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

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Bepresent (2017, Bangalore), telepresence robot for video conferencing. Founder is ex-Co-founder Indya Comics, and CEO Klub Class. Local comparables are i-Brain Robotics (2016, Pune) and Emotix (2014, Mumbai) . Global comparables are Orylab (2012, Tokyo, $2.1M) and Padbot (2013, Guangzhou, $1.5M).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Lendingkart’s NBFC arm (2014, Ahmedabad), online platform providing working capital for SMBs, raises $25M in funding from IFMR Capital and others. Link

Netmeds (2015, Chennai), online store for medicines and healthcare products, raises $14M in funding from Tanncam and Sistema Asia Fund. Link

BigBasket (2011, Bangalore), online retail store for grocery shopping, raises $8.02M in funding from Abraaj Basket, Bessemer Venture Partners, International Finance Corp and Sands Capital. Link

Edge Networks (2010, Bangalore), technology solutions provider for human resources and recruitment, raises $4.5M in Series A round of funding from Kalaari Capital, Ventureast and others. Link

Cybage (1995, Pune), IT service provider, Co-Founder Deepak Nathani picks 30% stake in Benoit (2015, Pune), online private label fashion brand, for an undisclosed amount. Link

Mahindra Logistics (2009, Mumbai), integrated 3PL provider, raises $38M from Azim Premji, and Goldman Sachs ahead of its IPO. Link

Freshmenu (2014, Bangalore), internet first restaurant offering freshly prepared multi cuisine food, opens first front-facing kitchen, targets 2x revenue growth in FY18. Link

Ola (2011, Bangalore), app-based asset-light cab operator, adds Wi-Fi connectivity to its autorickshaws. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Wonder Workshop (2012, San Mateo), provider of gamified teaching solutions for programming, raises $41M in Series C round of funding from Tencent Holdings, SoftBank Korea and MindWorks Ventures. Link

Fox Rent-A-Car (1989, Kenner), rental car service provider, raises $25M in debt round of funding from NewSpring Capital, Kemper Corp. and Star Mountain Capital. Link

BondIT (2012, Herzliya), provider of bond portfolio management solution, raises $14.25M in Series A round of funding from Fosun. Link

Papernest (2015, Paris), digital platform for paperwork management, raises $11.6M in Series A round of funding from Partech Ventures, Idinvest Partners and Kima Ventures. Link

Digital Cabinet (2011, Johannesburg), document management system provider, raises $3.5M in funding led by HAVAÍC and Growth Grid Venture Capital Partners. Link

soCash (2015, Singapore), mobile app for cash withdrawal and deposit, raises an undisclosed amount in Series A round of funding from Vertex Ventures. Link

Hero K12 (2014, Miami), provider of student behavior management software, acquiresSchoolMint (2013, San Francisco), provider of enrollment solution for schools, for an undisclosed amount. Link

Grove Ventures, Israel based venture capital firm, raises $110M maiden venture fund. Link

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

INTERESTING STARTUPS

HopQ (2017, Gurgaon), cloud-based self-checkout system for offline retailers. Founders are ex- Affine Analytics, Slice Pay, Bank of America, and are alumni of Birla Institute of Technology and Science. Local comparables are Perpule (2016, Bangalore, $650K) and Blupay (2016, Bangalore). Global comparables are Standard Cognition (2017, Palo Alto, $5.1M) and Skip (2014, Seattle, $750K).).

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

TransferWise (2010, London), international money transmitter based on currency swaps, raises $280M in funding from Old Mutual Global Investors and IVP. Link

InVision (2011, NYC), platform to create prototypes for applications, raises $100M in Series E round of funding from Battery Ventures, Accel, Tiger Global Management, FirstMark and ICONIQ Capital, along with new investors Spark Capital and Geodesic. Link

Globetouch (2010, Oakland), connectivity platform and OSS/BSS solutions provider, raises $40M in Series C round of funding from Hermes Growth Partners, Spark Telecom Ventures, Wholesale, Impact Venture Capital, including Verizon Ventures and Zeev Ventures. Link

Markforged (2013, Waltham), developer of carbon fiber printing 3D Printer, raises $30M in Series C round of funding led by next47, the Siemens-backed venture capital firm, with participation from Microsoft Ventures, and Porsche Automobil Holding SE (Porsche SE) and new investors Matrix, Northbridge, and Trinity. Link

Kano (2013, London), maker of open source coding kit for 6+ age kids, raises $28M in Series B round of funding from Thames Trust, Breyer Capital, Index Ventures, LocalGlobe, Marc Benioff, John Makinson, Collaborative Fund, Triple Point Capital, and Barclays. Link

Brighteye Ventures, Paris-based education technology venture capital firm, closes first fund, at $58.2M. Link

Viola Ventures, Israel based venture capital firm, raises over $170M for fifth fund to invest in early-stage companies. Link

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

INTERESTING STARTUPS

AtomByte (2016, Ahmedabad), IOT based analytics solution for the manufacturing industry. Founder is ex- Imerys and Zodiac Aerospace. Local comparables are Flutura (2012, Bangalore, $7.5M) and LogFuze (2013, Chennai, $250K). Global comparables are Sight Machine (2012, SF, $30.5M) and Konux (2014, Munich, $18M).

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

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – OIL AND GAS

• Aker BP offers private placement of 22,376,438 new shares of which 8,950,799 shared were subscribed by Aker Capital AS increasing its ownership to 40 percent of the outstanding shares. Link
• MATRRIX Energy Technologies closes its final private placement of unsecured, subordinated convertible debentures worth $307,000. Link
• C&J Energy Services announced its agreement to acquire O-Tex Holdings, a specialty cement pumping services provider. Link
• Energy Hunter Resources prices its IPO at $9 per share. Link
• AFGlobal announces its acquisition of Axon pressure pump technology and product line from Amkin Technologies. Link
• TechnipFMC announces its agreement to acquire Plexus’s Wellhead exploration equipment and services business. Link
• Pin Oak Corpus Christi announces the completion of the acquisition of Gravity Midstream Corpus Christi. Link
• BP Midstream Partners plans to raise up to $893 million in IPO. Link
• Venture Global LNG raises $108.6M in its seventh round of private placement. Link
• Shell announces its agreement to purchase NewMotion, an EV Smart charging solution provider. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

Stauper (2016, Sandefjord) – Stauper offers compact flotation unit solution for water treatment. The solution is mainly used in the oil and gas industry to treat water using multiphase separation process to remove gas, oil and solids. Stauper claims that the CFU solution offered utilizes less than average vessel footprint for the treatment process and thus offers a compact solution compared to other units used to treat water with contamination of over 50ppm.

