}
{"text": "In just six months, Antler VC invested €5.4 million to create 44 new startups globally.\n\nIn June, we announced that 13 Nordic startups had received a total of €1.26 million in funding from Antler VC through it’s Stockholm programme. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this global VC. Antler’s goal is to generate a total of 100 to 150 new startups around the world by the end of the year.\n\nSince the end of 2018, the startup generator and early-stage VC has invested €5.4 million into launching 44 global startups. After receiving 13,000 applications for its programme, Antler selected over 450 individuals to participate and become startup founders.\n\nSince launching its first program in Singapore in 2018, Antler has expanded to eight locations, including Stockholm, New York, London, Amsterdam, Oslo, Sydney, Nairobi, and Addis Ababa. Two programmes take place annually in each city, and in the first phase successful startups receive $100k to $150k in funding from Antler for a minority equity stake. Startups leverage Antler’s global platform to expand and easily scale into other markets.\n\nAspiring entrepreneurs can apply now to join cohorts in Amsterdam, London, Oslo, Stockholm, Singapore, Sydney, New York and Nairobi.\n\n“In just six months, Antler has enabled hundreds of entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds to create outstanding companies that are already positively impacting global and local economies with the next wave of technology,” said Magnus Grimeland, founder and CEO of Antler. “What can take a young startup months and years to accomplish in a new market we can accelerate significantly with our experienced team and advisers. We are well on our way to becoming the number one platform for entrepreneurs globally by becoming a truly global company ourselves, however, our journey is only just beginning.”\n\nAntler’s successful startups now operate across 15 different industries including fintech, spacetech, robotics, and health tech. Here are some exciting examples of the startup’s Antler has funded so far:\n\nSkyQraft, a system providing affordable and safe infrastructure inspections using drones and AI to detect risks to power lines. These risks are increasing because of the impact of global warming which has resulted in more forest fires and power outages around the world.\n\nSampingan, a task-based workforce platform connecting organizations with freelance employees in Indonesia. The startup recently secured $500k from Golden Gate Ventures. Since it was founded, the company has on-boarded 20,000 agents across 140,000 projects. As well, in seven months, the company’s value has gone up ten times.\n\nSoma Sketch, a health tech app that allows patients to communicate mental and physical health symptoms by writing and drawing how their body feels. The app will help identify risks, educate users on their health and generate anonymous data for research.\n\nOne of Antler’s key missions is to break the barriers to entrepreneurship. Antler’s founders range from Cambridge graduates to self-made geniuses because, rather than focusing on individuals’ backgrounds, the team looks for applicants with spike, inner-drive and grit. With programmes operating across five continents, Antler has already attracted an incredibly diverse range of people, with founding teams comprising over 50 nationalities. The recruitment process has also generated strong female representation, particularly in the first European programme where 64% of the entrepreneurs presenting at the local demo day in June 2019 were women.\n\n“In just three months, the Antler program has enabled Shamba to put together a team working across three continents by providing invaluable advice and pre-seed investment to our company in its early stages,” said Michael Wallis-Brown, founder and CEO of Shamba, a startup that is fighting world hunger by optimizing farming in Africa. “We simply could not have launched our platform in Kenya without the support of the Antler teams in Stockholm and Nairobi, under the guidance of the Antler Global team. With this support, together with introductions to key investors both in Europe and Kenya, we are set to grow exponentially, working collaboratively with local farmers to solve inequality and hunger on the African continent.”", "entities": []}
{"text": "Delhi Based People Search Platform Youth4work Raises Funding.\n\nDelhi based people search platform, Youth4work, has recently raised $0.5 Mn from investors Sanjay Bansal, Dan Sandhu, Aurum Equity Partners LLP and GAP investments.\n\nThe startup founded by Rachit Jain, catering to companies like Microsoft, Adobe, Mahindra and Aon Hewitt, is a platform where companies can engage individuals based on the pre accessed score given to the individuals on the basis of their skills and talent.\n\nIt gives the companies an advantage of selecting from thousands of individuals with the same skill set and also provides a platform for the individuals to showcase their talent.\n\nThe company’s user base spans 250 cities across India, with a network of 5,400 colleges and 9,000 registered recruiters and it plans to strengthen its user reach and scale up its products with the capital raised.\n\nThe firm has plans of expanding its reach to 2 Mn Indian users by 2015.", "entities": [[0, 5, "headquarters_loc"], [35, 45, "org_in_focus"], [63, 68, "headquarters_loc"], [99, 109, "org_in_focus"], [131, 138, "money_funded"], [154, 167, "investor"], [169, 179, "investor"], [181, 206, "investor"], [211, 226, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Tapdaq raises $6.5 million to 'solve app discovery'.\n\nLondon startup Tapdaq, which helps mobile application developers and publishers increase reach and revenue with a proprietary cross-promotion platform for apps, has raised $6.5 million in funding.\n\nThe company's CEO, Ted Nash, shared the news on Twitter:\n\nAccording to Sky News, the investors in the Series A round include prior backers Balderton Capital and Open Ocean Capital, but also the newly established UK VC fund BGF Ventures and Spring Partners.\n\nTapdaq previously raised $1.4 million.\n\nAlso read:\n\nAppTweak scores $500,000 to bolster its ‘app store optimisation’ solutions", "entities": [[0, 6, "org_in_focus"], [14, 26, "money_funded"], [54, 60, "headquarters_loc"], [69, 75, "org_in_focus"], [226, 238, "money_funded"], [354, 362, "type_of_funding"], [391, 408, "investor"], [413, 431, "investor"], [475, 487, "investor"], [492, 507, "investor"]]}
{"text": "TDK Ventures invests in first portfolio company Starship Technologies.\n\nTDK Ventures makes first investment from $50 million fund in autonomous delivery service startup, Starship Technologies, as a result of its innovative technology, growth trajectory and high customer satisfaction.\n\nStarship Technologies will leverage TDK Corporation’s deep expertise in sensors and energy solutions for robotics and IoT, and TDK’s extensive global reach, to help expand operations, meet exploding global customer demand and advance its technology to the next generation.\n\nSAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–August 20, 2019–\n\nTDK Corporation (TSE:6762) announces that its subsidiary TDK Ventures, Inc. has made its first investment in Starship Technologies, the world’s leading autonomous delivery service, to bolster the company’s momentum and innovation. As an investor in Starship’s $40 million Series A funding round, TDK Ventures furthers its own mission to propel digital and energy transformations in segments such as next-generation transportation, robotics and IoT markets, ultimately building a meaningful and sustainable future for the world.\n\n“We are excited to become a TDK Ventures portfolio company,” said Lex Bayer, CEO at Starship Technologies. “TDK has been a world leader in advanced technology and electronics for decades and we look forward to working with their team as we focus on the next stage of commercializing our business as we expand the roll out of autonomous robot deliveries to more and more communities around the world.”\n\nTDK Ventures was announced in July 2019 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of TDK Corporation with an initial fund of $50 million to invest in traditionally underfunded technology areas such as materials science and hard tech. By providing startups with access to TDK’s expertise, TDK Ventures expects to work with its portfolio companies to identify and explore new ideas and technologies that will fundamentally change how the world operates.\n\nStarship Technologies is founded by Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, and led by former AirBnB executive, Lex Bayer. The company has developed autonomous delivery robots that use a combination of sophisticated sensors, artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver goods locally in minutes. Since the company’s founding, these robots have traveled over 350,000 miles to complete more than 100,000 autonomous deliveries. TDK Ventures aims to help the company expand its reach, with a strong focus on accomplishing its 100 university campus expansion plan, making it easier for students to save time by getting food delivered quicker and at low cost, allowing them to spend more time doing the things they love.\n\n“With our first portfolio investment as a Corporate VC, we looked for a company that was thinking and acting years ahead of the competition,” said Nicolas Sauvage, Managing Director at TDK Ventures. “Starship immediately stood out with its sophisticated approach to a vertically-integrated autonomous delivery solution and advanced robotics technology –whose market reach and insights far exceed anything else we see on the market, even from some of the world’s largest companies. We’re confident Starship’s technical acumen, combined with the vision of Lex and his team, as well as the company’s remarkable Net Promoter Score from their repeat happy customers, will accelerate commercial autonomous delivery reach to its full potential.”\n\nAbout TDK Corporation\n\nTDK Corporation is a leading electronics company based in Tokyo, Japan. It was established in 1935 to commercialize ferrite, a key material in electronic and magnetic products. TDK’s comprehensive portfolio features passive components such as ceramic, aluminum electrolytic and film capacitors, as well as magnetics, high-frequency, and piezo and protection devices. The product spectrum also includes sensors and sensor systems such as temperature and pressure, magnetic, and MEMS sensors. In addition, TDK provides power supplies and energy devices, magnetic heads and more. These products are marketed under the product brands TDK, Chirp, EPCOS, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics and TDK-Lambda. TDK focuses on demanding markets in the areas of information and communication technology and automotive, industrial and consumer electronics. The company has a network of design and manufacturing locations and sales offices in Asia, Europe, and in North and South America. In fiscal 2019, TDK posted total sales of USD 12.5 billion and employed about 105,000 people worldwide.\n\nAbout TDK Ventures\n\nTDK Ventures, Inc. invests in startups to bolster innovation in material science, energy/power and related areas typically underrepresented in venture capital portfolios. Established in 2019 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of TDK Corporation, the corporate venture company’s vision is to propel the digital and energy transformations of segments such as health and wellness, next-generation transportation, robotics and industrial, mixed reality and the wider IoT/IIoT markets. TDK Ventures will co-invest and support promising portfolio companies by providing technical expertise and access to global markets where TDK operates. Interested startups or investment partners may contact TDK Ventures: www.tdk-ventures.com or contact@tdk-ventures.com.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190820005257/en/\n\nTDK\n\nMs. Kim LIANTHAMANI\n\nKarbo Communications\n\nSan Francisco\n\n+1 415-255-6512\n\nTDKUSA@karbocom.com\n\nTDK Ventures\n\nMr. David A. ALMOSLINO\n\nInvenSense/Chirp Microsystems\n\nSan Jose, CA\n\n+1 408-501-2278\n\npr@invensense.com", "entities": [[0, 12, "investor"], [48, 69, "org_in_focus"], [72, 84, "investor"], [113, 124, "money_funded"], [170, 191, "org_in_focus"], [560, 575, "headquarters_loc"], [593, 608, "date_of_funding"], [668, 686, "investor"], [720, 741, "org_in_focus"], [860, 868, "org_in_focus"], [883, 891, "type_of_funding"]]}
{"text": "Equistone appoints Leusch as investment director for UK office.\n\nEquistone Partners Europe has named Sebastien Leusch as an investment director for its Manchester, England office. Previously, Leusch worked at Montagu Private Equity.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nManchester, 1 November 2017: Equistone Partners Europe (“Equistone”) has announced the appointment of Sebastien Leusch as Investment Director to its Manchester office as the firm continues to seek new investments from its €2bn Fund V.\n\nSebastien joins Equistone having previously worked at Montagu Private Equity, where he spent nine years developing a strong reputation for delivering transactions across a broad range of sectors in the North of England and Europe.\n\nCompleted deals include the MBOs of Paris-based low fat and healthy spreads manufacturer, St Hubert, and Poland’s leading owner and operator of transmission towers, Emitel, at an enterprise value of €430m and €425m respectively.\n\nThis followed a seven-year spell with PwC, latterly as a Director in the Corporate Finance team, where Sebastien was responsible for a broad range of lead advisory assignments, including on acquisitions, disposals, and management buy-outs / buy-ins.\n\nAt Equistone, Sebastien will work alongside Steve O’Hare, Senior Partner, and Andi Tomkinson, Investment Director, to identify new investments and support the firm’s existing northern portfolio, which includes Willerby, Apogee, Wealth at Work, Travel Counsellors, Concept Life Sciences, and Fircroft. These companies have combined revenues of over £1.6bn and around 4,000 employees.\n\nSebastien Leusch, Investment Director at Equistone, said: “It is an exciting time to be joining Equistone’s Manchester team. The firm has a diverse portfolio and has backed a number of high growth businesses in the North of England. I am looking forward to working alongside Steve, Andi and the wider UK team to identify new deals, as well as bolt on opportunities for the existing portfolio.”\n\nSteve O’Hare, Senior Partner at Equistone, said: “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Seb to our Manchester team to support our investment efforts across the North of England. He has demonstrated an ability to identify and secure key investments and manage those companies through to exit. Seb is well known in the northern deal community and also has expertise across a range of sectors and geographies, which will add value to the team at Equistone.”", "entities": []}
{"text": "Rockstart comes to Eastern Europe with Launchtrack.\n\nRockstart, a multi-vertical startup accelerator with locations in Amsterdam and Nijmegen, has opened applications for its new Launchtrack program aimed at early-stage startups in Eastern Europe. The equity-free program will run from March 31 to June 2 in Chișinău, Moldova, where founders will validate their ideas, find a problem-solution fit, and get ready for taking their projects to the next level.\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nVibrant ecosystem and local partners\n\nDescribing the reasons for choosing Molvoda as the place for its new program, Rockstart cited a rapidly growing entrepreneurial ecosystem, as well as the country’s location near the edge of the EU. It’s not only easy to reach from the Eastern European and Central Asian countries, but also has less strict visa requirements for non-EU countries’ residents. On the ground, Rockstart partnered with Tekwill, an organization busy building up the local entrepreneurial ecosystem that has a 4,000m² hub for startups in Chișinău. The program is also supported by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) within the “Moldova ICT Excellence Center Project.”\n\n“Founder-friendly and sustainable ecosystem” for Moldova\n\n“By bringing Rockstart to Moldova Tekwill expects to gain experience and learn how to run a program for early stage startups,” said Caterina Rutter, community manager at Tekwill. “We will get a better opportunity to create a founder-friendly and sustainable ecosystem for Eastern European tech startups. The Rockstart brand will help Tekwill to promote Moldova as one of the best places to turn your idea into a real startup. Also, since Tekwill provides co-working spaces, a partnership with Rockstart will ensure that we provide entrepreneurs with the best support to launch their startups, within and beyond Moldova.”\n\n“Unicorn founders don’t just come from tech hubs”\n\n“Having worked with startups from all over the world as part of our Rockstart Smart Energy accelerator, I saw that our best entrepreneurs didn’t just come from tech hubs such as London or San Francisco, they came from everywhere,” said Karin van Soest, program manager of the Rockstart Launchtrack Moldova program. “However, not all of them have had the same access to knowledge and support. Entrepreneurs originating from emerging ecosystems need access to the right tools and mentorship to be able to launch a tech startup. Moldova is a fast emerging startup ecosystem with highly engaged entrepreneurs. Being developer focused, they are well able to build great products. They have the drive to dream big enough to go global, looking to San Francisco as a role model. But there are very few successful local founders to learn from, and the financial and mentorship support they need is scarce. I believe that by supporting entrepreneurs in emerging regions with our key knowledge and experience we can create a great impact and help many more succeed in their first steps towards a global presence.”\n\n60 days of learning—but mostly on the weekends\n\nFor the program, Rockstart is looking for teams or even individual founders on the pre-MVP stage, i.e. having an idea or an early prototype of their product. The entrepreneurs are asked to pay a symbolic fee of €250 per startup, which, however, can be waived. The program is divided into four steps—”Problem validation,” “Problem-solution fit,” “Global market potential,” and “Investment-ready.” Each step ends with a milestone that the startup has to pass in order to keep going. The selected founders are expected to stay in Moldova for the duration of Launchtrack, although the program’s modules will mostly be held from Friday to Sunday.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Breakaway provides $4 mln to M-Theory.\n\nLos Angeles-based M-Theory, an IT consulting business, has secured a $4 million facility from Breakaway. The capital will be used to refinance M-Theory’s current debt and provide the company with additional working capital to facilitate growth.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nOn September 20, 2018 Breakaway funded a total of $4.0 million to M-Theory Financial Group and related entities (collectively “M-Theory”). This facility allowed the company to refinance existing indebtedness and provided M-Theory with additional working capital to facilitate growth.\n\nBased in Los Angeles, CA, M-Theory is an IT consulting business that has served approximately 1,000 customers spanning over 35 states across a broad array of industries including finance, IT, healthcare, hospitality, business services, and telecommunications. M-Theory’s suite of offerings includes value-added hardware sales and distribution, cloud hosting, data-center solutions, and managed services. Compared to public cloud and traditional infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) approaches, M-Theory offers two fundamental distinctions. First, M-Theory provides custom-built, single-tenant private clouds, allowing for complete alignment with the client’s security and compliance mandates. Second, these private clouds can be delivered anywhere the client requires, whether on their premises, in any data center, or in a colocation environment.\n\n“We are honored to be able to work with the very capable Breakaway Capital team. Breakaway went to great lengths to understand our business and financing needs and proposed an innovative solution to fund the growth in our CapEx-as-a-Service™ portfolio. We look forward to a long and mutually rewarding partnership with Breakaway and all of our capital partners.” Said Tim Skillman, President and CEO of M-Theory.\n\nAbout Breakaway Capital\n\nBreakaway Capital is a private investment firm in Los Angeles with approximately $150 million of committed capital under management. Breakaway prides itself on structuring unique and differentiated debt financing solutions. Our founding partners are the credit committee, enabling us to provide a non-bureaucratic, transparent credit process with the ability to produce a quick turnaround and certainty of close. Our focus is on creating innovative capital solutions for “difficult to finance” situations that fit the unique needs of entrepreneurs, independent sponsors, and private equity firms. The firm’s founding partners have extensive relationships and deal structuring and investing experience, having led hundreds of debt and equity financings aggregating billions of dollars over the past 30 years.", "entities": [[0, 9, "investor"], [19, 25, "money_funded"], [29, 37, "org_in_focus"], [40, 51, "headquarters_loc"], [58, 66, "org_in_focus"], [109, 119, "money_funded"], [134, 143, "investor"], [304, 322, "date_of_funding"], [323, 332, "investor"], [351, 363, "money_funded"], [367, 391, "investor"], [595, 610, "headquarters_loc"], [612, 620, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Berlin-based automotive AI startup Teraki raises €2 million and launches DevCenter for customers.\n\nBerlin-based automotive AI startup Teraki has developed a platform that promises to bring a more than tenfold increase in efficiency to components used in automotive electronics, a €350 billion industry. Founded in 2014, the startup has now raised €2 million from Hong Kong-based Horizon Ventures and American Family Ventures, bringing its total funding to €4.7 million.\n\nTeraki’s software allows for the scaling of insurance, predictive maintenance, and autonomous driving applications by providing access to more qualitative data. When embedded in automotive electronic systems, the software enables hardware to process more than 10 times more data – without loss of information to train – and run machine learning methods of its customers.\n\nBy applying techniques originally developed for quantum computing, Teraki is able to condense data to as little as two percent of its original size. This means that with Teraki pre-processing, applications run more than 10 times faster than implementations based on neural networks. With respect to sensor fusion, Teraki drastically reduces energy consumption and heat production due to lower computational tasks, while still delivering the algorithm detection and prediction performance that are essential for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles.\n\n“Data driven insights will be key to innovation in the automotive and automotive insurance sectors, as a result, capturing highly accurate information from cars is the basis needed to drive to these insights,” said Katelyn Johnson, principal at American Family Ventures. “Teraki aids in acquiring this information with the highest efficiency and accuracy rates. We are excited to support the growth of the company and its path towards enabling better insurance applications.”\n\n“Winning the support of these renowned and leading VCs is further validation of our vision to truly enable efficient edge computing and scalable AI applications in the automotive markets,” said Daniel Richart, Teraki’s CEO and co-founder. “With this investment we will be able to accelerate the time to market for our signed customer contracts and serve the growing customer funnel.”\n\nThe company has also announced the launch of its Teraki DevCenter—a cloud-based data training and prototyping environment that allows customers to train Teraki’s algorithms on their data. Data training is an essential step used to teach AI models or machine learning algorithms how to make data-driven predictions or decisions by building a mathematical model from input data.\n\nUnique to the industry, the DevCenter automates this complex process and provides development teams with the opportunity to quickly train Teraki’s machine learning algorithms based on their own data and to evaluate exactly what performance advantages Teraki’s technology can provide.\n\n“With the DevCenter we have automated data training tasks, allowing development teams to test our solution with their own data more quickly,” said Markus Kopf, Teraki’s co-founder and CTO. “Automating this entire process is complex and difficult. For our current and future customers, this makes it much easier to experience for themselves what Teraki technology can do in terms of edge processing and performance improvements that can lower their hardware and data communication costs, improve their applications and algorithms, and create new possibilities in the automotive systems of tomorrow.”", "entities": [[0, 6, "headquarters_loc"], [35, 41, "org_in_focus"], [49, 59, "money_funded"], [99, 105, "headquarters_loc"], [134, 140, "org_in_focus"], [314, 318, "year_founded"], [347, 357, "money_funded"], [379, 395, "investor"], [400, 424, "investor"], [456, 468, "cumulative"]]}
{"text": "Nigerian payments startup Paystack raises $8m in Series A round led by Stripe.\n\nNigerian payments startup Paystack has raised $8-million in a Series A funding round led by US payments company Stripe.\n\nUS tech publication Tech Crunch reported the deal yesterday (28 August), adding that digital payments giant Visa and Chinese internet company Tencent were also involved in the round.\n\nPaystack was founded in 2015 by CEO Shola Akinlade and CTO Ezra Olubi. The startup, which has offices in both Lagos and San Francisco, enables Nigerian businesses to accept Mastercard, Visa and Verve cards.\n\nPaystack was founded in 2015 by Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi\n\nIn addition, the startup also supports payments through mobile money transfer services. The startup claims over 17 000 organisations use its platform. Paystack charges 1.5% and 3.9% on local and international transactions, respectively.\n\nCrunchbase estimates that the Lagos-based startup has raised up to $9.5-million in funding through five rounds since its launch. In 2016 the startup raised $1.3-million in seed funding from several investors including Comcast Ventures, Singularity Investments, and Tencent.\n\nThe startup made history in 2015 when it became the first Nigerian startup to be invited to join Y Combinator’s Accelerator programme (Check out the startup’s application here).\n\nIn a post on Twitter yesterday, Olubi said he was ” amazed at and proud of” what he, Akinlade and the Pasytack team have built since the startup was founded.\n\nFeatured image (left to right): Paystack founders Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi (Ezra ‘God’ Olubi via Twitter)", "entities": [[0, 8, "headquarters_loc"], [26, 34, "org_in_focus"], [42, 45, "money_funded"], [49, 57, "type_of_funding"], [71, 77, "investor"], [80, 88, "headquarters_loc"], [106, 114, "org_in_focus"], [126, 136, "money_funded"], [142, 150, "type_of_funding"], [192, 198, "investor"], [262, 271, "date_of_funding"], [385, 393, "org_in_focus"], [409, 413, "year_founded"], [593, 601, "org_in_focus"], [617, 621, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "Big Squid Secures $3M in Seed Funding.\n\nTweet SALT LAKE CITY, UT, Leader in predictive analytics and machine learning with their Predictive Toolkit software platform, has successfully closed $3 million in seed funding.\n\nTo export Big Squid funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on Big SquidTo export Big Squid funding data to PDF and Excel, click here Big Squid, a leader in predictive analytics and machine learning with their Predictive Toolkit software platform, has successfully closed $3 million in seed funding, led by Silverton Partners and Kickstart Seed Fund.\n\n\"Our goal of putting advanced forecasting capabilities via machine learning in the hands of decision makers is happening,\" said Chris Knoch, CEO of Big Squid. \"Our customers can make smarter decisions with their data, faster. There is a sea change going on in the way businesses use their data, and this news further affirms the market's desire to see it happen.\"\n\nHe continued, \"We are truly excited to add Kickstart and Silverton to our team. Kickstart is the premier seed fund in Utah and has an incredible track record of picking innovative solutions out of the Silicon Slopes. I've known Mike Dodd for years; the expertise he and Silverton bring to the table is game changing. We could not be happier with our new team.\"\n\nBig Squid's Predictive Toolkit puts the power of predictive analytics in the hands of the business user and decision maker, allowing the organization to gain insight on future trends and project with greater certainty. With Predictive Toolkit, organizations can construct predictive models in three easy steps, explore different \"what if\" scenarios and allow them to forecast key business metrics to make smarter decisions faster.\n\n\"Big Squid is supercharging business intelligence tools by making predictive analytics accessible to the business user,\" said Dalton Wright, Partner at Kickstart Fund. \"This round of funding will help accelerate the adoption of Big Squid's Predictive Toolkit in the enterprise.\"\n\nBig Squid specializes in all aspects of Business Intelligence, Data Sciences, and Predictive Analytics. With more than 400 strategic implementations under their belt, Big Squid develops and implements innovative data science solutions that enable business users to identify and answer their key business questions faster.\n\n\"Having worked with Chris at Omniture, I couldn't be more excited to invest alongside him and his team. Their approach to predictive analytics and A.I. has shown to be unique and very differentiated,\" said Mike Dodd, General Partner at Silverton Partners. \"Big Squid's early customer traction and product market fit are evidence of the large opportunity in front of them.\"\n\nThe funding marks an exciting and transformative period for Big Squid as it welcomes Dalton Wright (Kickstart Seed Fund), and Mike Dodd (Silverton Partners) to its Board of Directors. Domo, provider of The Business Cloud - the world's first platform for business optimization, will remain an investor in the organization.\n\nTo learn more about Big Squid's Predictive Software Platform and Data Consulting services please visit http://www.bigsquid.com\n\nAbout Big Squid: Big Squid specializes in all aspects of Business Intelligence, Data Sciences, and Predictive Analytics. The company is a Premier Domo Partner that develops and implements innovative solutions that assist business users in identifying their key business questions, and has successfully engaged over 400 customers on strategic Domo deployments. For more information, visit http://www.bigsquid.com.\n\nAbout Silverton Partners: Silverton Partners is an early stage venture capital firm based in Austin, Texas. Silverton collaborates with exceptional entrepreneurs who are committed to attacking growth markets with proprietary products or services. The principals of Silverton Partners have over five decades of venture experience, having been the start-up investors in Tivoli Systems (IPO), Silicon Labs (IPO), Motive Communications (IPO), Waveset (acquired by Sun Microsystems) and BlackLocus (acquired by The Home Depot). More information on Silverton Partners can be found at http://www.silvertonpartners.com\n\nAbout Kickstart Seed Fund: Kickstart Seed Fund is a seed stage venture capital firm based in Salt Lake City, UT. Kickstart Seed Fund's mission is to kickstart the best companies in Utah and the Mountain West by providing smart capital, a connected community and expert guidance. Since raising its first fund in 2008, Kickstart has invested in more than 60 companies. For more information, visit http://www.kickstartfund.com", "entities": [[0, 9, "org_in_focus"], [18, 21, "money_funded"], [25, 29, "type_of_funding"], [46, 64, "headquarters_loc"], [191, 201, "money_funded"], [205, 209, "type_of_funding"], [385, 394, "org_in_focus"], [523, 533, "money_funded"], [537, 541, "type_of_funding"], [558, 576, "investor"], [581, 600, "investor"]]}
{"text": "VC is growing in Africa, but sector still hobbled by lack of follow-on and seed funding.\n\nTen years ago when Cape Town venture capitalist Justin Stanford and entrepreneur Vinny Lingham launched Cape Town’s startup initiative Silicon Cape there was hardly an angel or VC fund in sight in South Africa, local or foreign — and barely anything to speak of in the rest of Africa.\n\n“It was a sparse and difficult landscape with many obstacles,” recalls Stanford, a partner at 4Di Capital in an email to Ventureburn last week.\n\nFast track to today and the VC and angel investment sector looks totally different.\n\nSays Stanford: “Since then we have seen a notable rise in the prevalence of all of these, and the rate of change appears to be accelerating. In particular foreign funders are becoming increasingly active”.\n\nAfrica’s VC sector is growing, but still faces significant challenges, such as a lack of follow-on funding and angel investors\n\nIn South Africa the introduction of Section 12J VC tax incentive has increased the number of funds and the amount of capital available to be deployed to entrepreneurs (see this story).\n\nWith the increase in VC funding on the continent, Stanford reckons there’s now even an oversupply of capital in certain verticals in East Africa.\n\nRise and rise of VC in Africa\n\nDriven by the growth of smartphone adoption, Africa’s VC sector has become something of a success story. By some accounts 2019 may turn out to be one of the sector’s best year’s ever.\n\nData on the sector is scant and is often dependant on what definition for a tech startup one employs.\n\nThe most recent report, by French VC Partech Africa in March, found that 146 African tech startups raised $1.163-billion in equity funding last year over 164 rounds. The figure marked what Partech said is a 108% year-on-year growth in funding raised by tech startups on the continent (see this story and below for more related to data on the sector).\n\nAn optimistic Olu Oyinsan, a partner at Oui Capital, expects the total amount of VC funding in Africa to grow by another 50% this year to about $1.5-billion.\n\nIt’s no wonder Kingson Capital‘s Gavin Reardon calls the prospects for Africa’s VC sector “very exciting”, particularly for fintech.\n\n“There has been good growth and smartphone penetration is making tech even more accessible to the masses,” he adds.\n\nSilvertree Holdings‘ managing director Paul Cook echoes these comments when he says the VC sector in Africa has developed, pointing out that there are more VCs, more credible VCs, and more deals taking place on the continent now than before.\n\n“We remain excited by the intersection of timeless brand building skills with new economy routes-to-market, to reach African consumers in new and disruptive ways,” he adds.\n\nCook says for example Nigeria and to an extent Kenya are starting to appear on the global VC landscape as investment targets.\n\nBut he adds that South Africa on the other hand is probably somewhat less likely to attract global VC capital than five years ago — among other things, largely because the SA economy has slowed and because a wave of ecommerce investments made a few years ago (by Naspers, Tiger Global, Rocket Internet and others) has since declined, he says.\n\nLack of follow-on funding, seed capital\n\nBut despite this, the sector still faces significant challenges — such as a lack of follow-on funding and angel investors.\n\nBamboo Capital Partners managing partner Florian Kemmerich agrees that while there has been major growth in the African startup scene, angel investment in Africa is virtually “non-existent”.\n\n“The startups don’t get the same level of seed funding as Western companies and they often raise funds for a Series-A round too early as a result,” he says.\n\nHe says fundraising mechanisms with an adjusted risk-reward scenario need to become more commonplace to allow investors to enter at the seed stage.\n\n“This will help African startups prove their concept, raise money for a Series A round and start to scale their business. Regulation is also important, we want to encourage foreign investors to invest in these companies too.”\n\nKnife Capital partner Keet van Zyl says while the number of startups that have been able to raise funding at a Series-A level has grown, a “significant gap” in funding still exists at seed stage and for follow-on funding\n\n“When it comes to African entrepreneurs, we may have one of the largest mismatches in the world between the size of the opportunities and the amount of capital required to access them.\n\n“Compared to peer economies, the venture capital market in the region is drastically under-serviced with available investment capital.\n\n“Seed funding is scarce, however on the back of initial startup successes and an increased focus on building a cohesive technology ecosystem, the funding gap is closing for companies at the early growth stage.\n\n“But a Series-B crunch looms for the crop of startups that have gotten over the Series-A funding hump and now require significant risk funding for aggressive growth at breakout stage,” he points out.\n\nHe says while the private equity sector is well established in South Africa, the VC sector is still emerging.\n\n“VC can play a critical role in creating commercially feasible entrepreneurial ventures, but it needs to be fostered and its unique local differentiating factors still defined,” he adds.\n\nLack of institutional funding\n\nHe says a lack of institutional funding is one of the main challenges that the sector faces, as most funding for startups still comes from private individuals or angel investors.\n\nAnother challenge, he says, is building team capacity for value-adding post-investment portfolio management.\n\nVan Zyl believes the growth of VC can be sped up by enabling more fund-of-fund capital sources to commit funding to VCs and by carrying out more fund manager training or support initiatives to build more successful VCs.\n\nVan Zyl’s concern is echoed by Oui Capital’s Oyinsan. Oyinsan says a lack of institutional funders remains a critical bottleneck to the growing VC sector.\n\nHe says African institutional limited partnerships (LPs) need to be allocating more to VC — from insurance companies, to larger asset management companies and pension funds.\n\n“For example, Fortune 1000 pension plans in the US currently have about 4% of their total VC/PE portfolio allocated to Africa compared to only 0.2% by Nigerian pension funds. Closing this kind of gap will go a long way to spur the growth of the ecosystem while offering investors attractive returns,” he says.\n\nIn addition, Silvertree’s Cook believes there’s still an overemphasis by those in the tech startup sector on co-working spaces, so-called tech “hubs” and pitching events.\n\n“The VC industry is still very small, so it is almost always not a viable strategy to collect a team of inexperienced first-time entrepreneurs, build a pitch deck, and hope for the best. Startups need to focus on building a business, and some formal business experience on the team is very helpful,” he points out.\n\n‘Two steps forward, one step back’\n\nDavid van Dijk (pictured above), the co-founder and director general of the African Business Angels Network (ABAN), remains more cautious about trumpeting VC’s success in Africa.\n\n“(It) always feels like it’s two steps forward and one step back. Like every year there are new funds and new players that take an interest in African tech, bringing new capital and fresh ideas, which is great. At the same time it still feels like we are still only scratching the surface of what is possible.\n\n“We are nowhere near bringing out the full potential of local talent. Only so many entrepreneurs break through and only so many opportunities become a reality.”\n\nThese days venture capitalists might be smiling more about Africa than before, but they need to take a long hard look at how to overcome the challenges that the sector still face. The hard work is no where near over yet.\n\n*Ventureburn writer Daniel Mpala also contributed to writing this article.\n\nRead more: African tech startups raised over $1.2bn in funding in 2018 – Partech report\n\nRead more: African funding figures – what’s the real number? [Opinion]\n\nRead more: Are these the 10 biggest disclosed African tech startup deals of 2018? [Updated]\n\nRead more: Are these the biggest disclosed VC deals in 2018 involving SA tech startups?\n\nRead more: Weetracker African VC report raises questions on definition of tech startups\n\nRead more: Tech startup site Disrupt Africa mum on how it collects data for $150 reports [Updated]\n\nRead more: AfricArena predicts funding raised by African startups in 2018 will crack $1bn\n\nEditor’s note (20 August 2019): We updated the article to include an explanation from Silvertree Holdings managing director Paul Cook on why he believes South Africa is less attractive for VC investments than five years ago.\n\nFeatured image: African Business Angels Network (ABAN) co-founder David van Dijk (Supplied/Robert Cable)", "entities": []}
{"text": "Menterra raises first round of funding.\n\nPremium\n\nMenterra, an impact fund floated by social business incubator Villgro, has completed its first round of funding, and is targeting a corpus of $6 million (about Rs 40 crore) before its final close in March 2017, as per a report in The Economic Times.", "entities": [[0, 8, "org_in_focus"], [50, 58, "org_in_focus"], [112, 119, "investor"], [192, 202, "money_funded"], [210, 221, "money_funded"]]}
{"text": "Zazu is your new artificial intelligent personal assistant.\n\nLast week another intensive bootcamp at Ace Venture Lab came to an end. At the University of Amsterdam’s official startup incubator, ten startups had a chance to pitch their ideas during an exciting demo day. Zazu, an artificial intelligent personal assistant that schedules your meetings by simply adding her e-mail address in the cc-field, took home the first prize.\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nFrom idea to startup\n\nTwice a year ACE Venture lab organizes the bootcamp, which is a fully sponsored training program that is open to everybody: students, researchers and industry professionals. The bootcamp offers workshops and mentoring from startup experts that helps startups convert ideas into successful businesses. Lead mentor for this round was Gigi Wang, an industry fellow at UC Berkeley’s Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Board Member & Chair Emeritus of the MITEF / Standford Venture Lab (VLAB).\n\nDiverse\n\nThe startups that presented their ideas and business plans at the demo day were very diverse. There were the typical stuttering students that had trouble getting their unique selling point across, two professors in Molecular Neuroscience that had the key to better medicine for Parkinson patients and, like always it seems, a startup that developed yet another travel app.\n\nZazu\n\nDuring Zazu’s pitch, it became clear the team was working on something special: an e-mail based on-demand service that operates as your own personal assistant. No apps or plugins are needed: the user simply adds Zazu in the cc field of their e-mail program when a meeting is being scheduled. Through AI and machine learning, Zazu takes care of the rest and informs you where you need to be, and when.\n\nMinor program\n\nZazu originated during the minor Entrepreneurship at the University of Amsterdam Business School. “As part of this minor we had five months to set up our own business,” says Megan van Doorn, commercial director of the company. “We felt that the products already offered on the market did not satisfy the needs of scheduling meetings. We wanted to create a product that is fully automated and takes over the hassle that is involved when setting up a meeting. “\n\nPlatform free\n\nZazu doesn’t need an app or plug in and is completely platform free. According to van Doorn, people are getting tired of having to download an app for everything. “There are countless app’s these days, and people are obliged to download numerous applications on their phone, tablet and so on. The beauty of our product is; it’s no app, no web service, and no download. It integrates on the system that you are already using and familiar with, making it convenient to implement the product for the user. You only need to register and we take over the rest. In addition to this, it is easily usable for anyone and anywhere, since you just e-mail like you normally would.”\n\nArtificial intelligence\n\nWorking through the cc field of an e-mail program proved to be a difficult task for the team, but the real difficulty lies in the AI-aspect of the system. “It is a very complex problem and needs a lot of research and data along with competent algorithms. Artificial intelligence is a new understanding, there are countless new developments in the sector that we want to incorporate. We are ought to work very accurately to ensure a safe and optimal working product by merging these new techniques.”\n\nZazu is currently in the process of developing the AI-based personal assistant. The coming year they will fully focus on the development of the product and growing the business. Van Doorn: “We want to launch our product in the market and collaborate with big partners to stimulate this growth. In a year’s time we want our product to be fully operational and be able to serve our first target group.”", "entities": []}
{"text": "Seven-digit seed financing for e-commerce search engine Crowdfox.\n\nCrowdfox combines the advantages of a shopping club, a price search engine and an e-commerce platform. Users can purchase a large and constantly growing selection of thousands of high quality products of all common categories – electronics, home, beauty, kids and gourmet food at exclusive prices. The German startup also offers a distribution channel for merchants for their products completely free of charge. The savings are passed on to the customer 1:1 so that they pay ten percent less than on Amazon and others.\n\nCologne-based Crowdfox officially launched in Germany in December 2015 as an inexpensive and fair alternative to giants like Amazon and others. Users pay optionally an annual membership fee or dynamic service fee that becomes due per purchase and depends on the present selling price.\n\n€4 million and three years were invested in the development of the Crowdfox engine. The technology, developed by leading experts like CTO Andreas von Oettingen (formerly Rocket Internet), has fully automated and semantic matching processes in the product and price data processing. More than 500 million merchant, product, and price information with minimum computing power are processed every day. Crowdfox combines the benefits of a search engine like Google and the convenience from an e-commerce company like Amazon.\n\nThe further scaling is ensured with the capital of the current funding round. Crowdfox can continue without building a own warehouses and stays independent from real locations in the scaling – even internationally.\n\nThe latest financing round secures additional €5 million. 20 renowned private investors like Dr. Axel Meyer (Ernst & Young), Dr. Thomas Fischer (avantum consult AG), Peter Hartkopf (Hartkopf & Cie.), Manon Goo (DG-I, Axel Springer), Arndt Geiwitz (Schneider, Geiwitz & Partner) und Dirk Pahlke (Rothschild) in a pool agreement provide far more than just fresh capital for the startup. As a result, international venture capitals and strategic investors are showing interest in the technology and the business model of the company. According to Crowdfox, they will receive their chance to invest into the tech startup with the upcoming Series A financing round in late summer 2016.", "entities": [[0, 11, "money_funded"], [12, 16, "type_of_funding"], [56, 64, "org_in_focus"], [587, 594, "headquarters_loc"], [601, 609, "org_in_focus"], [653, 657, "year_founded"], [1657, 1667, "money_funded"], [1704, 1718, "investor"], [1736, 1754, "investor"], [1777, 1791, "investor"], [1811, 1820, "investor"], [1844, 1857, "investor"], [1893, 1904, "investor"]]}
{"text": "The Halifax Group Invests in AAMP Holdings.\n\nWASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Halifax Group (\"Halifax\") announced today it has completed an investment in AAMP Holdings, Inc. (\"AAMP\" or the \"Company\"), a global manufacturer of vehicle aftermarket and OEM technology, and former portfolio company of Audax Private Equity. Halifax partnered with CEO Jamie Fraser and AAMP's management team, which will remain with the Company after the transaction. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.\n\nFounded in 1987 and headquartered in Clearwater, FL, AAMP designs and distributes a broad suite of technology products for the automotive aftermarket. The Company's R&D capabilities have positioned AAMP as the market leader in highly engineered integration solutions, which allow aftermarket audio, safety, and infotainment products to work with factory systems. The Company is known for its PAC, Connects2, Stinger, and other quality brands, and AAMP is a trusted supplier to installers throughout North America and Europe.\n\n\"With a large and aging global car fleet, there is significant embedded demand for AAMP's solutions, and the Company has market-leading product development capabilities,\" said Doug Hill, Partner at Halifax. \"As a result, AAMP is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing need for aftermarket audio, safety, and infotainment products that integrate seamlessly with OEM systems. We look forward to pursuing the next phase of growth for the Company in partnership with Jamie Fraser and the executive team.\"\n\n\"We are excited to partner with Halifax as we look to expand our business in the U.S. and internationally,\" Mr. Fraser said. \"Their financial, operational, and strategic support will allow us to continue to provide superior products for our customers and to accelerate execution of our strategic plan for the Company.\"\n\n\"AAMP has benefited from decades of investment in R&D, and the Company occupies an attractive position in the market as a result. We are excited to partner with the AAMP management team to continue that legacy, and we look forward to growing the business together, both organically and through acquisition, for years to come,\" added Jamie Cavanaugh, Vice President at Halifax.\n\nAbout The Halifax Group\n\nFounded in 1999, The Halifax Group is a private equity firm that partners with managers and entrepreneurs to recapitalize and grow lower middle-market businesses with total enterprise values generally between $50 million and $300 million. Halifax specializes in equity recapitalizations, corporate carve-outs and management buyouts and invests across a variety of industries, including health and wellness, outsourced business services, franchising and infrastructure. The firm is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and maintains offices in Dallas, TX and Raleigh, NC. For more information, please visit www.thehalifaxgroup.com.\n\nABOUT AAMP\n\nAAMP supplies premium automotive technology solutions through aftermarket installers, mass-market retailers, and eCommerce platforms. The Company provides an extensive product portfolio across integration, infotainment, high-performance audio, safety, and connectivity product segments. Primary vehicular end-markets served are light vehicle, agriculture, marine, powersports, recreational, and commercial. For further information please visit: www.aampglobal.com\n\nAbout Audax Private Equity\n\nAudax Group is a leading alternative investment manager with offices in Boston, New York, and San Francisco. Since its founding in 1999, the firm has raised over $26 billion in capital across its Private Equity and Private Debt businesses. Audax Private Equity has invested over $5 billion in more than 130 platforms and 800 add-on companies, and is currently investing out of its $3.5 billion, sixth private equity fund. Through its disciplined Buy & Build approach, Audax seeks to help platform companies execute add-on acquisitions that fuel revenue growth, optimize operations, and significantly increase equity value. With more than 250 employees and over 100 investment professionals, the firm is a leading capital partner for North American middle market companies. For more information, visit the Audax Group website www.audaxgroup.com.\n\nContact:\n\nCaroline Luz\n\nBlicksilver Public Relations\n\n203-656-2829\n\ncaroline@blicksilverpr.com\n\nSOURCE The Halifax Group\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttp://www.thehalifaxgroup.com", "entities": [[0, 17, "investor"], [29, 42, "org_in_focus"], [45, 55, "headquarters_loc"], [57, 69, "date_of_funding"], [86, 103, "investor"], [166, 185, "org_in_focus"], [515, 519, "year_founded"], [541, 555, "headquarters_loc"], [557, 561, "org_in_focus"], [3347, 3365, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Montoya and Barrichello invest in World's Fastest Gamer parent company.\n\nMillennial Esports recently launched the second season of World's Fastest Gamer, which provides the winner with a full season of GT racing in 2020.\n\nNew investor Barrichello holds the record for the most Formula 1 race starts in history (326). He scored 11 F1 race wins and currently competes in the Brazilian Stock Car Championship – sitting fourth in the 2019 points with three race wins to his credit.\n\n\"I followed Darren Cox's previous success in the esports racing world with GT Academy. I race online all the time and see the size and passion of the community,\" said Barrichello.\n\n\"I also know the appetite for sponsors to get involved in esports racing, but there are not many credible opportunities. I looked at Millennial Esports' current and future projects and felt that this was a turning point for the industry, and I wanted to be fully involved.\"\n\nMontoya will act as judge for World's Fastest Gamer season two alongside inaugural winner, Dutchman, Rudy van Buren. Currently leading the points in the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Montoya's decorated career includes a victory in the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, two x Indianapolis 500 wins and three victories in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.\n\n\"I have raced online for many years and recently took a role as a judge for Millennial Esports' 'World's Fastest Gamer' competition,\" Montoya said.\n\n\"I saw the strength of the team behind it and decided that I should be more involved. Esports racing is enjoying a huge rise in interest through programmes such as World's Fastest Gamer, F1 Esports, and NASCAR's esports competitions. Up until now, there was not a simple way to invest in the space; Millennial Esports has opened up that opportunity.\"\n\nThe Colombian and Brazilian racers are the latest high-profile sporting personalities to invest in the esports industry. The pair are following in the footsteps of US professional sports team owners Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks), Robert Kraft (New England Patriots) and Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys); basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal and baseball great, Alex Rodriguez.\n\nBy gathering assets and expertise in the racing and esports space, Millennial Esports has now provided a way for motorsport fans to invest and participate in this growth market.\n\nMontoya and Barrichello are the first two names appointed to a special advisory board operating under the direction of new CEO and industry veteran Cox. Their appointment is part of Millennial Esports' new business plan launched by Cox, a former global motorsport director with Nissan.\n\n\"We are refocusing Millennial Esports into a business that concentrates on two big untapped opportunities within esports - motorsport and data provision,\" Cox said.\n\n\"Having Juan Pablo and Rubens fully involved in the business will bring even more insight and credibility to our group and team.\"\n\nThe Montoya/Barrichello group's investment was part of non-brokered private placement of convertible debentures. Millennial Esports announced on August 9, 2019 that it has raised a total of US$15,000,000 in three tranches. The Montoya/Barichello group invested as part of the US$5,342,000 second tranche that closed on July 25, 2019.\n\nAbout Millennial Esports Corp.\n\nMillennial Esports Corp. (MEC) recently restructured its business and leadership team. MEC now focuses exclusively on two areas – esports racing and esports data provision. With publishing, IP, content, and data expertise in its portfolio, combined with a new board and management team, MEC is ready to lead the rush to profitability in the esports industry.\n\nMEC aims to revolutionise esports racing and the racing gaming genre via its industry-leading gaming studio Eden Games (Lyon, France) which focuses on mobile racing games and its unique motorsport IP, including World's Fastest Gamer (created and managed by wholly-owned subsidiary IDEAS+CARS, Silverstone UK).\n\nBuilding on the leading position of Stream Hatchet (a Barcelona, Spain-based wholly-owned subsidiary) MEC provides robust esports data and management information to brands, sponsors, and industry leaders. This data allows the esports industry to use this data to monetize the huge number of eyeballs in the gaming and esports space.\n\nNeither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.\n\nSOURCE Millennial Esports Corp.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Prime Venture Partners Invests $1.4 Mn In US-Based Startup SurveySparrow.\n\nThe company has clients such as FedEx, Deloitte Digital, SAP, and Siemens\n\nThis is the seed round for the SaaS startup\n\nUS-based survey and customer feedback software, SurveySparrow has raised $1.4 Mn in seed funding from Prime Venture Partners. The SaaS (software-as-a-service) startup will use the funds for product development and extensive hiring across engineering, product development, and marketing.\n\n“Whether its consumers, employees or marketers, we believe a highly engaging survey platform will be the cornerstone to measure and improve the brand experience.” said Amit Somani, managing partner of Prime Venture Partners.\n\nSurveySparrow was founded in October 2017 by Shihab Muhammed and Subin Sebastian. The company has offices in both Kochi and Palo Alto. The company differentiates itself from other survey platforms by offering a chat-like user interface (UI) for surveys. SurveySparrow claims this spin on the survey’s UI hikes the chances of survey completion by 40%.\n\nThe tool also allows organisations to manage customer experience surveys, employee pulse surveys and market feedback surveys on its platform. In addition to surveys, the company also offers two other products including net promoter score (NPS) and the audience for market research.\n\nThe company works on a subscription-based model, businesses can register on the platform at a starting price of $19 per month.\n\nSince its launch, SurveySparrow has conducted over 20K surveys with over 8K customers spread across 108 countries for multinational partners such as DiDi, PaySafe, FedEx, Deloitte Digital, SAP, and Siemens. The startup is now set to clock more than 20K customers by the end of 2019.\n\n“We are bullish on customer experience becoming a crucial decision point in choosing the right service, with the world moves towards a subscription service economy. We believe customer experience will be the biggest factor influencing buying decisions,” said Shihab Muhammed, cofounder, SurveySparrow.\n\nSaaS Industry Overview\n\nAccording to a report by Google and Accel Partners, the Indian SaaS market is predicted to become a $10 Bn revenue industry by the year of 2025. The report also added that global SaaS industry can be predicted to become $132 Bn revenue industry by the year of 2020, in which India is likely to contribute nearly 8% of the global SaaS revenue by 2025.\n\nFurther talking about the global online survey software market, SurveySparrow team said the market is valued at $4.06 Bn. Other startups offering online survey tools in India include SurveyMonkey, Touchmetric and SoGoSurvey.\n\nIn September 2018, customer experience management software Cloudcherry had raised $9 Mn in an extended Series A funding round led by Pelion Venture Partners. Subsequently, a Bengaluru-based SaaS platform Hiver (previously Grexit) raised a $4 Mn fund from Kalaari, and Kae Capital in October 2018.\n\nMore recently in February 2019, software arm of Ebix Inc acquired a 80% stake in the Delhi-based SaaS travel platform, Zillious Solutions.", "entities": [[0, 22, "investor"], [31, 38, "money_funded"], [42, 44, "headquarters_loc"], [59, 72, "org_in_focus"], [195, 197, "headquarters_loc"], [243, 256, "org_in_focus"], [268, 275, "money_funded"], [279, 283, "type_of_funding"], [297, 319, "investor"], [709, 722, "org_in_focus"], [746, 750, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "Aurelius buys Abelan from PHI Industrial.\n\nAurelius has acquired Abelan, a Spain-based provider of core board and solid board packaging solutions. The seller was PHI Industrial. No financial terms were disclosed.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nMunich/London/Madrid, November 30, 2017 – AURELIUS Equity Opportunities SE & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE000A0JK2A8) (“Aurelius” or “the Group”), the listed mid-market pan-European investor, today announces the acquisition of Abelan Board Industrial S.L. (“Abelan” or “the Company”), a major producer of core board and solid board packaging products operating out of Southern Europe, from PHI Industrial. The deal represents AURELIUS’ third acquisition in the European packaging sector since 2015 and will further strengthen the Group’s operations in this market. The financial terms of the deal are undisclosed; completion of the transaction remains subject to clearance of customary conditions.\n\nFounded in 1911, Abelan has grown to be one of Europe’s leading providers of core board and solid board packaging solutions. The Company is headquartered in San Andrés in northern Spain and employs c.250 people across three manufacturing facilities in Spain and France. It is projected to generate revenues of approximately €70m in 2017. Abelan has two key areas of expertise: the production of core board, for cardboard tubes, boxes and other applications within packaging, and its solid board packaging division, which supplies a large variety of boxes and trays to major distribution brands in the European agricultural, meat, flower and various other industries.\n\nManaging Director of Abelan, Simón Roda, will continue to lead the Company. Following completion of the deal, the operations of Abelan will be combined with those of AURELIUS investee company Solidus Solutions (“Solidus”), one of Europe’s leading producers of solid board, graphic board and solid board packaging with c.1,000 employees. Solidus already has significant market share in Europe with production facilities in the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK, having integrated its sites after AURELIUS acquired the Northern European activities of Abelan in June 2016, as well as dedicated sales offices in France and Norway. AURELIUS’ acquisition of Abelan, and the integration of its production facilities and customer base into Solidus, will create significant synergies across both companies’ production, purchasing and sales. In addition, it will strengthen Solidus’ access to Southern European markets and establish Solidus as a leading player in the areas of solid board, graphic board and core board.\n\nAURELIUS board member Gert Purkert commented, “We are extremely pleased to be announcing AURELIUS’ acquisition of Abelan, a company performing impressively in a sector in which AURELIUS has previously invested. This strategic acquisition will enable Solidus to further diversify its operations geographically, realise significant synergies, accelerate its growth into a leading pan-European mid-market business and establish itself as a true champion in the areas of solid board, graphic board and core board. Following the successful investment in Tavex Europe, this deal also highlights AURELIUS’ continued commitment to the Iberian Peninsula, supported by its local office in Madrid.”", "entities": []}
{"text": "tiphub to host Diaspora Day of Civic Hacking.\n\nAfrica-focused US accelerator tiphub is to host the Diaspora Day of Civic Hacking across four cities in the US and Africa, with participants to hack solutions to technical challenges faced by selected organisations.\n\nEvents are to be held in Nairobi, Accra, Atlanta and Washington D.C. on February 7, bringing together techies and community leaders to brainstorm and build solutions to the selected community change organisations, namely, Asante Africa Foundation, Afrika Tikkun, The Peace Corps, BudgIT, The Dream Defenders, and the United Negro College Fund.\n\nAttendees will form teams for the one day event to prototype solutions to problems identified by the featured organisations.\n\nAt the end of the day, the solutions created will be provided to the organisations for review, as well as being uploaded to an open source portal where visitors can access the hacks for use in communities across the world.\n\n“The globalization of technology has enabled us to intermingle new notions with traditional structures for real-world impact,” said tiphub co-founder and marketing director Amanda Spann.\n\n“tiphub is delighted to spark a trans-atlantic conversation and facilitate the transmission of ground-breaking ideas through cross-continent collaboration.”\n\nThe events are open to the public by registration online.\n\nThe Nairobi event will be held at iLab; in Accra teams will gather at HubAccra; Atlanta’s Opportunity Hub will host an event; while in Washington D.C. the event will take place at DC Hive.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Kenya’s PayGo Energy raises $1.43m funding round.\n\nKenyan pay-as-you-go clean cooking fuel provider PayGo Energy has raised a US$1.43m debt and equity financing round to fund its expansion.\n\nPayGo Energy allows households to cook on clean burning Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and uses pay-as-you-go technology to allow customers to purchase the system over time via mobile money.\n\nThe funding round involves investors such as Novastar Ventures, Energy Access Ventures, Village Capital, Global Innovation Fund, and Global Partnerships/Eleos Social Venture Fund.\n\nThe investment will finance the expansion of PayGo Energy’s customer base in Nairobi, the development of its software platform and next generation smart meter, and the growth of its team.\n\nSince launching its first technology pilot in 2016, Paygo Energy has developed a steady customer base in Nairobi, while the company currently has an international team committed to launching its hardware and software technology across the region.\n\n“A billion households are forced to cook with dirty fuels everyday, which is not only a serious development challenge, but also a significant market opportunity. This financing will allow us to invest deeply in our technology, build a service that our customers love and prepare for commercial rollout,” said PayGo Energy chief executive officer (CEO) Nick Quintong.\n\nThe startup’s mission is to unlock clean energy for the next billion, by revolutionising the distribution of cooking gas. Urban households living at the base of the pyramid spend a relatively large amount of income – US$0.50 per day – on fuels like charcoal and kerosene, which expose households to health and safety risks.\n\nThese households are currently priced out of the cleaner LPG market, but PayGo Energy provides an improved service system and an innovative smart metering technology that eliminates upfront costs and enables customers to access clean burning LPG on a pay-as-you-go basis.", "entities": [[0, 5, "headquarters_loc"], [8, 20, "org_in_focus"], [28, 34, "money_funded"], [51, 57, "headquarters_loc"], [100, 112, "org_in_focus"], [126, 134, "money_funded"], [135, 150, "type_of_funding"], [427, 444, "investor"], [446, 468, "investor"], [470, 485, "investor"], [487, 509, "investor"], [515, 560, "investor"], [798, 802, "year_founded"], [804, 816, "org_in_focus"], [857, 864, "headquarters_loc"]]}
{"text": "Smule Raises $38 Million in Funding to Accelerate Growth & Invest in Research and Development.\n\nAdam Street Partners Leads Round, Partner David Welsh Joins Smule’s Board\n\nSAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–April 23, 2015–\n\nSmule announced today that it raised $38 million in new equity and debt funding to invest in marketing, product development and international expansion. Adam Street Partners led the equity round with existing backers, including Bessemer Ventures and Shasta Ventures, and City National provided the debt financing. Adams Street partner Dave Welsh joined Smule’s board.\n\n“It’s not every day you encounter a market leading business that combines exceptional creativity with such discipline around execution,” said Dave Welsh, Partner, ASP. “Smule is unique in vision, talent and model. I’m excited to join the board and participate directly in the opportunity to redefine the market for music.”\n\nSmule, known for its entertaining apps and performance platform, has effectively built a social network for music that is growing at a rapid pace. The Smule community now performs 12 million songs a day and records 1.5 terabytes of content a day on the Smule network. The company’s revenue displays the momentum, having doubled in year on year, in 2014, to $40 million, with Smule’s 350,000 subscribers representing 85% of its sales.\n\n“With as much disruptive power as the Sony Walkman or Apple iTunes, Smule is transforming a music industry characterized by a few dozen artists performing for billions of passive listeners,” said David Cowan of Bessemer Venture Partners, Smule’s first investor and board member. “Smule is proving that no one wants to just listen – we want to join the music through song, piano, guitar, composition, rap and dance.”\n\nSmule’s vision is to use technology to free people to be creative, expressive and connected through music. Smule’s model in pursuing innovation has combined the experimental with rigorous, iterative R&D. The result to date has been the formation of a community of 25M users performing 4 billion songs a year.\n\n“We are delighted to have Dave Welsh join our board,” said Dr. Jeffrey C. Smith, co-founder and CEO of Smule. “His significant operating experience, combined with the depth of Adams Street Partners financial backing, will help guide Smule’s growth and enable us to achieve our mission of connecting the world through music.”\n\nAbout Smule\n\nFounded in 2008, Smule has created a social network for musical performance powered by a family of award winning mobile applications including Ocarina, Magic Piano, Sing! Karaoke, Guitar! and AutoRap. Smule is changing the industry, transforming music from a passive to an engaging experience where every fan is a musician. On a typical day, Smule’s community will play and sing over 12 million songs and upload over a terabyte of their performances to the Smule network. Over 300 million people across seven continents have used Smule’s products.\n\nfortyseven communications for Smule\n\nSibel Sunar, 212-391-4707\n\nsibel@fortyseven.com", "entities": [[0, 5, "org_in_focus"], [13, 24, "money_funded"], [171, 184, "headquarters_loc"], [201, 215, "date_of_funding"], [218, 223, "org_in_focus"], [234, 239, "date_of_funding"], [255, 266, "money_funded"], [274, 280, "type_of_funding"], [285, 289, "type_of_funding"], [371, 391, "investor"], [400, 406, "type_of_funding"], [446, 463, "investor"], [468, 483, "investor"], [489, 502, "investor"], [516, 520, "type_of_funding"], [2405, 2410, "org_in_focus"], [2423, 2427, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "Access Technology Ventures Leads $300 Million Investment Round for Essential Products Inc.\n\nAccess Technology Ventures makes $100 million investment in Andy Rubin’s Essential Products Inc.\n\nAccess Technology Ventures to join Essential’s board of directors\n\nNEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–August 9, 2017–\n\nAccess Technology Ventures, the venture capital and growth technology investment arm of privately held industrial group Access Industries, today announced its leading $100 million investment in the $300 million funding of Essential Products Inc., the smartphone maker founded by Andy Rubin, the creator of Android. Access will also join the company’s board of directors. Other investors in the round included Redpoint Ventures, Tencent Holdings Ltd., Altimeter Capital, Vy Capital and Amazon Inc.’s Alexa Fund.\n\n“We are thrilled to work with Andy, one of the preeminent mobile entrepreneurs in the world. His experience, industry knowledge and proven ability to innovate, will help Essential as it develops a complete hardware-software ecosystem that puts users first,” said Pueo Keffer, Managing Director, Access Technology Ventures. “There is consistent demand in the mobile industry for new and enhanced technology which Essential is uniquely positioned to attract.” The investment is consistent with Access’s mandate to invest in and help build foundational companies that touch millions of customers across the consumer and enterprise technology ecosystems.\n\n“Along with its focus on founder-led companies, Access Technology Ventures’ global reach and long-term perspective match the scale and breadth of Essential’s ambition,” said Essential CEO Andy Rubin.\n\nToday’s investment brings Essential’s total capital raised to $330 million.\n\nAccess’s portfolio includes leading technology companies including Amazon, Alibaba, Facebook, Snapchat, Spotify, Square, Rocket Internet, Zalando, Digital Ocean, Opendoor, and Yelp.\n\nAbout Access Technology Ventures\n\nAccess Technology Ventures is the venture capital and growth technology investment arm of Access Industries, a privately held, US-based industrial group with global strategic investments. Its portfolio includes leading technology companies such as Alibaba, Facebook, Snapchat, Spotify, Square, Rocket Internet, Zalando, Digital Ocean, Opendoor, and Yelp. www.accesstechnologyventures.com.\n\nAbout Access Industries\n\nAccess Industries is a privately held, U.S.-based industrial group with global strategic investments. Founded in 1986 by Len Blavatnik, an American entrepreneur and philanthropist, Access invests to maximize long-term value by developing regional and global leaders. Its industrial focus spans four key sectors: natural resources and chemicals; media and telecommunications; real estate and hospitality; and venture capital. www.accessindustries.com.\n\nAbout Essential Products\n\nEssential Products is a new type of company focused on creating consumer technology products for the 21st century. Founded by Andy Rubin, co-founder of Android, the world’s most widely used operating system, Essential Products is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. For more information, please visit www.essential.com.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170809006226/en/\n\nAccess Industries\n\nJason Juceam\n\nBrunswick Group\n\n+1 212-333-3810\n\njjuceam@brunswickgroup.com", "entities": [[0, 26, "investor"], [33, 45, "money_funded"], [67, 89, "org_in_focus"], [92, 118, "investor"], [125, 137, "money_funded"], [165, 187, "org_in_focus"], [257, 265, "headquarters_loc"], [282, 296, "date_of_funding"], [299, 325, "investor"], [438, 443, "date_of_funding"], [466, 478, "money_funded"], [497, 509, "money_funded"], [521, 544, "org_in_focus"], [708, 725, "investor"], [727, 748, "investor"], [750, 767, "investor"], [769, 779, "investor"], [798, 808, "investor"], [3059, 3077, "org_in_focus"], [3098, 3119, "headquarters_loc"], [3156, 3173, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "UAVenture Capital Fund Invests in Automatic Eyeglass Prescription Technology.\n\nTUCSON, Ariz., July 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- UAVenture Capital Fund (UAVC), a Tucson based venture capital fund dedicated to the University of Arizona commercialization of discovery products, technology and services, today announced its seventh portfolio investment and the second investment from Fund II.\n\nThe Fund has invested in iCrx, Inc. a Wyant College of Optical Sciences technology that will introduce a compact automatic phoropter utilizing laser technology designed to instantly determine a required eyewear prescription. The phoropter is the common name for an ophthalmic testing device, also called a refractor, invented in 1921. It is still commonly used by eye care professionals during a prescription eye examination and contains different lenses used for refraction of the eye during sight testing. Such testing measures an individual's refractive error and determines his or her eyeglass prescription.\n\nThe new iCrx invention is a hand-held device that can produce an objective and accurate eyeglass prescription in approximately 20 seconds without any subjective input from the viewer.\n\nThe invested funds from UAVC will be utilized to further develop and miniaturize the technology into a commercial product to be used in kiosks and/or in rapid screening of large patient populations especially in developing countries that lack sufficient facilities and specialist doctors.\n\nDr. Gholam Peyman, an ophthalmologist, retinal surgeon, and professor of both Clinical Ophthalmology and Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona invented the original iCrx technology. Dr. Peyman is also the Research Director for the Department of Ophthalmology and is best known for his invention of LASIK eye surgery. University of Arizona Wyant College of Optical Sciences faculty Dr. Nasser Peyghambarian and Dr. James Schweigerling, co-inventors of the technology, have been designing the compact phoropter prototype. Several students at the University of Arizona are also working on the project.\n\nAbout UAVC:\n\nUAVenture Capital Fund II, LLC is a Tucson based investment fund designed specifically to help finance University of Arizona connected enterprises including the commercialization of faculty led innovations originating at the University of Arizona. The fund provides early stage capital to companies where the science or service array was pioneered by faculty members, students and/or colleagues at the University of Arizona, one of the top research universities in the world.\n\nAbout University of Arizona James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences:\n\nThe University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences is one of the world's premier educational and research institutions in optics and photonics. Its focus is on educating outstanding students with a broad foundation in all areas of optics and on providing practical experience while developing highly competitive technical skills. The research programs include optical engineering, fundamental optical physics, photonics, and image science. The College provides unique opportunities to pursue cutting-edge applications of optics in real-life systems. Graduates become professors, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs, working in academia, industry, government and business around the globe.\n\nSOURCE UAVenture Capital Fund, LLC\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttps://www.uaventurecap.com", "entities": [[0, 22, "investor"], [79, 92, "headquarters_loc"], [94, 107, "date_of_funding"], [124, 146, "investor"], [296, 301, "date_of_funding"], [411, 421, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Silvertree invests R5m in former OrderIn co-founder’s new dark kitchen business.\n\nCape Town based investor Silvertree Holdings has invested R5-million in return for a majority stake in former OrderIn co-founder Heini Booysen’s new dark kitchens business.\n\nAlso known as a “ghost kitchen”, “virtual kitchen” or “cloud kitchen”, Cape Town based Darth Kitchens is a delivery-only establishment that can only be accessed via food delivery apps like UberEats, Mr D and OrderIn.\n\nBooysen (pictured above, centre with Silvertree’s Manuel Koser and UCook’s David Torr) confirmed to Ventureburn today that Silvertree has taken a 51% stake in Darth Kitchens, and that the investor plans to inject a further amount early next year, which Silvertree put at R30-million.\n\nBooysen left OrderIn about a year ago but confirmed that he still has a small stake in the business, which was founded by former Goldman Sachs associate Dinesh Patel in 2012 before Booysen joined as a director a year later.\n\nThe New York co-founder of Seamless, Jason Finger, helped fund OrderIn initially, said Booysen.\n\nSilvertree Holdings has invested R5m in return for a 51% stake, in former OrderIn co-founder Heini Booysen’s new dark kitchens business\n\nBooysen said the R5-million from Silvertree has been used to fit out a 400 square metre premises which previously served as a panel beating shop, off Bree Street in the city centre.\n\nThe funding will also serve as working capital and allow the startup to grow its current team — which currently stands at 20 permanent kitchen staff and five founding members (including two executive chefs who worked at some of South Africa’s best restaurants like The Test Kitchen and Thali).\n\nUCook co-founder is advisor\n\nUcook co-founder David Torr helps out as an advisor. Silvertree has a 50% stake in his business (Silvertree invested R3-million initially in 2016 and then a further R5-million). Booysen says Torr also has a small sweat equity stake in his business, while the remaining stake in Darth Kitchens is made up of his own share and that of an employees stake.\n\nDarth Kitchens kicked off with its first order in August, after Booysen began working on the business in March.\n\nThose that use these apps will not see the name “Darth Kitchens”. Instead they will see the names of the business’s own five brands listed at restaurants. The brands are Buddy’s Burgers, Fluent (Health Bowls), Bagels Shmagels, Anvil Burger Co and Ringo’s NY Style Pizzeria.\n\nBooysen said he didn’t believe customers would see this as a problem. “Whether it comes out of a dark kitchen or not, it’s still coming out of a kitchen,” he added.\n\n‘25% cheaper than traditional restaurants’\n\nWhile the kitchen had to undergo the usual health and fire inspections that restaurants undergo before receiving a license to operate, the dark kitchen has operational costs that are likely 25% less than a normal restaurant, estimates Booysen.\n\nRent is the business’s biggest saving. While the business operates in the city centre, rent is about 20% of what the typical restaurant would pay in the city centre because the premises is an industrial space.\n\nHowever, the reliance on the order app does, he admits, add to the cost.\n\nBetween 20% and 30% of the price that a food item is sold for on an app goes to the ordering app. But Booysen says he doesn’t see this as a major challenge, as he says the revenue his business gives up is in return for the marketing that these apps perform of his food brands.\n\nHowever, he admits that as a dark kitchen one is very often at the mercy of order apps. If for example one has a special on sushi that day, and the dark kitchen doesn’t offer any sushi, the dark kitchen will lose out.\n\nBut then the advantage to being a dark kitchen is that it’s easier to test new offerings and put these out as a “restaurant”. If something doesn’t work, you won’t have to pull down signs and change the decor, as you would if it was a traditional restaurant — you just pull the brand and put a new one up on the app.\n\nWhile its usual for the orderings apps to give restaurants a tablet from which to manage orders, Booysen says the business has integrated the various orders of its five current brands, into a point-of-sale system — to avoid the chaos of having to deal with multiple tablets when accepting orders.\n\n‘Up to $1bn market size’\n\nDark kitchens may be emerging in South Africa but it is not a new concept, with global delivery apps like Deliveroo launching these kitchens in the UK as far back as 2017, the trend has had some time to gain momentum globally.\n\nRecently however this concept is experiencing increased interest from venture capital companies and food tech investors driven largely by players like Uber’s founder, Travis Kalanick.\n\nKalanick raised more than $400-million for his move into the dark kitchen space across the US, India and China and Kitchen United raised more than $40-million from Google Ventures to grow their dark kitchen network across the US.\n\nWhile it’s difficult to estimate the size of the local market (because it depends on customer data held by each of the ordering apps and the sales number of restaurants), Silvertree Holdings managing partner Peter Allerstorfer estimates it to be between R500-million to R1-billion.\n\n‘Walking into this with my eyes wide open’\n\nSilvertree’s move to take majority stakes in the firms it invests in may have been viewed by some founders with suspicion (see this story).\n\nBut Allerstorfer says the investor aims to always ensure that the entrepreneur has a significant stake in the business — and that the entrepreneur is afforded the ability to sell their stake at a later stage. He confirmed that Silvertree is still considering a 2023 listing of its portfolio.\n\nBut does the majority stake that Silvertree has taken in the business effectively mean Booysen works for Silvertree?\n\n“I have known Manuel (Koser) for many years and I am well aware of how they do things. I’m walking into this with my eyes wide open,” says Booysen.\n\nHe says while his experience with past investors has been that they make the investment and then expect only quarterly reports, that with Silvertree has been different.\n\n“These guys are more involved,” he says, pointing out that Koser and his team hold weekly meetings with him and his team and have provided office space, as well as help with legal documents and accounting.\n\nIn addition, Booysen says when the business next needs to raise capital, he will gets first choice on whether to commit his own money or take Silvertree’s.\n\n“I don’t think we’ll ever get to (Silvertree’s stake being) 100%,” he reasons, adding that he expects the business to break even in a few months time, after which there won’t be any need for further outside capital.\n\nRight now he’s looking at where to set up the next dark kitchen. It’s likely to be in Rondebosch in Cape Town or Stellenbosch, he says, while he also plans to set up in Johannesburg soon.\n\nGiven that each kitchen can only really effectively serve a 5km radius, you can expect a lot more dark kitchens soon.\n\nRead more: Silvertree Holdings no longer just a tech investor after rebrand, new investment\n\nRead more: Are these six, SA’s most important venture capitalists?\n\nRead more: Silvertree exits CompareGuru in sale to SA’s SureStart\n\nRead more: Silvertree move to take majority stakes in startups nets mixed view from founders [Updated]\n\nRead more: Is Silvertree’s co-entrepreneur model the answer to Silicon Valley?\n\nRead more: Obsession with raising $1bn to become a unicorn is wrong says Silvertree man\n\nRead more: Silvertree founder takes aim at Silicon Valley model of building African startups\n\n*Correction: We earlier had it that Seamless co-founder Paul Appelbaum funded OrderIn — when it was in fact his co-founder, Jason Finger.\n\nFeatured image: Silvertree Investments director Manuel Koser, Darth Kitchens founder Heini Booysen and UCook co-founder David Torr (Supplied)", "entities": [[0, 10, "investor"], [19, 22, "money_funded"], [33, 40, "org_in_focus"], [107, 117, "investor"], [140, 150, "money_funded"], [192, 199, "org_in_focus"], [772, 779, "org_in_focus"], [928, 932, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "Karuna Announces $68M Series B.\n\nTweet BOSTON, MA, Karuna Therapeutics announced the completion of a $68 million Series B financing round.\n\nTo export Karuna Pharmaceuticals funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on Karuna PharmaceuticalsTo export Karuna Pharmaceuticals funding data to PDF and Excel, click here Karuna Therapeutics, Inc. (\"Karuna,\" formerly Karuna Pharmaceuticals), focused on targeting muscarinic cholinergic receptors for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders including psychosis in schizophrenia, psychosis in Alzheimer's disease, and pain, today announced the completion of a $68 million Series B financing round, including the issuance of $5 million in shares upon conversion of debt into equity.\n\n\n\nThe financing was led by ARCH Venture Partners, with participation from Fidelity Management & Research Company, Eventide Asset Management, Pivotal bioVenture Partners, Partner Fund Management, Wellcome Trust, Sands Capital, Alexandria Venture Investments, and founder PureTech Health. Heather Preston, M.D., managing director of Pivotal bioVenture Partners, has joined the board of directors of Karuna.\n\n\n\nKarXT, Karuna's lead product candidate, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial as a potential treatment for acute psychosis in patients with schizophrenia. Proceeds from the financing will be used to advance the development of KarXT into several new indications, including geriatric psychosis and pain, progress new formulations of KarXT, expand the pipeline, and continue to build company infrastructure.\n\n\n\n\"Patients living with schizophrenia often must choose among treatment options that only partly address their disabling psychotic and cognitive symptoms, often with undesirable side effects. Karuna's mission is to deliver a more effective and better-tolerated treatment for this large and underserved patient population. We believe this financing will enable us to deliver multiple milestones across our product-focused pipeline while expanding the capabilities and potential of our muscarinic receptor platform,\" said Steve Paul, M.D., chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Karuna.\n\n\n\n\"Karuna has continued to make strong progress advancing its pipeline, including ongoing enrollment in their Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of acute psychosis in patients with schizophrenia, and we are encouraged by the data supporting this novel approach to addressing a core symptom of a variety of disabling and all-too-common central nervous system disorders,\" said Robert Nelsen, co-founder and managing director of ARCH Venture Partners. \"As an investor focused on companies with innovative approaches to meeting patient needs, we are pleased to support the next stage of Karuna's development.\"\n\n\n\nAbout KarXT\n\nKarXT (Karuna-Xanomeline-Trospium), Karuna's lead product candidate for the treatment of psychosis in schizophrenia, consists of xanomeline, a novel muscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist that has demonstrated efficacy in placebo-controlled human trials in schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease, and trospium chloride, an FDA-approved and well-established muscarinic receptor antagonist that has been shown not to enter the central nervous system (CNS). KarXT is designed to preferentially target M1/M4 muscarinic receptors in the brain while inhibiting their stimulation in peripheral tissues to significantly improve tolerability. Karuna has completed two Phase 1 clinical trials which demonstrated a clinically meaningful reduction in side effects compared to xanomeline and demonstrated that KarXT is well tolerated in healthy volunteers. A proprietary co-formulation of xanomeline and trospium in a single capsule was used in the second Phase 1 clinical trial and is now being evaluated in an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with schizophrenia experiencing acute psychosis. Top-line data from this trial are anticipated by the end of 2019. A Phase 1b experimental pain trial in healthy volunteers and clinical work towards geriatric psychosis are expected to begin later this year.\n\n\n\nAbout Karuna Therapeutics\n\nKaruna is a clinical-stage drug development company focused on targeting muscarinic cholinergic receptors for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders including psychosis in schizophrenia, psychosis in Alzheimer's disease, and pain. Karuna's lead product candidate, KarXT, (Karuna-Xanomeline-Trospium) is being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with schizophrenia experiencing acute psychosis, with top-line results anticipated at the end of 2019. Karuna, which was founded by PureTech Health (LSE: PRTC), has a worldwide exclusive license for xanomeline and has a patent portfolio more broadly covering selective muscarinic targeting enabled by the KarXT approach. For more information, visit karunatx.com.", "entities": [[0, 6, "org_in_focus"], [17, 21, "money_funded"], [22, 30, "type_of_funding"], [39, 49, "headquarters_loc"], [51, 70, "org_in_focus"], [101, 112, "money_funded"], [113, 121, "type_of_funding"], [344, 363, "org_in_focus"], [599, 604, "date_of_funding"], [635, 646, "money_funded"], [647, 655, "type_of_funding"], [785, 806, "investor"], [832, 870, "investor"], [872, 897, "investor"], [899, 926, "investor"], [928, 951, "investor"], [953, 967, "investor"], [969, 982, "investor"], [984, 1014, "investor"], [1028, 1043, "investor"], [4863, 4875, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Volvo Group Venture Capital Invests in Autotech Ventures.\n\nGÖTEBORG, Sweden, Dec. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Volvo Group Venture Capital AB has invested in Autotech Ventures - a leading American venture capital fund focusing on start-ups in the ground transportation sector.\n\nAutotech Ventures is a venture capital firm located in Silicon Valley managing over $200 million that focuses on the $3 trillion ground transportation sector.\n\nConnected, autonomous, electrified vehicles and related mobility services have created shifts in the ground transportation industry. The Autotech Ventures team combine deep knowledge and insights from the ground transport sector with vast experience from venture capital investing.\n\n\"Through the co-operation with Autotech Ventures we look forward to interact with more world-class start-ups transforming our industry,\" says Anna Westerberg acting CEO of Volvo Group Venture Capital and Senior Vice President, Volvo Group Connected Solutions.\n\n\"The investment provides Volvo Group Venture Capital with an enhanced deal flow but also access to deep industry knowledge and relevant networks,\" says Dan Tram Investment Director, Volvo Group Venture Capital based in Silicon Valley.\n\nThe role of Volvo Group Venture Capital is to make investments in innovative companies at the forefront of service orientation as well as product differentiation and to support collaboration between startup companies and the Volvo Group.\n\nBased on the trends shaping the future of transportation and Volvo Group strategic priorities Volvo Group Venture Capital focus investment areas are today Autonomous Solutions, Connected Services and Electromobility. The scope is global with a focus on Europe and North America.\n\nThe transaction has no significant impact on the Volvo Group's earnings or financial position.\n\nFor more information, please visit volvogroup.com/press\n\nThe Volvo Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines. The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs almost 105,000 people, has production facilities in 18 countries and sells its products in more than 190 markets. In 2018 the Volvo Group's sales amounted to about SEK 391 billion (EUR 38,1 billion). The Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Göteborg, Sweden. Volvo shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.\n\nFor further information, please contact:\n\nClaes Eliasson, Volvo Group Media Relations, +46 31 323 72 29.\n\nvolvogroup.com/press\n\nThis information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com\n\nhttps://news.cision.com/ab-volvo/r/volvo-group-venture-capital-invests-in-autotech-ventures,c2985869\n\nThe following files are available for download:\n\nSOURCE AB Volvo", "entities": [[0, 35, "investor"], [39, 56, "org_in_focus"], [59, 75, "headquarters_loc"], [77, 89, "date_of_funding"], [106, 136, "investor"], [153, 170, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Doctors Networking App, Curofy, Secures Pre-Series A Funding From RoundGlass.\n\nDelhi-based Curofy, a medical networking app that enables safe and secure communication between doctors, has raised an undisclosed amount in Pre-Series A round of funding led by US-based VC firm RoundGlass Partners.\n\nThe 911 India Healthcare Pvt Ltd owned Curofy was launched in February 2015 by Mudit Vijayvergiya, Pawan Gupta and Nipun Goyal.\n\nCurofy is a doctor-only networking app, that offers doctors a spam-free and secure environment to communicate with each other. The startup’s online medical directory pre-populates profiles of doctors based on the public data. Doctors provide their basic details to enter into the premium network post verification.\n\nThe app also enables doctors seek opinions from other fellow doctors, apply for jobs and read latest medical news.\n\nThe company claims to have about 10,000 registered doctors across 70 cities on its platform and is currently available on Android and iOS platforms. Curofy customers include super-specialists and premium hospitals like Medanta, Apollo, Max and Saket City.\n\n“In the rapidly evolving and complex field of medicine, there is a strong need for collaboration among doctors in order to coordinate patient care. With the rapid pace of medical advancement, it is challenging for practicing physicians to stay informed on the latest methodologies and research while simultaneously connecting with colleagues to share best practices. The Curofy app, with its behaviour changing approach, is revolutionizing digital health by making it easy for physicians to share knowledge and holistically manage patient care.,” said Gurpreet Singh, founder of RoundGlass partners.\n\nCurofy will use the funds for product development, marketing and hiring resources.\n\nPrior to this, the company had raised funding in an event at TiEcon 2014, a conference organised by The Indus Entrepreneurs. It has also secured angel funding of about $160K from India Quotient, Spice Labs and a few other angel investors. Also Recently, the startup emerged as the winners of the Google’s Launchpad Week in Bangalore.\n\nCurofy’s funding update has come just after two days since another player in the same domain, DocPlexus.in, raised over $700K (INR 4.6 Cr) from Uniqorn ventures and Austria-based ASP Consulting.", "entities": [[24, 30, "org_in_focus"], [40, 52, "type_of_funding"], [66, 76, "investor"], [79, 84, "headquarters_loc"], [91, 97, "org_in_focus"], [198, 216, "money_funded"], [220, 232, "type_of_funding"], [274, 293, "investor"], [300, 328, "org_in_focus"], [335, 341, "org_in_focus"], [367, 371, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "Azimo launches Europe-West Africa remittance service.\n\nUnited Kingdom (UK)-based online money transfer service Azimo has announced that customers across Europe can now send money to recipients in eight West African countries for instant cash pick-up.\n\nAzimo has expanded its services to Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.\n\nThe online service provides a fast, safe and low-cost way to transfer money across borders, either to bank account or for cash pick-up, with Azimo’s rates up to 85 per cent cheaper than high street banks and traditional money transfer providers.\n\n“Together these eight countries have a combined population of over 100 million people and GDP of US$80 billion,” Azimo chief executive officer (CEO) Michael Kent said.\n\n“The World Bank estimates that nearly US$3 billion was remitted to the region in 2012, and with more and more African migrants moving to European countries including France, Belgium, the UK and The Netherlands, the new Azimo service means more money in the hands of their families and communities back home in West Africa.”\n\nKent said it is important to offer hard-working migrants a convenient and good value service.\n\n“As much as we’re in the money business, we’re also in the people business. We launched Azimo to help those hard-working migrants who were being ripped off by legacy players like Western Union. Today’s announcement means there’s never been a better time to send money home to your loved ones.”", "entities": []}
