A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Intelitaap (2016, Mumbai), NFC/Beacon based proximity marketing solution for retailers and local merchants. Local comparables are SpotZot (2009, Pune, $2.2M, Acq) and Spurr Technology Solutions (2016, Delhi). Global comparables are Msg.ai (2009, NYC, $6M) and Tamoco (2012, London, $5M).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Ola (2011, Bangalore), app-based asset-light cab operator, raises $36M in a bridge round of funding from existing investors as per the filings. Link

Lendingkart Finance (2014, Ahmedabad), online platform that provides working capital for SMBs in India, raises $10M in Debt round of funding from Kotak Mahindra Bank and Aditya Birla Financial Services. Link

LimeTray (2013, Delhi), platform enabling web presence & marketing for F&B industry, raises an undisclosed amount of funding from JSW Ventures. Link

Zoctr (2013, Mumbai), online platform to book home healthcare services, raises an undisclosed amount in Seed round of funding from existing and new investors. Link

Chai Point (2010, Bangalore), omni-channel restaurant chain serving tea and snacks, raises an undisclosed amount in Series B round of funding from existing investors. Link

Skill Connect, a recruitment portal, raises an undisclosed amount in funding from Rajasthan Angel Investor Network. Link

Mercator (1983, Mumbai), energy, shipping & dredging conglomerate, plans to acquire a majority stake in  Dredging Corporation of India (1976, Vizag), a state-owned dredging company. Link

OYO (2013, Gurgaon), branded marketplace for budget hotel accommodation, plans to double its inventory of 70k rooms to 1.5 lakh by the end of 2018. Link

Paytm (2010, Delhi), mobile wallet and payments bank, integrates P2P payments directly into the phonebook. Link

Patanjali (2006, Haridwar), manufactures and distributes ayurvedic products worldwide, teams up with Facebook (2004, Menlo Park), social networking site, Google (1998, Mountain View), multinational internet technology company, for digital push. Link

Payback India (2000, Gurgaon), multi-brand loyalty programme for online & offline shopping, appoints Gautam Kaushik as the New CEO. Link

IBM (1911, NYC), computer technology and consulting corporation, opens its first machine learning hub in India. Link

Naspers, Cape Town-based global internet and entertainment group, is looking to exit Travel Boutique Online (2005, Gurgaon), platform to manage bookings for travel agents. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Kabbage (2009, Atlanta), working capital financing for small businesses, raises $250M in undisclosed round of funding from SoftBank. Link

Blueteam Global (2017, NYC), cybersecurity services company, raises more than $125M in undisclosed round of funding from undisclosed investors. Link

Homology Medicines (2015, Lexington), gene therapies for rare genetic diseases, raises $83.5M in Series B round of funding led by Deerfield Management with participation from Fidelity Management and Research Company, HBM Healthcare Investments, Maverick Ventures, Novartis, Rock Springs Capital and others. Link

Rfxcel (2003, San Ramon), product serialization and traceability solutions for drug, medical device, and food sectors, raises $30M in Series B round of funding led by Kayne Partners, Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors an others. Link

Volocopter (2012, Bruchsal), developer of electric helicopters, raises $29.5M in Series A round of funding Daimler, technology investor Lukasz Gadowski from Berlin and others.Link

Inception (2016, Tel Aviv), VR content and distribution platform, raises $15M in Series A round of funding led by RTL Group, a global leader across broadcast, content and digital, with participation from James Packer, Gigi Levy-Weiss, and iAngels. Link

Wasabi Technologies (2017, Boston), cloud storage services provider, raises $10.8M in undisclosed round of funding led by CloudScale Capital Partners. Link

Ritual (2015, LA), health brand and vitamins provider, raises $10.5M in Series A round of funding led by Founders Fund with participation from Forerunner Ventures, Norwest and Upfront Ventures. Link

Tritium (2001, Brisbane), electric vehicle charging solutions, raises $10M in undisclosed round of funding from Brian Flannery. Link

A weekly newsletter summarizing recent activity in the Chinese startup ecosystem.

DEALS OF THE WEEK

Mobile App Developer DotC United Raises $350M In Series B Funding Round
DotC United (2014, Beijing), a developer of mobile apps related to system management, raises $350M in Series B round of funding led by Dalian Zeus Entertainment.

INTERESTING FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY IN CHINA

Tmall Injects $300M In Chinese Fresh Produce E-Commerce Platform Yiguo.com
Yiguo.com (2005, Shanghai), a fresh produce e-commerce platform, raises $300M in funding from Tmall.

GIC Leads $220M Round In Chinese P2P Lending Platform Dianrong
Dianrong (2012, Shanghai), a peer-to-peer lending platform (P2P), raises $220M in Series D round of funding led by GIC Private with participation from CMIG Leasing Group, South Korea’s Simone Investment Managers and other institutional and individual investors.

Joy Capital Leads $105M Round In Chinese E-Commerce Software And Services Provider Shopex
Shopex (2002, Shanghai), an e-commerce software and services provider, raises $105M in Series D round of funding led by Joy Capital with participation from K2VC, New Alliance Capital, Tianxing Capital, Gopher Asset Management and CBC Capital.

Chinese Cloud Mobile Operating System Haimawan Raises $58M In New Round
Haimawan, a cloud-based mobile operating system developer, raises $58m in Series C round of funding investors including Shenzhen Stock Exchange-listed Elefirst Science & Technology.

QianCheng Technology closes $30M Series B
QianCheng technology (2015, Shanghai), a risk management solution provider for financial institutions, raises $30M in Series B round of funding from Tiantu Capital and U51.com.

Matrix Joins $17M Round In Chinese Smart Auto Parts Supply Chain Firm AutocloudPro
AutocloudPro (2016, Shanghai), a start-up developing smart cloud platform for the sales and distribution of auto parts, raises $17M in Series A+ round of funding led by Qingsong Fund, Shoutai Investment Group and Langsheng Investment with participation from Matrix Partners China and Fenghou Capital.

Matrix Leads $14M Round In Chinese Hyper-Converged Infrastructure Developer SmartX
SmartX (2013, Beijing), a hyper-converged infrastructure product developer, raises $14M in Series B round of funding led by Matrix Partners China with participation from F&G Venture, Banyan Capital and Lenovo Capital.

Qiming Leads $10M Round In Chinese Education Robot Developer Kuaile Zhihui
Kuaile Zhihui (2015, Beijing), an artificial intelligence start-up developing educational robots for children, raises $10M in Series A round of funding led by Qiming Venture Partners with participation from GGV Capital and China Elite Capital.

BAI, Qiming Lead Funding Round In Chinese Food Court Operator Shiyunji
Shiyunji (2016, Nanjing), a food court operator that employs mobile and cloud technology to streamline sales and purchasing, raises an undisclosed amount in Series A round of funding led by Bertelsmann Asia Investments and Qiming Venture Partners with participation from Zhen Fund, Lishi Venture Capital, Tongkong Investment Group and Canbailian.

Goldman Sachs Invests In China Online Food Platform Meican To Fuel Expansion
Meican (2011), an online food ordering platform targeting corporate customers, raises an undisclosed amount in Series D round of funding from Goldman Sachs.

INVESTMENTS BY CHINESE INVESTORS AND COMPANIES

Tencent Invests $23M In British Video Games Developer Frontier
Frontier Developments (1994, Cambridge), a video game developer for PC & console platforms, raises $23M in funding from Tencent Holdings.

GGV Leads New Funding Round In US Shopping App Developer Ibotta
Ibotta (2012, Denver), a shopping app developer, raises an undisclosed amount in Series C-1 funding round led by Silicon Valley and firm GGV Capital with participation from Harbor Spring Capital, Haystack Partners, Jim Clark and Tom “TJ” Jermoluk, pioneers in Netscape and Silicon Graphics.

A weekly newsletter summarizing recent activity and interesting startups in South East Asia.

INTERESTING COMPANIES FOUND

Coached (2016, Singapore) – Online coaching for running and triathlon. Global comparable include Exercise.com (2010, Seattle, $1.99M) and fitmo (2014, Amsterdam, $1.66M).
Packdat (2017, Singapore) – Online platform for collaborative trip planning. Global comparable include TripCreator (2013, Reykjavik, $5M) and Touristly (2014, Kuala Lumpur, $2.6M).

SEA – FUNDING UPDATES

Hapz raises funding
Hapz (2015, Singapore), a bidding platform for local event, raises $500k in Seed round from COCOON CAPITAL, SPH Media Fund, TinkBig Venture and Quest Ventures.

SEA – RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

SPH launches China JV
Singapore Press Holdings launches an e-commerce joint venture called ZBJ-SPH.

Prestellar Ventures raises funding
Prestellar Ventures, a private equity firm, raises $100M in funding from four general partners.

Continental acquires Singapore’s Quantum Inventions
Continental AG, a German automotive manufacturing firm, acquires Quantum Inventions, a Singapore-based mobility intelligence provider, for an undisclosed amount.

CMIA Capital, Malaysia’s Affin Hwang acquires Bitsmedia
Private equity firm CMIA Capital Partners and Malaysian fund manager Affin Hwang Asset Management acquires a majority stake in Bitsmedia Holdings, a mobile application serving the Muslim population with prayer timings, for an undisclosed amount.

Chinese bike-sharing giant Ofo launches operations in Bangkok
Chinese bike-sharing giant Ofo launches operations in Bangkok.

Aclara buys GE’s majority stake in Meralco JV
Aclara buys GE’s majority stake in Meralco JV.

Co-working unicorn WeWork acquires local counterpart Spacemob
Co-working unicorn WeWork acquires local counterpart Spacemob to expand to Southeast Asia.

Payfazz is the first Indonesian startup to make it into Y Combinator
Payfazz is the first Indonesian startup to make it into Y Combinator.

Line set to launch taxi-booking service in Thailand, O2O platform Fave links up with Alipay
Line set to launch taxi-booking service in Thailand, O2O platform Fave links up with Alipay.

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

VadR (2016, Gurgaon), mobile ad network for Virtual Reality content. Founders are ex – Visa, and alumni of IIT – Delhi. Local comparable is Chimera Labs (2015, Bangalore). Global comparables are Vertebrae (2015, Santa Monica, $10M) and Immersv (2015, SF).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

CoutLoot (2015, Mumbai), P2P marketplace of pre-owned fashion products, raises an undisclosed amount in Pre-Series A round of funding from Redcliffe Capital and Artha India Ventures and angels like Apoorv Ranjan Sharma, president, Venture Catalysts and Siddharth Kothari of Om Kothari Group among others. Link

BoxMySpace (2014, Mumbai), offline storage for personal boxes, raises an undisclosed amount in Pre Series A round of funding led by R. Jayakumar, Founder and MD of Jayem Group, Vaibhav Vohra, Director of Continental Carriers, Aditya Vazirani, VP – Strategy, Quality & Operations at Robinsons Global, Rhea Vazirani, Director of Robinsons Global, logistics player AVN Business Solutions, and Dreamweaver Investments and Business Solutions. Link

Infosys (1981, Bangalore), IT & IT enabled services provider, acquires Brilliant Basics(2013, London), application design and development service provider, for $9.8M. Link

Mahindra Logistics (2009, Mumbai), files for up to $110M IPO. Link

Avendus Finance launches Rs 500 Cr debt fund; first close likely by August-end. Link

Vidooly (2014, Gurgaon), YouTube video marketing & analytics product, launches brand safety tool for advertisers, brands and agencies globally. Link

5F World (2016, Pune), the meta startup, inks joint venture with Chesapeake. Link

Chaitanya Microfinance (2009, Bangalore), provider of Micro Loans, gold loans and 2-wheeler loans, raises $ 5.17M through NCD issue. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Remezcla (2008, New York City), digital publisher & entertainment content provider, raises $11M in Series A round of funding from Hemisphere Media Group. Link

Ironclad (2014, San Francisco), automated legal paperwork, raises $11M in Series A round of funding from two investors, including Accel Partners. Link

Gobee Bike (2017, Hong Kong), station-less bicycle sharing platform, raises $9M in Series A round of funding  led by Grishin Robotics with participation from Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund. Link

Winki Lux (2016, New York City), digitally native beauty brand, raises $2M in Seed round of funding led by Female Founders Fund with participation from BBG Ventures, GGV, SoGal Ventures and TGZ Capital. Link

A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting startups in the energy storage sector globally

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – BIOENERGY

• The protein design company Arzeda raises $12M in Series A funding from OS Fund, Bioeconomy Capital Sustainable Conversion Ventures, and WRF Capital. Link
• BHSL, a specialist in converting poultry manure into fuel, raises $7.8M and acquires Hydro International. Link
• Edeniq, a cellulosic technology company, raises $5M in growth equity from Flint Hills Resources, Angeleno Group, I2BF Global Ventures, Trinity Capital Investment, and Cyrus Capital. Link
• Bioethanol producer Fulcrum Bioenergy, raises $5M equity funding as per SecD filing. Link
• Waste to renewable fuels firm Sustane Technologies secures $2.6M funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada’s SD Tech Fund. Link
• Biodiesel blends and chemicals manufacturing technology developer xF Technologies, raises $675k debt funding as per SecD filing. Link
• Pacific BioEnergy, a wood pellet manufacturer, raises an undisclosed amount from Sumitomo Corporation. Link
• DOE awards an undisclosed amount to algae production technology developer Lumen Bioscience. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

Lumen Bioscience (2017, Seattle, Undisclosed) – Technology developer for large-scale production of algae on non-productive land using engineered strains that grow robustly in seawater, resist contamination and predation, and accumulate substantial amounts of energy-rich components.