LEADER BOARD – OIL AND GAS

Horizontal
ExxonMobil (1999, Irving, IPO) – Multinational oil and gas company and one of the world’s supermajors. The company is involved in upstream, downstream and chemical business. Went public in November 1999.
Seven Energy (2004, Lagos, $688M) – Nigerian integrated oil and gas company which explores for, develops, produces and distributes oil and natural gas. Backed by Capital Group, Temasek, IFC, Islamic Development Bank (IDB), IFC Asset Management Company, Plant Asset Management (Petrofac), FBNQuest, Standard Chartered, and FCMB.

Exploration & Production
Devon Energy (1971, Oklahoma City, IPO) – Engages primarily in exploration, development, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs) in North America. Went public in March 1988.
Venari (2012, Dallas, $2.8B) – Explores and produces oil and natural gas with focus on subsalt plays. Backed by Kelso and Company, Warburg Pincus, The Jordan Company, Temasek.
Seven Generations Energy (2008, Calgary, $2.2B) – Natural gas exploration and production company focused in the Kalwa River Basin in Canada. Backed by Triangle Peak Partners, Azimuth Capital Management, CPP Investment Board.

Midstream
Spectra Energy (2006, Houston, IPO) – Integrated Midstream company in US and Canada. Provides transmission and storage, distribution, and gathering and processing. Went public in July 2007.
Caiman Energy II (2009, Dallas, $800M) – Provides Gas Gathering, Compression, Treating, Processing & Transportation, Condensate Handling, NGL, Fractionation, storage and Marketing. Backed by Highstar Capital, EnCap Flatrock Midstream, Williams Companies.
MODA Midstream (2015, Houston, $750M) – Provides terminal, storage, and distribution solutions to refiners and petrochemical manufacturers. Backed by EnCap Flatrock Midstream.

Downstream
GreatPoint Energy (2004, Chicago, $562M) – Developed technology of catalytic process, hydromethanation, by which coal, petroleum coke and biomass are converted directly into natural gas. Backed by yet2Ventures, The Dow Chemical Company, Suncor, Kleiner Perkins, Khosla Ventures, SevenMile Capital Partners, Presidio Ventures, ATV, Hercules Technology Growth Capital, AES Corporation, DFJ.

Equipment & Services
Schlumberger (1926, Paris, IPO) – Integrated oilfield services company providing technology, project management, survey and monitoring, information solutions to the international petroleum industry. Went public in January 1978.
Sidewinder Drilling (2011, Houston, $125M) – Provides contract drilling services to exploration and production companies targeting unconventional resource plays in North America. Backed by Avista Capital Partners.
Welltec (1994, Alleroed, $116M) – Provider of robotic, well intervention solutions and completion products for the oil and gas industry. Backed by Summit Partners, EXOR SPA.

Data Analytics
Drillinginfo (1999, Austin, $205M) – Data analytics company which provides data, analytical tools, and advisory services to oil and gas exploration decision support applications. Backed by Eastern Advisors, Delta-V Capital, Battery, Cross Creek Advisors, Insight Partners.

Technology Developer
Glori Energy (2005, Houston, $39M) – Technology developer of a biotechnology process for increasing oil recovery from existing reservoirs. Backed by OMZEST, Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund, Energy Technology Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Advantage Capital Partners, Gentry Venture Partners, Oxford Partners, GTI Capital Group, Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Oxford Bioscience Partners.
Foro Energy (2009, Boulder, $21M) – Developed long-distance laser technology to break ultrahard rocks for faster drilling and completion. Backed by Presidio Partners, Formation, North Bridge, Chevron.

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 Oil and Gas  feed.

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

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – BIOENERGY

• West Lafayette-based bio-chemical company Spero Energy has received a $100k USD grant from U.S Department of Agriculture. Link
• Black Mountain-based solar chemical company has raised $1.7M USD from an undisclosed investor in seed round according to SEC filing. Link
• ATEC Biodigesters, an Australian-Combodian based company has raised $7M USD in Series A equity round led by investors Foundation Ensemble, ENGIE Rassambluers d’Energies. Link
• California Ethanol & Power, a bio-ethanol manufacturer, has raised $55k and $365k USD in seed rounds according to SECD filing. The investors in these rounds have been undisclosed. Link Link
• Billington Bioenergy, a wood pellet distributor, has been sold by Drax to an AIM-listed company Aggregated Micro Power Holdings (AMPH) for $2M USD. Link
• Amyris, a biodiesel manufacturer based in Emeryville, has raised $50M USD in Post-IPO led by Royal DSM and Vivo Capital. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

Evergreen Renewable Energy (2017, Princeton) – The company generates electricity from waste products produced from ethanol manufacturing companies.  They have partnered with the sugarcane-based ethanol distillers based in Latin America who offer ethanol waste, a pollutant called “Vinasse”. They claim to have developed a new patented technology which generates electricity from this waste product. Also, the generation process produces a potassium organic by-product which can be used as a fertilizer for crops.

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.
KiOR (2007, Pasedena, $224M) – KiOR founded by Khosla Ventures is a renewable fuels company developing a commercial process to produce cellulosic gasoline and diesel from abundant, lignocellulosic biomass. With a two-step technology platform, they convert non-food lignocellulose into cellulosic gasoline and diesel that can be transported using the existing fuels distribution system for use in vehicles on the road today.
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

Production – Biodiesel
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.
Renewable Energy Group (1996, Ames, IPO) – Advanced biodiesel producer and developer of renewable chemicals. Went Public in January 2012

Production – Bioalcohol – Bioethanol
Vital Renewable Energy (2008, Sao Paulo, $1.32B) – Manufactures bioethanol and generates electricity from sugarcane.
Fulcrum Bioenergy (2007, Pleasanton, $302M) – Manufactures bioethanol from MSW. Backed by Rustic Canyon Partners and US Renewables Group.

Production – Bioalcohol – Biobutanol
Green Biologics (2003, Abingdon, $87M) – It offers a fermentation platform which converts a wide range of sustainable feedstocks into high-performance green chemicals such as n-butanol, acetone.

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 weekly newsletter summarizing recent activity in the Chinese startup ecosystem.

DEALS OF THE WEEK

INTERESTING FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY IN CHINA

Chinese Facial Recognition Firm Face++ Raises $460M In Series C Round
Face++ (2011, Beijing), a facial recognition firm, raised $460M in Series C round led by Assets Venture Investment Fund, with participation from Ant Financial and Foxconn Technology Group.

Alibaba Leads US$335M Series E Round In Chinese Used Car Transaction Platform Souche
Souche (2012, Beijing), an O2O used car transaction platform, raised $335M in Series E round led by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., with participation from Warburg Pincus, Primavera Capital and CMB International.

Sequoia Joins $180M Round Chinese Car Trading Platform Chehaoduo
Chehaoduo (2015, Beijing), a car trading platform, raised $180M in Series B+ round led by DST Global, Capital Today, Bank of China Group Investment Ltd, Sequoia Capital China and H Capital.

Yunfeng Leads $120M Round In Chinese Home Sharing Firm Xiaozhu.com
Xiaozhu.com (2012, Beijing), a short-term vacation home sharing platform, raised $120M in Series E round led by Yunfeng Capital. Joy Capital, Morningside Venture Capital and Capital Today also participated in this round.