{"text": "German geoservices platform CloudEO raises €2.4 million.\n\nMunich-based geodata startup CloudEO has raised €2.4 million from anonymous investors. The platform brings together users of geoservices, developers of geoservices, and providers of geodata and geosoftware to produce greater value from geodata.\n\nThe startup has access to data through various satellite providers. \"We do not own satellites - and instead bind a variety of data sources,\" said founder Manfred Krischke, as reported by Grunderszene.\n\nCloudEO's geodata can be used in a number of industries. For example, in agriculture, farmers can use the data to analyse biomass development, crop vitality and yield, or soil erosion. It can be used in forestry to map timber volumes, or in the maritime business to track ships.\n\nCustomers of CloudEO can have access to imagery, elevation data, maps, software and analytics on a pay-per-use basis. According to the company, 600 companies are already registered on the platform. Along with the funding round, the startup has announced that it is establishing its own currency with which people can buy and sell geodata on its platform.\n\nRead more: Grunderszene (German)", "entities": [[0, 6, "headquarters_loc"], [28, 35, "org_in_focus"], [43, 55, "money_funded"], [58, 64, "headquarters_loc"], [87, 94, "org_in_focus"], [106, 118, "money_funded"]]}
{"text": "SA event staffing portal Peepz raises funding round.\n\nEvent staffing portal Peepz has raised an undisclosed amount of funding to further expand its operations after impressive initial uptake.\n\nLaunched in December 2018, Peepz is a digital platform that offers event managers, brands and agencies a simple, convenient way of connecting with the staff and resources they need, when they need them.\n\nIt allows event organisers to source, geo-locate, manage and pay staff, all with minimum hassle and at a fraction of the cost of traditional outsourcing. Anyone can register, go through the vetting process, choose how much they want to earn, and create a profile, with clients able to book candidates directly through the system, review them, and make payments.\n\nPeepz claims to have seen strong uptake in its first few months, and has now secured investment from marketing, events and promotions agency Sozala Media, which said it saw the disruptive value in the Peepz business model and the significant potential it offers to agencies and corporates both in South Africa and abroad.\n\n“In the current economy, brands are constantly looking for ways to be more efficient with their marketing spend, while maximising effectiveness at the same time. Peepz is a cog in the marketing mix that will deliver this, and we are super excited to be working with them,” said the Sozala Media partners.\n\nPeepz founder Nick Holdcroft said he was excited about what Sozala Media could brings to the table, aside from just investment money.\n\n“They bring support structures that build our capabilities. We now have a partner that will assist us in ensuring our clients are looked after, and can feel confident when booking through Peepz,” he said.\n\nHoldcroft said the startup had been growing rapidly over its first few months.\n\n“We’ve managed to sign up one of South Africa’s largest alcohol companies, and our list of agencies using Peepz, grows daily. We had a number of investment offers, but Sozala offered more than just funds, and that’s what triggered our interest,” he said.", "entities": [[0, 2, "headquarters_loc"], [25, 30, "org_in_focus"], [76, 81, "org_in_focus"], [96, 114, "type_of_funding"], [214, 218, "year_founded"], [220, 225, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "VC-backed SetPoint Medical taps Bevirt as clinical affairs VP.\n\nSanta Clarita, California-based SetPoint Medical, a developer of bioelectronic therapy for chronic inflammatory diseases, has named Terry Bevirt as vice president of clinical affairs. Previously, Bevirt worked at Armagen where she served as senior director and head of clinical operations. SetPoint Medical’s backers included Morgenthaler Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Topspin Partners, Medtronic, GlaxoSmithKline’s Action Potential Venture Capital Limited and Boston Scientific.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nVALENCIA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SetPoint Medical, a clinical-stage biomedical technology company developing a bioelectronic therapy for chronic inflammatory diseases, announced today the appointment of Terry Bevirt as Vice President of Clinical Affairs. Ms. Bevirt brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in clinical research operations for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that range from large multinationals to startups.\n\nAt SetPoint, Ms. Bevirt will oversee clinical programs as the company advances its bioelectronic medicine approach for inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease. She will report to Anthony Arnold, Chief Executive Officer of SetPoint Medical.\n\n“SetPoint is pleased to welcome Terry, whose senior leadership expertise and successful history running pivotal clinical trials will be crucial to us as we conduct clinical trials with our new proprietary bioelectronic medicine device,” said Anthony Arnold, Chief Executive Officer of SetPoint Medical. “Terry will work closely with our new Chief Medical Officer and other team leaders that make up a capable clinical team and ideally position SetPoint to develop and execute our clinical strategy through commercialization.”\n\nSetPoint is developing a novel proprietary bioelectronic medicine platform to treat a variety of inflammation-mediated autoimmune diseases, using an implanted device to stimulate the vagus nerve, activating the body’s natural Inflammatory Reflex to produce a systemic anti-inflammatory effect. The emerging field of bioelectronic medicine aims to address unmet patient needs by delivering digital doses to modulate physiological circuits to treat diseases historically treated with drugs in a more targeted fashion.\n\nPrior to joining SetPoint, Ms. Bevirt was Senior Director, Head of Clinical Operations at Armagen, where she managed operational strategy, study design feasibility, and the successful execution of clinical trials. Prior, she served as Therapeutic Area Planning and Operations Director at Amgen, where she provided strategic leadership and direction for study operations staff of 25, and she earlier held several other key clinical positions. Prior to Amgen, she held positions with Pharmacia, Affiliated Research Centers and Abbott Laboratories. She holds a B.S. in Medical Technology from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and is a Certified Clinical Research Associate.\n\nAbout SetPoint Medical\n\nSetPoint Medical is a privately held biomedical technology company dedicated to treating patients with debilitating inflammatory diseases using bioelectronic therapy. SetPoint’s approach is intended to offer patients and providers an alternative treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other chronic inflammatory diseases with less risk and cost than drug therapy.\n\nSetPoint is developing a novel bioelectronic medicine platform that stimulates the vagus nerve to activate the body’s natural Inflammatory Reflex, which is intended to produce a potent systemic anti-inflammatory effect. The company has published positive results from a first-in-human proof-of-concept trial in rheumatoid arthritis in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and presented positive results at the American College of Rheumatology meeting. Current investors in the company include Morgenthaler Ventures, NEA, Topspin Partners, Medtronic, GlaxoSmithKline’s Action Potential Venture Capital Limited and Boston Scientific. For more information, visit www.setpointmedical.com.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Scottish Equity Partners closes its new £260 million fund.\n\nScottish Equity Partners (SEP) has announced the close of its new £260 million fund, SEP V, for investing in high growth tech companies in the UK and Ireland as well as around the continent.\n\nSEP V will invest up to £20 million in growth-stage companies with “world class potential”. Some of SEP’s previous investments include Skyscanner, Babbel, and Clavis Insight with its portfolio having aggregate revenues of more than £1 billion.\n\nThe VC firm has offices in London, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.\n\nAbout 90% of investors in the new fund have participated in SEP funds before. The team of investors is split at around 40% UK investors and 60% from Europe and the US.\n\n“This is another great milestone for us and reflects extremely well on the calibre of our team,” commented SEP managing partner Calum Paterson. “The new fund gives us a very strong platform to continue to invest in companies with world class potential and we thank all of our investors for their support.”", "entities": []}
{"text": "ViewPoint Capital just invested in textbroker.\n\nTextbroker, a service-platform for on-demand-content just received financial support of ViewPoint Capital Partners. The young project, that was started by the Sario Marketing GmbH out of Mainz (Germany), is serving the market in Germany and the United States by now. Supported by the capital injection the next step will be France. According to the company over 100,000 writers are offering their services on the platform yet. The customers of textbroker are marketing agencies, publishing houses and affiliate websites. They are charged per word (plus handling fee).", "entities": [[0, 17, "investor"], [35, 45, "org_in_focus"], [48, 58, "org_in_focus"], [136, 162, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Dutch startup Somnox doubled its Kickstarter goal for the world’s first sleep robot.\n\nOn November 14th, 2017, soft robotics startup Somnox launched its Kickstarter campaign to launch the world’s first sleep robot. And now, one month later, Somnox has raised a total amount of €200.274 from 509 backers, doubling its initial goal. Due to this success, Somnox will start production, aiming to help 100.000 people achieve a good night’s rest in 2025. We talked to Julian Jagtenberg, founder of Dutch startup Somnox, on how his project came to life.\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nThe early beginnings\n\nThe company didn’t actually start as a startup. Jagtenberg: “Somnox is basically a school project that got totally out of hand. It started as a soft robotics project during my studies at the Technical University of Delft. It was my aim to create a huggable companion robot to fight insomnia. I already had known about the problem for some time, because some of my own friends and family members had told me about it. At the time, you could only combat insomnia with medical treatment, so I wanted to provide an alternative. ”\n\nScientific background\n\nAccording to Jagtenberg, many studies have shown that feeling a breathing rhythm can reduce stress and induce sleep. A particular bit of research was done by Novosad and colleagues. They concluded that infants sleeping with a Breathing Bear showed neurobehavioral benefits and had a less negative temperament. Another, more recent study, showed how the combination of cognitive behavioral intervention (a form of therapy for depression) and certain breathing exercises could improve the sleep of patients with depression. Concluding, you could say that a good breathing rhythm is really important to be able to relax.\n\nThe ultimate sleep companion\n\nThe sleep robot is meant to be the ultimate sleep companion. When holding it, you will feel it breathe, effectively relaxing the body and the mind. By synchronizing your breathing rhythm to that of Somnox you will reach a steady and slower breathing rhythm. And because this kind of deep breathing sends a message to the brain to relax the body, it’s one of the best ways to lower stress. This surely seems to be the case, as, after all, not many school projects reach global markets.\n\nA good match\n\nAnother influential factor to Somnox’s promising future is its co-operation with Auping. The company is the leading circular bed and mattresses manufacturer in Europe, being able to manufacture and sell products on an international scale. The two companies initially started working together based on their intrinsic motivation for good sleep and innovation. Jagtenberg: “Auping also has a mission to let people sleep better, so a potential collaboration made total sense. Auping wanted to do more than just create the best beds and mattresses, so they expanded and stumbled upon us. They will take care of the production of our sleeping robot, making use of their product partners. Eventually, the robot will be sold through Auping’s network as well.”\n\nDelivering a high quality product\n\nSomnox seems to have a promising future ahead of it. Jagtenberg stated the following on their future goals: “Our first priority is producing and delivering a high quality product. With the financial support we received as a result of the Kickstarter, this can be easily achieved. A lot of startups actually struggle with the initial delivery of their products. Auping is going to be a big help as well to get the product to our customers. Most importantly, however, we have got a lot of good and passionate people that are working very hard to get the product to the market. Eventually, we will try expanding to the American market as well, since the potential there is very high. For now though, we will focus on the Dutch and European market.”\n\nThe ultimate goal\n\nJagtenberg: “Eventually, we want to offer the substitute to sleeping pills. Regarding competition, we think it is a good thing to have a lot of different players in the same market. No one can provide a solution to the whole problem. We are not designing a healing potion for sleeping problems. You have to do something in a niche and be good at that thing. Therefore, we have a lot of plans to expand our robotics portfolio. For example, we could design a product that combats snoring. But while we have these plans, for now we are focusing on our current product. It’s dangerous for startups to design multiple products at the same time, as resources will decrease very quickly.”", "entities": [[0, 5, "headquarters_loc"], [14, 20, "org_in_focus"], [89, 108, "date_of_funding"], [132, 138, "org_in_focus"], [240, 246, "org_in_focus"], [276, 284, "money_funded"]]}
{"text": "Motorola Solutions Invests in MicroPower.\n\nYour Source for Venture Capital and Private Equity Financings Massinvestor/VC News Daily VC DATABASE / MOBILE APP / CELEBRITY VCs / VENTURE TRACKR / ARCHIVE / ABOUT US Motorola Solutions Invests in MicroPower Tweet SAN DIEGO, CA, Motorola Solutions Venture Capital has invested in MicroPower Technologies, an award-winning provider of surveillance solutions optimized for rapid, cost-effective deployment.\n\nTo export Motorola Solutions Invests funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on Motorola Solutions InvestsTo export Motorola Solutions Invests funding data to PDF and Excel, click here\n\n\n\n\"MicroPower Technologies has a compelling product offering that has quickly become a critical component of surveillance deployments, and its customer references and strong customer pipeline were instrumental to our interest,\" said Reese Schroeder, managing director, Motorola Solutions Venture Capital. \"We are excited to support a company that is rapidly gaining market share through the development of advanced security products that address the reliability and economic needs the market demands.\"\n\n\n\nMicroPower video surveillance solutions dramatically improve the economics of system deployment through patented technology that delivers significant enhancements in performance and power without compromising video quality and reliability. MicroPower's fully integrated, IP surveillance innovations incorporate proprietary wireless technologies to enhance data transmission even in heavily congested environments. Its comprehensive surveillance system, which includes the Rugged-i™ and the MiniHub™, can be deployed in a matter of hours as no wires or trenching is required. This unique approach reduces installation times by up to 90 percent over traditional video systems.\n\n\n\n\"This strategic investment from Motorola Solutions Venture Capital is a clear validation of the globally competitive nature of our technology,\" said Jonathan Siann, founder and CEO, MicroPower Technologies. \"Our unique approach to wireless surveillance has gained quick market acceptance, and that is now translating to success in raising funds for our future growth. We look forward to working with Motorola as we expand on our leading position in the surveillance marketplace.\"\n\n\n\nAbout Motorola Solutions\n\n\n\nMotorola Solutions is a leading provider of mission-critical communication solutions and services for enterprise and government customers. Through leading-edge innovation and communications technology, it is a global leader that enables its customers to be their best in the moments that matter. Motorola Solutions trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker \"MSI.\" To learn more, visit\n\n\n\nAbout Motorola Solutions Venture Capital\n\n\n\nMotorola Solutions Venture Capital is the strategic equity investment arm of Motorola Solutions. Its diversified portfolio is focused on \"new-idea\" companies and opportunities that complement Motorola Solutions' business strategy. Motorola Solutions Venture Capital invests at all stages in developing companies to accelerate access to new technologies, new markets and new talents. For more information, please visit\n\n\n\nAbout MicroPower Technologies Inc.\n\n\n\nMicroPower Technologies was founded on the idea that wireless surveillance could be cost effective, easy-to-deploy, secure and highly reliable. The company's innovative research and development team designed a comprehensive surveillance system that redefines the market through its use of intelligent algorithms that enhance video quality and reliability, while maximizing cost effectiveness. Its flagship product, the Rugged-i wireless video camera, incorporates advanced software and ultra-low power wireless technologies to eliminate data and power cables. MicroPower products are distributed globally in the commercial, border protection, government, retail, education and public utility markets. The company has won numerous awards for its advanced technologies including Security Product of the Year 2011 from Security Products Magazine. For more information, visit www.micropowerapp.com. Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI), through its strategic investment arm Motorola Solutions Venture Capital, has invested in MicroPower Technologies, Inc., an award-winning provider of surveillance solutions optimized for rapid, cost-effective deployment. The investment marks MicroPower's first institutional funding round as part of a tranche of $6.5 million, which will be used to promote the company's line of surveillance devices in new and current markets.\"MicroPower Technologies has a compelling product offering that has quickly become a critical component of surveillance deployments, and its customer references and strong customer pipeline were instrumental to our interest,\" said Reese Schroeder, managing director, Motorola Solutions Venture Capital. \"We are excited to support a company that is rapidly gaining market share through the development of advanced security products that address the reliability and economic needs the market demands.\"MicroPower video surveillance solutions dramatically improve the economics of system deployment through patented technology that delivers significant enhancements in performance and power without compromising video quality and reliability. MicroPower's fully integrated, IP surveillance innovations incorporate proprietary wireless technologies to enhance data transmission even in heavily congested environments. Its comprehensive surveillance system, which includes the Rugged-i™ and the MiniHub™, can be deployed in a matter of hours as no wires or trenching is required. This unique approach reduces installation times by up to 90 percent over traditional video systems.\"This strategic investment from Motorola Solutions Venture Capital is a clear validation of the globally competitive nature of our technology,\" said Jonathan Siann, founder and CEO, MicroPower Technologies. \"Our unique approach to wireless surveillance has gained quick market acceptance, and that is now translating to success in raising funds for our future growth. We look forward to working with Motorola as we expand on our leading position in the surveillance marketplace.\"About Motorola SolutionsMotorola Solutions is a leading provider of mission-critical communication solutions and services for enterprise and government customers. Through leading-edge innovation and communications technology, it is a global leader that enables its customers to be their best in the moments that matter. Motorola Solutions trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker \"MSI.\" To learn more, visit www.motorolasolutions.com . For ongoing news, please visit our media center or subscribe to our news feed.About Motorola Solutions Venture CapitalMotorola Solutions Venture Capital is the strategic equity investment arm of Motorola Solutions. Its diversified portfolio is focused on \"new-idea\" companies and opportunities that complement Motorola Solutions' business strategy. Motorola Solutions Venture Capital invests at all stages in developing companies to accelerate access to new technologies, new markets and new talents. For more information, please visit www.motorolasolutions.com /ventures.About MicroPower Technologies Inc.MicroPower Technologies was founded on the idea that wireless surveillance could be cost effective, easy-to-deploy, secure and highly reliable. The company's innovative research and development team designed a comprehensive surveillance system that redefines the market through its use of intelligent algorithms that enhance video quality and reliability, while maximizing cost effectiveness. Its flagship product, the Rugged-i wireless video camera, incorporates advanced software and ultra-low power wireless technologies to eliminate data and power cables. MicroPower products are distributed globally in the commercial, border protection, government, retail, education and public utility markets. The company has won numerous awards for its advanced technologies including Security Product of the Year 2011 from Security Products Magazine. For more information, visit www.micropowerapp.com. (c)2011-2018 by Massinvestor, Inc. For contact info, please check out our about page. >> Click here for in-depth research on 4,000 VC firms", "entities": [[0, 18, "investor"], [30, 40, "org_in_focus"], [258, 271, "headquarters_loc"], [273, 307, "investor"], [324, 347, "org_in_focus"], [8203, 8224, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Warburg Pincus Invests in Indecomm Digital Services.\n\nSteven Glenn, Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer, Warburg Pincus said, \"We are excited to partner with Venu and the Indecomm Digital management team, who bring strong domain experience in the product engineering industry. The Company has carved a strong leadership position in the next-generation product engineering space and serves both large global enterprises as well as fast growing SaaS companies. We look forward to supporting the management team in expanding the Company's global footprint and service lines through organic and inorganic means.\"\n\nVenu Raghavan, Co-Founder & CEO, Indecomm Digital said, \"With a successful track record of backing management teams in growing great businesses and their global experience in the high-tech and next-generation IT space, Warburg Pincus is an ideal partner for our company. Indecomm Digital offers services which are critical to our client's success, and our teams are a de-facto extension of our client's R&D teams. We have invested in proprietary Platforms & Products to enable faster go-to-market for our clients. The investment from Warburg Pincus will allow us to expand our presence, strengthen our R&D capabilities and scale our business as we continue to deliver industry-leading growth to the full benefit of our global customers.\"\n\nSanjay Chakrabarty, Managing Partner, Capital Square Partners said, \"It has been an exciting journey for us to support the management team at Indecomm Digital through our investment, and grow the digital business. Our unwavering faith in backing an outstanding leadership team that has consistently delivered exceptional results is a vindication of our investment thesis of supporting management teams with a proven track record. The team has shown great leadership in building world class capabilities and supporting leading customers towards their product engineering needs. This investment by Warburg Pincus will accelerate the growth of the business, and we wish the team continued success.\"\n\nAbout Indecomm Digital Services, Inc.\n\nIndecomm Digital Services is a preferred Innovation partner to some of the world's leading technology companies. It provides Next-Gen services like Predictive Analysis, Machine Learning, AI, IoT, Cloud, and Test Automation, which continue to grow at a higher clip. Indecomm Digital has deep cluster vertical capabilities in Hi Tech, Fin Tech, Health Tech, Travel, Digital Payments, Digital Commerce, Supply Chain & Logistics, and other niche areas, and has set-up strategic enterprise partnerships to deliver superior business results for its clients, helping them gain time-to-market advantage and achieve accelerated ROI. Indecomm Digital has over 3000+ product engineers and has a strong global presence with offices in LATAM, India, and APAC regions. For more information, please visit www.indecommdigital.com.\n\nAbout Warburg Pincus\n\nWarburg Pincus LLC is a leading global private equity firm focused on growth investing. The firm has more than $65 billion in assets under management. The firm's active portfolio of more than 185 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector and geography. Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has raised 19 private equity funds, which have invested more than $77 billion in over 870 companies in more than 40 countries. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Singapore and Shanghai. For more information, please visit www.warburgpincus.com\n\nPress Contact:\n\nKerrie Cohen\n\nKerrie.cohen@warburgpincus.com\n\n(212) 878-9207\n\nSOURCE Warburg Pincus\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttp://www.warburgpincus.com", "entities": [[0, 14, "investor"], [26, 51, "org_in_focus"], [2882, 2905, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Kenyan fintech startup Pezesha secures seed investment.\n\nKenyan fintech startup Pezesha, which connects credible borrowers and lenders, has received strategic seed investment from Consonance Investment Managers to drive growth and expansion in East and West Africa.\n\nPezesha, offers a value chain financial marketplace by financially educating borrowers and taking them through a credit scoring process before they qualify for a loan.\n\nLenders on the platform then extend the desired amount, the upper limit of which is determined by Pezesha’s risk assessment process, to the qualified borrowers.\n\nThe startup aims to be the first Africa-focused digital financial marketplace that converges lending amongst other financial services and products for both borrowers, lenders and investors, facilitating a shared economy.\n\nThe seed funding from Consonance Investment Managers comes through its maiden fund, Consonance Kuramo Special Opportunities Fund I, and follows a pre-seed round raised early last year from angels in Kenya and New York, as well as DFS Lab.\n\nThis previous round was used to build the startup’s team and platform, which has so far facilitated more than 20 million transactions while connecting thousands of quality borrowers to more than 2,000 lenders.\n\n“We are delighted and honoured to have Consonance as strategic partners to support and fuel our mission of achieving meaningful financial inclusion to the 200 million in Sub-Saharan Africa who have been exploited and excluded from the formal financial ladder,” said Hilda Moraa, chief executive officer (CEO) of Pezesha and former founder of Weza Tele, which was among the first tech startup exits in Kenya.\n\nConsonance Investment Managers CEO Mobolaji Adeoye said the strength and purpose of Pezesha’s mission was clear.\n\n“They are setting the foundation to enable every African access credit and other financial services in a convenient, responsible, and transparent manner. The investment will help enhance Pezesha’s technology platform and fuel its growth plans across East and West Africa. We are glad to join Hilda and her team on this journey,” Adeoye said.\n\nEarly this year, Pezesha was one of the two Kenyan startups to be selected to participate in the inaugural Google Launchpad Africa accelerator, while the startup also took part in the Silicon Valley-based Blackbox Connect 20 accelerator programme.", "entities": [[0, 6, "headquarters_loc"], [23, 30, "org_in_focus"], [39, 43, "type_of_funding"], [57, 63, "headquarters_loc"], [80, 87, "org_in_focus"], [159, 163, "type_of_funding"], [180, 210, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Onex-backed Clarivate Analytics buys TrademarkVision.\n\nClarivate Analytics has acquired TrademarkVision, an Australian artificial intelligence-enabled visual search engine for trademarks.\n\nNo financial terms were released.\n\nClarivate, a Philadelphia-based owner and operator of subscription-based businesses, said TrademarkVision will join CompuMark, the company’s trademark research and protection brand.\n\nClarivate was launched two years ago with the US$3.55 billion acquisition of Thomson Reuters‘ intellectual property and science unit by Onex Corp and Baring Private Equity Asia.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nClarivate Analytics to enhance AI-driven trademark research solutions with TrademarkVision acquisition\n\nStrategic acquisition of cutting-edge, Australian company to deliver the next generation of trademark research\n\nPHILADELPHIA, Oct. 30, 2018 /CNW/ — Clarivate Analytics, the global leader in providing trusted insights and analytics to accelerate the pace of innovation, today announced the acquisition of Australian AI-technology company TrademarkVision. It joins Boston-based company CompuMark, the trademark clearance and protection partner for 9 out of 10 of the world’s most valuable brands.\n\nForty percent of trademarks filed contain images. However, trademark professionals rely on building complex queries with keywords and image codes to research image-based trademarks on their own. TrademarkVision revolutionized the trademark research space when it released the world’s first visual search for trademarks in 2013.\n\nTrademarkVision’s AI-powered image recognition software applies the principles of facial recognition software to visually search artwork, images and even 3D design patents, to determine whether a proposed trademark logo is acceptable or if it infringes on an existing trademark. CompuMark currently applies TrademarkVision technology within TM go365™, a tool designed to enable trademark professionals to instantly research trademarks and more effectively manage day-to-day portfolios.\n\nJeff Roy, President, CompuMark, said: “CompuMark is making significant investments in its product portfolio and the business as a whole by investing in best-of-breed image recognition technology and expertise in artificial intelligence. TrademarkVision’s award-winning AI innovation and deep relationships with Patent and Trademark Offices (PTO) and government agencies around the world, combined with CompuMark’s premier data, industry-leading expertise and global reach will open opportunities for new products and solutions both within and outside the trademark research industry that will underpin the business’s next generation of solutions.”\n\nTrademarkVision’s CEO and founder Sandra Mau will remain with the company, along with COO Cameron Mitchell and their team of 30+ professionals based in Brisbane, Australia, and Pittsburgh, USA. She explained, “As part of CompuMark, TrademarkVision will be able to leverage CompuMark’s expertise in the trademark industry and vast global distribution channels to ensure our next generation of solutions reach trademark professionals around the world.”\n\nThe addition of TrademarkVision technology to CompuMark follows the announcement earlier this year that CompuMark entered a strategic partnership with Chinese trademark solution provider, White Rabbit / Bai Tu. Clarivate Analytics continues to invest in new technologies and solutions that support innovation and improved products for its global customers. This is Clarivate’s third acquisition in 18 months, following the acquisition of technology start-ups Kopernio and Publons.\n\nTrademarkVision was advised in the transaction by Innovation Advisors, a technology-focused, global investment bank.\n\n1. Voted Best AI Startup -AIBusiness at the largest AI summit in the world. Fast Company listed in Top 10 most innovative Machine Learning companies in the world\n\nAbout CompuMark\n\nCompuMark is the industry leader in trademark research and protection solutions. We enable trademark and brand professionals worldwide to launch, expand and protect strong brands through the highest quality global content; expert analysis; superior trademark screening, search, and watch tools; and best-in-class service. Key products include: SAEGIS Trademark Screening Tools; TM go365 DIY Clearance Solution; Trademark Full Search; Trademark Watching; Copyright Searches; and Custom Solutions. For more information, please visit www.compumark.com.\n\nAbout TrademarkVision\n\nTrademarkVision protects the world’s brands with image recognition and machine learning. Based out of Australia and the USA, it works closely with government IP offices and many leading law firms and corporations around the world. For more information, please visit www.trademark.vision\n\nAbout Clarivate Analytics\n\nClarivate Analytics is the global leader in providing trusted insights and analytics to accelerate the pace of innovation. Building on a heritage going back more than a century and a half, we have built some of the most trusted brands across the innovation lifecycle, including CompuMark, Web of Science, Cortellis, Derwent, MarkMonitor and Techstreet. Today, Clarivate Analytics is a new and independent company on a bold entrepreneurial mission to help our clients radically reduce the time from new ideas to life-changing innovations. For more information, please visit www.clarivate.com.\n\nMEDIA CONTACTS\n\nSofia Nogues\n\nExternal Communications Manager\n\n+44 7500102982\n\nEmail: sofia.nogues@clarivate.com", "entities": []}
{"text": "IDG Capital leads $67m Series C in biotech firm HiFiBio Therapeutics.\n\nPremium\n\nHiFiBio Therapeutics, an emerging multinational biotherapeutics company based in France, has raised $67 million in its Series C funding round led by new investor IDG Capital with participation from existing shareholder Sequoia Capital China.", "entities": [[0, 11, "investor"], [18, 22, "money_funded"], [23, 31, "type_of_funding"], [48, 68, "org_in_focus"], [80, 100, "org_in_focus"], [161, 167, "headquarters_loc"], [180, 191, "money_funded"], [199, 207, "type_of_funding"], [242, 253, "investor"], [299, 320, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Audyssey Announces Investment.\n\nYour Source for Venture Capital and Private Equity Financings Massinvestor/VC News Daily VC DATABASE / MOBILE APP / CELEBRITY VCs / VENTURE TRACKR / ARCHIVE / ABOUT US Audyssey Announces Investment Tweet LOS ANGELES, CA, Leader in audio technologies that improve the listening experience, today announced an investment from Intel Capital.\n\nTo export Audyssey funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on AudysseyTo export Audyssey funding data to PDF and Excel, click here\n\n\n\n'Audyssey's approach to improving the audio solution could enable a much better audio experience on Intel-based platforms,' said Praveen Vishakantaiah, vice president of Intel's PC Client Group and general manager of Client Solutions and Technology. 'We are optimistic our collaboration can lead to Audyssey improving the PC audio experience.'\n\n\n\nIntel Capital's investment was led by Director Ranjeet Alexis. Specific terms were not disclosed.\n\n\n\nAudyssey has a decade-long heritage in audio technology. The company's first technology -- MultEQ -- was the result of six years and $6 million of research at the USC Immersive Audio Lab. MultEQ later became one of the most prevalent technologies used in home theater AVRs. Audyssey now boasts a diverse portfolio of audio technologies to correct many of the acoustical and psychoacoustic challenges plaguing the listening experience in homes, automobiles, televisions, mobile devices and IMAX movie theaters.\n\n\n\n'At Audyssey we are passionate about creating technologies that make every device sound perfect,' said Chris Kyriakakis, Audyssey's founder and chief technology officer. 'Working with Intel will enable us to deliver technologies that optimize the listening experience for desktops, laptops and tablet PCs.'\n\n\n\nVisit http://www.audyssey.com for more information about Audyssey's complete portfolio of audio technologies.\n\n\n\nAbout Audyssey\n\nEstablished in 2002, Audyssey is the industry leader in research-based audio technologies that correct acoustical problems to improve the sound quality of any device or listening environment. The company's technologies are integrated into home theater products, automobiles, TVs, mobile phones and movie theaters from industry-leading manufacturers. For more information, visit http://www.audyssey.com.\n\n\n\nAbout Intel Capital\n\nIntel Capital, Intel's global investment organization, makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software, and services targeting enterprise, mobility, consumer Internet, digital media and semiconductor manufacturing. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested more than US$11 billion in over 1,400 companies in 57 countries. In that timeframe, 209 portfolio companies have gone public on various exchanges around the world and 363 were acquired or participated in a merger. In 2013, Intel Capital invested US$333 million in 146 investments with approximately 49 percent of funds invested outside North America. For more information on Intel Capital and its differentiated advantages, visit Audyssey, a leader in audio technologies that improve the listening experience, today announced an investment from Intel Capital. Audyssey's audio technologies are used to optimize audio performance of mobile devices, headphones, home theaters, televisions, IMAX theaters and premium automobiles. The funding is expected to help the company accelerate adoption of its audio technologies in key growth categories such as desktop computers, laptops and tablet PCs.'Audyssey's approach to improving the audio solution could enable a much better audio experience on Intel-based platforms,' said Praveen Vishakantaiah, vice president of Intel's PC Client Group and general manager of Client Solutions and Technology. 'We are optimistic our collaboration can lead to Audyssey improving the PC audio experience.'Intel Capital's investment was led by Director Ranjeet Alexis. Specific terms were not disclosed.Audyssey has a decade-long heritage in audio technology. The company's first technology -- MultEQ -- was the result of six years and $6 million of research at the USC Immersive Audio Lab. MultEQ later became one of the most prevalent technologies used in home theater AVRs. Audyssey now boasts a diverse portfolio of audio technologies to correct many of the acoustical and psychoacoustic challenges plaguing the listening experience in homes, automobiles, televisions, mobile devices and IMAX movie theaters.'At Audyssey we are passionate about creating technologies that make every device sound perfect,' said Chris Kyriakakis, Audyssey's founder and chief technology officer. 'Working with Intel will enable us to deliver technologies that optimize the listening experience for desktops, laptops and tablet PCs.'Visit http://www.audyssey.com for more information about Audyssey's complete portfolio of audio technologies.About AudysseyEstablished in 2002, Audyssey is the industry leader in research-based audio technologies that correct acoustical problems to improve the sound quality of any device or listening environment. The company's technologies are integrated into home theater products, automobiles, TVs, mobile phones and movie theaters from industry-leading manufacturers. For more information, visit http://www.audyssey.com.About Intel CapitalIntel Capital, Intel's global investment organization, makes equity investments in innovative technology start-ups and companies worldwide. Intel Capital invests in a broad range of companies offering hardware, software, and services targeting enterprise, mobility, consumer Internet, digital media and semiconductor manufacturing. Since 1991, Intel Capital has invested more than US$11 billion in over 1,400 companies in 57 countries. In that timeframe, 209 portfolio companies have gone public on various exchanges around the world and 363 were acquired or participated in a merger. In 2013, Intel Capital invested US$333 million in 146 investments with approximately 49 percent of funds invested outside North America. For more information on Intel Capital and its differentiated advantages, visit www.intelcapital.com or follow @Intelcapital. (c)2011-2018 by Massinvestor, Inc. For contact info, please check out our about page. >> Click here for in-depth research on 4,000 VC firms", "entities": [[0, 8, "org_in_focus"], [200, 208, "org_in_focus"], [236, 251, "headquarters_loc"], [321, 326, "date_of_funding"], [356, 369, "investor"], [2315, 2338, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Get Satisfaction Sated With $10M Series B.\n\nYour Source for Venture Capital and Private Equity Financings Massinvestor/VC News Daily VC DATABASE / MOBILE APP / CELEBRITY VCs / VENTURE TRACKR / ARCHIVE / ABOUT US Get Satisfaction Sated With $10M Series B Tweet Funding led by Bruce Cleveland, general partner at at InterWest.\n\nTo export Get Satisfaction Sated funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on Get Satisfaction SatedTo export Get Satisfaction Sated funding data to PDF and Excel, click here\n\n\n\nThe latest capital infusion brings Get Satisfaction's total funding to date to approximately $21 million. Get Satisfaction will use the funds to expand its vision as the standard social business platform for companies to engage with their customers. Specifically, Get Satisfaction will invest heavily in product innovation, distribution partnerships and the localization of its platform for global use.\n\n\n\nGet Satisfaction enables the world's best brands to turn customers into active participants in their core business functions, from product development, marketing, press PR and customer service too. To date, more than 58,000 communities have been created on the Get Satisfaction network, with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies such as Proctor & Gamble (Pampers), Adobe and Walmart to fast-growth startups like Flipboard, Spotify and Mint.com (Intuit).\n\n\n\n\"Get Satisfaction is the first and only social business application built from the ground up as a consumer application to power business,\" said Bruce Cleveland, general partner, InterWest Partners. \"The platform's ability to meet the customers of any brand wherever they are, then harness those conversations into actionable insight makes us firmly believe that Get Satisfaction has the opportunity to become a true standard for the way businesses of any size engage with customers.\"\n\n\n\nThe rise of the social Web has fundamentally transformed the way companies think about every aspect of their business, and social participation is no longer optional. Customer conversations take place across the Web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on blogs, but as conversations have become more ubiquitous, actionable value has been harder to find. Get Satisfaction is built to create value from these conversations by transforming them fromunstructured data into actionable insight that integrates with internal business processes and systems that support them.\n\n\n\nAbout Get Satisfaction\n\nGet Satisfaction is an online community platform that helps companies build better relationships with their customers. Our solution is used by the world's best brands to improve customer support, build better products, drive customer loyalty, and build better business. For more information, visit\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSAN FRANCISCO, CA, Get Satisfaction today announced that it has raised a $10 million Series B round of funding led by Bruce Cleveland, general partner at at InterWest. Bruce will join Get Satisfaction's Board of Directors.The latest capital infusion brings Get Satisfaction's total funding to date to approximately $21 million. Get Satisfaction will use the funds to expand its vision as the standard social business platform for companies to engage with their customers. Specifically, Get Satisfaction will invest heavily in product innovation, distribution partnerships and the localization of its platform for global use.Get Satisfaction enables the world's best brands to turn customers into active participants in their core business functions, from product development, marketing, press PR and customer service too. To date, more than 58,000 communities have been created on the Get Satisfaction network, with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies such as Proctor & Gamble (Pampers), Adobe and Walmart to fast-growth startups like Flipboard, Spotify and Mint.com (Intuit).\"Get Satisfaction is the first and only social business application built from the ground up as a consumer application to power business,\" said Bruce Cleveland, general partner, InterWest Partners. \"The platform's ability to meet the customers of any brand wherever they are, then harness those conversations into actionable insight makes us firmly believe that Get Satisfaction has the opportunity to become a true standard for the way businesses of any size engage with customers.\"The rise of the social Web has fundamentally transformed the way companies think about every aspect of their business, and social participation is no longer optional. Customer conversations take place across the Web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on blogs, but as conversations have become more ubiquitous, actionable value has been harder to find. Get Satisfaction is built to create value from these conversations by transforming them fromunstructured data into actionable insight that integrates with internal business processes and systems that support them.About Get SatisfactionGet Satisfaction is an online community platform that helps companies build better relationships with their customers. Our solution is used by the world's best brands to improve customer support, build better products, drive customer loyalty, and build better business. For more information, visit www.getsatisfaction.com (c)2011-2018 by Massinvestor, Inc. For contact info, please check out our about page. >> Click here for in-depth research on 4,000 VC firms", "entities": [[0, 16, "org_in_focus"], [28, 32, "money_funded"], [33, 41, "type_of_funding"], [212, 228, "org_in_focus"], [240, 244, "money_funded"], [245, 253, "type_of_funding"], [568, 584, "org_in_focus"], [626, 637, "cumulative"], [2783, 2800, "headquarters_loc"], [2802, 2818, "org_in_focus"], [2856, 2867, "money_funded"], [2868, 2876, "type_of_funding"], [2901, 2916, "investor"], [3040, 3056, "org_in_focus"], [3098, 3109, "cumulative"], [5230, 5253, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Non-Personal Data Committee To Ask Ecommerce For Advice.\n\nInfosys cofounder Kris Gopalakrishnan led-committee, working on non-personal data problems and regulations, is likely to summon ecommerce companies — such as Amazon and Flipkart, among others — to seek their opinion on how the regulations should be implemented. The committee has reportedly also sent a questionnaire to the ecommerce players and is expecting a reply by next week.\n\nTill now, the committee has consulted with healthcare companies and cab-hailing services, like Ola and Uber. Through this process, the panel wants to know the opinion of the companies, working with non-personal data, and take their views into consideration before jumping on any conclusion.\n\nMoreover, the committee wants to understand how the companies utilise the non-personal data to provide its service. It is also focusing on knowing about the issues with possible portability and what compels them to share data.\n\nFor this, the panel will continue meeting companies from various sectors to make its report much more concrete and vast, without affecting any sector or compromising on user privacy. However, the committee is still weighing in the option to hold public meetings and till then the panel is conducting a close-door meeting with relevant parties.\n\nProtecting Data On All Fronts\n\nThe Indian government is working on the Draft Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 to ensure that the user data is remained protected. The government has also defined personal data and sensitive personal data to avoid any loopholes during implementation. The government defines personal data as any data that allows direct or indirect identifiability of the user.\n\nOn the other hand, sensitive personal data has been defined as financial data, biometric data, positive additions such as religious and political beliefs, caste, intersex/transgender status, and official government identifiers like PAN etc.\n\nMoreover, to ensure that the Indian is not being affected by any global data breach, the government has also pushed for data localisation to be made a part of the bill. Under this, any global companies will not be able to make a data bank outside India.\n\nThere is another type of data called non-personal data, which is a bit different. It does not allow traceability, but it is the accumulation of data used by digital companies to push their products and services.\n\nTalking about data protection, in August 2019, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, had clarified that India needs to draw a distinction between personal and non-personal data. The minister believed that impersonal data can be used for good.\n\nTherefore the government set up a committee in September 2019 to help it identify the issues with non-personal data and suggest how to regulate it.", "entities": []}
{"text": "West Lane Capital launches new private equity fund.\n\nWest Lane Capital Partners LLC has closed fundraising for its new private equity fund. No financial terms were disclosed. Los Angeles-based West Lane Capital is seeking to make control acquisitions in small and middle-market companies in the consumer, food and beverage, manufacturing, logistics and distribution industries in North America. Nick Sternberg, a co-founder of Creo Capital Partners and former chief operating officer of Capital Brands/Nutribullet, is managing partner of West Lane Capital.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nLOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nick Sternberg, previously the Chief Operating Officer of Capital Brands/Nutribullet and a co-founder of the private equity fund Creo Capital Partners, has completed fund raising for the launch of a new private equity fund – West Lane Capital Partners LLC. Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, West Lane will look to make control acquisitions of small and middle market businesses in the broader consumer, food & beverage, manufacturing, logistics and distribution industries throughout North America. Prior to co-founding Creo, Mr. Sternberg was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs in New York. For further information please contact nick@westlanecap.com or www.westlanecap.com.", "entities": []}
{"text": "i2B Capital Provides $8M Structured Funding to National Surety Underwriters.\n\nNEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 12, 2017–\n\ni2B Capital (www.i2bcap.com), a provider of direct financing to niche-market financial entrepreneurs, is pleased to announce the closing of an $8 million structured term loan to National Surety Underwriters, Inc. (NSU), previously known as Agency Bonding Captives, Inc. In addition, investors contributed a further $3.5 million to the transaction closing.\n\nThe funding will be used by NSU for two purposes:\n\nThe capitalization of a new and wholly owned subsidiary of NSU, National Fidelity Reinsurance Company, Inc. (NFRC), a special-purpose surety reinsurance captive licensed through the North Carolina Insurance Department and The merger of McCabe Inc and Independent Corporate Underwriters, Inc. (ICU), a Managing General Underwriter (MGU) specializing in surety bonds based in New Jersey.\n\nThe new combined entity will enable NSU subsidiary NFRC to underwrite and reinsure surety bonds through its licensed insurance carrier partner, Clear Blue Insurance Company, Inc. (AM Best A- rated), of up to $2 million in any one bond and up to $4 million in the aggregate per principal insured. In addition, other surety bonds will be written and placed with multiple carriers through the ICU/MGU relationships enabling surety bonds to be written up to $100 million with insurance carrier approval.\n\n“This funding is an excellent example of i2B Capital’s ability to navigate and resolve complex business financing issues,” said Larry Curran II, CEO of i2B Capital. “The transaction included capitalization for three companies in three states with wide-ranging legal and regulatory requirements to create one synergistic entity able to service a broad spectrum of surety requirements.”\n\nBarbara Anderson, COO of i2B Capital, added, “Our goal over the initial 36-month structured term loan is to prepare NSU for traditional institutional financing in the future. To accomplish that objective, we will provide the growth capital along with our commercial lending expertise to help NSU prepare for the disciplined reporting requirements and credit processes at the next level.”\n\nNational Surety Underwriters is a privately owned holding company, underwriting agency, and reinsurance captive headquartered in Philadelphia. CEO Rennie Rodriguez said, “Our expertise is building and managing specialty insurance agencies and we see tremendous opportunity for consolidation in a fragmented surety bond industry. Through offering a unique package to contracted surety bond agents and targeted strategic acquisitions, we are building a networked system of top-line surety agents.”\n\nThe McCabe/ICU merger will continue to be operated by original owner, Kevin McCabe, who has been appointed Chief Underwriting Officer of the Group and has joined the Board of Directors of the Holding Company. Mr. Rodriguez added, “With our reinsurance captive now licensed and capitalized, we can begin to issue bonds through Clear Blue and will revolutionize the way agents and principals procure surety.” For more information contact Rennie Rodriguez at rrodriguez@nationalfidelityins.com.\n\ni2B Capital is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado with offices in Herndon, Virginia. The company provides senior debt and direct asset investments for growth capital to qualifying entrepreneurs and equity-backed emerging specialty finance companies throughout the United States. For more information, contact Barbara Anderson, COO and Managing Director of i2B Capital, at 703-871-3993 or banderson@i2bcap.com.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170712006378/en/\n\ni2B Capital\n\nBarbara Anderson, 703-871-3993\n\nCOO and Managing Director\n\nbanderson@i2bcap.com", "entities": [[0, 11, "investor"], [21, 24, "money_funded"], [47, 75, "org_in_focus"], [78, 86, "headquarters_loc"], [103, 116, "date_of_funding"], [119, 130, "investor"], [262, 272, "money_funded"], [289, 293, "type_of_funding"], [297, 331, "org_in_focus"], [2190, 2218, "org_in_focus"], [2319, 2331, "headquarters_loc"]]}
{"text": "Goomo Raises $50 Mn From PE Firm Emerging India.\n\nMumbai-based Goomo Holdings has raised $50 Mn funding from PE firm Emerging India. With this move, Emerging India will pick up a majority stake in the company.\n\nTravel website Goomo.com was launched in March 2017. Goomo was formed by the merger of Orbit Corporate and Leisure Tours in November 2015. The startup provides a 360-degree accessibility through a user-friendly website, mobile applications, a multi-lingual call centre, and a network of travel agents. The company currently has over 300 employees across 15 cities in India and Germany.\n\nVarun Gupta, CEO, Goomo said, “Goomo is being built ground up to be an omnichannel platform that will facilitate corporate and consumer travel bookings across online and offline channels.” He further added that the money will be disbursed in tranches.\n\nRelated Article: Goomo Acquires B2B Car Rental Marketplace WagonBee To Strengthen Its Traveltech Offerings\n\nEmerging India is a Mauritius-based private equity fund. It is a growth-stage investor. The fund invests across multiple asset classes, including long-only equities, fixed income, credit strategies, private equity, and fund of funds.\n\nA fund spokesperson stated, “The travel industry in India offers immense opportunities for growth and consolidation. Over the past 12 months we have built a great team with a strong foundation. We are excited about the growth prospects of the business and expect the team to create a great India-focussed travel distribution business in the next two-three years.”\n\nLast month it was reported that travel portal MakeMyTrip (MMT) is reportedly looking to raise $330 Mn from South African Internet and media conglomerate Naspers and Ctrip, as well as other investors.The investment was proposed to be raised via share sale as per recent SEC filings of the company. In October 2016, MakeMyTrip acquired the Ibibo Group.\n\nLast month, online budget hotel brand and booking platform RedDoorz raised $1 Mn venture debt from InnoVen Capital. Other major players in the travel tech segment apart from Goomo include Cleartrip.com, Yatra, Booking.com, Expedia, etc.\n\n(The development was reported by ET)", "entities": [[0, 5, "org_in_focus"], [13, 19, "money_funded"], [33, 47, "investor"], [50, 56, "headquarters_loc"], [63, 77, "investor"], [89, 95, "money_funded"], [117, 131, "investor"], [226, 235, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "After ShopClues’ Plea, Delhi HC Sets Aside Its 2018 Order.\n\nOn April 4, the Division Bench of the Delhi High Court had set aside its November 2018 order in the case of ecommerce platform ShopClues vs US-based headphone maker SkullCandy and French personal care company L’Oreal. The HC further directed Justice Pratibha Singh to reinvestigate and present the case again in a hearing on May 6, 2019.\n\nThe Delhi High Court’s earlier order had denied ShopClues protection under Section 79 of the IT Act, which offers safe harbour to intermediaries (or marketplaces, in this case). Also, the court had restrained the ecommerce platform and other online sellers from selling counterfeit products.\n\nThe Division Bench comprising of Justice Muralidhar and Justice I.S. Mehta has now noted that its earlier order was passed without following the complete court procedure. The bench also noted that the judgement was made without giving a fair opportunity to ShopClues to present its case.\n\nIn response to this order, ShopClues said, “ShopClues welcomes the Delhi High Court’s order and believes that it will benefit all ecommerce players who operate a marketplace platform.”\n\nShopClues Vs L’Oreal And SkullCandy\n\nIn November 2018, a judgment was passed by Justice Pratibha Singh in lawsuits filed by L’Oreal and SkullCandy against ShopClues. The lawsuit has alleged ShopClues of selling counterfeit products on its platform. ShopClues filed two appeals to the Delhi High Court. The matter was first heard on January 14, 2019 in respect of L’Oreal appeal and on February 1, 2019 in relation to the Skullcandy appeal.\n\nAmong other arguments, ShopClues had said in its appeal that it was not given an opportunity to present its case and thus, the judgment which was passed without following the due procedure of law was erroneous and needed to be set aside.\n\nGurugram-based ecommerce platform ShopClues was founded in 2011 by Sanjay Sethi and Radhika Ghai. The company claims to have 100 Mn monthly visitors and 28 Mn listing on its platform. ShopClues has over 600K merchants on its platform spread across 31.5K pin codes across India. The company became a Unicorn in 2016 with a Series E funding round led by Sovereign Wealth Fund GIC Pte Ltd. Other investors such as Tiger Global Management LLC, Helion Venture Partners & Nexus Venture Partners also participated in the round.\n\nOther Similar Cases\n\nThere have been similar lawsuits against ecommerce companies in the past. In 2015, a saree distributor Shree Meena Creations had also filed a lawsuit against ecommerce majors including Flipkart, Amazon and eBay, along with about two dozen of their online sellers for allegedly selling replicas of their apparel.\n\nAnother saree brand Nalli Sarees had also served a cease and desist order to Snapdeal for allegedly using Nalli’s registered trademark and claiming to have original Nalli sarees on their portal.\n\nFurther in 2017, a German luxury products maker Montblanc had sued ecommerce platform digaaz.com for selling counterfeit pens manufactured by the company at lower rates.\n\nAfter this Delhi High Court judgment of banning ecommerce website ShopClues from selling counterfeit products, the All India Online Vendors Association (AIOVA) had also asked the consumers affairs ministry and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) to widen the ruling to all ecommerce retailers operating in the country.\n\nIntermediary Liability\n\nThis is not the first case which has questioned the intermediary liability in India. This week, Chinese video-sharing app TikTok was banned by the Madras High Court. The Court had cited objectionable user content as the reason for this ban, while TikTok argued that it is an intermediary in this matter.\n\nIn December 2018, MeitY had also released draft intermediary guidelines which proposed that the guidelines be amended to require intermediaries to trace and report the origin of government deemed defamatory messages within 72 hours of receiving a complaint.\n\nUpdate 1: April 18, 2019 | 3:08 PM\n\nThe contending party L’Oreal said in a media statement, “The intermediary status of ShopClues still stands quashed as on date. This is because of 2 reasons – (a) The Division Bench in its order nowhere quashes Para 19 of the Order of the Single Judge and in fact it is para 19 which contains the point regarding intermediary status; (b) Vide a separate judgment (after trial and evidence), the Saket District Court has again in parallel proceedings declared ShopClues to not be an intermediary (judgment attached – highlighted in yellow). ShopClues has appealed from this judgment and not got stay from the High Court.”\n\nUpdate 2: April 18, 2019 | 3:08 PM\n\nPost’s title was changed from ‘Delhi HC Stays Its 2018 Order To Restore ShopClues’ Intermediary Status’ to ‘After ShopClues’ Plea, Delhi HC Sets Aside Its 2018 Order’.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Summit Park invests in Freedom Electronics.\n\nSummit Park said Jan. 9 that it invested in Freedom Electronics via a recap. Financial terms weren’t. Freedom Electronics, of Kennesaw, Georgia, makes and sells over 2,300 electronic components used in fuel dispensers, retail point-of-sale systems, and automatic tank gauges.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nSummit Park Recapitalizes Freedom Electronics\n\nJanuary 9, 2019 • Charlotte, North Carolina and Kennesaw, Georgia\n\nSummit Park, a Charlotte-based private investment firm, is pleased to announce the recapitalization ofFreedom Electronics, LLC (“Freedom” or “the Company”), a leading provider of aftermarket electronic components for use in fuel dispensing and point-of-sale systems, in partnership with the Freedom management team.\n\nBased in Kennesaw, Georgia, the Company remanufactures and sells a portfolio of over 2,300 electronic components used in fuel dispensers, retail point-of-sale systems, and automatic tank gauges. Through the Company’s best-in-class repair procedures, sourcing capabilities, and engineering expertise, Freedom is a trusted partner to a national customer base, including retailers, parts distributors, and equipment service companies. In addition to its parts remanufacturing business, Freedom also provides a logistics and warehousing solution for customers’ electronic components inventory that minimizes downtime and ensures customers always have parts in stock.\n\nJim Johnson, co-Founding Partner of Summit Park said, “We are excited to partner with Rod Smith and the Freedom leadership team to build on the Company’s historical success. This opportunity was particularly interesting given our investment in Tennessee Industrial Electronics, which repairs and refurbishes industrial electronic components.”\n\nRod Smith, co-founder and CEO of Freedom, added, “Summit Park is an excellent fit for Freedom. We look forward to leveraging its expertise to partner on many growth and operational initiatives to better serve our customers.”\n\nThe transaction is the first investment in Summit Park’s third fund, Summit Park III.\n\nAbout Summit Park\n\nSummit Park is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based private investment firm focused exclusively on the lower middle market. The firm invests across a range of industries, including business and consumer services, light manufacturing and value-added distribution in the Eastern half of the United States. The firm’s capital can be used to facilitate a change in ownership, to support expansion and growth, to provide partial liquidity to existing owners, or to support an industry consolidation plan. For more information, visitwww.summitparkllc.com.", "entities": [[0, 11, "investor"], [23, 42, "org_in_focus"], [45, 56, "investor"], [62, 68, "date_of_funding"], [89, 108, "org_in_focus"], [147, 166, "org_in_focus"], [171, 188, "headquarters_loc"], [337, 348, "investor"], [363, 382, "org_in_focus"], [384, 399, "date_of_funding"], [777, 794, "headquarters_loc"]]}
{"text": "FedDev commits $3.2 million to support southwestern Ontario SMB’s through WOCDFCA.\n\nThrough FedDev, the Harper government has announced it’s investing millions to help businesses succeed in southwestern Ontario. The exact number that Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) will be sending the Western Ontario Community Futures Development Corporation Association (WOCDFCA) is $3,227,750.\n\nWOCFDCA stated in its announcement that the money will go to “support the growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises in southwestern Ontario.” The investment will also match $3,227,750 from the Southwestern Ontario Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) and bring the total funds to $6.2-million, which in turn create a 6.2-million investment fund “to strengthen regional diversification efforts” and help find a “new generation of entrepreneurs.”\n\nGary Goodyear, Minister of State for FedDev Ontario, said, “Our Government is committed to providing the right resources to small- and medium-sized enterprises to support succession planning. Today’s announcement will provide the WOCFDCA with the investment capital to support the transfer of businesses to a new generation of entrepreneurs and enable our economy to remain strong and diverse.”\n\nFrank Rupcic, Chair of WOCFDCA, said, “The WOCFDCA appreciates the confidence that FedDev Ontario has shown in our organization by providing us with this additional capital for businesses in Southwestern Ontario. We will continue to employ all our resources to ensure these new funds generate more business start-ups, expansions and job creation for our communities.”", "entities": []}
{"text": "The CapStreet Group Closes $500 Million Fund V.\n\nHOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–December 11, 2019–\n\nThe CapStreet Group, LLC (“CapStreet”), a Houston, Texas based private equity firm that invests in privately held, lower middle-market companies, today announced the final closing of CapStreet V, L.P. at its hard cap, with total commitments of $500 million. CapStreet V exceeded its original target of $400 million with commitments from a diverse group of existing and new investors.\n\n“We were pleased with the strong support that we received from our existing base of limited partners, and we were also fortunate to be able to expand this investor base by adding a select group of new limited partners to CapStreet V,” said George Kelly, CapStreet Managing Partner. “CapStreet V will continue its existing strategy of recapitalizing entrepreneur and family-owned businesses where there is a defined strategy to accelerate growth through operating initiatives, technology enhancement and strategic M&A.”\n\nCapStreet targets companies operating in the industrial and outsourced business service sectors, including tech enabled services and software businesses. CapStreet’s approach is to partner with strong management teams with the goal of building out corporate infrastructure, accelerating growth and profitability, and creating long term sustainable businesses.\n\n“The success of CapStreet V’s fundraise underscores the team’s track record and strong investment strategy,” said Neil Kallmeyer, CapStreet Managing Partner. “We will continue to execute on our distinct investment sourcing strategy, and then deploy our Operating Executive team to bring expertise in technology, business process improvement, distribution and other functional areas to our portfolio companies. CapStreet will continue its core strategy of investing primarily in companies with $3 million to $15 million of EBITDA in its geographic region, and then utilize its operational playbook to accelerate growth and profitability.”\n\nSince the firm’s founding in 1990, CapStreet has invested in 46 initial platform companies.\n\nWillkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provided legal counsel on behalf of CapStreet V, L.P.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191211005076/en/\n\nKatherine Kohlmeyer\n\nkkohlmeyer@capstreet.com", "entities": []}