LEADER BOARD – BIOENERGY

Production – Horizontal
Sapphire Energy (2007, San Diego, $290M) – Produces a renewable source of crude oil from algae biomass and operates algae-to-energy facility. Backed by ARCH Venture Partners, Wellcome Trust, Arrowpoint Partners, Venrock and Department of Energy.
Joule Unlimited (2007, Bedford, $190M) – Technology developer to produce drop-in fuels using waste carbon dioxide (CO2) feedstock and waste brackish water. Backed by Flagship Ventures.
Sundrop Fuels (2008, Longmont, $155M) – Proprietary bio reforming system to transform cellulosic biomass into clean, affordable, renewable gasoline, jet and diesel fuels. Backed by Chesapeake Energy Corporation and Oak Investment Partners.

Production – Biodiesel
Renewable Energy Group (1996, Ames, IPO) – Advanced biodiesel producer and developer of renewable chemicals. Went Public in January 2012.
Amyris (2003, Emeryville, IPO) – Partnered with Total Oil to produce biodiesel. Backed by KPCB, TGP Growth, Khosla Ventures and DAG Ventures. Went Public in September 2010.

Production – Bioalcohol – Bioethanol
Fulcrum Bioenergy (2007, Pleasanton, $302M) – Manufactures bioethanol from MSW. Backed by Rustic Canyon Partners and US Renewables Group.
Enerkem (2000, Montreal, $284M) – Manufactures bioethanol from MSW. Backed by Braemar Energy Ventures, Rho Capital Partners and BDR Capital.

Production – Bioalcohol – Biobutanol
Cobalt Technologies (2005, Mountain View, $89M) – Manufactures drop-in-fuel biobutanol. Backed by Pinnacle Ventures, VantagePoint Capital Partners and Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund.

Production – Biogas
Stormfisher (2006, Toronto, $350M) – Builds, owns and operates biogas plants. Backed by Denham Capital.

Technology Developer – Horizontal
Virent Energy (2002, Madison, $103M, Acq.) – Technology developer and manufacturer for biofuels and biochemicals. Backed by Royal Dutch Shell, Cargill, Stark Investments and Venture Investors. Acquired by Tesoro in September 2016.

Technology Developer – Biodiesel
Aurora Biofuels (2006, Hayward, $102M) – Technology developer for production of biodiesel from algae. Backed by OAK Investment Partners, Gabriel Venture Partners and Noventi Ventures.

Technology Developer – Bioalcohol – Bioethanol
Mascoma (2006, New Hampshire, $138M, Acq.) – Technology provider and licensor for Bioethanol production. Backed by   Atlas Venture, Khosla Ventures, KPCB, General Catalyst Partners, Pinnacle Ventures, Flagship Ventures, GM Ventures, VantagePoint Capital Partners etc. Acquired by Lallemand in November 2014.

Technology Developer – Biomass
Renmatix (2007, Kennesaw, $152.5M) – Technology developer and manufacturer for cellulosic sugar. Backed by KPCB, Total Ventures and BASF Venture Capital.

Technology Developer – Catalyst
Rive Technology (2006, Monmouth Junction, $67M) – Catalyst technology developer for petroleum and renewable industry. Backed by Charles River Ventures, Advanced Technology Ventures and Nth Power.

Feedstock – Oilseeds
SG Biofuels (2007, Encinitas, $37M) – Biomass and plant oils manufacturer and supplier. Backed by Flint Hills Resources, McNerney & Partners and Finstere Ventures.

Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.

For latest updates visit Bioenergy feed.

A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – ELECRTIC VEHICLES

• Ucar leads $320M round In Chinese electric car maker Xiaopeng. Link
• Proterra closes $55M Series 6 investment with Generation Investment Management and BMW i Ventures. Link
• ChargePoint raises additional $43M in a Series G funding round led by Siemens. Link
• German aviation startup Volocopter secures $29M from Daimler and business angels to further develop its electrically driven VTOLs. Link
• Chinese phone maker OPPO co-leads $22M round in electric car sharing firm Ponycar. Link
• Self-driving truck startup Embark raises $15M in Series A financing. Link
• Electric vehicle charging solutions provider Tritium raises $7.9M in financing. Link
• Nuvve receives $7.9M California Energy Commission grant to demonstrate Vehicle-to-Grid technology. Link
• German electric ridesharing startup CleverShuttle secures investment from Daimler and EvoBus. Link
• Greenlots, a provider of electric vehicle charging solutions, secures strategic investment from Energy Impact Partners. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

Flumen (2016, Budapest) – Flumen focuses on developing solutions to automate electric vehicle charging for fleets. The company’s cloud-based solution receives charging reservations, calculates the optimal charging schedules, and controls the output of the charging stations.

LEADER BOARD – ELECRTIC VEHICLES

Automaker – Horizontal
Polaris Industries (1954, Medina, IPO) – Designs and manufactures on-road electric/hybrid vehicles, snowmobiles, off-road vehicles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). Went Public in September 1987.
FDG Electric Vehicles (1990, Hong Kong, IPO) – Manufactures electric vehicles for passenger and commercial use. Also manufactures battery packs and accessories. Went Public in November 2005.

Automaker – Cars
Tesla (2003, Palo Alto, IPO) – Designs and manufactures electric cars and residential energy storage products. Backed by Google, DFJ, VantagePoint Capital Partners, Compass Technology partners, Capricorn Invest Group, Daimler, Panasonic, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Went Public in July 2010.
NIO (2014, Shanghai, $1.1B) – Develops electric supercars. Backed by Baidu, Tencent, Sequoia Capital, IDG Capital Partners, Lenovo, Joy Capital, Hillhouse Capital.

Automaker – Commercial Vehicles
Proterra (2004, Greenville, $400M) – Designs and manufactures heavy-duty drive, vehicle control systems and complete transit buses. Backed by KPCB, Hennessey Capital, General Motors Ventures, Constellation Ventures, 88 Green Ventures, Middle East Venture Partners.

Automaker – Scooters
Vmoto (2002, Perth, IPO) – Designs and manufactures two-wheeled electric vehicles. Went Public in February 2002.
Gogoro (2011, Taipei, $180M) – Develops electric scooters and battery swapping infrastructure for electric two-wheelers. Backed by Panasonic, National Development Fund of Taiwan.

Automaker – Motorcycles
Zero Motorcycles (2006, Scotts Valley, $139M) – Designs and manufactures high-performance electric motorcycles. Backed by Invus Group, California Energy Commission.

Automaker – Nontraditional
Segway (1999, Bedford, $102M, Acq.) – Designs and manufactures personal transportation two-wheeled self-balancing electric vehicles. Acquired by Ninebot in April 2015. Backed by KPCB, Intel, Masdar CleanTech Fund.

Charging Solutions – Charging Network
Volta Charging (2010, SF, $24M) – Develops network of free-to-use charging stations at retail locations. Backed by 500 Startups, Riverwood Capital, EPIC Ventures, Three Bridge Venture Partners.
NewMotion (2009, Amsterdam, $18M) – Develops network of electric vehicle charging station across Europe. Backed by Entrepreneurs Fund, Stichting DOEN.

Charging Solutions – Plug-in Charging
ChargePoint (2007, Campbell, $298M) – Provides electric vehicle charging stations and develops network of public charging stations. Backed by KPCB, Braemar Energy Ventures, Voyager Capital, Rho Ventures.

Charging Solutions – Wireless Charging
Evatran (2009, Wytheville, $16M) – Develops wireless electric vehicle charging solutions. Backed by New Richmond Ventures, US DOE, Zhejiang VIE Science & Technology.

Components – Electric Drive Systems
Protean Electric (2009, Troy, $154M) – Develops in-wheel electric drive system for hybrid and electric light-duty vehicles. Backed by Oak Investment Partners, GSR Ventures, Tianjin THSG Corporation.

Components – Batteries
Boston Power (2005, Westborough, $638M) – Develops fast charging Li-ion batteries. Backed by GSR Ventures, Oak Investment Partners, Foundations Asset Management, GGV Capital, Venrock.

Components – Motors
UQM Technologies (1967, Longmont, IPO) – Manufactures electric motors, generators and power electronic controllers for the transportation industry. Backed by US Department of Energy. Went Public in May 1992.

Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.

A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – ONLINE VIDEO

• Toke.TV, the live video streaming application for the cannabis community closes multi-million dollar Series A financing. Link
• Streamroot, the P2P CDN for live video streaming Raises $2.5 Million. Link
• iflix Africa, Kwesé TV partner to bring subscription video on demand (SVoD) services to sub-Saharan Africa. Link
• YouTube is using machine learning to combat terror content. Link
• Netflix Inks $500MM Revolver With Syndicate Including Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs. Link
• Peer5 raises $2.5M for its peer-to-peer approach to streaming video. Link
• Roku becomes the most popular streaming device, takes the crown from chromecast. Link
• Nielsen adds Hulu, YouTube TV to TV Ratings. Link
• Yupp TV, the live streaming platform for Indian TV channels partners with Flowers TV, latter now available in North America. Link
• Hulu’s Live TV service arrives on Amazon Fire TV. Link
• Netflix mobile app user numbers grow by 60% over 2016. Link
• Hull-based video advertising start-up Ash TV secures cash injection from Northern Powerhouse fund. Link
• Twitch partners with Crunchyroll for first ever Anime marathon. Link
• YouTube’s desktop version gets 3 seconds video thumbnail preview. Link
• India’s Hotstar agrees on a content deal with CBS to keep up with rival Amazon. Link
• Roku hits 15 million monthly users, 7 billion hours streamed in the first half of 2017. Link
• Starz Play Arabia, the on-demand video streaming service in MENA region raises $125m in funding. Link
• Cheddar, the video news streaming platform acquires Stockstream. Link
• YouTube will now block ads on channels with under 10,000 views. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

picoNets (2016, Bangalore) –  A peer-assisted content delivery network aiming to reduce bandwidth costs for content broadcasters. 
Lumen5 (2015, Vancouver) – An AI-based tool that has a very short turnaround time in producing contextual videos from text inputs for marketers

LEADER BOARD – ONLINE VIDEO

Content Creation
Animoto (2006, NYC, $30M) – Cloud-based video creation app. Runs a freemium service that lets users create short video slideshows from collections of pictures and videos. Backed by Amazon, SoftTech VC, Madrona Venture Group, Spectrum Equity.
StudioNow (2007, Nashville, $21M) – Global marketplace of services and technology tools designed to match video content producers with enterprises. Backed by Claritas Capital, FCA Venture Partners, Clayton Associates, Launch Tennessee.

Video Content Management
Brightcove (2004, Boston, IPO) – Online video platform suites. Offers product to distribute and publish digital media. Went IPO in 2012.
Qumu (2002, San Bruno, IPO, Acq.) – Enterprise video platform. Provides tools to create, manage, secure, deliver and measure the success of videos. Acquired by Rimage Corporation in October 2011. Went public in 2011.

Video distribution- On demand
Netflix (1997, Los Gatos, IPO) – Subscription-based online and offline video rental portal. Went public in 2002.
Hulu (2007, LA, $100M) – Subscription-based online movies and TV streaming. Backed by Time Warner, 21st Century Fox, The Walt Disney Company and Providence Equity Partners.
iQIYI (2010, Beijing, $350M) – Ad-supported television and movie portal. Provides fully-licensed, high-definition, professionally produced content. Part of Baidu. Backed by Baidu, Providence Equity Partners, Xiaomi, Shunwei.