SAIF Joins $100M Series C Round In Chinese Genetic Technology Firm Annoroad
Annoroad (2012, Beijing), a gene sequencing services provider, raised $100M in Series C round led by Shenzhen GTJA Investment Group, and Ping An Ventures. SAIF Partners and SBCVC also participated in the round.

China Industrial Bank Leads $80M In Chinese Used Car Online Auction Platform Tiantianpaiche
Tiantianpaiche (2014, Shanghai), an online C2B used car auction platform, raised $80M in Series C round led by China Industrial Bank Co., Ltd. and HanFor.

Sequoia Leads $57M Round In Chinese Checkout-Free Store Xingbianli
Xing Bian Li (2017, Shanghai), a checkout-free convenience store operator, raised $57M in Series A1 round led by Sequoia Capital China. China Renaissance Group, Vision Plus Capital and existing investor Lightspeed China Partners also participated in the round

Cash Capital Leads $30M Series B+ Round In Chinese Online Education Platform SmartStudy.com
SmartStudy.com (2014, Beijing), an online entrance exam education portal, raised $30M in Series B+ round led by Cash Capital.

Cisco Co-Leads $30M Round In City Big Data And Cloud Solutions Provider Citycloud
Citycloud (2012, Hangzhou), a cloud computing and big data technologies provider, raised $30M in Series B round led by Cisco, and Country Garden Holdings.

DHVC Leads $15M Series B Round in Chinese AI-Driven Education Firm FClassroom
FClassroom (2014, Wuxi), an artificial intelligence-powered education firm, raised $15M in Series B round led by DHVC.

Baidu, Aplus Capital and Frees Fund Invest In Chinese AI Acoustics Technology Start-up SoundAI
SoundAI (2016, Beijing), an interactive voice solution provider, raised $15M in Series A round led by Baidu, Aplus Capital, Frees Fund and Linekong Interactive Group. Bank of Beijing also participated in the round.

Walden Leads $12M Round In Chinese Smart Home Appliance Firm LifeSmart 
LifeSmart (2014, Hangzhou), a smart home solution provider, raised $12M in Series B round led by Walden International.

Chinese AI-Driven Translation Start-Up New Tranx Completes Pre-A Funding Led By Kaitai Capital
New Tranx Information Technology (2014, Beijing), an artificial intelligence-powered translation firm, raised $7.5M in a pre-A round from Kaitai Capital and Bojiang Capital Management Group. Meiya Qianhai Wutong Investment, Acquisition Fund, and Leaguer Group Co., Ltd., also participated in the round.

CICC, NEA Join New Funding Round In Chinese IoT Solutions Provider Tuya
Tuya Inc. (2014, Hangzhou), an Internet of Things solutions provider, raised an undisclosed amount in Series B led by China International Capital Co., Ltd., Oriental Fortune Capital, New Enterprise Associates, and Quadrille Capital.

INVESTMENTS BY CHINESE INVESTORS AND COMPANIES

Tencent-backed China Literature said to raise $1.1b in Hong Kong IPO
China Literature Ltd., an online literature platform, raised $1.1B in Hong Kong IPO.

China’s HNA in talks to buy e-commerce firm Dangdang likely valued over $1b
HNA Group Co Ltd, a Chinese logistics holding group provider, in talks to acquire Dangdang Inc., a Chinese electronic commerce company.

China Everbright, Walden To Launch $500M Semiconductor Fund
China Everbright Ltd. and Walden International Group, to launch a $500M fund focused on the semiconductor and industrial information technology sectors.

Bertelsmann-backed online marketing platform iClick files for $100m US IPO
iClick Interactive Asia Group Limited., a Hong Kong-based independent online marketing platform, filed for IPO in the U.S. with plans to raise $100M.

China CVS to buy Morgan Stanley Asia PE-backed convenience store chain for $84m
China CVS, an investment holding company jointly formed by HKEX-listed Greentown Service Group, Xianlife, and ExFresh, acquired Idea Thrive Limited, which is owned by Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia, for $84M.

Fosun Pharma to buy French drug distributor Tridem for $73m
Fosun Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, a  Chinese large integrated pharma company, acquired Tridem Pharma S.A.S, a French drug distributor, for $73M.

Chinese P2P lender Senmiao Technologies files for $20m US IPO
Senmiao Technologies Limited, a Chinese Fintech startup, filed for $20M US IPO.

Chinese Online Travel Agent Ctrip.com Acquires Silicon Valley-Based Trip.com
Ctrip.com International, Ltd., a Chinese online travel agent provider, acquired Trip.com, a Silicon Valley-based travel planning and local discovery platform, for an undisclosed amount.

Chinese Bike Sharing Firms Youon and Hellobike Merge to Compete Against Industry Giants
Youon Bike, a Chinese bike rental firm, merged with Hellobike, a Chinese electric vehicle start-up.

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

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Privy (2017, Bengaluru), dynamic pricing solution for fashion retail industry. Founder is ex-Founder Wealthpack, Edelweiss Financial Services, Deutsche bank and is an alumnus of IIT – Kharagpur. Global comparables are Upstream Commerce (2010, Tel Aviv, $3M) and Kuona Analytics (2013, Monterrey). 

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

INTERESTING COMPANIES FOUND

SEA – RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Azalea Investments to launch its latest fund Astrea IV
Temasek-backed Azalea Investments to launch its latest fund Astrea IV.

Artivision to buy MC Payment for $59M
Artivision to buy MC Payment for $59M.

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

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Contextally (2016, Bangalore), AI-enabled digital signage system. Founder is ex- Nokia, Teritree and alumni of IIM Bangalore. Local comparables are AdSignage (2015, Mumbai) and Blynk Digital Signage (2014,Bangalore). Global comparables are Reflect Systems (2009, Dallas, $9M) and Real Digital Media (2002, Sarasota, $5.5M). 

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – BIG DATA INFRASTRUCTURE

• ScyllaDB acquired Seastar.io, a managed Apache Cassandra hosting technology in an undisclosed deal. Link
• CallidusCloud acquired OrientDB, multi-model NoSQL database in an undisclosed deal. Link
• TigerGraph, a graph database for massive parallel processing, raised $31M in series A funding led by Baidu, Qiming VC. Link
• Fauna, an adaptive operational database, raised $25M in series A funding led by Point72 Ventures. Link
• Stardog, an enterprise graph database, raised $6M in series A funding led by Grotech Ventures. Link
• Snowflake, a datawarehouse built for the cloud, raised $5M in series D funding led by Capital One Growth Ventures. Link
• Panoply, a smart datawarehouse, raised $5M in series A funding led by C5 Capital. Link
• Deutsche Börse Group has acquired a minority stake in Trifacta, a data analytics firm. Link
• NuoDB, an in-memory based SQL database, raised $4.8M from an undisclosed investor. Link
• MapR, an enterprise-grade Hadoop platform, raised $56M funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

HarperDB (2017, Colorado – USA) – Provides a schema-less high scale database for both unstructured and structured data.