{"text": "Orange, Google to co-invest in EMEA startups.\n\nMobile operator Orange has announced a partnership with Google to join forces to co-invest in startups across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.\n\nThe partnership will see startups sourced through the operator’s investment fund, Orange Digital Ventures (ODV), to be jointly evaluated for co-investment by ODV and Google.\n\nThe primary focus will be to seek out startups operating in the fields of new connectivities, internet of things (IoT), cybersecurity, cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), fintech, as well as new business models in the Middle East and Africa.\n\n“We are very proud to announce this partnership which will enable startups supported by Orange Digital Ventures to explore potential co-investment opportunities with Google. Through this partnership, we stand to reinforce Orange Digital Ventures’ “Smart Money” value-proposition by offering entrepreneurs with whom we work much more than just financing,” said Stéphane Richard, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Orange.\n\nThe collaboration will feature regular coordination meetings between the management teams of the two companies in order to examine investment opportunities.\n\n“We are delighted to support Orange’s ecosystem of startups and innovation and to explore alongside them opportunities for co-investment in Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EMEA). Orange’s ecosystem is consistent with Google’s know-how and our ability to accelerate the growth of startups. This partnership is a way to enhance our collective contribution to innovation in this region,” said Carlo d’Asaro Biondo, EMEA president of Google Partnerships.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Breed Reply Invests in Two More Early-Stage IoT businesses in Europe.\n\nEurope’s leading investor in early-stage IoT businesses has added two more investments, taking its portfolio to a total of 22 companies.\n\nThe new investments are: CageEye – The Norwegian company provides monitoring and a fully-automated feeding system for the global salmon farming industry using IoT technology to optimise production and reduce feed waste. ubirch – has created an IoT security system using blockchain technology. The German company has developed a sensor protocol to reduce IoT security risks and create a trusted solution.\n\n\n\nLONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 26, 2018–\n\nBreed Reply, a leading active operational investor in early-stage Internet of Things (IoT) businesses, has today announced two new investments, CageEye and ubirch. The companies have secured a total of €5.8 million in funding, including this investment round, since they were launched.\n\nThese new investments mean Breed Reply’s pan-European investment portfolio of early-stage IoT businesses has increased to 22 in a variety of different sectors. The sectors include health & wellness, industrial IoT, smart buildings and cities, security and platforms. So far, in 2018, Breed Reply has invested in four new IoT businesses with plans to grow the portfolio even further.\n\nThe new companies are:\n\nCageEye\n\nOslo-based CageEye has developed a world-leading AgTech platform. It is an IoT technology for the salmon farming industry designed to monitor the behaviour of the biomass in a cage and improve feeding processes. CageEye’s easy-to-install solution delivers fully automated, appetite-controlled feeding which can substantially reduce feed waste, which is a significant cost for producers. The system, developed in collaboration with the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, uses acoustic data and advanced analytics to detect when the fish are hungry or full.\n\nSome of the world’s leading salmon producers in Norway are already benefiting from the system. CageEye has identified opportunities to expand the use of the technology in Canada, Chile, Tasmania and Scotland, as well as with other aquaculture species. CageEye also has a biomass security solution, based on machine learning, in development.\n\nCageEye has raised a total of €2.3 million in funding and grants since 2016, including this round of investment since it first began to sell its product for commercial use. CageEye has already secured a further €1.5 million of investment as part of a new fundraising round in 2019.\n\nubirch\n\nubirch, based in Cologne and Berlin, has built a solution that enables a continuous chain of security and confidentiality for the collection, handling, and storage of data. This chain begins with an extreme lightweight blockchain client, that can be operated on any IoT sensor, even batteries. Each sensor that runs the protocol has a private key that generates a digital signature for every measurement, that is being transmitted. It means both the identity and integrity of the IoT data can be verified by anyone on the receiver side.\n\nCritical data is anchored in a two-layered blockchain-architecture. The ubirch solution, which is hardware agnostic, enables a wide range of IoT applications for infrastructures, buildings, machines, and devices with clients in the insurance, telecoms and manufacturing industries. Gartner, the leading IT market research and consulting named ubirch as one of the “Cool Vendors for Insurance” in 2017″. ubirch has raised more than €2 million since its launch in 2014, including this round.\n\nEmanuele Angelidis, CEO of Breed Reply, said: “Both of these companies have world-leading IoT technology in their respective fields. Importantly, they have solutions that fix real issues facing industry and have opened up the opportunity to develop new business models. CageEye has the potential to save the fish farming industry millions every year by increasing yields and reducing feed waste. ubirch uses blockchain to provide notary level trustworthiness for the Things, that are part of IoT, and the data they exchange. Each has ambitious plans for expansion, and we look forward to helping them realise these.”\n\nBendik S. Søvegjarto, CEO, CageEye said: “The salmon aquaculture industry is large and growing but facing challenges. The CageEye solution has been developed over many years to resolve one of the key problems facing producers, feed waste while helping them grow. Our unique IoT solution, which among other functions, offers a fully-automated feeding solution, will fundamentally change how producers resolve the problem. The funding from Breed Reply will support future R&D as well as our expansion into new markets.”\n\nStephan Noller, CEO, ubirch said: “Trust is the number one problem for IoT businesses today. The issue is holding back the implementation of IoT technology in many industries. ubirch offers the strongest security architecture using public and private key cryptography and blockchain technology. We have already seen strong interest from a number of leading multi-national corporations, and the support of Breed Reply will help us increase the take-up our technology.”\n\nThe two companies meet Breed Reply’s investment criteria of companies that combine strong management teams with an innovative technology that solves a real-world problem. As well as funding, Breed Reply will work closely with management to support both companies’ development to rapidly reach the next stage of development and follow-on investment rounds. Last year, one-third of Breed Reply’s portfolio raised more than $50 million of Series A funding.\n\nThe Breed Reply team has significant experience in scaling up early-stage businesses, in-depth understanding of different markets, proven track record in sales channel development and strong technological DNA. They also work closely with Reply Group, a leading consulting, systems integration and digital services company with a market presence all over Europe and the USA to help the investee companies commercialise their products.\n\n— END —\n\nAbout Breed Reply\n\nBreed Reply, Reply’s active operational investor, funds and supports the development of early-stage companies in the Internet of Things (IoT) in Europe and the USA. Based in London, with operational offices in Germany and Italy, Breed Reply supports entrepreneurs and young talent by quickly bringing new ideas to the market. This is done via three fundamental services: funding at early-stage level; active operational involvement with significant know how transfer of business, managerial and technological expertise; and go-to market support through the extensive Reply network. Breed Reply’s focus is the Internet of Things over all markets, with their current portfolio in Fitness & Wellness, Smart Building & Cities, Security, Industrial IoT and Platforms.\n\nAbout CageEye\n\nCageEye is a hydroacoustic system for monitoring of fish. The system provides an overview of the underwater situation within a cage, by measuring the vertical distribution of the fish, as well as the fish density. CageEye gives an objective measurement of fish response to feeding/appetite. The system can show the data both in real-time and as historic view back to start of the operation. CageEye is based on 7 years development and more than 30 years of research in collaboration with Institute of Marine Research and the University of Oslo.\n\nAbout ubirch\n\nubirch is a manufacturer of technology for the Internet of Things. With a specially developed protocol and a matching cloud backend, the start-up with locations in Cologne and Berlin enables innovative applications for the Internet of Things. The team consists of specialists for blockchain, cryptography, and data-driven business models.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180626005685/en/\n\nRedleaf Communications\n\nRobin Tozer / Ian Silvera\n\n+44 (0)20 3757 6867\n\nbreed@redleafpr.com", "entities": []}
{"text": "Startup Canada campaign gives entrepreneurs a say in next federal budget.\n\nStartup Canada is launching a campaign to allow every entrepreneur to voice their opinion in the Canadian government’s pre-budget consultations.\n\nThe organization is partnering with OneStory, a Saskatoon-based startup that allows people and organizations to crowdsource video interviews on its platform to help tell a story.\n\n“As Prime Minister Trudeau alluded to at the World Economic Forum last week, our entrepreneurs are Canada’s greatest resources, ” said Victoria Lennox, Startup Canada co-founder and CEO. “But to create jobs and grow the economy, the federal government has to unlock the full entrepreneurial potential of Canadians by better supporting entrepreneurs at all stages of growth, from all backgrounds, and in communities of all sizes.”\n\nEntrepreneurs can share a one to two minute video on the Startup Canada website which answers the question of how entrepreneurs can be best supported to help grow the Canadian economy. Startup Canada will then push them to Twitter using the #EveryEntrepreneur and #PBC16 (Pre-Budget Consultations 2016) hashtags, and will tag Justin Trudeau, Minister of Finance Bill Morneau, and Minister of Small Business and Tourism Bardish Chagger in tweets to raise awareness.\n\n“Despite great strides in recent years to build up the infrastructure of entrepreneurship and innovation, there remains much to be done to create a sustainable, national, high-impact startup ecosystem,” said Lennox. “Canada’s entrepreneurship community is evolving rapidly and only through an open and collaborative dialogue can we ensure that national investments consider not just the needs of today, but also create long-term solutions for small business success.”\n\nEntrepreneurs can also join #Startupchats hosted by Startup Canada on February 3, which will also be a pre-budget consultation with the startup and small business community. All Canadians have the opportunity to contribute to pre-budget consultations until early February.\n\nCheck out Startup Canada’s promo video here:", "entities": []}
{"text": "Egyptian logistics startup Sprint to use six-figure seed round to expand hubs network.\n\nCairo-based logistics service provider Sprint says it will use its first ever round of funding to expand its hubs networks as well as grow its staff.\n\nThe startup, which was founded last year by Mohamed Deif (pictured above), last Thursday (3 October) raised an undisclosed six-figure seed round from an unnamed angel investor.\n\nSprint was founded in 2018 by Mohamed Deif\n\nTech publication Menabytes reported in an article yesterday that the deal was made at a pre-money valuation of $1.25-million.\n\nSprint’s services include express courier delivery and freight forwarding. Deif told Ventureburn in an email yesterday that it plans to expand to Alexandria, Mansoura, Port Said and Suez by Q4 next year.\n\nDeif said the business has witnessed “a great growth rate” which he said exceeds 35% each month.\n\nFeatured image: Sprint founder and CEO Mohamed Deif (LinkedIn)", "entities": [[0, 8, "headquarters_loc"], [27, 33, "org_in_focus"], [41, 51, "money_funded"], [52, 56, "type_of_funding"], [88, 93, "headquarters_loc"], [127, 133, "org_in_focus"], [270, 279, "year_founded"], [329, 338, "date_of_funding"], [362, 372, "money_funded"], [373, 377, "type_of_funding"], [417, 423, "org_in_focus"], [439, 443, "year_founded"], [572, 585, "valuation"]]}
{"text": "Plug and Play Launches New Media & Advertising Innovation Program with Amazon Moments.\n\nSUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play today announced their newest innovation program focused on Media & Advertising with Amazon Moments as a Founding Partner. This new program will bring together industry leaders, startups, and venture capital firms to fuel innovation and solve industry challenges of the Media & Advertising industry. Amazon Moments is an easy-to-use service that enables users to reward customers who complete high value actions within apps and games with eligible physical and digital items sold on Amazon, driving user acquisition and increasing engagement.\n\n\"We are thrilled to announce Amazon Moments as the Founding Partner for Plug and Play's Media & Advertising Program and it couldn't be a better fit. Their cross-channel marketing solution allows for delivery of physical and digital items to customers and is directly aligned with the program's focus,\" said Michael Olmstead, Chief Revenue Officer of Plug and Play. \"We can't wait to see the innovation this program surfaces as well as the startup to corporate collaborations it facilitates.\"\n\nAmazon Moments will collaborate with Plug and Play to establish the foundation of the Media & Advertising program and evaluate emerging technologies from startups globally. The opportunities for collaboration between organizations participating in the Media & Advertising program and Amazon Moments will include piloting technologies, forming strategic alliances, building brand awareness, mentoring startups, and networking.\n\nIn collaboration with Fortune 500 companies, Plug and Play is operating the largest global innovation program with an exclusive network of top venture capitalists and 15 industry-specific accelerator programs such as: Brand & Retail, Fintech, Health, Insurtech, Sustainability, Travel & Hospitality, and more. Today, this household name will launch their Media & Advertising innovation ecosystem to play an instrumental role in the future of this multi-billion-dollar industry.\n\nSome of the focus areas of the Media & Advertising program will include:\n\n* Big Data and AI\n\n* Digital Advertising\n\n* Broadcast technologies\n\n* Out-of-home advertising\n\n* Reliable measurement and reporting\n\n* Advanced Automation\n\n* Native and Content\n\n* Ad Networks\n\n* Gamification\n\n* Advanced Hyper-local Advertising\n\n* Fraud and Privacy\n\n* Lead Management\n\n* Globalization\n\n* Blockchain\n\n* VR, AR and Mixed Reality\n\n* Digital Twin\n\n* 5G\n\nPlug and Play Media & Advertising program will officially run its first accelerator program this October.\n\nFor more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/media/\n\nABOUT PLUG AND PLAY\n\nPlug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since our inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 20 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 10,000 startups and 280 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup Protected ecosystem in many industries. We provide active investments with 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and host more than 700 networking events per year. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit www.plugandplaytechcenter.com .\n\nSOURCE Plug and Play\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttps://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/", "entities": []}
{"text": "Paytm Raises $1.4 Bn Funding From SoftBank Group.\n\nPaytm has raised $1.4 Bn funding from SoftBank Group, the Japanese Internet and telecom major. The investment was done in Paytm’s parent company One97 Communications.\n\nWith this move, SoftBank has joined Alibaba Group as a major shareholder and will take a seat on the Paytm board.\n\nTalking about the funding, Masayoshi Son, Chairman & CEO, SoftBank Group Corp., “In line with the Indian government’s vision to promote digital inclusion, we are committed to transforming the lives of hundreds of millions of Indian consumers and merchants by providing them digital access to a broad array of financial services, including mobile payments. We are excited to partner with Paytm in this journey and will provide them with all our support.”\n\nThis news comes just a day after ecommerce and payments platform Paytm finally geared up to roll out its payments bank on May 23, 2017. One97 Communications had received permission from the Reserve Bank of India to formally launch the Paytm Payments Bank in January 2017.\n\nSpeaking on the occasion, Paytm founder & CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma said, “We are at an inflection point in our journey with Paytm. This investment by Softbank and support of the incredible entrepreneur Masa Son is a great endorsement of our team’s execution and vision. We believe we have a great opportunity to bring financial inclusion to half a billion Indians.”\n\nEarlier this week, it was reported that Sixth Sense Ventures founder and CEO Nikhil Vora managed to rake in about $23.4 Mn (INR 150 Cr) by selling his stake in One97 Communications. The stake was sold to Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings. Alibaba and its affiliate Alipay now jointly hold about 45% in One97 Communications. Vora had invested in the company in 2011 and picked up a 0.35% stake or 1,60,000 shares of One97 Communications. The stake sale valued Paytm at about $6.6 Bn. As per an ET report, the recent fundraising has shot Paytm’s valuation to $8 Bn.\n\nPaytm plans to invest about $1.6 Bn (INR 10,000 Cr) over the next three to five years towards its commitment to enabling India’s digital economy.\n\nAs per a company statement, the newly raised funding will be used to grow its leadership in the country’s payment ecosystem, expand its user base, and build a suite of financial services products for its users.\n\nLast month, it was reported that ecommerce and payments company Paytm was in talks with Japan-based SoftBank to raise about $1.5 Bn in a cash deal.\n\nIn August 2016, after securing a $60 Mn funding round, One97 Communications, which runs Paytm, created a separate entity called Paytm E-Commerce Pvt. Ltd and transferred its online retail business onto it. In March 2017, Alibaba led a massive $200 Mn round in Paytm’s recently formed ecommerce unit. According to the filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) reviewed by Inc42, the round in Paytm E-Commerce Pvt. Ltd will be led by Alibaba Singapore E-Commerce Pvt. Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, which will invest $177 Mn (INR 1,182 Cr), along with $23 Mn from SAIF Partners.\n\nFrom ecommerce companies like Amazon that secured a licence from the RBIto operate a prepaid payment instrument (PPI); Instant messaging app WhatsApp that is expected to launch a peer-to-peer payment system in India, within the next six months; to Sweden-based Truecaller, introducing a new UPI-based mobile payment service ‘Truecaller Pay’ through a tie-in with ICICI Bank, the digital wallets is reaching a tipping point with both international and local interest.\n\nThe Indian fintech market is forecasted to touch $2.4 Bn by 2020, a two-fold increase from the market size currently standing at $1.2 Bn. As a per a report by Google and Boston Consulting Group, released in July 2016, the digital payments industry in India is projected to reach $500 Bn by 2020, contributing 15% to India’s GDP. According to Inc42 Datalabs, fintech has brought in $1.77 Bn in funding in India from 2014 to October 2016, with Paytm’s $680 Mn funding from back in September 2015 making up 38.5% of the entire sum. There was a total of 158 deals with 111 of them divulging their funding figures.", "entities": [[0, 5, "org_in_focus"], [13, 20, "money_funded"], [34, 48, "investor"], [51, 56, "org_in_focus"], [68, 75, "money_funded"], [89, 103, "investor"], [2430, 2435, "org_in_focus"], [2454, 2459, "headquarters_loc"], [2466, 2474, "org_in_focus"], [2490, 2497, "money_funded"]]}
{"text": "SupportPay Closes $1.1M.\n\nTweet SANTA CLARA, CA, First and only platform to automate child support payments and related expenses, today announced that it has closed a heavily oversubscribed seed round.\n\nTo export SupportPay funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on SupportPayTo export SupportPay funding data to PDF and Excel, click here SupportPay by Ittavi, the first and only platform to automate child support payments and related expenses, today announced that it has closed a heavily oversubscribed seed round. The startup raised over $1,100,000 from many of Silicon Valley's most well-respected Angel and corporate investment groups. Draper Associates, Tim Draper's angel investment fund, led the round, which was joined by TEC Ventures, Broadway Angels, Aspect Ventures, RPM Ventures and salesforce.com, as well as several other influential angel investors. The funding will be used to drive customer growth, brand awareness and referral network expansion, as well as internal team growth and continued platform improvements.\n\n\n\n'TEC Ventures invests in disruptive businesses that will improve the lives of many,' Anna S. Dvornikova Managing Partner, TEC Ventures. 'We have been very impressed with SupportPay's concept and Sheri's dedication and leadership. She has taken her experience as a child of divorce and as a divorced mother, and generated a solution that solves a real pain in our society.'\n\n\n\nSupportPay offers a private, secure, transparent and automated payment platform for sharing child expenses and managing child support. It fully standardizes the billing and payment process for child support, as well as provides parents the transparency necessary to reduce conflict when it comes to sharing the many expenses associated with raising a child including medical, child care, education or any other child expenses - most of which are typically not addressed by court orders or state-run payment platforms. With SupportPay, a parent can easily enter an expense, attach a receipt and then submit the transaction to the other parent. The other parent can quickly review the item, seeing immediately that the expense is for their child, and then make a payment, SupportPay does all of the calculations, tracking and reminders for parents, so they don't have to worry or fight about it. SupportPay is available as a web, Android and iOS application. Currently, there is both a free and a subscription service available. SupportPay is built on the Salesforce1 Platform, the world's only next generation customer platform to deliver the highest level of security and privacy for users' financial data.\n\n\n\n'Since our public launch of SupportPay in late 2013, we've seen a remarkable adoption rate by parents seeking a solution to solve this conflict ridden process. In addition, we have thousands of family law professionals who are referring their clients to SupportPay because they also recognize the huge need for a solution to help parents manage child support and share expenses,' said Sheri Atwood, Founder and CEO of Ittavi. 'Until now, technology innovations have completely overlooked parents who are raising children in these modern families- even though there are nearly 300 million of us worldwide and we exchange over $990 billion dollars in child support and child related expenses every year.'\n\n\n\n'I was impressed with Sheri's ability to identify a big hole in the market and her remarkable passion to solve a problem faced by so many families. We are proud to be able to help take SupportPay to the next level,' said Joel Yarmon, Partner at Draper Associates.\n\n\n\n'We're passionate about the people and ideas in which we invest, and were blown away by what SupportPay has accomplished in such a short period of time,' said Sonja Perkins, Founder of Broadway Angels. 'SupportPay is a smart and simple idea addressing a tremendous market, yet it's the first of its kind - truly a game changer, which we're extremely excited to support.'\n\n\n\nYou can learn more about SupportPay at supportpay.com\n\n\n\nAbout Draper Associates\n\nDraper Associates is a seed stage venture fund in Menlo Park, CA. We invest globally, in great teams of people creating revolutionary companies in new media, gaming, SaaS, cloud, new finance, IOT, and mobile. Our portfolio companies are disrupting markets in the tens of $billions and are on a clear path to later rounds of fundraising. Big companies. Big ideas. We're here to help.\n\n\n\nAbout Broadway Angels\n\nBroadway Angels is an angel investment group made up of world-class investors and business executives who all happen to be women. We all have decades of experience investing in and managing the best technology companies in the world. All of us are or have been General Partners in venture capital firms or Senior Executives in top technology companies. For most of us, we have been the only woman partner or senior executive in our firm. All of us have built great careers and portfolios along with amazing relationships with entrepreneurs and executives.\n\n\n\nAbout Aspect Ventures\n\nAspect Ventures works with entrepreneurs in the emerging mobile marketplace, bringing the benefit of their proven track records and fresh perspective to add a meaningful value across the arc of their companies' growth. Aspect Ventures invests in companies that leveraging data and interconnectivity to create breakthrough technologies, products and services for multi-platform environments.\n\n\n\nAbout TEC Ventures\n\nTEC Ventures is a boutique seed fund that invests in companies at the very early stage helping global entrepreneurs from around the world connect with Silicon Valley resources to grow their companies. Our areas of focus are: Internet and software startups with specific interest in social, e-commerce, media, mobile, education, enterprise, security, and consumer internet/mobile apps.\n\n\n\nAbout RPM Ventures\n\nRPM Ventures is an active seed and early stage venture firm, founded in 2000 and based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Firm is a lead investor nationally in its specific areas of expertise, including: Automotive Industry IT and Connected Car, E-commerce, Online Marketplaces, Middle Market SaaS, and Cloud and Social Media Infrastructure. RPM's combination of West Coast entrepreneurial experience and roots in the Great Lakes Region allows them to bring a unique perspective to investing, as is reflected in their integration of Silicon Valley culture and relationships with a Midwest work ethic and core values.\n\n\n\nAbout SupportPay by Ittavi:\n\nBased in Santa Clara, CA, Ittavi ('it takes a village') is on a mission to end family financial conflicts. SupportPay®, Ittavi's first product, is the first-ever automated child support payment platform, poised to transform the complex, time-consuming & stressful process that impacts nearly 300 million parents exchanging more than $900 billion in child support & child expenses worldwide. Submit child expenses, store receipts, and make payments quickly and securely, with automatic reminders, approve/dispute capabilities, and a complete archive of all transactions. With SupportPay, today's modern families can spend less time managing and arguing about child support, and more time focused on raising happy, healthy children. Available online in any browser, with accompanying mobile apps for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. Find out more about how you can streamline your child support payments at: supportpay.com, @supportpayapp or Facebook.com/SupportPay.", "entities": [[0, 10, "org_in_focus"], [18, 23, "money_funded"], [32, 47, "headquarters_loc"], [130, 135, "date_of_funding"], [190, 194, "type_of_funding"], [371, 381, "org_in_focus"], [385, 391, "org_in_focus"], [478, 483, "date_of_funding"], [538, 542, "type_of_funding"], [574, 584, "money_funded"], [674, 691, "investor"], [693, 703, "investor"], [764, 776, "investor"], [778, 793, "investor"], [795, 810, "investor"], [812, 824, "investor"], [829, 843, "investor"], [2684, 2694, "org_in_focus"], [2703, 2707, "year_founded"], [4028, 4038, "org_in_focus"], [4042, 4056, "org_url"], [7455, 7469, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Here’s why Booking.com has invested in ‘Uber of China’ Didi Chuxing.\n\nLooks like the leading Dutch travel company Booking Holding is making every effort to expand its presence in the Chinese market.\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nIn a latest development, it has been announced that Bookings Holding Inc and related services have invested $500 million in the Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing Technology in order to offer more personalized quality travel experiences across the world.\n\nWith this collaboration, Booking brands will integrate the on-demand car service through their apps, powered by DiDi, while on the other hand, the DiDi customers will have the option to book hotels through Booking.com or Agoda.\n\nWhy the $500 million investment?\n\nThis is not the first investment for Booking.com in the Chinese market. The company has already partnered with other Chinese companies before including China’s largest online travel service Ctrip and messaging service WeChat, both of which have a large Chinese customer base. With this move, Booking.com aims to strengthen their position by connecting to the huge consumer bases.\n\nThe company which holds Bookings.com also includes major brands in its portfolio like agoda.com, KAYAK, Priceline, Rentalcars.com, and OpenTable.\n\nFor Didi Chuxing, this investment is a part of global expansion as it tries to topple its arch-rival Uber. DiDi recently launched its services in Mexico, Australia, and Taiwan. In addition to this, the company has also acquired local ride-sharing company 99 in Brazil.\n\nBooking serves more than 220 countries at present!\n\nIn fact, Booking serves in more than 220 countries through various brands including agoda.com, KAYAK, Priceline, Rentalcars.com, and OpenTable. Founded in 1996, this Amsterdam based website offers service in 41 languages and offers over 566,189 properties as well.\n\nRaised $20.6B funding so far!\n\nFounded by Bo Zhang and Cheng Wei in 2012, Didi Chuxing has so far raised around $20.6B in 18 funding rounds. The company also serves around 550 million customers across China, South America, Australia and Japan.\n\nStephen Zhu, Vice President for Strategy of Didi Chuxing, said, “Building on its leadership and expertise in the global online travel market, Booking is championing a digital revolution of travel experience. We look forward to seamlessly connecting every segment of the journey and improving everyone’s traveling experience through more collaborative innovation with the Booking brands on the product, technology, and market development.”\n\nTodd Henrich, SVP and Head of Corporate Development for Booking Holdings, said, “DiDi has clear advantages in technology and scale in the shared mobility industry. We believe that together we can offer smarter transportation services to our brands’ customers, and help DiDi’s customers with seamless access to the products and services the brands in our company provide throughout the world.”\n\nFor more updates, stay tuned to Silicon Canals.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Naspers Foundry announces its first investment, with R30m in SweepSouth.\n\nUPDATE (20 December 2019: SweepSouth co-founder Aisha Pandor confirmed with Ventureburn today that the R30-million was part of an investment round which the startup closed in October, valued at over R60-million (see this story).\n\nNaspers today announced that its R1.4-billion venture capital (VC) fund Naspers Foundry, which is aimed at SA startups, has made its first deal, with a R30-million investment in SA startup SweepSouth.\n\nThe fund was launched in October last year by Naspers with the aim of investing in the SA technology sector (see this story).\n\nThe first deal comes just weeks ahead of an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders that Naspers plans to hold in Cape Town next Friday (28 June). The meeting is to discuss its plans to list its consumer internet business on Amsterdam’s Euronext exchange next month.\n\nSweepSouth, founded in 2014 by Aisha Pandor and Alen Ribic (pictured above, left and right), is an online cleaning services platform that connects clients with domestic cleaners.\n\nNaspers has invested R30m in SweepSouth\n\nNaspers did not disclose what stake in the startup the R30-million is for.\n\nIn a statement today SweepSouth co-founder Aisha Pandor said she and Ribic were ecstatic about the Naspers Foundry investment in the startup and added that she believes the partnership will help the startup achieve its vision of expanding into other home services and growing beyond the SA market.\n\n“We see ourselves as an emerging market-focused platform that aims to serve the many professionals who don’t have the time to source the services we provide, whilst also creating meaningful employment opportunities,” said Pandor.\n\nIn 2017 SweepSouth raised an undisclosed amount in a Series-A round which was led by international retail solutions company Smollan. The round included Draper Darker Flow, Identity Development Fund Managers, CRE venture capital and DJ Black Coffee (see this story).\n\nIt follows a R10-million round of funding in 2016 that the startup concluded (see this story).\n\nMore Naspers Foundry deals imminent\n\nCommenting in the same statement today, Naspers chief executive Bob van Dijk: “We are inspired by entrepreneurs like Aisha and Alen who use innovative technology to improve people’s lives.\n\n“We know what it takes to scale tech businesses, and the team is looking forward to working together with SweepSouth to help them do that.”\n\nVan Dijk said Naspers will announce more deals in SA startups in the coming months.\n\n“We are excited about the potential technology has to improve people’s lives, and will also continue investing in our existing operations in South Africa, including Takealot, Superbalist, Mr D Food, OLX, Autotrader SA, Property24, and Media24,” he said.\n\nRead more: The silent Naspers coup: how Koos Bekker gave away the family jewels [Opinion]\n\nRead more: Do you want to treat Naspers like a small family business? [Opinion]\n\nRead more: Naspers to launch R1.4bn fund to back SA tech startups\n\nRead more: How Naspers could help find SA’s next great tech startups [Opinion]\n\nFeatured image: SweepSouth founders Aisha Pandor and Alen Ribic (Supplied)", "entities": [[0, 15, "investor"], [53, 57, "money_funded"], [61, 71, "org_in_focus"], [82, 98, "date_of_funding"], [100, 110, "org_in_focus"], [177, 188, "money_funded"], [249, 256, "date_of_funding"], [273, 284, "valuation"], [312, 317, "date_of_funding"], [376, 391, "investor"], [456, 467, "money_funded"], [482, 484, "headquarters_loc"], [493, 503, "org_in_focus"], [907, 917, "org_in_focus"], [930, 934, "year_founded"], [1087, 1094, "investor"], [1108, 1112, "money_funded"], [1116, 1126, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Formetrix Hires CEO and Commits to New Headquarters in Greater Boston.\n\nPROVIDENCE, R.I.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–January 17, 2019–\n\nFormetrix, Inc., a designer and producer of proprietary, high-performance, steel alloys for additive manufacturing, has named Scott Pearson as its new Chief Executive Officer. The Company also announces that it has committed to a new headquarters in the greater Boston area with occupancy scheduled to occur in March.\n\n“We are thrilled to attract someone of Scott’s caliber and experience to lead Formetrix as we enter our next phase of growth,” said K. Leonard Judson, a Formetrix Director and the President and Managing Director of Cycad Group. Judson continued, “Scott is the ideal person to drive the Company’s growth and operational strategies, to establish mutually beneficial partnerships with industry and customers, and to establish the company as a leader in the rapidly developing additive manufacturing materials space.”\n\n“I am excited to join the Formetrix team and to lead the organization as we target the opportunities that exist in the 3D printing market today for our world-class, steel alloys as well as the new opportunities that our unique technologies will enable,” said Pearson. “I am also looking forward to the opening of our new, state-of-the-art facility in the coming months. The new capabilities enabled by this facility will allow our team to innovate and operate more quickly and effectively for our customers.”\n\nMr. Pearson is a seasoned and well-respected senior executive, with over 25 years of experience leading a wide range of technology-based companies and organizations. His professional experience spans a broad range of industries including uninterruptible power systems (UPS), fuel cells, electric vehicles, electronics assembly equipment and materials, digital imaging, stationary energy storage, and defense systems. Prior to joining Formetrix, Scott spent six years as the President and CEO of Aquion Energy, a venture-backed company focused on the development, manufacturing, and sales of advanced batteries and storage systems. Mr. Pearson holds an M.B.A. from MIT’s Sloan School of Management, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.\n\nAbout Formetrix:\n\nFormetrix designs patented steel alloys for 3D printed components such as tooling for molding, casting and stamping within the industrial, automotive, oil and gas, and heavy machinery markets. Formetrix’s expertise is in the design and manufacture of steel alloys with exceptional material properties for 3D printing processes. Formetrix’s high-performance, steel alloys offer a unique combination of benefits such as higher hardness, higher ductility, and higher wear resistance compared to existing alternatives. Formetrix is the spinout company of NanoSteel’s Additive Manufacturing business unit formed in late August 2018.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190117005028/en/\n\nRobyn Kennedy, 401-270-3549 x117\n\nmarketing@formetrixmetals.com", "entities": []}
{"text": "ShieldSquare Raises INR 2 Cr. From A Pool Of 15 Investors.\n\nBangalore based ShieldSquare which prevents bots from scraping data on website has raised INR 2 Cr. in angel round from a pool of over 15 investors, entrepreneurs and high net-worth individuals from India, Singapore, and US. A few of investors who invested in the round include Freshdesk’s Girish Mathrubootham; red-Bus founders Phanindra Sama, Charan Padmaraju, and Sudhakar Pasupunuri as well as Murugavel Janakiraman of BharatMatrimony.\n\nThe startup helps online businesses against web scraping and bot attacks, thus increasing revenues and improving site performance. Site scraping is a common form of content theft that is often overlooked by online businesses which leads to revenue loss and increase of infrastructure costs.\n\nShieldSquare’s revolutionary technology identifies scrapers in real time and empowers the site owner to block them.\n\nRelated Article: Bot Mitigation Startup ShieldSquare Raises Series A Funding From Endiya Partners and RPG Ventures\n\nShieldSquare Cloud service can be integrated into any web application by inserting a REST API and a Java Script. For each web request, ShieldSquare API collects multiple parameters from the HTTP request header and the inserted JavaScript. Additionally, dynamic Turing tests are embedded at runtime and executed on the web page. ShieldSquare Cloud Engine computes the Scrape Quotient for each web request based on the results of Turing tests and by conducting advanced computational and behavioral analysis of the collected parameters.\n\nIts services are available on subscription model and pricing is based on usage requirements\n\nThe startup plans to use the funds raised for product development and hiring talent. Further, it also has plans to sell language-neutral software startup outside India.\n\nLaunched by Pavan Thatha, Rakesh Thatha, Vasanth Kumar G, Jyoti Kakatkar and Srikanth Konijeti in March this year, last month the ShieldSquare got selected for the well-known event – Startup Tel Aviv after winning the India round. It was also part of Microsoft Ventures Accelerator in November 2013.\n\nIts clients include social networking sites, ecommerce portals, content websites and classified or listing sites.", "entities": [[0, 12, "org_in_focus"], [20, 29, "money_funded"], [60, 69, "headquarters_loc"], [76, 88, "org_in_focus"], [150, 159, "money_funded"], [350, 370, "investor"], [389, 403, "investor"], [405, 421, "investor"], [427, 446, "investor"], [458, 479, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Proptech startup Lavanda raises €1.1 million with the goal to revolutionize the London rental market.\n\nLavanda, the short-term lettings and homesharing platform has closed its second round of funding, raising additional funding of more than €1.1 million from a number of high-profile investors like Kenny Bruce, founder and CEO of Purplebricks, Sir Terry Leahy, former CEO of Tesco, Harry Hill, founder of Rightmove, Bill Currie, founder of the VC firm William Currie Group and Anthony Nutt, former fund manager at Jupiter Asset Management.\n\nBy combining premium hospitality services, multichannel lettings and comprehensive property management into a single technology platform, Lavanda helps residential landlords and property managers maximise performance across their rental portfolios at the touch of a button. The company was founded in 2014.\n\nLavanda revenues have risen by more than 100% since announcing its previous fundraise in February of this year. The capital will allow the company to grow its B2B offering which provides estate agents and property managers with a simple means of offering short-term rental services at zero incremental cost – driving growth and profitability across their core sales and long-term lettings business.\n\nKenny Bruce, founder of Purple Bricks said: “Lavanda’s innovative proposition to tenants, landlords and estate agents creates genuine value for all constituents. By tapping into the changing way people are living and working, this business has the potential to develop into a major player within the residential market. I’m delighted to be involved at this exciting time for the company.”\n\nLavanda co-founder Guy Westlake added: “Shorter-term rentals and the sharing economy are shaping the future of the residential property sector. This is a seismic shift, yet the industry is proving slow to adapt. Our platform now provides estate agents and property managers with an immediate means of tapping into this growing market.”", "entities": [[17, 24, "org_in_focus"], [32, 44, "money_funded"], [80, 86, "headquarters_loc"], [103, 110, "org_in_focus"], [176, 188, "type_of_funding"], [241, 253, "money_funded"], [299, 310, "investor"], [345, 360, "investor"], [383, 393, "investor"], [417, 428, "investor"], [478, 490, "investor"], [843, 847, "year_founded"], [850, 857, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "China: Qiming Venture joins $55m Series B round of Connect Biopharma.\n\nPremium\n\nChinese venture capital firm Qiming Venture Partners has participated in the $55-million Series B round of Connect Biopharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage company focused on discovery and development of immune modulators for the treatment of auto-immune diseases.", "entities": [[7, 21, "investor"], [28, 32, "money_funded"], [33, 41, "type_of_funding"], [51, 68, "org_in_focus"], [109, 132, "investor"], [157, 168, "money_funded"], [169, 177, "type_of_funding"], [187, 213, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "On the hunt for Holy Grails, Unicorns, VC funding and other fabled creatures.\n\nThis article may be a little controversial but it is part of my mission to guide our entrepreneurs to success — and if we can stop our founders from wasting time doing things that will never bear fruit, then we are doing our job.\n\nNew venture founders are massively overly focused on VC-sourced funding – which may initially seem appropriate as lack of money is a problem that most startups face at sometime. However, there is undoubtedly a disproportionate amount of time and resource dedicated to seeking VC funding which will remain for most, a holy grail.\n\nIn the UK there were roughly 500 000 new businesses launched in 2014 and about 280 VC backed deals (Dow Jones VC Report and Companies House data) — that equates to 0.06% getting VC finance. Sure we can refine the calculation and eliminate certain types of new businesses, add in angel funding, consider cross-border transactions — but after all this even if you are in one of the more promising sectors the odds are certainly far less than three percent that a startup will ever get VC funding.\n\nUnfortunately, 9 out of 10 entrepreneurs will probably already be thinking: “yes, but I am different and my business is definitely fundable.” Let’s test that. Ignoring all the slick pitches, frenetic networking and startup jargon, there are really only a few questions you need to answer:\n\nAm I addressing a really big market?\n\nIf I am successful, is the potential return on investment massive?\n\nHave I got concrete evidence that my model can deliver this (think sustainably, competition, risk levels, scalability)?\n\nHave I got a team that can definitely make this happen?\n\nAnswer “yes” to all of these and just maybe you are in the group who just might be right for VC’s. But remembering, it is not just your venture that is important, you are being compared against plenty of other potential investment opportunities as well.\n\nHypothetically, if you are in the group that might obtain a round of finance, do you really want it? VC’s will try and reduce risk and the best way to do that is by investing in businesses that have a higher likelihood of success and with big upward potential. That translates into businesses that already have significant traction with real paying customers. If you are in that situation, would you rather not consider using customer revenue to fund your growth?\n\nThe logical conclusion is to focus on getting to that desired level of traction. Even if , despite the warnings you still wish to seek VC funding, it would still make more sense to do all you can to reduce the riskiness of your business by proving that it works and in so doing, strengthen your negotiation position before you even consider seeking funds. What is more it also gives you the option to continue bootstrapping your business and retain control if funding does not become available at acceptable terms.\n\nOn the subject of control, this is another good reason to think long and hard about the funding route because once you are on board its going to feel like you are on the fabled train in Jethro Tull’s Locomotive Breath “ the train it won’t stop going, no way to slow down” (most readers won’t recognise the reference but will get the imagery). There will be constant pressure on you to exit or move to subsequent financing rounds. The good news is you could have a skyrocketing net worth; but the negative is your control over the business is going to be moving in the opposite direction.\n\nFurthermore if you do decide to go the VC path, you are going to have to get familiar with the ever more complicated terms and conditions that the VC’s are dreaming up. Terms like full ratchet anti-dilution and reverse vesting should make a founder’s blood run cold!\n\nI am not anti-VC. I think the majority do a great job and have a valuable role in injecting money into the system. When they do invest they also generally add tremendous benefit in terms of support, experience, network and credibility. The leverage that people like AirBnB, Uber and the other “unicorns” have gained from these funds has been massive.\n\nThe inspiration and motivation that those successes provide is also a positive factor in encouraging entrepreneurship.\n\nBut lets not forget the VC’s raison d’etre is to make money for their funders, which means the better the deal they negotiate for themselves, the worse for you! Although I have heard some compelling and passionate presentations from these “suits” about how they desire to support and protect the entrepreneur, the fundamental is that a negotiation is a zero sum game and the VC’s normally hold the good cards.\n\nIn summary, we suggest:\n\nFocus on building your business all the way to real traction and waste no time on the funding trail until then.\n\nIf you then fall into the category of VC-fundable, you can consider that path, but be highly attuned to what Wasserman calls the “cash versus control” in his book The Founders Dolemma. (see this HBR article)\n\nRemember that funding does not equal success. Plenty of ventures fail post-funding, but the VC-funded casualties tend to be a lot messier to clean up.\n\nSo founders … concentrate on the areas that matter – insanely great products, customer acquisition and refining your business models to develop sustainable customer revenue streams. Learn to say “no” to the next sexy pitch or national startup event. You really do not have time for the distractions of searching for the VC Holy Grail while you have a business to build!\n\nThis article by Simon Gifford originally appeared on Mashauri.com and is republished with permission.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Egyptian fintech startup XPay raises $250k funding.\n\nEgyptian fintech startup XPay has secured a US$250,000 funding round from two angel investors as it looks to expand its reach and secure more corporate partners.\n\nXPay helps communities such as universities, clubs, residential compounds and more automate daily tasks and transactions, helping users easily pay regular bills and subscriptions.\n\n“XPay was established to become the platform of choice for all members of the family – eliminating the stress of juggling numerous transactions, subscription and bill payments, payment methods and due dates. One platform to ease the unavoidable inconvenience of modern living,” said the startup’s founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Dr Mohamed AbdelMottaleb.\n\nThe startup has now raised US$250,000 from two angel investors. It is the latest boost for XPay, which raised initial investment from fintech-focused VC firm EFG EV Fintech last year and has also been taking part in the Startupbootcamp Fintech Cairo accelerator programme.\n\nXPay is now focusing on expanding its reach, and is currently in discussion with corporate investment and finance companies interested in promoting cashless solutions. The startup also plans to build its team, and is identifying local talent to be part of its coming stage of development and community engagement.\n\n“We are recruiting visionaries who share our passion for creating tech-based solutions to everyday anxieties,” said AbdelMottaleb.\n\nEFG EV Fintech managing director Mahmoud El-Zohairy said his company believed in the evolution of financial services and in empowering and supporting Egypt’s local talent poised to drive the next wave of fintech innovation.\n\n“XPay is a revolutionary electronic payment solution, backed by a very seasoned founder, that allows closed communities to digitise payments and payment collection while providing community members and management with a variety of value-added services along the way,” he said.\n\nAhmed Elsherif, director of Startupbootcamp Fintech Cairo, said it was a pleasure to be working with XPay as it was providing access to an end-to-end suite of financial services and payment facilities for a multitude of communities and verticals within the economy.\n\n“Mohamed AbdelMottaleb has demonstrated that XPay has the potential to become a key player in Egypt’s financial inclusion; enabling access to financial products that will impact the lives and futures of Egyptians for generations to come,” he said.", "entities": [[0, 8, "headquarters_loc"], [25, 29, "org_in_focus"], [37, 42, "money_funded"], [53, 61, "headquarters_loc"], [78, 82, "org_in_focus"], [97, 107, "money_funded"], [790, 800, "money_funded"]]}
{"text": "Microfunding platform Fundz launches to assist African, Asian startups.\n\nIsrael-based startup ­​Fundz has launched a platform focusing on microfunding and guiding startups in emerging markets in Africa and Asia, with startups invited to sign up now ahead of the full launch in the next two months.\n\nFundz blends a social media platform for a broad community and recurring micro­payments to selected startups, with the platform not equity based but rather running on a sponsorship model.\n\nFounder and chief executive officer (CEO) David Mark told Disrupt Africa the startup has soft launched the community aspect and will be going live with the funding part in the next 60 days, with Fundz hoping startups from Africa and Asia will make up the majority of users.\n\n“I spent a summer in Ghana 15 years ago. I noticed an area that if given the right tools could leap into the 21st century. Being in Israel has taught me to not only focus on ourselves, but to take our drive, know how, and vision to other areas of the world. For me this was naturally the emerging markets, most specifically Africa,” he said.\n\nMark said looking at the broader world of angel investing and equity-based crowdfunding Fundz had noticed that the models do not work for enough entrepreneurs in emerging markets.\n\n“I am a big believer in the lean startup model. Here in Israel we run innovation out of coffee houses and on small budgets. I want to apply that same approach to the emerging markets,” he said.\n\nFundz was founded as a consultancy for equity-based crowdfunding platforms, with the small team based in Jerusalem working with numerous platforms around the world, including OurCrowd and Healthfundr.\n\nIn pivoting towards an independent platform, Fundz has brought in Sean Obedih of Founders Hive and NewGenAngels.\n\n“Fundz gives you the opportunity to get to know innovative teams without having to shell out a lot of money upfront and we believe that is not only very unique, but very helpful to both the startups and their backers,” said Obedih. “There really isn’t anything else like it and I firmly believe it gels well with the cultural and social makeup of the emerging markets.”", "entities": []}
{"text": "Augtera Networks Raises $4M Led by Bain Capital Ventures for Industry's First AI Platform for Networks.\n\nPALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Augtera Networks today announced that it has raised $4 million for the industry's first AI platform for networks. The company's solution, which is built from the ground up for networks, brings the benefits of AI-augmented operations, planning and orchestration to physical, virtual and cloud network environments. The funding will enable Augtera to expand operations to support existing and rapidly growing production deployments across Global 1000 companies, scale strategic partnerships and accelerate adoption.\n\nBain Capital Ventures led the round with participation from aCrew Capital. With this announcement Enrique Salem, partner at Bain Capital Ventures and former CEO of Symantec, joins Augtera's board of directors.\n\nAs enterprises, cloud and service providers continue to adopt software defined networking, data center fabric designs, hybrid cloud and white box switches, networks have become increasingly complex, fragmented and difficult to operate. As a result supporting business agility and providing network uptime necessary for increased revenue growth, while minimizing operational expense, have become significant pain points for network designers and operators alike. Augtera's product provides a holistic solution to this problem by applying machine learning to networking data and enables multiple orders of magnitude of benefit while addressing these pain points.\n\n\"The current paradigm of building and operating networks relies on engineering and operations teams to manually mine and find needles in an increasingly large and multi-layered haystack of data,\" said Rahul Aggarwal, founder and CEO, Augtera Networks. \"These teams are not able to leverage the richness of the network data and their work flows are reactive while serving applications, customers and users that depend on the network,\" continues Aggarwal. \"Augtera's proprietary AI technology powered by a holistic network model, finds the needles in the haystack automatically and proactively and enables a paradigm shift.\"\n\n\"Networks have become highly complicated, and management solutions to date have not kept up,\" said Salem. \"Augtera has built a ground-breaking AI system with algorithms designed specifically for networks, and we are already witnessing the efficacy and commercial potential of its highly-differentiated product in a number of customer environments. As an early investor, we are thrilled to partner with Rahul and Bhupesh and look forward to playing an active part in the company's growth and success.\"\n\n\"We are excited to be partnering with Rahul and Bhupesh, who bring world class domain expertise that is needed to unlock the tremendous value of applying machine learning to the networking domain. We look forward to our journey ahead with them,\" said Theresia Gouw, co-founder of aCrew Capital.\n\nFounded by industry veterans Rahul Aggarwal and Bhupesh Kothari, Augtera has developed proprietary algorithms with over two years of R&D to apply machine learning to the networking domain. These algorithms have been built and matured using production data from nine very large scale networks. AI applications that leverage these algorithms are custom built for networking constructs. These AI applications are powered by Augtera's platform, which provides the data plumbing, network models, scale, visualization, ecosystem integration and agility needed to bring the benefits of AI to complex and dynamic networking environments.\n\nAbout Augtera\n\nAugtera Networks is the provider of industry's first AI platform built from the ground up for networks. The Augtera team consists of industry-leading technologists from Juniper, Cisco, Nokia, Facebook and several successful startups having collectively shipped widely deployed products that have created billions of dollars in value across networking, routing, distributed systems, machine learning, big data and automation environments.\n\nAbout Bain Capital Ventures\n\nBain Capital Ventures partners with disruptive founders to accelerate their ideas to market. The firm invests from seed to growth in startups driving transformation across industries, from SaaS, infrastructure software and security to fintech and healthcare to commerce and consumer tech. The firm has helped launch and commercialize more than 240 companies, including DocuSign, Jet.com, Kiva Systems, Lime, LinkedIn, Rapid7, Redis Labs, Rent the Runway, Rubrik, SendGrid and SurveyMonkey. Bain Capital Ventures has $5.2 billion in assets under management with offices in San Francisco, New York, Boston and Palo Alto. Follow the firm via LinkedIn and Twitter .\n\nAbout aCrew Capital\n\naCrew Capital is an early stage venture capital firm engaging in long term partnership with teams uniquely suited to solve big, hard problems. aCrew is a thesis driven firm focusing on cybersecurity & infrastructure, financial services, re-imagining the workplace, data platforms, and community activated networks. aCrew's team has backed founders building transformative companies including cybersecurity providers Cato Networks, Exabeam, Forescout Technologies, and Silverfort; fintech companies Chime, Finix, and Pie Insurance; enterprise SaaS provider Gusto and consumer platforms including Hotel Tonight.\n\nSOURCE Augtera Networks", "entities": [[0, 16, "org_in_focus"], [24, 27, "money_funded"], [35, 56, "investor"], [105, 122, "headquarters_loc"], [124, 136, "date_of_funding"], [153, 169, "org_in_focus"], [170, 175, "date_of_funding"], [205, 215, "money_funded"], [668, 689, "investor"], [728, 741, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Mahindra Group Takes Leap Of Faith On EVs, Announces $139 Mn Investment.\n\nAmid lack of clarity on electric vehicles (EV) policy, Mahindra Group has announced a $139 Mn investment in EVs over the next four years.\n\nThe company plans to invest $61.9 Mn (INR 400 Cr) in Karnataka and $77.4 Mn (INR 500 Cr) in Maharashtra. The company has already invested $92.9 Mn (INR 600 Cr) in EVs in the last five to six years.\n\nThe country’s first electric vehicle manufacturer said that the investments will be used to increase production capacity and improve its technology and products.\n\nAddressing the media during Magnetic Maharashtra, Pawan Goenka, MD of Mahindra Group, said, “We are not waiting for any policy to move forward. To be a pioneer, you have to create the road and we have to move forward.”\n\nGoenka further informed that Mahindra’s current EV manufacturing capacity is 400 units in a month, which he expects will cross 1500 this September. Mahindra has set an ambitious target of rolling out 4000 units by December 2019. Also, with this investment, the company is targeting the capacity to build 5000 units a month.\n\nFurthermore, the Mumbai-headquartered company will be looking to manufacture all components of the EVs, except batteries. He clarified that batteries require greater volumes for local manufacturing and therefore, will have to be imported.\n\nTerming the investment a “leap of faith”, Goenka added that the present demand for EVs is 300 units a month.\n\nGovernment’s U-turn on EV policy\n\nNitin Gadkari, Minister for Road and Transport, had recently announced that there is no need for an EV policy in the country now. He also added that no further incentives will be accorded to the industry other than the existing ones. The announcement caused ripples in the auto industry.\n\nFollowing this, lobby group Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) decided to meet Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog and Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete to seek clarity on the government’s position on EV policy in India. The group believes that the current subsidy on electric two-wheelers is not significant enough to lure buyers.\n\nHowever, Goenka supports the government’s announcement saying that there has been no u-turn by the government, as it already offers benefits in GST treatment. More so, EV policies of respective states can keep the industry going.\n\nHe also clarified that government’s earlier plan of turning 100% electric by 2030 was “too ambitious”. He added, “we should be satisfied if we achieve 30% EV share by 2030.”\n\nGoenka also pointed out that the biggest hindrance for EV- makers is the lack of charging infrastructure. He suggested that transport aggregators including Ola and Uber will be the first ones to adopt EVs.\n\nHe also emphasised that EV space is a huge opportunity and that everyone should focus on it. He further expects the industry to continue its growth at 4-5% even in the decade to the 2030s.\n\nGrowth Of EVs In India\n\nIn the recently concluded Auto Expo 2018, auto industry showcased 28 market ready EV products. The event witnessed Indian and global automobile companies joining the EV bandwagon, including Renault, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and Mahindra.\n\nMahindra Group showcased a range of EVs, including a bus called e-COSMO and a lithium-ion battery-powered three-wheeler called Treo.\n\nCommercial vehicles manufacturer Ashok Leyland launched its first electric bus, called Circuit S. On the other hand, Maruti Suzuki unveiled the first design concept of its electric vehicle, e-Survivor.\n\nHowever, global companies showed reluctance in launching their products in India at present as they await a policy framework. However, with the launches of EVs, the country is also addressing the issue of charging stations.\n\nRecently, Exicom installed the first electric vehicle charging station at United Nation office in Lodhi Estate. Also, Menza Motors, an EV Startup set up three charging stations along the Yamuna Expressway.\n\nThe electric vehicles (EV) market is expected to record double-digit growth rates with the rise in sales volume annually in India till 2020, according to ASSOCHAM-EY joint study.\n\nThe study titled ‘Electric mobility in India: Leveraging collaboration and nascency’, further said that despite electric vehicles not being mainstream, stricter emission norms, reducing battery prices and increasing consumer awareness are driving EV adoption in India.\n\nA recent report by FICCI and Rocky Mountain Institute said that if successful, the shift to electric vehicles could potentially help India save up to $300 Bn (INR 20 Lakh Cr) in oil imports and nearly 1 gigatonne of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.\n\nWith increasing push towards electric vehicles segment, the latest investment by Mahindra Group is sure to boost the confidence of players in the industry.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Robert Bosch Venture Capital Invests in Xometry.\n\n\"We're thrilled to expand our partnership with a world class manufacturing brand like Bosch,\" said Randy Altschuler, co-founder and CEO of Xometry. \"Global expansion is one of our key upcoming initiatives and we look forward to leveraging Bosch's deep manufacturing expertise as we launch in Europe.\"\n\n\"Xometry's instant quoting engine helps drive efficiency by leveraging AI algorithms to instantly generate a price, lead time, and manufacturability feedback,\" said Ingo Ramesohl, Managing Director for Robert Bosch Venture Capital.\n\nXometry's industry-leading Instant Quoting Engine provides product designers the ability to simply upload a CAD file, get instant quotes and then order a wide variety of custom manufactured parts. The orders are then sourced through Xometry's Partner Network of over 3,000 manufacturers. Xometry's manufacturing services include CNC Machining, 3D Printing, Sheet Metal Fabrication, and Injection Molding.\n\nXometry also recently launched Xometry Supplies , an online marketplace offering materials, tooling, and other supplies. Xometry Supplies makes it efficient for the partners in the Xometry Partner Network to get what they need to make high quality parts. The site is growing quickly, adding 65,000 new tooling SKU's in June.\n\nAbout Xometry\n\nXometry is the largest marketplace for custom manufacturing, connecting customers with optimal manufacturing solutions through proprietary AI algorithms. Xometry provides on-demand manufacturing and industrial supply materials to a diverse customer base, ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Our nationwide network of over 3,000 partner manufacturing facilities enables us to maintain consistently fast lead times while offering a broad array of capabilities, including CNC Machining, 3D Printing, Sheet Metal Fabrication, Injection Molding, Die Casting, Stamping, Extrusion, and Urethane Casting. Xometry's customers include BMW, Bosch, Dell Technologies, General Electric and NASA.\n\nAbout RBVC GmbH\n\nRobert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH (RBVC) is the corporate venture capital company of the Bosch Group, a leading global supplier of technology and services. RBVC invests worldwide in innovative start-up companies at all stages of their development. Its investment activities focus on technology companies working in areas of business of current and future relevance for Bosch, above all, automation and electrification, energy efficiency, enabling technologies, and healthcare systems. RBVC also invests in services and business models that are relevant to the above-mentioned areas of business.\n\nAdditional information is available at: www.rbvc.com\n\nSOURCE Xometry\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttp://www.xometry.com", "entities": [[0, 28, "investor"], [40, 47, "org_in_focus"], [2702, 2709, "org_in_focus"], [2726, 2748, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Asia: SBI co-leads $21m funding in DriveWealth, Hillhouse backs Arvinas.\n\nPremium\n\nSBI Group, the Tokyo-based financial services firm, has co-led a $20-million Series B funding round in wealthtech firm DriveWealth, while China’s Hillhouse Group participated in the $55-million Series C financing in US biotech firm Arvinas.", "entities": []}
{"text": "French Meero raises €4.1 million to produce photos and videos for real estate.\n\nFrench Meero, a startup that specializes in producing photos, videos and 360° panorama shots for real estate agents, has raised €4.1 million. The funding comes from several investors, including Xavier Niel (Kima Ventures), Fabrice Grinda (FJ Labs), GFC, Rocket Internet and Aglaé Ventures.\n\nThe startup claims over 9,000 customers in the less than 18 months since its launch. The startup provides a platform for the 3,800 professionals it works with to quickly upload and prepare their high quality photos and videos.\n\nMeero says it will use the funds to accelerate its growth in the 10 countries where it already operates (France, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Israel, Portugal, Italy, United Kingdom and Germany). The funding will also allow the startup to expand its team of 55 employees and explore the development of new products.\n\nRead more: Maddyness (French)", "entities": [[0, 6, "headquarters_loc"], [7, 12, "org_in_focus"], [20, 32, "money_funded"], [80, 86, "headquarters_loc"], [87, 92, "org_in_focus"], [208, 220, "money_funded"], [274, 285, "investor"], [303, 317, "investor"], [329, 332, "investor"], [334, 349, "investor"], [354, 368, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Google-backed VC supergroup to startups: build us a killer Glass app!.\n\nWe’re pretty big fans of Google Glass. This type of wearable computer has tremendous potential to augment our daily experiences, but we’re only starting to imagine what’s possible. So is Google. To help the search monolith along, it’s created the Glass Collective, a venture capital supergroup consisting of Google Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB).\n\nThe three VC companies have teamed up to “provide seed funding to entrepreneurs in the Glass ecosystem to help jumpstart their ideas,” writes Bill Maris, VP, Google Ventures.\n\nGoogle is thinking of Glass as a new computing platform and as such, it will require third-party imagination to bring it to it’s full potential. Who will build the first killer app? Actually, what is Google looking for?\n\n“We’re eager to see both services and hardware for Glass that define new paradigms for how technology fits into people’s lives. In particular, we’re excited about consumer and enterprise innovations that impact areas that millions of people rely upon everyday — like messaging, sharing, search, and navigation,” says Google. Hmm. So, anything really. As long as it’s awesome.\n\nStartups are encouraged to contact investors at Google Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, or KPCB. Google Collective will start with seed investments in the United States, but says that its “investment strategy will likely evolve”, as the platform matures.\n\nSo what if you’re in an emerging market? We recommend looking at something like the SABLE Accelerator. SABLE has an investor network that reaches to Silicon Valley and could potentially help with international expansion.", "entities": []}
{"text": "P2P storage-space platform Sxuirrel secures R2.4m in seed funding.\n\nSA startup Sxuirrel has secured R2.4-million in seed funding from an undisclosed investor.\n\nThe startup — which is based at Stellenbosch incubator Launchlab where founders Michael John Dipppenaar, Henri Bam and Michael Louis developed a peer-to-peer storage and space solution — made the announcement yesterday.\n\nDippenaar, who is also CEO, revealed that the deal — which was signed two weeks ago — had been over three months in the making, after the startup was approached by the investor that took an interest in the “disruptive effects” of the platform, which the three launched last year. Dippenaar declined to name the investor.\n\nThe deal will see the investor — who is said to have interests in storage, logistics and the transport industry — take a minority shareholding in the startup.\n\nDippenaar said the funding would help the startup to expand, cover marketing and operational costs and bank roll product and platform development, adding that the startup has set its sights on “disrupting” storage and long-term parking.\n\nSxuirrel will use the R2.4-million investment towards expansion, marketing, product development and to cover operational costs\n\nAt present the company is partnering with insurance company SureStart which will see the startup offer low premium cover to its clients.\n\nThe idea behind the startup came about in 2015, he said. “We identified the problem first hand as students at Stellenbosch,” he said referring to how he, along with co-founders Henri Bam and Michael Louis, could not find flexible affordable storage.\n\nFollowing the launch last year of a beta version of the app on the Apps Store, the platform today has between 400 and 450 users.\n\nDippenaar said since the launch of the beta version of the app the company has however generated only about R40 000 in revenue — by charging a commission for each transaction it facilitates on the marketplace. He pointed out that fees range from between seven to 15% of the transaction depending on duration and amount charged.\n\nHe said the biggest challenges the business has faced have been to source the right technically-able employees, develop an effective market strategy and get to grips with better time management, as one of the founders is still studying.\n\nLast year the startup won a R20 000 prize at Launchlab’s Ideas Programme and followed it up earlier this year by being selected as one of the six winners of the Attacq Smart Cities Innovation Challenge, winning a share of R100 000 as well as incubation support of up to R80 000 from Launchlab.\n\nRead more: LaunchLab announces Ideas Programme winners\n\nRead more: Here are the six Attacq Smart Cities Innovation Challenge winners\n\nDippenaar said Launchlab has been instrumental in networking and helping the startup acquire customers. “They are great for the early startup phases and during ideation,” he said.\n\nFeatured image: Sxuirrel founding team (from left to right ) — CTO Michael Louis, CEO Michael-John Dippenaar and COO Henri Bam (Supplied)", "entities": [[27, 35, "org_in_focus"], [44, 49, "money_funded"], [53, 57, "type_of_funding"], [68, 70, "headquarters_loc"], [79, 87, "org_in_focus"], [100, 112, "money_funded"], [116, 120, "type_of_funding"], [192, 204, "cumulative"], [1409, 1413, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "Aspiring entrepreneurs in the UK: Here’s what it takes to make it?.\n\nThere are many preconceptions about the qualities needed to make a successful entrepreneur. You’ve got to have the creativity to come up with something different, and the confidence to do it alone – not to mention the drive and discipline to take your idea and grow it into a business.\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nBut beyond that, is there more to success than simply being creative, confident and hard-working? We asked a group of people who successfully built their own businesses what they thought was really needed in order to make it as an entrepreneur.\n\nEducation\n\nAlmost 8 in 10 entrepreneurs (79%) said they felt that the UK education system does not provide young people with the relevant skills required to start their own business.\n\nSo which skills would be the most valuable to better-equip young people for self-employment? Among the most popular suggestions from our survey were “a better understanding of financing” (chosen by 89%) of respondents, followed by “better understanding of economics” (74%) and “management skills” (64%).\n\nIf you’re a business owner with most of your growth ahead of you, one place you may want to go to finance your expansion, and learn how to manage it, is back to school. However, this doesn’t mean you have to immediately sign up to an MBA – there are a myriad of options to suit all budgets and lifestyles. Business Development Centres and Business Schools offer a variety of drop in classes as well as course options, so you can brush up on whatever skills you need at your convenience.\n\nFunding\n\nOnce you have decided on the type of venture you want to start, the next step on the road to business success is figuring out where the money will come from to finance it. But while securing funding may seem like it could make or break the foundation of your business, it may not take as much as you think to get the ball rolling.\n\nIn fact, our survey found that just 5% of entrepreneurs took out a bank loan to fund their business when they started out. Instead, over half (52%) of entrepreneurs surveyed said they had funded their business from personal savings – with almost a quarter (23%) saying it cost them less than £250 to start their business.\n\nInterestingly, over half (57%) of those surveyed said that they don’t think banks do enough to support small businesses, which may explain the preference for self funding. Another factor is that small business lending took a hit during the 2008 recession, and seemingly hasn’t recovered since.\n\nBanks typically prefer funding large business loans to small business loans since the latter accrue fewer profits than the former. Usually, small businesses are seeking small business loans, and therefore their requests are often declined since it does not make financial sense for a bank to process a small loan.\n\nLack of collateral can also be an issue for small businesses applying for funding. Most banks usually require collateral to give out a loan which acts as a guarantee that the loan will be repaid. The amount that the banks will lend often depends on the value of the collateral. This then becomes a major challenge for small businesses, which may have no valuable asset to offer.\n\nWhile some major banks have already started to experiment with loans specifically intended for small business – such as NatWest and RapidCash – it will be interesting to see how they continue to adapt in the face of fintech challengers in the future.\n\nInspiration\n\nEveryone could use a little advice once in a while, so we asked our entrepreneurs who they would choose as a business mentor. We received a wide range of suggestions from multinational giants through to TV Dragons and political leaders, but the most popular choice was Sir Richard Branson, followed by Sir Alan Sugar and Steve Jobs.\n\nAll three of these entrepreneurs are, of course, wildly successful, but they had to start somewhere! It’s their ambition and drive that has not only sustained their success throughout their careers, but that has made them into role models for entrepreneurs the world over.\n\nIt’s also no coincidence that they all showed great adaptability and resilience throughout their careers – whether by taking risks to diversify their business streams (Branson), reinventing their personal brand (Sugar) or putting their faith in new innovations (Jobs). That’s a key lesson for today’s entrepreneurs to learn from if they aspire to the same level of success.\n\nGuest post by Ed Molyneux, CEO and co-founder of FreeAgent, who makes award-winning cloud accounting software for freelancers, small businesses and accountants.\n\nMain image credits: Stock Photos from Halfpoint/Shutterstock\n\nStay tuned to Silicon Canals for more European technology news.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Rovio invests indirectly in novel game ideas, pumping $3 million into young VC fund Play Ventures.\n\nRovio, the Finnish company behind the Angry Birds franchise, has invested $3 million in a VC fund managed by Play Ventures, a firm founded by video game entrepreneurs Harri Manninen and Henric Suuronen last year.\n\nAll in all, the fund’s size is $30 million dollars, and the scope is straightforward: Play Ventures aims to back 20 to 25 emerging video game companies from around the world. To date, the fund has invested in five of those, including Starform and Reworks.\n\n“Our investment in Play Ventures is according to our M&A and growth strategy and the fund offers a good seedbed for new game ideas and companies”, comments Rovio CFO René Lindell.\n\nIn February, Rovio said it expected its own sales to grow this year, buoyed by new game launches and a second movie release, after its Q4 adjusted operating profit halved.", "entities": []}
{"text": "500px Brings on a Few Tech Heavy-Hitters in Andy Yang and Patrick Lor.\n\nIt’s been a productive few months for 500px, the popular Toronto-based photo community powered by creative people.\n\nLast month they raised a massive $8.8 million Series A funding round from Andreessen Horowitz and Harrison Metal. Even before that the company had increased its community by over 150 percent in less than a year, to 2.5 million photographers. It now gets over a billion page views and API request per monthacross the platform.\n\nToday the company has brought on a few “tech heavy hitters” as executives. Andy Yang joins as their new COO, formerly the managing director of Extreme Startups. Meanwhile Patrick Lor comes on as a new board member. Lor formerly cofounded iStock Photo, the company that exited for $50 million nearly a decade ago.\n\nYang, previously of Netflix, Chegg, Goldman Sachs and Accenture, made a big dent in the Canadian startup world through his work at Extreme Startups. There the former managing director oversaw three successful cohorts of startups, including such names as Shoplocket, Picatic, Instaradio and Koge Vitamins.\n\n“Andy brings a depth of strategic and business management expertise to 500px,” read a release. “He’ll be overseeing company’s operations, financial direction, and growth and strengthening organizational policies and processes.”\n\nMeanwhile Lor is well known for cofounding the immensely popular iStock Photo, which was acquired by Getty Images in 2004. After that Lor moved on to start Dissolve, a stock footage company that helps brands tell better stories with video. As a director Lor will help with the commercial licensing marketplace that 500px is expected to roll out in the New Year.\n\nLor had some nice things to say about the startup that he is now helping. “500px is one of the most beautiful sites on the Internet,” he said. “People spend hours browsing amazing images and soaking in the creative inspiration from the community. Evgeny and Oleg and their team have an opportunity to disrupt the commercial photo space and help photographers earn a lot more money from their work. I’m excited to help 500px execute on this goal.”\n\nIn “Evgeny”, Lor is referring to founder Evgeny Tchebotarev, who moves on to the role of chief product officer. “He will supervise the product teams as they innovate and improve current offerings and create new products that add value for photographers.”\n\nFinally Renat Gataullin, one of the early partners in the company, rejoins as CTO. A serial entrepreneur, Gataullin recently graduated from the prestigious Y Combinator Accelerator program in Silicon Valley. As CTO, he’ll map the platform’s development and ensuring its ability to quickly scale amid expansion.\n\nCofounder Oleg Gutsol said that “big ideas demand big thinkers”. “We’ve assembled a team of bright, innovative leaders who will help us push the boundaries of 500px as we work to achieve our goal of being the best photographer-centred platform in the world.”\n\n500px has been so impressive mainly because the company hardly tried to monetize before it meteoric rise and subsequent huge series A round. The photo licensing space has long been an industry with a fairly straightforward business model and a straight path to make money.\n\nFounded in 2009, the company “has grown to become the premier platform with the highest quality photography worldwide.”", "entities": []}