Video distribution- Infrastructure
Ustream (2007, SF, $49M, Acq.) – Provider of live and on-demand video solutions.  Backed by  DCM, Band of Angels, Western Technology Investment, SoftBank, Fenwick & West, KT Corp. Acquired by IBM in 2016.
Elemental Technologies (2006, Portland, $43M, Acq.) – Provider of software-based video solutions for content delivery to any device. Acquired by Amazon in 2015.

Multi-Channel Networks
Tastemade (2012. Santa Monica, $80M) – YouTube Multi-Channel Food Network. Backed by Goldman Sachs, Comcast Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Liberty Media, Raine Ventures, Scripps Network Interactive and Third Wave Digital.
Machinima (2000, West Hollywood $99M, Acq.) – Provides gamer content across multiple video platforms. Backed by MK Capital, Google, Redpoint Ventures, Warner Bros. Acquired by Warner Bros. in 2016.

Social Videos – Live Streaming
Azubu (2011, Sherman Oaks, $94M) – Offers live streaming eSports videos, news, and analysis from tournaments, teams, and players across multiple devices. Backed by Sapinda, Sallfort Privatbank AG.
Twitch (2011, SF, $35M, Acq.) – Live and On-demand eSports streaming website. A website for gamers to stream and watch live and recorded video games. Acquired by Amazon in 2014.
Periscope (2014, SF, Acq.) – Live video streaming and broadcasting mobile app. Acquired by Twitter in 2015.

Social Platforms – Social Sharing
YouTube (2005, San Bruno, $11.5M, Acq.) – Video sharing website. Acquired by Google in 2006 for $1.65B.
Keek (2011, Toronto, $30M) – Web and mobile short video sharing platform. Allows users to create 36-second videos (“keeks”) using a webcam, iPhone or Android devices and share them with others around the world. Went IPO in 2014.
Vine (2012, NYC, Acq.) – Video taking and sharing platform. Lets users record and edit up to six-second-long looping video clips and revine, (share other’s posts) with followers. Acquired by Twitter in 2012.

Video Marketing and Syndication
SundaySky (2007, Tel Aviv, $67M) – Offers personalized video marketing platform. Helps to create, manage and optimize real-time personalized video programs throughout the customer lifecycle. Backed by Norwest Venture Partners, Viola Group, Globespan Capital Partners, Carmel Ventures, Comcast Ventures, Vintage Investment Partners, NTT Docomo Ventures and Liberty Global. 
Vidyard (2011, Kitchener, $61M) –Video marketing and analytics platform. Backed by Y Combinator, SV Angel, Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, SoftTech VC, Battery Ventures, Salesforce, Inovia Capital and OMERS Ventures.

Video Advertising – DSP
TubeMogul (2006, Emeryville, IPO, Acq.) – Video Demand Side Platform. Programmatic (desktop only) video advertising platform used by brands and agencies. Went IPO in 2014. Acquired by Adobe in 2016.
Extreme Reach (2007, Needham, $196M) – Enables advertisers and agencies to manage, execute, and track advertising campaigns across all video mediums (broadcast, cable, website, mobile, VOD). Backed by Village Ventures, Long River Ventures, Greycroft Partners, Spectrum Equity, TD Bank.

Video Advertising – SSP
Liverail (2008, SF, $12.5M, Acq.) – Supply-side video advertising platform. Provides premium publishers with RTB-based video ad targeting technology to serve better ads in the videos that appear on their websites and apps. Acquired by Facebook in 2014.
Altitude Digital (2009, Denver, $54M) – Independent video Supply-side platform. Backed by Cypress Growth Capital, Mercato Partners, Silicon Valley Bank, FastPay.

Video Advertising – Ad Networks
YuMe (2004, Redwood City, IPO) – Develops video advertising technology for both the supply side and the demand side of the digital video ecosystem. Went IPO in 2013.
SpotX (2006, Denver, $12M, Acq.) – Programmatic video advertising platform. Connects thousands of publishers with trusted demand sources, running top brand campaigns through its marketplace. Acquired by RTL Group in 2014.

Video Advertising – Ad Exchanges
Tremor Video (2005, NYC, IPO) – Provides online video advertising services for advertisers, agencies, and publisher partners. Went IPO in 2013.
Brightroll (2006, SF, $46M, Acq.) – Delivers, manages and measures the performance of digital video ad campaigns across web, mobile, and connected TV. Acquired by Yahoo in 2014.

Video Advertising – Interactive Video
Innovid (2007, NYC, $53M) – Interactive Video Ad delivery platform. Provides advertisers with the tools to create, deliver, and measure video campaigns in any format on any screen, publisher, and ad network. Backed by Sequoia Capital, Cisco Investments, NewSpring Capital, Silicon Valley Bank.
Interlude (2010, NYC, $37M) – Designs, develops and markets interactive video technology. Backed by MGM, Warner Music, Samsung, Sequoia Capital and Intel Capital and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Video Analytics 
Tubular Labs (2012, Mountain View, $31M) – Video management and analytics platform. Backed by Canaan Partners, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, FirstMark Capital, SV Angel, High Line Venture Partners, Marker, Bedrocket, Square 1 Bank, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, Third Wave Digital.

Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.

A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

• Everex, a blockchain based micro-finance and remittance start-up, has raised $500k from Holley Worldwide Holdings. Link
• Symbiont, a smart securities issuance and trading platform, has raised $8.5M from Medici Ventures. Link
• Coindash, a social trading platform for crypto investors, has raised $100k  from TaaS. Link
• Provenance, a start-up focused on improving product supply chain transparency, has raised $860k from Humanity United, Plug and Play Tech Center and Digital Currency Group. Link
• Bitcoin Australia, an Australian Bitcoin exchange, has raised $862k from Alium Capital Management and Dominet Digital Corporation. Link
• Paystand, a payments processing start-up focused on Bitcoin, E-checks and credit cards, has raised $1M from LEAP Global Partners. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

Sharpe Capital (2015, London) – Leverages ML, AI & ZKP (Zero knowledge proof) to create a trustless hedge fund with every trade recorded on the blockchain
Salt (2016, Denver) – Cryptocurrency backed loans at competitive interest rates

LEADER BOARD – BLOCKCHAIN APPLICATIONS

Financial Services
Circle (2013, Boston, $136M) – Digital currency wallet and international money transfer service provider. Backed by Accel Partners, Goldman Sachs, Baidu, General Catalyst Partners, IDG Capital Partners, Oak Investment Partners, CICC, CreditEase, China Everbright, Fenway Summer, Breyer Capital, Pantera Capital, Wanxiang America, Digital Currency Group.
Ripple (2012, SF, $90.5M) – Open source payment protocol. Backed by Standard Chartered, AME Cloud Ventures, Seagate, CME Group, IDG Capital Partners, RRE Ventures, Venture 51, Core VC, ChinaRock Capital Management, SBI Holdings, Route 66 Ventures, Camp One Ventures,Blockchain Capital, Santander InnoVentures, Digital Currency Group, Tusk Ventures, CRCM Venture Capital, SCB Digital Ventures.
Digital Asset Holdings (2014, NYC, $67M) – Blockchain-based trade settlement solution provider. Backed Accenture, IBM, Goldman Sachs, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Citigroup, J.P. Morgan, CME Group, BNP Paribas, ABN AMRO Bank, Australian Securities Exchange, PNC Financial Services Group, Deutsche, DTCC, ICAP, FinTech Innovation Lab, Santander InnoVentures.

Enterprise
Filament Networks (2012, Reno, $36M) – A decentralized Internet of Things stack. Backed by Intel Capital, CME Group, Techstars, Crosslink Capital, Bullpen Capital, Resonant Venture Partners, Amherst Fund, Samsung Venture Investment, Pantera Capital, Detroit Innovate, Bullpen Capital, Verizon Ventures, Flex technology accelerator program Lab IX, Digital Currency Group, Working Lab Capital, Zenstone Venture Capital, VTF Capital, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Backstage Capital, Tappan Hill Ventures, Samsung NEXT.
Stem Disintermedia (2015, Los Angeles, $12.5M) – A digital media rights platform.  Upfront Ventures, Ludlow Ventures, Three Six Zero Group, Red Light Management, ROAR, Third Wave Digital, Aspect Ventures, Evolution Media, Vayner RSE, Blockchain Capital, Third Wave Digital, WndrCo.

Technology
R3 (2013, New York, $107M) – Consortium of financial enterprises aiming to create digital ledger technology.  HSBC Group, UBS, Wells Fargo, Intel Capital, Barclays, Itau BBA, Natixis, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, SBI Group, Banco Bradesco, Temasek Holdings.
Bitfury (2012, San Francisco, $95M) – Provider for Bitcoin mining hardware.   Credit China Holdings, DRW Trading Group, Investment Fund, Crypto Currency Partners, Binary Financial, ZAD, Blockchain Capital, QueensBridge Venture Partners, iTech Capital.
Blockstream (2014, SF, $76M) – Provides sidechain solutions to improve blockchain. Backed by Khosla Ventures, AME Cloud Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, Data Collective, Horizons Ventures, Ribbit Capital, Real Ventures, Digital Garage, DG Incubation, SK Ventures, Future Perfect Ventures, Maiden Lane, Mosaic Ventures, Blockchain Capital, Digital Currency Group, AXA Strategic Ventures, Seven Seas Partners.

Consumer
FirstBlood Technologies (2016, Boston, $5.5M) – Blockchain-based eSports platform.
Augur Project (2014, SF, $5M) – Decentralized prediction market based on Blockchain.

A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally 

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – SECOND HAND GOODS

• The RealReal, an online consignment platform for luxury fashion, raised $50M in funding from Great Hill Partners. Link
• Rebelle, a designer second-hand online shop, raised a $20M debt facility from Silicon Valley based VC firm Partners For Growth (PFG). Link
• Rebagg, a reseller of designer handbags, raised $15.5M in a funding round from U-Start, Big Sur Ventures, Crosslink Capital, FJ Labs and General Catalyst Partners. Link
• Videdressing, a fashion and accessories online marketplace, raised a $6M funding round from DN Capital, Piton Capital, Earlybird Venture Capital and Generis Capital Partners. Link
• Entrupy, a gadget for authenticating luxury handbags, raised a series A funding round of $2.6M. Link
• ModaCruz, an online social marketplace for women’s used fashion products, raised $2M in funding from Middle East Venture Partners and Hummingbird Ventures. Link
• Designer Wardrobe, an online marketplace for pre-loved fashion products raised a seed amount of $1.7M. Link
• Tradee, a mobile-based listing platform for used goods, raised a seed funding amount of $1.2M. Link
• Refabd, an online platform for used furniture and home appliances, raised a seed funding amount of $92.5K from Athamus Venture. Link
• Cashify, an online buy-back platform for used gadgets, raised an undisclosed amount in a Series A funding round. Link
• LXR & Co, a vintage luxury private shopping club, was acquired for $82.5M by Gibralter Ventures. Link
• Secondcry, a second-hand kidswear listing platform, was acquired for an undisclosed amount by Elanic. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

Stadium Goods (2015, NYC, $4.6M) – Online consignment store for pre-owned premium sneakers and streetwear apparel.
Daangn (2015, Seongnam-si, $1.08M) – Location-based classifieds platform for multi-category products.

LEADER BOARD – SECOND HAND GOODS

Multi-Category
Listing Platform
58.com (2005, Beijing, IPO) – Online classified advertisements website serving local merchants and consumers in China. Went IPO in 2013.
Baixing (2005, Shanghai, IPO) – Online classified website that helps users to find and publish information related to second-hand goods trade and other local services. Listed on New Third Board in Mar 2016.
Quikr (2008, Bangalore, $369.5M) – Online classifieds portal to search, buy/sell/rent items and services. Backed by Investment AB Kinnevik, Tiger Global, Warburg Pincus, Nokia Growth Partners, NVP and more.
Ganji (2005, Beijing, $290M, Acq.) – Online Chinese domestic classifieds platform that hosts information on jobs, used cars, smartphones, etc. Backed by Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, Nokia Growth Partners and more. Acquired by 58.com in 2015.
Avito (2007, Moscow, $168M, Acq.) – Online classified website for placement of free and paid advertisements about goods and services from individuals and businesses. Backed by Accel Partners, Naspers, Northzone, Kinnevik AB and more. Acquired by Naspers in 2015.
Olx (2006, NYC, $28.5M, Acq.) – Online classifieds platform that enables its users to post ads and share them on social networks. Backed by Nexus Venture Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Naspers and more. Naspers acquired a majority stake in OLX in 2010 which increased to 95% over time.
Craigslist (1995, SF, Undisclosed) – Online classified advertisements website for jobs, personals, wanted items, services, and discussion forums. Backed by eBay.