LEADER BOARD – BIG DATA INFRASTRUCTURE

For latest updates, visit Big Data Infrastructure feed.

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – PAAS

• Docker, a LXC based OS-level virtualization technology raises $62M Series E funding. Link
• Bizagi, a provider of BPM platform, raised $48M in PE round led by Invus Group. Link
• Buddy, a cloud-based data management platform, raised $23M in Post-IPO round. Link
• SAP has agreed to buy Gigya for $350 million.Link
• Rackspace acquires Datapipe as it looks to expand its managed services business. Link
• TIBCO Acquires Data Virtualization Business from Cisco. Link
• ServiceNow to Become a Native Mobile Enterprise Cloud Platform with Acquisition of SkyGiraffe. Link

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

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Musein (2017, Hyderabad), Learning and mentorship platform for creative professionals. Founder is ex- KPMG, and alumni of IIM Kozhikode.Global comparables are CreativeLive (2010, Seattle, $58.8M) and  MasterClass (2015, SF, $56.4M).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

DocTalk (2016, Mumbai), text based communication tool between doctors and patients, raises $5M in funding from Matrix Partners India, Khosla Ventures, Venture Highway, Liquid2 Ventures, Altair Capital, Vy Capital and others. Link

Aye Finance (2013, Delhi), MSME lending platform, raises $4.94M in conventional debt round of funding from Symbiotics Group. Link

Fisdom (2015, Bangalore), mobile first robo advisor for wealth management, raises $3.8M in Series B round of funding led by Quona Capital, with participation from Saama Capital. Link

CoveIoT(2017, Singapore), product development services provider for IoT enabled wearables, raises $5M in Seed round of funding from Titan Company Limited. Link

Crayon Data (2012, Chennai), SaaS big data analytics platform, raises an undisclosed amount in funding from Kris Gopalakrishnan, co-founder of Infosys Ltd. Link

Talentedge (2012, Mumbai), online platform for professional certification programs, raises an undisclosed amount in funding from its existing investors. Link

Ola (2011, Bangalore), app-based asset-light cab operator, partners with Microsoft, to build a new connected car platform. Link

Paytm (2010, Delhi), mobile wallet and payments bank, integrates with BHIM UPI on its platform.Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Intersection (2015, New York City), WiFi kiosks with data sensing capabilities for smart cities, raises $150M in equity funding led by Graham Holdings Company, with participation from new investors ArrowMark Partners and NewSpring. Link

Monzo (2015, London), mobile bank service provider, raises $92.9M in Series D round of funding from Goodwater Capital, Stripe and Michael Moritz, with participation from Passion Capital, Thrive Capital and Orange Digital Ventures. Link

StrongBox Data Solutions, provider of cognitive data management and archive solutions, raises $27M in funding from from the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, and additional funding from One Capital. Link

ShopBack  (2014, Singapore), provider of cashback to online buyers, raises $25M in Series A round of funding led by Japanese credit card issuer and Credit Saison, with new participation from Thai telco Intouch, 33 Capital and AppWorks, also existing investors as East Ventures, Qualgro, SoftBank, and Singtel. Link

CargoX (2015, Sao Paulo), online marketplace for booking truckload carriers, raises $20M in Series C round of funding led by Goldman Sachs with participation from Soros of Qualcomm Ventures, and follow-on investment from Agility Logistics, Valor Capital Group and Oscar Salazar. Link

Proofpoint  (2002, Sunnyvale), cybersecurity firm, acquires Cloudmark (2001, SF), provider of predictive threat intelligence based dns, email and mobile messaging security, for $110M. Link

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

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Devsupport AI (2017, Bangalore), AI enabled programmer bot for API integration. Founders are ex- Ola,Flipkart and Citrus Pay.Global comparables are  Jitterbit (2004, Alameda, $45M) and Cloud Elements (2012, Denver, $21.6M).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

FarmLink (2014, Mumbai),supplier of fruits and vegetables to industrial buyers, raises $3M in Series A round of funding from Pioneering Ventures and Syngenta. Link

Open Appliances (2014, Bangalore), provider of Bluetooth-enabled locks for enterprises and homes, raises $550k in funding from Axilor Ventures and Kumar Vembu, co-founder of software product company Zoho Corp. Link

Itilite Technologies (2017, Bangalore), rewards based discovery platform for business travel bookings, raises an undisclosed amount in Seed round of funding from Matrix Partners and  angel investors. Link

Benow (2016, Mumbai), provider of UPI enabled payment solution for merchants and consumers, acquires Finmo (2016, Delhi), UPI based mobile payments app, in cash and stock deal. Link

Fortune (2000, Ahmedabad), manufacturer of edible oil and processed food products, hires Infibeam (2007, Ahmedabad), online horizontal retail marketplace and e-commerce services provider, for developing and maintaining its e-commerce application. Link

Jindal Stainless, stainless steel producer, partners with ANEW Holdings, to launch accelerator program for agritech startups. Link

Avendus Capital, London-based financial services provider, acquires Zodius Capital, Mumbai-based venture capital firm, for an undisclosed amount. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

WeLab (2013, Hong Kong), mobile-based lending platform, raises $220M in combined Series B+ equity and debt round of funding from Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and other global banks. Link

Compass (2012, NYC), technology driven online brokerage firm, raises $100M in Series E round of funding from Fidelity Investments, IVP, and Wellington Management. Link

V3 (2016,NYC), retail energy aggregation and credit management platform, raises $50M in Series A round of funding led by Colbeck Capital Management. Link

Leanplum (2012, SF), mobile A/B testing, personalization & analytics platform, raises $47M in Series D round of funding led by Norwest Venture Partners with participation from existing investors Canaan Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Shasta Ventures. Link

Sabal Investment Advisors, California-based venture capital firm, closes first private capital vehicle, at $200M. Link

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

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Alice (2017, Delhi), AI-enabled assistant for home security cameras. Founders are alumni of IIT Delhi.Local comparables are Sure (2017, Bangalore) and Ambicam (2015, Ahmedabad).Global comparables are Lighthouse AI (2014, Palo Alto, $17M) and Ivideon(2010, Las Vegas, $4M). 