{"text": "Gamut Capital takes stake in IAC with refinancing.\n\nInternational Automotive Components Group S.A. said April 23 that it has completed a refinancing, issuing $215 million of loans to Gamut Capital Management LP. Proceeds were used to redeem $300 million of loans from IAC that were due in June. With the deal, Gamut has acquired a minority stake in IAC, which was founded by Wilbur Ross. The deal was announced April 6.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nLUXEMBOURG, April 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — International Automotive Components Group S.A. (“IAC”), a global automotive and mobility leader in lightweight and new-material interior solutions, is pleased to announce the closure of its new financing transaction through the issuance of $215 million of Second Lien Notes due April 2023 to funds managed by Gamut Capital Management, L.P. (“Gamut”).\n\nThe proceeds along with cash on hand were used to redeem IAC’s $300 million 9.125 percent Senior Secured Notes due June 1, 2018. With this transaction Gamut also acquired a minority equity interest in the company.\n\nThe financing strengthens IAC’s balance sheet and provides the financial flexibility to pursue IAC’s investment strategy to upgrade its asset base and undertake customer projects.\n\nPerella Weinberg Partners LP served as financial advisor to IAC and Jones Day served as its legal counsel. Jefferies Group, LLC served as financial advisor to Gamut and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as its legal counsel.\n\nAbout IAC Group\n\nHeadquartered in Luxembourg, International Automotive Components (IAC) is a leading global supplier of automotive components and systems, including instrument panels, console systems, door panels, headliners and overhead systems to automakers around the world. The company’s 2017 sales were an estimated $4.4 billion. IAC Group operates more than 50 manufacturing facilities in 16 countries. The company has more than 60 total locations in 19 countries, including 19 design, technical and commercial centers, and employs more than 22,000 people globally. For more information, visit www.iacgroup.com.\n\nAbout Gamut Capital Management\n\nGamut Capital Management, L.P. is a New York-based private investment firm managing $1 billion in assets focused on the middle market. Gamut was founded in 2015 by Stan Parker and Jordan Zaken who have over 35 years of combined private equity investing experience across a wide range of industries, in a broad spectrum of traditional and non-traditional private equity structures, and throughout economic cycles. Gamut’s senior deal professionals have executed investments in over 30 companies in North America and Europe. To learn more, please visit www.gamutcapital.com.\n\nAbout WL Ross & Co. LLC\n\nWL Ross & Co. LLC is a private equity firm specializing in middle market, restructurings, buyouts, turnarounds and special situations. The firm is wholly owned by Invesco and part of its Invesco Private Capital Division.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Compare Metrics Secures $4.2M First Round.\n\nYour Source for Venture Capital and Private Equity Financings Massinvestor/VC News Daily VC DATABASE / MOBILE APP / CELEBRITY VCs / VENTURE TRACKR / ARCHIVE / ABOUT US Compare Metrics Secures $4.2M First Round Tweet AUSTIN, TX, Company that empowers brands to harness disconnected information from across the web announced that it has received $4.2 million in first-round financing.\n\nTo export Compare Metrics funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on Compare MetricsTo export Compare Metrics funding data to PDF and Excel, click here\n\n\n\nThis brings the company's total funds raised to $4.2 million, $3.5 million of which comes from Austin Ventures in leading the series A. The round will be used to support aggressive growth as companies, especially retailers, embrace the Compare Metrics solution as the next generation leap in product discovery and decision analytics.\n\n\n\n\"Compare Metrics is transforming the way people are making buying decisions,\" said Compare Metrics' co-founder and CEO Garrett Eastham , a thought-leader on semantic search and human-computer interaction. \"We believe the future of online consumer discovery is not about creating the ultimate algorithm to tell consumers what they want but about giving consumers the best tools to articulate their personal desires and confidently follow their unique decision-making path.\"\n\n\n\nTechnology Is Not a Replacement for Thought\n\n\n\n\"With the ever-expanding breadth of structured and unstructured information on the web, it's understandable that consumers feel overwhelmed and often paralyzed when trying to make a buying decision. This effect is most obvious in the average retailer's lower online conversion rate of 3-5%,\" said Eastham. \"Studies point to a lack of product information or simply not being able to find 'the right product' as the primary reasons for such low purchasing confidence. However you look at it, consumers are looking for a better discovery experience.\"\n\n\n\nThe Compare Metrics solution is evolutionary, but it is inspired by simple, fundamental cognitive principles regarding how the brain processes information using visual and informational cues to make a decision. Core to the solution is a philosophy of combining the art of human-processing with the science of algorithmic data analysis and optimization to provide an ever-improving experience for each consumer. It's a symbiotic relationship between the strongest processor in the world \" the human brain \" and advanced and purposeful big data processing.\n\n\n\nCompare Metrics was co-founded in late 2012 by Garrett Eastham , Mikael Solomon and Stephen Goodwin . The solution was inspired by cognitive science research Eastham led at Stanford University to understand the impact of different computer interfaces on the decision-making process. The team has grown the idea into an innovative technology platform built from the ground-up, grown a highly scalable content curation team and content management system, and has signed market-leading customers.\n\n\n\n\"Compare Metrics will forever change the way that brands engage with and understand their customers,\" said Brett Hurt , a veteran technology entrepreneur who founded Coremetrics and Bazaarvoice, currently works with Austin Ventures as a Venture Partner, and who also serves the Austin tech community as an angel investor and entrepreneurial catalyst. \"Through all of my years \" since 1998 \" pioneering solutions that bring retailers into the digital age, an ongoing challenge has been providing each consumer with the unique mix of information they need to make a purchase decision. By curating a totally new layer of brand and consumer-created product meta data, Compare Metrics is better positioning brands to offer each customer a discovery experience tailored to how they actually think while shopping.\" Brett backed Compare Metrics as a seed investor and has joined the company as the independent Chairman of the Board of Directors.\n\n\n\n\"The entrepreneurs we seek to back are those we see taking a provocative approach to address big problems,\" said Chris Pacitti , General Partner at Austin Ventures. \"When Garrett, Mikael and Stephen approached us in late 2012 with a solution that married the strengths of the human decision-making engine with big data processing and optimization, we knew they were onto something unique and promising. Market excitement has validated our early assumptions, and we look forward to being an on-going part of Compare Metrics' growth and success.\"\n\n\n\nCompare Metrics Leadership\n\n\n\nAustin-based Compare Metrics has assembled a team of executives and advisors with deep expertise in human-computer interaction, social commerce and retail software and analytics.\n\n\n\nAs Co-Founder and CEO, Garrett Eastham drives overall business and product strategy while also leading the day-to-day execution of the company's vision. Most recently, Garrett helped launch Bazaarvoice Inc.'s big data solution used to track all interaction data across the platform. He holds a BS in Computer Science from Stanford University where his research work in semantic search and human computer interaction (HCI) formed the theoretical basis for the Compare Metrics solution and architecture.\n\n\n\nCo-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Mikael Solomon is responsible for defining the positioning of Compare Metrics in the online commerce space. This includes execution on strategic partnerships and corporate development plans to maximize the company's longterm value and success. As an entrepreneur with over 6 years of experience, Mikael got his start as the Founder of Stanford Student Startups, a student operated incubator, where he advised and launched several companies. He brings direct retail experience from his previous work with McMaster-Carr and has extensive experience in the Financial Services industry, formerly at Morgan Stanley.\n\n\n\nCo-Founder and CTO Stephen Goodwin is laser focused on ensuring that the Compare Metrics infrastructure and platform remain reliable, fast and innovative. Stephen is a seasoned software engineer with deep experience pushing the boundaries of search technologies for some of the best-known engines in the world, including Microsoft Bing and Indeed.com.\n\n\n\nIn addition, Compare Metrics has assembled a world-class advisory board of thought-leaders in the retail and technology industries. These advisors bring deep experience from leading institutions including Bazaarvoice, Mass Relevance, and Invodo, among others. A full list of advisors is available here.\n\n\n\nAbout Compare Metrics\n\n\n\nCompare Metrics offers Adaptive Commerce solutions that drive next generation product discovery and allow consumers to forge their own distinct path to a buying decision. The solution scales merchandising to support every consumer shopping scenario while creating new intelligence into how and why your shoppers buy. With this new-found ability to understand and react to what customers really care about, retailers have seen increased shopper engagement, increased conversion, as well as improved relevancy and efficiency in demand generation and marketing strategies.\n\n\n\nFounded and led by a team steeped in experience building proven retail technology and pushing the boundaries of machine learning and natural language processing, Compare Metrics is changing the way consumers discover and decide on the right products for them. Based in Austin, TX, the company is privately held and supported by trusted venture capital partners and advisors. More information about Compare Metrics is available at the company's Web site:\n\n\n\nAbout Austin Ventures\n\n\n\nAustin Ventures (\"AV\") has worked with talented entrepreneurs to build valuable companies for over 30 years. With $3.9 billion of capital raised, AV is the most active venture capital firm in Texas and one of the most established in the nation. AV invests in early stage and middle market companies, and its strategy is to partner with talented executives and entrepreneurs to build industry-leading companies predominantly in Texas. Visit Austin Ventures for more information. Compare Metrics, an Adaptive Commerce company that empowers brands to harness disconnected information from across the web to power individualized discovery experiences and drive sales, today announced that it has received $4.2 million in first-round financing. The financing was lead by Austin Ventures and includes follow-on investment from the existing syndicate, including Mike Maples (Floodgate), Bob Greene (Contour Venture Partners), Julie Allegro (Allegro Venture Partners) and Ralph Mack (Mack Capital), as well as new independent investors, including Tom Meredith and Adam Ross .This brings the company's total funds raised to $4.2 million, $3.5 million of which comes from Austin Ventures in leading the series A. The round will be used to support aggressive growth as companies, especially retailers, embrace the Compare Metrics solution as the next generation leap in product discovery and decision analytics.\"Compare Metrics is transforming the way people are making buying decisions,\" said Compare Metrics' co-founder and CEO Garrett Eastham , a thought-leader on semantic search and human-computer interaction. \"We believe the future of online consumer discovery is not about creating the ultimate algorithm to tell consumers what they want but about giving consumers the best tools to articulate their personal desires and confidently follow their unique decision-making path.\"Technology Is Not a Replacement for Thought\"With the ever-expanding breadth of structured and unstructured information on the web, it's understandable that consumers feel overwhelmed and often paralyzed when trying to make a buying decision. This effect is most obvious in the average retailer's lower online conversion rate of 3-5%,\" said Eastham. \"Studies point to a lack of product information or simply not being able to find 'the right product' as the primary reasons for such low purchasing confidence. However you look at it, consumers are looking for a better discovery experience.\"The Compare Metrics solution is evolutionary, but it is inspired by simple, fundamental cognitive principles regarding how the brain processes information using visual and informational cues to make a decision. Core to the solution is a philosophy of combining the art of human-processing with the science of algorithmic data analysis and optimization to provide an ever-improving experience for each consumer. It's a symbiotic relationship between the strongest processor in the world \" the human brain \" and advanced and purposeful big data processing.Compare Metrics was co-founded in late 2012 by Garrett Eastham , Mikael Solomon and Stephen Goodwin . The solution was inspired by cognitive science research Eastham led at Stanford University to understand the impact of different computer interfaces on the decision-making process. The team has grown the idea into an innovative technology platform built from the ground-up, grown a highly scalable content curation team and content management system, and has signed market-leading customers.\"Compare Metrics will forever change the way that brands engage with and understand their customers,\" said Brett Hurt , a veteran technology entrepreneur who founded Coremetrics and Bazaarvoice, currently works with Austin Ventures as a Venture Partner, and who also serves the Austin tech community as an angel investor and entrepreneurial catalyst. \"Through all of my years \" since 1998 \" pioneering solutions that bring retailers into the digital age, an ongoing challenge has been providing each consumer with the unique mix of information they need to make a purchase decision. By curating a totally new layer of brand and consumer-created product meta data, Compare Metrics is better positioning brands to offer each customer a discovery experience tailored to how they actually think while shopping.\" Brett backed Compare Metrics as a seed investor and has joined the company as the independent Chairman of the Board of Directors.\"The entrepreneurs we seek to back are those we see taking a provocative approach to address big problems,\" said Chris Pacitti , General Partner at Austin Ventures. \"When Garrett, Mikael and Stephen approached us in late 2012 with a solution that married the strengths of the human decision-making engine with big data processing and optimization, we knew they were onto something unique and promising. Market excitement has validated our early assumptions, and we look forward to being an on-going part of Compare Metrics' growth and success.\"Compare Metrics LeadershipAustin-based Compare Metrics has assembled a team of executives and advisors with deep expertise in human-computer interaction, social commerce and retail software and analytics.As Co-Founder and CEO, Garrett Eastham drives overall business and product strategy while also leading the day-to-day execution of the company's vision. Most recently, Garrett helped launch Bazaarvoice Inc.'s big data solution used to track all interaction data across the platform. He holds a BS in Computer Science from Stanford University where his research work in semantic search and human computer interaction (HCI) formed the theoretical basis for the Compare Metrics solution and architecture.Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Mikael Solomon is responsible for defining the positioning of Compare Metrics in the online commerce space. This includes execution on strategic partnerships and corporate development plans to maximize the company's longterm value and success. As an entrepreneur with over 6 years of experience, Mikael got his start as the Founder of Stanford Student Startups, a student operated incubator, where he advised and launched several companies. He brings direct retail experience from his previous work with McMaster-Carr and has extensive experience in the Financial Services industry, formerly at Morgan Stanley.Co-Founder and CTO Stephen Goodwin is laser focused on ensuring that the Compare Metrics infrastructure and platform remain reliable, fast and innovative. Stephen is a seasoned software engineer with deep experience pushing the boundaries of search technologies for some of the best-known engines in the world, including Microsoft Bing and Indeed.com.In addition, Compare Metrics has assembled a world-class advisory board of thought-leaders in the retail and technology industries. These advisors bring deep experience from leading institutions including Bazaarvoice, Mass Relevance, and Invodo, among others. A full list of advisors is available here.About Compare MetricsCompare Metrics offers Adaptive Commerce solutions that drive next generation product discovery and allow consumers to forge their own distinct path to a buying decision. The solution scales merchandising to support every consumer shopping scenario while creating new intelligence into how and why your shoppers buy. With this new-found ability to understand and react to what customers really care about, retailers have seen increased shopper engagement, increased conversion, as well as improved relevancy and efficiency in demand generation and marketing strategies.Founded and led by a team steeped in experience building proven retail technology and pushing the boundaries of machine learning and natural language processing, Compare Metrics is changing the way consumers discover and decide on the right products for them. Based in Austin, TX, the company is privately held and supported by trusted venture capital partners and advisors. More information about Compare Metrics is available at the company's Web site: www.com paremetrics.com.About Austin VenturesAustin Ventures (\"AV\") has worked with talented entrepreneurs to build valuable companies for over 30 years. With $3.9 billion of capital raised, AV is the most active venture capital firm in Texas and one of the most established in the nation. AV invests in early stage and middle market companies, and its strategy is to partner with talented executives and entrepreneurs to build industry-leading companies predominantly in Texas. Visit Austin Ventures for more information. (c)2011-2018 by Massinvestor, Inc. For contact info, please check out our about page. >> Click here for in-depth research on 4,000 VC firms", "entities": [[0, 15, "org_in_focus"], [24, 29, "money_funded"], [212, 227, "org_in_focus"], [236, 241, "money_funded"], [260, 270, "headquarters_loc"], [388, 400, "money_funded"], [662, 674, "money_funded"], [709, 724, "investor"], [740, 748, "type_of_funding"], [2583, 2598, "org_in_focus"], [2622, 2626, "year_founded"], [7466, 7476, "headquarters_loc"], [8157, 8172, "org_in_focus"], [8343, 8348, "date_of_funding"], [8380, 8392, "money_funded"], [8445, 8460, "investor"], [8534, 8545, "investor"], [8559, 8569, "investor"], [8598, 8611, "investor"], [8643, 8653, "investor"], [8718, 8730, "investor"], [8735, 8744, "investor"], [8794, 8806, "money_funded"], [8841, 8856, "investor"], [8872, 8880, "type_of_funding"], [10695, 10710, "org_in_focus"], [10734, 10738, "year_founded"], [15534, 15544, "headquarters_loc"], [15663, 15678, "org_in_focus"], [15719, 15742, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Alibaba just invested in a Munich-based IIoT startup Konux.\n\nKonux, a Munich-based Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) company has raised €11.5 million in an extension of its Series B round, bringing the total amount raised in the round since last year to €29 million. So far, the company has raised a total of €49.2 million.\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nThis investment was led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Upbeat Ventures, MIG AG and new investor Alibaba Group. With the new funding, KONUX plans to expand internationally, especially in China.\n\nIntegrates smart sensor system and AI-based analytics\n\nFounded by Andreas Kunze, Dennis Humhal, and Vlad Lata, the KONUX technology uses artificial intelligence to help clients to continuously monitor their infrastructure and to improve their operations.\n\nFor the starters, the company integrates smart sensor systems and AI-based analytics to deliver asset insights in real time and turn their data into quality increasing and cost-saving actions.\n\nThe end-to-end sensor data solution empowers industrial and rail companies to reach a new level of asset performance. As per the company claims, the clients today are reducing their maintenance expenses by +25%.\n\n“Ready for global level”, says Dr. Chahab Nastar,\n\nFurther, it allows for better maintenance planning by helping infrastructure managers anticipate failures before they happen and know the optimal time and type of maintenance needed.\n\nNotably, the company was selected by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as one of the world’s 30 most innovative start-ups and scale-ups worldwide. In our exclusive interview, Dr Chahab Nastar, Chief Innovation Officer of EIT Digital, mentioned Konux as one of the European deep tech startups which is ready to compete on a global level.\n\nKONUX co-founder and CEO Andreas Kunze said:\n\nWith the new investments, adding to the USD 20 million we raised ten months ago, we have an even stronger financial position to expand our product portfolio development and accelerate our international market expansion, including expansion into China. China is the world’s largest and fastest growing railway market and thus crucial for us. We are also delighted with the continued support of our existing investors as we implement our strategy to build a world-class AI company out of Europe.\n\nStay tuned to Silicon Canals for more updates in the tech startup world.", "entities": [[0, 7, "investor"], [27, 33, "headquarters_loc"], [53, 58, "org_in_focus"], [61, 66, "org_in_focus"], [70, 76, "headquarters_loc"], [139, 152, "money_funded"], [176, 184, "type_of_funding"], [312, 325, "cumulative"], [512, 537, "investor"], [545, 560, "investor"], [562, 568, "investor"], [586, 599, "investor"]]}
{"text": "AI-focused Institute will be supported by over $150 million from gov’t, big five banks.\n\nAccording to a report from The Toronto Star, a new institute is launching in Toronto with the goal of commercializing AI research.\n\nThe non-profit Vector Institute, which is affiliated with the University of Toronto, will hire approximately 25 new faculty and research scientists. The federal government is providing at least $40 million from its $125 million Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy announced as part of the federal budget.\n\nReportedly, two dozen companies have committed millions in funding over 10 years, including $5 million each from companies like Google, Air Canada, Loblaws, and Canada’s five biggest banks. It will be backed by over $150 million in combined public and corporate funding.\n\nGeoffrey Hinton, considered the deep learning pioneer based on research he completed at U of T, has been based in Google’s headquarters in California since 2013. However, he will act as the chief science advisor at the new institute and work in Google’s Toronto offices.\n\n“It’s certainly the case that there will be other researchers who will want to come back from the States — I’ve had inquiries from quite a number,” Hinton told The Star.\n\nThe centre is also creating an ethics working group to promote transparency in machine learning, while some members will also be focused purely on research.\n\n“We want those firms to grow to be a great worldwide supplier of AI capability, so that we turn this into a service export to the world, and not have a situation where all Canada does is produce PhDs and send them south,” said Ed Clark, chair of the Vector Institute board and business adviser to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne.\n\nPhoto via University of Toronto", "entities": []}
{"text": "SA on-demand truck hire startup Droppa nets multi-million rand investment.\n\nDroppa, a Johannesburg based on-demand platform for trucks and bakkies, has secured a multi-million rand investment from SA investor IDF Capital.\n\nDroppa CEO Khathutshelo Mufamadi (pictured above), a former computer engineer who previously worked at Rand Merchant Bank and Standard Bank, founded the startup in 2016.\n\nMufamadi said the deal, which was concluded two weeks ago, is in the form of a convertible note. He would not disclose the amount that IDF Capital had invested in the startup or the stake that the investor had taken, but when pressed by Ventureburn conceded that it was over R5-million.\n\nIDF Capital CEO Polo Leteka was not immediately available for comment.\n\nThe web platform and app allows members of the public, and now retailers too, to source trucks and bakkies to deliver goods on their behalf.\n\nWhen pressed Droppa founder Khathutshelo Mufamadi said IDF Capital’s investment was above R5m\n\nDroppa levies a 15% commission on whatever bakkie and truck operators using the platform charge the end customer. Drivers using the platform charge between R300 and R2000 per load, with the charge depending on the size of the load.\n\nAbout 300 drivers, from the Western Cape and Gauteng (where the startup currently operates) are currently signed up to the platform. In all, drivers have completed over 2000 trips since the platform went live in May last year, Mufamadi said.\n\nPE, Durban expansion\n\nHe said with the current funding injection, Droppa, which currently has 10 permanent staff, plans to expand to more cities across South Africa including Durban in the first quarter of next year and Port Elizabeth in the first half of next year.\n\nPresently cross-province deliveries are arranged on advanced booking only.\n\nDroppa also plans to create a booking management system customised per retail sector.\n\nIn the first quarter of this year, Droppa introduced a platform aimed at retailers, warehouses and small business.\n\nThis, claims Mufamadi, has cut the turnaround time that retailers delivering goods to clients commonly provide — from the current up to seven working days, to less than 24 hours.\n\nThe startup’s clients ranges from hardware store, warehouses, furniture stores and fresh produce among other.\n\nDroppa subsequently introduced a Droppa API for developers, which allows ecommerce and online platforms to integrate with Droppa for last-mile deliveries.\n\nMufamadi said the startup would also use the current investment to expand these two offerings.\n\nHe said the startup currently has a partnership with Hyundai which allows drivers who wants parts and services to get these at a reduced rate. He said the startup is looking to conclude similar partnerships with other vehicle manufacturers.\n\nNetted R2m from MTN CTO\n\nIDF Capital previously funded Droppa with R950 000 for an eight-percent stake when the startup underwent acceleration in late 2017 to last year, through its I’M IN Accelerator, which is aimed at black tech startups. The startup was part in the accelerator’s first cohort (see this story).\n\nIn November last year Rain co-founder and former MTN CTO Phumlani Moholi invested R2-million in the startup.\n\nIn addition, the startup also netted a R400 000 grant from MLabs in 2017 to help develop a minimum viable product (MVP).\n\nIn February Leteka told Ventureburn that the accelerator would host an all-women cohort which was set to start in May with the aim of accelerating at least five startups (see this story).\n\nRead more: I’M IN Accelerator finally under way, here are the startups in the first cohort\n\nRead more: SA accelerator for black startups I’M IN tight-lipped on selection of first cohort [updated]\n\nFeatured image: Droppa founder Khathutshelo Mufamadi (Supplied)", "entities": [[0, 2, "headquarters_loc"], [32, 38, "org_in_focus"], [76, 82, "org_in_focus"], [86, 98, "headquarters_loc"], [209, 220, "investor"], [223, 229, "org_in_focus"], [387, 391, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "Canadian gov’t invests $2.2 million in environmentally-friendly microchips.\n\nThe Government of Canada has announced a $2.2 million investment into Montréal-based tech company Spark Microsystems to develop environmentally-friendly technology for wireless communications devices.\n\nSpark Microsystems is working on designing, building and testing an ultra-low power microchip, which has the potential to reduce power consumption of devices connected to the internet. Spark says this microchip is also capable of cutting down the volume of waste created during battery production.\n\nAs part of the Innovation and Skills Plan, the government says the investment will create “well-paying middle-class jobs in Canada,” although more information, such as how many new positions will be introduced, was not revealed. Altogether, the Innovation and Skills Plan includes investments of nearly $1.4 billion in new financing starting in 2017 to 2018, according to the federal government.\n\nThe funding comes from the government’s Sustainable Development Technology Canada jurisdiction, which works with Canadian companies to help develop early-stage clean technologies.\n\n“Our government’s investments in clean technology reflect our commitment to protecting the planet,” said Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, in a press statement. “But they also point to a clear and strategic direction for economic development through innovation. That’s because innovations in clean tech will lead to products and services that have an impact on all sectors of the economy. And clean tech has the potential to create thousands of well-paying jobs for Canadians. That’s how innovation leads to a better Canada.”\n\nIn other Canadian energy-related news, a Waterloo-based team of researchers has recently revealed that it’s developing new battery technology that could charge electronic devices such as phones and laptops in mere seconds.\n\nThis article was originally published on MobileSyrup", "entities": [[0, 14, "investor"], [23, 35, "money_funded"], [81, 101, "investor"], [118, 130, "money_funded"], [147, 155, "headquarters_loc"], [175, 193, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Petraeus and DeWalt join KKR-backed Optiv Security board.\n\nOptiv Security, which is backed by KKR, has named retired U.S. Army General David Petraeus and Dave DeWalt, ex-CEO of FireEye and McAfee, to its board of directors. Based in Denver, Optiv Security is a provider of cyber security solutions.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nDENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Optiv Security, a market-leading provider of end-to-end cyber security solutions, today announced two new appointments to its Board of Directors: Dave DeWalt, former FireEye and McAfee chief executive officer, who will serve as vice chairman of the board, and retired United States Army General David Petraeus.\n\n“Dave and Gen. Petraeus are experts in their respective domains and we are really excited to welcome them to Optiv’s Board of Directors,” said Dan Burns, Optiv chief executive officer. “A cyber security industry icon, Dave has a track record of building innovative, industry-leading technology companies. His experience advising Fortune 1000 CXOs and strong understanding of the heterogeneous platform delivery model are invaluable to Optiv, our partners and our clients in this new digital business environment.\n\n“As a decorated retired U.S. Army commander and former CIA director, Gen. Petraeus brings to Optiv unique insight into the global threat intelligence landscape,” continued Burns. “For years, Optiv has been working with local, state and federal government agencies to successfully apply innovative private sector security practices. Now, with Gen. Petraeus as an advisor, we can step up our efforts and do even more for our country. Our lab capabilities are ideal for helping federal, government and non-governmental entities vet technologies and diffuse new threats as they are discovered.”\n\nDeWalt has more than 25 years in the technology space, holding a series of leadership positions in some of the industry’s most innovative and successful companies. He most recently served as FireEye’s chief executive officer. Previously, DeWalt was McAfee’s president and chief executive officer, and led the acquisition of McAfee by Intel for $7.7 billion in 2010. Prior to McAfee, DeWalt served in a number of executive positions at EMC Corporation. He also has held top leadership positions at Documentum, Quest Software, Segue and Oracle Corporation.\n\nGen. (Ret.) Petraeus is a Member of KKR and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, which integrates geopolitical and global trends expertise, macroeconomic analyses, and environmental, social and governance issues and opportunities into KKR’s investment process. Prior to joining KKR, Gen. Petraeus served more than 37 years in the U.S. military, including command of coalition forces in Iraq, command of U.S. Central Command, and command of coalition forces in Afghanistan. Following his service in the military, Gen. Petraeus served as the director of the CIA.\n\nWith the appointments of DeWalt and Gen. Petraeus, Optiv’s board currently consists of six members, including: Dan Burns, Optiv’s chief executive officer; Herald Chen, head of KKR’s Technology investment team, who serves as chairman of the board; John Park, member of KKR’s Technology industry team; and Anushka Sunder, principal in Blackstone’s Private Equity Group.\n\nOptiv is continuing to build its Board of Directors and client advisory board with top cyber security experts. The company also is expanding its platform with new innovations with next generation security operations center (SOC), and orchestration and automation that meet clients’ ever-expanding global needs.\n\nAbout Optiv Security\n\nOptiv is a market-leading provider of end-to-end cyber security solutions. We help clients plan, build and run successful cyber security programs that achieve business objectives through our depth and breadth of cyber security offerings, extensive capabilities and proven expertise in cyber security strategy, managed security services, incident response, risk and compliance, security consulting, training and support, integration and architecture services, and security technology. Optiv maintains premium partnerships with more than 350 of the leading security technology manufacturers. For more information, visit www.optiv.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/optiv, www.facebook.com/optivinc and www.linkedin.com/company/optiv-inc.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Vopne invests in Dolphin Machine.\n\nVopne Capital has made an investment in North Las Vegas, Nevada-based Dolphin Machine, a maker of precision-machined components for various industries, including aerospace, industrial equipment and liquefied natural gas. No financial terms were disclosed.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nNORTH LAS VEGAS, Oct. 31, 2018 — Dolphin Machine announced today an investment in the company by Vopne Capital, a Bay Area-based private equity firm.\n\nDolphin Machine is a leading manufacturer of precision-machined components for a variety of industries, including aerospace, industrial equipment, and liquefied natural gas. Dolphin manufactures mission-critical parts with tight tolerances and has a reputation for quality, operational excellence, and on-time delivery.\n\nDolphin Machine is led by Founder and President Dan DiCello, who started the company in 1984. Dan stated, “Dolphin has a proud history of exceeding our customers’ expectations by delivering complex machined components of the highest quality. Vopne is the right partner to help continue Dolphin’s success and to support the company as we invest in growth. They share our commitment to providing the highest-quality products and customer service, and their experience working with growing companies will be a great asset.”\n\n“Dolphin Machine has a long track record of operational excellence, including recently attaining AS9100D certification,” said Jim Bloom, Managing Partner at Vopne, who joins Dolphin’s board of directors. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to join Dolphin at an exciting time for the company, particularly as they expand their operations.”\n\nConcurrent with Vopne’s investment, Scott Kelley joins Dolphin Machine as its Chief Executive Officer, working alongside President Dan DiCello. Scott brings over 30 years of experience in manufacturing leadership, with past roles including President/COO of Bowtech, COO of Vacutech and Plano Molding, VP North American Operations of Penn Engineering and 10 years of operations experience at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. Dolphin will continue to operate from its headquarters in North Las Vegas and will retain their highly-skilled and long-tenured staff.\n\nAbout Dolphin Machine\n\nDolphin Machine is an AS9100D-certified precision manufacturing company located in North Las Vegas, NV. Dolphin was founded in 1984 by Dan DiCello in San Diego and moved to its current headquarters in 1990. Today, Dolphin employs highly-skilled individuals who produce precision-engineered parts. In-house capabilities include milling, turning, grinding, and honing. Dolphin has decades of experience working with challenging materials such as titanium alloys and is able to machine to extremely tight tolerances. For more information, visit www.dolphinmachine.com.\n\nAbout Vopne Capital\n\nVopne Capital is a Bay Area-based private equity firm investing in growing, profitable companies in the lower middle market. Vopne undertakes investments, recapitalizations and acquisitions of manufacturing companies with experienced management teams, engineered and differentiated products, and an emphasis on quality and customer service. Vopne is currently investing its second fund, launched in 2018, Vopne Fund II, LP. For more information, visit www.vopne.com.", "entities": [[0, 5, "investor"], [17, 32, "org_in_focus"], [35, 48, "investor"], [75, 98, "headquarters_loc"], [105, 120, "org_in_focus"], [307, 322, "headquarters_loc"], [324, 337, "date_of_funding"], [340, 355, "org_in_focus"], [366, 371, "date_of_funding"], [404, 417, "investor"], [779, 794, "org_in_focus"], [867, 871, "year_founded"], [2222, 2237, "org_in_focus"], [2305, 2324, "headquarters_loc"], [2326, 2333, "org_in_focus"], [2349, 2353, "year_founded"], [2764, 2786, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Knife Capital invests in healthtech 5nines Technologies’ PharmaScout solution.\n\nSA venture capital (VC) fund Knife Capital announced today that it has made an undisclosed investment in Cape Town based healthtech firm 5nines Technologies to help grow its pharmaceutical temperature monitoring solution PharmaScout.\n\nKnife Capital said in a statement today that while the three-year old healthtech company has been angel-funded to date (from Hlanganani Capital director Rowan Smith), the Series A funding round will help accelerate the product’s rollout to pharmacies, medical practitioners and pharmaceutical warehouses.\n\nThe funding will also help cover new product development for the international market.\n\nThe VC said PharmaScout has already gained “significant traction” with blue-chip customers such as Clicks and Alpha Pharm, while conducting pilots with local hospital groups.\n\nThe company has also commenced research and development (R&D) into the provision of provide cold chain management products applicable to the retail, restaurant and hospitality industries.\n\nKnife Capital’s investment in Cape Town based healthtech firm 5nines Technologies to help grow its pharmaceutical temperature monitoring solution PharmaScout\n\nThe solution will help pharmacies and others meet legal requirements introduced three years ago SA Pharmacy Act that pertain to the storage of pharmaceutical products.\n\nIn 2015 the act was amended to require that anyone storing, distributing or administering thermolabile pharmaceutical products must use appropriate storage facilities, electronic temperature monitoring instruments and conduct regular checks.\n\nMost domestic fridges fail to meet storage standards, while specially designed laboratory fridges are impractical for small medical practices.\n\nTo address this 5nines Technologies in 2015 introduced PharmaScout addresses this with a recently launched range of refrigerators designed for storing pharmaceutical products in a compliant way.\n\nThe PharmaScout solution contains appropriate hardware and software elements, temperature mapping of storage areas including refrigerators, periodic calibration of the temperature measuring equipment and continuous monitoring that includes alarms, notifications, data storage and daily reporting.\n\nThese capabilities open up local and international growth opportunities and partnership channels in different cold chain verticals.\n\nIn the same statement Doug Siepman, CEO and co-founder of 5nines, said he is “delighted” to partner with Knife Capital. Siepman founded the business with Greg Daus in 2015.\n\n“The team brings a wealth of experience and market access networks to the business that we are already starting to tap,” said Siepman.\n\nKnife Capital partner Keet van Zyl called PharmaScout an “exciting investment opportunity” for Knife Capital. “It contains all the elements that we look for in a portfolio company,” he said.\n\n“There is a compelling investment case underpinned by recurring revenue, great people with execution abilities resulting in proven traction and intellectual property elements that make the technology scalable.\n\n“Macro factors in the industry such as increased legislation and auditable but affordable medical compliance standards also play in PharmaScout’s favour,” said Van Zyl.\n\nIn a subsequent email to Ventureburn, Van Zyl said while Knife Capital does not typically disclose funding amounts in any of our investments, the VC took a “significant minority stake” by way of growth equity.\n\nVan Zyl said the business’s two co-founders themselves funded the business initially, and that an angel investor (who he did not name) with significant structured finance experience invested in the business last year to bankroll pilot projects. Clicks and Alphapharm came on board as clients earlier this year, he added.", "entities": [[0, 13, "investor"], [36, 55, "org_in_focus"], [109, 122, "investor"], [185, 194, "headquarters_loc"], [217, 236, "org_in_focus"], [315, 328, "investor"], [486, 494, "type_of_funding"]]}
{"text": "Romanian startup Uipath raised 30 to further develop its product.\n\nThe Romanian startup UiPath raised 30 million dollars from several investors. The investment was led by American venture capital firm Accel Partners, one of the early backers of companies such as Facebook, Dropbox and Spotify, but also supported by the already existing UiPath’s investors such as Earlybird Venture Capital, Credo Ventures, and Seedcamp.\n\nReportedly the Romanian startup will invest the money to hire more sales staff in order to further expand its product.\n\n“This investment will allow us to introduce the benefits of intelligent RPA to even more businesses around the world and remain at the forefront of a rapidly-advancing industry,” said Daniel Dines, CEO and founder of UiPath, business-review.eu reported.\n\nThe reason for investing in this startup, as explained briefly by the Accel partner Luciana Lixandru for Bloomberg, is the following:\n\n“From a compliance perspective it makes a lot of sense because the software will log every step and if you need to go back and audit what happened you can,” Lixandru, the Accel partner who led the investment in UiPath, said in an interview, Bloomberg reported. “That means this can work well in highly-regulated industries like finance, healthcare and insurance.”\n\nFounded in 2012, with its headquarters in New York, UiPath is the leading Robotic Process Automation vendor providing a complete software platform to help organizations to efficiently automate business processes with. According to the company the software, robot aims to manipulate the presentation layer of application software in the same manner a human does. To date, according to Bloomberg this startup has 150 employees.\n\nIn its portfolio, UiPath has, as stated by this startup, 200 large companies among its customers, such as Lufthansa, Generali, Telenor and Dong Energy. To date, UiPath is working with companies from many sectors such as banking and financial services, insurance manufacturing, utilities, healthcare and government. According to techcrunch.com, about 30 percent of its customers are in the US, 40 percent in Europe and 30 percent in Asia.\n\nAccel Partners, on the other hand, is a leading venture capital firm that invests in people and their companies from the earliest days through all phases of private company growth. Atlassian, Braintree, Cloudera, DJI, Dropbox, Dropcam, Etsy, Facebook, Flipkart, Jet, Lookout Security, Qualtrics, Slack, Spotify, Supercell, and Vox Media are among the companies the firm has backed over the past 30 years.", "entities": [[0, 8, "headquarters_loc"], [17, 23, "org_in_focus"], [88, 94, "org_in_focus"], [102, 120, "money_funded"], [171, 195, "investor"], [201, 215, "investor"], [337, 343, "org_in_focus"], [364, 389, "investor"], [391, 405, "investor"], [411, 419, "investor"], [1308, 1312, "year_founded"], [1339, 1347, "headquarters_loc"], [1349, 1355, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Info Edge Invests $1.3 Mn More In Online Photography Platform Canvera.\n\nMumbai-based online classifieds platform Info Edge has invested another $1.3 Mn (INR 8.6 Cr) in Canvera Digital Technologies. The transaction was made through a wholly-owned subsidiary, Smart Web Internet Services Limited. Canvera is an online photography and printing solutions platform based out of Bengaluru.\n\nAs per filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC), Info Edge has participated in a cash transaction for the follow-up investment. Info Edge’s share in the company has now increased to 62.22% after a fresh round of convertible cumulative redeemable preferece shares amounting to 771,419, having a face value of INR 1 each at a premium of INR 110. 48.\n\nThe filings also state that the investee company is a step-down subsidiary of Canvera and this makes it ‘a related party.’\n\nThis is Info Edge’s third round of investment in the online photography printing solutions company. Its last major investment was in August 2016, when it led a $3 Mn round in Canvera, personally pouring in $2.3 Mn, at a valuation of $32.2 Mn for a 57% stake.\n\nCanvera was launched in 2007 by Dhiraj Kacker and Peeyush Rai as a web-enabled photo-book company, later, expanded into associated ecommerce in 2011.\n\nBasically, it is an online photography company primarily focussed on the needs of professional photographers. The portal helps photographers to tightly integrate lead generation, web hosting, ecommerce, online collaboration, print and design services. It also allows users to hire professional photographers based on locations and services such as weddings, fashion engagements etc.\n\nAs per the RoC filings, the company announced a turnover of INR 5.5 Lakhs for the financial year ending 2016 and INR 5.2 Lakhs for the previous year.\n\nIt has regional offices in Chandigarh, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.\n\nThe company has raised extensive rounds of funding. As per an earlier report, Canvera had an $11.1 Mn valuation (INR 75 Cr) in December last year when it raised $2.2 Mn (INR 15 Cr). This number is still less than the $37.2 Mn valuation, it got in October 2014 when it raised $1.5 Mn (INR 10 Cr). It also claimed to have raised an undisclosed Series A from Footprint Ventures, Mumbai Angels and others in 2008.\n\nReportedly, both its founders have already parted ways from the company and are now engaged in different verticals. While Dhiraj has an independent consultancy firm, Peeyush joined a data security startup Vera as GM. Canvera is now led by Ranjit Yadav, who was appointed the CEO of the company in June 2015.\n\nThe newest round of follow-up funding by Info Edge would aim to give online photography and printing solutions platform Canvera, the bandwidth to expand its offerings and compete with other startups such as Printo which is backed by Blume, as well as Zoomin and Flatpebble.", "entities": [[0, 9, "investor"], [18, 25, "money_funded"], [62, 69, "org_in_focus"], [113, 122, "investor"], [144, 151, "money_funded"], [153, 163, "money_funded"], [168, 196, "org_in_focus"], [295, 302, "org_in_focus"], [373, 382, "headquarters_loc"]]}
{"text": "Bolt HR Secures Significant Investment from New York City Investment Fund.\n\nHR Focused Software-as-a-Service Company Raises Key Investment Round and Makes Critical Executive Team Hire\n\nNEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–December 4, 2013–\n\nBolt HR LLC, a venture backed provider of human resources support technology announced the close of a significant investment round from a New York City based boutique private equity fund. The round was filled by the one investor, and the fund made a commitment to funding the long term development of the company. Bolt HR plans to use the capital to significantly expand its development and staffing efforts in advance of a Q1 product launch. Prior to this investment, Bolt HR had received earlier funding from Metro Global Ventures.\n\nFounded in early 2013, Bolt HR has been developing human resource support software for the small and medium business market and has had their flagship product in a private beta since Q3 of 2013. The company is aiming to reshape the way that growing businesses identify, screen and hire talent. Bolt HR is looking forward to launching its unique technology offering that has been developed by, and for, small business owners.\n\nIn addition to securing this recent investment round, Bolt HR is pleased to announce the hiring of Eric Fleming as Chief Technology Officer. Eric comes to Bolt HR with prior senior engineering experience at Path.To, Taleo and Vurv. “Eric is a visionary and solid addition to our technology team. We are thrilled to have him join the management team,” said Michael Hagler, Chief Operating Officer of Bolt HR.\n\nIn the coming months Bolt HR is looking to continue adding to the technical staff and is actively hiring in Jacksonville, Florida, and expects to open several new offices and announce additional key hires over the coming weeks.\n\nABOUT BOLT HR\n\nFounded in early 2013 and based in Jacksonville, Florida, Bolt HR is an exciting venture backed human resources technology company developing human resource support software for the small and medium business market. The company’s flagship product is aiming to reshape the way that growing businesses identify, screen and hire talent.\n\nwww.BoltHR.com\n\nBolt HR LLC\n\nMichael Hagler, 215-392-2549\n\nChief Operating Officer", "entities": [[0, 7, "org_in_focus"], [44, 73, "investor"], [185, 193, "headquarters_loc"], [210, 226, "date_of_funding"], [229, 240, "org_in_focus"], [367, 415, "investor"], [781, 785, "year_founded"], [787, 794, "org_in_focus"], [1860, 1864, "year_founded"], [1878, 1899, "headquarters_loc"], [1901, 1908, "org_in_focus"], [2178, 2192, "org_url"], [2194, 2205, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Hemlane Raises $2.5 Million Seed Funding To Redesign Property Management.\n\nSAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Hemlane, a modern property management solution that combines technology with local agents, announced today the completion of a $2.5 million Series Seed financing round. Prudence Holdings, an early investor in Compass, Morty and Properly, led the round with participation from Aglaé Ventures, Stanford-StartX Fund and several technology entrepreneurs including Thumbtack Founder Marco Zappacosta and Vouch Insurance Founder Sam Hodges.\n\nHeadquartered in San Francisco and founded by Dana Dunford and Frank Liu, Hemlane has redesigned property management using a combination of software and local brokerages. \"Over 72 percent of rentals are not run by management companies. The majority of the market doesn't want that,\" says Dana Dunford, Co-Founder and CEO of Hemlane. \"Our platform provides an opportunity for rental owners to select their level of involvement and connect with third party agents and brokers for everything else. We offer something that has never existed in the market. The combination of lower cost, transparency and flexibility is exactly what property owners continue to tell me they want, and we listen closely to our customers,\" added Dunford.\n\nHemlane offers two packages, a software only and a software plus service package. The software automates all administrative tasks, including advertising rentals to the top 30 listing websites, scheduling property showings, performing tenant screening, completing leases, collecting rent, initiating automatic late fees, and coordinating maintenance requests. The service package connects owners with local agents and 24/7 maintenance coordinators. To help build the services network, leasing agents and managers using Hemlane's software connect with newly registered rental owners on the platform.\n\n\"We were very impressed at how well it worked. We recently moved two more properties from Illinois and two from Tennessee onto Hemlane,\" says Daniel Gillette, a current customer who is based in Utah. Hemlane's software platform was ranked as a leader on Gartner's 2019 FrontRunners list. The company has scaled to over 5,000 properties and processed over $50 million in rental payments in the past six months alone.\n\n\"We are thrilled about our Seed investment into Hemlane. Residential property management is an enormous sector that has yet to be improved by technology,\" says Gavin Myers, Co-Founder and General Partner at Prudence Holdings. \"Not only was I impressed with Dana and Frank's solution but I have personally dealt with the traditional property management industry and understand well the high cost and low transparency that persists.\"\n\nHemlane has rental properties in all 50 States and currently serves property owners and managers that have as few as one property to hundreds of properties. Hemlane is the exclusive property management partner to the California Association of Realtors (CAR) and partner to Roofstock.\n\nAbout Hemlane\n\nHemlane is an all-in-one rental management solution. Hemlane's technology empowers rental owners to manage their properties remotely with a transparent platform that offers online tools, connections to local licensed agents, and coordination of property maintenance. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Learn more at https://www.hemlane.com/ , Twitter @hemlane , and Facebook at @hemlane .\n\nPress Contact\n\nKathy Osborne\n\nE: Kathy@kamelpr.com\n\nP: 607-434-2065\n\nSOURCE Hemlane\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttps://www.hemlane.com", "entities": [[0, 7, "org_in_focus"], [15, 27, "money_funded"], [28, 32, "type_of_funding"], [75, 88, "headquarters_loc"], [90, 103, "date_of_funding"], [120, 127, "org_in_focus"], [221, 226, "date_of_funding"], [247, 259, "money_funded"], [260, 271, "type_of_funding"], [289, 306, "investor"], [329, 336, "investor"], [338, 343, "investor"], [348, 356, "investor"], [396, 411, "investor"], [413, 433, "investor"], [499, 515, "investor"], [544, 554, "investor"], [574, 587, "headquarters_loc"], [3337, 3362, "headquarters_loc"], [3378, 3402, "org_url"], [3528, 3535, "org_in_focus"], [3552, 3575, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Proparco takes $5m stake in TLcom TIDE Africa Fund.\n\nFrench development finance institution Proparco has acquired a US$5 million stake in the TLcom TIDE Africa Fund, which will provide financing for innovative startups that leverage new technology to improve access to essential services.\n\nDisrupt Africa reported in June last year TLcom Capital announced commitments to its TIDE Africa Fund, focused exclusively on technology-enabled solutions and innovation serving Sub-Saharan Africa, had hit US$40 million.\n\nThe TIDE Africa Fund will provide capital and business building support to African entrepreneurs developing technology-driven solutions to the continent’s problems, and will make equity investments from early to growth stage in the US$500,000 to US$10 million range.\n\nProparco has now joined the likes of the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) in taking a stake in the fund, which it said would allow the TIDE Africa Fund to provide venture capital for startups on a continent where venture capital is still in its infancy.\n\n“The TLcom team will draw on its solid experience of supporting innovative start-ups and a sophisticated understanding of the African startup ecosystem to invest in around 15 businesses, each under five years old, all of which have got beyond the prototype and marketing authorisation stages in order to help them grow and scale up,” Proparco said.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Cathay AfricInvest Innovation Fund to invest ticket sizes of up to €15m in African startups.\n\nThe recently launched Cathay Africinvest Innovation Fund will invest ticket sizes of between €3-million and €15-million or the equivalent in local currency, Cathay Innovation co-founder Denis Barrier has recealed.\n\nThe fund, which was launched earlier this month, is managed by Tunis-based investment and financial services company AfricInvest and Cathay Innovation. The latter is the venture capital (VC) arm of French-Chinese private equity firm Cathay Capital.\n\nIn a joint statement last Wednesday (10 April), the two firms said the fund — which is projected to be capitalised at €150-million — will contribute to the development and scaling up of innovative companies .\n\nThe Cathay Africinvest Innovation Fund expects to invest in 15 to 20 companies within the next three years\n\nIn addition, the Cathay Africinvest Innovation Fund team will provide selected companies with high value-added support through its multidisciplinary expertise and networks.\n\nFirst investment this year\n\nBarrier told Ventureburn in an email on Monday (15 April) that the fund will be open to successful startups from any sector, but will have a specific focus on fintech, logistics, artificial intelligence, agritech and edtech startups.\n\nThe fund’s first investment, he pointed out, is likely to take place some time this year, along with a first closing of the fund. “We expect to invest in 15 to 20 companies within the next three years,” he said.\n\nBarrier said using AfricInvest’s strong networks and offices in Tunis, Lagos, Abidjan, Nairobi, Casablanca, Algiers, Cairo, Port Louis, Dubai, and soon Johannesburg — the fund will be able to invest in any country on the continent.\n\nCommenting in an earlier statement, AfricInvest co-founder and managing partner Aziz Mebarek (pictured above, right) said his firm is excited about the combination of experience, expertise and networks that will be delivered through the partnership.\n\n“Our combined objective is to provide support to a new generation of African companies in cutting-edge fields, with the ambition to grow them regionally and globally,” said Mebarek.\n\nCathay Innovation co-founder and chairman Mingpo Cai (pictured above, left), commenting in the same statement, said the partnership is based on shared vision and values, as well as what he described as ambitious objective in terms of impact and return on investment.\n\nSaid Cai: “We are convinced that this partnership will contribute to changing the financing and development of innovation in Africa”.\n\nFeatured image, left to right: Cathay innovation co-founder and chairman Mingpo Cai and AfricInvest co-founder and managing partner Aziz Mebarek (CathayCapital via Twitter)", "entities": []}
{"text": "Zuora Grabs $115M Investment.\n\nTweet FOSTER CITY, CA, Zuora receives $115 million investment.\n\nTo export Zuora funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on ZuoraTo export Zuora funding data to PDF and Excel, click here Today's $115 million funding announcement from Zuora underscores the significant shift all companies are making toward subscription business models. The latest funding round brings the total amount of capital raised by Zuora to $250 million. New investors include public-market investors Wellington Management Company LLP and Blackrock Inc., as well as PremjiInvest and Passport Capital. They join existing investors Benchmark Capital, Greylock Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Index Ventures, Shasta Ventures, Vulcan Capital, Next World Capital, Dave Duffield, co-founder and chairman of the board of Workday; and Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO of salesforce.com -- all of whom participated in this latest funding round.\n\n\n\nZuora is one of the world's fastest-growing software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies. Its relationship business management (RBM) platform allows companies to manage the entire lifecycle of the subscriber, including customer acquisition, recurring billing and payments, revenue recognition, and subscription metrics. With this new investment, Zuora will continue its global expansion into new geographies and vertical markets, expand its team with world-class sales, engineering and marketing personnel, and fuel continued research and development activities.\n\n\n\n'The Subscription Economy is permeating every industry -- entertainment, technology, healthcare, manufacturing with IoT, consumer products, everything,' said Tien Tzuo, Zuora co-founder and CEO. 'Customers are now subscribers, and the new way to acquire, bill, and nurture customers is through monetizing subscriber relationships.'\n\n\n\nTzuo continued, 'Our funding partners understand that this shift is creating a multibillion dollar opportunity for a new category of software that sits between traditional CRM and ERP. The lead investors, including Blackrock and Passport Capital, bring strategic experience to help Zuora meet the enormous opportunity in front of us.'\n\n\n\nMainstream Market Traction\n\nSince its founding in 2007, Zuora has correctly predicted the shift toward subscription-based business models and a transformation in the way business is transacted: from buying products to subscribing to services. Companies like salesforce.com, Amazon, Netflix, and Box were the vanguard of the subscription economy, but the story is now far broader and deeper, and relevant to nearly every industry.\n\n\n\nEnergy, retail, healthcare, education, consumer goods, financial services and telecom companies are seeking new approaches to commerce, billing and finance that will power these disruptive models and usher in the required business-process changes in line with a new era of customer engagement. Product professionals, sellers, marketers and finance professionals use Zuora to rethink how they engage, acquire, and nurture subscribers anywhere on the globe.\n\n\n\nCustomer Validation\n\n'Technology and digitization are helping Schneider Electric build deeper, more valuable customer relationships,' said Hervé Coureil, CIO of Schneider Electric. 'Zuora is helping us design and implement new go-to-market models that will fuel growth and long-term market advantage.'\n\n\n\n'Zuora has been our partner since day one, helping us scale -- from an early-stage startup to IPO -- and disrupt the content management and collaboration market,' said Aaron Levie, CEO of Box.\n\n\n\n'At HubSpot, we believe there is a fundamental mismatch between how organizations market and sell, and the way people actually shop and buy,' said Jim O'Neill, CIO of HubSpot. 'Subscription-based models help businesses grow, but also hold companies accountable for long-term value to their customers, which is something we care deeply about. Zuora helps make this possible.'\n\n\n\n'At Fairfax Media, we are shifting from a media company to a subscription company, allowing us to focus on building meaningful relationships with our subscriber base,' said Marc Thompson, GM of product solutions of Fairfax Media. 'In subscriptions, it's all about speed, agility and acquiring customers; Zuora and Salesforce helped us achieve our 12-month growth goals in just three months.'\n\n\n\nSignificant Growth in 2014\n\nCalendar 2014 marked a year of significant growth and expansion for Zuora. The company experienced a 109 percent year-over-year increase in invoice volume running through its systems; growth in contracted invoice volume to approximately $42 billion USD; strong international expansion with 106 percent year-over-year revenue growth internationally; opening of eight new offices worldwide; and an expansion of its total global workforce to 500 employees.\n\n\n\n'Companies are embracing the shift to subscription because they understand they must innovate or risk obsolescence,' said R. 'Ray' Wang, principal analyst and CEO, Constellation Research. 'While SaaS companies showed the way, this is just the beginning as every company now faces business model disruption. In a post-sales economy, the focus is not on selling products or services but on managing relationships and keeping the brand promise.'\n\n\n\n'Across many industries, the business of enabling experiences and nurturing relationships is augmenting or replacing product catalogs, shopping carts, and ownership,' said Amy Konary, research vice president at IDC. 'Success in this new world requires monetizing relationships instead of simply selling units. Zuora is playing a key role in enabling the shift to relationship business models.'\n\n\n\nAdditional Resources\n\n'The Subscription Economy: A Business Transformation' by Tien Tzuo, CEO of Zuora\n\nSlideShare: 'Drivers of Success in the Subscription Economy'\n\nFollow us online:\n\n\n\nFacebook.com/zuora\n\n@Zuora\n\n#SubscriptionEconomy\n\nAbout Zuora Inc.\n\nZuora's solution allows any business in any industry to launch or shift products to subscription, implement new pay-as-you-go pricing and packaging models, gain new insights into subscriber behavior, open new revenue streams, and disrupt market segments to gain competitive advantage. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Zuora also operates offices in Atlanta, London, Paris, Munich, Beijing, Amsterdam, Vienna, Sydney, Copenhagen and Stockholm. Zuora clients come from a wide range of industries, including media, travel services, consumer packaged goods, cloud services, and telecommunications. Clients include Financial Times, Schneider Electric, Box, Honeywell, NCR, RTL, lynda.com, The Guardian, YP.com, BlueJeans, Shutterfly, TripAdvisor, Vivint and Trulia. To learn more about Zuora, please visit www.zuora.com.", "entities": [[0, 5, "org_in_focus"], [12, 17, "money_funded"], [37, 52, "headquarters_loc"], [54, 59, "org_in_focus"], [69, 81, "money_funded"], [256, 268, "money_funded"], [295, 300, "org_in_focus"], [467, 472, "org_in_focus"], [476, 488, "cumulative"], [536, 569, "investor"], [574, 588, "investor"], [601, 613, "investor"], [618, 634, "investor"], [665, 682, "investor"], [684, 701, "investor"], [703, 720, "investor"], [722, 736, "investor"], [738, 753, "investor"], [755, 769, "investor"], [771, 789, "investor"], [791, 804, "investor"], [859, 871, "investor"], [2252, 2256, "year_founded"], [2258, 2263, "org_in_focus"], [6733, 6738, "org_in_focus"], [6753, 6766, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Meet 15 Startups That Pitched At Catapooolt’s Crowdfunding Pitch in Gurgaon.\n\nCrowdfunding platform Catapooolt hosted its live crowdfunding event called Catapooolt CrowdPitch on November 27, 2015, at DLF Cyber Hub, Gurgaon.\n\nThe event witnessed 15 tech startups pitching to more than 200 audiences in order to attract partnership, funding and market feedback.\n\nHere is the list of participants:\n\nChkra\n\nChkra is a cause-based networking platform to represent social change. Chkra connects users-based on their cause they care for.\n\nDiky\n\nDiky is a reverse social networking site which makes discovering and connecting with people around us, simple and authentic\n\nBolsnap\n\nBolsnap is an audio-based social network which changes the way we communicate on social networks by using voice technology.\n\nAwakey\n\nAwakeY is a locking accessory that attaches to most of the existing door handle locks. This attaches to the lock from inside of home/office, and it becomes an automatic key. The accessory works on Bluetooth and is controlled through the smartphone.\n\nParkwheels\n\nOvunque Technologies’ product ParkWheels is an automated system for determining optimal parking locations in a parking area with the help of proprietary hardware and software. It not only aims to minimize the check in and checkout time a driver spends in a parking premise, but also helps to identify the most appropriate parking area for a specified destination.\n\nPeebuddy\n\nPeeBuddy is a women’s hygiene and intimate care products. It is a disposable, easy to carry female Urination Device that helps women to stand and urinate in all unfriendly toilets.\n\nE-cracker\n\nE-Cracker is the innovative way to light firecrackers using a smartphone. It is a concept of bursting crackers online without the fear of getting burnt.\n\nMakerMandi\n\nMakerMandi.com is an online platform for makers and startups to sell their projects, prototypes and products.\n\nIstandout\n\nIStandOut is an online platform for artists to showcase their talent and filmmakers to get access to millions of profiles at their fingertips.\n\nIbuycell\n\nIbuysell is a peer-to-peer mobile shopping marketplace which combines fast action game like price countdowns with the ease of use, navigability and affordability. It is a personal selling portal powered by a reverse auction system that allows users to sell their product in under 90 seconds\n\nPayper\n\nPayper is an app-based service that collects waste paper from households, offices, hostels, individuals, etc. in lieu of online payments made in the form of mobile recharge credits, digital wallet balance, cab ride balance, etc.\n\nButterfly App\n\nButterfly is an online marketplace for extra curricular activities and hobby sciences. It is an end- -to-end solution provider for users who wants to pursue a hobby or an activity they are passionate about.\n\nStrollup\n\nStrollup aims to provide personalised outing solutions to its customers. It provides complete outing itinerary for a single day, crafted with best activities and places for outings in the city.\n\nMy Autobiography\n\nMyautobiography.in is the world’s first personal media platform.\n\nGizmobaba\n\nGizmobaba.com is an etailer of electronic gadgets. It is an ecommerce platform for discovering and buying latest gizmo’s from across the world.\n\nBesides, the startups will also stand a chance of two months on Catapooolt to raise their complete funding requirement.\n\nThe event has already witnessed more than $1127 (INR 75,000) collected on-spot by the participating audiences across various pitching startups. While the contribution is still being done and is open till December 3, 2015. So far, it is reported that PeeBuddy and Strollup seem to win the acceptance of audience.\n\nPrior to this, Catapooolt had its CrowdPitch at Kolkata and saw the participation of more than 100 people, including 15 leading investors, coming together on a two-hour cruise and raising almost INR 50K for ideas pitched.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Rocket Internet Backed Carpooling Startup Tripda Raises $11 Mn To Fuel Expansion In India.\n\nWithin months of launching in India Tripda has realized potential Indian Market holds, following which it raised $11Mn in Series A funding from an undisclosed New York Venture firm and its largest investor Rocket Internet to fuel its expansion in India.\n\nThe company said that the funds will be used for expansion across 13 countries which was confirmed by Pedro Meduna, co-founder and CEO of Tripda as he said, “A lot of this capital will be invested in India to get closer to our user base. We will also use funds to improve our product and consider expanding to other markets.”\n\nOn this development Nitish Bhushan, Tripda India Country Manager said that the funding places a marker in the ground for Tripda and they will continue to invest and strive to become the premier carpooling platform in India. After autos, cabs became common because of their easy to avail services but they can cost a pretty hefty amount and in a market like India car-pooling seems to be the next best alternative. This is evident as another carpooling service BlaBla Car was launched in India this month.\n\nStatistics reveal that Indian taxi market is estimated to be worth about $9 Bn (INR 54,000 Cr.), of which only 4-6% is organised. There are around 2.3 Mn taxis registered in India with homegrown players like Meru, OlaCabs, TaxiForSure. The entry of Uber has further intensified the competition among these. These players have also been lured growing use of carpooling.\n\nMeduna said the he welcomes competition in the industry and added that “Our biggest barrier is to get the concept of carpooling across to customers. We are long term players and welcome competition.”\n\nIndian Government has promoted carpooling as it a green alternative but this was never organized, with entries of carpooling services more and more customer can be acclimated to this service and saving commuting costs at the same time. All these factors make this an attractive business for transport companies.\n\nTripda is run by a global team of employees and connects people who need rides with people who have empty car seats, fills the important long-distance travel market as an alternative to buses, trains and short flights.", "entities": [[42, 48, "org_in_focus"], [56, 62, "money_funded"], [128, 134, "org_in_focus"], [205, 210, "money_funded"], [214, 222, "type_of_funding"], [298, 313, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Adicet Bio Raises $80M in Series B Financing.\n\nMENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Adicet Bio, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of allogeneic cell therapies for cancer using innovative gamma delta T cells, announced today the completion of an $80 million Series B financing.\n\n\"Gamma delta T cells are a highly promising, emerging modality for treating cancer,\" said Anil Singhal, Ph.D. President and Chief Executive officer of Adicet Bio, Inc. \"This financing will permit Adicet to continue to develop our proprietary technology, to enter the clinic in Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and to advance our solid tumor programs. We are gratified with the support of the investment community.\"\n\nNew investors include aMoon2 Fund, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC), OCI Enterprises, Inc, KB Investment Co., Ltd., Consensus Business Group, SBI JI Innovation Fund, Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, Handok, Inc., and DSC Investment, Inc. All existing investors including OrbiMed, Novartis Venture Fund and Pontifax also participated in the financing.\n\nAs part of the Series B financing, aMoon and JJDC will be joining Adicet's Board of Directors. Representing aMoon Fund will be Yair Schindel, M.D., Co-Founder & Managing Partner.\n\nRM Global Partners LLC, an investment banking and strategic advisory firm, acted as Adicet Bio's advisors for the Series B financing.\n\nAbout Adicet Bio, Inc.\n\nAdicet Bio, Inc. is a privately held, pre-clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel universal immune cell therapies based on gamma delta T cells engineered with Chimeric Antigen Receptors. Adicet is also focused on identifying and validating cancer specific targets directed to the intracellular proteome and then generating T Cell Receptor-like monoclonal antibodies (TCRLs) directed to these cancer-specific peptide targets presented by MHC Class I complexes. These TCRLs are being used to arm T cells or as T cell engagers in solid tumors. In August 2016, Adicet entered into a strategic collaboration with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to develop next-generation engineered immune-cell therapeutics using Adicet's gamma delta T cell allogeneic platform technology.\n\nFor more information, please visit our website at http://www.adicetbio.com.\n\nContact:\n\nAnne Bowdidge\n\nInvestor Relations\n\n650-218-6900\n\nir@adicetbio.com\n\nSOURCE Adicet Bio, Inc.\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttps://www.adicetbio.com", "entities": [[0, 10, "org_in_focus"], [18, 22, "money_funded"], [26, 34, "type_of_funding"], [47, 65, "headquarters_loc"], [67, 79, "date_of_funding"], [96, 112, "org_in_focus"], [257, 262, "date_of_funding"], [284, 295, "money_funded"], [296, 304, "type_of_funding"], [745, 756, "investor"], [758, 789, "investor"], [791, 832, "investor"], [841, 861, "investor"], [863, 886, "investor"], [888, 912, "investor"], [914, 936, "investor"], [938, 976, "investor"], [978, 990, "investor"], [996, 1015, "investor"], [1050, 1057, "investor"], [1059, 1080, "investor"], [1085, 1093, "investor"], [2304, 2328, "org_url"], [2415, 2431, "org_in_focus"], [2448, 2473, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Binny Bansal May Invest $25 Mn In Amazon-Backed Insurance Firm Acko.\n\nBansal is set to receive $850 Mn in cash from Walmart for his 4-4.5% stake\n\nFlipkart cofounder Binny Bansal is reportedly making a $25 Mn (Rs 175 crore) investment in an insurance startup called Acko. An active angel investor, this is touted to be Bansal’s largest investment so far.\n\nThe funding will be part of a larger financing round of around $60 Mn-$80 Mn (INR 419.18 Cr -INR558.87 Cr) that Acko is reportedly raising.\n\nThe news comes a day after reports suggested that Bansal is negotiating an early exit deal with Flipkart owner Walmart. Bansal is set to receive $850 Mn (INR 5938.03 Cr) in cash from Walmart for his 4-4.5% stake in Flipkart after August 2020. However, since he tendered his resignation in November, he is eligible for an immediate but smaller payment of about $100 Mn and the rest would be due by August 2020.\n\nRelated Article: Binny Bansal Offloads More Of His Flipkart Stake To Walmart\n\nHe stepped down from his group CEO and chairman roles at Flipkart in November, after a probe was conducted on charges of “personal misconduct”, although Walmart said those charges were not found to be true.\n\nLess than a month after the incident, Bansal bounced back with a new venture called Xto10X Technologies. Started with his college friend and former McKinsey consultant Saikiran Krishnamurthy, Xto10X will offer technology tools, learning and consulting services to growth-stage startups.\n\nBansal’s interest in Acko comes after the insurance startup’s talks with with the other cofounder of Flipkart, Sachin Bansal, for a similar fund infusion, did not finalise into a deal. Last year, Acko Insurance was made an independent entity after a restructuring at online insurance aggregator Coverfox.\n\nAcko, which is headed by Varun Dua, has some big names backing it, such as Flipkart rival Amazon, along with a clutch of venture capital funds like Accel Partners, SAIF Partners, Narayan Murthy’s Catamaran Ventures, among others. Acko has raised $42 Mn till date.\n\n[The development was reported by ET", "entities": [[0, 12, "investor"], [24, 30, "money_funded"], [63, 67, "org_in_focus"], [165, 177, "investor"], [201, 207, "money_funded"], [209, 221, "money_funded"], [265, 269, "org_in_focus"], [2017, 2021, "org_in_focus"], [2033, 2039, "cumulative"]]}
{"text": "Secure EU funding for your startup with EU Startup Services – the leading EU funding consultancy in Europe.\n\nYou’re interested to secure funding without giving away equity? The European Union allocated €3 billion until 2020 for innovative startups and SMEs. The programme is looking to support breakthrough, high-risk – high potential innovation to help them reach the market and compete on the international level. The “SME Instrument Phase 1” grants €50,000 and the “SME Instrument Phase 2” provides funding from €500,000 up to € 2.5 million for innovation projects underpinned by a sound and strategic business plan.\n\nYou may think the success rate for applying for EU funding might be too low, but not if you work with the right experts. With over 30 startups funded in the last year alone, EU Startup Services can design a funding strategy tailored to your development schedule and positioning – using a combination of funding schemes to lower the risk, maximise the number of submissions and placing all odds on your side.\n\nTheir complementary services include Feasibility Reporting, Business Plan Review, Patentability Assessments, Freedom to Operate Analyses and Privacy Positioning (GDPR). This enables them to design a proposal which fulfils the most demanding requirements. In addition, EU Startup Services provides startups that are eligible for EU funding also with some personal introductions to Business Angels and VCs. As the team of EU Startup Services is reviewing dozens of business plans each day, they are uniquely positioned to make strategic introductions to complement public funding.\n\nEU Startup Services is the leading funding consultancy in Brussels for startups. Their expertise on EU funding schemes includes the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument Phase 1 and 2, Fast Track to Innovation (FTI) and Eurostars.\n\nDo you want to check if your startup might have a chance to receive EU funding? Submit the free eligibility check by filling out the form below:", "entities": []}
{"text": "Platform Ventures Announces New Delaware Statutory Trust Offering.\n\nFAIRWAY, Kan., Aug. 8, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kansas City-based commercial real estate investment firm, Platform Ventures, is excited to announce the availability of a new Delaware Statutory Trust offering.\n\nThe 100% occupied portfolio includes nine established outpatient dialysis facilities totaling 106,332 rentable square feet and are operated by the industry's top renal care providers. The clinics are located across six different states, including Washington, Virginia and West Virginia, each Certificate of Need States for dialysis facilities. Platform Ventures is partnering with operator, Elliott Bay Capital Trust, one of the largest owners of dialysis centers in the U.S., to perform asset and property management services for the portfolio.\n\nThis investment opportunity is intended for sophisticated investors only (it is only available to accredited investors). This investment opportunity is relatively new, has an extremely limited track record, is speculative, and involves a high degree of risk, which each investor must carefully consider. There can be no assurance that any investment objective will be achieved. An investor could lose all or a substantial amount of his, her or its investment. Past performance does not guarantee future results.\n\nAbout the Sponsor: Platform Ventures\n\nPlatform Ventures is a holding company that, through certain subsidiaries, invests in real estate, real estate operating companies, and real estate technologies. Platform Venture's experienced team seeks to add value to client portfolios by applying its knowledge of the long-term cycles and macro-economic trends that shape the real estate market to create price-to-value dislocations. Platform Investments, LLC, which is owned by Platform Ventures, is a registered investment advisor and manages several investment vehicles that consist of institutions and high net worth investors. SEC registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Platform Investments, including its affiliates, has over $1.4 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2018. This does not represent Regulatory Assets Under Management as defined by the SEC.\n\nVisit www.platformv.com or contact press@platformv.com for additional information.\n\nDisclaimer: All information herein is relating to general business information and is intended for informational purposes only. Nothing herein constitutes an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security and may not be relied upon in connection with the purchase or sale of any security. In addition, nothing herein constitutes investment advice.\n\nSecurities offered through North Capital Securities Corporation, member FINRA/SIPC\n\nContact: Investor Relations\n\nPhone: 913-229-9650\n\nEmail: InvestorRelations@platformv.com\n\nSOURCE Platform Ventures\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttps://www.platformv.com", "entities": []}
{"text": "nCino Lands Investment.\n\nTweet WILMINGTON, NC, Leader in cloud banking recently completed a funding round led by Salesforce Ventures.\n\nTo export nCino funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on nCinoTo export nCino funding data to PDF and Excel, click here nCino, the worldwide leader in cloud banking, today announced that its customer portfolio now includes more than 180 financial institutions across multiple countries, including 10 of the top 30 U.S. banks by asset size and Navy Federal, the world's largest credit union. Additionally, the company recently completed a funding round led by Salesforce Ventures, the corporate investment group of Salesforce, with participation from another existing nCino shareholder.\n\n\n\nThis additional investment will further fuel the company's global growth initiatives and accelerate the continued development and innovation of its Bank Operating System, built on the Salesforce platform, and integrated with Salesforce Financial Services Cloud. Since its founding in 2012, nCino has been a Salesforce partner in financial services.\n\n\n\n\"From day one, our vision has been to be the worldwide leader in cloud banking,\" explained Pierre Naude, chief executive officer at nCino. \"We are successfully executing on that vision and empowering financial institutions around the globe to grow their business and better serve their customers. Our strong alignment with Salesforce has been a key factor in our growth and success. We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with them and further our joint efforts to transform the financial services industry.\"\n\n\n\n\n\n\"nCino extends the power of the Salesforce platform, enabling banks to get closer to their customers than ever before,\" said Rohit Mahna, SVP and GM of Financial Services, Salesforce. \"The investment from Salesforce Ventures is the latest evolution in our strong partnership, and we're thrilled to help fuel nCino's global growth and innovation.\"\n\n\n\nnCino's Bank Operating System integrates with a financial institution's core and transactional systems while replacing other point solutions and manual-based processes. It uniquely combines CRM, deposit account opening, loan origination, workflow, enterprise content management, digital engagement and instant, real-time reporting in a single platform. nCino is among the most popular apps in the Salesforce ecosystem, and is consistently a top choice for financial institutions of all asset sizes. Salesforce recently presented nCino with its inaugural Appy Award at Dreamforce 2017 recognizing the company's commitment to customer experience and industry innovation.\n\n\n\nIn addition to Salesforce Ventures, nCino is backed by other world-class investors including Insight Venture Partners and Wellington Management.\n\n\n\nAbout nCino\n\nnCino is the worldwide leader in cloud banking. With its Bank Operating System, built on the Salesforce platform, financial institutions can deliver the speed and digital experience that customers expect, backed by the quality and transparency that bankers need. Follow @nCino or visit www.ncino.com.\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout Salesforce Ventures\n\nSalesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies to connect with their customers in a whole new way. Salesforce Ventures-the company's corporate investment group-invests in the next generation of enterprise technology that extends the power of the Salesforce Intelligent Customer Success Platform, helping companies connect with their customers in entirely new ways. Portfolio companies receive funding as well as access to the world's largest cloud ecosystem and the guidance of Salesforce's innovators and executives. With Salesforce Ventures, portfolio companies can also leverage Salesforce's expertise in corporate philanthropy by joining Pledge 1% to make giving back part of their business model. Salesforce Ventures has invested in more than 250 enterprise cloud startups in 14 different countries since 2009. For more information, please visit www.salesforce.com/ventures.", "entities": [[0, 5, "org_in_focus"], [31, 45, "headquarters_loc"], [113, 132, "investor"], [627, 646, "investor"], [735, 740, "org_in_focus"], [1041, 1045, "year_founded"], [1047, 1052, "org_in_focus"], [3095, 3108, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Take the Interview Secures $5M in Series B.\n\nTweet NEW YORK, NY, Providers of cloud-based interview management solutions, announced today that it has raised $5 million in Series B funding.\n\nTo export Take the Interview funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on Take the InterviewTo export Take the Interview funding data to PDF and Excel, click here Take the Interview (TTI), providers of cloud-based interview management solutions, announced today that it has raised $5 million in Series B funding led by 3TS Capital Partners, one of the leading European technology growth capital investors. TTI's previous investors, StarVest Partners and Rittenhouse Ventures, also participated in the round. Pekka Maki, Managing Partner at 3TS Capital Partners, will join Take the Interview's Board of Directors. With the investment, TTI will continue to build out its technology platform, enhance its integrations with other HR solutions and fuel further expansion.\n\nTTI's platform helps organizations hire better talent faster by focusing on the interview process and all of the screening and touch points during the hiring continuum. The platform enables candidates to showcase their skills and experience utilizing a digital platform and provides hiring managers the ability to evaluate candidates beyond video functionality. TTI was founded in 2012 by Danielle Weinblatt who launched the Company when she was a student at Harvard Business School. The Company currently has one of its offices in Belgrade, Serbia with headquarters in New York City, NY, USA.\n\n'TTI solves some of the most pressing recruiting problems by improving candidate experience and providing talent acquisition teams with process intelligence to reduce their likelihood of making a bad hire. HR tech is entering its next phase of development and we believe TTI is very well positioned to grow further with its innovative platform and robust value proposition,' said Pekka Maki. 'We are impressed by the strong leadership and are very excited to be partners with them.'\n\nThis round of funding is the largest secured by TTI to date and follows the strong sales momentum and renewals for the Company. 'This investment will help us accelerate our business as we continue to expand our client base and product offerings. 3TS' expertise and hands on support will be crucial for our growth and expansion into Europe. We are thrilled to have 3TS on board and to receive continued support from our existing investors,' said Danielle Weinblatt, Co-founder and CEO of Take the Interview.\n\nAbout Take the Interview:\n\nTake the Interview (TTI) is a talent acquisition partner and SaaS provider that helps organizations hire better talent, faster. The all-in-one enterprise solution includes digital interviewing, workflow solutions to eliminate coordination challenges and analytics to help drive an optimal interview process. TTI has built and continues to innovate on the only platform that holistically solves challenges associated with interviewing. Learn more at http://www.taketheinterview.com.\n\nAbout 3TS Capital Partners:\n\n3TS Capital Partners is one of the leading European technology focused private equity and venture capital firms. 3TS provides expansion capital and buyout funding for small and medium-sized businesses in growth sectors including Technology & Internet, Media & Communications and Technology-Enabled Services. Investors in the current and past 3TS funds totaling over €300 million include EIF, EBRD, Cisco, OTP, Sitra, 3i and KfW among others. For further information, please visit http://www.3tscapital.com.\n\nAbout Rittenhouse Ventures:\n\nRittenhouse Ventures is an emerging growth venture fund focused on innovative software solutions that power enterprises in healthcare, life sciences, financial services, human resources and general business services. Based in Philadelphia and investing across the Mid-Atlantic, Rittenhouse Ventures builds long-term partnerships with entrepreneurs, leveraging an extensive professional network in the region. Learn more at http://www.rittenhouseventures.com.\n\nAbout StarVest Partners:\n\nStarVest Partners is a New York-based venture capital firm investing in the growth of technology-enabled business services companies in the U.S. With $400M+ under management, the firm targets emerging cloud-based technology service providers in the data & analytics, marketing, eCommerce enablement, financial services and human capital management sectors. A software-as-a service pioneer since the late 1990s, StarVest was the sole venture firm to invest in NetSuite in 2000 and other sector leaders include MessageOne, acquired by Dell computer; Connected Corporation, acquired by Iron Mountain; iCrossing acquired by Hearst; Insurance.com, acquired by QuinStreet; and Fieldglass acquired by SAP for $1B. StarVest continues to expand its portfolio with investments such as AppDirect, Host Analytics, Persado, RetailNext and Veracode among others. More information is available at http://www.starvestpartners.com.", "entities": [[0, 18, "org_in_focus"], [27, 30, "money_funded"], [34, 42, "type_of_funding"], [51, 63, "headquarters_loc"], [157, 167, "money_funded"], [171, 179, "type_of_funding"], [382, 400, "org_in_focus"], [402, 405, "org_in_focus"], [475, 480, "date_of_funding"], [500, 510, "money_funded"], [514, 522, "type_of_funding"], [538, 558, "investor"], [651, 668, "investor"], [673, 693, "investor"], [1349, 1352, "org_in_focus"], [1368, 1372, "year_founded"], [1557, 1579, "headquarters_loc"], [3050, 3081, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "25 Joburg-based startups secure $90k grant funding.\n\nTwenty-five startups based out of the 22 on Sloane campus in Johannesburg have secured a total of ZAR1.25 million (US$90,000) in grant funding from professional property development investment company Fortress REIT.\n\n22 on Sloane, which launched in Bryanston in late 2017, has partnered Fortress REIT to support entrepreneurs taking part in its residency programme, which currently has 87 participants.\n\nThe partnership will award seed grants and access to additional technical support to the new intake for 2019, while 25 of the current cohort have already received ZAR50,000 (US$3,600) each from Fortress REIT, a total of ZAR1.25 million (US$90,000).\n\nThose companies include AI-based car buying platform Autoadviser, fintech company Khamzimla IT Solutions, big data service Anylytical Technologies, health service BMC Firm, aviation startup Ndiza, art programme provider LukArts, broadcasting company Prime Time Studios, food manufacturer Magumuza Foods, labelling company Dlloyd Creative Enterprise, and manufacturing companies African Make and Phola Table.\n\nEngineering company Thaga, ICT support firm Galatica, news site BizNiz Africa, food and beverage company Sweet Gift Catering, agro-processing company Rejanala Farms, education firm Matoyana Consulting, food and beverage company Matoyana Consulting, signage solutions firm Matoyana Consulting, agri-business Setsumi Agency and Trading Enterprises, manufacturing company Ditsogo Projects, drone startup Aero 247, recruitment platform Employ Me, manufacturing company Arnot Ash and legal tech platform Maphosa Attorneys complete the list.\n\n“This is just the start. We hope to drive change and support more emerging businesses and the youth in their quest to grow. We look forward to a long and sustainable partnership with 22 on Sloane,” said Jodie Ellinor-Dreyer from Fortress REIT.\n\nFor the 2019 residency programme, startups in the following sectors are encouraged to apply: agriculture/agro-processing, e-commerce, edu-tech, fin-tech, gaming, health, renewable energy, robotics, transport and manufacturing.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Berlin-based CoachHub that brings personalised coaching to your workspace finishes 2019 with €18.9M.\n\nCoachHub, the talent development platform based out of Berlin, has announced an additional investment of $4 million (approx €3.5 million) to its Series A funding – bringing the total raised in 2019 to $21 million (approx €18.8 million).\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nThe funding round was led by y existing investors, HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, Partech, Speedinvest x, and RTP Global, along with a new investor, signals Venture Capital.\n\nThe drivers of employee satisfaction and engagement have evolved. In the current landscape, employees seek a sense of purpose, belonging, inclusion, and personal growth.\n\nAs a result, employee disengagement and high turnover have become a harsh reality in a large number of organizations worldwide. In order to address and resolve these challenges, CoachHub wants to redefine how organizations think of, approach, and build out their HR programs to include a personalized, scalable, and measurable coaching technology.\n\nCoachHub!\n\nFounded in 2018 by entrepreneurs Yannis Niebelschuetz and Matti Niebelschuetz, CoachHub is a talent development platform that enables organizations to create a personalized, measurable, and scalable coaching program for the entire workforce, regardless of department and seniority level.\n\nWith this platform, both organisations and their employees can reap a multitude of benefits, including increased engagement, higher levels of productivity, improved job performance, and way much more.\n\nAs CoachHub closes out the 2019 year, the company has signed over 75 new customers in 14 countries in this year alone, including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, and the Netherlands. These include some of the world’s most renowned global brands, such as Danone, Fujitsu, and Generali.\n\nYannis Niebelschuetz, Co-Founder & Managing Director of CoachHub, said:\n\nWith employee disengagement and turnover rates soaring higher and higher every year, organizations cannot afford to keep their traditional mindset about HR programs if they want to keep employees happy, engaged, productive and, most importantly, empowered to do their best work and find a sense of fulfillment from their roles and employers. With this latest round of funding, we’re pleased that our investors recognize and support the work that our teams are doing to build the best, most intuitive, and impactful coaching platform in the world. We have ambitious goals coupled with a proactive strategy, talented teams, and passion for making 2020 a monumental year for our business and all of the organizations that we serve.\n\nMain image credits: CoachHub\n\nStay tuned to Silicon Canals for more European technology news.", "entities": [[0, 6, "headquarters_loc"], [13, 21, "org_in_focus"], [93, 99, "cumulative"], [102, 110, "org_in_focus"], [157, 163, "headquarters_loc"], [207, 217, "money_funded"], [226, 238, "money_funded"], [247, 255, "type_of_funding"], [303, 314, "cumulative"], [323, 336, "cumulative"], [548, 571, "investor"], [573, 580, "investor"], [582, 595, "investor"], [601, 611, "investor"], [648, 663, "investor"], [1208, 1212, "year_founded"], [1276, 1284, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Graycliff buys Pebble Technology International.\n\nGraycliff Partners LP said Oct. 3 that it acquired Pebble Technology International Inc. Financial terms weren’t announced. PebbleTec, of Scottsdale, Arizona, which designs and makes swimming pool finishes.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nGRAYCLIFF PARTNERS ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF PEBBLETEC\n\nNew York, NY, October 3, 2018 – Graycliff Partners LP is pleased to announce it has completed the acquisition of Pebble Technology International, Inc. (“PebbleTec”), a designer and manufacturer of high quality swimming pool finishes. Graycliff purchased the business from a small group of individual shareholders.\n\nBased in Scottsdale, AZ, PebbleTec is the globally recognized brand leader in swimming pool finishes, specializing in high end aggregate finishes. The company sources premium stones of varying sizes and colors from across the globe (including New Zealand, Chile and Mexico), and has perfected a proprietary application process to produce custom finishes that last decades. The company serves applicators and pool builders worldwide through manufacturing and processing centers in Arizona and Louisiana. Founded in 1987, the company was the first in the United States to pioneer the use of aggregate as a pool finish, and has since built the leading brand in the industry.\n\n“PebbleTec is a household name in the pool business, and we were drawn to its reputation and track record of superior quality, consistency and durability,” said Will Henderson, Managing Director, Graycliff Partners. Darrell Eckstein, PebbleTec CEO added, “We are excited to work with the team at Graycliff to further capture market share in underpenetrated regions, both domestically and internationally.”\n\nAbout Graycliff Partners LP\n\nGraycliff Partners is an investment firm focused on lower middle market investments. Graycliff seeks to partner with companies led by strong, entrepreneurial management teams, providing capital for acquisitions, management buyouts, recapitalizations, growth and expansion. For more information about Graycliff Partners visit www.graycliffpartners.com.", "entities": []}