Listing Platform – Mobile Only
Letgo (2015, NYC, $375M) – P2P mobile listings platform. Backed by Naspers, Accel Partners, Insight Venture Partners, NEA and more.
OfferUp (2012, Seattle, $192M) – P2P mobile listings platform for household goods. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Tiger Global, T. Rowe Price, GGV Capital and more.

Commission-based Marketplace
Zhuan Zhuan (2015, Chaoyang, $200M) – P2P marketplace for second-hand goods. Backed by Tencent.
Enjoei (2009, Sao Paulo, $7M) – Marketplace for second-hand goods where people can buy and sell used/pre-owned goods. Backed by Monashees, Graph Ventures & BVP.

Commission-based Marketplace – Mobile Only
Mercari (2013, Tokyo, $114M) – Mobile marketplace to buy and sell clothing, electronics, household goods, and handmade items. Backed by World Innovation Lab, Global Brain, Globis Capital Partners, GMO Venture Partners, East Ventures and more.
Depop (2011, London, $18M) – Social shopping app to buy and sell items from a smartphone. Backed by Balderton Capital, Holtzbrinck Ventures, H-FARM Ventures, Ballpark Ventures and more.

Fashion
TheRealReal (2011, Tiburon, $173) – Online full-service consignment marketplace for pre-owned designer goods. Backed by Industry Ventures, Canaan Partners, InterWest Partners, Infinity Ventures and more.
Vestiaire Collective (2009, Paris, $131M) – Online marketplace for buying and selling second-hand luxury fashion products. Backed by Eurazeo, Balderton Capital, Ventech, Idinvest Partners, Vitruvian Partners and more.
ThredUp (2009, SF, $127M) – Online consignment based platform for fashion items. Backed by GS, Highland Capital Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Trinity Ventures and more.
Reebonz (2009, Singapore, $80M) – Membership-based online shopping site of new and pre-owned luxury fashion items. Backed by Intel Capital, GGV Capital, Infocomm Investments, Matrix Partners China and more.
Tradesy (2012, Santa Monica, $80M) – Online P2P marketplace to buy and sell clothing items. Backed by KPCB, Rincon Venture Partners, Red Swan Ventures, Daher Capital and more.
Poshmark (2011, Menlo Park, $65.5M) – Mobile P2P marketplace for fashion products. Backed by GGV Capital, Menlo Ventures, Inventus Capital Partners, and more.
Vinted (2008, Vilnius, $61M) – Online marketplace to buy, sell and swap used clothing items. Backed by Hubert Burda Media, Insight Venture Partners and Accel Partners.

Electronics
Aihuishou (2011, Shanghai, $128M) – Online marketplace for recycling and sale of second-hand electronic items. Backed by IFC, Morningside Group, Tiantu Capital, Morningside Ventures, Cathay Capital and more.
Gazelle (2006, Boston, $56M, Acq.) – E-commerce company that buys previously owned consumer electronics directly from consumers and resells them through a global network of retail and wholesale channels. Backed by Craton Equity Partners, Physic Ventures, Rockport Capital, Venrock, and more. Acquired by Outerwall in 2015.
GreenDust (2009, Delhi, $40M) -Online reverse logistics platform for sale of factory second and refurbished electronic products.Backed by Vertex Ventures, KPCB, Kae Capital and more.

Furniture
Chairish (2013, SF, $15M) – Online marketplace for pre-owned vintage home furnishings. Backed by OATV, Azure Capital Partners and Altos Ventures.
Zefo (2015, Bangalore, $7M) – Online marketplace for pre-owned furniture. Backed by Sequoia Capital, Helion Venture Partners & Beenext.

Baby & Kids
Swap (2008, Boston, $50M, Acq.) – Online consignment store for used baby, kids’ and women’s items. Backed by CleanTech Invest, eEquity and Safeguard Scientifics. Acquired by Netcycler in 2012.
Percentil (2012, Madrid, $6M) – Online consignment platform to buy and sell pre-owned kids clothes. Backed by Active Venture Partners & Seaya Ventures.

Collectibles
Reverb (2012, Chicago, $32M) – Online marketplace for vintage musical instruments. Backed by Summit Partners, Lightbank and FJ Labs.

Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.

For latest update visit Second Hand Goods feed.

A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting startups in the energy storage sector globally

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – SOLAR ENERGY

• Renew Financial closed a $300M Credit Facility from Morgan Stanley and Barclays Link
• Fenix International raised $4M from MTN, Swedish Embassy & USAID to launch pay-to-own solar home systems in Zambia Link
• Clean energy providers, Sunseap Group, has raised funding from Shell Technology Ventures Link
• Solease has raised $1.1M of Convertible debts through OnePlanetCrowd Link
• Clean energy platform CoPower raised $2M in its latest funding round led by Fondaction CSN and joined by new and existing investors, including Royal Bank of Canada, Innovation Support, Ferst Capital Partners and Laurie Thomson Link
• Picosolar has raised $100k in its Seed round of funding as per SEC Filings Link
• Cypress Creek Renewables has secured a $450M facility from a consortium of investors including Temasek Link
• Dividend Finance Secures $100M Debt Facility from Credit Suisse Link
• Petersen-Dean, a certified designer and installer of solar rooftops, secured a $30M senior secured credit facility from Ares Commercial Finance Link
• Greenko Group raised $1B green bond from a host of investors including Goldman Sachs, Blackrock, Fidelity, and Manulife Insurance Link
• Eight19 secured $1.7M of funding in its Series A round from Lucros Investment, IP Group, Clarium and Providence Link
• Rooftop Solar Developer, CleanMax Solar raised $108M from Warburg Pincus Link
• Mobisol has raised $11.4M from Finnfund to bolster its operations in Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya Link
• The Technology to Market 3 funding program under the Department of Energy, US has announed $46.2M of funding for 48 Projects to Advance Solar Power Technologies Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

Wiocor Energy (Belgrade, 2015) – Wiocor Energy specialises in research, development and implementation of solar power solutions based on three-dimensional photovoltaic solar towers. Its solutions find application in areas with limited space, remote facilities, islands, and floating platforms or cities. Apart from these, they are also developing fast public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles using their vertically elevated solar towers.

LEADER BOARD – SOLAR ENERGY

Hardware Developer
SunPower (1985, Athens, IPO) – Designs and manufactures high-efficiency silicon solar cells and solar panels based on an all-back contact cell having all-black appearance. Went public in November, 2005.
BrightSource Energy (2004, Oakland, $805M) – Designs and builds large scale solar plants that deliver solar energy in the form of steam and/or electricity. Backed by Google, Morgan Stanley, DFJ among others.

Independent Power Producer
Silicon Ranch (2011, Nashville, $288M) – Integrated solar service provider focusing on developing utility-scale solar plants and offering turnkey Solar EPC services. Backed by Partners Group and Greystone.
Nippon Renewable Energy (2013, Tokyo, $250M) – Solar energy developer which manages and operates solar power facilities from the development and construction stages through to the operational stage. Backed by Equis Capital Partners and Partners Group.

Project Developers
Solairedirect (2006, Paris, $341M, Acq.) – Owns and operates solar farms as well as undertakes solar EPC contracts. The company has presence in France, India, America, Latin America among other countries. Backed by IADB, Capital Stage, Blackrock, Demeter Partners among other.
Brite Energy (2014, Romeoville, $264M) – Brite Energy offers solar installation services to residential and commercial spaces. The company is backed by Protection 1 (USA’s full-service security company) and co-owned by GTCR.

Solar-as-a-service
SolarCity (2006, San Mateo, IPO, Acq.) – Full-service solar provider for homeowners, businesses and government organizations. Backed by Bank of America, DFJ, SilverLake Partners etc., among others. IPO-ed in December 2012.
Sunnova (2010, Houston, $1.1B) – Integrated solar installation, finance, and solar leasing services. Backed by Triangle Peak Partners, Franklin Square Capital Partners etc., among others.

Solar Products
Envision Solar (2006, San Diego, IPO) – Designs and builds solar trees and solar powered parking structures. Went public in May 2010.
Petra Systems (2006, South Plainfield, $40M) –  Company offers smart light controller, solar power generator, wireless networking, support for surveillance & sensor networks, network gateways and battery backup. Backed by ES Ventures, Element Partners etc., among others.

Solar Financing
Solarbao (2014, Shanghai, $40M) – Solarbao gives regular retail investors a chance to make low risk investments in solar power stations. Investors buy solar panels, lease them to solarbao.com.hk. When they sign the entrusted financial lease contract, the panels are installed in power stations, and fixed monthly returns are paid to the investors.

Software Solutions
Fat Spaniel (2003, San Jose, $28M, Acq.) – Independent provider of critical monitoring and reporting services for the renewable energy industry. The company’s solutions are utilized by solar power producers, financiers, system integrators, and OEMs.

Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.

For latest updates, visit Solar Energy feed.

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Scanta (2016, Delhi), augmented reality-based marketing solution provider. Founder is alumni of Prague College. Local comparable is Yeppar (2016, Jaipur). Global comparable is Odle (2014, Fremont).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Flipkart (2007, Bangalore), online horizontal e-commerce marketplace, gets working capital credit of $3.75B from Axis Bank. Link

Amazon India, Indian arm of horizontal e-commerce marketplace, posts 88% jump in gross sales volume for the June quarter.Link

Paytm (2010, Delhi), mobile wallet and payments bank, on Monday launched gifting envelope feature called Paytm Postcards. Link

Flipkart (2007, Bangalore), horizontal e-commerce marketplace and ShopClues (2011, Gurgaon), e-commerce retail marketplace, both plan to enter refurbished electronic gadgets category. Link

Godrej Interio (1985, Mumbai), premium furniture brand in both home and institutional segments, planning to launch an e-commerce platform for online furniture retail. Link

Softbank (1995, San Carlos), venture capital group focusing on technology and telecom early stage businesses, in talks to invest directly in Flipkart (2007, Bangalore), online horizontal e-commerce marketplace. Link

Cure.Fit (2016, Bangalore), integrated health and fitness platform, has signed up actor Hrithik Roshan as its brand ambassador. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Auris Surgical Robotics (2009, San Carlos), robotic surgical system for ophthalmology, raises $280.21M in Series D round of funding led by Coatue Management with participation from Viking Global Investors, Section 32 and Partner Fund Management, Mithril, Lux Capital, and Highland Capital Partners. Link

Iflix (2014, Kuala Lumpur), subscription based video on demand, raises in $133M funding led by Hearst, with participation from, EDBI, clients of DBS private bank and others. Link

Karius (2014, Menlo Park), hypothesis-free high-throughput detection of pathogens, raises $50M in Series A round of  funding led by Data Collective, and Lightspeed Venture Partners with participation from Tencent, Khosla Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, and Spectrum 28. Link

Sansan (2013, Japan), provider of cloud-based business card management services, raises $38M in Series D Funding. Link

Neuros Medical (2008, Cleveland), neurostimulation therapy for chronic neuropathic pain, raises $20M in Series A round of funding led by U.S. Venture Partners with participation from Boston Scientific, Aperture Venture Partners, Osage University Partners, and JumpStart, Inc. Link

CapitalSpring, US-based investment firm, raises fifth PE fund, at $725M. Link

Southfield Capital, CT–based lower middle market private equity firm, raises Second Private Equity fund, at approx. $200M. Link

A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally 

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – SPORTS TECH

• Hudl, Lincoln-based sports video analytics firm, raised $30M in Series C funding round led by Accel Partners. Link
• Vicis, a Seattle-based football helmet manufacturer, raised $10M in an angel round led by real estate developer and minority owner of the Cincinnati Reds, Harry Fath. Link
• Keemotion, NYC-based automated sports video production technology provider, raised $3.6M in Series A funding round led by R/GA Ventures. Link
• Stitch Golf, Cary-based Internet first brand for golf bags and apparel, raised $3M in Series A funding round. Link
• Tonsser, a Copanhegan-based social network for youth soccer players, raised $2.95M in Seed round funding led by Wellington Partners. Link
• Actionstreamer, SF-based an online sports video streaming platform from player’s Point of View, raised $1.88M in seed funding round led by Cincy Tech. Link
• DraftKings and FanDuel, the two biggest daily fantasy sports platforms that originally announced their intention to merge last year, have terminated their merger talks. Link
• Bluestarsports, Dallas-based sports management software developer acquired Maryland-based digital technology developer Global Apptitude. Link
• TeamSnap, Boulder-based sports management software developer acquired Jefferson City-based tournament and league management company FanAppEvents. Link
• FanDuel, NYC-based fantasy sports platform, has closed its operations in the UK market. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

FieldVision (2016, NYC) – AI based sports video recording camera and app.