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Schoolguru (2012, Mumbai), provider of online virtual course content, raises $2.07M in Series A round of funding from TeamLease. Link

NoPaperForms (2009, Thane), web-based enrollment management system for educational institutions, raises $872k in funding from Info Edge (India) Ltd. Link

Happily Unmarried (2003, Delhi), internet first brand for lifestyle products, raises an undisclosed amount in funding from Wipro Consumer Care. Link

Play Shifu (2016, Bangalore), AR based learning platform, raises an undisclosed amount in pre-Series A round of funding led by IDG Ventures. Link

Phonon Communications (2006, Vadodara), provider of telephony solutions for call center, acquires iDelivr (2015, Mumbai), provider of customer engagement chatbots, for an undisclosed amount. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

EclecticIQ (2014, Amsterdam), threat intelligence management tool, raises $16.2M in Series B round of funding led by Keen Ventures Partners with participation from existing investors. Link

Broker Genius (2013, NYC), provider of a dynamic pricing technology platform for the secondary ticket market, raises $15M in Series A round of funding from Volition Capital and others. Link

Vade Secure (2011, Hem), secure web gateway based email security solution provider, raises $12M in Series A round of funding led by ISAI. Link

Treasury Intelligence Solutions (2010, Walldorf), platform for managing enterprise-wide payments, liquidity and banking relationships, raises $12M in funding from 83North, with participation from  Target Partners and Zobito. Link

Crux Informatics (2017, NYC), informatics platform and secure cloud services provider, raises $10M in Series A round of funding from Goldman Sachs and others. Link

TeleTech (1982, Englewood), customer service consulting, solutions and services provider, acquires Motif (2000, San Mateo), contact center, fraud prevention and back office services provider, for an undisclosed amount. Link

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – DATA AS A SERVICE

• Megalytics, a data and analytics provider for risk assessment and due diligence, raises $1M Seed funding from an undisclosed investor. Link
• Gridics, a data and analytics solution provider for residential addresses, raises $1.6M Seed funding led by BH3 Management. Link
• DataFox, a data platform for prospecting sales lead, raises $5M in Debt financing from undisclosed investor. Link
• SmartKarma, a platform for investment insights,  raises $13.5M in Series B funding led by Sequoia India. Link
• ImageSat, a satellite-based earth imagery provider, receives an investment of $40M from FIMI fund. Link
• Ursa Space Systems, a Geospatial maps and insights provider, raises $7M Series A financing from Paladin Capital Group, New Enterprise Associates, S&P Global and others. Link
• ConstructionJournal, a construction project lead generation data provider, acquires Construction Reports. Link
• Onvia, a procurement management platform, agrees to be acquired by Project Diamond Intermediate Holdings Corp, the parent entity of Deltek. Link
• MDA Corporation, a Satellite imagery and mapping provider, completes the acquisition of DigitalGlobe. Link
• MetaBrite, a consumer behavioral insights for CPG Industry, raises $1.5M in Debt financing from an undisclosed investor. Link
• Nielsen, to acquire Visual IQ, a provider of multi-touch attribution modeling of advertising on digital platforms. Link
• Wuxi NextCode, a platform for genomic data, raises $240M in Series B financing led by Sequoia China. Link
• Soundcharts, a metadata service provider for the music industry, raises $3.1M in Series A financing led by Alven Capital. Link
• Symphony Health, a data and analytics company, acquired by PRA Health Sciences for $530M. Link

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – INDUSTRIAL ROBOTICS

• Mazor Robotics, developer of semi-robotic bone mounted positioning systems for spinal surgeries, raised $40M in a Post IPO round from Medtronic. Link
• Kindred, developer of robots with human like intelligence, raised $28M in a Series B round led by Tencent and participated by Eclipse and First Round Capital. Link
• Cambridge Medical Robotics, developer of universal robotic system for minimal access surgery, raised $26M in a Series A round from Cambridge Innovation Capital, LGT, Escala Capital, ABB Group and Watrium. Link
• Kinova, developer of personal robotics for assistive and service purposes, raised $25M in a Series A round participated by Fonds Manufacturier, KTB Network, Foxconn Electronics and BDC Capital. Link
• Knightscope, developer of autonomous crime prevention technology robots, raised $20M in a Series B round from Seedinvest. Link
• Humatics, developer of control systems for robots that would enable collaborative nature in robots, raised $18M in a Series A round participated by Fontinalis Partners, Airbus Ventures, Lockheed Martin, Intact Financial, Presidio Ventures, Tectonic Ventures and Blue Ivy Ventures. Link
• QualySense, developer of robots for sorting agricultural products, raised $14.3M in a Series B round participated by Zurcher Kantonalbank and venturelab. Link
• Built Robotics, developer of robots for the construction industry, raised $13.1M in a Series A round from undisclosed investors . Link
• Veo Robotics, developer of technology for enabling collaborative behavior in industrial robots, raised $12M in a Series A round participated by Lux Capital, GV and Next47. Link
• Riverfield, developer of surgical robotic systems based on pneumatic manipulation technology, raised $10.1M in a Series B round participated by Toray Engineering and SBI Holdings. Link
• Quick Feel Tech, developer of vision based navigation software for robots, raised $10M in a Series B round participated by TusHoldings, China Fortune-Tech Capital, PICC Property and Casualty, WI Harper Group, SAIF Partners China and Tusstar. Link
• AlterG, developer of anti-gravity treadmill and wearable bionic leg for rehabilitation, raised $8M in a Series C round from Business Capital. Link
• Autonomous Marine Systems, developer of self-righting catamaran, raised $5M in a Series A round participated by Clean Energy Venture Group, Fontinalis Partners, Industrial Investors Group, Signal Ventures, I2BF Global Ventures and Texas Halo Fund. Link
• AMP Robotics, developer of robot for recycling construction waste, raised $3.2M in a Series A round from undisclosed investors . Link
• Titan Medical, developer of a surgeon-controlled robotic surgical system for minimally invasive surgery, raised $2.6M in Nov and $2.2M in Oct in Post IPO rounds from undisclosed investors . Link
• Q-Bot, developer of robots that perform insulation below houses with timber floors, raised $2M in a Seed round participated by ClearlySo, Curious Capital, London Business Angels, Chicago Booth and European Union. Link
• Left Hand Robotics, developer of an autonomous snow clearing robot, raised $60k in a Seed round from undisclosed investors . Link
• Ocean Aero, developer of autonomous underwater unmanned systems, raised an undisclosed amount in a Series A round from Lockheed Martin. Link
• Reactive Robotics, developer of robotic gait rehabilitation device for ICU patients, raised an undisclosed amount in a Series A round participated by MedTech Innovation Partners, High-Tech Grunderfonds, Bayern Kapital and TQ Group. Link
• Youibot, developer of commercial service robots and robotic autonomous mobile solutions, raised an undisclosed amount in a Seed round participated by Plug and Play Tech Center and HAX. Link
• Bharati Robotic Systems India, developer of commercial robots, raised an undisclosed amount in a Seed round from Society For Innovation And Entrepreneurship. Link