{"text": "CDPQ and Fonds-backed IPLP shoots for $180 mln from IPO.\n\nIPL Plastics Inc (IPLP), a Montréal-based packaging solutions provider, has priced its proposed initial public offering of common shares at between $13.50 and $16 per unit. This will generate proceeds of about $180 million, not including the greenshoe option. With the IPO’s close, IPLP backers Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and Fonds de solidarité FTQ will respectively hold stakes of 28 percent to 28.9 percent and 6 percent to 6.2 percent. CDPQ and the Fonds have invested in the company’s affiliate, Ireland’s IPL Plastics plc, since 2015, when as One51 plc it acquired Saint-Damien Québec-based IPL Inc from Novacap for about $280 million.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nIPL Plastics Inc. Files Amended and Restated Preliminary Prospectus for Initial Public Offering of Common Shares\n\nMONTREAL, June 1, 2018 /CNW/ – IPL Plastics Inc. (“IPLP” or the “Company”) today announced the filing of an amended and restated preliminary prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces and territories of Canada in connection with its proposed initial public offering of its common shares (the “Offering”).\n\nThe Offering is being made through a syndicate of underwriters led by BMO Capital Markets, CIBC Capital Markets and RBC Capital Markets, acting as joint bookrunners, and including National Bank Financial Inc., J&E Davy, Goodbody Stockbrokers UC, Desjardins Securities Inc., GMP Securities L.P., HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc., and Laurentian Bank Securities Inc.\n\nThe amended and restated preliminary prospectus contains important information relating to the common shares and is still subject to completion or amendment. A copy of the amended and restated preliminary prospectus is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. There will not be any sale or any acceptance of an offer to buy the common shares until a receipt for the final prospectus has been issued.\n\nNo securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The common shares have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) or any state securities laws. Accordingly, the common shares may not be offered or sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to exemptions from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of IPLP in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.\n\nAnticipated Appointment of Four New Directors\n\nThe Company is pleased to announce the anticipated appointment of David McAusland, Sharon Pel, Linda Kuga Pikulin and Mary Ritchie (the “New Directors”) as additional members of the Board of Directors, in addition to Rose Hynes, Hugh McCutcheon, Geoff Meagher and Alain Tremblay who will remain as non-executive directors of the Company. The New Directors are anticipated to be appointed upon completion of the Offering. David McAusland will assume the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors on completion of the proposed initial public offering.\n\nDavid McAusland is a corporate advisor, lawyer and experienced corporate director and senior executive. Mr. McAusland is a partner in the law firm McCarthy Tétrault LLP and was previously Executive Vice-President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer of Alcan Inc., a large multinational industrial company, where he provided leadership on its worldwide mergers, growth strategies, major transactions and capital investments. Mr. McAusland currently acts as director of Cogeco Inc. and Cogeco Cable Inc., both involved in the communications sector, Cascades Inc., a producer of packaging and tissue products, and ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc., an advanced automation solutions company. Mr. McAusland is also a director or advisory board member of several well-established private companies and active in community causes. Mr. McAusland received his B.C.L. in 1976 and his LL.B. in 1977, both from McGill University.\n\nSharon Pel is a corporate director and was Senior Vice President, Group Head of Legal and Business Affairs and Corporate Secretary of TMX Group Limited until 2015, where she was responsible for advising the TMX board and executive management on all aspects of its governance, operations and legal and regulatory affairs. Prior to that, she was a partner at Torys LLP. Ms. Pel currently provides consulting services through her firm, Inglewood Advisory Services. Ms. Pel is a member of the board of trustees of OPTrust, the administrator of the OPSEU Pension Plan, a defined benefit plan with over 92,000 members and retirees. Ms. Pel holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a LL.B from the University of Ottawa. She is Member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and holds the ICD.D designation. She is involved in several charitable endeavors including serving on the board of Canadian Feed The Children.\n\nLinda Kuga Pikulin served as the President of PepsiCo Beverages Canada from June 2010 to February 2011. She led the complex integration of PepsiCo’s brand and bottling businesses to position the company for long-term growth. From 1998 to 2010, she served as the President of Pepsi Bottling Group Canada responsible for the sales, manufacturing, merchandising and distribution of Pepsi products. Under her leadership, the bottling company delivered unprecedented market share and profit growth. Ms. Pikulin is an Independent Director for Enersource Corporation. Ms. Pikulin earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, PA.\n\nMary Ritchie is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Richford Holdings Ltd., an accounting and investment advisory services firm based in Edmonton, Alberta. She has over 30 years of experience in both the public, private and not-for-profit sectors and is a member of CPA Canada and a Fellow of CPA Alberta. Ms. Ritchie is a member of the board of directors and audit committees of EnWave Corporation, Alaris Royalty Corp. and Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc., and is also a member of RBC Global Asset Management’s independent oversight committee. Ms. Ritchie holds a B.A. degree from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta.\n\nAbout IPLP\n\nIPLP, upon the effective date of the scheme of arrangement of IPL Plastics plc (which remains subject to sanction by the Irish High Court), will be a leading sustainable packaging solutions provider primarily in the food, consumer, agricultural, logistic and environmental end-markets operating in Canada, the U.S, the U.K., Ireland, China and Mexico. IPLP will employ c. 2,400 people and is headquartered in Montreal, Québec.\n\nFor further information: Investor Enquiries: Alan Walsh, Chief Executive Officer, +353 1 612 1375; Pat Dalton, Chief Financial Officer, +353 1 612 1377, www.iplplasticsinc.com; Media Enquiries: Phil Koven, Bay Street Communications, +1 647 496 7858; Tom McEnaney, McEnaney Media, +353 87 2222 666", "entities": []}
{"text": "SEC ban puts brakes on equity crowdfunding in Nigeria.\n\nThe Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Nigeria’s ban on equity crowdfunding “is seriously slowing down” the introduction of crowdfunding in the country, says a new report.\n\nThe Crowdfunding Potential for Nigeria report released last month by the Crowdfunding Hub, says crowdfunding has significant potential in the country, but that the SEC’s ban issued in August last year has stifled the setting up of crowdfunding platforms.\n\nThe SEC believes that crowdfunding cannot be effective in Nigeria for now because of a lack of rules. Donation and reward-based crowdfunding are however excluded from the SEC’s regulatory remit.\n\nThis is despite a fast-evolving banking system which provides a promising infrastructure for crowdfunding in Nigeria, as well as a burgeoning entrepreneurial scene and a fast-growing population of 179 million.\n\n‘Donation and reward-based crowdfunding should be fostered as a first step’\n\n“To move forward, donation and reward-based crowdfunding should be fostered as a first step towards crowdfund investing,” says the report’s author Suzanne Wisse-Huiskes of MatchBox Consultancy.\n\nWisse-Huiskes, who lived and worked in Nigeria between 2014 and 2016, consulted with over 30 policy makers, NGOs, investors, and entrepreneurs in compiling the report.\n\nShe pointed out in the report that these types of crowdfunding have successfully paved the way for equity crowdfunding in other regions. The report says the African continent accounted for about $83.2-million in crowdfunding in 2015, with Nigeria accounting for between seven and eight million dollars of this.\n\nAt the start of this year Nigeria had one equity based platform, Malaik, launched in 2015. The landing page on its website asks those interested to leave their details to join a waiting list for the relaunch of the site.\n\nIn addition as the beginning of this year Nigeria had three donations-based platforms, namely: Donate-ng.com, Naturad and Imeela.\n\nThe report notes that the lack of patent laws is another concern. It discourages entrepreneurs to share their business ideas online.\n\nWisse-Huiskes told Ventureburn that “to my knowledge, peer-to-peer lending platforms are also illegal”.\n\n‘The SEC is looking at the crowdfunding rules in US and Canada’\n\n“The legal provisions of crowdfunding are a big challenge to the organisation (SEC). However, they are looking for ways to go about it so that companies will enjoy the benefits of crowdfunding in the country as well,” says Wisse-Huiskes, who adds that the SEC is looking at the crowdfunding rules in US and Canada in order to ensure an enabling legal and regulatory framework.\n\nShe said equity crowdfunding could prove to be an expedient way for many struggling entrepreneurs to raise capital, since they are considered as high risk to banks.\n\nDerin Fagbure, a director of donations-based platform FundMyP, agreed, saying crowdfunding can help thousands of Nigerian business owners to access finance.\n\nShe said business owners often battle to obtain finance from banks which are reluctant to advance small loans which they view as more likely to be defaulted upon. Those that approach the government for funding often have to battle bureaucratic procedures, she added.\n\nHowever Fagbure said scams on donation-based platforms are common, meaning crowdfunding platforms often have to battle to win the trust of the public by making them more aware of what crowdfunding platforms do.\n\nAttempts to get comment from the Securities and Exchange Commission by time of publication proved unsuccessful.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Toronto’s Figure 1 Raises $2 Million from Version One, Rho Canada.\n\nToronto-based photo sharing service for medical professionals, Figure 1, has raised a $2 million seed round. The app allows health care professionals to upload and share strange, fatal, and sometimes even gruesome images of things that can happen to the body.\n\nVersion One Ventures and Rho Canada Ventures co-led the round, which included participation from the Investment Accelerator Fund and several angel investors, including Zen Chu (Founder of Accelerated Medical Ventures and Faculty Director at MIT’s HackingMedicine), Daniel Debow (Co-Founder of Rypple, acquired by Salesforce.com) and DMZ Investments, a seed-stage fund established by Ryerson Futures.\n\n“We congratulate Figure 1 on their early growth since launching in May of this year and look forward to working with them as they leverage this funding to fuel their expansion,” said Matt Saunders of Ryerson Futures Inc. “Gregory and his team were a pleasure to work with in the early days of developing Figure 1. Ryerson Futures is excited to provide continued support for startups and help them make valuable industry connections.”\n\nFigure 1 is building the world’s largest free repository of medical images that’s easily searchable and available to the medical community. It is a mobile, crowdsourced platform that allows healthcare professionals to upload and tag images, use each other’s images for information, and rate images for accuracy or clinical representativeness. All of this is accomplished in line with government and hospital privacy and ethics requirements. Figure 1 was founded in early 2013 by Joshua Landy, a critical care physician, Richard Penner, a mobile developer, and Gregory Levey. Dr. Levey is also an Associate Professor in the School of Professional Communication at Ryerson University.\n\nOne National Post article said that “seems to be a great tool for sharing medical “pearls,” seeking help on puzzling cases and just bringing together physicians.”\n\nPhoto by National Post\n\nThe startup launched in North America in spring 2013 and quickly reached the top spot in the medical category on both the US and Canadian App Stores. It expanded to the United Kingdom in fall 2013, and is already used by tens of thousands healthcare professionals in the three countries. The app is currently available on iPhone and iPad and will be expanding to Desktop and Android in the coming months.\n\nLast week the company attended 48 Hours in the Valley, a program sponsored by the C100 that bought 17 Canadian startups to Silicon Valley for two days of mentorship, workshops and networking. Those startups selected are labelled as ““Canada’s most promising startups” by the C100.\n\nFigure 1 spent nine months at the Ryerson University Digital Media Zone (DMZ) from December 2012 to August 2013 and also completed the Ryerson Futures accelerator program.\n\n“Founding our company at the Digital Media Zone helped us benefit from the entrepreneurial spirit at Ryerson,” said Figure 1 cofounder Gregory Levey. “The collaborative environment of the DMZ, along with the financial support and mentorshipprovided by Ryerson Futures allowed us to focus completely on building a product and getting our company off the ground.”", "entities": [[0, 7, "headquarters_loc"], [10, 18, "org_in_focus"], [26, 36, "money_funded"], [42, 53, "investor"], [55, 65, "investor"], [68, 75, "headquarters_loc"], [131, 139, "org_in_focus"], [154, 164, "money_funded"], [165, 169, "type_of_funding"], [329, 349, "investor"], [354, 373, "investor"], [430, 457, "investor"], [497, 504, "investor"], [594, 606, "investor"], [662, 677, "investor"], [1606, 1614, "org_in_focus"], [1636, 1640, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "Asia’s venture capital funding, deal volume plunge in Q1.\n\nPremium\n\nThe amount of venture capital investments garnered by Asian companies in the first quarter of this year dropped 12 per cent to $18.4 billion from the $21.1 billion they raked in during the previous quarter, according to latest data from CB Insights and PwC.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Rocket Internet backed Global Savings Group secures €19.2 million to grow beyond couponing.\n\nThe Global Savings Group (GSG), a global digital commerce platform for publishers, advertisers and consumers, has just secured €9 million of credit and €10.2 million of equity funding in a Series C financing round. The fresh capital will be used by the Munich-based GSG to continue expanding its offering beyond online couponing, to further strengthen its growing travel and lifestyle deal business, and to enlarge its portfolio of solutions for media companies. The new funding was provided by Holtzbrinck Ventures, Rocket Internet, Deutsche Telekom Venture Funds, ru-Net and Deutsche Bank.\n\nAdrian Renner, Managing Director and Co-Founder of the GSG, stated: “This investment helps us to grow our existing business further, to continue pursuing our strategic M&A activities, and to bring new services to our partners and customers. The funding strengthens the development of our solutions for our media partners, where we provide them monetization opportunities that go beyond ads. The new round of fundraising is a sign of confidence in our successful path of building the leading digital commerce platform for advertisers, consumers, and publishers.”\n\nThe Global Savings Group was founded in 2012 and unites digital models that drive purchases on one platform, creating a winning ecosystem for advertisers, publishers and consumers. In addition to its online couponing brands, the GSG operates deal communities throughout Europe. The GSG has recently launched HolidayDetective and Savly, curated online travel and lifestyle portals that collect and showcase the best deals and saving recommendations in the travel and lifestyle sector. In 2017, several media companies such as SPIEGEL Online, Metronieuws and others joined the circle of GSG’s chosen publishing partners, which include the Daily Mail, L’Express, Le Monde, El Pais, Corriere Della Sera and many others.\n\nThe Global Savings Group plans to continue on its strong growth track, which has seen an increase in Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV, volume of sales generated for its retail partners) of 99.4% to €463 million in 2016, and expects to generate sales worth over €673 million in 2017. The GSG closed 2016 with a profit and expects to continue this path in 2017.\n\nDavid Kuczek, General Partner at Holtzbrinck Ventures, said: “The GSG is one of Europe’s fastest-growing companies. The company has proven over the last few years that it can obtain market leadership in multiple countries around the world and maintain a strong performance in its business segment. At the same time, the GSG never stands still and dares to take the next strategic steps, such as strengthening its offering outside of couponing. The team and its vision have everything it takes to continue the steep growth curve of the GSG. This is why we keep on investing in this promising business model.”\n\nOliver Samwer, CEO of Rocket Internet, stated: “The GSG proves our ability to support and build market-leading companies. Since its launch in 2012, the GSG has evolved from a coupon player to a winning commerce platform for advertisers, consumers and publishers. Its expanding portfolio of own brands and publisher partnerships around the world ensures stable growth and profits. Thanks to our recent investment, the GSG is well positioned to reach its strategic goals.”", "entities": [[23, 43, "org_in_focus"], [52, 65, "money_funded"], [97, 117, "org_in_focus"], [119, 122, "org_in_focus"], [220, 230, "money_funded"], [234, 240, "type_of_funding"], [245, 258, "money_funded"], [262, 268, "type_of_funding"], [282, 290, "type_of_funding"], [346, 352, "headquarters_loc"], [359, 362, "org_in_focus"], [588, 608, "investor"], [610, 625, "investor"], [627, 657, "investor"], [659, 665, "investor"], [670, 683, "investor"], [3075, 3079, "year_founded"], [3085, 3088, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Abhinav Bindra Backed Shooting Star Bets $1 Mn On Fitpass.\n\nDelhi-based healthtech startup Fitpass has raised $1 Mn from Olympic gold medalist and Indian ace shooter, Abhinav Bindra-backed VC fund, Shooting Star.\n\nIn March 2016, Abhinav Bindra, started a venture capital fund to invest in startups. He had set up an incubation fund called Shooting Star LLP with an initial investment of $2 Mn. The incubation fund was created in an equal partnership with consulting firm Franchise India. Shooting Star looks to invest in emerging sports academies, rehab, sports injury and health apps, among other sectors.\n\nLaunched in June 2015 by Akshay Verma along with Arushi Verma, Fitpass connects users with gyms and fitness studios. The platform claims to give unlimited access to multiple options with different types of workouts like Yoga, Zumba, Bollywood Dance, MMA, kickboxing, etc.\n\nRelated Article: Olympic Champion Abhinav Bindra Sets Up VC Fund For Startups\n\nThe startup provides an app-based pass to workout anywhere, anytime across 1,500 gyms and fitness studios in Delhi NCR. The fitness plan is priced at INR 999 per month.\n\nFitpass co-founder Akshay Verma said, “We have already partnered with 400 centres in Bengaluru and will also launch in Mumbai and Pune soon. We have also seen good traction on the nutrition app and counsellor-side, while our gym ERP has a 93% conversion rate for the centres we work with. It usually takes a centre two months to turn into a paying customer for the Fitpass ERP.”\n\nThe startup will use the newly raised funds to expand the network of gyms and fitness studios on the platform to 10 cities in the next six months.\n\nIn January 2017, fitness startup Fitnapp raised an undisclosed amount of funding from real estate conglomerate SD Group. Earlier this month, Mumbai-based health and fitness discovery platform Growfitter raised $600K in a Pre-Series A round of funding from San Francisco-based VC SQue Capital. Other startups in this space apart from Fitpass include FitMeIn, BookYourGame, Gympik and more.\n\n(The development was reported by ET)", "entities": [[22, 35, "investor"], [41, 46, "money_funded"], [50, 57, "org_in_focus"], [60, 65, "headquarters_loc"], [91, 98, "org_in_focus"], [110, 115, "money_funded"], [198, 211, "investor"], [387, 392, "money_funded"], [625, 629, "year_founded"], [633, 645, "investor"], [671, 678, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "EIF invests €20 million into new fund from Irish VC ACT Venture Capital.\n\nThe European Investment Fund (EIF) is to invest €20 million in the newest fund from Irish VC firm, ACT Venture Capital, with support from the InnovFin Equity and COSME initiatives.\n\nThe fund, ACT V, will invest in tech companies that are at the early and expansion stages in verticals like software, internet, digital media, communications, and mobile. It will invest in 15-18 companies over the next four years with up to €7 million per company. EIF’s investment in ACT was carried out with additional support from the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), an arm of the European Commission’s Investment Plan for Europe, also known at the \"Juncker Plan\".\n\nOther investors in the fund include the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), Enterprise Ireland, Allied Irish Banks (AIB) as well as a number of private investors.\n\n“The transaction will help to strengthen the Irish VC ecosystem and endorse an experienced second generation team now raising its first full scale fund,” said Andrew McDowell, vice president of the European Investment Bank, which oversees EIF.\n\n“EIF’s commitment is also critical to ensure that the fund closes at its target size and I am convinced that ACT Venture Capital will ensure that companies can access this finance soon. The health of the European economy rests on its ability to innovate and EU support remains a key component. This cooperation clearly contributes towards those efforts.”\n\n“ACT is keen to partner with leading entrepreneurs where we can exploit our international network to help them expand,” added John Flynn, managing director of ACT Venture Capital. Alongside the announcement of EIF’s investment, ACT announced the appointments of Conor Mills and Tomas Miranda to the firm.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Despite TikTok Scrutiny, ByteDance To Invest $1 Bn In India.\n\nThe Supreme Court and Madras HC to hear the TikTok case on April 22 and April 24 respectively\n\nByteDance has invested $100 Mn in India for Helo, Vigo and TikTok apps in the last year\n\nIt’s been only three days since ByteDance’s TikTok app was removed from Google Play Store and Apple App Store in India, but ByteDance remains bullish on the Indian market. The Chinese social networking company is now planning to invest $1 Bn in its India operations..\n\nSpeaking to an Indian media publication, the company said that it has already invested $100 Mn in the last year, and now is planning to invest $1 Bn. However, the company didn’t reveal any timeline pertaining to its India investments.\n\nThe company is also planning to float a new video-sharing app after India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) directed Google and Apple to delist TikTok from the Play Store on Android and App Store on iOS respectively.\n\nTikTok India Fiasco\n\nTikTok which claims to have 120 Mn monthly active users in India faced severe criticism for evading norms under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and allegedly spreading child pornography.\n\nIn this regard, on February 24, 2019, advocate S. Muthukumar filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Madras High Court against the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, Ministry of Communications, District Collector (Madurai District), Commissioner of Police (Madurai) and the business head of TikTok.\n\nMuthukumar accused TikTok of spreading pornography, violence and blasphemy. A number of deaths occurred due to TikTok with some of the casualties, victims aged between 10 to 30, said the PIL.\n\nRelated Article: ByteDance To Setup Local Data Centres In India Over The Next Two Years\n\nHearing the PIL, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court comprising of Justices N Kirubakaran and SS Sundar passed an interim order (on April 3) which read:\n\nThe government of India directed to prohibit downloading of TikTok mobile app Media is prohibited from telecasting the videos made using TikTok mobile app.; and The government has to answer whether the Union of India will enact a statute, like Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, enacted by the United States, to prevent the children from becoming cyber/online victims.\n\nOn April 13, ByteDance released a statement and said that it has removed over six million videos that have violated its community guidelines. The press release also said that TikTok has now introduced its age-gate feature to restrict sign-ups to users aged13 years and above. TikTok further said it would be adding to the safety mechanisms to ensure that underage users do not use the platform.\n\nIn the next hearing on April 16, the Madras High Court appointed Arvind Datar as amicus curiae (independent counsel) in the case to examine the implications of the app. The next hearing in the case is on April 24.\n\nMeanwhile, Google and Apple delisted TikTok from their app stores, after receiving directions from the Indian government.\n\nAs a result, TikTok moved to Supreme Court against the Madras High Court’s order on the ground that a ban on the download and use of the app not only curtails its right to freedom of speech and expression but that it would also lead to financial losses and loss of jobs.\n\nThe two-judge bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, however, declined a stay on the ban and listed the matter for further hearing on April 22.\n\nTikTok which offers social media content in 10 Indian regional languages, has not only faced criticism for the lack of age filters in its app but also for the lack of privacy policy and user agreements being available in all the languages it supports. As a result, TikTok users are not even aware of terms they agree to while signing up for the app, if they cannot read English.\n\nMeanwhile, India Internet Foundation has come in support of TikTok, terming the ban disproportionate. On April 17, the Foundation in a letter addressed to MeitY said that there is an urgent need to commence a policy dialogue and indicate a way forward to ensure the benefits of digital tools and technologies can be harnessed by large sections of Indians while mitigating harms.\n\n“Two recent instances include a ban on a popular video game called PUBG in various districts of Gujarat that resulted in the arrest of at least 21 young persons. Similarly, the ban on a popular video sharing platform called Tik Tok has resulted in preventing its download from Application Stores. These are in contravention of the fundamental rights, particularly the right to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a). Any restriction on such rights needs to be, “reasonable”, pursuant to a valid legal authority and as per the grounds of restriction as prescribed under Article 19(2),” reads the letter.\n\nIs TikTok Really Banned?\n\nWhile it is true that the Google Play Store and Apple AppStore have taken down the official TikTok app, this has not affected the existing users. Those who downloaded the app earlier can seamlessly continue to access the app without interruption.\n\nOn Android, TikTok’s APK or installation file can be shared through Shareit, over Bluetooth and by other means, plus there are numerous third-party services that let you download Android app stores outside the official Play Store. Services such as by Apkpure, APK Mirror Android APK Box and uptodown continue to distribute the app.\n\nIndia is not the only to have banned TikTok; earlier, Bangladesh and Indonesia also cracked down on the app for allegedly spreading blasphemy and pornography.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Cornell Capital Announces Investment in Lorom.\n\nNEW YORK and TAIPEI, Taiwan, Oct. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cornell Capital LLC (\"Cornell Capital\" or the \"Firm\"), a private investment firm, today announced an investment in Lorom Holding Co., Ltd. (\"Lorom\" or the \"Company\"), a leading manufacturing solutions provider focusing on specialized cable manufacturing and assembly. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.\n\nFounded in 1988 by a small group of engineers with a focus on research and development, Lorom has grown to approximately 6,000 employees, including more than 500 highly skilled engineers across six factories and six sales offices globally. In addition to its core cable technologies, Lorom also offers plastic injection, stamping, die-casting, printed circuit board assembly and tooling processes, and possesses customized component design and manufacturing capabilities. Lorom's vertically integrated model enables the Company to provide a one-stop shopping platform for unique, proprietary manufacturing products and services to a blue-chip customer base, including Fortune 500 companies across the automotive, industrial, media, technology and medical sectors. The Company is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan.\n\nWith offices in New York and Hong Kong, Cornell Capital focuses on investments in the consumer, industrial / business services and financial services sectors, often with a cross-border angle. Cornell Capital's investment in Lorom leverages decades of investing and operational experience in the region, often with founder-led businesses like the Company. The investment is consistent with Cornell Capital's strategy of partnering with strong management teams to further build businesses and unlock growth potential internationally.\n\n\"In today's technology-intensive product marketplace, supplier partners like Lorom are uniquely positioned with vertically integrated capabilities and long-term customer relationships to meet the increasing demand for specialty products,\" said Henry Cornell, Founder and Senior Partner of Cornell Capital. \"We are impressed by Lorom's founding family and management team and are confident that we can continue to execute our Firm's successful partnership-oriented investment approach in the Asian market. Working closely with the Lorom team, we look forward to accelerating the Company's financial performance and capitalizing on opportunities to drive continued growth across Asia, Europe and North America.\"\n\n\"With a distinguished track record and nearly 50 years of combined on-the-ground experience in Asia, Cornell Capital's deep industry expertise makes them an ideal partner for Lorom as we enter this next chapter in our company's history,\" said Thomas Yuan, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Lorom. \"With Cornell Capital's support, I am confident we can build upon our platform as the leading, preferred business partner providing the highest quality cable technologies, while staying true to our culture of entrepreneurial innovation and best-in-class customer service.\"\n\nLorom will continue to be led by Mr. Yuan, as well as its current management team.\n\nAbout Lorom\n\nFounded in 1988, Lorom is a leading manufacturing solutions provider focusing on specialized cable manufacturing and assembly. In addition to its core cable technologies, Lorom also offers plastic injection, stamping, die-casting, printed circuit board assembly and tooling processes, and also possesses customized component design and manufacturing capabilities. Its vertically integrated model enables Lorom to provide a one-stop shopping platform for unique, proprietary manufacturing products and services to a blue-chip customer base, including a number of Fortune 500 companies across the automotive, industrial, media, technology and medical sectors. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, Lorom has approximately 6,000 employees, including more than 500 highly skilled engineers across six factories and six sales offices globally. For more information, visit www.lorom.com.\n\nAbout Cornell Capital\n\nCornell Capital LLC is a private investment firm that takes a value-driven approach to investing. Partnering with strong and entrepreneurial management teams, the firm seeks opportunities in market- leading businesses across the consumer, financial and industrial/business services sectors. Founder and Senior Partner Henry Cornell, who served as the Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs' Merchant Banking Division prior to founding Cornell Capital in 2013, leads a highly seasoned senior leadership team with decades of shared investing experience. The firm currently manages over $3.1 billion of assets and has offices in New York and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.cornellcapllc.com.\n\nMedia Contact\n\nLorom:\n\nGed Riley\n\nGed.riley@loromeurope.com\n\nwww.lorom.com\n\nCornell Capital:\n\nJonathan Keehner / Julie Oakes / Tim Ragones\n\nJoele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher\n\n212-355-4449\n\nSOURCE Cornell Capital LLC\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttp://www.cornellcapllc.com", "entities": [[0, 15, "investor"], [40, 45, "org_in_focus"], [48, 56, "headquarters_loc"], [61, 75, "headquarters_loc"], [77, 90, "date_of_funding"], [107, 126, "investor"], [189, 194, "date_of_funding"], [222, 245, "org_in_focus"], [248, 253, "org_in_focus"], [1217, 1231, "headquarters_loc"], [3176, 3180, "year_founded"], [3182, 3187, "org_in_focus"], [3840, 3854, "headquarters_loc"], [3856, 3861, "org_in_focus"], [4027, 4040, "org_url"], [4821, 4834, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Riverside invests in Real Property Management.\n\nThe Riverside Company has acquired Salt Lake City-based Real Property Management, a property management franchise, as an add-on for its Dwyer Group platform. No financial terms were disclosed. Jones Day provided legal counsel on the deal for Riverside while Madison Capital, GE Capital, NXT Capital, NewStar Financial, Midcap Financial and Ares Capital provided financing for the transaction.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nThe Riverside Company has completed another add-on to its Dwyer Group platform with an investment in Real Property Management, the largest property management franchise in North America. Dwyer is a parent company of service brands, representing 20 consumer brands, 18 of which are franchised.\n\nBased in Salt Lake City, Real Property Management helps owners of residential properties protect and maximize property investments. Its deep experience and national network of more than 300 franchisees help clients with services like rent collection, maintenance, leasing and legal requirements. It primarily serves rentals owned by smaller, non-institutional property owners, such as individual homes, condos and small apartment buildings.\n\n“We’re excited to continue expanding on Dwyer’s large global market share with this outstanding addition,” said Riverside Managing Partner Suzy Kriscunas. “Real Property Management fits in with Dwyer’s commitment to help people ‘repair, maintain, and enhance’ properties, and it has tremendous growth potential.”\n\nIncluding Real Property Management, the 11th add-on completed during Riverside’s hold, Dwyer has more than 3,100 franchisees and eight support centers in North America, the UK and Germany. This new franchise concept opens significant cross-selling opportunities with Dwyer’s portfolio of services.\n\n“Real Property Management further expands Dwyer’s concepts to offer just about any service a property owner may need,” said Riverside Vice President Jason Fulton. “We are excited about the potential to leverage Dwyer’s experience in the franchising across Real Property Management’s large network, which covers 46 states and Canada.”\n\nWorking with Kriscunas and Fulton on the transaction for Riverside were Partner Meranee Phing, Senior Associate Chase Eckert, Associate Connor Ryan and Operating Partner Tom Anderson.\n\nJones Day provided legal counsel on the deal for Riverside. Madison Capital, GE Capital, NXT Capital, NewStar Financial, Midcap Financial and Ares Capital provided financing for the transaction.\n\nAbout The Riverside Company\n\nThe Riverside Company is a global private equity firm focused on making control and non-control investments in growing businesses valued at up to $400 million. Since its founding in 1988, Riverside has invested in more than 500 transactions. The firm’s international portfolio includes more than 80 companies.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Michigan Angel Investors Invest In AzulStar.\n\nMichigan-based angel investment groups Grand Angels and Blue Water Angels have put an undisclosed amount of money into Grand Rapids, Mich.-based AzulStar.\n\n\n\nTo export Michigan Angel Investors funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on Michigan Angel InvestorsTo export Michigan Angel Investors funding data to PDF and Excel, click here", "entities": [[0, 24, "investor"], [35, 43, "org_in_focus"], [85, 97, "investor"], [102, 119, "investor"], [132, 150, "money_funded"], [165, 184, "headquarters_loc"], [191, 199, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "The Moscow Digital Business Space Appeals to Western Entrepreneurs, Investors and Artists.\n\nMOSCOW, Sept. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Moscow Digital Business Space, a modern events venue in the center of the Russian capital, is celebrating its first two years of operation.\n\nEstablished by the Moscow Agency of Innovations in 2017, the Digital Business Space has become a center of gravity for IT entrepreneurs and specialists. The venue has hosted more than 700 events attended by more than 100 thousand people, including notable investors, business experts, and artists from Russia, Europe, Asia, and North America.\n\nThe Digital Business Space has become the city's flagship venue and gained popularity in the local tech entrepreneur community. The place showcases government supported opportunities available to local innovative businesses.\n\nHere, Moscow entrepreneurs attend lectures and workshops by international experts, such as the screenwriter Robert McKee, business coaches Garrett Johnston and Marshall Goldsmith. Investors and representatives of global companies come to the Moscow Digital Business Space to look for potential business partners.\n\nVisitors can enjoy networking and take advantage of the venue's coworking spaces, conference and meeting rooms, and recreation facilities equipped with the latest technology including LED televisions and an automatic guest registration system.\n\nThe Moscow Digital Business Space is gaining popularity as a place to scout for innovative technologies. According to many international guests, it is an effective entry point into the Russian market, where you can take a look at the most promising solutions available there.\n\nLogo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1001931/Russian_Trade_and_Economic_Development_Council_Logo.jpg\n\nSOURCE Moscow Agency of Innovations", "entities": []}
{"text": "Engineers Without Borders Canada invests in Kenyan ed-tech startup M-Shule.\n\nEngineers Without Borders Canada (EWB) has announced its investment in M-Shule, a Kenyan-based ed-tech startup that uses SMS to deploy tailored education content.\n\nLaunched earlier this year, M-Shule is an adaptive, mobile learning management platform designed for primary school students across Sub-Saharan Africa.\n\nThe startup uses artificial intelligence to create and deliver personalised learning experiences for each child and empower schools with insights via SMS and web, and aims to educate millions of children and learning communities around the African continent and the world.\n\nThis is the eighth venture to receive a cash investment from EWB, which said M-Shule is well-positioned to work within the educational systems in Kenya and other sub-Saharan African countries to provide innovative and adaptive bite-sized lessons that complement classroom learning.\n\n“What we love about M-Shule’s platform is that its holistic and unifying approach arms stakeholders in the primary school ecosystem with data-driven tools critical for improving the quality of education for all students. We are delighted to welcome M-Shule to our portfolio where they join other bold teams defiantly tackling some of the world’s most challenging problems,” said Nicky Khaki, managing director for EWB Ventures.\n\nClaire Mongeau, chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of M-Shule, said she was excited to work with EWB Ventures, given its deep expertise, commitment to ongoing support, and shared focus on groundbreaking and sustainable change.\n\n“This partnership will enable us to continue to innovate in primary school learning alongside our stakeholders, and scale our impact across the region,” she said.", "entities": [[0, 32, "investor"], [44, 50, "headquarters_loc"], [67, 74, "org_in_focus"], [77, 109, "investor"], [148, 155, "org_in_focus"], [159, 165, "headquarters_loc"]]}
{"text": "Silicon Valley Bank and First Data Welcome Class 9 of Commerce.Innovated. Accelerator.\n\nSANTA CLARA, Calif., July 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Silicon Valley Bank, the bank of the world's most innovative companies and their investors, and First Data (NYSE: FDC), a global leader in commerce-enabling technology, have selected five startups to participate in Class 9 of Commerce.Innovated., an accelerator program designed to help commerce, payments, and fintech companies grow their businesses. The four-month program provides participants with operational mentorship from Silicon Valley Bank, First Data, and their respective networks. Silicon Valley Bank also welcomed a new head of the program, Armand Patella, founder of Nowsta and a former Commerce.Innovated. graduate.\n\nCommerce.Innovated. launched in 2014, and has worked with 37 commerce, payments, and fintech-focused startups including Alloy, Candex, Domuso, Earny, FutureFuel, QuadPay, Qwil, and Splitwise. Since graduating from the program, more than half of participating companies have raised funding or been acquired.\n\nThe five companies selected to participate in the current class provide a variety of solutions for businesses and consumers:\n\nBridgeCare: AI-powered employee benefits for childcare and education, based in San Jose, California\n\nFanAI: Audience monetization platform for esports, sports & entertainment, based in Santa Monica, California\n\nFlow Commerce: A technology platform that simplifies the management of cross-border e-commerce, based in Hoboken New Jersey\n\nMudflap: Next-gen payments platform for the trucking industry, based in Palo Alto, California\n\nUnit21: Detection and investigations platform for anti-money laundering, based in San Francisco, California\n\n\"I'm thrilled to join the Silicon Valley Bank team and be a part of Commerce.Innovated.,\" said Armand Patella, Head of Commerce.Innovated. at Silicon Valley Bank. \"Commerce.Innovated. was extremely helpful for my startup and our payments strategy. It's a privilege to be in a position to support the growth of other founders, advise on the challenges they face, and provide them with resources to succeed. The companies in the current class are creating solutions that will make a positive impact for multiple industries including HR, esports, ecommerce, trucking and financial services.\"\n\n\"First Data welcomes the new class of startups, aspiring entrepreneurs, and growing businesses to Commerce.Innovated.,\" said Chris Foskett, Head of Corporate and Business Development, and Co-Head of Global Financial Solutions at First Data. \"Startups are synonymous with creativity and innovation, and our Class 9 participants have the opportunity to leverage Commerce.Innovated.'s world-class resources to build innovative solutions that bring simplicity and automation to our industry.\"\n\nCommerce.Innovated. welcomes new applicants semi-annually and will accept applications for the next class starting later this year. Commerce, payments and fintech-focused startups are encouraged to learn more about the program and apply to participate at www.commerceinnovated.com.\n\nAbout Silicon Valley Bank\n\nFor more than 35 years, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has helped innovative companies and their investors move bold ideas forward, fast. SVB provides targeted financial services and expertise through its offices in innovation centers around the world. With commercial, international and private banking services, SVB helps address the unique needs of innovators. Learn more at svb.com.\n\n©2019 SVB Financial Group. All rights reserved. SVB, SVB FINANCIAL GROUP, SILICON VALLEY BANK, MAKE NEXT HAPPEN NOW and the chevron device are trademarks of SVB Financial Group, used under license. Silicon Valley Bank is a member of the FDIC and the Federal Reserve System. Silicon Valley Bank is the California bank subsidiary of SVB Financial Group (Nasdaq: SIVB).\n\nAbout First Data\n\nFirst Data (NYSE: FDC) is a global leader in commerce-enabling technology and solutions, serving approximately six million business locations and more than 3,700 financial institutions in more than 100 countries around the world. The Company's 19,000 owner-associates are dedicated to helping companies, from start-ups to the world's largest corporations, conduct commerce every day by securing and processing more than 3,000 transactions per second and $2.6 trillion per year. For more information, visit www.firstdata.com and follow us on Twitter at @FirstData and LinkedIn.\n\nSOURCE Silicon Valley Bank\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttp://www.svb.com", "entities": []}
{"text": "Bangalore Based Neighbourhood Delivery Startup Delyver Raises INR 6.5 Cr.\n\nBangalore based B2C delivery startup Delyver has raised INR 6.5 Cr. in funding led by a Bangalore based Venture Capital firm.\n\nFounded in 2010 by IIM Lucknow graduates Afsal Salu, Praful Thachery and Reebu Varghese, Delyver connects offline retailers in a neighborhood with customers from the same neighborhood. In other words, Delyver is a neighborhood marketplace which claims to deliver of products within one hour.\n\nDelyver had raised an undisclosed amount in angel funding from K Ganesh, Meena Ganesh, V Sudhakar and Shankar Maruwada earlier this year.\n\nRelated Article: BigBasket Buys Hyperlocal Delivery Startup Delyver To Strengthen Its Delivery Mechanism\n\nDelyver is currently operational in 21 neighbourhoods in Bangalore and covers over 1,000 retail outlets across 10 categories including restaurants, cakes, meat, fish, vegetables, flowers, ice creams and home-made food.\n\nIt plans to use the funds raised for its expansion plans to the 20 cites by next year. Further, the startup plans to add up more categories including medicines and ready-to-cook products.\n\nAlso Read:\n\nThis Startup Is Truly Disrupting The Supply Chain Market In India\n\nEcommerce Logistics Firm Ecom Express Raises INR 75.5 Cr In Funding", "entities": [[0, 9, "headquarters_loc"], [47, 54, "org_in_focus"], [62, 72, "money_funded"], [75, 84, "headquarters_loc"], [112, 119, "org_in_focus"], [131, 142, "money_funded"], [163, 199, "investor"], [213, 217, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "CrowdRiff raises $11.6 million to help travel brands source photos in an Instagram world.\n\nToronto-based CrowdRiff has raised an $11.6 million Series A round as the visual content marketing company looks to expand the reach of its platform. The round was led by Leaders Fund, with participation from Alpha Capital, Gibraltar & Company, and BDC Capital.\n\nCrowdRiff allows travel and tourism brands to discover visuals that are likely to perform well with website visitors. While the solution sounds simple enough, its internal studies say that a large base of consumers relies on user-generated visual content—which they see as authentic—to make purchasing decisions.\n\n“Visuals are the language of modern-day travelers.”\n\n– Dan Holowack, CEO of CrowdRiff\n\n\n\n“A few years ago, user-generated content seemed like it was a temporary marketing solution for brands, but it has evolved and become a core part of brands’ social and website content, and even features prominently on the homepages of large brands,” said Dan Holowack, CrowdRiff’s CEO. “Today, UGC is used in every marketing channel, from visitor guides to digital ads and billboards. One of our customers did this in Times Square!”\n\nIf 10 million photos of a destination are posted on social media, it can be difficult to source usable, high-quality photos. Through the platform, brands can retain the rights to use content, and see what types of photos are most effective to have travelers clicking through. The company said it was one the first travel-focused Creative Platform Partners to join the Instagram Partner Program.\n\n“Visuals are the language of modern-day travelers,” said Holowack. “Around the world, it’s visual content that most heavily influences where people choose to travel and how they spend their money while abroad. We’re thrilled to accelerate our innovation and expansion in the travel sector and further enable travel brands and their agencies to effectively use visuals to attract and engage people throughout the travel buyer journey.”\n\nJoelle Maslaton, former Facebook growth lead, recently joined CrowdRiff’s board.\n\nWhile it initially targeted travel and tourism brands like destination marketing organizations, CrowdRiff will use the funding to move to other markets like airlines, attractions, and museums. For that reason, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are attractive target markets with highly-developed tourism sectors.\n\nThe company’s last announced funding round was $2.6 million CAD in March 2016. The company currently has 500 travel and tourism brands in 24 countries using the platform, and said it experienced 700 percent annual recurring revenue growth since 2015 in August 2018. Recently, Joelle Maslaton, former Facebook growth lead and current Gibraltar & Company VP and venture partner, joined its board.\n\nOne of its most recent product launches includes its Media Hub, a digital asset manager that enables customers to search, store, share, and collaborate on their visual content, both user-generated and professional.\n\n“We are super impressed with Dan and Abhi’s (Ajgaonkar) vision for the travel industry,” said Gideon Hayden, co-founder and partner at Leaders Fund. “In a short period of time, CrowdRiff sourced content is reaching millions of travelers every month who are at the beginning of their trip discovery process, and is resulting in more travel bookings for its customers. The team has a relentless focus on customer satisfaction and enabling travel brands to tell their stories in a vastly more compelling way. We are excited to support them on this journey.”", "entities": [[0, 9, "org_in_focus"], [17, 30, "money_funded"], [91, 98, "headquarters_loc"], [105, 114, "org_in_focus"], [129, 142, "money_funded"], [143, 151, "type_of_funding"], [262, 274, "investor"], [300, 313, "investor"], [315, 334, "investor"], [340, 351, "investor"]]}
{"text": "FreedomPop Raises Additional $4.3M Funding.\n\nYour Source for Venture Capital and Private Equity Financings Massinvestor/VC News Daily VC DATABASE / MOBILE APP / CELEBRITY VCs / VENTURE TRACKR / ARCHIVE / ABOUT US FreedomPop Raises Additional $4.3M Funding Tweet LOS ANGELES, CA, America's new free Internet company, today announced an additional $4.3 million in funding in a Series A1 from existing investors, DCM and Mangrove Capital.\n\nTo export FreedomPop funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on FreedomPopTo export FreedomPop funding data to PDF and Excel, click here\n\n\n\n\"Today, users pay a big fee each month for a fixed data plan. The hidden secret in the wireless industry is that 80 percent of users consume less than the amount they are paying for each month and the rest goes to waste or AT&T's bottom line,\" said Stephen Stokols , FreedomPop's CEO. \"If I need more data this month while my friend doesn't, I should be able to share it and vice versa.\"\n\n\n\nThough carriers like AT&T and Verizon have recently embraced family plans, FreedomPop's social platform goes beyond this to enable capacity to be shared across entire social networks. Also, users can check Facebook and Twitter, in addition to their email contacts, to see which of their friends are on FreedomPop and receive an additional 50MB of free data per friend they connect with, per month while their friend remains a FreedomPop user.\n\n\n\nThe appeal of FreedomPop's \"Free Access for All\" strategy is evidenced through their latest figures:\n\n\n\nSince launch, FreedomPop has given away more than 2 million MB to users for adding friends\n\nOn average, each subscriber has invited 15 friends to join FreedomPop\n\n99 percent of FreedomPop's registrations are being driven by organic traffic versus advertising, validating the viral appeal of the service\n\n\n\n\"We already share everything from cars to couches,\" added Stokols. \"Now, we can share our Internet capacity and empower our network of friends to get the most value for their money.\"\n\n\n\nFreedomPop users already enjoy 100 percent free high speed Internet via a wide range of devices, including its 4G iPod Sleeve, 4G iPhone 4/4S Sleeve, mi-fi mobile hotspot, USB dongle and home broadband router. There are also no contracts, commitments or hidden fees, and users can connect up to eight devices wirelessly. The social broadband feature is now available. For more information or to sign up for FreedomPop's free Internet service, visit\n\n\n\nAbout FreedomPop\n\nFounded in 2011, FreedomPop is America's new telecom company backed by DCM, Mangrove Capital, and Skype founder Niklas Zennstom's Atomico. Its aim is to provide disruptive internet services ensuring that no one is left off the \"connected grid.\" FreedomPop launched its free broadband service on Clearwire's 4G network earlier this year and is scheduled to go live with Sprint in 2013.\n\n\n\nFreedomPop, America's new free Internet company, today announced an additional $4.3 million in funding in a Series A1 from existing investors, DCM and Mangrove Capital, bringing total funding to $11.2 million. The company also announced the expansion of their social broadband platform to allow users to leverage their social networks to share and request extra bandwidth from friends - extending the concept of the \"sharing economy\" popularized by AirBNB and TaskRabbit - to the broadband market. Additionally, FreedomPop users will now receive 50MB per user they refer - up 5x from 10MB previously.\"Today, users pay a big fee each month for a fixed data plan. The hidden secret in the wireless industry is that 80 percent of users consume less than the amount they are paying for each month and the rest goes to waste or AT&T's bottom line,\" said Stephen Stokols , FreedomPop's CEO. \"If I need more data this month while my friend doesn't, I should be able to share it and vice versa.\"Though carriers like AT&T and Verizon have recently embraced family plans, FreedomPop's social platform goes beyond this to enable capacity to be shared across entire social networks. Also, users can check Facebook and Twitter, in addition to their email contacts, to see which of their friends are on FreedomPop and receive an additional 50MB of free data per friend they connect with, per month while their friend remains a FreedomPop user.The appeal of FreedomPop's \"Free Access for All\" strategy is evidenced through their latest figures:Since launch, FreedomPop has given away more than 2 million MB to users for adding friendsOn average, each subscriber has invited 15 friends to join FreedomPop99 percent of FreedomPop's registrations are being driven by organic traffic versus advertising, validating the viral appeal of the service\"We already share everything from cars to couches,\" added Stokols. \"Now, we can share our Internet capacity and empower our network of friends to get the most value for their money.\"FreedomPop users already enjoy 100 percent free high speed Internet via a wide range of devices, including its 4G iPod Sleeve, 4G iPhone 4/4S Sleeve, mi-fi mobile hotspot, USB dongle and home broadband router. There are also no contracts, commitments or hidden fees, and users can connect up to eight devices wirelessly. The social broadband feature is now available. For more information or to sign up for FreedomPop's free Internet service, visit www.FreedomPop.com About FreedomPopFounded in 2011, FreedomPop is America's new telecom company backed by DCM, Mangrove Capital, and Skype founder Niklas Zennstom's Atomico. Its aim is to provide disruptive internet services ensuring that no one is left off the \"connected grid.\" FreedomPop launched its free broadband service on Clearwire's 4G network earlier this year and is scheduled to go live with Sprint in 2013. (c)2011-2018 by Massinvestor, Inc. For contact info, please check out our about page. >> Click here for in-depth research on 4,000 VC firms", "entities": [[0, 10, "org_in_focus"], [29, 34, "money_funded"], [213, 223, "org_in_focus"], [242, 247, "money_funded"], [262, 277, "headquarters_loc"], [316, 321, "date_of_funding"], [346, 358, "money_funded"], [375, 384, "type_of_funding"], [410, 413, "investor"], [418, 434, "investor"], [2522, 2526, "year_founded"], [2528, 2538, "org_in_focus"], [2582, 2585, "investor"], [2587, 2603, "investor"], [2641, 2648, "investor"], [2899, 2909, "org_in_focus"], [2948, 2953, "date_of_funding"], [2978, 2990, "money_funded"], [3007, 3016, "type_of_funding"], [3042, 3045, "investor"], [3050, 3066, "investor"], [3094, 3107, "cumulative"], [5315, 5325, "org_in_focus"], [5357, 5375, "org_url"], [5403, 5407, "year_founded"], [5409, 5419, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Eight Roads Ventures launches $250m China-dedicated healthcare fund.\n\nPremium\n\nEight Roads Ventures, the proprietary investment arm of Fidelity International Ltd, launched its first dedicated China healthcare fund on Tuesday, doubling down bets on the country’s rapidly growing medical sector.", "entities": []}
{"text": "How staying invested for long in young startups has paid off for Nexus Venture.\n\nPremium\n\nFor Nexus Venture Partners, one of India’s most prolific venture capital (VC) firms, that has backed unicorns such as Druva, Delhivery, and Zomato, the thesis of staying invested for long in young start-ups has paid off well.", "entities": []}
{"text": "OTPP-owned Exal to form Trivium Packaging with Ardagh.\n\nArdagh Group has agreed to combine its food and specialty metal packaging unit with Exal Corp, a Youngstown, Ohio-based manufacturer of aluminum containers.\n\nThe deal, expected to close in Q4 2019, will create a Netherlands-based metal packaging business called Trivium Packaging. It will operate 57 production facilities primarily in Europe and the Americas and serve a range of end markets.\n\nWhen the transaction is completed, Ardagh, a Luxembourg-based maker of packaging solutions, will hold 43 percent of Trivium and receive about US$2.5 billion in proceeds.\n\nOntario Teachers’ Pension Plan, which in 2010 led the acquisition of Exal, will hold a 57 percent stake.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nFood & Specialty Metal Packaging to Combine with Exal to form Trivium Packaging (“Trivium”)\n\nTrivium to become a leading global metal packaging producer\n\nLUXEMBOURG, July 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Ardagh Group (“Ardagh”) announces today that it has entered into an agreement to combine its Food & Specialty Metal Packaging business (“Food & Specialty”) with the business of Exal Corporation (“Exal”), a leading producer of aluminum containers, to form Trivium Packaging (“Trivium”), a global leader in metal packaging.\n\nThe combination of Food & Specialty with Exal, currently controlled by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board (“Ontario Teachers'”), will create one of the largest metal packaging companies in the world. Trivium will be headquartered in the Netherlands and will operate 57 production facilities, principally across Europe and the Americas, employing approximately 7,800 people. Pro forma revenues and Adjusted EBITDA in the twelve months ended March 31, 2019 were $2.7 billion and $469 million respectively. In addition, Trivium expects to derive net combination benefits of approximately $40 million over the next few years, from the pursuit of commercial and operational excellence opportunities.\n\nTrivium will serve a diverse range of leading multinational, regional and local customers operating in a wide array of end markets, including food, seafood, pet food, nutrition, beauty and personal care, household care and premium beverages.\n\nThis complementary transaction will combine Food & Specialty’s leading presence in Europe and North America, principally focused on tin-plate steel packaging, with Exal’s leadership in Americas aluminum aerosol packaging. Trivium will produce an extensive and sustainable product range, backed by dedicated research and development resources, underpinning the businesses’ reputation for customer service, quality and innovation.\n\nPaul Coulson, Chairman and CEO of Ardagh, will be Chairman of Trivium. Michael Mapes, CEO of Exal, will be CEO and will lead a highly experienced team drawn from across both businesses. Upon completion of the transaction, Ardagh will hold a 43 per cent stake in Trivium, with 57 per cent controlled by Ontario Teachers’. Ardagh will also receive approximately $2.5 billion in cash proceeds.\n\nCompletion of the transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals and confirmation of the participation of certain Ardagh European entities in the transaction, which remains subject to works councils’ consultation. Completion is also subject to closing of the debt financing expected to be announced by Trivium later today. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019.\n\nPaul Coulson, Chairman and CEO of Ardagh and Chairman of Trivium said;\n\n“Ardagh is delighted to partner with Ontario Teachers’ as shareholders in Trivium, a combination of two highly complementary and well-invested businesses. Trivium has the products, customers, innovation capabilities and leadership team to deliver continued growth and success, as brand owners and consumers increasingly seek sustainable packaging solutions.”\n\nJane Rowe, Executive Managing Director, Equities, Ontario Teachers’ commented;\n\n“In forming Trivium we are bringing together two leading businesses to create a global packaging company that is well-positioned to capitalise on current market trends. We are pleased to establish a partnership with Ardagh and believe our alignment on long-term value creation will be a critical driver for future success of the enterprise.”\n\nMichael Mapes, CEO of Trivium said;\n\n“I am honoured to lead Trivium, which combines two great organizations with a history of customer service and innovation derived from exceptional people and long-term customer relationships. Trivium establishes a focused global leader at a time when metal packaging is poised to provide a compelling solution to help address the sustainability concerns facing consumers, brand owners, and governments. I’m very excited about Trivium’s prospects for future success.”\n\nCurrent Trading\n\nFood & Specialty\n\nWe expect our performance in the second quarter of 2019 to be as follows:\n\nRevenue of $557 million to show a decrease of $37 million on the second quarter of 2018 (which was $594 million). Excluding currency translation effects of $34 million, revenue decreased by $3 million, principally due to the closure of a facility in North America in late-2018, offset by the pass through of higher input costs.\n\nAdjusted EBITDA of $85 million to show a decrease of $2 million on the second quarter of 2018 (which was $87 million). Excluding adverse currency translation effects of $5 million, Adjusted EBITDA increased by $3 million compared with the second quarter of 2018, as favourable IFRS 16 effects were partly offset by lower volumes due to the closure of a facility in North America in late-2018.\n\nCitigroup acted as exclusive financial adviser to Ardagh and Shearman & Sterling LLP was lead legal adviser to Ardagh.\n\nEvercore Group LLC and BMO Capital Markets acted as financial advisers to Ontario Teachers’ and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP was lead legal adviser to Ontario Teachers’.\n\nNotes\n\n1. Food & Specialty, principally located in Europe and North America, recorded revenue and Adjusted EBITDA of $2.4 billion and $355 million respectively on a carve-out basis in the twelve months ended March 31, 2019.\n\n2. Upon completion, Ardagh intends to use the $2.5 billion in cash proceeds from this transaction as follows:\n\na) Repay outstanding drawings under Ardagh’s current asset-backed loan facility (and permanently reduce commitments) by $150 million;\n\nb) Consider, based on the circumstances around the time of the completion date, closing derivative positions of approximately $5 to $10 million in out-of-the-money swaps;\n\nc) Exercise the optional redemption provisions, at the applicable redemption premium, of Ardagh’s existing 4.625% Senior Secured Notes due 2023 and 4.125% Senior Secured Notes due 2023, for total consideration of approximately $1.55 billion;\n\nd) Undertake an excess proceeds offer (as defined in the relevant indentures) of the 4.250% Senior Secured Notes due 2022 and 2.750% Senior Secured Notes due 2024 at par on a pro rata basis; and\n\ne) To the extent any proceeds remain, call Ardagh’s existing 6.750% Senior Notes due 2024.\n\nFor more information please visit ardaghgroup.com\n\nNotes to the editor\n\nArdagh Group is a global supplier of infinitely recyclable, metal and glass packaging for the world’s leading brands. Ardagh operates more than 100 metal and glass production facilities in 22 countries across five continents, employing over 23,000 people with sales of $9bn.\n\nThe Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Ontario Teachers’) is Canada’s largest single-profession pension plan, with $191.1 billion in net assets at Dec. 31, 2018. It holds a diverse global portfolio of assets, approximately 80% of which is managed in-house, and has earned an annual total-fund net return of 9.7% since the plan’s founding in 1990. Ontario Teachers’ is an independent organization headquartered in Toronto. Its Asia-Pacific region office is located in Hong Kong and its Europe, Middle East & Africa region office is in London. The defined-benefit plan, which is fully funded, invests and administers the pensions of the province of Ontario’s 327,000 active and retired teachers. For more information, visit otpp.com and follow us on Twitter @OtppInfo.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Fil Rouge Capital invests €1,2M for 25 startups in its first Croatian acceleration program.\n\nFil Rouge Capital (FRC) has just announced its first Croatian acceleration program – 24 selected stratups in total out of 500 applications, Croatian news portal Netokracija announced. Reportedly, each of the selected companies will receive a seed investment of €50K, making this round the largest investment in startups in Croatia. FRC on the other hand, will receive 8% of the shares in each of the startups.\n\nThis news follows the last week investment in Croatian startup Top Digital Agency (TDA), when actually Fil Rouge Capital started the investment round in Croatia since their foundation earlier this year.\n\nFounded in May 2014, Fil Rouge Capital announced their entrance on the Croatian market this spring, in cooperation with the Croatian government and the European Investment Fund (EIF). Soon after that, the “Fil Rouge Capital Summer 19 Accelerator” was announced when the search for startups and scaleups started. Reportedly the Selection Day was in July, when 24 out of 45 pre-selected teams were invited.\n\n“At Selection Days in July, we invited 45 candidates and selected 25 teams. Each of the teams is special in their own way and their founders at the moment show that they are mature enough and ready for this step. This investment is not just about money and programs, it’s also about validating startups and being recognized in the VC world”, says the Head of Scouting at FRC, Stevica Kuharski, Netocracija reporting, adding that the FRC predictions have been confirmed that there are a large number of startups in Croatia and the region.\n\nWho are the winners?\n\nAlbatross – a startup that provides an electric-powered inflatable board that can be used for Stand Up Paddling. The board is suitable to be used in fresh and saltwater, both for individual needs or to be rented to various companies that rent surfing equipment.\n\nFroc – a startup that boasts specialized child seats in a market that has been static for the last 40 years. They have just started their international expansion.\n\nInfluee – is an influencer marketing platform that connects advertisers with influencers. Brands use Influee dashboard to manage their collaborations with influencers, track posts and ROI of campaigns\n\nLoomie.ai – is introducing a disruptive factor into the market for productivity measurement tools and applications, offering an innovative approach to managing various tasks with the help of a virtual assistant based on artificial intelligence.\n\nWorig – is a financial service that allows property owners to evaluate the financial reliability of their tenants.\n\nBeyond Seen Screen – a startup that developed an ExRay application that allows you to scan video content you instantly watch on your smartphone or device and quickly and easily provide you with more information about it. Like Shazam, but for video.\n\nDGRoops – a startup that aims to be the first B2B platform to streamline the relationship between Tour Operators and all possible suppliers for group organized travel.\n\nFloornap – The platform for low-budget accommodation within 15€. Their vision is to enable the simplest form of accommodation yet and make traveling more affordable and simple.\n\nNocturiglow – a startup that wants to reinterpret the ungrateful market for men’s nightstands. They are intended to freshen up unattractive vessels by enhancing their appearance with the help of modern design and elements that glow in the dark.\n\nNOM NOM – aims to enhance the classic hospitality interface by providing a digital menu option that is directly accessible to users of smartphones and devices, thereby reducing the need for classic hospitality challenges from waiting too long for service, menu unavailability, and other consumer complications.\n\nPlayerQuant – wants to reinterpret the way we consume video games like Fortnite by offering the users the option of tracking only relevant content.\n\nTimeqube – launches an innovative piece of hardware solution on the market that approaches time management in a simple and original way. The Time Management cube uses three traffic lights according to the set time, and has only one button for setting five predefined periods.\n\nThe Arming Guild – the next gen head protection helmet for martial combat sports with an emphasis on HEMA, historical European martial arts.\n\nBlocknify – plans to enhance the market for e-signatures and document certifications through a Blockchain application that does not require documents to be stored in the cloud.\n\nDynamicDivision – has developed a basic type of robot for cleaning industrial halls and spaces. They plan to position their product as a “cleaning service”.\n\nMiret – has successfully blended modern style with eco-friendly sneakers to reach eco-conscious customers. They point out that their sneakers are the most environmentally sustainable alternative to the classic mainstream sneaker product in the world.\n\nSklopp – has developed a unique travel case that adjusts vertically to offer a shelf option for travel content. The product also offers innovative solutions such as electronic security, monitoring and charging options.\n\nWorcon – a platform that connects workshops that produce tools and tool parts with their clients.\n\nEquinox – is a platform for social-network-style publishing of augmented reality interactive virtual content on the blockchain.\n\nFoodIn – is on a mission to turn every kitchen into a smart environment where you can lead a healthy life without too much thinking. Foodin is a smart assistant that delivers groceries from farms, keeps track of your fridge and diet, and in the end teaches you how to cook.\n\nKIIMO – a peer-to-peer delivery system based on sharing economics. Most deliveries made through online channels require a new approach to delivery solutions, which can be found in the already mentioned sharing economy.\n\nKunaKviz – is a daily 15-minute online television game that combines mobile applications and TV games in an innovative way.\n\nMobile Games Development studio – is a game development platform for mobile platforms. ‘Space Towers’ is one of their most popular studio games.\n\nHonuline – has designed and manufactured a specially tailored spare part for iPhone with extra battery and wireless charging that has 3 days of battery life.\n\nSendBee – offers solutions for optimizing marketing campaigns and CRMs, offering brands the ability to communicate and engage with customers through the WhatsApp application, as well as manage marketing aspects through this communication channel.\n\nWhat’s next?\n\nAccording to Netokracija, another nine rounds of investment will follow in the next four years. The next one is already announced for spring 2020. As earlier reported, RFC plan is to make 160 investments by the end of 2023.\n\nAs for the selected startups, in the next three months they will undergo through intensive learning process and together with the mentors they will work on developing their skills and knowledge needed to further develop the product, and most importantly, how to make important contacts that can help them.\n\nThe program ends with a Demo Day scheduled for November 28, when startups who will successfully complete the entire program will have the opportunity to present their business ideas to a number of reputable investors.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Electronics giant Bosch invests in the IOTA cryptocurrency.\n\nRobert Bosch Venture Capital (RBVC), the venture capital arm of electronics multinational Bosch, is taking a bet on crypto by investing in tokens from the IOTA Foundation, an open-source non-profit foundation building distributed ledger technology. No figures have been disclosed.\n\nIOTA is developing a distributed ledger for the internet of things that allows machines to transfer data and money securely. According to the company, more than $10 billion has been transacted on the decentralised marketplace. IOTA tokens are the platform’s dedicated cryptocurrency.\n\nNeither RBVC or IOTA are disclosing how much the investment is or how many tokens the VC has purchased. The tokens are currently worth around $4 a piece, according to the latest data from Coinmarketcap. This is RBVC’s first token investment.\n\nThe Germany-based foundation hopes the investment will garner greater attention for IOTA’s token and help build relationships with Bosch’s global partners. As part of the deal, Dr Hongquan Jiang, a partner at RBVC, will join the foundation’s advisory board.\n\n“We have been working with the IOTA team for more than one year,” said Dr Hongquan Jiang. “I’m very excited about IOTA’s innovative tangle technology, which could potentially become the standard underlying technology for trustless machine to machine communication, security and payment in the IoT space.”\n\n“Distributed ledgers are the future when it comes to truly unleashing the internet of things, and with IOTA we see the potential of becoming the backbone of this emerging machine economy,” added Dominik Schiener, cofounder of IOTA. “We will continue to intensify our collaboration with leading IoT companies and hope to have the first go-to-market solutions ready by the end of 2018.”", "entities": [[18, 23, "investor"], [39, 43, "org_in_focus"], [61, 89, "investor"], [216, 231, "org_in_focus"], [875, 882, "headquarters_loc"], [955, 959, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "French wealth management startup Yomoni raises €5 million.\n\nFrench fintech startup Yomoni, an online banking and wealth management service that utilizes robo-advisers, raised €5 million from Crédit Mutuel Arkéa and Iéna Venture.\n\nThe startup is using the new funds to expand their team. It also plans to launch a new product geared toward parents who want to save money for their chidren in February 2017.\n\nYomoni currently has around 2,000 clients, and plans to make money based on fees of about 1.6 percent a year.\n\nRead more: TechCrunch", "entities": [[0, 6, "headquarters_loc"], [33, 39, "org_in_focus"], [47, 57, "money_funded"], [60, 66, "headquarters_loc"], [83, 89, "org_in_focus"], [175, 185, "money_funded"], [191, 210, "investor"], [215, 227, "investor"]]}