LEADER BOARD – SPORTS TECH

Online Sports Platforms
E-Commerce
Fanatics (1995, Jacksonville, $620M, Acq.) – Licensed sports merchandise retailer. Backed by Silver Lake Partners, Alibaba, Temasek Holdings, Bank of America and Insight Venture Partners. Acquired by Kynetic in 2011
NetShoes (2000, Sao Paulo, $427M, IPO) – Online retailer of sporting goods, services in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. Backed by Tiger Global Management and GIC.

Social Platforms
Sportlobster (2012, London, $16M) – Sports social network for news, blogs, scores, and predictions. Backed by Daman Investments, MBM Capital, and Wychwood Capital Partners.
Tok TV (2012, Palo Alto, $8M) – Voice-enabled social platform enabling users to talk to their friends while watching live events. Backed by Angel Labs, XG Ventures, and TEEC Angel Fund.

Online Sports Media
LeSports (2014, Beijing, $1.35B) – Online sports video streaming website. Backed by HNA Group, Dalian Wanda Group and celebrity investors Sun Honglei, Jia Nailiang and Liu Tao.
The Players’Tribune (2014, NYC, $58M) – Athlete-driven online sports media platform. Backed by NEA, Institutional Venture Partners, GV, Kobe Bryant, Legendary Entertainment.

Stock Simulation
Fantex (2012, SF, $110M) – Online platform to buy and sell investments tied to athlete income. Backed by Kita Capital.

Fantasy Sports
DraftKings (2012, Boston, $696M) – Offers daily leagues for fantasy sports. Acquired StarStreet and DraftStreet in 2014. Backed by 21st Century Fox, Atlas Venture, The Raine Group and Redpoint Ventures.
FanDuel (2009, NYC, $416M) – Fantasy sports gaming company. Acquired AlphaDraft, Numberfire, and Kotikan in 2015. Backed by KKR, Piton Capital, and Shamrock Capital Advisors.

Sports Betting
Winview Games (2008, Redwood City, $19M) – Social sports betting platform. Backed by Discovery Communications, Ted Leonsis, and Graham Holdings.
8Win (2010, Beijing, $10M) – Online Sports lottery and betting platform. Backed by Le Sports.

Ticketing
Gametime (2012, SF, $38M) – Last minute sports ticket sales app. Backed by Accel Partners.

Booking platforms
Quyundong (2014, Guangzhou, $13M) – A mobile platform to book sports arena and venue. Backed by Banyan Capital.

Sports Management Tech
Team and Event Management
Active Network (1999, Dallas, $335M, Acq.) – Cloud-based solution provider for outdoor events. Backed by ESPN, North Bridge Venture Partners, Performance Equity Management, Acquired by Vista Equity Partners in 2013 for $1.1B.
luestarsports (2015, Frisco, $100M) – Sports management software solution provider. Backed by Providence Equity Partners
XOS Digital (1999, Lake Mary, $86M, Acq.) – Provides software for managing digital media assets for sports teams. Backed by Blue Chip Venture, Comcast Ventures, Dorchester Capital, Beechtree Capital, Liberty Media. Acquired by Catapult Sports in 2016.

Venue Management
Appetize (2011, Santa Monica, $20M) – Location-based food ordering app for sports venues. Backed by Shamrock Capital Advisors, Dodgers Accelerator, OakView Group.

Sports Analytics
Sportradar (2001, St. Gallen, $98M) – Sports data provider. Backed by Revolution, EQT Partners
Hudl (2006, Lincoln, $107M) – Video analytics based training tool for athletes and coaches. Acquired Ubersense in 2014.Backed by Accel and Nelnet.
Krossover (2009, NYC, $29M, Acq.) – Web-based video indexing and analytics platform. Backed by Active Angels, Jarcap, and Baltimore Angels.

Sports Marketing
Whistle Sports (2009, NYC, $80.5M) – Sports content provider and multi-channel entertainment network. Backed by Tegna, Sky, Emil Capital Partners, NBC Sports, Liberty Global.
Sportvision (1998, Chicago, $50M) – Develops sports entertainment media product. Backed by Motorola Solutions, Austin Ventures, Bay Partners, Escalate Capital, Lake Street Capital.

Sporting Products
Sports Equipment
Mission Athletacare (2008, NYC, $35M) – Develops products specific to athletes. Backed by Breakaway, Falconhead Capital.
Golfzon Simulator (2000, Seoul, $20M) – Indoor golf equipment that enables users to play golf indoors. Backed by STIC Investments.

Wearables
Whoop (2012, Boston, $24M) – Wearable activity tracker for athletes and trainers. Backed by Two Sigma Ventures.
Vicis (2014, Seattle, $42M) – Advanced protective wear helmet for footballers. Backed by Alliance of Angels, Washington Research Foundation, W Fund, Trilogy Equity Partners.

VR/AR Devices
NextVR (2009, Laguna Beach, $115.5M) – Live and on demand VR streaming for Sports and concerts. Backed by Time Warner, Toba Capital, Comcast Ventures, RSE Ventures.
Voke VR (2004, Santa Clara, $25M, Acq.) – Platform for on-demand streaming in VR. Backed by Intel Capital, A+E Networks, Nautilus Ventures.

Sports Nutrition
Body Armour Nutrition (2011, Beverly Hills, $35M) – Manufactures and distributes premium sports nutrition drink. Backed by Dr. Pepper Snapple group.

Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.

For latest updates, visit Sports Tech feed.

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

CrptoniumX (2017, Gurgaon), online wallet and exchange for crypto currencies. Founder is from Oyo Rooms. Local comparables are ZebPay (2014, Ahmedabad, $1M) and Flitpay (2017, Jaipur). Global comparables are Coinbase (2012, SF, $117M) and Bitflyer (2014, Tokyo, $33M).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

EM3 Agri Services (2013, Noida), provider of farm equipments with skilled labor, raises $10M in Series B round of funding from London-based non-profit Global Innovation Fund. Link

Truxapp (2015, Delhi), provider of mobile app connecting shippers to logistics service providers, raises $3.1M in Seed round of funding from a clutch of investors. Link

Crofarm (2016, Delhi), provider of farm to business digital supply chain of fruits and vegetables, raises $783k in Seed round of funding from angel investors Rajan Anandan, and Jitendra Gupta. Link

Newcastle Technologies (2006, Chennai), developer of hospital management system and employee transportation management system, raises $243k in Seed round of funding from tech industry veterans based in India and abroad. Link

Myforexeye (2014, Delhi), full-service forex company, raises $219k in Seed round of funding from a clutch of high net-worth individuals and senior bankers from Rahul Dev Kumar, Rajesh Mahajan, Ankit Sharma, and others. Link

Amazon India, Indian arm of horizontal e-commerce marketplace, set to receive $63M to beef up logistics ahead of festive season. Link

Titan (1984, Bangalore), manufacturer & supplier of quartz watches, jewellery and eyewear, partners with Amazon (1994, Seattle), international e-commerce website, to foray into US market. Link

Guiddoo (2013, Mumbai), application based travel guide and tour planner, launches EIR Program in India, specifically designed for To-be-Entrepreneurs in Travel Industry. Link

Paytm Mall (2017, Delhi), online horizontal e-commerce marketplace, makes space to list more offline sellers and brands. Link

YuppTV (2007, Atlanta), digital and mobile entertainment platform, buys bid documents for IPL media rights. Link

Rubique (2014, Mumbai), online marketplace for financial products, appoints Suresh Sethi & Alexia Yannopoulos as Directors. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

GA Telesis (2002, Lauderdale), integrated solutions provider for Aerospace industry, raises $500M for aviation investment vehicle, GAIN 2, from institutional and private clients. Link

Renew Financial (2008, Oakland), renewable energy projects financing solutions provider, raises $300M in Debt round of funding from Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A. and Barclays Bank PLC provided the new facility. Link

Oryx Vision (2010, Petah Tikva), non-LiDAR depth sensing technology provider for autonomous vehicles, raises $50M in Series B round of funding led by Third Point Ventures and WRV with participation from Union Tech Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners and others. Link

Signals Analytics (2009, Netanya), decision analytics for intelligence & insights, raises $25M in Series C round of funding led by Pitango Growth with participation from Sequoia Capital and Qumra Capital. Link

Jetty (2015, NYC), provider of renters insurance and rental deposit services to renters, raises $11.5M in Series A round of funding led by Valar Ventures, with participation from original seed investors Ribbit Capital, SV Angel, BoxGroup, and Red Swan. Link

Pro.com (2013, Seattle), online marketplace for home improvement services, raises $10M in funding led by DFJ with participation from Madrona Venture Group and Two Sigma Ventures. Link

MagicCube (2014, Sunnyvale), digital transactions security solutions provider, raises $8.5M in Series A round of funding led by Bold Capital Partners with participation from Epic Ventures, Social Starts and Silicon Valley Bank. Link

Kyndi (2014, SF), artificial intelligence as a service, raises $8.5M in Series B round of funding from PivotNorth Capital, Darling Ventures and Citrix Systems. Link

Vintage Investment Partners, Israel-based venture capital firm, raises Fourth Secondary Fund, at $215M. Link

A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – CODING TOOLS

• Lightbend, a provider of high performance application builder raises $15M Series C funding led by IBM. Link
• Algorithmia, a marketplace for Machine Learning Algorithms raises $10.5M Series A funding led by Google’s new AI fund. Link
• Julia Computing, a provider of open source language for high performance technical computing raises $4.6M in Seed Funding. Link
• IDERA, the provider of database, development, & test management tools acquires AquaFold to expand its multi-platform support. Link
• CollabNet, a developer software company merges with VersionOne to offer enterprises the agile practice solutions. Link
• Bitbucket, provider of distributed version control system adds new productivity features to its Cloud for the developers. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

Reactide (2017, Los Angeles) – Provides an IDE for React web application development.

LEADER BOARD – CODING TOOLS

IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
Xamarin (2011, SF, $82M, Acq.) – Provides platform for developers to build native and hybrid apps for iOS, Android and Windows using a single C# code base. Acquired by Microsoft in 2016. Backed by Insight Partners, Floodgate, Lead Edge Capital, Ignition Partners.
Lightbend (2011, SF, $52M) – Provider of the world’s leading Reactive application development platform. Backed by Greylock Partners, IBM, Juniper Networks, Bain Capital Ventures, Intel Capital, Shasta Ventures, Blue Cloud Ventures, Polytech Ecosystem Ventures.

Code Generation
Icinetic (2006, Seville, $500k) – Application development platform for building native or HTML5 web apps and generates source code for multiple platforms (Mobile, Tablet, Web). Backed by Caixa Capital.
JRapid (2006, Sunnyvale, $420k) – Rapid development cloud platform for Java developers to build web applications by generating java code from AML (application modeling language).

Visual Development
Capriza (2011, Hod Hasharon, $73.5M) – Provides a platform simplifies existing web applications into “Zapps,” or lightweight, mobile-optimized versions of the originals, without requiring any coding, integrations, or APIs. Backed by  Andreessen Horowitz, Charles River Ventures, Tenaya Capital, Allen & Company, Harmony Partners.
Nexaweb (2000, Burlington, $15M) – Provides software for the rapid development of enterprise-class mobile, tablet, and web applications using drag and drop environment. Backed by Egan-Managed Capital, MVP Capital Partners, Velocity Equity Partners.

Code Visualization
Ardoq (2013, Oslo) – Provides software as a service collaborative visualization & diagramming software. Backed by 500 Nordics.
Architexa (2007, Massachusetts, $135k) – Provides a tool suite to developers for generating diagrams from the code to examine the logical flow of use-cases and helps understand and document large/complex codebase.

Code Quality
SonarSource (2008, Geneva, $45M) – Provides applications and services for continuous inspection of code quality. Backed by Insight Venture Partners.
Klocwork (2001, Boulder, $19M, Acq.) – Offers software tools that analyze source code in development stage and simplify peer code reviews. Backed by Cisco, Duke University, Mobius Venture Capital, Pequot Capital and USVP. Acquired by Rogue Wave Software in 2014.

Source Code Management
GitHub (2008, SF, $350M) – Social network for programmers that allows users to take part in collaboration by forking projects, sending and pulling requests, and monitoring development. Backed by Sequoia Capital, Andreesen Horowitz, Thrive Capital and IVP.
CollabNet (1999, SF, $21M, Acq.) – Provides TeamForge SCM which gives organizations the advantage of distributed or centralized version control systems. Backed by Benchmark, NVP, Intel Capital, Industry Ventures. Acquired by Vector Capital in 2014.