Healthcare
Auris Surgical (2009, San Carlos, $513M) – Robotic microsurgical system designed specifically for ophthalmic procedures. Backed by NaviMed Capital, Lux Capital, Mithril, Highland Capital Partners and others.
Medrobotics (2005, Raynham, $168M) – Develops Flex Robotic and Flex Retractor system which is highly articulated multi-linked endoscope and enables minimally invasive surgery. Backed by Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse.
Restoration Robotics (2002, San Jose, $140M) – Image guided robotic system (ARTAS) that enables follicular unit extraction. Backed by InterWest Partners, Sutter Hill Ventures, Alloy Ventures and Clarus Ventures.
Intuitive Surgical (1995, Sunnyvale, IPO) – Develops the ‘Da-Vinci Robot’, which is a remotely operated minimally invasive robotic surgery platform. Went Public in 2000.
MAKO Surgical (2004, Lauderdale, IPO, Acq.) – Develops robotic and implantable surgical solutions for hip, knee surgery etc. Went Public in 2008. Acquired by Stryker Corp in 2013.
Xenex (2008, San Antonio, $86M) – Builds hospital sterilization robots that use UV light (patented pulsed Xenon UV) to kill infection causing organisms. Backed by Battery Ventures,  RK Ventures and Targeted Technology Fund.
InTouch Technologies (2002, Santa Barbara, $64M) – Develops telepresence robots enabling telehealth solutions. Backed by Beringea, Acacia Venture Partners, InvestMichigan, Galen Partners and iRobot.

Manufacturing
Rethink Robotics (2008, Boston, $131.5M) – Develops factory robots that are affordable and easy to train. Backed by Bezos Expeditions, Charles River Ventures, Sigma Partners, Highland Capital Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Two Sigma Ventures, Goldman Sachs, GE Ventures and others.
Kinova (2006, Boisbriand, $25M) – Develops personal assistive robot arms and service robot arms. Backed by Fonds Manufacturier, KTB Network, Foxconn Electronics and BDC Capital.
Grabit (2011, Santa Clara, $23M) – Develops electro-adhesion based gripping products for robots and material handling applications. Backed by Draper Nexus Ventures, Formation8, Nike and ABB.
Life Robotics (2007, Tokyo, $16M) – Developer of collaborative robot arm for materials handling in factories. Backed by Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Nippon Technology Venture Partners, OMRON, Global Brain and Koden Holdings.
Dobot (2014, Guangdong, $13M) – Robot arm for consumers and generic industrial automation. Backed by Shenzhen Capital Group.
RightHand Robotics (2014, Cambridge, $11M) – Developer of the ReFlex gripper with tactile sensing for piece picking automation. Backed by Matrix Partners, Dream Incubator, Seven Seas Partners and others.

Logistics
Geek+ (2015, Chaoyang, $82M) – Develops warehouse automation robots for goods-to-man automation. Backed by Banyan Capital, Vertex Ventures and others.
SeeGrid (2003, Pittsburgh, $66M) – Develops 3D vision guided AGVs for warehouses. Backed by Innovation Works and Giant Eagle.
Aethon (1997, Pittsburgh, $54M) – Develops autonomous robots for internal logistics in hospitals. Backed by Trident Capital, Nexus Medical Partners, Draper Triangle, Salix Ventures and others.
GreyOrange (2011, Gurgaon, $39M) – Develops warehouse automation solutions for ecommerce fulfillment centers and postal services. Backed by Tiger Global, Blume Ventures and Alps Venture.
Flashhold (2014, Shanghai, $35M) – Develops AGVs for warehouse automation. Backed by ZTE, SB China Capital and Cainiao Logistics.
Fetch Robotics (2014, San Jose, $23M) – Develops mobile manipulator robots for use in warehouse automation. Backed by Softbank, Shasta Ventures and O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures.
6River Systems (2015, Boston, $22M) – Develops robot for assisted picking at warehouses. Backed by Norwest Venture Partners, Eclipse and iRobot.
Starship Technologies (2014, Tallinn, $17M) – Develops autonomous robots for performing last-mile deliveries in an urban environment. Backed by Shasta Ventures, Matrix Partners, Grishin Robotics, Daimler, Morpheus Ventures, and others.

Service Robots
Service Robots – Retail
Bossa Nova Robotics (2005, Pittsburgh, $23M) – Develops autonomous information dispensing robots for retail stores. Backed by Riverwood Capital, Innovation Works and Walden Riverwood Ventures.

Service Robots – Hospitality Services
Savioke (2013, Sunnyvale, $18M) – Develops robots for performing deliveries in hotels. Backed by Intel Capital, EDBI, Northern Light Venture Capital, Morado Ventures, GV and AME Cloud Ventures.

Military
Roboteam (2009, Tel Aviv, $62M) – Develops robots for defense tactical missions. Backed by Generali Group, Crossroad Venture Capital and F&H Fund Management.
Sarcos (2015, Salt Lake City, $26M) – Develops dexterous robots for unstructured environments, and exoskeletons for factory and defense applications. Backed by Microsoft, Caterpillar, Schlumberger, GE Ventures and others.
RoboteX (2007, Sunnyvale, $25M) – Develops tracked robots for security and scouting purposes for military or law enforcement agencies. Backed by Subtraction Capital and Beast Ventures.

Maritime
Liquid Robotics (2007, Sunnyvale, $82M, Acq.) – Developer of Wave Glider which is a marine robot that functions as a platform for scientific, industrial and government payloads. Acquired by Boeing in December 2016.
Saildrone (2014, Alameda, $16.5M) – Develops autonomous unmanned surface vehicles for ocean data collection. Backed by Lux Capital, Capricorn, Social Capital and Schmidt Family Foundation.
DeepFar Ocean Technology (2013, Tianjin, $15M) – Develops unmanned underwater robots and performs R&D in the AUV space. Backed by Ding Xiang Technology and TEDA Science and Technology.

Space
Moon Express (2010, Mountain View, $44M) – Lunar transportation and data services company. Backed by Founders Fund, Autodesk and Space Florida.
Axiom Research Labs (2010, Bangalore, $15M) – Developing lunar space rovers. Backed by numerous angels based out of India.

Agriculture
Blue River Technology (2011, Sunnyvale, $30M) – Uses computer vision and robotics to identify weeds and selectively kill unwanted plants. Backed by Khosla Ventures, Pontifax AgTech, Data Collective, Innovation Endeavors, Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs, Ulu Ventures and others.
Harvest Automation (2007, Billerica, $28M) – Develops robots for automation of labour intensive activities in agriculture. Backed by Founder Collective, Life Sciences Partners, Entree Capital, MassVentures, Cultivian Ventures and others.