{"text": "PlentyofFish CEO Markus Frind leads Grouplend’s $10.2 million funding round.\n\nVancouver-based Grouplend announced this week that it has closed a new $10.2 million funding round, led by PlentyofFish CEO, Markus Frind, and founder of Peer 1 Hosting, Lance Tracey. The funding comes just ten months after the online lending platform’s launch.\n\n“A Canadian company going from zero to this stage in 10 months is nearly unprecedented, and we are only getting started,” said Kevin Sandhu, CEO of Grouplend, in a statement to BetaKit. “This round of financing will provide Grouplend the necessary ammunition to accelerate our reinvention of lending in Canada, through new products and strategic partnerships.”\n\nGrouplend says it will use the funding to double its team size by the end of the year, specifically in additional software engineers and data scientists – a decision that excites the company’s lead investor. “Grouplend is one of the most promising and innovative startups in Canada,” Frind said. “Its technology-anchored approach has the potential to revolutionize banking in this country.”\n\nRelated: #YVR FinTech: the business of your money is changing\n\nRelated: #YVR FinTech: a cultural shift towards money", "entities": [[17, 29, "investor"], [36, 45, "org_in_focus"], [48, 61, "money_funded"], [78, 87, "headquarters_loc"], [94, 103, "org_in_focus"], [149, 162, "money_funded"], [163, 176, "type_of_funding"], [203, 215, "investor"], [248, 260, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Silvertree Capital backs SA vehicle marketplace CarZar.\n\nSouth African venture capital firm Silvertree Capital has invested in local startup CarZar, an online marketplace for the second-hand auto-trade market.\n\nFounded this year, CarZar uses national data to provide fair, statistics-based pricing and offers sellers a safe and convenient way of selling previously owned vehicles, while answering the increased demand from the local vehicle trade for stock.\n\nThe startup offers an online-only model, a 30-minute sales service and data-based pricing, with Fernando Azevedo Pinheiro, joint managing director (MD) of CarZar, saying with internet connectivity on the rise, more and more consumers are utilising services provided online or through mobile apps.\n\nWith car-pooling and ride-sharing apps on the rise for easy travel in cities, CarZar is based on the premise people’s attitudes towards cars are steadily changing from that of ownership to sharing.\n\n“These influences combined mean that the prestige of owning an expensive car is slowly being replaced by a more utilitarian attitude towards cars. The auto-trade market as we know it today will look fundamentally different in the next five to ten years, in our view. The demand for second-hand cars is, therefore, on the rise,” Pinheiro said.\n\nFellow joint MD Michael Muller said disruption forces traditional businesses to reinvent themselves to compete with nimble startups.\n\n“In South Africa, the taxi, hospitality, media, property and electronics industry have all been turned upside down by online entrants. Now it is the turn of cars,” he said.\n\n“The way we use cars is changing, fundamentally and rapidly. The Uber phenomenon is showing no sign of letting up and car sharing apps are on the rise. Major car manufacturers are looking into models which allow people to borrow rather than own cars.”", "entities": [[0, 18, "investor"], [25, 27, "headquarters_loc"], [48, 54, "org_in_focus"], [92, 110, "investor"], [141, 147, "org_in_focus"], [219, 228, "year_founded"], [230, 236, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Paris-based Inato raises €1.3 million to lower drug prices through better clinical trial recruitment.\n\nThe French startup Inato has raised €1.3 million for its AI-based data collection tool for the pharmaceutical sector. The fresh capital has been injected by Serena Capital, Fly Ventures, Kima Ventures, Criteo cofounder Franck le Ouay, and Talend cofounder Bertrand Diard.\n\nWith a unique tool for collecting and analyzing data used in clinical trials, Inato’s AI-powered platform lets pharmaceutical companies drastically reduce drug development costs. By accelerating clinical trials, Inato helps new therapies arrive to patients faster, and at lower prices. The Paris-based company was founded in 2015.\n\nKourosh Davarpanah, the co-founder and CEO of Inato explained: “Over 30,000 clinical trials happen around the world each year and big pharma companies spend up to 15% of their annual revenues financing them. A single trial can cost up to $500 million. A huge portion of time and resources for a trial goes into patient recruitment, but it’s still mostly ‘What did we do before?’ instead of ‘What’s best right now?’”\n\nThe successful conduct of clinical trials is a prerequisite for any new drug to obtain marketing approval. For conclusive results, clinical trials often have to recruit hundreds or even thousands of patients across numerous hospitals in multiple countries. Thus site selection is critical, yet today roughly 30% of sites selected fail to recruit a single patient. Estimates suggest that this type of inefficiency drives up total trial costs by roughly 25%.\n\nInato solves this problem by bringing real improvement in three areas:\n\nAutomation: Data collection, structuring and analysis is entirely automated;\n\nTrust: Algorithms cross-check dozens of data sources to improve data reliability;\n\nIntelligence: In-house AI provides personalized insights that allow Inato’s clients to focus on tasks where they can leverage their expertise.\n\n“Our system takes into account over 200,000 hospital departments housing more than 1.2M investigators with experience in 900,000+ trials.” Davarpanah noted. “That’s way more than is done today, and it gives a much more exhaustive look at potential sites while also providing more accurate predictions for how many patients each site will recruit.”\n\nSaving money on clinical trials is already an important question given the financial pressures placed on health care systems around the world regarding drug costs for their citizens. And recruitment in particular is poised to become a critical issue as drug discovery aims at specific diseases with the latest medical breakthroughs.\n\nDr Jean-David Zeitoun, the co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Inato commented: “Increasingly, industry players are trying to move into “precision medicine”, with treatments targeting more precisely defined patient groups (in terms of disease, personal characteristics, etc.). Consequently, clinical trials have to draw from narrower patient pools, and drugs’ addressable markets are shrinking.”\n\nAccording to Inato, aiming at site selection has already started paying off. In addition to the new fundraising round, Inato has already signed several contracts with major players in the pharmaceutical industry, was selected among 450 candidates to receive Sanofi’s prize for the Best Health Startup using Big Data, and is one of the top 40 startups out of 1000 global candidates that has been shortlisted to work with Bayer.", "entities": [[0, 5, "headquarters_loc"], [12, 17, "org_in_focus"], [25, 37, "money_funded"], [122, 127, "org_in_focus"], [139, 151, "money_funded"], [260, 274, "investor"], [276, 288, "investor"], [290, 303, "investor"], [322, 336, "investor"], [359, 373, "investor"], [666, 671, "headquarters_loc"], [701, 705, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "Philippine edtech startup Edukasyon.ph makes initial close of Series A funding.\n\nPremium\n\nEdukasyon.ph, an education technology startup in the Philippines, has made an initial close of its Series A funding round, raising an undisclosed amount from a number of Asian and European investors.", "entities": [[0, 10, "headquarters_loc"], [26, 38, "org_in_focus"], [62, 70, "type_of_funding"], [90, 102, "org_in_focus"], [143, 154, "headquarters_loc"], [189, 197, "type_of_funding"], [224, 242, "money_funded"]]}
{"text": "PrismHR Announces Investment from Stone Point Capital to Fuel Growth.\n\nHOPKINTON, Mass., Dec. 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- PrismHR, the leading HR technology platform powering payroll, benefits and HR for small and medium-sized businesses across the U.S., today announced that funds managed by Stone Point Capital LLC have taken a majority stake in the company. Stone Point, a leading private equity firm focused on investing in the financial services industry, joins existing investor Summit Partners as the company continues its quest to fuel the growth of America's small businesses through HR, benefits and technology that level the playing field with large enterprises.\n\n\"Stone Point, with its experience in PEO, employee benefits and HR technology, will be an incredibly valuable resource for us as we further our strategy to deliver software and services to our network of 300+ HR outsourcers serving small businesses nationwide,\" said Gary Noke, President and CEO of PrismHR. \"We see a tremendous opportunity to use technology and data to make it easier and more cost effective for our HRO partners to improve operational efficiency and to deliver a world-class client and employee experience.\"\n\n\"We're thrilled to be partnering with PrismHR and believe that there is significant opportunity for growth for HR outsourcers serving the SMB market,\" said Jarryd Levine, Principal of Stone Point. \"PrismHR and its network of HR service providers can bring incredible value to employers by helping them lower costs and compete in new ways through the use of technology to deliver quality services and top-tier benefits products to their employees.\"\n\n\"As the HR function becomes increasingly complex, we have observed continued growth in the demand for outsourced HR solutions for SMBs,\" said Scott Collins, Managing Director at Summit Partners, which invested in PrismHR in 2017. \"With a sophisticated, scalable and comprehensive platform, we believe PrismHR is strongly positioned to help SMBs manage this complexity. It has been a pleasure to work alongside Gary to expand the PrismHR team and enhance the platform, and we are looking forward to continuing our partnership.\"\n\nWilliam Blair served as investment advisors and Kirkland & Ellis served as legal advisors for both PrismHR and Summit Partners in the transaction. Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP served as legal advisor to Stone Point.\n\nAbout PrismHR\n\nPrismHR's mission is to fuel the growth of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across the U.S. Our HR software , combined with our ecosystem of HR service providers, enables SMBs to manage payroll, benefits, and HR, leveling the playing field with large enterprises. Today, PrismHR software delivers world-class HR services to more than 80,000 organizations and over 2 million worksite employees, processing greater than $80 billion in payroll each year. PrismHR is located in Hopkinton, Mass. For more information, visit www.prismhr.com .\n\n\n\nAbout Stone Point Capital LLC\n\nStone Point Capital LLC is a financial services-focused private equity firm based in Greenwich, CT. The firm has raised and managed eight private equity funds – the Trident Funds – with aggregate committed capital of more than $25 billion. Stone Point targets investments in companies in the global financial services industry and related sectors. For more information, please visit www.stonepoint.com .\n\nAbout Summit Partners\n\nFounded in 1984, Summit Partners is a global alternative investment firm that is currently managing more than $19 billion in capital dedicated to growth equity, fixed income and public equity opportunities. Summit invests across growth sectors of the economy and has invested in more than 500 companies in technology, healthcare and other growth industries. Summit maintains offices in North America and Europe, and invests in companies around the world. For more information, please see www.summitpartners.com or on Twitter at @SummitPartners.\n\nContacts:\n\nPrismHR\n\nMaryellen Edwards\n\n(508) 774-7261\n\nmedwards@prismhr.com\n\n\n\nSummit Partners\n\nMeg Devine\n\n(617) 824-1047\n\nmdevine@summitpartners.com\n\nStone Point Capital\n\nMary Manin\n\n(203) 862-3126\n\nmmanin@stonepoint.com\n\nSOURCE PrismHR\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttp://www.prismhr.com", "entities": [[0, 7, "org_in_focus"], [34, 53, "investor"], [71, 87, "headquarters_loc"], [89, 101, "date_of_funding"], [118, 125, "org_in_focus"], [251, 256, "date_of_funding"], [289, 312, "investor"], [2875, 2882, "org_in_focus"], [2897, 2912, "headquarters_loc"], [2942, 2957, "org_url"], [4199, 4206, "org_in_focus"], [4223, 4245, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Mitel shareholders OK $2.6 bln acquisition by Searchlight-led group.\n\nCanadian business communications provider Mitel Networks Corp (TSX: MNW, Nasdaq: MITL) said its shareholders have approved the company’s acquisition by an investor group led by U.S. private equity firm Searchlight Capital Partners.\n\nAbout 97.5 percent of the shares voted at a meeting today were cast in favour of the deal, which was announced in April at a value of about $2.6 billion (US$2 billion), including debt. It is expected to close in the second half of this year.\n\nBased in Ottawa, Mitel provides business connections for more than 70 million users in over 100 countries.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nMitel Shareholders Approve Acquisition of Mitel By Affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners\n\nOTTAWA, July 10, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mitel® (Nasdaq:MITL) (TSX:MNW), a global leader in business communications, today announced that its shareholders approved the acquisition of Mitel by an investor group led by affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P at the special meeting of Mitel shareholders held today. Approximately 97.5% of the shares voted at the meeting were cast in favor of the resolution to approve the arrangement. Additional details regarding the voting results from the meeting will be filed on SEDAR and EDGAR.\n\nUpon closing of the arrangement, Mitel shareholders will receive $11.15 per common share in cash, less any applicable withholding taxes.\n\nThe arrangement is expected to close during the second half of 2018, subject to remaining customary closing conditions, including the receipt of certain regulatory approvals and Canadian court approval. Prior to today’s vote, the conditions to the arrangement relating to the expiration or termination of the applicable waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and the Competition Act (Canada) and relating to notification to and approval of The Federal Antimonopoly Service of the Russian Federation were satisfied. Further information about the arrangement is set forth in the materials prepared by Mitel in respect of the special meeting, which are available under Mitel’s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and EDGAR at www.sec.gov.\n\nAbout Mitel\n\nA global market leader in business communications powering more than two billion business connections, Mitel (Nasdaq:MITL) (TSX:MNW) helps businesses and service providers connect, collaborate and provide innovative services to their customers. Our innovation and communications experts serve more than 70 million business users in more than 100 countries. For more information, go to www.mitel.com and follow us on Twitter @Mitel.\n\nMitel is the registered trademark of Mitel Networks Corporation.\n\nAll other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.\n\nMITL-F\n\nContact Information\n\nMedia and Industry Analysts\n\nAmy MacLeod\n\n613-691-3317\n\namy.macleod@mitel.com\n\nInvestors\n\nMichael McCarthy\n\n469-574-8134\n\nmichael.mccarthy@mitel.com", "entities": []}
{"text": "Eduardo Saverin’s B Capital leads $8.1 million round in SilverCloud Health.\n\nIrish digital health company SilverCloud Health has raised $8.1 million in a Series A round led by B Capital Group, the VC firm founded by Facebook cofounder Eduardo Saverin and Raj Ganguly.\n\nOther participants in the round included ACT Venture Capital, Investec Ventures, and AIB Seed Capital Fund, co-managed by Enterprise Ireland.\n\nSilverCloud is a platform for the delivery of mental and behavioural health treatments. SilverCloud first met with B Capital at an Enterprise Ireland-organised event last summer, which eventually led to this funding round, according to Ken Cahill, CEO (pictured). The VC firm had just begun investing in digital health by leading a round in US startup Edivation Health around that time.\n\nB Capital and its partnership with Boston Consulting will also help SilverCloud forge more relationships in the US market. “It made for a match made in heaven in terms of their global reach, access, network, and context,” said Cahill.\n\n“We’re looking to expand what we’re doing in the US. We have several health care providers and universities there. It’s really about building on that, expanding on that in a meaningful way.\n\n“The US is the largest healthcare market in the world without a doubt and really a key focus for us.”\n\nCurrently more than 120 healthcare organisations in Europe and North America are using the SilverCloud platform, including 45% of the NHS’s mental health services.\n\nOne of the key functions of the platform is addressing comorbidity. “Patients that have diabetes, 45% of them will also have clinical levels of depression, anxiety, or stress so there’s a huge comorbidity when you have the physical condition with mental health,” explained Cahill.\n\n“We’re about bringing the head and body together. Often they are dealt with in too separate a way. We deliver programs looking at the comorbid psychological distresses and delivering them back in the context of the physical issues.\n\n“You could walk into your primary care physician, your GP, your doc, and he or she could prescribe you onto SilverCloud and you will be supported through what is effectively the digitisation of what you would do in face-to-face therapy.\n\n“It’s very much designed to be a platform to flex within the healthcare organisation’s current care protocols.”\n\nSilverCloud is “filling a massive void” in the market for affordable behavioural healthcare, said B Capital’s Eduardo Saverin.\n\n“Our investment in SilverCloud Health is driven by our confidence in its team, its proven track record working with global health organizations and its esteemed partner network,” he added. “This new capital will enable SilverCloud Health to continue to innovate, expand and broadly deploy its programs to the millions of individuals who need them.”\n\n\\[dealroom\\_widget entity\\_id=\"silvercloud\\_health\"\\]", "entities": [[18, 27, "investor"], [34, 46, "money_funded"], [56, 74, "org_in_focus"], [77, 82, "headquarters_loc"], [106, 124, "org_in_focus"], [136, 148, "money_funded"], [154, 162, "type_of_funding"], [176, 191, "investor"], [310, 329, "investor"], [331, 348, "investor"], [354, 375, "investor"]]}
{"text": "SA’s DataProphet gets backing from Yellowwoods.\n\nSouth African machine-learning startup DataProphet has received an undisclosed amount of funding from Yellowwoods Capital Holdings, to enable the startup to invest in additional resources and machines.\n\nDataProphet said the investment by Yellowwoods reflects the growth of the machine-learning space, and will allow the startup to continue doing “what [they]are good at”.\n\n“While machine learning has been around for some time now, this has mainly been as an academic subject, rather than an industry in itself. Global interest and uptake of this technology is significant with industry giants Facebook, Google and Uber recognising and utilising machine learning solutions,” says Daniel Schwartzkopff, commercial director and co-founder at DataProphet.\n\nAccording to Schwartzkopff, machine learning startups like DataProphet are hindered in their work unless they have data-owning partners to implement their solutions.\n\nWhile DataProphet has been working with businesses in Silicon Valley, Schwartzkopff says South African businesses have been slower to include machine learning solutions in their budgets.\n\n“South African businesses haven’t been as quick to jump on board as those in the US, mainly due to a shortage of artificial intelligence skills in the country. Recently, however, a number of large local and international corporates in South Africa have begun to allow for these solutions in their budgets,” he says.\n\nDataProphet builds custom-solutions for clients to help them improve on their processes. Solutions built to date include an agent lead matching algorithm, a priority lead identification algorithm, a time allocation algorithm, and fraud detection.", "entities": [[0, 2, "headquarters_loc"], [5, 16, "org_in_focus"], [35, 46, "investor"], [49, 62, "headquarters_loc"], [88, 99, "org_in_focus"], [116, 134, "money_funded"], [151, 179, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Macquarie Investment Management to acquire $12 bln in assets from Foresters.\n\nMacquarie Investment Management has agreed to acquire the assets related to the mutual fund management business of Toronto-based Foresters Investment Management Company Inc, the investment adviser of the First Investors funds. The agreement represents about $12.3 billion in assets under management. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2019.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nPHILADELPHIA, April 9, 2019 — Macquarie Investment Management today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase the assets related to the mutual fund management business of Foresters Investment Management Company, Inc., the investment adviser of the First Investors funds, with approximately $US12.3 billion in assets under management.* The acquired assets will become part of the Delaware Funds® by Macquarie family of funds. In addition, Macquarie Investment Management has been chosen by Foresters to manage a portion of Foresters’ general account supporting its life insurance business. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2019.\n\n“The First Investors funds business aligns with our mission to provide clients with investment capabilities across multiple strategies,” said Shawn Lytle, global head of Macquarie Investment Management and president of Delaware Funds by Macquarie. “We look forward to serving our new investors by delivering strong investment performance along with a broad and deep range of strategies across asset classes. We are delighted that Foresters has also selected us as manager of a portion of the Foresters general account.”\n\nSeparate from this transaction, Cetera® Financial Group, Inc. has announced its intention to purchase select assets of the US brokerage and advisory business of Foresters Financial Services. Macquarie will also support the Foresters advisors joining Cetera through its investment management offering, Delaware Funds by Macquarie.\n\nMacquarie Investment Management’s acquisition transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of the First Investors mutual fund shareholders. “In seeking a firm to acquire and manage our mutual fund assets for US investors, Macquarie Investment Management stood out as a leader that would be able to support our clients with its global platform and its commitment to investment excellence,” said Jim Boyle, president and chief executive officer of Foresters Financial. “The Delaware Funds by Macquarie stand for high conviction, long-term strategies, and we are confident we’ve found the right partner as we exit this area of our business.”\n\n*Assets under management as of March 31, 2019.\n\nAbout Macquarie Investment Management Macquarie Investment Management is a global asset manager with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. As active managers, we prioritize autonomy and accountability at the team level in pursuit of opportunities that matter for clients. Our conviction-based, long-term approach has led institutional and individual clients to entrust us to manage more than $US234.5 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, 2018. In the US, retail investors recognize our Delaware Funds by Macquarie as one of the longest standing mutual fund families, with more than 75 years in existence. Macquarie Investment Management is a division of Macquarie Asset Management, a global asset manager with more than $US374.8 billion in assets under management as of Dec. 31, 2018.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Clariture Raises $3.5 Million Series A to Improve Digital Marketing in Healthcare.\n\nLeading Healthcare Digital Marketing Company Raises Additional Funding to Accelerate Growth\n\nSAN FRANCISCO & NASHVILLE, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–December 16, 2015–\n\nClariture Health Inc., a leading Enterprise Healthcare Marketing Platform™, today announced it has raised a $3.5M Series A.\n\nClariture is the preferred digital marketing solution for some of the country’s leading health systems and outpatient providers, such as Ascension, Saint Thomas Health and e+ Cancer Care.\n\nHaving now solidified its solutions and proven ROI, the new funds will be used to accelerate the company’s growth within the healthcare provider industry (i.e. health systems, hospitals, outpatient providers, ambulatory surgery centers and senior living providers).\n\nClariture offers healthcare providers a turnkey solution for executing search, social & mobile marketing campaigns that drive unmatched patient engagement & acquisition. Clariture’s solution is comprised of two products, a digital marketing platform that integrates with today’s leading search, social & display channels, and digital health risk assessments that engage at-risk consumers with clinically-backed questionnaires that assess consumers’ risk for certain conditions and need for key service line procedures.\n\n“There has never been a more exciting or complex time to be a healthcare marketer. Not only do healthcare providers have to rapidly adjust to a more consumer-driven healthcare environment, but they also have to find ways to be more efficient with their marketing budgets, all while consumer preference for accessing healthcare shifts online and to mobile devices. Clariture offers a comprehensive digital marketing solution that enables providers to achieve unmatched marketing return on investment,” says Daniel Hightower, Clariture’s CEO and Co-Founder.\n\nAbout Clariture Health, Inc.\n\nFounded in 2013, San Francisco and Nashville-based Clariture Health, Inc. is a software-as-a-service, HIPAA-compliant digital healthcare marketing platform that drives targeted patient engagement & acquisition for hospitals, health systems and outpatient providers.\n\nClariture’s Enterprise Healthcare Marketing Platform ™ integrates with more online channel ad APIs than any other healthcare marketing platform. This level of online channel integration enables Clariture’s hospital & health system customers to enjoy unprecedented digital reach, patient acquisition, real-time reporting, and maximized return on investment (ROI).\n\nVisit www.clariturehealth.com for more information.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151216005755/en/\n\nClariture\n\nDaniel Hightower, 615-294-4161\n\nCEO & Co-Founder\n\nDaniel@clariturehealth.com", "entities": [[0, 9, "org_in_focus"], [17, 29, "money_funded"], [30, 38, "type_of_funding"], [177, 190, "headquarters_loc"], [193, 209, "headquarters_loc"], [226, 243, "date_of_funding"], [246, 267, "org_in_focus"], [322, 327, "date_of_funding"], [354, 359, "money_funded"], [360, 368, "type_of_funding"], [1945, 1949, "year_founded"], [1951, 1964, "headquarters_loc"], [1969, 1978, "headquarters_loc"], [1985, 2007, "org_in_focus"], [2571, 2594, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Reuters: Canadian deal activity at second-highest level in 2015.\n\nAccording to new data from Thomson Reuters, deal activity outside of Canada from the country’s top pension funds, banks, investment management firms, and insurers, made Canadian deal activity the second-highest ever in 2015.\n\nThe report showed $278.69 billion USD worth of deal activity involving Canadian entities in 2015, up 37 percent from last year.\n\nThe report showed $278.69 billion USD worth of deal activity involving Canadian entities in 2015, noting that this activity was up 37 percent from last year. JPMorgan, the lead advisor to General Electric on the sale of its finance assets, took the top spot for Canadian M&A as big parts of that GE portfolio were scooped up by Canadian institutions like Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Bank of Montreal, and Element Financial.\n\n“The real story around Canadian M&A activity this year was the outbound activity that was up some 175 percent and drove the lion’s share of activity,” said John Armstrong, head of Canadian M&A at BMO Capital Markets.\n\nMorgan Stanley, RBC Capital Markets, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and BMO Capital Markets managed to take the top five spots. “The continuing emergence of the Canadian pension funds as top-tier deal-makers on the global stage was solidified in 2015,” said Ron Lloyd, head of Credit Suisse Canada. Credit Suisse Canada was ninth out of the top ten deal makers.\n\nBecause of the strong deal activity in 2015, M&A deals are expected to pick up in 2016. “M&A activity in the energy sector is likely to pick up over the next 12 to 18 months,” said David Rawlings, head of JPMorgan Canada. “There should be an opportunity to create real franchise value for well-capitalized companies.”\n\nThe report also noted that BMO Capital Markets was the top bank for IPOs. TD Securities and RBC Capital Markets were second and third respectively.\n\nRelated: EY executive says Canadian executives looking more towards M&A for growth", "entities": []}
{"text": "$22.5b impact investment in Southern Africa over 20 years.\n\nA total of US$22.53 billion in impact investing capital was invested across the Southern African region over the 20 years to 2015, with South Africa proving the most active market, according to new research by the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN).\n\nThe GIIN’s newly released report, The Landscape for Impact Investing in Southern Africa, finds that US$22.53 billion was deployed by impact investors across 12 countries in the Southern African region between 1996 and mid-2015.\n\nOf this total, South Africa was the recipient of 65 per cent of funds – amounting to US$14.7 billion. In second and third places were Zambia and Mozambique, receiving approximately 10 per cent and eight per cent of funds respectively.\n\nInternational development finance institutions (DFIs) were responsible for deploying 75 per cent of impact capital in the region, to the value of US$16.8 billion through over 650 deals, the research finds.\n\nOf this figure, US$13 billion was disbursed after 2005, as such the researchers conclude activity in the impact investing market has accelerated over the past decade particularly.\n\nAccording to the data, South Africa-based DFIs were more active than international DFIs – deploying US$17.1 billion regionally through over 7,500 deals. South African DFIs tend towards their own market, however, with US$14.4 billion of capital disbursed by this group going to South African companies through 6,800 deals.\n\nThe GIIN said all investments by South African DFIs took place between 2002 and 2014, with the majority of activity occurring before 2009.\n\nOther types of impact investors are also active in the region, including venture capital (VC) and private equity (PE) funds, foundations, commercial banks, and pension funds. Combined these non-DFI sources deployed nearly US$5.7 billion in the region through more than 500 deals.\n\nThe GIIN said the report is aimed at supporting investors already active in Southern Africa, as well as new entrants looking to deploy impact capital.\n\n“Given the growing interest in this important region, we hope that this in-depth market research will serve investors already active in Southern Africa, as well as those looking to deploy impact capital in these diverse countries,” said Amit Bouri, chief executive officer (CEO) of the GIIN.\n\n“Impact investors are continuing to support these sometimes challenging but critical markets, working to demonstrate that investment in the region can drive meaningful social and environmental impact alongside financial returns.”\n\nThe GIIN has previously produced similar reports for impact investing in other regions, most recently, a report covering West Africa, which found the impact investing industry in West Africa is comparatively small, but growing, totalling US$6.8 billion over the past decade.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Amplyx Pharmaceuticals Inks $40.5M Series B.\n\nTweet SAN DIEGO, CA, Amplyx Pharmaceuticals today announced the company has closed on a $40.5 million Series B financing.\n\nTo export Amplyx Pharmaceuticals funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on Amplyx PharmaceuticalsTo export Amplyx Pharmaceuticals funding data to PDF and Excel, click here Amplyx Pharmaceuticals today announced the company has closed on a $40.5 million Series B financing. The round was led by RiverVest Venture Partners, and included investments by New Enterprise Associates, BioMed Ventures and individual investors. Amplyx will use the funding to advance the clinical development of APX001, the company's broad-spectrum antifungal agent to treat life threatening fungal infections.\n\n\n\nThe company plans to initiate Phase 1 clinical trials of APX001 in 2016 to support a Phase 2 program in candidiasis, invasive aspergillosis and rare molds. APX001 has a novel mechanism of action and has shown broad-spectrum activity in animal models of infection by common species of Candida and Aspergillus, as well as high potency against rare molds. Amplyx is developing both intravenous and oral formulations of APX001 to address the need for hospital-based administration, as well as continued convenient administration after hospital discharge.\n\n\n\n'There is an urgent unmet need for new treatments for fungal infections which increasingly impact immuno-compromised patients who are at high risk of contracting these difficult-to-treat, and often deadly, infections,' said Mike Grey, president and CEO of Amplyx Pharmaceuticals. 'There hasn't been a new class of antifungal drug approved since 2001, and many existing antifungal agents are difficult to use, often poorly tolerated or ineffective due to the rise of drug resistant strains.'\n\n\n\nIn association with the financing, Niall O'Donnell, Ph.D., managing director, RiverVest Venture Partners, and Ed Mathers, partner, New Enterprise Associates, were named to Amplyx's board of directors.\n\n\n\nThe following management team has been retained to lead the company, and will join Amplyx founder and chief scientific officer, Mitchell Mutz, Ph.D., as well as a number of experienced antifungal/drug development experts:\n\n\n\nMike Grey, president and CEO, is a venture partner with Pappas Ventures. He was previously president and CEO of Lumena Pharmaceuticals, acquired by Shire in 2014.\n\nCiara Kennedy, Ph.D., chief operating officer, joins Amplyx from Shire where she was vice president, head of cholestatic liver disease. Dr. Kennedy previously led the clinical development programs she initiated as chief operating officer, Lumena Pharmaceuticals.\n\nSusan Dube, vice president, business development and administration, was previously vice president of corporate development at Lumena Pharmaceuticals before its acquisition by Shire.\n\n'Several members of Amplyx's management team have worked together previously on a number of successful ventures and have the vital experience necessary to execute the clinical development of APX001, including leadership in obtaining multiple drug approvals,' said Dr. O'Donnell. 'The combination of this seasoned management team with great working relationships and a promising asset in a space with significant unmet need makes Amplyx a highly attractive company.'\n\n\n\nThe company will be eligible to pursue an accelerated regulatory pathway for APX001 under the Generating Antibiotics Incentives Now (GAIN) Act, which provides Fast-Track and priority FDA review of a qualified infectious disease product, as well as potential market authorization in the U.S. with a limited clinical trial database. The GAIN Act also extends the period of regulatory exclusivity by five years during which antifungals that treat serious or life-threatening infections can be sold without generic competition.\n\n\n\n'APX001 has the potential to transform the antifungal treatment landscape by providing a much needed tool to address some of the most deadly and hard-to-treat fungal infections which impact more than 600,000 patients worldwide each year,' said Mr. Mathers. 'The combination of a potentially transformational therapy with a winning team that has previously successfully executed is a recipe for a great potential return on our investment.'\n\n\n\nAbout RiverVest\n\nRiverVest Venture Partners focuses exclusively on innovations in life sciences, a field in which our team has significant research, clinical, operational and investment expertise. Established in 2000, RiverVest has funded 34 innovative life science companies resulting in 21 exits, and currently has assets under management of more than $290 million. www.rivervest.com\n\n\n\nAbout New Enterprise Associates\n\nNew Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) is a global venture capital firm focused on helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors and geographies. With nearly $17 billion in cumulative committed capital since inception, NEA invests in technology and healthcare companies at all stages in a company's lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm's long track record of successful investing includes more than 200 portfolio company IPOs and more than 320 acquisitions. www.nea.com.\n\n\n\nAbout BioMed Ventures\n\nBioMed Ventures is the investment arm of BioMed Realty - the leading provider of real estate to the life science industry. Launched in 2011, we invest in top-tier life science companies and equity funds to advance innovation throughout the sector and achieve superior risk-adjusted investment returns. biomedventures@biomedrealty.com\n\n\n\nAbout Amplyx Pharmaceuticals\n\nAmplyx Pharmaceuticals is developing novel, broad-spectrum antifungal agents for the treatment of life-threatening fungal infections. The company's lead compound, APX001, will enter clinical development in 2016 and has shown broad-spectrum activity in animal models of invasive fungal infection by common species of Candida and Aspergillus, as well as high potency against rare, difficult-to-treat molds. Amplyx has raised $42.5 million in venture capital and received more than $10 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health to supports its drug discovery and development efforts. The company's research operations are located at Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS in San Diego, Calif.", "entities": [[0, 22, "org_in_focus"], [28, 34, "money_funded"], [35, 44, "type_of_funding"], [52, 65, "headquarters_loc"], [67, 89, "org_in_focus"], [90, 95, "date_of_funding"], [134, 147, "money_funded"], [148, 156, "type_of_funding"], [373, 395, "org_in_focus"], [396, 401, "date_of_funding"], [440, 453, "money_funded"], [454, 462, "type_of_funding"], [495, 521, "investor"], [551, 576, "investor"], [578, 593, "investor"], [6060, 6066, "org_in_focus"], [6078, 6091, "cumulative"], [6339, 6355, "headquarters_loc"]]}
{"text": "Temasek to invest in Ontario Teachers’-owned Busy Bees.\n\nU.K. childcare provider Busy Bees Holdings Ltd has agreed to receive an undisclosed strategic investment from Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings. The deal, expected to close before the end of 2017, will give Temasek a minority stake in Busy Bees, which has been majority owned by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan since 2013. It will also allow the company to continue expanding, particularly in Asia, Ontario Teachers’ Senior Managing Director, International, Jo Taylor said. Earlier this year, Busy Bees acquired Calgary’s BrightPath Early Learning Inc for about $145 million.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nBusy Bees announces new strategic investment by Temasek\n\nDecember 19, 2017\n\nPartnership will support expansion of Busy Bees’ footprint in Asia and across the globe\n\nOntario Teachers’ remains as majority shareholder in the company\n\nBurntwood – Busy Bees, a leading international provider of premium quality child care headquartered in the UK, today announced the addition of a new partner, Singapore-headquartered investment company Temasek.\n\nTemasek will acquire a strategic minority stake in Busy Bees, with Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan [Ontario Teachers’] remaining the company’s majority shareholder. The transaction is expected to close before the end of 2017.\n\nThe announcement of the partnership follows a transformational year for the business, during which it further established itself as a leading international platform for child care. Over the course of 2017, Busy Bees strengthened its position in the UK and internationally through the acquisitions of Treetops Nurseries in the UK and BrightPath in Canada, and through the formation of a joint venture in China.\n\n“We remain indebted to our founders who created our ethos of providing innovative high quality care and learning opportunities for children. We are also grateful to Ontario Teachers’, who have supported our ambitions over the past four years and have been, and continue to be, a truly exceptional partner. Temasek’s international expertise and insight will help us to accelerate our global growth both in Asia and elsewhere even further” said Simon Irons, CEO of Busy Bees. “We are excited that this will enable Busy Bees to provide opportunities for more children to access our high quality childcare.”\n\n“Our strategy is to work with strong, like-minded investors and management teams. The addition of Temasek as a strategic partner comes as we seek to unlock new opportunities across key markets and allows Busy Bees to continue its path of expansion, particularly in Asia,” said Jo Taylor, Senior Managing Director International at Ontario Teachers’.\n\nAbout Busy Bees\n\nBusy Bees, majority owned by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, is a leading international UK-headquartered provider of premium quality child care, caring for over 50,000 children across nearly 500 nurseries in the UK, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada and China. Founded in 1984, Busy Bees are committed to delivering high quality care and early years learning designed to give every child the best start in life for and to provide essential support to parents.\n\nFor more information on Busy Bees, please visit www.busybeeschildcare.co.uk.\n\nAbout Temasek\n\nIncorporated in 1974, Temasek is an investment company headquartered in Singapore. Supported by 10 offices internationally, Temasek owns a S$275 billion (US$197 billion, £158 billion) portfolio as at 31 March 2017.\n\nIts portfolio covers a broad spectrum of industries: financial services; telecommunications, media & technology; transportation & industrials; consumer & real estate; life sciences & agribusiness; as well as energy & resources. Its investment activities are guided by four investment themes and the long-term trends they represent: Transforming Economies; Growing Middle Income Populations; Deepening Comparative Advantages; and Emerging Champions.\n\nFor more information on Temasek, please visit www.temasek.com.sg.\n\nAbout Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Ontario Teachers’)\n\nOntario Teachers’ is Canada’s largest single-profession pension plan, with C$180.5 billion in net assets at June 30, 2017. It holds a diverse global portfolio of assets, 80% of which is managed in-house, and has earned an annualized rate of return of 10.1% since the plan’s founding in 1990. Ontario Teachers’ is an independent organization headquartered in Toronto. Its Asia-Pacific region office is located in Hong Kong and its Europe, Middle East & Africa region office is in London. The defined-benefit plan, which is fully funded, invests and administers the pensions of the province of Ontario’s 318,000 active and retired teachers.\n\nFor more information on Ontario Teachers’, please visit www.otpp.com.\n\nMedia contacts\n\nFor Busy Bees – Papillon PR\n\nKatie Whirledge\n\n+44 (0) 7973 800234\n\nkt@papillonpr.co.uk\n\nFor Ontario Teachers’ – CNC Communications\n\nMatthew Thomlinson\n\n+44 (0) 20 3219 8818\n\nmatthew.thomlinson@cnc-communications.com\n\nPhoto courtesy of Busy Bees Holdings Ltd", "entities": [[0, 7, "investor"], [45, 54, "org_in_focus"], [57, 61, "headquarters_loc"], [81, 103, "org_in_focus"], [141, 161, "type_of_funding"], [199, 215, "investor"], [906, 915, "org_in_focus"], [1001, 1003, "headquarters_loc"], [1005, 1010, "date_of_funding"], [2714, 2723, "org_in_focus"], [2802, 2804, "headquarters_loc"], [2980, 2984, "year_founded"], [2986, 2995, "org_in_focus"], [3217, 3244, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Austrian VC capital300 closes its Series A fund with $50M announcing investments into European tech startups.\n\nAustrian VC capital300 closes its Series A fund with $50million, the VC announced, adding that funds will be used to enable and support the European tech talent in building the next globally leading companies. Reportedly the investments will be ranging from $2 to $10 million and the VC is targeting the most disruptive technology companies run by an outstanding European team. The sectors that capital300 focuses on are AI, Blockchain, SaaS and VR / AR.\n\n“We see the emergence of several disruptive technologies that will achieve significant economic traction in the years to come. capital300 has a clear goal to enable, support and accompany promising and ambitious teams primarily from the DACH and CEE region to become global leaders in their respective sectors… I’m grateful that capital300 is there to support the talent and ambition that has flourished in the last couple years and to help them reach the next level”, says Peter Lasinger, Managing Partner at capital300.\n\nThe first investment will be announced during the first quarter of 2019 and the yearly target is to support four to six startups.\n\n“The startups must all be global, have a defensible IP advantage, have a perfectly positioned team and are good for an exit,” says Roman Scharf, Managing Partner at capital300, Austrian Trending Topics reported. “In the selection of investments we are very picky. Only 12 of 800 start-up companies would made it to the shortlist, 3 to 4 of them would get investments”, adds Scharf.\n\nBesides funds, capital300 will help startups to also partner with global leaders such as Accel Partners, Index Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Greylock.\n\n“Money is an important enabler to grow successful businesses. But more important are vision, execution and persistence of the founder teams. Our approach provides the very best of them with access to the unmatched experience and network of our fund partners. This will be game changing for them” explains Scharf.\n\nFounded in 2017 by Peter Lasinger and Roman Scharf in Linz, Austria, capital300 is a Series A venture capital fund backing disruptive European technology companies run by ambitious entrepreneurs. capital300 has established co-investment partnerships with the leading US VC firms thus providing the portfolio companies with a substantial leverage for conquering the US market and building a significant global presence.\n\nSo far, capital300 has joined forces with two tech companies. In September, together with Index Ventures, capital300 invested into a social, hyper-casual gaming platform Gamee. Just few weeks ago capital300 and Draper Associates invested in Authenteq, an automatic identity verification platform.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Thirdpresence acquires Stockholm-based video platform Flowplayer to help brands achieve true value.\n\nHelsinki-based programmatic video advertising company Thirdpresence has acquired video platform Flowplayer. As a unified entity, the platform will enable advertisers to accomplish true promotion of their brands.\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nThe joint venture will be operational under the brand name ‘Flowplayer’ and be administered by former Thirdpresence CEO Valtteri Pukander.\n\nValtteri Pukander expressed, “By applying contextual data analysis driven directly from the video player, we want to create the right video engagement metrics that give a true and meaningful overview for content owners. The combined solution uses newly created metadata directly from the video to improve the viewing experience through better video recommendations and advertisements. Importantly, our purpose-built algorithms also help advertisers to reduce ad waste.”\n\nAI-powered video advertising solution\n\nThirdpresence offers AI-driven video advertising solution to advertisers catering precise branding objectives with extensive audience exposure. Further, it also safeguards the perspective of the premium video publishers.\n\nFlowplayer’s video platform facilitates the industry as well as viewers with customised and enhanced video experiences.It offers flexibility and adaptation in video insights to publishers for funnelling revenue model.\n\nFlowplayer – the fastest growing AV media platform\n\nHeadquartered in Stockholm, Flowplayer also maintains offices in Helsinki, New York and London. The company owns higher credibility in the market and works with industry stalwarts including HBO, Universal, Televisa and Disney.\n\nWith 276% growth in user base, Flowplayer was acknowledged as the fastest growing audio, video, and media technology by SimilarWeb in 2018.\n\nEmanuel Viklund, CTO and former CEO of Flowplayer articulated, “We are excited to join together and continue our quest to build the best video experience for audiences. We will now accelerate our offering in video analytics and intelligence so that publishers will enjoy better opportunities to generate revenue from their content.”\n\nStay tuned to Silicon Canals for more updates in the tech startup world.", "entities": []}
{"text": "China's NWS backs $28m funding in UK's Medopad.\n\nPremium\n\nBritish health tech AI start-up Medopad raised $28 million in a Series A funding round backed by Hong Kong-listed conglomerate NWS Holdings Limited (NWS) and a number of global family offices and institutional investors, the company said on its website.", "entities": [[8, 11, "investor"], [18, 22, "money_funded"], [34, 36, "headquarters_loc"], [39, 46, "org_in_focus"], [58, 65, "headquarters_loc"], [90, 97, "org_in_focus"], [105, 116, "money_funded"], [122, 130, "type_of_funding"], [185, 205, "investor"]]}
{"text": "GSF Bullish On Deeptech, Invests $1 Mn In Four Startups.\n\nTech accelerator GSF has announced its sixth batch as part of which four deeptech startups graduated this week with a collective investment of $1 Mn (INR 7.22 Cr). The startups’ focus ranged from manufacturing technology, vernacular content, and AI-driven sales analytics, to deep learning, legal tech, and fintech.\n\n“These four startups are at the seed stage and have innovative solutions with paying customers. Our global ecosystem of mentors, advisors, investors and EiRs (Entrepreneurs in Residence) have helped these four startups over the last six months,” Rajesh Sawhney, founder of GSF Accelerator said. Sawhney is also the cofounder of Gastrotope, a Gurugram-based agrifood startup accelerator.\n\nGSF Accelerator commenced the sixth batch in December 2017. It offers $200K (INR 1.4 Cr) to the selected startups. Additionally, it invests $1 Mn (INR 7.22 Cr) as co-investments in seed/Series A rounds at the end of the programme.\n\nThe GSF 6.0 investment team includes eminent investors such as Rajesh Sawhney; Hiro Mashita, founder of M&S Partners, Singapore; Anand Chandrasekaran, now driving Facebook Messenger platform and ex-CPO of Snapdeal; Sumesh Menon, founder of Utopia Mobile; Dinesh Agarwal, founder of Indiamart; Ashish Toshniwal, founder of Y Media Labs, San Francisco; Sri Peddu, founder of Powerhouse Ventures; Murugavel Janakiraman, founder and CEO Matrimony.com; and Boris Ryabov, Bright Capital.\n\nAs part of this multi-country programme, the startups selected in the sixth batch have been mentored by top founders, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs in Bengaluru and have recently completed an immersion programme in the Silicon Valley. Next, they will visit China and Japan for exposure to the investment and startup communities in these countries.\n\nMeet The Four Startups From GSF Sixth Batch\n\nChizel: Chizel is a cloud platform that offers a convenient way to manufacture engineering components. The platform employs self-learning AI algorithms that harness the full potential of digitally connected machines to provide complete manufacturing solutions to the customers.\n\nKhabri: A fast-growing digital platform for vernacular audio content, the Khabri mobile app allows content creators to create channels and programmes and reach millions of vernacular listeners across India and overseas.\n\nSlintel: It is a technographics-powered discovery and AI driven recommendation platform helping companies improve their sales conversion rates by predicting who their next customer would be.\n\nVaultedge: It is a smart AI platform that helps banks and business processing outsourcing organisations perform loan underwriting and contract abstraction in real time.\n\nGSF Accelerator: Six Years, 50 Funded Startups\n\nStarted in 2012, the GSF Network has three components — an accelerator, an angel network, and tech conferences. As of November 2017, it claimed to have funded 50 startups in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Along the way, it has also made successful exits from 10 of these startups.\n\nGSF has a strong track record of success with its portfolio companies. Some of its portfolio companies are Little Eye Labs (acquired by Facebook), Pokkt, SilverPush, Zapr, HackerEarth, Flintobox, Timesaverz, Dailyrounds, DocsApp, Whatfix, and Quiziz.\n\nAround 50% of the companies incubated by GSF Network have managed to raise VC-led investment rounds, while over 90% have secured seed funding.\n\nEarlier, in June this year, GSF announced a new accelerator programme focused on fintech and is looking for startups and founders who think they can disrupt the financial industry in India. As a part of the programme, GSF will invest up to $200K (INR 1.4 Cr) in the most promising startups.\n\nAlso, in April 2018, it announced an entry into the education space with the launch of Indiginus by GSF. The mission is to help mainstream consumer companies and employees gain skills in digital innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. Indiginus will also incubate select startups in the education and talent space.\n\nDeeptech: AI, ML And Big Data Next Big Thing In India\n\nAccording to The State Of The Indian Startup Ecosystem 2018 report by Inc42 in November 2018, India ranked third in the global AI ecosystem, with deeptech startups bagging 5% of the total funding in 2017.\n\nWith VCs having concerns about the long gestation period between the idea stage and first cash flow, incubators and accelerators are playing a prominent role in aiding deeptech startups.\n\nThis year, NASSCOM also announced Accelerate 10X as part of its NASSCOM 10000 Startups initiative to help 100 mature-stage deeptech startups each year with mentoring and funding.\n\nAt the same time, the increasing shutdowns in the sector are a matter of concern. As per Inc42’s Ecosystem report, so far the deeptech segment has seen 74 shutdowns, most of them due to a dearth of funding.\n\nHowever, with the success of startups like Ather Energy, GreyOrange, IdeaForge, among others, VCs such as pi Ventures are focusing purely on the deeptech sector. This indicates that the segment is expected to pick up the pace in the coming years.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Crown Capital-managed NCOF II wraps up with 24 pct IRR.\n\nCanadian specialty finance firm Crown Capital Partners said Norrep Credit Opportunities Fund II (NCOF II) has been closed with the recent repayment of a special situations loan to CRH Medical Corp. The fund, established in 2012, invested approximately $81.5 million in five companies. NCOF II generated a gross internal rate of return of about 24 percent and a multiple of invested capital of about 1.5x with its close. Crown was the fund’s manager, holding a 53.6 percent interest. Based in Calgary and Toronto, Crown is currently investing from Crown Capital Fund IV, which has deployed about $170 million to date.\n\nPhoto: (left) Chris Johnson, president and CEO of Crown Capital Partners.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nCrown Capital Partners Announces Completion of NCOF II\n\nFund generated a gross IRR of 24%\n\nCALGARY, July 10, 2017 /CNW/ – Crown Capital Partners Inc. (“Crown” or the “Corporation”) (TSX: CRWN), which provides growth capital to successful mid-market companies, today announced that Norrep Credit Opportunities Fund II, LP and Norrep Credit Opportunities Fund II (Parallel), LP (collectively, “NCOF II”) have been closed following the recent repayment of the special situations loan to CRH Medical Corporation, which represented the final remaining investment in NCOF II. Crown was the manager of NCOF II and held a 53.6% interest in aggregate.\n\nNCOF II was established in 2012, closed its first loan in December 2012 and invested approximately $81.5 million in five companies: Genalta Power Inc., Claude Resources Inc., Questrade Inc., CRH Medical Corporation, and Corrosion Service Company. NCOF II generated a gross IRR of approximately 24% and a multiple of approximately 1.5X(1).\n\n“The loans in this portfolio performed well for our investors, adding to Crown’s outstanding 17-year track record in mid-market lending,” said Chris Johnson, President and CEO of Crown. “There is a significant unmet need for customized financing solutions aimed at the mid-market, and we are building on our track record to expand Crown’s presence and asset base, both directly and through our fund management business.”\n\nThe completion of NCOF II has triggered payment of $4.3 million of performance fees to Crown, as manager of NCOF II. Prior to the closing of its initial public offering (“IPO”), Crown committed to pay 100% of the performance fee distributions accrued to June 30, 2015 to the Pre-IPO plan participants. In addition, Crown’s current compensation policy provides that 50% of such performance fee distributions earned will be distributed to the employees. As such, Crown has retained approximately $1.0 million of the performance fees.\n\nCrown’s current special situations fund, Crown Capital Fund IV, LP, has deployed approximately $170 million of the targeted $300 million.\n\nABOUT CROWN\n\nCrown (TSX: CRWN) is a specialty finance company focused on providing capital to successful Canadian and select U.S. companies that are unwilling or unable to obtain suitable financing from traditional capital providers such as banks and private equity funds. Crown also manages capital pools, including some in which Crown has a direct ownership interest. Crown originates, structures and provides tailored special situation and long-term financing solutions to a diversified group of private and public mid-market companies in the form of loans, royalties and other structures with minimal or no ownership dilution.\n\n(1)\n\n“Gross IRR” means the gross internal rate of return generated from an investment before consideration of management fees and expenses and is calculated based on an investment’s realized amounts and unrealized amounts (cash distributions) and actual cash outflows made in respect of an investment, with timing based on when such distributions occurred or are likely to occur. It is then calculated by determining the discount rate that will bring all cash distributions (realized and unrealized) to a net present value of zero.\n\n“Multiple” is calculated as total combined proceeds divided by the aggregate investment amount\n\nFor further information: Craig Armitage, Investor Relations, craig.armitage@crowncapital.ca, (416) 347-8954\n\nPhoto courtesy of Crown Capital Partners", "entities": []}
{"text": "Wellington Financial Provides US$4 Million in Growth Capital to Agilence to Create Greater Data-Driven Profit Opportunities from Improved Store Operations and Loss Prevention.\n\nSpecialty finance firm’s investment enables cloud-based platform to focus on product development and team expansion to meet the needs of retail, grocery, pharmacy, and chain restaurant establishments\n\nMOUNT LAUREL, N.J. & TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–August 14, 2017–\n\nWellington Financial LP, a privately-held specialty finance firm, announced today a US$4 million commitment for Agilence Inc., the leading provider of cloud-based analytics for store operations and loss prevention. The new capital will be used to further develop Agilence’s reporting solution that supports the mission-critical needs of some of the largest retailers, grocers, pharmacies, and chain restaurant operations in the United States. Today’s news comes on the heels of Wellington’s recent announcement that it has opened an office in the New York – New Jersey area.\n\n“Many of the largest challenges facing retailers, grocers, pharmacies and others centre around operational inefficiencies and losses. Yet by identifying patterns and events within point-of-sale data, these challenges can become profit opportunities,” said Amy Olah, Business Development at Wellington Financial. “Agilence delivers the actionable insights these businesses need to stay ahead of their competition. We look forward to forging a partnership with a company that boasts such a diverse client portfolio, each of whom cite Agilence’s data analytics platform as an integral part of their long-term success.”\n\nAs the world’s leading cloud-based data analytics provider, Agilence works with more than 118 brands encompassing over 35,000 stores, including Rite Aid, L Brands, Panera Bread, and BJ’s Wholesale Club, to deliver insights on performance, empowering them to make informed decisions faster, increase efficiency, and improve profit margins across the enterprise. The company’s 20/20 Data Analytics™ platform recently expanded from a focus strictly on retail to include versions that support the individual needs of restaurants and pharmacies. Each industry-specific product variation evaluates business performance at every stage of the sales cycle while also ensuring that customers remain compliant with corporate or government standards.\n\n“The importance of data-driven decision-making in business is more crucial than ever, and at Agilence, we’ve built the leading, unified solution for organizations to leverage the right insights from their POS data. These insights need to be accessible and delivered to every stakeholder from franchisees to managers in a way that immediately impacts the bottom line,” said Russ Hawkins, Chief Executive Officer of Agilence. “With today’s growth capital from Wellington, we’re even better positioned to grow our team and expand the products we’re offering to the market.”\n\nAbout Wellington Financial, LP\n\nWellington Financial LP is a privately-held specialty finance firm providing term, venture, and amortizing loans up to $40 million. Wellington Financial LP is currently managing a $900 million investment program with offices in Menlo Park, New York, Santa Monica, and Toronto. Wellington Financial LP is managed by a partnership controlled by a fund management Clairvest Group Inc. (CVG:TSX), who jointly have contributed a large financial stake to the Fund. LPs include several of Canada’s largest institutional investors, crown corporations, financial institutions, and pension funds. Please visit the fund website at www.wellingtonfund.com.\n\nAbout Agilence\n\nAgilence is the industry leader in cloud-based data analytics solutions for store operations and loss prevention for retail and restaurant organizations. Agilence develops the 20/20 Data Analytics™ platform, which includes 20/20 Retail™, 20/20 F&B™ and 20/20 Rx™, three highly flexible and powerful cloud-based reporting solutions. 20/20 provides organizations with a complete view of their business, empowering them to make informed decisions faster, to increase efficiency, and improve profit margins across the enterprise. Agilence, Inc. is headquartered in Mount Laurel, NJ.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170814005720/en/\n\nWellington Financial LP\n\nSusan Mocherniak, 416-682-6007\n\nsmocherniak@wellingtonfund.com", "entities": [[0, 20, "investor"], [30, 42, "money_funded"], [46, 60, "type_of_funding"], [64, 72, "org_in_focus"], [378, 406, "headquarters_loc"], [423, 438, "date_of_funding"], [441, 464, "investor"], [517, 522, "date_of_funding"], [525, 537, "money_funded"], [553, 566, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "LUX Fund Technology and Solutions Inks $6M Series A.\n\nTweet NEW YORK, NY, Business and technology solutions provider for the alternative asset industry, today announced Series A Financing.\n\nTo export LUX Fund Technology and Solutions funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on LUX Fund Technology and SolutionsTo export LUX Fund Technology and Solutions funding data to PDF and Excel, click here LUX Fund Technology and Solutions (LUX FTS), a business and technology solutions provider for the alternative asset industry, today announced Series A Financing from Credit Suisse Asset Management's NEXT Investors, a New York-based firm that identifies minority growth equity investment opportunities in private technology and services companies. The $6 million investment will be used to fuel growth of Transcend, the company's flagship SaaS-based front-to-back office automation technology platform.\n\n\n\n\"It's time to raise the bar for hedge fund technology solutions, and we are pleased to partner with NEXT Investors to build out Transcend with new product and growth initiatives,\" said Nik Takmopoulos, Chief Executive Officer and Founding Partner, LUX FTS. \"Transcend offers hedge fund CFOs, COOs, and CTOs an easy-to-use extensible technology platform that deploys business intelligence to perform functions across research, portfolio management, accounting, operations, and investor relations.\"\n\n\n\nTranscend provides a cost-effective solution for alternative asset managers seeking to automate manual processes across the organization. Transcend systematizes the integration of traditional and alternative data from multiple sources, supporting cross-functional analytical reporting as well as structured and ad hoc queries in order to facilitate and improve decision-making. This, in turn, allows users to access exposure, performance, risk, and hard-to-mine data in a fraction of the time manual processing takes on Excel or other end user systems.\n\n\n\n\"As hedge funds grow, they typically reach inflexion points where their software needs require faster systems that allow for deeper dives,\" said Mark Christine, Chief Technology Officer and Founding Partner, LUX FTS. \"After six years of working with nearly 70 hedge funds, we realized the need to automate traditional bespoke software development, reduce resource dependency, and improve time to implement. Transcend takes the manual processes across a hedge fund and puts them into a platform that is more robust, and less error-prone. Managers can focus on the business of investment using our enhanced data and reporting.\"\n\n\n\n\"In today's hedge fund market, data is a key component of performance. The ease of aggregation of data from all of one's internal and external databases with the ability to customize reporting is challenging and one of the most pressing issues facing the hedge fund industry,\" said Jeremy Siegel, Global Head of Prime Consulting at Credit Suisse. \"LUX FTS provides a cost-effective and scalable reporting platform which allows end users to define and create reports on demand. The days of installing expensive data warehouses or waiting for a 3rd party to create a specific report are no longer sufficient in this fast moving environment.\"\n\n\n\nAbout LUX FTS\n\nFounded in 2012, LUX Fund Technology and Solutions (LUX FTS) deploys disruptive business technology systems for the alternative asset management industry. The firm's flagship product Transcend, a SaaS-based front-to-back office automation technology platform, provides a cost-effective solution for alternative asset managers needing to automate processes companywide and serving as a firm's portfolio intelligence dashboard, dynamic data warehouse and integration system. LUX FTS has offices in New York and San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.luxfts.com.", "entities": [[0, 33, "org_in_focus"], [39, 42, "money_funded"], [43, 51, "type_of_funding"], [60, 72, "headquarters_loc"], [153, 158, "date_of_funding"], [169, 177, "type_of_funding"], [427, 460, "org_in_focus"], [462, 469, "org_in_focus"], [553, 558, "date_of_funding"], [569, 577, "type_of_funding"], [626, 640, "investor"], [3286, 3290, "year_founded"], [3292, 3311, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Travelstart to buy Club Travel Group.\n\nTravelstart, which is backed by Amadeus Capital Partners and HarbourVest, is buying the Club Travel Group. Financial terms weren’t announced. Thebe Tourism Holdings is selling. Club Travel, of Capetown, is a travel agency with over 400 branded and non-branded franchises and a corporate travel division. Thebe and Travelstart will jointly invest in and own Club Travel Corporate, a level one B-BBEE rated division of Club Travel Group.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nTravelstart to acquire Club Travel Group\n\nAmadeus Capital Partners-backed Travelstart has signed a deal to secure a 100% stake in Southern Africa’s Club Travel Group.\n\nCAPE TOWN, 10 June 2019 — Travelstart continues its growth trajectory in Africa in terms of a deal to wholly acquire the Club Travel Group. The acquisition will boost Travelstart’s offering by adding Club Travel’s established complementary corporate and franchise divisions, creating a formidable full-service African travel group.\n\n“We love Club Travel because like us they have a long history in discount travel,” said Travelstart’s CEO Stephan Ekbergh. “Travelstart is strong in the consumer segment and we want to bring consumerization to the corporate and government sectors, where Club Travel is an emerging star.”\n\n“Travelstart shares a common mission which is to make travel easier for customers. Our team is excited to partner with them to build an amazing long-term business over the next decade,” said Wally Gaynor, Club Travel’s Managing Director and founder who will retain a board seat.\n\nWhile Africa’s travel and tourism market is worth an estimated $194 billion, digital uptake among consumers is still in its growth phase. With the acquisition, Travelstart and Club Travel enter a co-operation which will enable the former to expand its business and reach new customers, and the latter to gain the expertise to deliver digital product innovation and remain competitive.\n\nClub Travel will continue as a standalone company within the Travelstart portfolio. Thebe Tourism Holdings (Thebe), the majority shareholder of the Club Travel Group since 2009, will sell its stake in the Club Travel Group to Travelstart. Thebe and Travelstart will jointly invest in and own Club Travel Corporate, a level one B-BBEE rated division of Club Travel Group.\n\n“The deal is a response to the changes in travel in Southern Africa as consumer and corporate travel markets increasingly favour technology-driven solutions. We are excited to partner up with the team from Travelstart,” said Jerry Mabena, CEO at Thebe Tourism.\n\nThe closing of the deal is subject to the approval of the Competition Commission.\n\n###\n\nAbout Travelstart\n\nTravelstart was founded in Sweden in 1999 and pioneered online travel in Scandinavia with two basic principles; using technology to make travel purchases simple and offering customers the best price. In 2006, the company launched in South Africa and became a household name. Travelstart currently does business across several African countries as well as the GCC area with offices in Cape Town, Lagos, Cairo and Dubai. Travelstart has seen double-digit growth and profitability since inception and is backed by Amadeus Capital Partners and HarbourVest. For more information visit, www.travelstart.com.\n\nAbout Club Travel Group\n\nClub Travel was established in 1987 with the simple philosophy of always giving the client the best deal. Club Travel subscribes to a culture of service excellence which is carried through in the selection of employees who display a passion for people. The company has grown from a single branch into an award-winning travel agency which includes leisure travel, over 400 branded and non-branded franchises and a corporate travel division. The Club Travel Group is committed to meaningful empowerment and transformation in the South African travel and tourism sector. It’s corporate trading subsidiary, Club Travel Corporate, is a Level One B-BBEE contributor, with a 135% procurement recognition. Club Travel’s social investment initiative “Club Cares” is dedicated to community development and upliftment through a wide range of causes. For more information visit,www.clubtravelgroup.co.za.\n\nAbout Thebe Tourism\n\nThebe Tourism Group is a 100%-owned subsidiary of Thebe Investment Corporation. Formed in 2001, the group is the oldest black-empowered South African tourism group. It holds a significant portfolio in tourism and related industries including tourism attractions, hospitality, inbound and outbound tourism, car rental and group travel. Thebe Tourism focuses on making tourism accessible to all and is committed to ensuring responsible tourism is practiced throughout all its businesses. The group aims to offer innovative, integrated, market-driven products. For more information visit, www.thebetourism.co.za.", "entities": []}
{"text": "These 10 European medtech startups are cashing in on cannabis.\n\nWhen it comes to the medical cannabis market, the US and Canada are the biggest legal markets despite the fact that it is not legal in all states in the US. Gradually, the European medical cannabis industry is also catching up with the trend. It looks like this is the next rage for the medtech startups in Europe.\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nSome European entrepreneurs have already started gaining a foothold in the emerging medical cannabis market. These startups are making use of the substance to provide benefits to users. With the integration of technology such as blockchain and internet platforms, these medtech startups are helping people come out of their illness.\n\nA handful of these medical cannabis startups work via a mobile app that helps novice growers of marijuana connect and share information among them. Some offer valuable features that offer commercial benefits. Here, we have listed 10 dope startups that are revolutionising the marijuana and medtech industries in Europe.\n\nHarmony (Barcelona)\n\nFounders: Antonin Cohen\n\nHarmony founded in 2014 is exploring the science of cannabis. It intends to create the most affordable and efficient hemp-powered products that will ensure harmony and wellness. Harmony uses legal and certified hemp and uses it for a range of applications. This company creates CBD (cannabidiol) products including vape pens and e-liquids in a range of flavours. These products are distributed by over 2,000 retailers across the world.\n\nNewsweed (Paris)\n\nFounders: Aurelien Bernard\n\nFrench medical cannabis startup Newsweed was founded in 2015 to let people across the world know what is happening in the cannabis industry. It is an online publication and a leading cannabis-related media source. It lists topics such as evolution and legalisation of the substance and research on medical cannabis, trends, biology, business and more. Newsweed will provide you with all the updates regarding the same.\n\nMedPayRx (Germany)\n\nFounders: Marguerite Arnold, Martin Weller\n\nEstablished in 2017, MedPayRx is a medtech and insurtech startup that aims to reduce the pain and paperwork of prescriptions. It is a mobile app, which connects medical cannabis doctors, patients, insurers and pharmacies in Germany. The app helps anyone who is need of a medical prescription and those who need special approvals. Patients can also find doctors who prescribe the substance and friendly pharmacies as well.\n\nProhibition Partners (London)\n\nFounders: Stephen Murphy\n\nProhibition Partners was established in 2017 with the intention to the world’s first source of intelligence and independent data related to the cannabis industry. The company touts that its data and insights will unlock the commercial and societal potential of cannabis. The consultancy team of Prohibition Partners works with operators, investors and regulators to identify and execute opportunities across jurisdictions.\n\nHangfarten (Austria)\n\nFounders: Andreas Troger\n\nFunding: €300k\n\nHanfgarten is a one-stop destination for those looking for cannabis products. Established in 2015, this Austrian online retailer of CBD products is among the biggest distributors of hemp products in the European market. Hanfgarten sells hemp seeds, plants, CBD oil, cannabis-based teas and wines and accessories such as soaps, fertilizers, growing kits, license, room sprays and more. Notably, this online retailer will ship CBD products as long as the same is legal in the country.\n\nCannamedical Pharma (Cologne)\n\nFounders: David Henn\n\nFunding: €13.6 million\n\nCannamedical Pharma is a leading cannabis wholesaler in the European Union. In 2016, this medtech startup was established to sell products such as high-quality cannabinoid oil, cannabis varieties, patient ID cards to treat conditions such as chronic pain and cancer and medical marijuana grinders. As of now, 600,000 patients in Germany possess the license to use medical cannabis.\n\nFarmako (Frankfurt)\n\nFounders: Niklas Kouparanis\n\nFunding: €1.4 million\n\nPharmaceutical company Farmako is involved in the research and development of cannabis products to catch up with the backlog of nearly a century. Founded in 2018, Farmako is active in all countries in Europe where cannabis is legal and conducts research and develops cannabis products. Notably, medical cannabis helps in treating chronic pain and brings improvement to those suffering from AIDS and cancer.\n\nGrowbud (Copenhagen)\n\nGrowbud based in Copenhagen markets Buds, an iOS app, which acts as a visual journal to the crop growers. The app shows photos so that the grower can monitor the various phases of the crop’s growth cycle. The journals can be shared among other growers, corporate headquarters or botanists to receive feedback on the health of the crops. As privacy is very important, the meta data is removed from the images before these are stored and shared.\n\nGrowth Mavericks (London)\n\nFounded in 2017, Growth Mavericks touts itself to be the world’s first cannabis growth hacking agency. The company helps marijuana startups grow with the help of digital marketing. It provides different growth packages starting from $299 (approx €264) and provides services such as conversion optimisation, customer acquisition optimisation, content strategy, content creation, SEO optimisation and more.\n\nHempfy (Swizterland)\n\nFounders: Constantin Marakhov\n\nAs marijuana is becoming legal in many countries, Hempfy based in Duillier, Switzerland expects comestible cannabis to replace alcohol and smoking. It is becoming the world’s preferred social drug. But cannabis is not widely prized for the flavour it possesses and Hempfy has come up with a solution to this problem. It develops and markets cannabis infusions that will bring the best flavours from the cannabis plant and perfectly blend it with the herbal flavour to give the best result. Founded in 2017, this company has received clearance from the Swiss government to develop THC-free essential oils and beverages.\n\nStock photo from Flapas/Shutterstock\n\nStay tuned to Silicon Canals for more updates in the tech startup world.\n\nAlso read,", "entities": []}
{"text": "Intermountain Ventures Invests in Omada Health.\n\nSAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Omada Health today announced an investment from Intermountain Ventures, the strategic investment arm of Intermountain Healthcare. The investment expands a relationship between the two organizations that began five years ago. In 2016, Intermountain Healthcare and Omada launched an innovative partnership in conjunction with the American Medical Association to deliver digital diabetes prevention services via physician referral. In addition to producing strong clinical outcomes for enrolled individuals across Utah, the collaboration has provided a roadmap for large healthcare organizations adopting proven digital health solutions. The Omada Program became a covered benefit for Intermountain employees and their adult dependents in 2019.\n\n\"There's nothing more rewarding than having a partner who has worked with your business for years decide to become an investor,\" said Omada co-founder and CEO Sean Duffy. \"Omada and Intermountain Healthcare are fundamentally aligned on our values, and our vision for the future of healthcare. This investment provides another opportunity to deepen our relationship, and I couldn't be more excited about our current and future work together.\"\n\nIntermountain Healthcare is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes and sustainable costs. The not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 215 clinics, and more than 2,500 physicians and clinicians in Utah, Idaho and Nevada and a health plans division called SelectHealth has received recognition for its investment in value-based, clinically-effective preventive care. Omada and Intermountain Healthcare share goals of increasing access to personalized care, and reducing costs by improving patient experience.\n\n\"The Omada Program has been an important addition to our portfolio of diabetes prevention programs for Intermountain Healthcare patients and caregivers. This strengthened partnership will help us further our shared goals to not only prevent and manage diabetes, but also to improve the experience, outcomes, and overall health of our patients,\" said Liz Joy, MD, Medical Director for Health Promotion and Wellness, Intermountain Healthcare.\n\nEarlier this year, Omada announced a $73 million round of investment led by Wellington Management, bringing the company's total investment to more than $200 million. Omada has published 11 peer-reviewed studies and is currently running the largest-ever randomized controlled trial of digital diabetes prevention. The company's approach is proven to deliver lasting clinical outcomes, as well as significant medical cost savings, across diverse populations. Omada's program drives unprecedented levels of meaningful engagement by participants, directly leading to sustained improvements in health.\n\nAbout Omada Health\n\nOmada is a digital care program that empowers people to achieve their health goals through sustainable lifestyle change. Working primarily through health plans, employers, and integrated health systems, the company delivers personalized interventions for individuals at risk for, or dealing with, type 2 diabetes and hypertension, as well as anxiety and depression. Combining data-powered human coaching, connected devices, a proprietary technology platform, and curriculum tailored to an individual's specific conditions and circumstances, Omada has enrolled more than 275,000 participants to date. Omada partners include Cigna, Kaiser Permanente, Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota, and other leading health plans. For additional information, please visit www.omadahealth.com .\n\nMedia Contact:\n\nDenae Thibault\n\ndenae.thibault@omadahealth.com\n\n774-275-1462\n\nSOURCE Omada Health\n\nRelated Links\n\nhttps://www.omadahealth.com/", "entities": [[0, 22, "investor"], [34, 46, "org_in_focus"], [49, 62, "headquarters_loc"], [64, 77, "date_of_funding"], [94, 106, "org_in_focus"], [107, 112, "date_of_funding"], [142, 164, "investor"], [3706, 3725, "org_url"], [3814, 3826, "org_in_focus"], [3843, 3871, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Nigeria’s MDaaS Global closes its $1m seed round.\n\nMedtech startup MDaaS Global today announced that it has closed its $1-million seed round, raising $1 030 000.\n\nIt follows a report by Ventureburn in April that the startup had raised just over $1-million in equity funding, according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing on 1 April (see this story).\n\nThe filing at the time noted that the total offering amount was $1 580 062, while the amount sold was listed as $1 055 496, with $524 566 remaining to be sold.\n\nThe filing furthermore stated that up to 12 investors were involved and that the round which commenced on 15 March.\n\nIt appears the startup did not manage to raise the $1.5-million it was after.\n\nMDaaS confirmed today that a deal that Ventureburn reported in April forms part of the same round. The startup added that the round closed last Thursday (13 June).\n\nMDaas Global was founded in 2016 by CEO Oluwasoga Oni, Opeyemi Ologun, Genevieve Barnard Oni, and Joseph McCord\n\nThe round was led by Lagos-based Consonance Investment Managers, with the participation of Techstars and Finca Ventures. The Fund for Africa’s Future, which is led by Iyinoluwa Aboyeji and Nadayar Enegesi, as well as Greentree Investment Company and other unnamed investors also participated in the round.\n\nThe startup explained in a statement today that the new investment will help it scale and replicate its diagnostic centre business model, as the firm seeks to open 100 additional centres in Nigeria as well as the greater West Africa in the next five years.\n\nThe startup — which was founded in 2016 by CEO Oluwasoga Oni, Opeyemi Ologun, Genevieve Barnard Oni, and Joseph McCord — is tackling what it says is a $1.6-billion sector in Nigeria alone.\n\nThe startup offers a wide array of high-impact diagnostic procedures from simple malaria tests to echo-cardiograms and pap smears.\n\nMDaaS leverages its vertically-integrated supply chain, technology platform, and patient-centred design to provide modern services at a price point patients can afford — with basic procedures, like obstetric ultrasounds starting at $4.\n\nThe company launched its flagship diagnostic centre in Ibadan, Nigeria’s third most populous city, in 2017 under its patient and physician-facing brand BeaconHealth. So far, the company says it has served over 9000 low and middle-income patients.\n\nIn addition, MDaaS says it has partnered with over 60 health facilities and also serves as the centralised diagnostic department for surrounding hospitals and clinics within Ibadan.\n\nThe startup also partners globally with corporates, health maintenance organisations and developmental organisations seeking top-tier diagnostics for their employees and beneficiaries.\n\nLast September, Nigerian venture capital (VC) firm Ventures Platform invested $100 000 into MDaaS Global. The investment followed the startup’s selection last June into the first cohort of the Techstors Impact accelerator.\n\nLast year, the MIT-incubated startup was also accepted into the Havard Innovation Labs Venture Incubation Programme.\n\nRead more: Nigerian medtech startup MDaaS Global raises over $1m in equity funding\n\nRead more: Ventures Platform backs healthtech startup MDaaS with $100k investment\n\nFeatured image: A patient undergoing sonography at one of MDaaS diagnostic facilities (Supplied)", "entities": [[0, 7, "headquarters_loc"], [10, 22, "org_in_focus"], [34, 37, "money_funded"], [38, 42, "type_of_funding"], [67, 79, "org_in_focus"], [119, 129, "money_funded"], [130, 134, "type_of_funding"], [245, 255, "money_funded"], [259, 265, "type_of_funding"], [887, 899, "org_in_focus"], [915, 919, "year_founded"], [1033, 1063, "investor"], [1091, 1100, "investor"], [1105, 1119, "investor"], [1167, 1184, "investor"], [1189, 1204, "investor"], [1217, 1245, "investor"]]}