Productivity
Seerene (2011, Potsdam, $19M) –  Provides insights and analytics into software to help enterprises, IT services companies and regulators gain insights into code, applications and teams using aggregation of existing data sources within an enterprise. Backed by Lakestar, Earlybird Venture Capital, DCM Film Distribution GmbH.
ZeroTurnaround (2007, Tartu, $15M) – Creates productivity tools for java applications. Backed by Bain Capital Ventures and Western Technology Investment. backed by Bain Capital Ventures, Western Technology Investment.

Licensing
Blackduck Software (2002, Burlington, $71M) – Provides products to secure and manage open source software. Backed by Fidelity Ventures, Flagship Ventures, Focus Ventures, General Catlayst, Gold Hill Capital, Intel Capital and Others.
Inish Technology (2009, Dublin, $2M) – Provides a cloud-based service that helps in licensing, packaging, code protection and usage analytics. Backed by Enterprise Ireland and Halo Business Angel Network.

Package Managers
Npm (2014, Oakland, $11M) – Software package manager that installs, publishes and manages node programs.Backed by BVP and True Ventures.
Biicode (2012, Madrid, $325k) – Provides a file-based dependencies manager with a cloud-based service that helps developers reuse code, similar to Maven Central for Java. Backed by Big Sur Ventures and Necotium.

Leader board includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.

A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – CONSUMER ROBOTICS

• Laundroid, developer of robot that can fold laundry, raises $22.8M in a Series B round from Fosun International. Link
• Intuition Robotics, developer of social robot that acts as a companion for the aging, raises $14M in a Series A round participated by Maniv Mobility, Terra Venture Partners, Bloomberg Beta, iRobot, and others. Link
• Misty Robotics, developer of personal robots for home and offices, raises $11.5M in a Series A round from Venrock and Foundry Group. Link
• Zhixiaole, developer of AI-based educational robot for children, raises $10M in a Series A round participated by Qiming Ventures, GGV Capital and Yinghua Capital. Link
• Reach Robotics, developer of game battle robots, raises $7.4M in a Series A round from iGlobe Partners. Link
• FoldiMate, developer of intelligent robotic laundry folding machine, raises $3M in a Seed round from undisclosed investors. Link
• ExoAtlet, developer of robotic exoskeleton for rehabilitation, raises $2M in a Series A round from undisclosed investors. Link
• Aiiage, developer of humanoid social robots for consumers and enterprises, raises an undisclosed amount in a Seed round from Jiangsu Yueda Investment. Link
• West Well Labs, developer of an IC framework to be embedded in robots, raises an undisclosed amount in a Series A round from Tonghao Capital. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

Varram (2017, LA) – Mobile WiFi connected robotic camera for home security and personal telepresence.

LEADER BOARD – CONSUMER ROBOTICS

Domestic Tasks
Laundroid (1957, Tokyo, $95M) – Develops an autonomous robot that folds laundry. Backed by Panasonic, Daiwa House, University of Tokyo Edge Capital, Shinsei Bank and others.
Neato Robotics (2005, Newark, $48.5M) – Develops robotic vacuum cleaning devices. Backed by Noventi Ventures, Vorwerk Direct Selling Ventures.
Petnet (2012, Pasadena, $15M) – Smart pet feeder robot that enables custom feeding and keeps the pet busy. Backed by Grishin Robotics, Kima Ventures, SparkLabs Global Ventures, Launch Capital and iRobot.
Evolution Robotics (2001, Pasadena, $14M, Acq.) – Robotic household cleaning devices such as vacuum cleaner. Acquired by iRobot for $74M in 2012.
iRobot (1990, New Bedford, IPO) – Robotic household appliances such as vacuum cleaner, floor scrubbing robots and gutter cleaning robots. Went public in 2005.
Kiwi666 (2011, Beijing, $9M) – Developer of smart housekeeping and security robots. Backed by Sequoia Capital.

Personal
UBTech Robotics (2012, Shenzhen, $123M) – Programmable intelligent humanoid robots for consumers. Backed by CDH Fund, Qiming Venture Capital and Citic Securities.
Roobo (2014, Beijing, $100M) – Company developing intelligent home robots. Backed by iFlyTek.
Jibo (2012, Boston, $68M) – Personal social robot that can recognize speech and interact. Backed by Charles River Ventures, Fairhaven Capital Partners, Osage Ventures, RRE Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, Formation 8 Partners, Samsung Venture Investment Corporation, KDDI Corporation, Netposa Technologies, Dentsu Ventures and  Fenox Venture Capital.
A.I.Nemo (2014, Beijing, $30M) – Develops a smart robotic companion with telepresence capabilities. Backed by Innovation Works, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Foxconn.
Aldebaran Robotics (2005, Paris, $20M, Acq.) – Develops humanoid robots for personal use. Acquired by Softbank Group for $100M in 2012.

Entertainment
Anki (2010, SF, $157M) – AI based robotic cars used in racing games. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, Two Sigma Ventures and JP Morgan.
Sphero (2010, Boulder, $100.5M) – Smartphone controlled robotic gaming ball. Backed by Foundry Group, Highway12 Ventures, Mercato Partners, Grishin Robotics, and Walt Disney Interactive.
Reach Robotics – (2013, Bristol, $7.5M) – Developer of battle gaming robots. Backed by Qualcomm, TechStars, Kima Ventures, London Venture Partners and others.

Healthcare
Artificial Life Source (2007, Singapore, $54M) – Develops teddy bear shaped personal robot and glove shaped remote interface device. Backed by DB Capital Partners.
Bionik Laboratories (2009, Toronto, IPO) – Develops lower body exoskeleton that enables wheelchair ridden people to regain ability to walking. Went public in 2015.
ReWalk Robotics (2001, Yokneam Illit, IPO) – Exoskeleton that helps in regaining the ability to walk. Went public in 2014.
Ekso Bionics (2005, Richmond, IPO) – Develops bionic exoskeletons for people with paralysis. Went public in 2014.
AlterG (2005, Fremont, $23M) – Develops anti-gravity treadmill and wearable bionic leg for rehabilitation purposes. Backed by Oxford Finance, Versant Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, Astrolabe Ventures and Funk Ventures.
Intuition Robotics (2015, Tel Aviv, $20M) – Develops social robots for companionship for the aging. Backed by iRobot, Maniv Mobility, Bloomberg Beta, and others.

Educational
littleBits (2011, NYC, $60M) – Develops robotic kits which can be snapped together to form interesting creations. Backed by Khosla Ventures, True Ventures, Foundry Group, Two Sigma Ventures and others.
Wonder Workshop (2012, San Mateo, $37M) – Develops robots named Dash and Dot which help in learning robotics. Backed by Charles River Ventures, Madrona Venture Group, GV, WI Harper Group and Maven Ventures.
Makeblock (2011, Shenzhen, $35M) – Open source robot construction and electronic block kits. Backed by Sequoia Capital, Northern Light Venture Capital, Cloud Angel Fund, SOSV and HAX.
Dobot (2014, Guangdong, $13M) – Developer of robotic arms for learning and experimentation. Backed by Shenzhen Capital Group.
RoboRobo (2000, Seoul, $12M) – Develops robot kits and learning courses based on robots. Backed by Zhen Fund and New Oriental.
Zhixiaole (2015, Beijing, $10M) – Develops an AI-based educational robot. Backed by GGV Capital, Qiming Ventures and Yinghua Capital.

Tech Enablers
CloudMinds (2015, Shenzhen, $130M) – Develops cloud computing and AI for robotics. Backed by Foxconn, Walden International, SB China Capital and Kaixuan Capital.
Humatics (2002, Cambridge, $16.5M) – Developer of technology for making robots collaborative through microlocation.
ThynkWare Innovation (2013, Mountain View, $10M) – Develops a brain-computer interface for electronic devices and robot control.
Robart (2009, Linz, $4.1M) – Develops autonomous technology used in household robots. Backed by Robert Bosch Venture Capital, Innovacom and Groupe SEB.
RoboCV (2012, Moscow, $3.5M) – Develops a universal navigation system called ‘Autopilot’, for mobile robots. Backed by VTB Capital Investment Management, LETA Capital, I2BF Global Ventures, Columbus Nova Technology Partners and Almaz Capital.

Leader board includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.

For latest updates, visit Consumer Robotics feed

A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting startups globally

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – MEDICAL DEVICES

• NxStage Medical, a developer of home and critical care dialysis systems, is to be acquired by Fresenius for $2B. Link
• TearScience, an ophthalmalogical medical device maker, is to be acquired by Johnson & Johnson‘s Vision business. Link
• RTI Surgical sold its cardiothoracic closure business to A&E Advanced Closure systems for $60M. Link
• KB Medical, a developer of robotic arm for assistance in spinal procedures, is to be acquired by Globus Medical. Link
• CAS Medical System sold its non-invasive blood pressure monitoring tech portfolio to SunTech Medical for $4.5M. Link
• Entellus Medical, a developer of products for treating chronic sinusitis, raised $50M in a Post IPO round. Link
• Silk Road Medical, a developer of neuroprotaction devices for the Transcarotid artery revascularization procedure, raised $47M in a Series F round, led by  Norwest Venture Partners and funds managed by Janus Capital Management. Link
• Amphora Medical, a developer of devices for the treatment of overactive bladder, raised $35.5M in a Series B round led by Longitude Capital and Boston Scientific Corporation. Link
• Allurion Technologies, a developer of procedureless gastric balloon for weight loss, raised $27M in a Series C round led by Romulus Capital. Link
• Simplify Medical, a developer of cervical artificial disc, raised $21M in a Series B round led by Life Sciences Partners. Link
• Neuros Medical, a developer of neurostimulation therapy for chronic neuropathic pain, raised $20M in a Series A round led by U.S. Venture Partners. Link
• Medtronic received FDA and CE Mark approval for its Avalus pericardial aortic surgical valve designed to treat aortic valve disease. Link
• Aum Cardiovascular received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Cadence heart device designed to detect heart murmurs. Link
• Spectranetics received FDA PMA approval for its Stellarex drug-coated balloon designed to treat patients with peripheral arterial disease. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

Edge Surgical ($1.4M, Chicago, 2015) –  A digital depth gauge for the measurement of bones.
Xact Medical (Undisclosed, Cincinnati, 2016) – A robot-assisted needle delivery system.

LEADER BOARD – MEDICAL DEVICES

Cardiovascular
TriVascular (1998, Santa Rosa, IPO) – Medical devices for endovascular aortic repair. Backed by NEA, Pinnacle Ventures, Greenspring Associates, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, ABS Ventures, MPM Capital, Delphi Ventures, Kearny Venture Partners, De Novo Ventures, Deerfield Capital Management, Helix Ventures, Deerfield, Permal, Pinnacle Ventures, and Rock Springs Capital. Went public in 2014.
Cardiovascular Systems (1989, Saint Paul, IPO) – Devices treating peripheral and coronary vascular disease. Backed by Silicon Valley Bank, Mitsui Global Investment, TPG, Healthcare Ventures, Lumira Capital, and Partners for Growth. Went public in 2006.

Orthopedics
ConforMIS (2004, Bedford, IPO) – Personalized, partial knee resurfacing implants to treat knee osteoarthritis. Backed by Aeris Capital, and Centurion. Went public in 2015.
Amedica (1996, Salt Lake City, IPO) – Spinal implants based on silicon nitride ceramic technology platform. Backed by Morningside Ventures, Zions Bank, Oxford Finance, venBio Partners, Hillhouse Capital, Epidarex Capital, and AJU IB Investment U.S. Went public in 2014.

Ophthalmology
Glaukos (2001, Laguna Hills, IPO) – Developed Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery implant to treat glaucoma. Backed by Orbimed, Meritech Capital, InterWest Partners, Frazier Healthcare Partners, Versant Ventures, Novo A/S, Domain Associates, Fjord Ventures, and Montreux Equity Partners. Went public in 2015.
Ocular Therapeutix (2006, Bedford, IPO) – Develops Ophthalmic therapeutic products by using hydrogel technology. Backed by  Polaris Partners, Ascension Ventures, Versant Ventures, SV Life Sciences, Baxter, Pinnacle Ventures, and Ascension Ventures. Went public in 2014.

Diabetes Mellitus
Senseonics (1996, Germantown, IPO) – Implantable system for continuous glucose monitoring. Backed by NEA, Rho Capital Partners, Greenspring Associates, Rho Ventures, Anthem Capital Management, Abingworth, Delphi Ventures, Healthcare Ventures, and Anthem Capital. Went public in 2016.
Tandem Diabetes (2008, San Diego, IPO) – Device for continuous glucose monitoring and manual insulin delivery. Backed by TPG, HLM Venture Partners, Domain Associates, Delphi Ventures, and Kearny Venture Partners. Went public in 2013.