Tech Enablers
Vicarious – (2010, SF, $138M) – Develops AI for robots. Backed by Khosla Venture, Samsung, ABB, Bezos Expedition, etc. and numerous notable angels such as Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos, etc.
CloudMinds (2015, Shenzhen, $130M) – Developing cloud robotics framework for unified AI-based robot control. Backed by Walden International, Foxconn Electronics, Shenzhen Capital Group and others.
Brain Corp (2009, San Diego, $114M) – Developing technology for robot autonomy. Backed by SoftBank Group and Qualcomm Ventures.
Kindred (2014, SF, $44M) – Developing robots with human-like intelligence. Backed by Eclipse, First Round Capital, AME Cloud Ventures, GV, Innovation Endeavors, Data Collective, Bloomberg Beta and Eleven Two Capital.
Slamtec (2013, Shanghai, $22M) – Developer of robotics platform and a 2D lidar scanner. Backed by China Equity Group, ChinaVest and Ivy Capital.
Humatics (2002, Cambridge, $18M) – Control systems for enabling collaborative behavior in robots.
Neurala (2006, Cambridge, $16M) – Develops AI based brains for robots. Backed by TechStars, Orkos Capital, Right Side Capital Management and others.
Rapyuta Robotics (2014, Tokyo, $13M) – Develops Cloud computing platform for robots. Backed by SBI Investment, Cyberdyne, V-Cube and Fuji Creative.

Infrastructure Services
RedZone Robotics (1987, Pittsburgh, $52M) – Provides wastewater inspection technologies and services using robots. Backed by ABS Capital Partners.
Built Robotics (2015, SF, $13M) – Develops robots for the construction industry. Backed by Great Oaks Venture Capital.
Q-Bot (2012, London, $4.9M) – Develops robots that perform insulation below houses with timber floors. Backed by ClearlySo, EcoMachines Ventures and European Commission.

Multi-Industry
Multi-Industry – Multi-purpose Robotic Platforms
Clearpath Robotics (2008, Kitchener, $42M) – Develops unmanned vehicle systems for research and warehouse automation solutions. Backed by iNovia Capital, RRE Ventures, Silicon Valley Bank, CanRock Ventures, GE Ventures and others.
HiBot (2004, Tokyo, $17M) – Develops unmanned robotic systems for extreme environments. Backed by Draper Nexus and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital.
TMiRob (2015, Shanghai, $6M) – Develops robot platform that can be modified for multiple applications. Backed by IDG, Cobod, Cash Capital.

Multi-Industry – Surveillance
Knightscope (2013, Sunnyvale, $32M) – Autonomous robots for surveillance, patrolling and crime prevention. Backed by Plug and Play Tech Center, NTT Docomo Ventures, Konica Minolta, Flextronics and others.

Energy, Environment and Recycling
ZenRobotics (2007, Helsinki, $17M) – Develops a robotic waste sorting system for the recycling industry. Backed by Invus Group and Lifeline Ventures.

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

DEALS OF THE WEEK

INTERESTING FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY IN CHINA

Alibaba Fund, IFC Join $220M Round In HK Mobile Lending Firm WeLab
WeLab (2013, Hong Kong), a mobile lending start-up, raised $220M in series B+ round from Alibaba Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund, International Finance Corp, Credit Suisse and others.

China’s Baidu Rumored To Lead $140M Round In Electric Vehicle Start-up WM Motor
WM Motor (2015, Shanghai), an emerging Chinese automaker, raised $140M in a funding round from Baidu and Tencent Holdings.

CITIC Co-Leads $105M Round In Chinese Travel Agency Phoenix Travel
Phoenix Travel Worldwide (1997, Beijing), an overseas travel agency, raised $105M in series C round of funding led by China’s CITIC Capital, Haier Capital, Lenovo Holdings Corp and Legend Capital with participation from Juyuan Investment, Yonghua Capital and Silk Road Huachuang.

Guangzhou Automobile Leads $83M Round In Chinese Car Services Platform Ds.cn
Ds.cn (2016, Beijing), an auto services platform, raised $83M in a funding round led by Guangzhou Automobile Group with participation from Urtrust Insurance.

Chinese Artificial Intelligence-Powered Educational Firm Yixue Education Completes A $41M Angel Round
Yixue Education, a Chinese artificial intelligence-powered educational firm, raised $41M in Angel round of funding from SIG, Nokia Growth Partners, New Oriental Education and Technology Group and Greenwood Investment
Sequoia Joins $32M Round In China’s Oncology-Focused EOC Pharma
EOC Pharma (2015, Shanghai), an oncology-focused development company, raised $32M in series B round of funding led by China’s Taikang Investment with participation from H&Q Asia Pacific and Sequoia Capital China.

Shunwei Capital Joins $30M Series B Round In Chinese Auto Insurance Search Engine Cheche365.com
Cheche365.com (2014, Beijing), a car insurance distribution platform, raised $30M in series B round of funding led by China Capital Group with participation from Shunwei Capital and CBC Capital.

BAI Leads $30M Round In Chinese Air Purifier Developer 352Air
352Air (2014, Beijing), a home air purification systems, raised $30M in series A round of funding led by Bertelsmann Asia Investments with participation from Matrix Partners China, Huatai New Industry Growth Investment Fund and Atlas Capital.

WuXi AppTec Joins $28M Round In Chinese Precision Medicine Firm AnchorDX
AnchorDX (2015, Guangzhou), a precision medicine start-up, raised $28M in series B round of funding led by 6 Dimensions Capital and Sijia Jianxin with participation from Arch Venture Partners, Marathon Venture Partners, WuXi AppTec Group and KingMed Diagnostics.

Sinovation Leads $20.6M Round In Chinese Chatbot Developer Zhuiyi
Zhuiyi (2015, Shenzhen), an artificial intelligence start-up developing chatbots, raised $20.6M in series B round of funding led by Sinovation Ventures with participation from GGV Capital, Banyan Capital and Morningside Venture.

Tencent Leads $15M Series B Round In Chinese Cloud Computing Firm Alauda
Alauda (2014, Beijing), a provider of cloud computing services for enterprises, raised $15M in series B round of funding led by Tencent Holdings with participation from Banyan Capital and CBC Capital.

Tencent Invests In Chinese Fighting Robot Maker GJS Robot
GJS Robot (2015, Shenzhen), a start-up specializing in making customized fighting robots designed for robot combat competitions, raised an undisclosed amount in series A round of funding led by Tencent Holdings.

INVESTMENTS BY CHINESE INVESTORS AND COMPANIES

China’s Sunsea Co-Leads $60M Round In US IoT Firm Ayla Networks
Ayla Networks (2010, Sunnyvale), a platform for hosting connected devices, raised $60M in series D round of funding led by Run Liang Tai Fund and Sunsea Telecommunications.

EQT-backed GPA Global acquires UK’s MW Luxury Packaging
GPA Global, a Hong Kong-based packaging and display solutions provider, announced that it has agreed to acquire 100 percent of the UK’s MW Luxury Packaging.