{"text": "BMO invests $5 million in U of T lab combining AI and the arts.\n\nThis morning, BMO announced that it is making a $5 million investment in a new University of Toronto lab called the BMO Lab for Creative Research in the Arts, Performance, Emerging Technologies, and AI. This is the bank’s largest investment in a Canadian post secondary institution to date.\n\nThe BMO Lab will host high-profile, public artistic events, and aims to create a global network of artists and researchers that combine art and technology.\n\nThe BMO lab will be housed within the University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies. Students from the arts, humanities, sciences, and engineering will be able to explore how AI and other technologies can impact artistic expression.\n\n“With the advance of machine learning over the past 15 years, AI applications are rapidly changing how we work, create and live,” said Meric Gertler, president of the University of Toronto. “Thanks to this visionary gift from BMO Financial Group, the BMO lab will bring together researchers and students from across the university to explore the potential for human expression in AI and other advanced technologies. At the same time, it will empower a new generation of young leaders with the ability to apply this technology to solve problems and address new challenges.”\n\nThe BMO Lab will host high-profile, public art events and aims to create a global network of artists and researchers that combine art and technology.\n\nAccording to The Globe and Mail, which first reported the story, 18 graduate students will work with faculty and artists in fields like computer science and music.\n\nRELATED: University of Toronto receives $100 million for AI innovation centre\n\n“Our partnership to launch the BMO Lab represents a unique convergence of technology and the humanities, providing opportunities for students to research AI and shift the paradigm of creativity,” said Darryl White, CEO of BMO.\n\n“To strengthen competitiveness, companies must harness the full power and potential of technologies responsibly, while developing talent for the future, including investing in employee training and upskilling,” White added. “At BMO, we’re seeing tremendous benefits from the integration of AI, freeing up capacity for employees to engage in valuable insight-driven work and creating benefits for customers such as significantly reducing time to open business accounts.”\n\nDavid Robeky, a lecturer at the University of Toronto and an artist that has explored digital surveillance in his work, is acting as the inaugural director of the lab.\n\n“Ensuring that our culture remains centred around human values while benefiting from the possibilities of technologies such as AI will require an unprecedented degree of inter-disciplinary creativity,” said Robeky. “The uniqueness of the BMO Lab is that it is grounded in theatre, with a focus on human minds and bodies expressing ideas and emotions in real time and space. This will provide students a context in which to learn to work effectively with people of very different disciplines in a creative, collaborative, and challenging learning environment.”\n\nPhoto via Unsplash.", "entities": [[0, 3, "investor"], [12, 22, "money_funded"], [26, 36, "org_in_focus"], [79, 82, "investor"], [113, 123, "money_funded"], [144, 169, "org_in_focus"], [181, 222, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "LendingClub Asset Management, execs settle with SEC.\n\nThe SEC charged LendingClub Asset Management LLC and its former president, Renaud Laplanche, with fraud for allegedly improperly using fund money to benefit its parent company, LendingClub Corp. LendingClub Asset Management, Laplanche, and ex-CFO Carrie Dolan were also charged with improperly adjusting fund returns. Lending Club Asset Management, Laplanche, and Dolan have agreed to settle the charges and will pay more than $4.2 million in combined penalties. The SEC also barred Laplanche from the securities industry although he can apply for re-entry after three years.\n\nIn 2016, Laplanche resigned after an internal probe found that the company had knowingly sold an investor $22 million of loans that the investor did not want, Reuters reported. Laplanche was the founder and CEO of LendingClub Corp. UPDATE: The SEC said it did not charge LendingClub Corp because it promptly reported the misconduct by its executives in 2016. LendingClub Chairman Hans Morris, in a statement, said he was pleased to have resolution and closure. “The findings of the SEC further support the board’s decision to take swift and decisive action,” he said. “We have full confidence in our new management team and we are a better company today.”\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nCharges LendingClub Asset Management and Former Executives With Misleading Investors and Breaching Fiduciary Duty\n\n09/28/2018 08:45 AM EDT\n\nThe Securities and Exchange Commission today charged San Francisco-based LendingClub Asset Management LLC (formerly known as LendingClub Advisors LLC) and its former president Renaud Laplanche with fraud for improperly using fund money to benefit LendingClub Corporation, LCA’s parent company that Laplanche founded and for which he served as CEO. LCA and Laplanche along with Carrie Dolan, LCA’s former CFO, also were charged with improperly adjusting fund returns.\n\nAll three have agreed to settle the agency’s charges against them and will pay more than $4.2 million in combined penalties. The SEC also barred Laplanche from the securities industry.\n\nAccording to the SEC’s order, LCA provides investment advisory services to several private funds that purchase loan interests offered by LendingClub Corporation, a publicly-traded online marketplace lending company. LCA and Laplanche caused one of the private funds it managed to purchase interests in certain loans that were at risk of going unfunded, to benefit LendingClub, not the fund, in breach of LCA’s fiduciary duty. The order also finds that LCA, Laplanche, and Dolan improperly adjusted monthly returns for this fund and other LCA-managed funds to improve the returns they reported to fund investors.\n\n“Investment advisers have an obligation to put their clients’ interests ahead of their own,” said Daniel Michael, Chief of the SEC’s Complex Financial Instruments Unit. “By using funds managed by LCA to benefit its parent company, LCA and Laplanche failed to do so.”\n\n“Investors depend on fund advisers to give them the straight scoop on performance so they can make informed investment decisions,” said Jina Choi, Director of the SEC’s San Francisco Regional Office. “Advisers who adjust their valuation processes to boost results are in breach of their duties to investors.”\n\nThe SEC’s order finds that LCA, Laplanche, and Dolan each violated the antifraud provisions of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. To settle the SEC’s charges, LCA, Laplanche and Dolan agreed to pay penalties of $4 million, $200,000, and $65,000, respectively. Laplanche also agreed to a securities industry bar and investment company prohibition. The SEC’s order permits Laplanche to apply for re-entry after three years. LCA, Laplanche, and Dolan agreed to the entry of the SEC’s order without admitting or denying the findings.\n\nThe SEC’s Enforcement Division determined not to recommend charges against LendingClub Corporation, which promptly self-reported its executives’ misconduct following a review initiated by its board of directors, thoroughly remediated, and provided extraordinary cooperation with the agency’s investigation. LCA also reimbursed approximately $1 million to investors who were adversely impacted by the improperly adjusted monthly returns.\n\nThe SEC’s investigation was conducted by Jason Casey and Amy Sumner of the Complex Financial Instruments Unit and Chrissy Filipp and Crystal Boodoo of the San Francisco Regional Office. The case was supervised by Laura Metcalfe, Monique Winkler, and Erin Schneider. The SEC appreciates the cooperation of the U.S. Department of Justice.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Xometry Secures Investments from BMW i Ventures, GE Ventures and Highland Capital Partners.\n\n$15 million Investment to fuel Xometry’s on-demand manufacturing platform\n\nGAITHERSBURG, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–June 28, 2017–\n\nXometry, the leading on-demand manufacturing platform, announced $15MM in funding led by BMW i Ventures, with participation from existing investors including GE Ventures and Highland Capital Partners. Further fueling Xometry’s rapid market expansion, the latest round of funding will accelerate Xometry’s investment in its machine learning-based software platform, manufacturing partner network, and sales organization.\n\n“We’re thrilled to partner with BMW i Ventures and deepen our relationship with General Electric,” said Randy Altschuler, co-founder and CEO of Xometry. “We’re accelerating our efforts to provide additional features to our online platform, making it easier for engineers and procurement managers to conveniently order a wide range of parts delivered by our expanding network of hundreds of manufacturers across the nation.”\n\nXometry has now raised a total to date of $38MM.\n\nXometry has continued its rapid market expansion, recently eclipsing 5,000 customers spanning multiple verticals, including aerospace, automotive, consumer, medical devices and industrials. This year, Xometry has already tripled its 2016 bookings during the same time-period a year ago. Xometry has correspondingly expanded its manufacturing capacity by more than five times since the end of last year.\n\nLeading global manufacturers, such as GE, BMW and others, are leveraging Xometry’s platform to simplify the purchase of custom manufactured parts and to enable efficient price transparency in their procurement practices.\n\nCommensurate with the expanded relationship, BMW i Venture’s Partner, Zach Barasz, is joining Xometry’s Board of Directors.\n\n“Xometry is well-positioned to continue its rapid growth based on the strength of its software platform, extensive manufacturing network and seasoned management team,” said Barasz. “They quickly deliver quality custom parts to businesses of all sizes, including BMW.”\n\n“We’re thrilled to continue to expand our relationship with Xometry. Its easy-to-use interface is being deployed across GE business units to deliver high quality parts to a number of industries,” said Ralph Taylor-Smith, Managing Director of Advanced Manufacturing, of GE Ventures.\n\nAbout Xometry\n\nXometry is transforming American manufacturing through a proprietary machine learning-based software platform which offers on-demand manufacturing to a diverse customer base, ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. We provide product designers and engineers the most efficient way to source high-quality custom parts, with 24/7 access to instant pricing, expected lead time and manufacturability feedback. Xometry orchestrates a nationwide network of hundreds of partner manufacturing facilities that enables it to maintain consistently fast lead times while offering a broad array of capabilities, including CNC Machining, 3D Printing, Sheet Metal and Casting to its customers.\n\nAbout BMW i Ventures\n\nMountain View-based BMW i Ventures, a corporate venture capital team founded by BMW Group in 2011, provides equity financing to high-potential start-ups and high-growth companies dedicated to shape the future of global mobility. As a strategic investor, i Ventures aims to build strong partnerships with young start-ups with a high potential of making urban mobility smarter, more efficient and more flexible. Collaboration projects intend to create sustainable business value on both sides. Portfolio companies benefit from BMW i Ventures’ long-term experience, strong reach and the broad network of a well-established brand. Through its previous investments in the fields of e-mobility, navigation, parking, car sharing and intermodality, BMW i Ventures has already entered into strategic partnerships with innovative providers such as Carbon3D, Nauto, Scoop, Stratim, Chargepoint, Life360, Moovit, JustPark, Chargemaster and Zendrive. www.bmwiventures.com\n\nAbout GE Ventures\n\nGE Ventures identifies, scales and accelerates ideas that will help make the world work better. Focused on the areas of software, advanced manufacturing, energy and healthcare, GE Ventures combines equity investing, new business creation, licensing and technology transfer to deliver an innovation platform designed to drive growth for partners and GE. For more information, visit http://www.geventures.com, or follow on Twitter (@GE_Ventures) and LinkedIn.\n\nAbout Highland Capital Partners\n\nFounded in 1987, Highland Capital Partners is a venture capital firm focused on putting the entrepreneur first. With offices in Boston and Palo Alto, Highland has raised over $3 billion in committed capital and invested in more than 270 companies, resulting in category-defining businesses across consumer and enterprise technology. Investments include 2U, Catalant, Harry’s, Jaunt, Malwarebytes, nuTonomy, Qihoo 360, Rent the Runway, Scopely, SmartThings, ThredUP and Turbonomic. For more information, visit www.hcp.com.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170628005154/en/\n\nXometry\n\nBill Cronin, 240-848-7981\n\nSVP of Sales & Marketing", "entities": [[0, 7, "org_in_focus"], [33, 47, "investor"], [49, 60, "investor"], [65, 90, "investor"], [93, 104, "money_funded"], [124, 131, "org_in_focus"], [168, 185, "headquarters_loc"], [202, 215, "date_of_funding"], [218, 225, "org_in_focus"], [283, 288, "money_funded"], [307, 321, "investor"], [376, 387, "investor"], [392, 417, "investor"], [1064, 1071, "org_in_focus"], [1106, 1111, "cumulative"]]}
{"text": "Munich-based healthtech startup Kaia Health raises €7.3 million to expand its digital back pain treatments in the US.\n\nMunich-based Kaia Health, which creates personalised, app-based physical therapies for chronic conditions, has raised a €7.3 million funding round led by Optum Ventures. The startup previously raised a round of €8.8 million in January 2019.\n\nKaia Health calls itself ‘a physiotherapist in your pocket’. Its leading product is an app to treat back pain, and the new funding will be used to accelerate Kaia’s growth in the US – where back pain problems have been traditionally treated using opioids, leading to a major drug epidemic. However Kaia is also exploring digital treatment programs for other chronic conditions, namely chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We interviewed Kaia’s co-founder and CEO, Konstantin Mehl, back in February.\n\nWorking with experts in various medical fields, Kaia uses machine learning algorithms to create individualised exercises that allow patients to take control and self-manage their condition from their home using smartphones or tablets. Over 275,000 users have so far signed up for its digital therapy programs.\n\nKaia Health’s 2D motion tracking technology enables users to get real-time feedback on their exercise performance using their smartphone’s camera, which, when taken together with the platform’s psychological and educational support, has been shown to outperform conventional therapy.\n\n“The investment from Optum Ventures will allow us to explore integration opportunities throughout the complete patient treatment journey,” said Konstantin Mehl, Kaia Health founder and CEO of Kaia Health. “We are proud to partner with Optum Ventures, a company at the forefront of improving health care.”\n\n“Kaia Health has taken a technology-led approach to create digital therapeutics that will make treatment more accessible to patients who need it,” said Heather Roxborough, partner at Optum Ventures. “We believe Kaia Health’s digital therapeutic solutions will benefit those suffering from MSK disorders and are excited about its application in other indications.”", "entities": [[0, 6, "headquarters_loc"], [32, 43, "org_in_focus"], [51, 63, "money_funded"], [119, 125, "headquarters_loc"], [132, 143, "org_in_focus"], [239, 251, "money_funded"], [273, 287, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Top H1 Canadian private equity deals fetch $13.4 bln.\n\nCanada’s top 10 first-half private equity deals had disclosed values of more than $13.4 billion, up 89 percent from the $7.1 billion invested in the top 10 deals at the same time in 2016.\n\nThe number is based on PE Hub Canada’s list of the largest deals announced in January through June, supplemented by preliminary Thomson Reuters data. It suggests the domestic market may be poised in 2017 to end a three-year decline in investment activity.\n\nIn fact, H1 2017 is the strongest first half on record, according to preliminary Thomson Reuters data. Dollar flows for all deals hit $14.6 billion in this period, compared to $18.4 billion invested in 2016 as a whole. The data also point to year-over-year growth in deal volumes.\n\nH1 2017’s top deals are led by Vista Equity Partners’ $4.8 billion acquisition of DH Corp, the largest Canadian PE deal in three years.\n\n1) DH Corp take-private deal\n\nDH Corp, a Toronto financial-tech-services company, was taken private in June by Vista Equity Partners. The acquisition was valued at $4.8 billion. Vista reportedly competed with other PE firms for DH, which it merged with Britain’s Misys. The combined entity was named Finastra.\n\n2) RBI add-on acquisition\n\nIn March, Restaurant Brands International, owner of fast-food chains Burger King and Tim Hortons, bought Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen for $2.4 billion (US$1.8 billion). Oakville, Ontario’s RBI was formed in 2014, when 3G Capital-backed Burger King acquired Tim Hortons for $12.6 billion.\n\n3) Milestone Apartments purchase\n\nStarwood Capital Group acquired Milestone Apartments REIT, an U.S.-residential-property owner and manager that went public in Toronto in 2013. The transaction, completed in April, took the company private for about $1.7 billion (US$1.3 billion).\n\n4) Osisko metals portfolio buy\n\nOsisko Gold Royalties in June agreed to buy a precious-metals portfolio from Orion Mine Finance for $1.13 billion. The Montréal mining royalty and stream company is backed by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Fonds de solidarité FTQ, which together will fund 41 percent of the payment.\n\n5) Arctic Glacier sponsor-to-sponsor\n\nIn March, Carlyle Group bought Arctic Glacier Holdings, a Winnipeg manufacturer of packaged ice, from HIG Capital, which acquired it out of bankruptcy in 2012. Terms weren’t disclosed, but Moody’s reported the purchase price at about $966 million (US$723 million).\n\n6) Canam take-private deal\n\nCanam Group, a Saint-Georges, Québec, maker of customized construction products, in April agreed to be taken private by American Industrial Partners and the Dutil family. Expected to close this year, the $875 million deal is backed by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Canam’s existing investors.\n\n7) Apollo Health, JemPak acquisitions\n\nIn January, Acasta Enterprises acquired three businesses in a single $1.1 billion deal. They included Toronto consumer staples companies Apollo Health & Beauty Care and JemPak, which together accounted for about $525 million of the total. Acasta, a SPAC, is planning to launch as a PE firm.\n\n8) Sirius XM Canada parent-led buy\n\nSirius XM Canada Holdings, a Toronto audio-entertainment provider, was taken private by a vehicle owned by its parent, Sirius XM Radio, as well as Slaight Communications and Obelysk Media, a PE firm. The transaction, completed in May, valued the company at about $472 million.\n\n9) Vesta Energy investment\n\nVesta Energy secured about $305 million in financing in May. The lion’s share of the round, or $295 million, was supplied by Riverstone Holdings and JOG Capital. Based in Calgary, Vesta is focused on light oil exploration and production.\n\n10) Cona Resources sponsor-to-sponsor\n\nWaterous Energy Fund in April agreed to buy a 67 percent stake in Cona Resources, a Calgary crude-oil producer. The price tag is $244 million. The sellers are Riverstone Holdings and NGP Energy Capital Management, which have backed Cona, formerly Northern Blizzard Resources, since 2009.\n\nPhoto courtesy of BsWei/iStock/Getty Images", "entities": []}
{"text": "Czech Credo Ventures invests in Romanian DCS Plus.\n\nRomanian DCS Plus announces its latest investment this time made by Credo Ventures. The investment was announced yesterday but the amount still remains undisclosed.\n\nReportedly, the new investment will help DCS Plus to fulfill its mission to expand its international operation in Middle East, Central and North Africa and Southeast Asia. Actually the company has already announced to open its office in Dubai in the second quarter of this year.\n\n“We are already preparing the launch of some game-changing technologies quite soon”, stated Cristian Dinca, DCS Plus CEO.\n\nOndrej Bartos, partner at Credo Ventures, in the press release issued by the company, said that with this investment they see the potential for DCS Plus to make the now fragmented and inefficient market more efficient and transparent for the travelers.\n\n“Travel tech category has experienced massive growth over the past few years, reflecting the fact that travel and tourism industry makes up to 10% of global GDP and accounts for nearly as many jobs. Surprisingly the sector is extremely fragmented, and inefficient from the customer’s point of view. We strongly believe that dcs plus has developed a very strong suite of products for travel industry, and has the potential to not only become a leading provider of travel software, but also make the market more efficient and transparent for the travelers”\n\nDCS plus is a global leading company, committed to designing and developing IT solutions for the travel and tourism industry. Founded in 2002, Romanian DCS plus operates worldwide, offering adaptable, cutting-edge resources and tools for hundreds of travel and tourism professionals.\n\nOn the other hand, Credo Ventures, founded in 2009 in Czech Republic, is a venture capital company focused on early stage investments in Central Europe. Their focus are IT, Internet & Health early stage companies.", "entities": [[0, 20, "investor"], [32, 40, "headquarters_loc"], [41, 49, "org_in_focus"], [52, 60, "headquarters_loc"], [61, 69, "org_in_focus"], [120, 134, "investor"], [165, 174, "date_of_funding"], [204, 215, "money_funded"], [1568, 1572, "year_founded"], [1574, 1582, "headquarters_loc"], [1583, 1591, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "AC Photonics Grabs Investment.\n\nTweet SANTA CLARA, CA, CenterGate Capital has made an investment in AC Photonics.\n\nTo export AC Photonics funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on AC PhotonicsTo export AC Photonics funding data to PDF and Excel, click here CenterGate Capital (\"CenterGate\"), an Austin-based private equity investment firm, announced today that it has made an investment in AC Photonics (\"ACP\"), a leading provider of precision optical and fiber optic components and modules designed and engineered to its customers' precise specifications.\n\nHeadquartered in Santa Clara, California, ACP designs and engineers its products to its customers' precise specifications, creating photonic solutions across a wide range of fiber optic communication applications. With an industry leading quality control program that delivers high reliability products, its product portfolio includes fiber optic components and modules, both passive and active, fused and/or filter based- all of which are relied on by its customers to enhance their capabilities and improve their network performance.\n\n\n\nCEO Arthur Wang, who founded ACP in 1995, will continue to lead the company and serve on its Board of Directors.\n\n\n\n\"We could not be more excited to have CenterGate partner with ACP,\" commented Wang. \"CenterGate's investment will provide ACP the capital and strategic resources necessary to both better serve our customers and realize our future growth plans.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nLewis Schoenwetter, Managing Director at CenterGate Capital, added, \"CenterGate is thrilled to partner with Arthur and the dynamic AC Photonics team. We believe our partnership will unlock additional opportunities as ACP continues on its growth path as we leverage its passive optical components leadership position for new customers and markets.\"\n\n\n\nRobert Ullman of Dinan Capital Advisors acted as the exclusive financial advisor to ACP on the transaction.\n\n\n\nAbout AC Photonics\n\nAC Photonics is a leading provider of precision optical and fiber optic components and modules, both passive and active. Its design and engineering expertise services a broad product portfolio of optical solutions including fiber optic modules, fused and/or filter based fiber optic components, switches, PM components, PLC products, light sources, modulators, and optical lenses and prisms. Headquartered in Santa Clara, Califonia, ACP's product portfolio delivers optical and optoelectronic integrated solutions across a wide range of fiber optic applications. For more information, please visit http://www.acphotonics.com.\n\n\n\nAbout CenterGate Capital\n\nCenterGate Capital is a private equity firm that helps companies drive meaningful growth and value through dynamic partnerships and supportive capital. CenterGate enables companies to realize their potential by supplementing management's operational and industry expertise with CenterGate's diverse business guidance and insight. CenterGate focuses on investing in lower middle market companies with $20 to $250 million of revenue. Companies interested in more information should visit http://www.centergatecapital.com.", "entities": [[0, 12, "org_in_focus"], [38, 53, "headquarters_loc"], [55, 73, "investor"], [100, 112, "org_in_focus"], [289, 307, "investor"], [382, 387, "date_of_funding"], [422, 434, "org_in_focus"], [437, 440, "org_in_focus"], [607, 630, "headquarters_loc"], [632, 635, "org_in_focus"], [1158, 1161, "org_in_focus"], [1165, 1169, "year_founded"], [2386, 2408, "headquarters_loc"], [2410, 2413, "org_in_focus"], [2575, 2601, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "RANOVUS Announces $11M Round of Financing.\n\nYour Source for Venture Capital and Private Equity Financings Massinvestor/VC News Daily VC DATABASE / MOBILE APP / CELEBRITY VCs / VENTURE TRACKR / ARCHIVE / ABOUT US RANOVUS Announces $11M Round of Financing Tweet OTTAWA, CANADA, Leading provider of multi-terabit interconnect solutions for Data Center and communications networks, today announced the closure of an $11 million round of financing.\n\nTo export RANOVUS funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on RANOVUSTo export RANOVUS funding data to PDF and Excel, click here\n\n\n\nRANOVUS' mission is to deliver innovative interconnect solutions to enable a scalable infrastructure to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand for fast, reliable and cost-effective network connectivity. Our technology delivers significant reduction in power dissipation, size and cost of interconnects, and enables a much lower latency compared to traditional solutions.\n\n\n\n'We started RANOVUS with a world-class team of technologists and marketers to address the ever increasing challenge of cost-effectively scaling Data Center networks. Our platform technology enables Data Center operators to achieve cost-effective, power efficient and low latency connectivity from 100Gb/s to multi Tb/s,' said Hamid Arabzadeh, RANOVUS' Chairman, President and CEO. 'We are delighted to have such reputable global investors as Azure Capital Partners, T-Venture, BDC Venture Capital, and OMERS Ventures sharing our vision and investing in RANOVUS as we enter the market validation phase of our disruptive product portfolio.'\n\n\n\nRANOVUS' product platform is enabled by the company's innovation in Quantum Dot Multi-Wavelength Laser technology combined with advanced digital and photonics integrated circuit technologies.\n\n\n\n'Over the last decade we have invested and closely partnered with emerging technology leaders that have transformed the landscape of the communications industry. RANOVUS's solutions enable a high capacity platform for cost-effective terabit interconnectivity-- a reality that is required for the new cloud computing infrastructure' said Paul Ferris, founding General Partner, with Azure Capital Partners. 'The RANOVUS team are veterans in the industry and have already delivered key technology milestones while partnering closely with leading data center players, network operators and OEMs to deliver their first market defining product.'\n\n\n\n'There has never been a better time to invest in companies that address global resource, productivity and efficiency challenges. RANOVUS is such a company, commercializing innovative technology' stated Larry Lam, Partner with the BDC Venture Capital Energy/Cleantech Fund. 'Their ability to raise this level of funding from a series of tier-1 investors is a testament to their value proposition. I'm very excited to join the team as a member of the board of directors and look forward to supporting the company in its exciting journey.'\n\n\n\nRANOVUS will utilize the new round of financing to execute on the company's innovative roadmap, its expansion plan to support product delivery and ramp up its leading interconnect solutions.\n\n\n\nAbout RANOVUS\n\n\n\nRANOVUS, with operations in Ottawa, Canada and San Jose, USA, is a solution provider for the next generation interconnects for the telecommunications and information technology industries. RANOVUS' current disruptive portfolio includes Quantum Dot Multi-Wavelength Laser technology and advanced digital and photonics integrated circuit technologies that are setting a new industry benchmark for the lowest power dissipation, size and cost for the next generation of optical interconnect solutions.\n\n\n\nThe company was founded in February 2012 and has received financing from leading venture capital firms including Azure Capital Partners, T-Venture, BDC Venture Capital, OMERS Ventures, and MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund. Additional information about RANOVUS can be found at\n\n\n\nFor more information please contact:\n\n\n\nSaeid Aramideh\n\nRANOVUS\n\nChief Marketing and Sales Officer\n\nEmail: info@ranovus.com\n\n\n\nAbout Azure Capital Partners\n\n\n\nFounded in 2000, Azure is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm with over $750 million under management. Azure invests in early stage technology companies that are at the forefront of a transformative opportunity for growth. Azure's portfolio companies have included some of the most successful and important technology companies created in the last decade, such as VMware (NYSE: VMW), Bill Me Later (acquired by eBay), Calix (NYSE: CALX), Cyan (NYSE: CYNI), Top Tier (acquired by SAP), TripIt (acquired by Concur) and World Wide Packets (acquired by Ciena).\n\n\n\nAbout T-Venture\n\n\n\nT-Venture is the Venture Capital Company of Deutsche Telekom and was founded in 1997. The headquarters is in Bonn. They are supported and complemented by T-Venture of America, Inc. in San Francisco and Seattle. Investment activities focus on Europe, the United States and Israel. T-Venture today is one of the leading Corporate Venture Capital companies worldwide. Since its inception, T-Venture has invested in more than 190 companies and accomplished more than 20 very successful exits. Top executive involvement in the T-Venture Supervisory Board and Investment Committees ensure strong alignment with Deutsche Telekom.\n\n\n\nAbout BDC Venture Capital\n\n\n\nWith more than $1 billion under management and more than 25 years of industry experience, BDC Venture Capital is an investor of choice focusing on venture funds as well as IT, healthcare, and energy/clean technology companies with high growth potential. From seed through expansion to exit, our mandate is to help build outstanding Canadian companies, while working to create a sound financial ecosystem for Canadian technology ventures. Find out more at www.bdc.ca/vc or on Twitter @BDC_VC.\n\n\n\nMedia contact information:\n\nShawn Salewski\n\nManager, Public Relations\n\nShawn.SALEWSKI@bdc.ca\n\n\n\nAbout OMERS Ventures\n\n\n\nOMERS Ventures (Twitter: @OMERSVentures) is the venture capital investment arm of OMERS, one of Canada's largest pension funds with nearly $61 billion in net assets. It is an initiative of OMERS Strategic Investments (OSI), an investment entity with a mandate to build long-term strategic relationships with like-minded partners. As both an institutional angel investor and a later-stage investor, OMERS Ventures is looking for successful companies with significant growth potential and market opportunities. We are seeking like-minded partners with a shared vision of building a vibrant and successful knowledge economy. For more information please visit www.omersventures.com.\n\n\n\nMedia contact information:\n\nLori McLeod\n\nlmcleod@omersventures.com\n\n\n\nAbout MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund\n\n\n\nThe Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF) (@MaRSIAF) provides seed funding to qualified emerging companies in Ontario. A critical component of the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE), the IAF supports the launch and development of innovative companies in Ontario's priority sectors of advanced materials and manufacturing, information technology, cleantech and life sciences. To learn more, visit www.marsdd.com/aboutmars/partners/iaf. RANOVUS Inc., a leading provider of multi-terabit interconnect solutions for Data Center and communications networks, today announced the closure of an $11 million round of financing.RANOVUS' mission is to deliver innovative interconnect solutions to enable a scalable infrastructure to keep pace with the ever-increasing demand for fast, reliable and cost-effective network connectivity. Our technology delivers significant reduction in power dissipation, size and cost of interconnects, and enables a much lower latency compared to traditional solutions.'We started RANOVUS with a world-class team of technologists and marketers to address the ever increasing challenge of cost-effectively scaling Data Center networks. Our platform technology enables Data Center operators to achieve cost-effective, power efficient and low latency connectivity from 100Gb/s to multi Tb/s,' said Hamid Arabzadeh, RANOVUS' Chairman, President and CEO. 'We are delighted to have such reputable global investors as Azure Capital Partners, T-Venture, BDC Venture Capital, and OMERS Ventures sharing our vision and investing in RANOVUS as we enter the market validation phase of our disruptive product portfolio.'RANOVUS' product platform is enabled by the company's innovation in Quantum Dot Multi-Wavelength Laser technology combined with advanced digital and photonics integrated circuit technologies.'Over the last decade we have invested and closely partnered with emerging technology leaders that have transformed the landscape of the communications industry. RANOVUS's solutions enable a high capacity platform for cost-effective terabit interconnectivity-- a reality that is required for the new cloud computing infrastructure' said Paul Ferris, founding General Partner, with Azure Capital Partners. 'The RANOVUS team are veterans in the industry and have already delivered key technology milestones while partnering closely with leading data center players, network operators and OEMs to deliver their first market defining product.''There has never been a better time to invest in companies that address global resource, productivity and efficiency challenges. RANOVUS is such a company, commercializing innovative technology' stated Larry Lam, Partner with the BDC Venture Capital Energy/Cleantech Fund. 'Their ability to raise this level of funding from a series of tier-1 investors is a testament to their value proposition. I'm very excited to join the team as a member of the board of directors and look forward to supporting the company in its exciting journey.'RANOVUS will utilize the new round of financing to execute on the company's innovative roadmap, its expansion plan to support product delivery and ramp up its leading interconnect solutions.About RANOVUSRANOVUS, with operations in Ottawa, Canada and San Jose, USA, is a solution provider for the next generation interconnects for the telecommunications and information technology industries. RANOVUS' current disruptive portfolio includes Quantum Dot Multi-Wavelength Laser technology and advanced digital and photonics integrated circuit technologies that are setting a new industry benchmark for the lowest power dissipation, size and cost for the next generation of optical interconnect solutions.The company was founded in February 2012 and has received financing from leading venture capital firms including Azure Capital Partners, T-Venture, BDC Venture Capital, OMERS Ventures, and MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund. Additional information about RANOVUS can be found at www.ranovus.com For more information please contact:Saeid AramidehRANOVUSChief Marketing and Sales OfficerEmail: info@ranovus.comAbout Azure Capital PartnersFounded in 2000, Azure is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm with over $750 million under management. Azure invests in early stage technology companies that are at the forefront of a transformative opportunity for growth. Azure's portfolio companies have included some of the most successful and important technology companies created in the last decade, such as VMware (NYSE: VMW), Bill Me Later (acquired by eBay), Calix (NYSE: CALX), Cyan (NYSE: CYNI), Top Tier (acquired by SAP), TripIt (acquired by Concur) and World Wide Packets (acquired by Ciena).About T-VentureT-Venture is the Venture Capital Company of Deutsche Telekom and was founded in 1997. The headquarters is in Bonn. They are supported and complemented by T-Venture of America, Inc. in San Francisco and Seattle. Investment activities focus on Europe, the United States and Israel. T-Venture today is one of the leading Corporate Venture Capital companies worldwide. Since its inception, T-Venture has invested in more than 190 companies and accomplished more than 20 very successful exits. Top executive involvement in the T-Venture Supervisory Board and Investment Committees ensure strong alignment with Deutsche Telekom.About BDC Venture CapitalWith more than $1 billion under management and more than 25 years of industry experience, BDC Venture Capital is an investor of choice focusing on venture funds as well as IT, healthcare, and energy/clean technology companies with high growth potential. From seed through expansion to exit, our mandate is to help build outstanding Canadian companies, while working to create a sound financial ecosystem for Canadian technology ventures. Find out more at www.bdc.ca/vc or on Twitter @BDC_VC.Media contact information:Shawn SalewskiManager, Public RelationsShawn.SALEWSKI@bdc.caAbout OMERS VenturesOMERS Ventures (Twitter: @OMERSVentures) is the venture capital investment arm of OMERS, one of Canada's largest pension funds with nearly $61 billion in net assets. It is an initiative of OMERS Strategic Investments (OSI), an investment entity with a mandate to build long-term strategic relationships with like-minded partners. As both an institutional angel investor and a later-stage investor, OMERS Ventures is looking for successful companies with significant growth potential and market opportunities. We are seeking like-minded partners with a shared vision of building a vibrant and successful knowledge economy. For more information please visit www.omersventures.com.Media contact information:Lori McLeodlmcleod@omersventures.comAbout MaRS Investment Accelerator FundThe Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF) (@MaRSIAF) provides seed funding to qualified emerging companies in Ontario. A critical component of the Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE), the IAF supports the launch and development of innovative companies in Ontario's priority sectors of advanced materials and manufacturing, information technology, cleantech and life sciences. To learn more, visit www.marsdd.com/aboutmars/partners/iaf. (c)2011-2018 by Massinvestor, Inc. For contact info, please check out our about page. >> Click here for in-depth research on 4,000 VC firms", "entities": [[0, 7, "org_in_focus"], [18, 22, "money_funded"], [212, 219, "org_in_focus"], [230, 234, "money_funded"], [260, 274, "headquarters_loc"], [378, 383, "date_of_funding"], [412, 423, "money_funded"], [3752, 3756, "year_founded"], [7239, 7251, "org_in_focus"], [7357, 7362, "date_of_funding"], [7391, 7402, "money_funded"], [10535, 10539, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "Pebble Time just became the most successful Kickstarter ever.\n\nPebble launched its Pebble Time Kickstarter campaign one week ago today. The campaign reached a million dollars in less than 20 minutes, and continued to raise money at an alarming rate for a week straight. Following this morning’s announcement of the Pebble Time Steel, The Verge reports that the Pebble Time campaign has become the most successful Kickstarter campaign ever.\n\nThis morning we reported that the campaign had already received $12 million in funding. Today’s addition of a Steel option and announcement of a new Smartstraps program has added another million dollars to the campaign. At time of writing, the campaign had already received more than $13.6 million in funding from close to 60,000 backers.\n\nThe Verge reminds us that number one most funded Kickstart project was last year’s Coolest Cooler. It received $13,285,226 in funding despite its $50,000 goal thanks to commitments from 62,642 backers. The Coolest Cooler has now been bumped and sits at number two, sandwiched between the original Pebble and the upcoming Pebble Time.\n\nWith 24 days to go, the Pebble Time’s funding will likely hit $20 million before the campaign expires. That will be a tough record to beat.\n\nThis article was originally published on our sister-site, MobileSyrup.", "entities": []}
{"text": "ONCAP acquires Precision Global from Peak Rock Capital.\n\nONCAP, the mid-market investment arm of Canadian private equity firm Onex Corp, has acquired Precision Global, a Greenville, South Carolina-based maker of dispensing solutions.\n\nTerms weren’t disclosed. The seller was U.S. private equity firm Peak Rock Capital, which acquired the company in 2015.\n\nFounded in 1949, Precision produces aerosol valves, custom actuators and other dispensing solutions for a range of end markets, including personal care, household, food and beverage, industrial and pharmaceutical. It operates a network of facilities in 15 countries.\n\nONCAP IV, which raised US$1.1 billion in 2016, invested about US$111 million in the deal. ONCAP said it will support management efforts to grow Precision organically and through acquisitions.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nONCAP Acquires Precision Global\n\nTORONTO, ON and GREENVILLE, S.C., Aug. 07, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ONCAP today announced it has acquired Precision Global (“Precision”), a leading global manufacturer of dispensing solutions. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.\n\nFounded in 1949, Precision’s dispensing solutions include more than 12,000 SKUs, which are sold into end markets such as personal care, household, food & beverage, industrial and pharmaceutical. Its products include aerosol valves, actuators, pumps, caps and related aerosol accessories, custom closures and other specialty dispensing solutions. The company is the largest supplier of valves in the world selling more than four billion annually and also produces and sells two billion actuators annually. Headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, Precision employs more than 1,500 people across 18 facilities in 15 countries and six continents.\n\n“Precision serves a growing market with high-quality, reliable and innovative products that are critical to its customers and end users,” said Ryan Mashinter, a Managing Director with ONCAP. “We are excited to partner with Precision’s management team to accelerate the company’s growth both organically and through acquisitions for years to come.”\n\n“ONCAP’s strong investment track record and deep experience in the packaging industry, makes it an ideal partner for us,” said Mario Barbero, Chief Executive Officer of Precision. “Together, we’ll continue to invest in our business with an ongoing focus to be the best in class global supplier of quality, service and innovation in all regions.”\n\nONCAP IV invested approximately $111 million, of which Onex Corporation’s (TSX: ONEX) share was $44 million as a limited partner in the Fund.\n\nAbout ONCAP\n\nONCAP is the mid-market private equity platform of Onex. In partnership with operating company management teams, ONCAP invests in and builds value in North American headquartered medium-sized businesses that are market leaders and possess meaningful growth potential. For more information on ONCAP, visit its website at www.oncap.com.\n\nOnex is one of the oldest and most successful private equity firms. Through its Onex Partners and ONCAP private equity funds, Onex acquires and builds high-quality businesses in partnership with talented management teams. At Onex Credit, Onex manages and invests in leveraged loans, collateralized loan obligations and other credit securities. Onex has more than $32 billion of assets under management, including $6.7 billion of Onex proprietary capital, in private equity and credit securities. With offices in Toronto, New York, New Jersey and London, Onex and the team are collectively the largest investors across Onex’ platforms. Onex shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol ONEX. For more information on Onex, visit its website at www.onex.com.\n\nAbout Precision Global\n\nFounded in 1949 by the inventor of the aerosol valve, Precision Global is one of the world’s leading producers of aerosol valves, custom actuators and other dispensing solutions for a variety of end markets, including personal care, household, food & beverage, industrial and pharmaceutical. Based in Greenville, South Carolina, the Company operates a multinational network of facilities spanning fifteen countries on six continents. For more information on Precision Global, please visit www.precisionglobal.com.\n\nFor further information:\n\nOnex\n\nEmilie Blouin\n\nDirector, Investor Relations\n\nTel: 416.362.7711\n\nPrecision Global\n\nThomas Schmidt\n\nDirector Marketing and Product Development\n\nthomas.schmidt@precisionglobal.com", "entities": []}
{"text": "Helsinki-based MultiTaction raises €7 million in growth capital for its big data visualisation solution.\n\nMultiTaction, a leading provider of advanced visualisation solutions, today announced that it has secured €7million of additional growth capital from Harbert European Growth Capital Fund (HEGCF).\n\nIn the last financial year, MultiTaction has significantly grown its business at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 50%. Building on this momentum, MultiTaction will use the funding to further accelerate growth of its MT Canvus software platform for real-time collaboration and big data analytics.\n\nFounded in 2007, MultiTaction isn’t exactly a startup anymore, but their innovative platform offers a completely unique solution for all kinds of organisations that are struggling today to leverage the vast sums invested in taming big data challenges. The investment will help MultiTaction to accelerate the further growth with particular emphasis on markets in Asia, Germany and the UK. Current investments in research and development will be expanded in order to speed time to market on new software developments along with market entry into key verticals such as medical technology and security.\n\nMT Canvus can sit on top of both the ultra-responsive MultiTaction interactive video wall technology as well as other touch devices. The solution is used by organisations globally in more than 50 countries and leveraged by some of the world’s leading corporate brands to gain operational insights from their big data investments through collaborative analytics; to engage clients by showcasing their solutions through an interactive platform and to increase productivity through socialising and educating staff on new operations, processes and products.\n\nPete Malcolm, CEO of MultiTaction stated: “According to leading industry analysts over 80% of big data projects will fail next year and we believe that we have the solution to help organisations gain real-time insights from their big data. Harbert’s investment will help us reach into new market segments and accelerate delivery of new software solutions. We are delighted to be working with Harbert.”\n\nCheck out the video below to get a better idea for what MultiTaction and its MT Canvus software actually does:", "entities": [[0, 8, "headquarters_loc"], [15, 27, "org_in_focus"], [35, 45, "money_funded"], [106, 118, "org_in_focus"], [176, 181, "date_of_funding"], [212, 221, "money_funded"], [256, 292, "investor"], [611, 615, "year_founded"], [617, 629, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Tech.eu Podcast #112: The Copyright Directive mess; is Spotify the next Netflix; scooter wars of the past; interview with BlaBlaCar’s Nicolas Brusson; and more.\n\nTech.eu Podcast hosted by Natalie Novick and Andrii Degeler is a show in which we discuss some of the most interesting stories from the European technology scene and interview leading entrepreneurs and investors from across the region.\n\nYou can find the latest episode here or embedded below.\n\nBy the way, you can also subscribe and listen to the podcast on Spotify, SoundCloud, or iTunes.\n\nHere’s what we discussed this time.\n\n🎧 The Copyright Directive is a mess\n\n🎧 Spotify, the next Netflix?\n\n🎧 Interview: Nicolas Brusson, co-founder and CEO of BlaBlaCar\n\n🎧 Event highlights\n\nSesame Summit on April 4—5 in Valencia, Spain;\n\nAccessible Transport for Berlin Challenge on April 9—10 in Berlin, Germany.\n\nIf you are looking for more things to do, check out our events section. Have a suggestion to add? Let us know by filling out the form.\n\n🎧 Reading and listening recommendations", "entities": []}
{"text": "Commonwealth Fusion Systems Secures $115M Series A.\n\nTweet CAMBRIDGE, MA, Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), a startup commercializing fusion energy, today announced it has raised $115 million and closed its Series A round.\n\nTo export Commonwealth Fusion Systems funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on Commonwealth Fusion SystemsTo export Commonwealth Fusion Systems funding data to PDF and Excel, click here New participants in the round include Future Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Lowercase Capital, Moore Strategic Ventures, Safar Partners, Schooner Capital, and Starlight Ventures who join Eni, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, The Engine and other investors committed to supporting the commercialization of fusion energy. CFS is collaborating with MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center to develop the world's first net energy gain fusion system, called SPARC.\n\n\n\n\"This visionary group of investors share our mission of revolutionizing the energy landscape with a fundamentally new power source to meet our global demands and combat climate change,\" said Bob Mumgaard, CEO of CFS. \"CFS is on track to commercialize fusion and deliver an inherently safe, globally scalable, carbon-free, and limitless energy source.\"\n\n\n\nLeveraging decades of MIT-led research, CFS will produce first-of-its-kind high temperature superconductor magnets to build smaller and lower-cost fusion power plants. This funding will allow CFS to demonstrate its magnet technology at full scale. CFS in collaboration with MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center will use these magnets to build SPARC by 2025 and demonstrate net energy gain from fusion for the first time in history. SPARC will pave the way for the first commercially viable fusion power plant called ARC, which will produce fusion power onto the grid.\n\n\n\n\"We need drastic changes and advances in the way we generate the world's energy supply,\" said Vinod Khosla, Founder of Khosla Ventures. \"After looking closely at the fusion landscape, it's clear that the CFS approach is the world's best bet for getting commercial fusion power in time to make a difference.\"\n\n\n\n\"We have been looking for the right clean energy investment opportunity in fusion for the past 20 years,\" said Steve Jurvetson, CEO of Future Ventures. \"We wanted a company that was ready to make a business of fusion and we have finally found it with Commonwealth Fusion Systems. The hard science from which their approach is based has been proven by this team as well as leaders in the field around the world. With some clever engineering, CFS is ready to harness the power of the solar cycle to change the world and usher in the era of clean baseload energy generation for the betterment of all.\"\n\n\n\nAbout CFS\n\nCommonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is on track to bring fusion energy technology to market. CFS was spun out of MIT and is collaborating with MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center to leverage decades of research combined with the innovation and speed of the private sector. Supported by the world's leading investors in breakthrough energy technologies, the CFS team is uniquely positioned to deliver the fastest path to commercial fusion energy.", "entities": [[0, 27, "org_in_focus"], [36, 41, "money_funded"], [42, 51, "type_of_funding"], [59, 72, "headquarters_loc"], [74, 101, "org_in_focus"], [103, 106, "org_in_focus"], [150, 155, "date_of_funding"], [180, 192, "money_funded"], [208, 216, "type_of_funding"], [482, 497, "investor"], [499, 514, "investor"], [516, 533, "investor"], [535, 559, "investor"], [561, 575, "investor"], [577, 593, "investor"], [599, 630, "investor"], [632, 660, "investor"], [662, 672, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Electric Vehicles This Week: Transport Minister On EVs, Hyundai Kona Commits $200 Mn Investment And More.\n\nNitin Gadkari said the government will not ban petrol and diesel engines as speculated\n\nIndia’s transport minister Nitin Gadkari has assured the automobile industry that the government will not ban petrol and diesel engines, as speculated by many media reports. The minister was speaking at the Lok Sabha session held yesterday.\n\n“There is speculation on banning the existing industry, but we are not doing it. We understand that it contributes to the country’s exports and employment, but the switch over must happen at the earliest and (manufacturers must) move to electric, biofuel,” he said.\n\nEarlier in May, NITI Aayog had proposed a complete switch to electric two and three wheelers from 2023. The proposal had also talked about banning all internal combustion engine (ICE) three-wheelers by March 2023, and two-wheelers below 150 cc by 2025.\n\nGadkari said earlier this week that the government is focussing on various kinds of eco-friendly alternative fuels or biofuel, including ethanol and biodiesel. These combined with electric vehicles will help India cut air pollution and reduce crude oil imports.\n\nFurther, in a statement to the Lok Sabha, he had claimed that India has 3.97 Lakh registered electric/battery operated vehicles as of July 9.\n\nAccording to the transport minister, Uttar Pradesh has the highest registered EVs amounting to 1.39 Lakh. The northern state was closely followed by Delhi and Karnataka standing at 75.7K and 31.94K registered EVs respectively.\n\nChart of the week: EV Adoption Across Indian States\n\nEV News From India\n\nDigital retail and egovernance store network Vakrangee is planning to leverage its pan-India distribution setup to establish an electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country. Vakrangee claims to have 3.5K Nextgen Vakrangee Kendras across 20 states and 340 districts. “We would be an enabler by providing the distribution platform for the EV charging facility through our partnership with the EV service providers,” said Dinesh Nandwana, executive chairman of Vakrangee.\n\nSouth Korean automobile company Hyundai has committed to invest $200 Mn (INR 1,400 Cr) to develop affordable electric vehicles for the Indian market over the next three years. Hyundai Motor India managing director SS Kim reportedly said that they would use the resources to develop a dedicated electric vehicle architecture for local customers. At a later stage, these vehicles could be exported to emerging markets.\n\nShell E4 Startup Hub Hosted Demo Day For Its Second Cohort\n\nShell E4 Startup Hub hosted its 10 graduated startups include Mobycy, RightWatts, Ziptrax, igrenEnergi, TresMoto, Manastu Space, AutoVRse, LogisticsNow, Maximl and iGarage for a demo day. Launched in 2017, the programme is accelerating technologies that are fit for India’s energy transition. The startups were selected for incubation at the Shell Technology Centre Bangalore in January 2019 and were also offered a seed fund of $20K each.\n\nStartup of the week: eBikeGo\n\nAmritsar-based electric bike rental company eBikeGo was founded by Dr Irfan Khan in 2017. The company procures its electric bikes from the Indian EV manufacturer Okinawa Autotech. The startup is currently present in Delhi, Amritsar, Jaipur, Jalandhar, and Agra.\n\nThe company generates revenue through tourist and customer bike rentals along with partnerships with logistic delivery providers. Some notable partners of the company include Zomato, Delhivery, Go Stops, Ferns N Petals, Vpledge, Delhivery. Recently, it had also partnered with a Taiwanese electric scooter shared mobility platform UrDa to boost its expansion plans.\n\neBikeGo is aiming to capture 2% of the Indian electric two-wheeler market share in the near future, and plans to build a fleet of 200K bikes in 100 Indian cities.\n\nEV News From Around The World\n\nRenault Invests $145 Mn Into China’s Jiangling Motors\n\nFrench automobile giant Renault has invested around $145 Mn into a China-based Jiangling Motors. As a part of this investment, Renault will take a 50% stake in the company and establish a joint venture to build a new range of electric vehicles to expand the company’s foothold in the biggest market for EVs.\n\nChina Reported To Have 1 Mn EV Charging Stations\n\nOne reason China is a booming EV market is because of the robust charging infrastructure. According to Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance, by the end of June, China was recorded to have 412K public charging posts and 591K private charging points. 75.3% of all the public charging posts were found to be present in the 10 regions including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Cloud-based Facilities Services Provider SMS Assist Receives $45 Million Investment from Pritzker Group Venture Capital.\n\nFollows Several Recent Integrated Facilities Maintenance Contracts with Multi-Site National Retailers\n\nCHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–October 22, 2013–\n\nPritzker Group Venture Capital, formerly New World Ventures, today announced it invested $45 million in Chicago-based SMS Assist, the advanced mobile and cloud-based facilities maintenance technology company. This brings the Pritzkers’ total investment to $62 million.\n\n“SMS Assist has disruptive technology that is significantly reducing facilities maintenance expenses for some of the nation’s largest companies. Validating the company’s growth trajectory is a series of high-value contracts, including one of the largest in retail facilities maintenance history. We are helping to build a great company that is fundamentally changing its industry,” said J.B. Pritzker, Pritzker Group’s managing partner.\n\nSMS Assist offers advanced mobile and cloud-based technology capable of managing millions of daily facilities maintenance service orders. Its 28,000 affiliated providers currently service more than 50,000 U.S. locations for a client base primarily comprised of Fortune 500 companies. SMS’s proprietary technology platform turns cost centers into expense reduction centers by identifying innovative ways to reduce expenses and gain operational efficiencies while improving service quality. Customers also benefit from real-time visibility into work orders and spend by store, service type and geography, data that is unique to SMS Assist.\n\nSMS Assist recently announced it won a major multi-year contract expansion with a major retailer, consolidating services at nearly 8,000 U.S. locations. The company currently provides services to 50,000 locations for national companies including Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), Best Buy (NYSE: BBY), CBRE (NYSE: CBG), Diamond Resorts International (NYSE: DRII) and Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL).\n\nSMS Assist is now Pritzker Group’s largest venture investment, surpassing its $50 million investment in IO, the leading provider of next-generation modular data center technology and services. It is the most recent late stage investment for Pritzker Group Venture Capital, which recently announced the expansion of its investments to include large, later-stage funding of companies with disruptive technology that are nearing IPO or revolutionizing industries.\n\n“The backing of Pritzker Group means SMS Assist will have the growth capital it needs to continue providing the highest quality service to our customers, no matter how much business we add. They are committed to helping us make SMS Assist the world leader in its industry, and we are extremely proud that they have chosen to partner with us,” said Michael Rothman, SMS Assist chief executive officer.\n\nAbout Pritzker Group Venture Capital\n\nPritzker Group Venture Capital, formerly New World Ventures, helps entrepreneurs build market-leading technology companies at every stage of their growth. Since its founding in 1996, the firm has worked side-by-side with entrepreneurs at more than 100 companies, building partnerships based on trust and integrity. The firm’s proprietary capital structure allows for tremendous flexibility, and its experienced team of investment professionals and entrepreneurs offers companies a vast network of strategic relationships and guidance. Successful exits in recent years include Fleetmatics (NYSE: FLTX), SinglePlatform (acquired by Constant Contact), Zinch (acquired by Chegg), Playdom (acquired by Disney), LeftHand Networks (acquired by Hewlett-Packard), and TicketsNow (acquired by Ticketmaster).\n\nAbout SMS Assist\n\nChicago-based SMS Assist is an advanced technology company whose mobile and cloud-based facilities maintenance platform manages over 28,000 affiliated providers to service a nationwide roster of Fortune 500 clients representing over 50,000 locations. SMS’s proprietary technology provides vendor management, logistics planning, real-time order tracking, predictive modeling and electronic invoicing to deliver on-time, best-in-class service to every location, every time. A leader in facilities management, SMS and its affiliated providers execute millions of services annually while delivering significant cost savings to their clients.\n\nAileron Communications\n\nSheridan Chaney\n\n312.629.9400", "entities": [[41, 51, "org_in_focus"], [61, 72, "money_funded"], [89, 119, "investor"], [225, 232, "headquarters_loc"], [249, 265, "date_of_funding"], [268, 298, "investor"], [309, 327, "investor"], [329, 334, "date_of_funding"], [357, 368, "money_funded"], [372, 379, "headquarters_loc"], [386, 396, "org_in_focus"], [3726, 3733, "headquarters_loc"], [3740, 3750, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Flipkart To Make Another Bet On Customer Loyalty Programme.\n\nLoyalty Programme For Customers Who Hit A Certain Threshold Of Purchases; Flipkart To Spend $173 Mn In Three Years On This Plan\n\nIndian ecommerce company Flipkart is ready to make another bet on its customer loyalty programme, but in a unique way. Rather than charging an upfront fee for the membership, the Flipkart customer loyalty programme will be activated once a customer hits a certain threshold of purchases.\n\nAccording to reports, the company has set aside $173 Mn (INR 1,178 Cr) for expenditure on services under the programme for the next three years. The scheme is expected to be launched by the end of July.\n\nBeing tagged ‘Lock-In’, the programme is expected to offer Flipkart’s “loyal customers” faster and free deliveries, early access to deals, and other privileges across its group companies, including Phone-Pe and Myntra.\n\nEarlier, in 2014, Flipkart had launched and then rolled back its loyalty programme due to lukewarm response, while its arch-rival Amazon continued to increase the customer base of its subscription-based Prime service, which offers fast and one-day delivery, among other benefits.\n\nThe report cited an anonymous Flipkart employee as stating: “The idea is to start treating the cohort of loyal customers as more special. This is why it will be based on frequency and repeat purchases rather than a fixed fee paid upfront.”\n\nThe Flipkart Lock-In programme has been brewing for a year, as a loyalty team was constituted around July 2017.\n\nThe ‘Festive Pass’, which was launched during the company’s annual flagship sale in September 2017 was a testing phase of this loyalty programme to understand the market before full-fledged launch of the service.\n\nFlipkart had tied up with MakeMyTrip, Gaana, Uber, and Hotstar for ‘festive pass’ and these tieups are expected to be a part of the loyalty programme too.\n\nFlipkart: Increasing Focus On Customers\n\nAfter the Walmart deal, Flipkart continues to expand its product portfolio, commitments, and plans for new ventures. Earlier, the company asked its employees to continue delivering after the acquisition.\n\nInc42 had earlier reported that Flipkart’s grocery operations would start in Hyderabad, followed by Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, and Pune.\n\nFlipkart had plans to explore the ‘fresh’ category of fruits and vegetables in Bengaluru, where it launched grocery services last year.\n\nIt also plans to offer steep price cuts on groceries at the beginning and end of each month, similar to the offers made by Amazon India and BigBasket, with discounts of 25-50% on groceries.\n\nPrior to this, CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy had announced that the company will include “gemstone” and “jewellery” as the focused categories for 2019.\n\nIn FY 2017-18, the gross merchandise volume (GMV) of Flipkart was $7.5 Bn and net sales of $4.6 Bn, representing more than 50% growth year-over-year in both cases, according to the numbers shared by Walmart. This has come on the back of growth in categories like fashion, mobile phones and large appliances.\n\nAlso, Flipkart announced the launch of a durability certification called FurniSure. With this move, the ecommerce makes furniture certified by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) available to both online and offline shoppers.\n\nEmphasising on quality control further, the company had introduced checks and balances for its sellers to audit product quality so that it can reduce its return rate from customers due to poor quality products.\n\nFlipkart sent an email to its sellers stating that if they fail to pass the audit, they could be delisted or they might even lose the ‘Flipkart Assured’ badge on the platform.\n\nWhile the ecommerce major addresses Competition Commission of India and Income Tax authorities over Walmart acquisition, the continuous complaints by traders’ and sellers’ body haven’t been able to divert the company’s attention away from its customers.\n\n[The development was reported by ET.]", "entities": []}
{"text": "Ghanaian agri-tech startup AgroCenta closes $650k seed round of funding.\n\nGhanaian agri-tech startup AgroCenta has closed a seed round of equity and non-equity funding worth US$650,000 in order to scale its operations.\n\n\n\nFounded in 2015, AgroCenta is an online sales solution for smallholder farmers, with two offerings – supply chain platform AgroTrade, and financial inclusion service AgroPay.\n\n\n\nThe startup was crowned global winner of early-stage pitching competition Seedstars World back in April, and Seedstars is a participant in its seed round of funding, alongside other investors that include Switzerland-based company NP Consulting.\n\n\n\nDisrupt Africa reported yesterday AgroCenta was one of six African startups awarded non-equity funding by the GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator. Though the startup’s co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Francis Obirikorang declined to disclose the breakdown of equity versus grant cash, Disrupt Africa can confirm that the GSMA input is worth around US$250,000.\n\nObirikorang said the funds will be used to scale up AgroCenta’s operations in Ghana, while the GSMA grant is more specifically geared towards the AgroPay platform, which provides any smallholder farmer who has traded using AgroTrade with a financial statement they can use to get access to finance.", "entities": [[0, 8, "headquarters_loc"], [27, 36, "org_in_focus"], [44, 49, "money_funded"], [50, 54, "type_of_funding"], [74, 82, "headquarters_loc"], [101, 110, "org_in_focus"], [124, 128, "type_of_funding"], [138, 144, "type_of_funding"], [149, 159, "type_of_funding"], [174, 184, "money_funded"], [233, 237, "year_founded"], [239, 248, "org_in_focus"], [683, 692, "org_in_focus"], [759, 785, "investor"]]}
{"text": "With €557M growth capital in 2018, Dutch startup ecosystem solidifies its position once again.\n\nOver the last several years, the Netherlands enjoys a flourishing entrepreneurial scene and is one of the forerunners when it comes to the startup activities in Europe. As the year passes, the number of inspiring Dutch startups seems to be only growing to new heights.\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nIn the latest report by Startupjuncture, the Dutch startups raised €557 million in growth capital in 2018 with a total of more than 130 deals.\n\nNotably, the funding in 2018 is considerably higher when compared to 2017 with €442 million. According to Startupjuncture.com, the reason to publish this funding overview is to provide transparency in the Dutch Ecosystem and to help startups plan their investment strategy.\n\nThey’ve also mentioned, “We hope the list shows startups what type of startups receive funding in The Netherlands, who the most active investors are, what the typical amount of funding is and at what stage startups can get funding.”\n\nIn particular, 11 startups have received more than 15 million in funding last year, compared with 6 in 2017. Some of the startups include Bitfury, Dutch Finance Lab, Xenikos, Shapeways, Ohpen, Framer, Mimetas, Lava Therapeutics, Digital Insurance Group, Tiqets and more.\n\nStay tuned to Silicon Canals for more updates in the tech startup world.\n\nDid you know you can post your job for free on our job board? If you require extra promotion, reach out to [email protected] for a discounted offer.", "entities": []}
{"text": "GoCardless raises $22.5 mln.\n\nGoCardless has raised another $22.5 million from existing investors Accel, Balderton Capital, Notion and Passion. GoCardless, of London, said it has processed £3 billion worth of transactions for over 30,000 organizations across the UK and Europe.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nInvestors add $22.5M for GoCardless’ $4bn bank-to-bank network\n\nAccel, Balderton Capital, Notion, and Passion return for latest round\n\n$4bn annual transactions across 30k businesses\n\nSenior hires from Skyscanner & Demandware\n\nOn the back of record annual growth in the UK and strong, early traction in new markets, GoCardless’ existing investors are doubling down with $22.5M to accelerate the creation of the first global bank-to-bank payments network.\n\nAcross the world, existing recurring payment options are incredibly fragmented between countries. Historic users of these solutions have primarily been domestic businesses with no requirement for international reach.\n\nHowever, with the dramatic growth of global subscriptions and SaaS platforms, there is now soaring demand for a better way to collect recurring payments globally and no simple solution.\n\nThis is where GoCardless comes in. By creating a new international payments network, its mission is to help businesses take and settle recurring payments from anywhere, to anywhere, in any currency.\n\nAlready, GoCardless users are collecting payments across the UK, Eurozone and Sweden, with Australia and Denmark coming soon and more to follow.\n\nWith this head start, they provide the solution to one of the financial world’s most enduring challenges.\n\nHiroki Takeuchi, CEO and founder, explains:\n\n“As more and more businesses become international, they face endless frustrations in managing payments across multiple territories. What we have engineered is a way to simply plug recurring payments into their existing systems, across the world, so they can focus on the challenges that really matter.”\n\nMartin Gibson from Accel, who led the round, said:\n\n“We look for businesses solving real problems and using tech to make cumbersome processes scalable. GoCardless has already demonstrated tremendous growth in this area, and recent hires at the senior level show it is building the business to own this sector.”\n\n“To see GoCardless with such a head start on this mission, yet still pushing to accelerate faster, is exactly what we look for in our founders.”\n\nAward-winning\n\n2nd place in Deloitte Fast 50\n\n11th in 2017 Sunday Times Tech Track 100\n\nExpanding team\n\nAndrew Gilboy joins as new Chief Revenue Officer, from Demandware\n\nCarlos Gonzales-Cadenas joins as Chief Product & Technology Officer, from Skyscanner\n\nGrowing global partnerships\n\nSage\n\nZuora\n\nXero\n\nQuickBooks\n\nAbout GoCardless\n\nGoCardless now processes over $4bn worth of transactions across more than 30,000 organisations in the UK and Europe.\n\nSupporting businesses from small startups to large enterprises across a number of industries they are transforming the recurring payments industry by opening up access and providing a customer focused digital Direct Debit solution.\n\nTheir leading API and off the shelf integrations with over 100 partners including Xero, Sage and Zuora ensure payments can be built into the heart of the business. Customers include Sage, Thomas Cook, Box and The Guardian.\n\nAbout Accel\n\nAccel is a leading venture capital firm that invests in people and their companies from the earliest days through all phases of private company growth. Atlassian, Avito, BlaBlaCar, Cloudera, Deliveroo, DJI, Dropbox, Etsy, Facebook, Flipkart, Funding Circle, Kayak, QlikTech, Slack, Spotify, Supercell and WorldRemit are among the companies the firm has backed over the past 30 years.\n\nThe firm seeks to understand entrepreneurs as individuals, appreciate their originality and play to their strengths. Because greatness doesn’t have a stereotype. For more, visit www.accel.com, www.facebook.com/accel or www.twitter.com/accel.", "entities": [[0, 10, "org_in_focus"], [18, 27, "money_funded"], [30, 40, "org_in_focus"], [60, 73, "money_funded"], [98, 103, "investor"], [105, 122, "investor"], [124, 130, "investor"], [135, 142, "investor"], [144, 154, "org_in_focus"], [159, 165, "headquarters_loc"], [308, 314, "money_funded"], [319, 329, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "HD Medical Secures Strategic Investment from Maxim Ventures.\n\nSUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–February 4, 2016–\n\nSunnyvale-based HD Medical Inc. and Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. of San Jose today announced that Maxim has made an $800,000 strategic investment in HD Medical, in the form of a convertible promissory note intended to convert into HD Medical’s next preferred equity round of financing. The majority of Maxim’s investment will be dedicated to HD Medical’s new product development of its visual stethoscope technology utilizing a low power Maxim chipset for the advancement of digital health.\n\nHD Medical develops the ViScope® visual stethoscope product family. These unique visual stethoscopes provide “dynamic auscultation™”, the ability to see what one hears for a more accurate diagnosis. ViScope’s integrated visual display shows heart waveforms in real-time, making it a perfect device for patient screening, teaching, home health, telemedicine and other digital health applications.\n\nIn this medical application, Maxim is leveraging its sensor and ultra-low-power integrated circuit technologies. Through Maxim Ventures, the company applies its product portfolio and system knowledge to build companies that extend up the data-flow value chain into equipment, systems, software, and services.\n\n“We are excited by the growth and vision we’ve seen from HD Medical’s team,” said Mr. Shailendra Mahajan, Managing Director of Maxim Ventures. “We believe that the product roadmap directly corresponds with the healthcare professional’s needs and also opens up opportunities in tele-medicine and home healthcare markets. Our goal is to ensure both our companies significantly contribute to the advancement of digital health,” said Mr. Chris Neil, SVP of Maxim and Head of Maxim Ventures.\n\n“With Maxim’s impressive investor confidence, HD Medical is well poised for future growth and investment,” stated Mr. Arvind Thiagarajan, Founder & CEO of HD Medical, Inc. “This agreement will accelerate as well as enhance our new product development and position us to ramp our revenues.”\n\nAbout Maxim Ventures\n\nMaxim Ventures, the venture arm of Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (“Maxim”), invests in new businesses that are “beyond the chip.” We leverage Maxim’s enabling sensor and integrated circuit technologies and use that know-how as the basis to build companies that extend up the data-flow value chain into equipment, systems, software and services. Visit us at http://www.maximventures.com.\n\nAbout HD Medical, Inc.\n\nHD Medical, Inc. is a medical device innovator based in California, USA with Offices in Sydney, Australia and Research Labs in Chennai, India. Since 2005 the company has designed and developed medical products for use in screening and early detection of cardiac conditions. The company markets its innovations to medical professionals, large medical institutions and channel partners through operations in the USA and Asia Pacific. HD Medical’s patented technologies and products offer a paradigm shift in clinical diagnostics. Coming from a tradition of helping to promote personal and community health, through exceptional healthcare diagnostic products and solutions, HD Medical, Inc. is committed to delivering “Higher Dimensions in Digital Health”.\n\nLearn more at www.hdmedicalgroup.com.\n\nNote to editors: ViScope is a registered trademark and Dynamic Auscultation is a trademark of HD Medical, Inc. All other company, organization, product or alliance names mentioned herein remain the property of their respective owners.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160204005819/en/\n\nHD Medical, Inc.\n\nKristi Furrer, 303-525-0924\n\nkristi@hdmedicalgroup.com\n\nor\n\nMaxim Integrated Products, Inc.\n\nFerda Millan, 408-601-5429\n\nferda.millan@maximintegrated.com", "entities": [[0, 10, "org_in_focus"], [45, 59, "investor"], [62, 79, "headquarters_loc"], [96, 112, "date_of_funding"], [115, 124, "headquarters_loc"], [131, 146, "org_in_focus"], [195, 200, "date_of_funding"], [216, 221, "org_in_focus"], [234, 242, "money_funded"], [267, 277, "org_in_focus"], [296, 323, "type_of_funding"], [2532, 2548, "org_in_focus"], [2588, 2603, "headquarters_loc"]]}
{"text": "Sterling Partners’ EOF recruits Stead as operating partner, talent and leadership.\n\nSterling Partners’ Education Opportunity Fund has named Ofa Stead as operating partner, talent and leadership. Previously, Stead worked at EOF’s portfolio company Amerigo Education where she served as chief of people and enterprise.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nCHICAGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sterling Partners’ Education Opportunity Fund (“EOF”), a fund focused on partnering with purpose-driven companies and leaders who foster impactful and long-lasting innovation within the education and training sectors, announced today it has appointed Ofa Stead to Operating Partner, Talent and Leadership. Stead, who joins EOF from within the Fund’s network, will work alongside the Fund’s investment team to identify entrepreneurs and executives for EOF’s portfolio to build and enhance human capital strategies.\n\n“We have known Ofa for years and have a great admiration and respect for her positive impact on organizations,” said Shoshana Vernick, Managing Director of EOF. “Ofa has a rare ability to connect on a meaningful level with everyone she meets. She cares deeply about people and organizational culture. We are thrilled for her to join our team and know that her innovative thinking will not only make our companies better but will make us smarter investors, too.”\n\nStead joins EOF from EOF’s portfolio company Amerigo Education (“Amerigo”), where she served as Chief of People and Enterprise. At EOF, Stead’s focus will be on building stunning workplace cultures across the network through talent attraction and implementing modern human capital strategies.\n\nStead has over two decades of expertise and has spent her career overseeing HR functions, creating world-class global teams and thriving company cultures at organizations ranging from startups to financial institutions like HSBC to Fortune 500 companies like British Petroleum. Most recently at Amerigo, which provides an exclusive education model for international students from around the world at American high schools, Stead oversaw the company’s HR and talent needs, entry into new markets, and led the workplace project that won Crain’s coolest office.\n\n“I can’t be cool about this – EOF is incredible and I’m beyond excited to join the team,” said Stead. “EOF combines values plus value to make a difference in people’s lives, which is so inspiring to me. As a member of the Sterling network the past few years, I have seen firsthand their commitment and aptitude for identifying organizations on the forefront of innovation and globalization within the education and training sectors. I love working at companies that can help redefine an industry by making a difference through people and Sterling is at the forefront of this innovation.”\n\nAbout Sterling Partners Education Opportunity Fund: Sterling Partners is a diversified investment management firm. Its eighth private equity fund, the Education Opportunity Fund (“EOF”), was launched in partnership with Strada Education Network in April 2015. The Fund’s objective is to invest in purpose-driven companies and partner with high-performing leaders who are taking an innovative approach to transforming the education landscape. EOF targets opportunities where it can invest $10 million to $50 million of equity capital in growth-stage, technology-relevant businesses. For more information, visit www.educationfund.sterlingpartners.com.", "entities": []}
{"text": "John Sculley, Former CEO of Apple and Pepsi, Bets on RxAdvance as the Game Changer in the PBM Marketplace, Disrupting Decades Old Business Models.\n\nSOUTHBOROUGH, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–February 26, 2016–\n\nRxAdvance, a full- service pharmacy benefit management (PBM) company, today announced that John Sculley, the former CEO of Apple, Pepsi and founding shareholder of RxAdvance, has joined the RxAdvance board of directors and is serving as vice-chairman. In addition, Mr. Sculley has participated in Series A4 funding that closed in December 2015.\n\n“RxAdvance is disrupting a market that has not experienced a major transformation for over 30 years. Guided by a vision of being a true partner with health plans, RxAdvance’s leadership is reshaping the value proposition for the PBM industry,” said Mr. Sculley.\n\n“The RxAdvance integrated and transformational platform, built on a unified data model, will effectively reduce overall pharmacy spend and drug-impacted medical costs while optimizing specialty costs for plan sponsors,” added Mr. Sculley.\n\nHe is one of America’s best-known business leaders, with one foot in the storied history of Apple technology and the other planted firmly in 21st century innovations that change the way the world does business. Drawing upon many years of experience as a corporate executive, investor, entrepreneur, mentor, and rainmaker, he has become a sought-after global advisor helping experienced entrepreneurs build a new generation of transformative companies.\n\nMr. Sculley’s domain expertise includes data science innovation, predictive analytics, consumer brand building, supply chain systems, and growth equity investing. He has also advised companies in many industries: In health-technology (RxAdvance, Rally Health, MDLIVE, FLEXPharma, SleepMed); financial-technology (NEFT); mobile-technology (MetroPCS, Obi Worldphone); and marketing–technology (Zeta Interactive). Mr. Sculley’s previous healthcare technology exits include Rally Health to United Healthcare and Misfit to Fossil.\n\nJohn Sculley served on the Board of Overseers of both the MIT Media Lab and Wharton Business School for 15 years. He has also received Wharton’s highest honor, The Joseph Wharton Award for Outstanding Leadership. When he was Apple CEO, several industry groups named him Marketing CEO of the Decade. In 2015, the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations awarded him The Ellis Island Medal of Honor.\n\n“We are honored to have one of the leading minds in technology and business as a partner, mentor, and board member. We are truly delighted to have John onboard. More importantly, his wisdom and guidance is priceless and will enable us to transform the $750 billion PBM and ancillary industries,” said Ravi Ika, President & CEO of RxAdvance.\n\n“Ravi introduced cloud computing to the healthcare industry fifteen years ago through the enterprise cloud payer platform, ikaSystems. This time around, as an early explorer of machine learning, he has created an innovative enterprise collaborative PBM cloud platform. As a result, RxAdvance provides actionable intelligence to prescribers at the point-of-care, pharmacists at the point-of-sale, members proactively engaged through the mobile cloud, and plan sponsors’ pharmacy and medical staffs via care and case management workflows,” said Mr. Sculley.\n\nHe is author of “Moonshot “Game Changing Strategies to Build Billion Dollar Businesses”. He is married to Diane Sculley who is also his partner in Sculley Family Office.\n\nAbout RxAdvance\n\nRxAdvance is a national full-service pharmacy benefit manager leveraging Collaborative PBM Cloud™ to manage standard and specialty drug benefits with unmatched regulatory compliance and transparency. In addition, RxAdvance offers a global pharmacy risk partnership model standing shoulder-to-shoulder with plan sponsors. Our tailored, world-class services that reduce overall pharmacy costs, reduce avoidable drug impacted medical costs, and optimize specialty spend while improving patient quality of life are for all plan sponsors – health plans, accountable care organizations (ACOs), exchanges, state Medicaid programs, and employer groups. We provide contractually guaranteed savings in administrative costs, ingredient unit costs, and rebate revenues. www.rxadvance.com.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160226005530/en/\n\nRxAdvance\n\nPooja Sammeta, 508-804-6900\n\npsammeta@rxadvance.com", "entities": []}
{"text": "Acquire Raises $5.4 Million Seed to Transform the Rules of Customer Engagement.\n\nSAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–November 18, 2019–\n\nAcquire, the first enterprise platform to truly modernize and automate customer communication, has raised $5.4 million in seed funding. The latest round was led by S28 Capital with participation from Fathom Capital and NHN Ventures.\n\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191118005701/en/\n\nAcquire Founders – Laduram Vishnoi and Amritpal Dhangal (Photo: Business Wire)\n\nAcquire will use the seed funding to accelerate its leadership in AI product development and expand its team globally.\n\nIn today’s highly competitive purchasing landscape, prospects expect immediate answers online, directly from business websites. Customers everywhere continue to crave more sophisticated, even faster, real-time support, while businesses struggle with balancing automation and personalization to create better experiences.\n\nUnderstanding the current limitations, Acquire delivers real-time, proactive support across all channels through its patented, instantaneous cobrowsing feature (an interactive and privacy-oriented form of screen sharing). Its platform also includes a comprehensive sales funnel and customer experience (CX) automation dashboard, live chat, and AI chatbots – enabling businesses to continuously engage with prospects and customers while minimizing resolution time and redundancy.\n\nBusinesses use Acquire to increase online conversions, improve customer loyalty, and reduce handle time.\n\nHeadquartered in San Francisco and founded by Laduram Vishnoi and Amrit Dhangal, Acquire has an impressive roster of clients including Elevate, Audi, and the UK government. Acquire boasts more than 30 integrations with a variety of sales, support, and communication software (e.g. Salesforce, Zendesk, Hubspot, Slack, and more), successfully positioning itself as a connected enterprise communication platform.\n\n“No one should have to download and install an old, clunky software to receive stellar sales or customer support experience on your website. We are on a mission to create a modern, sleek support experience that matches the caliber of our customers’ brands.” Vishnoi said. “Everyone is expecting more from businesses. It’s time to go beyond the traditional live chat windows to engage with our customers.”\n\n“Acquire is a story of founder grit and hustle,” Shvet Jain, partner at S28 Capital said, on his firm’s excitement about the opportunity. “Buyers are becoming exhausted with point solutions. Acquire has a rare combination of high product quality and comprehensive enterprise feature set.”\n\nAbout Acquire\n\nAcquire equips enterprise support and sales teams with the digital tools they need to create the best possible customer experiences. With features including secure cobrowsing, video and voice calls, AI chatbots, and live chat, Acquire empowers teams to boost sales and resolve complex support issues in real-time. Headquartered in San Francisco and with offices in Boston and India, Acquire has over 15,000 users from all over the world and across multiple industries in the Fortune 500. Its investors include S28 Capital, Fathom Capital, and NHN Ventures. Acquire was recently recognized as a high performer on G2 Crowd in Fall 2019. For more information, visit www.acquire.io.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191118005701/en/\n\nName: Rohma Abbas\n\nEmail ID: rohma@acquire.io\n\nContact no. +1 (415) 212-5151", "entities": [[0, 7, "org_in_focus"], [15, 27, "money_funded"], [28, 32, "type_of_funding"], [81, 94, "headquarters_loc"], [111, 128, "date_of_funding"], [131, 138, "org_in_focus"], [237, 249, "money_funded"], [253, 257, "type_of_funding"], [295, 306, "investor"], [331, 345, "investor"], [350, 362, "investor"], [3054, 3067, "headquarters_loc"], [3386, 3400, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Ghent-based Yields.io raises €1.25 million to conquer model risk in the global financial markets.\n\nYields.io, a new service provider for financial model validation, today announced a €1.25 million seed funding round – led by Volta Ventures, and joined by Pamica NV. The startup was founded in April 2017 and currently employs seven people out of its offices in Ghent (Belgium) and New York City.\n\nYields.io offers automated model monitoring and validation services to the financial sector, identifying issues in algorithms and turning them into actionable business insights. The solution provides C-level executives with a real-time comprehensive overview of all model risk across the enterprise, bringing transparency to the highly specialized field of mathematical modeling. Simultaneously it empowers the quantitative teams with a solution to shorten the development cycle and address new business opportunities more quickly. In order to comply with increasingly strict ECB requirements related to the use of mathematical models, several Tier 1 investment banks are already piloting Yields.io’s platform.\n\nJos Gheerardyn, co-founder and CEO of Yields.io said: “After the credit crisis and the London Whale incident, model risk – which is the risk one takes by using mathematical models – has become center stage in the financial industry. The process of model testing is currently very manual. As a consequence, banks can hardly keep up with the increased requirements around model governance. Yields.io leverages A.I. to bring more transparency to this process and to empower model validators, model users and managers alike with a highly scalable and structured solution.”\n\nYves Petit, venture partner with Volta Ventures concluded: “It was the outstanding combination of a financial background, mathematical expertise and modular software systems that impressed us. Yields.io’s platform is an excellent automation solution in a very labour-intensive world, while also providing the financial C-level with a heatmap of its company-wide used models. Supporting Yields.io in providing this solution now onto a global scale is a challenge we look forward to.”", "entities": [[0, 5, "headquarters_loc"], [12, 21, "org_in_focus"], [29, 42, "money_funded"], [99, 108, "org_in_focus"], [165, 170, "date_of_funding"], [183, 196, "money_funded"], [197, 201, "type_of_funding"], [225, 239, "investor"], [255, 264, "investor"], [299, 303, "year_founded"], [361, 366, "headquarters_loc"]]}