Oncology
ViewRay (2004, Oakwood, IPO) – MRI-guided radiation therapy technology for cancer. Backed by  Fidelity Investments, Orbimed, Siemens, ITOCHU Technology Ventures, Fidelity Growth Partners Europe, HTGC, Fidelity Biosciences, Kearny Venture Partners, Aisling Capital, Montrose Capital Partners, Xeraya Capital, CRG, and F-Prime Capital Partners. Went public in 2015.
GeneNews (1998, Markham, IPO) – Blood-based molecular diagnostics. Went public in 2001.

Neurology
Nexstim (2000, Helsinki, IPO) – Noninvasive brain stimulation for rehabilitating stroke patients. Backed by Capricorn Venture Partners, Suomen Teollisuussijoitus, Life Sciences Partners, Lundbeckfond Ventures, Healthcap, Finnish Industry Investment, Lundbeckfonden, and Healthcap. Went public in 2014.
Vycor Medical (2005, Boca Raton, IPO) – Minimally-invasive surgical devices & therapies for neurological disease. Went public in 2009.

Women’s Health
Bovie Medical (1970, Clearwater, IPO) – Manufactures electrosurgical products for gynecologic applications. Backed by Great Point Partners. Went public in 2000.
Viveve Medical (2005, Sunnyvale, IPO) – RF therapy for vaginal laxity.  Bridge Bank, 5AM Ventures, GBS Venture Partners, Wexford Capital, Square 1 Bank, RTW Investments, and Stone Pine Capital LLC. Went public in 2016.

Pulmonology
Inogen (2001, Goleta, IPO) – Portable Oxygen Concentrator for Oxygen Therapy. Backed by Western Technology Investment, Avalon Ventures, Versant Ventures, Novo A/S, Arboretum Ventures, and Accuitive Medical Ventures. Went public in 2014.
Aerogen (2000, Galway, IPO) – Develops Aerosol drug delivery devices. Backed by J.P. Morgan, US Venture Partners, InterWest Partners, Western Technology Investment, Invesco, Wheatley Partners, Viridian Investment Partners, Western Development Commission, and Healthcap. Went public in 2000.

Gastroenterology
EndoChoice (2008, Alpharetta, IPO) – Device for gastrointestinal conditions. Backed by Sequoia Capital, Silicon Valley Bank, Accelmed, Council Capital, MidCap Financial, Deerfield, River Cities Capital Funds, Agate Medical investments, Rock Springs Capital, and Envest Private Equity. Went public in 2015.
Mauna Kea Tech (2000, Paris, IPO) – Endomicroscopy devices for Gastrointestinal and Respiratory tracts. Backed by Seventure Partners, Psilos, and Finadvance. Went public in 2011.

Dental & Maxillofacial
Align Technology (1997, San Jose, IPO) – Develops Invisalign clear aligners and other dental products. Backed by  KPCB, Questmark Partners, ABS Ventures, Oak Hill Capital Partners, The Carlyle Group, and Tekla Capital Management. Went public in 2001.
Biolase (1987, Irvine, IPO) – Develops Dental lasers and scanning devices. Backed by Oracle Investment Management. Went public in 2003.

ENT
Entellus Medical (2006, Plymouth, IPO) – Suite of products for treating chronic sinusitis. Backed by Greenspring Associates, Split Rock Partners, Essex Woodlands, SV Life Sciences, Covidien and Oxford Finance. Went public in 2015.
Intersect ENT (2003, Menlo Park, IPO) – Develops drug-releasing implant for sinusitis. Backed by Norwest Venture Partners, KPCB, and US Venture Partners. Went public in 2014.

Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.

For latest updates, visit the Medical Devices feed.

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Pakit (2017, Guwahati), platform for crowdsourced delivery via travellers. Founders are alumni of IIT Guwahati. Local comparable is WEcarriers (2016, Pune). Global comparables are Grabr (2015, SF, $6M) and Airfrov (2014, Singapore, $500k).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Five Star (1984, Chennai), non-banking finance company, raises $50M in Series C round of funding led by Norwest Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital with participation from Morgan Stanley and Matrix Partners. Link

StayAbode (2016, Bangalore), provider of managed rental accommodation, raises an undisclosed amount in Seed round of funding from Incubate Fund, Sanjay Shenoy, Mridul Upreti and others. Link

Doodhwala (2015, Bangalore), app for subscription based milk delivery, raises an undisclosed amount in Angel round of funding from Tom Varkey. Link

Healers at Home (2014, Delhi), at home physiotherapy services provider, raises an undisclosed amount from Let’s Venture, Chandigarh Angels Network and others. Link

WABCO (1869, Hillsdale), manufacturer of braking products for automotive industry, acquires AssetTrackr (2013, Bangalore), GPS based vehicle tracking and fleet management solution provider, for an undisclosed amount. Link

IDFC Bank (2015, Mumbai), private sector full stack bank, partners with Zeta (2015, Bangalore), employee tax benefits solution provider, for digital payments solution. Link

MakeMyTrip (2000, Delhi), online travel agency for booking flights, hotels, buses, posts wider YOY loss and 54.6% jump in revenue for Q1. Link

Merkel Haptic Systems (2012, Chennai), provider of haptic devices for multiple applications, receives an order valued at about $1M from a Singapore-based firm. Link

Yatra (2006, Delhi), online travel search engine and bookings platform, launches ‘Xplore’ advanced search option for budget travellers. Link

Bhavin Turakhia, has joined Unacademy (2010, Mumbai), free online learning platform offering crowdsourced courses on multiple subjects, joins board as a director. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Essential Products (2017, Palo Alto), consumer electronics company, raises $300M in undisclosed round of funding led by Access Industries with participation from Redpoint Ventures, Tencent Holdings Ltd., Altimeter Capital, Vy Capital and Amazon Inc. Link

Videology (2007, Baltimore), provider of technology platform to manage, measure, and optimize digital video, raises $80M credit facility from FastPay and Tennenbaum Capital Partners. Link

Appboy (2011, NYC), user analytics and engagement platform for mobile apps, raises $50M in Series D round of funding led by Iconiq Capital with participation from Battery Ventures, and others. Link

RedAwning.com (2010, Berkeley), vacation rental marketplace, raises $40M in Growth Equity funding led by growth equity firm Silversmith Capital Partners. Link

Super Evil Megacorp (2012, San Mateo), mobile game developer specializing in Core games, raises $19M in Series B round of funding from undisclosed investors. Link

Socure (2012, NYC), identity fraud detection, raises $13.9M in Series B round of funding led by Commerce Ventures, with participation from Flint Capital, Work-Bench, Santander InnoVentures and Two Sigma Ventures. Link

Fenwick Brands, Birmingham-based consumer packaged goods investor, closes first consumer packaged goods fund, at $30M. Link

A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – ED TECH

• Tinkergarten, Enables of children’s education through outdoor activities, has raised $5.4M USD in Series A funding from Owl Ventures, Omidyar Network and Reach Capital. Link
• Leverage, an online college admission platform, has raised an undisclosed amount in Angel funding from Arjun Mehta, Satish Kaul, Deepak Jain and Sadashiva NT. Link
• Sawyer, Provider of class passes for kids, has raised $6M in Series A funding from Advance Venture Partners, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, 3311 Ventures, Female Founders Fund and Collaborative Fund. Link
• A Cloud Guru, AWS certification courses and training provider, has raised $8.84M in Series A funding from Elephant Venture Capital.Link
• Zhixiaole, an AI based educational robot for children, has raised $10M in Series A funding from Qiming Ventures, GGV Capital and Yinghua Capital. Link
• Liulishuo, an English language learning app, has raised $100M in Series C from Shuanghu capital investment, IDG Capital Partners, GGV Capital and Cherubic Ventures. Link
• Project Mudra, a mobile application and software for braille learning, has raised $201.5K in Angel funding from Rajesh Navaneetham and Anand Mahindra. Link  
• Signal Vine, a communication app for schools and universities, has raised $2M in Series A funding from New Markets Venture Partners.Link
• Picmonic, a Visual learning platform for medical students, has raised $100K in Series A funding from undisclosed investors. Link
• Duolingo, a crowdsourced text translation and language learning platform, has raised $25M in Series E funding from Drive Capital. Link
• Byju’s Classes, Provider of online courses for competitive test preparation & supplementary courses for K-12 students, has raised $40M in Series C funding from Tencent. Link
• Grovo, a learning management system for enterprises, has raised $11.3M in Series C funding from Undisclosed Investors. Link
• Aspen University, an online degree programs provider, has raised $10M in Conventional Debt from Runway Growth. Link
• PalmDrive, a foreign education mentor platform, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding in Series A from Northern Light Venture Capital. Link
• mLevel, a game based professional learning provider, has raised $2.2M in Series B funding from BIP Capital. Link
• DesignLab, an online training program for design skills, has raised $285K in Conventional Debt from undisclosed investors. Link
• WealthyLife, Financial literacy and workforce development EdTech games provider, has raised $200K in Seed funding from undisclosed investors. Link
• CareAcademy, a professional training provider for caregivers, has raised $1.9M in Seed funding from undisclosed investors. Link
• Kahoot, a blended learning platform for schools, has raised $10M in Series A funding from Microsoft Ventures, Creandum and Northzone. Link
• PlayAblo, a gamified app for learning K-12 Maths & English, has raised $600K in Seed funding from ABI-Showatech. Link
• KickUp, a professional development platform for teachers through collaborative learning, has raised $730K in Seed funding from Reach Capital and Red House Education. Link
• DataCamp, an online data science courses provider, has raised $4M in Series A funding from Arthur Ventures. Link
• HFJY, an online one-on-one tutoring platform, has raised an undisclosed amount in Series B funding from 01VC and Yonghua Capital.Link
• Learnerbly, an online platform to provide employee training, has raised $2.1M in Seed funding from Frontline Ventures, Playfair Capital, Future Planet Capital, Renaud Visage, Claire Davenport and Stephan Thoma. Link
• Expert360, an online freelance marketplace, has raised $10M in Series B funding from AirTree Ventures. Link
• Qidianla, an online platform for professional learning courses, has raised $3.3M in Series A funding from Tedu. Link
• Execonline, a B2B online training provider, has raised $15.9M in Series B funding from NewSpring Capital, Osage Partners, New Atlantic Ventures, Kaplan Ventures and Thomas Lehrman. Link
• TheMednet, a physician only Q&A based community platform, has raised $1.3M in Seed funding from  Endure Capital, Lumia Capital, Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, Charlie Cheever, Jared Friedman, Paul Buchheit and Peter Pham. Link
• PeopleGrove, a career mentorship platform for schools, has raised $1.8M in Seed funding from Reach Capital, Bisk Ventures, Collaborative Fund, Floodgate Fund, GSV, LaunchCapital, Riverpark Funds and University Ventures. Link
• Bloomz, a communication app for teachers and parents, has raised $605K in Seed funding from undisclosed investors. Link
• Terra Dotta, a higher education SaaS provider, has raised $3.3M in Seed funding from undisclosed investors. Link
• TimoKids, Games and stories providers for kids, has raised $75K in Seed funding from Parallel18. Link
• M-Shule, a mobile-based adaptive learning platform, has raised an undisclosed amount in Seed funding from EWB Canada. Link
• Xiaoyangedu, a cloud-based learning network platform, has raised an undisclosed amount in Series A funding from Yunqi Partners.Link
• VidCode, a coding platform for schools, has raised $1.5M in Seed funding from ZhenFund, Rethink Education, Y Combinator, Coventure, Cherry Ventures and BrainPOP. Link
• Clark, a software solution for tutors to manage operational activities, has raised $2M in Seed funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners.Link
• Mingshi Education, Tutoring service for K-12 students, has raised $10.1M in Series C funding from Morgan Stanley and songfa.comLink
• QingClass, a mobile app for language training, has raised $4.9M in Series A funding from Matrix Partners China and Tencent. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

Teachat (2016, Vienna) – Parent teacher conferencing and communication platform.

LEADER BOARD – ED TECH

Pre-K
Huivo (2011, Beijing, $47.3M) – Interactive teaching system, smart classes and a teaching app that aims to provide education solutions for kindergartens. Backed by TAL Education Group, YY and Fosun Kinzon Capital.
51110 (2011, Fuzhou, $30M) – an oOnline platform which helps parents in monitoring their child in kindergarten schools. Backed by China equity.
Fancy Education (2014, Shanghai, $28.5M) – Educational products, which includes teaching management, handheld devices, kindergarten libraries. Backed by Amoeba Capital.
SavvySource (2008, SF, $28.4M) – Online community for parents of Pre-K kids, Backed by undisclosed investors.
Speakaboos (2008, NYC, $25.2M) – Subscription-based interactive storybooks, Backed by Advancit Capital, 212Media, KYOWON, KYOWON creative and Wellington Management.

K-12
EverFi (2008, Washington D.C., $251M) – Platform for teaching and certifying programs on critical skills. Backed by NEA, TomorrowVentures, Silicon Valley Bank, Allen & Company, Advance, Bezos Expeditions, Greenspring Associates, TPG, Rethink Education, Seavest Investment Group, Main Street Advisors, Rethink Impact and The Rise Fund.
Yuanfudao (2012, Beijing, $244.2M) – Online test preparation platform for K-12 students, Backed by IDG Capital Partners, Tencent, New Horizon Capital, K12, Matrix Partners China, Warburg Pincus and China Media Capital.
Byju’s Classes (2008, Bangalore, $244M) – Hybrid test preparation & learning platform. Backed by  Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, IFC, Times Internet, Sofina, Aarin Capital, Tencent, Verlinvest, InnoVen Capital and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
Xuele Yunpingtai (2006, Hangzhou, $221.4M) – Cloud-based teaching platform. Backed by GSR Ventures, Haitong International Securities Group and Shenzhen GTJA Investment Group.
Knewton (2008, NYC, $157.3M) – Personalized adaptive learning platform. Backed by Accel Partners, First Round Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, FirstMark Capital, Atomico, Founders Fund, Silicon Valley Bank, GSV Capital, Sofina, EDBI, Pearson, TAL Education Group and Mosaic Ventures.

Test Preparation
Huatu (2001, Beijing, IPO) – Tutoring platform having offline delivery centres. Backed by Fortune Venture capital.
Zhan (2010, Shanghai, $113M) – Online courses for students applying to overseas universities. Backed by Shunwei, GGVC, MCM China, Baifund, VKC Partners and Sequoia Capital.
Princeton Review (1981, NYC, $87M) – Online test preparation for higher education. Backed by Bain Capital Ventures, Reservoir Capital & Olympus Partners.
Varsity Tutors (2007, Washington D.C., $57M) – Offline and local tutoring and test preparation service. Backed by Technology Crossover Ventures.
Koolearn (2000, Beijing, $48.7M) – Online classes and training for various subjects. Backed by Tencent.

Higher Education
Blackboard (1997, Washington D.C., IPO, Acq.) – Learning management system for educators, corporates and public sectors. Went public in 2004. Acquired by Providence Equity Partners in 2011 for $1.64B.
2U (2008, Annapolis, IPO) – Virtual classroom platform provider for colleges and universities. Went public in 2014.
Instructure (2008, Salt Lake City, IPO) – Cloud-based learning management system for K-12 schools, universities and corporates. Went public in 2015.
Chegg (2005, Santa Clara, IPO) – Online tutoring and textbook rental company. Backed by Floodgate, Primera Capital, Insight Partners, KPCB, Foundation Capital, Lucasvg, Acegroup, Gabriel venture partners and GSV cap.
HotChalk (2004, Campbell, $245M) – Virtual classroom platform for universities. Backed by Bertelsmann and Peacock Equity.

Corporate Learning
Kaltura (2006, NYC, $160M) – Open source online video platform that allows companies to simplify the creation of video experiences via video management, publishing, and monetization tools. Backed by Nexus Venture Partners, 406 Ventures, Goldman Sachs, Intel Capital, Silicon Valley Bank, Nokia Growth Partners, Avalon Ventures, Mitsui Global Investment, ORIX, Commonfund, Gera Venture Capital, Luminari Capital and Sapphire Ventures.
Echo360 (2007, Dulles, $89.5M) – Online platform for the schools to upload their live lectures for free with full and unbound access to the students via multi-platform replay. Backed by Revolution, Court Square Ventures, Clark Enterprises, SCP Partners, Duchossois Capital Partners and Swan & Legend Venture Partners.
Grovo (2010, NYC, $73.3M) – SaaS-based learning management system for employee training. Backed by Accel Partners, Lead Edge Capital, SoftTech VC, Western Technology Investment, Costanoa Venture Capital, Red Swan Ventures, Industry Ventures, Milestone Venture Partners, Social Starts, Vayner/RSE, Lerer Hippeau Ventures and BoxGroup.
Catalant (2013, Boston, $73M) – On-demand management consulting service provider. Backed by Greylock Partners, Highland Capital Partners, General Catalyst Partners, Suffolk Equity Partners and GE Ventures.
Panopto (2007, Pittsburgh, $46.8M) – Digital media recording and content management company. Backed by Runa Capital, SaaS Capital, Sterling Partners, Square 1 Bank and Saturn Partners.

Continued Learning
Tedu (2002, Beijing, IPO) – Job-oriented live distance education, classroom-based tutoring and online learning courses for IT professional training. Went public in 2014.
Lynda (1995, Carpinteria, $289M, Acq.) – Online video courses in software, creative and business skills. Backed by Accel Partners, Spectrum Equity, Meritech Capital Partners and TPG Capital. Acquired by LinkedIn in 2015 for $1.5B.
Coursera (2012, CA, $210.1M) – Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) provider. Backed by University of Pennsylvania, NEA, IFC, KPCB, Times Internet, GSV Capital, Learn Capital, Laureate, EDBI, California Institute of Technology, Designer Fund, GSV Asset Management and GSV Financial Group.
Pluralsight (2004, Cedar Valley, $205.4M) – Online video courses in programming and creative learning. Backed by Insight Venture Partners, Iconiq Capital, Felicis Ventures and Sorenson Capital.
Udemy (2010, SF, $173M) – Marketplace for online courses. Backed by 500 startups, MHS capital, Light Bank, Learn Capital, Insight Partners, New Venture Partners, Stripes Group and Naspers.
General Assembly (2011, NYC, $173M) – Online and offline courses in technology, business and design streams. Backed by Advance Publications, Wellington Capital Management, IVP, Learn Capital, Maveron, Rethink Education and GSV Capital.

Language Learning
51Talk (2011, Beijing, IPO) – Online English language learning platform providing one-to-one foreign language teacher service. Backed by DCM Ventures, Shunwei, Sequoia Capital, and Zhenfund. Went public in 2016.
TutorGroup (2004, Taiwan, $315M) – Online tutoring platform for learning English. Backed by Alibaba, Qiming Ventures, Temasek, Goldman Sachs, GIC, Russia-China Investment Fund, Silverlink Capital and Softbank Finance Group.
Hujiang (2001, Shanghai, $257M) – Language learning platform focussed on China. Backed by Baidu, Anhui new media, Marseille Fund, Softbank China, Pantheon Ventures and Hina.
VIPKID (2013, Beijing, $125M) – Online English tutoring platform. Backed by Sequoia Capital, Sinovation Ventures, YF Capital, Matrix Partners China, Northern Light Venture Capital and Bryent Stibel.
Open English (2006, Miami, $118M) – Online platform providing live English classes, Backed by Insight Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Technology Crossover Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, Kaszek Ventures and Ideasy Capital.

Leaderboard includes all the top funded, IPO and successfully running bootstrapped companies along with their location, founding year and funding amount.

For latest updates, visit the EdTech feed.

A daily newsletter summarizing recent activity & interesting start-ups globally

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – ADTECH

• Videology, a technology platform to manage, measure, and optimize digital video advertising has raised $80M credit facility from FastPay and Tennenbaum Capital Partners. Link
• ADJoy, a mobile advertising network and ad monetization platform has raised $4.7M in Series A funding. Link
• NovoRoll, a platform which provides native and interstitial out-stream video formats has raised $2.5M in Debt funding Silicon Valley Bank. Link
• Commerce Signals, an advertising platform to measure advertising efforts with actual retail sales has raised $12M in Series B funding led by Stage1ventures. Link
• AdLightning, a real-time ad monitoring platform has raised $1M in Seed funding. Link
• Bidtellect, a native ad exchange platform has raised $3.2M in Series B funding. Link
• Equitas, an asset management firm has acquired ClickMagic, a click tracking and conversion optimization platform. Link
• Dentsu Aegis Network, a digital media and creative communication service provider has acquired Sokrati, a display based data management platform. Link
• Outbrain, a content discovery and distribution platform has acquired Zemanta, a contextual ad demand side platform. Link
• Sizmek, a full stack ad management platform has acquired Rocket Fuel, a programmatic cross-device demand side platform for $145M. Link
• Rubicon Project, a supply side platform has acquired nToggle, an ad verification technology platform for $38M. Link

A weekly newsletter summarizing recent activity in the Chinese startup ecosystem.

DEALS OF THE WEEK

Future Mobility Raises $200 Million In Financing Round At $750 Million Valuation
Future Mobility (2016, Guangdong), an electric vehicle manufacturer, raises $200M in a funding round from a group of unnamed investment institutions and large enterprises.

INTERESTING FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY IN CHINA

Chinese Co-Working Space UrWork Raises $179M In Pre-C Round
UrWork (2015, Beijing), a co-working space operator, raises $179M in Pre-C financing round from Beijing Capital Land, Beijing Xingpai Group and Beijing Aikang Group and Jingrong Holdings.

CMB International Joins $150M Round In Chinese Medicine Clinic Operator Gu Sheng Tang
Gu Sheng Tang (2010, Guangzhou), a traditional Chinese medicine clinic franchise, raises $150M in Series D round of funding from China State-owned Capital Risk Investment Fund, China Life Insurance, CMB International, China Orient Asset Management, as well as two unnamed government guidance funds.

Olympus Capital Joins $90M Round In Chinese Radio Advertising Firm Yuanyu
Yuanyu Radio (2002, Shanghai), a radio advertising agency, raises $90M in funding round from Olympus Capital Asia and Singapore’s UOB Venture Management.

Temasek Leads $59M Round In Chinese Biotherapeutics Developer Just China
Just China (2016), an antibody and recombinant protein bio-therapeutics developer, raises $59M in Series B round of funding led by Temasek Holdings with participation from Taikang Life Insurance, Hangzhou Economic & Technological Development Area, Bank of China, Bank of Hangzhou, as well as existing investors Lilly Asia Ventures and ARCH Venture Partners.

Tencent Joins $29M Round In Chinese Supply Chain Finance Firm Linklogis
Linklogis (2016, Shenzhen), a supply chain financial services provider, raises $29M in Series B round of funding from Tencent Holdings, China Merchants Venture Capital Management, and Bertelsmann Asia Investments with participation from CITIC Capital and Loyal Valley Innovation Capital.

Yunqi Leads $24M Round In Chinese B2B Textile E-Commerce Platform Baibu
Baibu (2015, Guangdong), a business-to-business textile e-commerce mobile app, raises $24M in Series B+ round led by Yunqi Partners with participation from Chengwei Capital and Source Code Capital.

Qiming Venture Leads $20M Round In Cancer Screening Start-Up New Horizon Health
New Horizon Health (2015, Beijing), a precision health start-up focused on developing early-stage cancer screening technologies, raises $20M in a funding round led by Qiming Venture Partners with participation from Legend Capital, SoftBank China and other unnamed investors.

Chinese Cloud Solutions Provider T2 Cloud Raises $14M Round
T2 Cloud (2011, Beijing), a cloud solutions provider, raises $14M in Series B round of funding from an unnamed securities company and Sinosoft.

Alibaba Joins $9M Round In Hong Kong based Bike Sharing Firm Gobee.bike
Gobee.bike (2017, Hong Kong), a bike sharing start-up, raises $9M in Series A round of funding led by Grishin Robotics and Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund.

Lenovo Leads Funding Round In Chinese AR Optical Module Developer NED+AR
NED+AR (2015, Beijing), a supplier of optical modules for augmented reality glasses, raises an undisclosed amount in Pre-A round led by Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group.

INVESTMENTS BY CHINESE INVESTORS AND COMPANIES

Tencent Joins $330M Round In Smartphone Start-Up Founded By Android Inventor Andy Rubin
Essential Products (2017, Palo Alto), a smartphone and smart devices start-up founded by Android Inventor Andy Rubin, raises $330M in a funding round from Tencent Holdings, Access Technology Ventures. Besides Tencent, Foxconn, Amazon, Redpoint, VY Capital and Altimeter Capital.

Didi Chuxing Invests In Middle East And North Africa Ride Hailing Firm Careem
Careem (2012, Dubai), a ride-hailing firm operating in Middle East and North Africa, raises an undisclosed amount in a funding round from Didi Chuxing.