{"text": "SA’s Tritech Media invests in location marketing startup ProximityID.\n\nSouth African digital media firm Tritech Media has acquired a 25 per cent stake in real-time location-based technology leader ProximityID, with an option to increase its holding to 50.1 per cent.\n\nIt is the latest investment by the company, which is controlled by the Kirsh family and in April invested in another local real-time proximity advertising startup, Ionizr.\n\nThe remainder of the shares in ProximityID are held by the founders of the business and leading fintech company Synthesis Ventures, a subsidiary of Synthesis Software Technologies, which developed the technology.\n\nReal-time location-based marketing in shopping malls and retail tenants is considered the fastest growing sector of the advertising industry, and is projected to grow to US$18 billion by 2018. Tritech said ProximityID’s vision was to bridge the gap between customer and retailer in a highly precise and innovative way, improving the customer’s shopping experience and providing retailers with the ability to provide unparalleled customer service.\n\nProximityID can accurately determine a consumer’s presence at the point of sale (POS) and transmit the required encrypted credentials enabling a cardless loyalty and rewards system with automatic customer acknowledgement.\n\n“We are delighted shortly after the Ionizr acquisition, to now further entrench ourselves in this attractive, fast-growing sector of the advertising industry. ProximityID and Ionizr have such a great complementary fit,” said William Kirsh, chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of Tritech Media.\n\n“This acquisition further underscores our leading position as South Africa’s only and leading corporate precision-based communications group. Both Ionizr and ProximityID will also benefit from the geospatial data around shopping malls from our recently-announced acquisition of Geospatial Data Solutions.”\n\nWayne Gluckmann, CEO and co-founder of ProximityID, said he was excited to become part of Tritech Media.\n\n“The complementary fit with Ionizr is compelling. The relationship with Ionizr will speed up our route to market and its scope,” he said. “We look forward to working together on this unique end-to-end solution, providing retailers and shopping centre owners with a 360-degree view of their customer’s journey and the ability to offer pin-point personalised engagement.”", "entities": [[5, 18, "investor"], [57, 68, "org_in_focus"], [104, 117, "investor"], [197, 208, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "British beauty industry booking startup Shedul raises $20 million at a $105 million valuation.\n\nLondon-based booking platform for salons and spas Shedul has landed $20 million in funding at a valuation of $105 million. Partech has led the round, with participation from Target Global, BECO Capital, FJ Labs, and the founder of Delivery Hero Niklas Östberg.\n\nThe company, which has customers in 120 countries with a focus on the markets of the US, the UK, Australia and Canada, stated that its SaaS platform currently facilitates 8 million appointments every month. By the end of 2019, it expects to have processed $6 billion worth of appointment bookings.\n\nIn addition to the “backend” platform for salons and spas, Shedul has also launched Fresha, a marketplace that connects merchants who use its SaaS solution to customers. The company plans to use the latest funding to make the marketplace available globally.", "entities": [[0, 7, "headquarters_loc"], [40, 46, "org_in_focus"], [54, 65, "money_funded"], [71, 83, "valuation"], [96, 102, "headquarters_loc"], [146, 152, "org_in_focus"], [164, 175, "money_funded"], [205, 217, "valuation"], [219, 226, "investor"], [270, 283, "investor"], [285, 297, "investor"], [299, 306, "investor"], [341, 355, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Swiss Post invests in startups and partners with the investment platform investiere.ch.\n\nIn return for an investment, Swiss Post requires only a minority interest. This allows the startups to continue to develop with agility in the market. This corporate venture capital initiative is long-term in nature and enjoys the full support of the company’s leadership team.\n\nWhen selecting and assessing the startups, Swiss Post works with investiere.ch, a venture capital specialist, provider of an investment platform, and one of the most active startup investors in Switzerland. As part of the collaboration, Swiss Post has already made an initial investment in a robotics startup.\n\nFounded more than 160 years ago, the Swiss Post has long relied on the innovation of more than 61,000 employees in-house and conducted innovative projects with startups. In light of the challenges posed by digital transformation, Swiss Post is now additionally strengthening its capacity for innovation with targeted investments in startups.\n\ninvestiere.ch is one of the leading online startup investment platforms in Europe. The investiere community, which currently counts 10,000 members, independently identifies the most promising startups, which are then carefully vetted and selected by industry experts and the investiere team. To date, investiere.ch has successfully concluded more than 50 rounds of financing. investiere.ch was launched in 2010 and has offices in Baar, Zurich and Geneva.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Egyptian traveltech startup Tripdizer to invest $300k seed round in tech, building brand.\n\nCairo-based traveltech startup Tripdizer plans to invest the $300 000 seed round it announced that it had raised last week, on developing its platform and building its brand name.\n\nTripdizer’s platform helps users choose, plan, book and pay for trips. It does this by using machine learning to understand user’s preferences, needs and budgets. The startup was founded in 2017 by Ziad El Adawy, Yara Yehia, Sameh Saleh, Hatem Ayoub and Mohamed Mostafa.\n\nThe round was led by 500 Startups through its 500 Falcons Middle East and North Africa (MENA) focused fund with the participation of angel investor Jamal El Dabal and Innoventures.\n\nTripdizer was founded in 2017 and was part of 500 Startup’s MENA Dojo accelerator\n\nEl Adawy responding to questions last Friday (8 November) said the round — which includes $150 000 the startup raised from 500 Startups as part of its participation in the third cohort of the VC’s MENA Dojo accelerator — was concluded in August.\n\n“This is the total amount of funding we have officially raised aside from money that were put in by the founders in the beginning,” pointed out El Adawy.\n\nEl Adawy said Tripdizer’s revenues and users have been growing. Without disclosing any figures, he said the startup has tripled the revenue it generated last year and plans to release a new product next month that he expects will increase sales next year.\n\nTripdizer sees Africa as an important market and has plans to expand on the continent. El Adawy explained that this is because more people on the continent are travelling abroad as their incomes rise.\n\nAfrica, he added, is becoming one of the “hot travel destinations” and inbound travel will serve the continent well.\n\n“We will also be expanding in the MENA region, as it is the fastest growing market for outbound travels in the world and technology adoption is high, our product fits perfectly for both regions and we want to be at the forefront of the travel industry in both regions,” he said.\n\n‘Significant growth in MENA online travel market’\n\nSharif El-Badawi, 500 Startups MENA managing partner, said in an earlier statement that the MENA region has seen “significant growth” in the online travel market.\n\nHe attributed this to tech savvy consumers who are now looking for an overall travel booking experience where they want to plan and book their accommodation, tickets, tours and activities all on one common platform.\n\nEl-Badawi said in such a market Tripdizer is “strategically positioned” to change complicated and intricate travel plans into an exciting, comfortable and memorable travel experience.\n\n“Tripdizer has been growing steadily at 30% month-on-month, successfully increasing the customer base to thousands of travelers.\n\n“We are pleased to have led this funding round and look forward to working closely with this remarkable team as they advance to the forefront of the travel industry,” said El-Badawi.\n\nTripdizer was earlier this year recognised by the UN World Trade Organisation (UNWTO) and the Egyptian tourism ministry as one of the most innovative travel startups in the region.\n\nFeatured image: Tripdizer team (Supplied)", "entities": []}
{"text": "#Startupfest Chats: Crew knows what real traction is after $10M round.\n\nMontreal’s International Startup Festival was a week of sun, fun, and compelling conversation. Here’s one of the great startup chats we had à Le Jardin des Écluses.\n\n\n\nMontreal-based curated design and development marketplace Crew got its summer started right with a $10 million Series A round, led by Accomplice, with participation from Real Ventures, iNovia, BDC Capital, and others. The FounderFuel alumnus was on hand at #Startupfest as the round was closing, so we sat down with Crew co-founder Luke Chesser about scaling curation, and understanding what successful entrepreneurs mean when they talk about traction.\n\nSo you’re from Vancouver, but you’re now here permanently in Montreal. How did that happen?\n\nI originally came up to Montreal when I was 17 to go to McGill University for engineering. And I was doing engineering – civil engineering – and it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. It was missing the creative aspect of engineering that I was really interested in.\n\nIn my last year at McGill I hooked up with the three other co-founders of Crew – Mikael, Stephanie, and Angus – they were working on this company called Ooomf, which had just gone through FounderFuel. I joined them right after they raised the first half a million dollars, and basically from there we did the usual startup thing and pivoted maybe three or four months after I started.\n\nAnd the ‘usual startup thing’ in this case is basically figuring out what to do?\n\nYeah, we were basically looking for product-market fit. We were working on a mobile landing page for apps, and while we were working on it we weren’t getting a lot of traction. It’s hard to know at the time what traction looks like because you’ve never done this before, but when we pivoted to the idea of building a marketplace for mobile and web talent, what we realized is that we hadn’t seen traction before like what we’ve seen now.\n\nIn our first month we did about $100,000 in projects and just from there it took off. In our first year, we saw our average project size continually creep up to the point where it was $5,000, and in our first six months I think we did $1,000,000 in projects. Since then, in the last year and a half, we’ve done over $15,000,000 USD in projects, and the average project size is around $10,000.\n\nSo let’s talk a bit about the platform, because there has been an explosion in the last couple of years of marketplaces that connect talent to clients. But you guys are taking a more curated approach.\n\nI think most people are aware that there are marketplaces online, and have been for a little while, that will connect you designers, developers, maids, whatever it is. And they all go on the lowest price point model, based upon the way that they’ve set up the marketplace and the interactions between the people posting the projects and the talent that’s on there.\n\n“It’s hard to know at the time what traction looks like because you’ve never done this before.”\n\nAnd what you see is that quality doesn’t always win, it’s basically a competition on price. The work suffers, and the people that work on the projects aren’t happy because they’re always competing on price.\n\nSo what we’ve done is flipped it, and said from the beginning we’d curate both sides. What that means is to be part of the platform, a designer or a developer is vetted by our team. What we look at is past projects they’ve worked on, past experiences, how they interact with clients and how they communicate. And while they’re working on a project we’re constantly looking at how they interact with clients on Crew, to make sure we’re constantly vetting.\n\nOn the flip side, we work with project owners to help them make the best decisions possible for their budget – like maybe choosing a landing page over a full site. Basically what we’re trying to do is provide some kind of value even if we can’t match them with someone in their price range.\n\nSo you’re basically Match.com’ing a whole industry vertical.\n\nBasically, yeah.\n\nWe were talking about traction before, but how do you scale that? I’m assuming it was a lot of work and trust building on both sides.\n\nThere’s kind of a couple of ways that we’re scaling it. The first is that our support team and project management staff is incredible, and as we’ve scaled we’ve worked on tools to quickly figure out whether or not a project is going to be a good fit for Crew. So that’s been a lot of work on the back end for our developers.\n\nOn the other side, what we’re trying to do is educate people before they come onto the platform. So that means we’ve put up tools like how much to make an app, which blew up actually on the Internet.\n\nOk, now a $10 million round, bringing you to I think 13-14 million total raised to date. What’s the next step?\n\nThe first thing is definitely continuing to build the team. To give you an idea, at this time last year we were probably five or six people working on Crew, and now we’re about 24 people. So our biggest challenge over the last year has been growing the team and making sure the people on it are excited and talented. We’re going to try and double that team size, but do it without losing the quality of the team.\n\nAt the same time, we’re going to be doubling down on our marketing efforts. We do a lot of stuff to built trust and provide information outside of the platform, to help bring people onto the platform. Because it’s a high barrier for you to get onto the platform and post a project – that’s a pretty big commitment and trust. And what we found was building tools outside of the platform that people could use for free, they saw the level of work we did, and the level of commitment to quality, and that builds trust when they are ready to build something.", "entities": [[20, 24, "org_in_focus"], [59, 63, "money_funded"], [240, 248, "headquarters_loc"], [298, 302, "org_in_focus"], [339, 350, "money_funded"], [351, 359, "type_of_funding"], [374, 384, "investor"], [410, 423, "investor"], [425, 431, "investor"], [433, 444, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Virtual School Puts the Power of Basic Education Back into the Hands of Every Learner, Teacher and Parent in South Africa.\n\nJOHANNESBURG, South Africa–(BUSINESS WIRE)–September 12, 2014–\n\nIn partnership with Mxit Reach and UNICEF, the South African Education Ministry today proudly launched the Ukufunda Virtual School, a program utilizing both smartphones and feature phones to deliver high-quality education to the underserved, rural corners of South Africa.\n\nUkufunda, which means “learn to grow and grow to learn” in Zulu, will promote equitable access to quality learning and teaching, enable professional development of teachers, and support curriculum delivery – all through the revolutionary use of mobile phones.\n\nWith the support of Mxit, the South African-born mobile social networking platform, Ukufunda seeks to address a problem inherent in many other virtual schools today: namely that most mobile-enabled educational technology requires access to the web or smart devices. In South Africa, as in many parts of the world, access to the web and ownership of a smart device is beyond the reach of those who need education the most. Because Mxit can function in areas where only 2G connectivity is available and on over 8,000 devices – on everything from feature phones to smartphones and tablets – the benefits of the virtual school are no longer restricted to smartphone users.\n\n“The Ukufunda Virtual School will directly address inequalities in the school system, raise education standards and put the power of basic education back into the hands of every learner, teacher and parent,” says Mr. Enver Surty, Deputy Minister of Basic Education in South Africa.\n\nFounded in 2005, Mxit is a South African mobile social network with millions of active users monthly. Because Mxit is incredibly data-light – thanks to a unique compression algorithm to control data consumption and lower costs – users are able to spend more time chatting, learning, or just socializing in as many as 22 different languages.\n\n“We believe that one of our most important roles is to act as a technology conduit, linking experts such as the Department of Basic Education and UNICEF and their content and services with the people who need it most,” says Andrew Rudge, CEO of Mxit Reach.\n\n“We are excited to be part of such a meaningful project. Ukufunda doesn’t only provide free access to great educational content, but is rather a holistic approach to learner and teacher wellbeing, focusing on psychosocial support, safety and wellness. It’s a giant leap forward in improving lines of communication and linking all stakeholders,” comments Ms. Nadi Albino, Chief of Education, UNICEF South Africa.\n\nSouth Africa has an estimated mobile phone penetration rate of 228%*, which suggests that most teachers, parents, and a substantial number of learners, are likely to have access to mobile services. The learner section of Ukufunda currently includes the following services:\n\nMy Calendar – Notification of tasks and events\n\n– Notification of tasks and events My Educational Resources – Links to textbooks and reference material\n\n– Links to textbooks and reference material My Safety and Wellness – Links to counselling and emergency services\n\n– Links to counselling and emergency services My Groups – Virtual communities of practice\n\nThe next phase of the Virtual School will include a section for My Homework, assisting learners to complete homework assignments, and My Mentor, a yearlong mentorship that matches learners with either working professionals or tertiary students.\n\n“A good school doesn’t just have excellent teachers, it also has a great supportive environment – there are counsellors to deal with psychosocial issues, experts to guide career choices, and leadership courses to develop well-rounded individuals. Ukufunda provides all of these and more,” concludes Mr. Enver Surty, Deputy Minister of Basic Education.\n\n*GSMA: Mobile Economy Sub-Saharan Africa 2013\n\nMxit\n\nDave Luis\n\nMedia Manager\n\nMobile: +27 (0)71 129 0903\n\ndave@mxit.com\n\nor\n\nBen-Carl Havemann\n\nMarketing & Communications Manager\n\nMobile: +27 (0)82 872 4208\n\nbc@mxit.com\n\nor\n\nDepartment of Basic Education, South Africa\n\nElijah Mhlanga, +27 (0)12 357 3773\n\nActing Chief Director: Media Liaison – National and Provincial Communication\n\nMobile: +27 (0)83 580 8275\n\nMhlanga.E@dbe.gov.za\n\nor\n\nUNICEF\n\nBen-Albert Smith\n\nCommunication Officer at UNICEF South Africa\n\nMobile: +27 (0) 0715080801\n\nbsmith@unicef.org\n\nor\n\nRacepoint Global (U.S. Contact)\n\nAndra Searles, +1 202-517-1381\n\nAssistant Account Executive\n\nasearles@racepointglobal.com", "entities": []}
{"text": "Kenyan find-a-craftsman startup Fundis raises seed funding.\n\nKenyan startup Fundis, a P2P platform that connects users with vetted craftsmen, has raised a seed funding round from local VC firm Kuria Capital as it prepares to launch version two of its app.\n\nFundis connects users with informal technicians and craftsmen, addressing a fragmented industry by offering access to competent, vetted and reliable specialists.\n\nIt has now raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from the Kenya-based Kuria Capital, through the Kuria Innovation Fund, which will be used to scale its operations and user base within Nairobi, and support a tech overhaul. The startup is launching version two of its app this month.\n\n“Kuria Capital believes in the high growth potential for solutions in the semi-formal work sector. Fundis is perhaps one of the strongest solutions in the market, and perhaps the best adapted for Kenya,” said Muchiru Kuria, principal at Kuria Capital.", "entities": [[0, 6, "headquarters_loc"], [32, 38, "org_in_focus"], [46, 50, "type_of_funding"], [61, 67, "org_in_focus"], [76, 82, "org_in_focus"], [155, 159, "type_of_funding"], [193, 206, "investor"], [441, 459, "money_funded"], [463, 467, "type_of_funding"], [497, 510, "investor"]]}
{"text": "ROAM Data Secures Strategic Investment.\n\nYour Source for Venture Capital and Private Equity Financings Massinvestor/VC News Daily VC DATABASE / MOBILE APP / CELEBRITY VCs / VENTURE TRACKR / ARCHIVE / ABOUT US ROAM Data Secures Strategic Investment Tweet BOSTON, MA, Developer of encrypted mobile card readers announced that Ingenico has invested in the company to further fuel its growth and to jointly offer its mCommerce solutions to payment service providers worldwide.\n\nTo export ROAM Data funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on ROAM DataTo export ROAM Data funding data to PDF and Excel, click here\n\n\n\n\"We are thrilled to have the trust and support of Ingenico's team. Their recognized expertise in payments and global reach will greatly bolster our growth plans,\" said CEO of ROAM Data, Will Graylin. \"This new investment will provide us the fuel to create even more mobile commerce innovations and to deliver the best solutions possible to partners and customers around the world.\"\n\n\n\nROAM provides best of breed hardware, software and services, and is a recognized leader in mobile card acceptance solutions. There has been a lot of news recently with notable brand names entering the mobile card acceptance market with more, major players preparing to enter this year. Behind the scenes, ROAM Data has been quietly servicing many of these players with its innovative, often white labeled, solutions. ROAM solutions turn merchants' smart phones and tablets into secure POS devices, and enable consumers to securely and conveniently buy goods and services inside of merchant's mobile apps and mobile offers, thus helping merchants sell more, faster, and easier in the mobile era. While ROAM does not market directly to small merchants, its list of partners that do so include some the largest merchant service providers in the world including Global Payments, Sage Payment Systems, Vantiv, North American Bancard, Total Merchant Services, First Data, Chase Paymentech and nearly 300 other domestic and international distribution partners.\n\n\n\nIngenico, who is a leading worldwide provider of payment solutions, initially invested in ROAM Data in November 2009, taking a 43% interest in ROAM when it was first launching its solution. Since then, ROAM has experienced more than 600% growth in revenue annually the past two years. It now plans to leverage this new round of funding to accelerate its market share and provide additional products and services for its payment service provider partners.\n\n\n\nROAM differentiation and value to its partners comes from over a decade of mobile commerce experience among its management team. ROAM was the first company to introduce the secure audio jack card readers to the market, it has a full suite of solutions on its platform that can be white-labeled, from mobile payment apps, to mobile checkout, to mobile offers and mobile wallet to help payment providers deliver mCommerce to its merchants. ROAM also offers a set of tools for developers to build their own applications using ROAM's platform, and to allow merchants to use their existing merchant accounts. ROAM's 3rd generation G3X mobile reader is best in class, supports hundreds of devices, from iOS, Android and Blackberry, to PCs and Macs, covering more compatible mobile devices than all other competing readers combined. ROAM's patented and patent pending solutions enable Merchant Service Providers to compete with the best technology in the fast changing mCommerce market.\n\n\n\nAbout ROAM\n\n\n\nROAM Data is the leading mCommerce Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) provider extending physical Point of Sales (POS) and eCommerce to the mobile environment, to help merchants find and keep customers. Founded in 2005, ROAM's solutions allow merchants to accept card payments on mobile devices, and allow consumers to easily make purchases in mobile shopping apps and ads. ROAM Data provides the total mCommerce platform including hardware peripherals, software, tools and services for merchant service providers to deliver powerful mobile commerce solutions to their merchants quickly, securely and robustly. Visit us at\n\n\n\nAbout Ingenico\n\n\n\nIngenico is a leading provider of payment solutions, with over 17 million terminals deployed in more than 125 countries. Its 3,600 employees worldwide support retailers, banks and service providers to optimize and secure their electronic payments solutions, develop their offer of services and increase their point of sales revenue. More information on http://www.ingenico.com . ROAM Data, the company behind a vast majority of the encrypted mobile card readers shipped in the past year and the leading mCommerce platform-as-a-service provider, announced today that Ingenico has invested in the company to further fuel its growth and to jointly offer its mCommerce solutions to payment service providers worldwide. With Ingenico's cash infusion and strategic partnership, ROAM now has the backing of a billion euro company behind its innovative team of mCommerce experts to further strengthen its core competence and solutions to its customers.\"We are thrilled to have the trust and support of Ingenico's team. Their recognized expertise in payments and global reach will greatly bolster our growth plans,\" said CEO of ROAM Data, Will Graylin. \"This new investment will provide us the fuel to create even more mobile commerce innovations and to deliver the best solutions possible to partners and customers around the world.\"ROAM provides best of breed hardware, software and services, and is a recognized leader in mobile card acceptance solutions. There has been a lot of news recently with notable brand names entering the mobile card acceptance market with more, major players preparing to enter this year. Behind the scenes, ROAM Data has been quietly servicing many of these players with its innovative, often white labeled, solutions. ROAM solutions turn merchants' smart phones and tablets into secure POS devices, and enable consumers to securely and conveniently buy goods and services inside of merchant's mobile apps and mobile offers, thus helping merchants sell more, faster, and easier in the mobile era. While ROAM does not market directly to small merchants, its list of partners that do so include some the largest merchant service providers in the world including Global Payments, Sage Payment Systems, Vantiv, North American Bancard, Total Merchant Services, First Data, Chase Paymentech and nearly 300 other domestic and international distribution partners.Ingenico, who is a leading worldwide provider of payment solutions, initially invested in ROAM Data in November 2009, taking a 43% interest in ROAM when it was first launching its solution. Since then, ROAM has experienced more than 600% growth in revenue annually the past two years. It now plans to leverage this new round of funding to accelerate its market share and provide additional products and services for its payment service provider partners.ROAM differentiation and value to its partners comes from over a decade of mobile commerce experience among its management team. ROAM was the first company to introduce the secure audio jack card readers to the market, it has a full suite of solutions on its platform that can be white-labeled, from mobile payment apps, to mobile checkout, to mobile offers and mobile wallet to help payment providers deliver mCommerce to its merchants. ROAM also offers a set of tools for developers to build their own applications using ROAM's platform, and to allow merchants to use their existing merchant accounts. ROAM's 3rd generation G3X mobile reader is best in class, supports hundreds of devices, from iOS, Android and Blackberry, to PCs and Macs, covering more compatible mobile devices than all other competing readers combined. ROAM's patented and patent pending solutions enable Merchant Service Providers to compete with the best technology in the fast changing mCommerce market.About ROAMROAM Data is the leading mCommerce Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) provider extending physical Point of Sales (POS) and eCommerce to the mobile environment, to help merchants find and keep customers. Founded in 2005, ROAM's solutions allow merchants to accept card payments on mobile devices, and allow consumers to easily make purchases in mobile shopping apps and ads. ROAM Data provides the total mCommerce platform including hardware peripherals, software, tools and services for merchant service providers to deliver powerful mobile commerce solutions to their merchants quickly, securely and robustly. Visit us at www.roamdata.com About IngenicoIngenico is a leading provider of payment solutions, with over 17 million terminals deployed in more than 125 countries. Its 3,600 employees worldwide support retailers, banks and service providers to optimize and secure their electronic payments solutions, develop their offer of services and increase their point of sales revenue. More information on http://www.ingenico.com . (c)2011-2018 by Massinvestor, Inc. For contact info, please check out our about page. >> Click here for in-depth research on 4,000 VC firms", "entities": []}
{"text": "Female entrepreneurs invited to apply for Africa Innovation Fellowship.\n\nFemale entrepreneurs have been invited to apply for the Africa Innovation Fellowship, a nine-month leadership and business development opportunity.\n\n\n\nPowered by WomEng and the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, the fellowship is aimed at early-stage startups and aims to develop the talent pipeline for the Africa Prize.\n\n\n\nIt kicks off with an in-person fellowship training week in Kampala, Uganda at the start of June, which will be focused on idea and business incubation, leadership development, networking and getting pitch-ready. This will be followed by nine months of personalised virtual support.\n\n\n\nThe overall winner will secure an all-expenses paid trip to London to attend the Global Grand Challenges Summit in September. Applications close on April 1.", "entities": []}
{"text": "China’s Fosun invests $18.4m in pet services platform Pet Doctor.\n\nThe company will use the funds to focus on building the team, improving its recommendation engine, and scaling the community across India.", "entities": [[8, 13, "investor"], [22, 28, "money_funded"], [54, 64, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "10 tips on how to raise venture capital in South Africa [Opinion].\n\nEntrepreneurs constantly disrupt the balance of competition by unlocking inventive commercial opportunities and creating new markets in doing so.\n\nThis can sometimes be done by bootstrapping (with minimal financial resources) over time, but because of the rapidly changing environment innovation-driven entrepreneurs operate in, some form of risk funding is usually required to scale viable opportunities. Raising venture capital (VC) is one way to do it.\n\nVC firms invest in early-stage, emerging small firms with high growth potential in exchange for minority equity ownership. But for many SA startups and small businesses, this remains theoretical.\n\nWhile VC is a recognised alternative asset class in many countries, it is still an emerging industry in SA with few (but increasing) VCs around that have limited funds to deploy. Local entrepreneurs seeking risk funding should therefore get resourceful to increase their VC funding chances…\n\nHere’s how VCs can do it:\n\n1) VC backable scalable business model?\n\nVenture capital should not be the go-to funding choice for everyone starting a business. A startup is a high growth potential company in search of a repeatable and scalable business model. Once it gets product or market fit and some traction through the scale-up phase it turns into a so-called “gazelle” – an extremely fast-growing company (not measured off a low base), which maintains consistent expansion of revenue, employment or profit metrics over a prolonged period of time. If your business model does not fit within the spectrum of these definitions it is not VC backable and other funding mechanisms may be more appropriate.\n\n2) Target an investor universe\n\nVC investors will do a thorough due diligence on you, your business and the growth assumptions behind it. Start by turning the tables on them. Do your homework on who the active and credible investors in the market are. Talk to their current or past portfolio companies. Study their investment mandates and make sure you are a good fit for each other. Southern Africa Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (Savca) members and the list of the SA Revenue Service’s (Sars) Section 12J VCCs could help, and increasingly international VCs are turning their sights to Africa so look out for those.\n\n3) Get Referred\n\nIt is not necessarily a well-known fact that most VC deals originate via leads passed on from within the wider trusted networks of the VC community. Use the concept of six degrees of separation to find a way to get introduced. Or trawl the startup scene for networking events. A warm referral to a VC goes a long way to securing that first meeting.\n\n4) Refine Your Elevator Pitch\n\nYou need to be able to convince a VC that your Startup is worth investing in by communicating all of the core elements of your venture in a clear and concise manner. Define your company’s purpose, perfect your one-line pitch and strive to tell a four-word story. Then let your inner circle of friends and mentors know what you are up to.\n\n5) One-page teaser doc\n\nStartups should always have a clinical “one-pager” summary of their business and the investment requirements on hand. Mainly used to immediately follow up when your elevator pitch worked and a potential funder or partner says: “Sounds interesting, can you send me some more info?”. Also makes it easier and more professional when your referral network does an intro by leading with this one-pager.\n\n6) Standard Pitch Deck\n\nYes — we know some entrepreneurs have their own ideas of what information potential VC funders would like to see (keep that on hand for the due diligence data room), but why not just use the tried and tested pitch deck format that is used the world over for the first meeting with a VC that goes something like:\n\n7) Granular financial model\n\nLike it or not, at some level all roads lead to the assumptions behind your financial model. VC’s have heard it all from the ever-present “these projections are conservative” to “real life won’t mimic excel anyway so what’s the point of building a model”. Build a model. And make it granular. We know there will be pivots, delays, underestimation of costs, corporates who pay late and unexpected windfalls. But we need to agree on the basic set of metrics that reflect the commercial DNA of the business. At this snapshot in time.\n\n8) Due diligence data room\n\nA data room is a place where the startup or small business places copies of the financial, legal and business documents that define the history and future of the company. It can be physical, virtual or a combination thereof and is accessed by potential investors during due diligence — usually after having signed a “non-disclosure agreement”. Keep it updated before approaching VC investors as two things happen in an investor’s mind when a startup says: “I can give you access to my virtual data room”… One: they know that this entrepreneurial team has got their act together and managing the partnership post-investment will be a pleasure; and two: there is a perceived sense of urgency as other investors may already be analysing the information. Have a limited data room ready with just the key information that you are willing to share and then also a comprehensive one for when negotiations heat up.\n\n9) Push for term sheet\n\nReal VCs are in the business to invest. If you don’t get a term sheet or letter of intent from a VC to invest within a reasonable timeframe something is wrong. This could be mainly one of two things: For various reasons there is no real interest from the VC and you are in the “slow maybe” pile; or you have not enabled the VC with enough relevant information to make a “yes or no” decision. Figure out which it is. Respond timeously to information requests. Push for a decision either way. If needs be, work through the person that referred you to the VC in the first place.\n\n10) Avoid deal fatigue in due diligence finalisation and legal closing\n\nThis post is not about the intricacies of the due diligence process or legal negotiation tips. But once you have “passed” the due diligence exercise there is usually a working list of things to get done as suspensive conditions to the potential transaction, and the legal closing process takes its course. Some legal tweaks are inevitable. This can be relatively painful if the spirit of partnership is not already present in the way parties negotiate with each other. Avoid so-called deal fatigue by finding sensible compromises to negotiation obstacles, meeting suspensive conditions quickly and working with the best lawyers.\n\n… And put the Champagne on ice!\n\nKeet van Zyl is a partner at South African venture capital fund Knife Capital. This article first appeared on Medium. See the original one here.\n\nFeatured image: moritz320 via Pixabay", "entities": []}
{"text": "OPTrust-backed Kineticor buys cogeneration facility for $85 mln.\n\nKineticor Resource Corp has acquired a 32 megawatt cogeneration facility from Tidewater Midstream and Infrastructure Ltd, a Calgary-based provider of midstream energy solutions.\n\nKineticor, a Calgary-based power developer focused on thermal generation, paid $85 million in cash for the facility, which is under construction.\n\nKineticor agreed to supply power and heat to Tidewater’s Pipestone Gas Plant once construction is complete.\n\nKineticor is backed by Canadian pension fund manager OPTrust. OPTrust invested $125 million in the business in 2017.\n\nTidewater is a portfolio company of Canadian private equity firm Birch Hill Equity Partners. Birch Hill increased its stake last year as a result of asset purchases from AltaGas Ltd.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nKineticor announces acquisition of a 32MW cogeneration facility providing power and heat to Tidewater’s Pipestone Gas Plant\n\nCALGARY, March 25, 2019 /CNW/ – Kineticor Resource Corp. (“Kineticor”) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an asset purchase and sale agreement with Tidewater Midstream and Infrastructure Ltd. (“Tidewater”) to acquire the 32MW cogeneration facility currently under construction which will provide power and heat to the Pipestone Gas Plant. Under the terms of the sale, Kineticor issued a cash payment of $85 million in exchange for ownership of the cogeneration facility. In conjunction with the acquisition, Kineticor and Tidewater have entered into a long-term energy services agreement whereby Kineticor will supply power and heat to Tidewater’s Pipestone Gas Plant once construction is complete.\n\nTidewater’s Pipestone Gas Plant will rely on Kineticor’s cogeneration facility to be the sole power provider for the gas plant, eliminating the reliance on the Alberta power grid and ensuring an economical power source.\n\n“We are excited to be partnering with Tidewater. As the Alberta power market continues to undergo significant change, this opportunity further confirms that onsite cogeneration provides an attractive alternative that is reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective” Andrew Plaunt, CEO.\n\nKineticor’s focus on partnering with great companies and developing top-tier power assets throughout Alberta will help to support the transition off the use of coal for electricity in the province.\n\nAbout Kineticor Resource Corp.\n\nKineticor, in partnership with OPTrust, is developing a pipeline of innovative power generation initiatives throughout Canada. Through the development of strong relationships with major power consumers and gas producers, Kineticor is able to provide solutions that are both economically and environmentally attractive.\n\nAbout OPTrust\n\nWith net assets of over $20 billion, OPTrust invests and manages one of Canada’s largest pension funds and administers the OPSEU Pension Plan, a defined benefit plan with over 92,000 members and retirees.\n\nOPTrust is a global investor in a broad range of asset classes including Canadian and foreign equities, fixed income, real estate, infrastructure and private markets, and has a team of highly experienced investment professionals located in Toronto, London and Sydney. As a pension management organization, OPTrust’s mission is to pay pensions today, preserve pensions for tomorrow.\n\nFor further information: Media Contact: Michael Funk, Michael.funk@kineticor.ca, 403) 471-0835", "entities": []}
{"text": "Hyundai invests in Israeli deep learning and computer vision startup allegro.ai.\n\nIsraeli deep learning computer vision startup allegro.ai has received a strategic investment from Hyundai CRADLE, the automotive company’s corporate venturing and innovation arm. The amount of funding raised has not been disclosed, and neither was the exact scope of the partnership between the companies.\n\nThe product of allegro.ai, a platform that streamlines the development and management of deep-learning powered products, is expected to “improve the quality of Hyundai’s products,” the companies stated in a press release.\n\n“Deep learning computer vision is one of the core technologies that can be applied to autonomous driving to navigate roads and make quick decisions in real-time—and allegro.ai is clearly an innovation leader in that field,” said Ruby Chen, head of investment at Hyundai CRADLE Tel Aviv. “Our investment in allegro.ai is a further step in enhancing our presence in the Israeli market, a global leader of technological innovation in the fields of automation, artificial intelligence and deep learning. This is our fifth investment in an Israeli company and our activities will continue to grow the coming year.”", "entities": [[0, 7, "investor"], [19, 26, "headquarters_loc"], [69, 79, "org_in_focus"], [82, 89, "headquarters_loc"], [128, 138, "org_in_focus"], [154, 174, "type_of_funding"], [180, 194, "investor"]]}
{"text": "German government launches €1bn Africa fund.\n\nGerman ambassador to Ghana Christoph Retzlaff earlier today announced that the German government had launched a €1-billion Africa fund.\n\nRetzlaff (pictured above, left with former Ghanaian president John Dramani Mahama) said in a tweet earlier today that the fund will support African startups and small businesses, as well as German and European companies.\n\nIt’s not yet clear when the fund will make its first investments or which startup verticals it will target.\n\nVentureburn sought comment from the German embassy in Ghana on this and other details on the fund but had not received a comment at the time of publication.\n\nLast year German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged a €1-billion development fund for investments in Africa\n\nThe fund is part of the G20 Compact With Africa initiative which was launched under Germany’s G20 presidency in 2017 to promote investment in Africa.\n\nAt least 12 African states form part of the initiative. They are Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Ethiopia and Rwanda.\n\nThe German Government starts a 1 Billion EURO Africa fund today. Supporting African startups and SMEs as well as German and European companies. #delivering on G20 Compact with Africa. pic.twitter.com/iM0krfZ4ET — Christoph Retzlaff (@GermanAmbGhana) June 4, 2019\n\nThe fund fulfills a pledge by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in October last year at the G20 Compact with Africa summit that she would set up a €1-billion development fund for investments in Africa (see this story).\n\nFeatured image, left to right: German ambassador to Ghana Christoph Retzlaff with former Ghanaian president John Dramani Mahama (Christoph Retzlaff via Twitter)", "entities": [[0, 6, "headquarters_loc"], [100, 105, "date_of_funding"]]}
{"text": "Chinese VC Fosun RZ Capital leads $12m round for India’s LetsTransport.\n\nChinese VC Fosun RZ Capital leads $12m round for India’s LetsTransport\n\nA company logo of Fosun International is seen during the annual general meeting of the Chinese conglomerate, founded by billionaire Guo Guangchang, in Hong Kong, China May 28, 2015. REUTERS/Bobby Yip", "entities": [[11, 27, "investor"], [34, 38, "money_funded"], [49, 54, "headquarters_loc"], [57, 70, "org_in_focus"], [84, 100, "investor"], [107, 111, "money_funded"], [122, 127, "headquarters_loc"], [130, 146, "org_in_focus"], [296, 312, "headquarters_loc"]]}
{"text": "Eventbrite Announces $60M in Growth Capital.\n\nYour Source for Venture Capital and Private Equity Financings Massinvestor/VC News Daily VC DATABASE / MOBILE APP / CELEBRITY VCs / VENTURE TRACKR / ARCHIVE / ABOUT US Eventbrite Announces $60M in Growth Capital Tweet SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Leading self-service ticketing company, today announced it has raised $60 million in financing, led by Tiger Global Management.\n\nTo export Eventbrite funding data to PDF and Excel, click\n\nClick here for more funding data on EventbriteTo export Eventbrite funding data to PDF and Excel, click here\n\n\n\nThe additional capital will be used to continue innovating, building and changing the landscape of ticketing. This includes accelerating international growth, mobile, event discovery and innovation, as well as attracting and retaining top talent.\n\n\n\nThis investment news crowns a year of rapid growth. Last month, Eventbrite announced that it had processed over 100 million tickets across 179 countries, totaling more than $1.5 billion in gross ticket sales. One-third of those ticket sales had occurred within the previous 9 months. The company also announced in March that it had doubled the total number of tickets processed -- to 100 million -- since February 2012. These milestones confirm the large, underpenetrated and global market for ticketing as well as the universal need for an easy-to-use and scalable platform for event organizers and consumers alike.\n\n\n\n\"Live experiences are the new luxury good -- from large festivals and concerts to conferences and political rallies, people are increasingly looking to share live experiences with people of similar interests and passions. We're pleased to be able to work with existing as well as new investors who truly understand the opportunities that these kind of occasions represent, as well as the power of the platform we have built to make them happen,\" said Kevin Hartz, CEO of Eventbrite. \"This funding round is the most efficient way to scale our business around the world, while remaining totally focused on our users.\"\n\n\n\n\"Eventbrite remains a superb investment,\" said Lee Fixel, Partner at Tiger Global. \"Kevin and his team have built a sustainable business that not only captures real value, but also uncovers new sources of revenue at very low cost. We are pleased to increase our investment in Eventbrite to help the company further expand its tools and platform.\"\n\n\n\nHenry Ellenbogen, Portfolio Manager at T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., added: \"We believe Eventbrite has a strong underlying financial model that will continue to scale, and its valuation will be well supported by traditional financial metrics in the future. When we look at private companies, we look for companies that possess the capabilities and mindset to build a much larger and durable company. We believe that the Eventbrite team has the track record and skills to achieve that status.\"\n\n\n\nIn addition to Tiger Global and accounts managed by T. Rowe Price, other Eventbrite investors include Sequoia Capital, DAG, and Tenaya.\n\n\n\nAbout Eventbrite:\n\nEventbrite enables people all over the world to plan, promote, and sell out any event, and has sold over 100 million tickets and registrations worldwide. The online event registration service makes it easy for everyone to discover events, and to share the events they are attending with the people they know. In this way, Eventbrite brings communities together by encouraging people to connect through live experiences. Eventbrite's investors include Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, DAG Ventures, and Tenaya Capital. Learn more at\n\n\n\nAbout Tiger Global Management, LLC\n\nTiger Global Management, LLC is an investment firm that deploys capital globally through its private investment and hedge fund partnerships. The firm's private investment funds have ten-year investment horizons and focus on growth-oriented private companies in the global Internet and technology sectors. Tiger Global's private investments include SurveyMonkey, Facebook, Linkedin, Square, Yandex, Mail.ru Group, Ctrip, New Oriental, 360buy, Flipkart, Makemytrip, Justdial, Netshoes, Despegar, MercadoLibre, Trendyol, and Eventbrite. The firm's fundamentally oriented hedge funds invest primarily in public equities with an emphasis on long-term trends in the global technology, telecom, media, and consumer sectors. Tiger Global Management, LLC was founded in 2001 and is based in New York with affiliate offices in Beijing and Singapore.\n\n\n\nAbout T. Rowe Price\n\nFounded in 1937, Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (troweprice.com) is part of a global investment management organization with $576.8 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2012. The organization provides a broad array of mutual funds, sub-advisory services, and separate account management for individual and institutional investors, retirement plans, and financial intermediaries.\n\nEventbrite, the leading self-service ticketing company, today announced it has raised $60 million in financing, led by Tiger Global Management, and including a new investment partner, T. Rowe Price. After this round, the company's total funding is $140 million.The additional capital will be used to continue innovating, building and changing the landscape of ticketing. This includes accelerating international growth, mobile, event discovery and innovation, as well as attracting and retaining top talent.This investment news crowns a year of rapid growth. Last month, Eventbrite announced that it had processed over 100 million tickets across 179 countries, totaling more than $1.5 billion in gross ticket sales. One-third of those ticket sales had occurred within the previous 9 months. The company also announced in March that it had doubled the total number of tickets processed -- to 100 million -- since February 2012. These milestones confirm the large, underpenetrated and global market for ticketing as well as the universal need for an easy-to-use and scalable platform for event organizers and consumers alike.\"Live experiences are the new luxury good -- from large festivals and concerts to conferences and political rallies, people are increasingly looking to share live experiences with people of similar interests and passions. We're pleased to be able to work with existing as well as new investors who truly understand the opportunities that these kind of occasions represent, as well as the power of the platform we have built to make them happen,\" said Kevin Hartz, CEO of Eventbrite. \"This funding round is the most efficient way to scale our business around the world, while remaining totally focused on our users.\"\"Eventbrite remains a superb investment,\" said Lee Fixel, Partner at Tiger Global. \"Kevin and his team have built a sustainable business that not only captures real value, but also uncovers new sources of revenue at very low cost. We are pleased to increase our investment in Eventbrite to help the company further expand its tools and platform.\"Henry Ellenbogen, Portfolio Manager at T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., added: \"We believe Eventbrite has a strong underlying financial model that will continue to scale, and its valuation will be well supported by traditional financial metrics in the future. When we look at private companies, we look for companies that possess the capabilities and mindset to build a much larger and durable company. We believe that the Eventbrite team has the track record and skills to achieve that status.\"In addition to Tiger Global and accounts managed by T. Rowe Price, other Eventbrite investors include Sequoia Capital, DAG, and Tenaya.About Eventbrite:Eventbrite enables people all over the world to plan, promote, and sell out any event, and has sold over 100 million tickets and registrations worldwide. The online event registration service makes it easy for everyone to discover events, and to share the events they are attending with the people they know. In this way, Eventbrite brings communities together by encouraging people to connect through live experiences. Eventbrite's investors include Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, DAG Ventures, and Tenaya Capital. Learn more at www.eventbrite.com About Tiger Global Management, LLCTiger Global Management, LLC is an investment firm that deploys capital globally through its private investment and hedge fund partnerships. The firm's private investment funds have ten-year investment horizons and focus on growth-oriented private companies in the global Internet and technology sectors. Tiger Global's private investments include SurveyMonkey, Facebook, Linkedin, Square, Yandex, Mail.ru Group, Ctrip, New Oriental, 360buy, Flipkart, Makemytrip, Justdial, Netshoes, Despegar, MercadoLibre, Trendyol, and Eventbrite. The firm's fundamentally oriented hedge funds invest primarily in public equities with an emphasis on long-term trends in the global technology, telecom, media, and consumer sectors. Tiger Global Management, LLC was founded in 2001 and is based in New York with affiliate offices in Beijing and Singapore.About T. Rowe PriceFounded in 1937, Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (troweprice.com) is part of a global investment management organization with $576.8 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2012. The organization provides a broad array of mutual funds, sub-advisory services, and separate account management for individual and institutional investors, retirement plans, and financial intermediaries. (c)2011-2018 by Massinvestor, Inc. For contact info, please check out our about page. >> Click here for in-depth research on 4,000 VC firms", "entities": [[0, 10, "org_in_focus"], [21, 25, "money_funded"], [29, 43, "investor"], [214, 224, "org_in_focus"], [235, 239, "money_funded"], [243, 257, "investor"], [264, 281, "headquarters_loc"], [323, 328, "date_of_funding"], [353, 364, "money_funded"], [386, 409, "investor"], [4924, 4934, "org_in_focus"], [4980, 4985, "date_of_funding"], [5010, 5021, "money_funded"], [5043, 5066, "investor"], [5108, 5121, "investor"], [5172, 5184, "cumulative"], [8184, 8202, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Mirakl Nets $20 Million in Series B Funding to Bring Online Marketplaces to the World’s Retailers.\n\nFrench SaaS marketplace platform provider targets further international expansion\n\nPARIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–July 22, 2015–\n\nMirakl, the French online marketplace technology firm, has announced that it has closed a $20 million Series B round of funding. The injection of capital will be used to bring Mirakl’s online marketplace platform to a greater number of B2C and B2B retailers across the globe.\n\nThe deal was led by 83North‘s Laurel Bowden (an investor in firms such as hybris, Just Eat and Notonthehighstreet), Felix Capital‘s Frederic Court and Dave Strohm, Partner at Greylock and a founding investor and advisor to 83North. The funding comes on the back of Mirakl achieving growth of 200% between 2013 and 2014 and signing 22 new customers so far in 2015.\n\nThe round, one of the largest secured by a French firm this year, will drive Mirakl’s international expansion. Following the 2014 opening of its first American office, the U.S. will continue to be a key growth market. Mirakl’s current B2C customers include Best Buy, GAME, Halfords, Woolworths, Galeries Lafayette and Darty, and in total Mirakl has 55 customers across 11 countries.\n\nAccording to IDC the SaaS enterprise applications market is forecast to increase to a total of USD $50.8 billion by 2018. At the same time Statista projects retail ecommerce to grow to USD $2.39 trillion by 2018.\n\n“Any smart retailer in 2015 should have an online marketplace, or be considering it as an option,” said Adrien Nussenbaum, co-founder and U.S. CEO, Mirakl. “Consumers want choice, service and competitive pricing and an online marketplace delivers all three, allowing controlled growth and the on-going improvement and refinement of the customer experience. It doesn’t matter if your business model is B2C or B2B, an online marketplace will help you reach and service customers better than ever before.”\n\nLaurel Bowden, Partner, 83North said: “Online marketplaces are everywhere, driving multichannel retail and offering a greater scope for expansion combined with higher profit growth and lower risk. We are getting ever closer to a time where every sector, be it art, professional services or travel, will be utilising online marketplaces and Mirakl is well positioned to deliver this. I’m excited to begin working alongside the exceptional entrepreneurial team that has already built Mirakl to where it is today.”\n\nPhilippe Corrot, co-founder and CEO, Mirakl commented: “Mirakl is growing incredibly fast and attracting such a range of world-class investors will be a major benefit to us as we continue our journey. Global commerce is continuously increasing in competitiveness, and those who adapt to changing consumption patterns and place customers at the heart of their business succeed. With this investment we can capitalise on our market leading position in Europe and achieve the same success supporting the most dynamic B2C and B2B online marketplaces across the USA.”\n\nMirakl is headquartered in Paris and also has offices in London and Boston. It was launched in 2012 by Philippe Corrot and Adrien Nussenbaum.\n\nView source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150722005739/en/\n\nKetner Group PR + Marketing\n\nAdrienne Newcomb, 512-794-8876\n\nadrienne@ketnergroup.com\n\nor\n\nSara Lasseter, 512-794-8876\n\nsara@ketnergroup.com", "entities": [[0, 6, "org_in_focus"], [12, 23, "money_funded"], [27, 35, "type_of_funding"], [183, 188, "headquarters_loc"], [205, 218, "date_of_funding"], [221, 227, "org_in_focus"], [311, 322, "money_funded"], [323, 331, "type_of_funding"], [528, 541, "investor"], [630, 644, "investor"], [649, 660, "investor"], [3042, 3048, "org_in_focus"], [3069, 3074, "headquarters_loc"], [3137, 3141, "year_founded"]]}
{"text": "Semiconductor company Peraso Raises $20M Series C Financing to address next generation of WiFi.\n\nToronto-based Peraso, a fabless semiconductor company specializing in the development of 60 GHz wireless chip sets, has announced $20 million in series C financing.\n\nThe round was co-led by US semiconductor company IDT, and existing investor Roadmap Capital. iNovia Capital also participated in the round.\n\nPeraso is in production with WiGig IC solutions, which is meant to address both next generation WiFi opportunities in the consumer electronics space, as well as outdoor devices in the 60 GHz wireless infrastructure space.\n\n“The interest we’re seeing in WiGig is tremendous,” said Ron Glibbery, President and CEO of Peraso. “Multi-Gigabit wireless connectivity is something that more and more consumer electronics and wireless infrastructure manufacturers are seeking to incorporate in their products. Raising this capital allows Peraso to take our sales to the next level.”\n\nCurrently, Peraso is the only company offering a WiGig USB stick solution for legacy devices, which is necessary for backward compatibility of existing WiFi equipment, according to Roadmap Principal Imed Zine. “Peraso has demonstrated interoperability with a variety of available WiGig products which are based on either Intel or Qualcomm chips; this is an achievement which is essential to create a robust WiGig ecosystem,” Zine said.", "entities": [[22, 28, "org_in_focus"], [36, 40, "money_funded"], [41, 49, "type_of_funding"], [97, 104, "headquarters_loc"], [111, 117, "org_in_focus"], [227, 238, "money_funded"], [242, 250, "type_of_funding"], [312, 315, "investor"], [339, 354, "investor"], [356, 370, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Supercell invests €5 million in smartwatch game developer Everywear Games.\n\nFinland-based smartwatch gamedev startup Everywear Games has raised €5 million from Supercell Ventures, the investment arm of the mobile gaming giant Supercell. Supercell Ventures has also bought out the previous investors in Everywear Games to become the sole stockholder in the company, Talouselämä reports.\n\nFounded in 2015, Everywear Games has been specialising in games for the Apple Watch. Now, however, the company announced that it will move on to create mobile games as well.\n\n“We think simple is beautiful,” the company said in a message on its website. “Simple on the surface, yet something that will keep players entertained for a long time. Our vision for our games has always been that game design is more important than the size of the screen.”\n\nAccording to Talouselämä, Everywear Games only made €75,000 in net sales and reported €443,000 in losses in 2017. Before the current round, it had raised €1.5 million in venture capital.\n\nImage credit: Alvaro Reyes on Unsplash", "entities": [[0, 9, "investor"], [18, 28, "money_funded"], [58, 73, "org_in_focus"], [76, 83, "headquarters_loc"], [117, 132, "org_in_focus"], [144, 154, "money_funded"], [160, 178, "investor"], [398, 402, "year_founded"], [404, 419, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Weatherford considers selling lab business: Bloomberg.\n\nWeatherford International Plc is considering a sale of its laboratory business and has reached out to private equity firms and corporate buyers, Bloomberg is reporting. The plan coincides with CEO Mark McCollum’s plan to cut debt and sell non-core units, the story said. Weatherford is also selling its onshore rig business, Bloomberg said.\n\nShare this: Twitter\n\nLinkedIn", "entities": []}
{"text": "London-based Zeelo raises €1.35 million in funding to expand with its on-demand transport platform.\n\nZeelo, the on-demand bus transport service, has closed a €1.35 million seed round. The round was led by InMotion Ventures, Jaguar Land Rover’s mobility venture arm, alongside other investors including Travel Republic founder Kane Pirie, TfL board member Michael Leibreich and Yo! Sushi co-founder Simon Woodroffe.\n\nFounded in London in early 2017, Zeelo uses big data and machine learning to understand where surges in travel demand aren’t met by existing transport options. This intelligence allows the company to provide direct bus routes that cut travel times by up to 40%. Their platform integrates with 20,000 executive coaches across the UK in order to serve demand.\n\nZeelo has carried over 20,000 customers since launch with a focus on large events. It now plans to use the funding to roll out its technology across different markets in the UK and Europe including city to city travel and airports.\n\nZeelo co-founders Barney Williams, Sam Ryan and Dani Ruiz sold their previous startup JumpIn, a taxi booking and sharing app for students, to Addison Lee in 2014 while still at university.\n\nBarney Williams stated: “People want new, more convenient ways to travel between cities, to events and to work. Zeelo’s whole model is built around the needs of the customer: using data to understand their painful journeys. We’ve made a good start with major events, but now it’s about giving more people access to the Zeelo experience and replicating our technology across different markets.”\n\nSince February 2017, Zeelo has been working with numerous major football clubs such as Aston Villa, Man City and Wolverhampton to give fans a more convenient and direct route to the games.\n\nSam Ryan added: “Now it’s about scaling up fast and showing exactly what Zeelo technology can do. Our platform allows specific communities to book seats on our data driven routes, whilst we’ll also cater for groups who want to go from A to B in a cost effective and hassle free manner. We need to remodel an £1.8 billion industry that’s remained unchanged for far too long.”", "entities": [[0, 6, "headquarters_loc"], [13, 18, "org_in_focus"], [26, 39, "money_funded"], [101, 106, "org_in_focus"], [158, 171, "money_funded"], [172, 176, "type_of_funding"], [205, 222, "investor"], [224, 265, "investor"], [326, 336, "investor"], [355, 372, "investor"], [398, 413, "investor"], [427, 433, "headquarters_loc"], [443, 447, "year_founded"], [449, 454, "org_in_focus"]]}
{"text": "Take a sneak peek into TQ, Amsterdam’s hottest new coworking space.\n\nAmsterdam has no shortage of coworking spaces. Yet the growth of the number of desks is nowhere near finished. TQ, formerly known as ‘X’, today has opened up for its first resident startups to move into their third floor office spaces. At the beginning of each month, up until official opening in October, a new floor will open to “accommodate a fresh batch of startup talent”.\n\n10 winning deep tech scaleups of 2019 Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Take a look at winners of EIT Digital Challenge 2019. Show Less\n\nCurated tech space\n\nTQ is in their words “a curated tech space”. Founded by The Next Web, in close cooperation with the likes of Google, Booking.com, ABN Amro, the tech hub aims to push tech startups towards exponential growth. It will also serve as a “label for growth” by providing their residents with the right talent, tools and training.\n\nTQ: online community\n\nAs is required these days with coworking spaces, they rely heavily on building a strong community with an online platform. Next to coworking, TQ offers meeting rooms, an event floor, and a cafe on the top floor. Below, you’ll find a sneak peek how it looks.\n\nRobert Gaal\n\nLocation will be on top of the Bloemenmarkt (Singel 542-548), not too far from its competitors The Startup Orgy, Spaces and WeWork. Robert Gaal, a seasoned Dutch tech entrepreneur who founded Wakoopa, Karma and worked at Google, will lead the hub as managing director.\n\nImages courtesy of TQ.", "entities": []}
{"text": "SA’s Knife Capital invests in ed-tech startup SkillUp Tutors.\n\nSouth African investment firm Knife Capital has invested an undisclosed amount in ed-tech startup SkillUp Tutors to accelerate user acquisition, leverage partnerships with content providers, and scale the business internationally.llup\n\nThe Cape Town-based SkillUp offers parents and students across South Africa access to thousands of highly skilled and vetted tutors based on grades, subject, location, and budget.\n\nThe SkillUp platform makes it easy to find and communicate with tutors and facilitates the purchasing and scheduling of both in-person and online lessons.\n\nSkillUp – which was recently one of the startups picked for a legal incubation programme run by Webber Wentzel, has been angel-funded to date, but has now received a Series A funding round from Knife Capital. Knife Capital invests via a consortium of funding partnerships, including SARS section 12J Venture Capital Company KNF Ventures and select family offices.\n\nThe funding will be used to accelerate user acquisition of learners and tutors, leverage partnerships with content providers, and scale SkillUp outside of South Africa. Since the launch of its website, iOS and Android apps in early 2017, SkillUp has seen significant traction through junior, high school and university students as well as adult learners.\n\nThe startup aims to grow its footprint in South Africa with in-person lessons, workshops and online lessons. Through inbound interest from strategic partners, it is also looking at expansion into the UK, other European markets and Southeast Asia.\n\n“The private tutoring industry is highly fragmented and inefficient. We are making tutoring more affordable by radically reducing fees and offering a more transparent service, while ensuring the highest quality and safety,” said Matthew Henshall, chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of SkillUp.\n\n“We are excited to be part of the Knife Capital portfolio of venture capital investments and to draw from the team’s experience in guiding early stage businesses to sustainable growth paths and pursuing successful internationalisation strategies.”\n\nKeet van Zyl, investment partner at Knife Capital, which last month also invested in South African machine learning startup DataProphet, said SkillUp offered an enticing value proposition as an investment opportunity.\n\n“Apart from its highly scalable business model and potential exit opportunities down the line, this deal integrates the interests of different stakeholders for the greater good,” he said.\n\n“The concept of ‘conscious capitalism’ underpins some of our core values at Knife, and SkillUp leverages technology elements to enhance real-world engagement in the education space – making a meaningful positive impact on people’s lives.”\n\nStudent and adult learning platforms are showing increased course uptake and completion rates where tutors are used to support learners during their studies. SkillUp’s growth focus is to create a worldwide tutor support network and become an outsourced tutor pool to online platforms.", "entities": [[5, 18, "investor"], [46, 60, "org_in_focus"], [93, 106, "investor"], [161, 175, "org_in_focus"], [303, 312, "headquarters_loc"], [319, 326, "org_in_focus"], [636, 643, "org_in_focus"], [802, 810, "type_of_funding"], [830, 843, "investor"]]}
{"text": "Google Maps Introduces Voice Navigation In 6 Additional Indian Languages, Plus Codes For Addresses.\n\nThe Voice Navigation Will Be Available In Six Additional Indian languages: Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil And Malayalam\n\nTo outplay the latest aerial, indoor and 3D mapping innovations by HERE Maps and other competitors like TomTom and Bing – the undisputed leader of mapping solutions, Google Maps, has launched new tools to improve the navigation feature and the user’s experience.\n\nGoogle Maps has added voice navigation in six regional Indian languages. In addition to English and Hindi, Google has brought voice navigation in six additional Indian languages: Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.\n\nVoice navigation in Hindi was added three years ago.\n\nIt has also introduced Zippr like Plus Codes, which are six character Plus city codes for locations. The codes can be generated, shared and searched by anyone by entering into the search field on Google or Google Maps. This will further enable searching temporary or time-bound addresses such as of events, business meets, etc.\n\nIt is not clear whether the voice navigation in regional languages and other features will also be available on Google Maps Lite.\n\nSuren Ruhela, Director, Google Maps Next Billion Users in a Google note stated, “To use a Plus Code, simply enter it into the Search field on Google or Google Maps on your mobile phones or desktops. That’s it. You’ll be instantly shown the location! Plus Codes can be used for a wide variety of reasons including communicating the venue of a temporary event, guiding emergency services to afflicted locations and providing an identifiable location for complicated addresses.”\n\nFor a long time now, Google Maps-enabled Uber and Ola users have also been struggling with the issues of missing addresses. To facilitate the process of accurate and easy searching on Maps, Google has also introduced ‘Add an Address’ – a feature that enables users, to contribute to the Maps experience from the Google Maps app.\n\n“Similar to adding businesses, users can submit new or missing addresses through this feature and we’ll make sure the address is searchable in due course after verification. And yes, you do get Local Guides points for each valid submission!” added Suren.\n\nOver the years, India has been a key market for Google and Google Maps.\n\nIn December last year, Caesar Sengupta, VP, Next Billion Users had announced the introduction of the two-wheeler mode in Google Maps as an India-first feature.\n\nHe stated, “Another India-first feature is the new ‘two-wheeler mode’ in Google Maps. India is the largest two-wheeler market in the world and the millions of motorcycle and scooter riders have different navigation needs than drivers of automobiles. Two-wheeler mode in Maps shows trip routes that use ‘shortcuts’ not accessible to cars and trucks. It also provides customised traffic and arrival time estimations.”\n\n“And since so many Indians rely on local landmarks for navigation, two-wheeler mode will show major landmarks on the route so that riders can plan their trip before starting and don’t have to keep checking the phone on the go,” Sengupta further added.\n\nWhile Google Maps has been focussing on localising its solutions to provide better navigation results, its competitor HERE Technologies has joined hands with NAVER Corporation to collaborate on autonomous indoor mapping technology.\n\nThe collaboration aims to combine NAVER LABS’ Scalable & Semantic Indoor Mapping (SSIM) technology, autonomous robots and AI-based image recognition capabilities with the HERE Open Location Platform to create, maintain and publish 3D maps of indoor environments such as airports and train stations.\n\nSuch maps are useful in various ways, from helping people find their way at complex transit interchanges to supporting the last mile guidance enabling a more efficient logistics.\n\nOver the last few years, HERE Technologies has customised its mapping solutions for fleet management, shipping and other B2B-oriented projects.\n\nHERE has also deployed a fleet of mapping vehicles equipped with motion sensors, 360-degree cameras and laser light radar (LiDAR), a combination of satellite and aerial imagery which helps process data to generate highly accurate maps.\n\nIn India, besides HERE Maps, while competing with Google Maps, Delhi-based MapMyIndia offers an entire API stack, IoT devices and a map app. MapMyIndia has mapped over 10.54 Mn unique destinations (Points of Interests), expanded coverage of over 2 Mn kilometres of road network, 7068 cities at street level with house address level data for 80 cities, 6 Lakh villages, and 3D & 2D landmarks in 86 cities.\n\nBesides adding local features such voice navigation in regional languages, plus codes, Google Maps, meanwhile, has also introduced “wheelchair accessible” routes in transit navigation. However, the navigation facility will be initially available only in few cities like London, Tokyo, Mexico City, Boston and Sydney.", "entities": []}
{"text": "eleven-2-0-bulgarian-venture-fund-eleven-introduces-a-brand-new-investment-strategy.\n\nThe Bulgarian accelerator and Venture Fund Eleven has just announced the beginning of a new investment era on their blog. The launch of their 11th batch of applications has been chosen as the perfect and symbolic timing to mark this transformation. As Eleven puts it, they will now “invest more money and time in less companies”.\n\nIn numbers, this means that instead of the current investment limit of 200.000 Euros, Eleven will soon invest up to 1 million Euros per company. This significant increase of investment money, however, will not offset their focus on being the first to invest in the company. Their main tactic will still be starting with small amounts of about 50.000 Euros and then gradually growing through follow-on rounds. Another novelty in the investment strategy is the rolling application process. New projects sourcing and selection will not be seasonal, although there will be a final deadline every couple of months. The application deadline for the 11th batch is April 30, 2016.\n\nImge credit: goaleurope\n\nAdditionally, the standard 3-month-long accelerator program will be replaced with a lifelong learning approach that will be more individual to each company according to their needs. The reason behind this, as Eleven points out, is the unique character of every startup.\n\nThe Fund plans to invest about 15 million euros more in the years to come, carefully selecting around 15 startups per year and focusing the rest of their funds on the best players in their existing portfolio. Detailed information about the overall investment activity are available on the updated Eleven infographic page.", "entities": []}
{"text": "Matrix Partners China invests in rocket startup iSpace.\n\nPremium\n\nRocket startup iSpace has announced that it has closed its latest funding from Matrix Partners China, bringing its total external financing to $90.6 million within a year.", "entities": [[0, 21, "investor"], [48, 54, "org_in_focus"], [81, 87, "org_in_focus"], [145, 166, "investor"], [209, 222, "cumulative"]]}
{"text": "Messagepoint secures investment from NewSpring Capital.\n\nMessagepoint, a Toronto-based customer communications management company, has secured an investment from U.S. private equity firm NewSpring Capital.\n\nNo financial terms were disclosed.\n\nLed by CEO Steve Biancaniello, who co-founded the company in 1998, Messagepoint provides software and services to help customers in financial services, insurance, healthcare and other regulated industries to strengthen their customer communications.\n\nThe investment’s proceeds will be used to expand research and development and enhance sales and marketing initiatives.\n\nTwo years ago, Messagepoint, formerly known as Prinova, raised $17 million from U.S. growth equity firm Volition Capital.\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nMessagepoint Receives Investment from NewSpring\n\nMessagepoint, a Leading Customer Communications Management Company, to Expand Research and Development, Sales and Marketing Initiatives\n\nNovember 06, 2018\n\nTORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Messagepoint, a leader in developing and delivering innovative software and services within the Customer Communications Management (CCM) market, announced today that private equity group NewSpring has invested in Messagepoint. The investment will be used to expand Messagepoint’s research and development initiatives, as well as to enhance sales and marketing functions to generate outsized growth.\n\n“Businesses are seeking innovative solutions that make content creation easy and intuitive, and that require significantly less professional IT involvement,” commented Brian Kim, NewSpring Principal. “Messagepoint offers exactly this and allows the enterprise to regain control over their customer communications and experiences. We look forward to partnering with CEO Steve Biancaniello and the entire dedicated team at Messagepoint to further grow this already successful brand.”\n\nMessagepoint provides non-technical business users with intelligent control over complex content to create more personalized, relevant, and timely customer communications in regulated industries such as financial services, insurance, and healthcare. The Company’s hybrid-cloud platform enables businesses to produce optimized customer communications at scale across a variety of distribution channels including print, email, mobile, and web.\n\nAdditionally, Messagepoint is a differentiated leader in the CCM space as it combines a user-friendly interface with advanced content management capabilities powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence to make it easy for users to ensure the right message goes to the right customer through the right channel. The company was named one of the top CCM vendors in the 2018 Aspire Leaderboard and is a recipient of the CODiE award for “Best Multi-Channel Publishing Platform.”\n\n“NewSpring’s track record speaks for itself,” said Biancaniello, Messagepoint co-founder and CEO. “We are thrilled to partner with them during this next phase of growth. We look forward to continuing to help our clients solve their customer communications challenges and enhance their customer experiences.”\n\nAbout Messagepoint\n\nMessagepoint is a leader within the Customer Communications Management market. The Messagepoint hybrid-cloud platform helps companies strengthen their customer communications by enabling business users to control the entire messaging lifecycle for all print or digital communications without burdening IT. For information, visit www.messagepoint.com.\n\nAbout NewSpring\n\nFounded in 1999, NewSpring partners with the innovators, makers, and operators of high-performing companies in dynamic industries to catalyze new growth and seize compelling opportunities. The Firm manages approximately $1.7 billion across four distinct strategies covering the spectrum from growth equity and control buyouts to mezzanine debt. Having invested in over 135 companies, NewSpring brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and resources to take growing companies to the next level and beyond. Partnering with management teams to help develop their businesses into market leaders, NewSpring identifies opportunities and builds relationships using its network of industry leaders and influencers across a wide array of operational areas and industries. To learn more, visit www.newspringcapital.com.\n\nContacts\n\nEd Worsfold\n\nVice President, Marketing\n\nMessagepoint Inc.\n\n416-687-5381\n\nedw@messagepoint.com\n\nor\n\nJoe Scolaro\n\nSenior Account Executive\n\nSterling Kilgore\n\n630-964-8500 x224\n\njscolaro@sterlingkilgore.com", "entities": [[0, 12, "org_in_focus"], [37, 54, "investor"], [57, 69, "org_in_focus"], [73, 80, "headquarters_loc"], [187, 204, "investor"], [629, 641, "org_in_focus"], [677, 688, "money_funded"], [718, 734, "investor"], [752, 764, "org_in_focus"], [790, 799, "investor"], [938, 955, "date_of_funding"], [957, 964, "headquarters_loc"], [981, 993, "org_in_focus"], [1136, 1141, "date_of_funding"], [1168, 1177, "investor"], [1194, 1206, "org_in_focus"], [3452, 3472, "org_url"]]}
{"text": "Berlin-based MONOQI secures €15 million to become the leading online destination for hand-picked design.\n\nMONOQI, the online destination for hand-picked design, is welcoming a new investor and will use the fresh capital to expand into the Middle East. The new investor within this Series C financing round of €15 million is Al Jazeera Al Hadina – a wealth management firm which represents affluent Middle Eastern families. With the additional capital, MONOQI, which is headqartered in Berlin, will promote further growth within its core European markets and promote internationalization.\n\nOne third of the capital (€5 million) will go into a joint venture in Dubai to cater to the as-yet little developed e-commerce market. This joint venture makes MONOQI part of an investor consortium that wants to shape and expand the ecommerce market in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.\n\n“We are looking forward to entering the market—it is an incredible opportunity, but one that presents us with considerable challenges that we will address with an open eye and keen mind,” said Simon Fabich, founder and CEO of MONOQI. As the company currently does for its European customers, MONOQI will be presenting products by renowned designers and promising newcomers in the Middle East. Fabich further explained: “We aim to work more closely with local designers and suppliers to increase the diversity of our product range and bring together exceptional design talents and design enthusiasts onto a single platform.”\n\nFor MONOQI, the establishment of this joint venture presents a valuable opportunity. The e-commerce market in the Middle East is currently experiencing strong growth, with Saudi Arabia accounting for 25% of the MENA (Middle East & North Africa) e-commerce market and growing by around 30% per year. In particular, the areas of health and beauty, fashion, and interior design are becoming more and more popular in Saudi Arabia. However, the market does not yet have supply to match the demand.\n\nThe partners currently plan to open the branch office in Dubai before the end of this year and look for employees on-site. Last year, MONOQI increased sales by 35% and achieved net sales of €23.2 million. Since 2012, the Berlin-based company has been scouring the globe for tomorrow’s design classics, presenting exceptional products to its members on a daily basis.", "entities": [[0, 6, "headquarters_loc"], [13, 19, "org_in_focus"], [28, 39, "money_funded"], [281, 289, "type_of_funding"], [309, 320, "money_funded"], [324, 344, "investor"], [452, 458, "org_in_focus"], [485, 491, "headquarters_loc"], [2216, 2220, "year_founded"], [2226, 2232, "headquarters_loc"]]}