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – MEDICAL DEVICES

• Invendo Medical, a developer of single-use high definition endoscopy products, is to be acquired by Ambu for $265M. Link
• Rotation Medical, a developer of rotator cuff repair system, is to be acquired by Smith & Nephew for $210M. Link
• Revolutionary Medical Devices, a developer of products for airway management, is to be acquired by Vyaire Medical. LinkInnoMed Technologies, a developer of sleep apnea therapy interfaces and masks, is to be acquired by Mergenet Medical. Link
• Jotec, a developer of stents and grafts for Aortic and Peripheral arterial disease, is to be acquired by CryoLife. Link
• Clinical Innovations, a developer of devices for mothers and their babies, is to be acquired by EQT. Link
• Vexim, a developer of expandable vertebral compression fracture implant, is to be acquired by Stryker. Link
• SurgVision, a developer of fluorescence image guided surgery platform, is to be acquired by Bracco Imaging. Link
• NeuroPace, a developer of seizure-monitoring device, raised $74M in a Series E round led by KCK Group and OrbiMed Advisors. Link
• Eargo, a developer of hearing aid, raised $45M in a Series C round led by Nan Fung Life Sciences. Link
• Vital Connect, a developer of biosensor patch for body vitals monitoring, raised $38M in a Series E round led by MVM and Baxter Ventures. Link
• Shockwave Medical, a developer of cardiovascular balloon dilation catheters, raised $35M in a Series C round. Link
• TELA Bio, a developer of surgical reconstruction solutions, raised $15M in a Series C round. Link
• Claret Medical, a developer of cerebral vascular protection systems, raised $14.5M in a Series C round led by Lightstone Ventures. Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

Promaxo ($5M, Rockville, 2016) – A portable MRI for the cancer diagnostics market
Keranova ($4.55M, Saint-etienne, 2015) – A surgical equipment for anterior chamber Ophthalmic surgery

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 recent activity & interesting startups globally

RECENT NOTABLE ACTIVITY – LIFE SCIENCE – SOFTWARE

• WuXi NextCODE, a provider of a global standard platform for genomic data has completed $240M Series B round with investment from a consortium led by Sequoia China and including Temasek, Yunfeng Capital and 3W Partners with participation from Temasek, Yunfeng, 3W and Amgen Ventures. Link
• Antidote Technologies, which provides a clinical trial matching platform raised $11M in a funding round led by Merck Global Health Innovation Fund (GHI) with participation from investors Smedvig Capital and Octopus Ventures. Link
• Signet Accel which provides data interoperability solutions to US health systems, consortia, research institutions and biopharma companies raised $8M in a Series-A round led by Edison Partners. Link
• Moffitt Cancer Center‘s spinoff M2Gen, a provider of healthcare informatics solutions has received a $75M investment from Hearst’s business media channel. Link
• Deep Genomics, the AI-driven genetic medicine company has raised $13M equity investment led by Khosla Ventures
  with participation from True Ventures. Link
• Recursion Pharmaceuticals which has developed a proprietary drug discovery platform raised $60M Series B financing led by Data Collective (DCVC). Link
• Zageno, an online marketplace for Life Sciences research products raised $8M in a Series A investment led by Capnamic Ventures along with Grazia Equity. Link
• Metabolon, the global leader in metabolomics has acquired metabolomics services and diagnostics company Metabolomic Discoveries for an undisclosed amount. Link
• Invicro which provides imaging services and software for research and drug development is acquired by Konica Minolta. Link
• Pilgrim Quality Solutions, a provider of quality and compliance management software and services for Life Sciences has been acquired by an undisclosed US-based strategic acquirer or an undisclosed amount. Link
• mProve Healthwhich provides mobile technologies for life science companies is acquired by clinical trial technology and specialty services provider, Bracket.
  Link

SOME INTERESTING STARTUPS FOUND

ClosedLoop (2017, Austin) – An AI-based risk predictive platform for payers, providers & pharma companies.
Structura (2016, Toronto) –  A software that uses ML algorithms for drug discovery and research.
Bioxplor (2016, Dusseldorf) – A  Big Data-based virtual laboratory platform with an AI-based biomarker and drug discovery tool.

LEADER BOARD – LIFE SCIENCE – SOFTWARE

Bioinformatics
Metabolon (2000, Durham, $92.42M) provides platforms and informatics systems for biomarker discoveries and diagnostic tests and also offers metabolomics research services. Backed by Aurora Funds, Sevin Rosen Funds, Camden Partners Holdings, Essex Woodlands, HHVC, Sumitomo Corp, Syngenta, Alexandria Real Estate Equities, ATEL Capital Group, Fletcher Spaght, The Trelys Funds, Fulcrum Financial Group, Crossroads Capital.
BioNano Genomics (2003, San Diego, $101.4M) has developed a platform for imaging single molecules of DNA at megabase lengths, allowing the mapping of large chunks of the genome at great resolution.Backed by   National Institutes of Health, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Legend Capital, KT Venture, 21Ventures, Domain Associates, Innovation Valley Partners, Battelle Ventures, NCI, NHGRI, Novartis Venture Fund, and Monashee Investment
Pacific Biosciences (2004, Menlo Park, Public) has developed a Single Molecule Real Time (SMRT) sequencing platform that utilizes the company’s two proprietary technologies – Zero-Mode Waveguides (ZMW) and phospholinked nucleotides for single molecule sequencing.Backed by Morgan Stanley, Mohr Davidow Ventures, KPCB, DAG Ventures, Maverick Capital, AllianceBernstein, Sutter Hill Ventures, Alloy Ventures, Deerfield Capital Management, Deerfield, and Gen-Probe.
Simulations Plus (1996, Lancaster, Public) develops absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) modeling & simulation software for cheminformatics and drug discovery and provides consulting services.
Benevolent AI (2013, London, $87.7M) is an Artificial Intelligence company focussed on pharmaceutical R&D and drug discovery. The company has organised itself into two wholly owned, integrated and complementary subsidiaries: ‘BenevolentBio’ (formerly Stratified Medical) – will continue to focus on applying BenevolentAI’s technology in human health and the exploration of further bioscience applications such as veterinary medicine, and ‘BenevolentTech’ – will continue to refine and develop the AI engine that is driving the discoveries in bioscience and in future will look to replicate this success across wider applications and industries.
Inpharmatica (1998, Saffron Walden, $75M, Acq) offers predictive informatics solutions and services for medicinal chemistry and ADME to help improve the speed and productivity of drug discovery. It is also involved in research of drugs and biomarkers. Backed by Vertex Ventures, Advent Venture Partners, Gimv, Gilde, 3i Group, Abingworth, Unibio, and REV. Acquired by Galapagos in Dec 2006.
Schrodinger (1990, New York, $52M) develops software solutions for computational chemistry, research and drug discovery. Backed by Cascade Investment.

Imaging Solutions
Median Technologies (2002, Valbonne, $53.66M, Public) offers medical imaging software and services for oncology clinical trials, cancer screening, and clinical practice. Backed by NEA, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Auriga Partners, Abingworth, Omega Funds, Idinvest Partners, National Technology Enterprises Company, Kuwait Life Sciences Company (KLSC), and AGF Private Equity.
Aperio Technologies (1999, California, $47.6M, Acq) offers digital pathology solutions including image management, sharing and analysis solutions. Backed by BlackRock, Advanced Technology Ventures, HLM Venture Partners, and Galen Partners. Acquired by Leica Microsystems in Aug 2012.
inviCRO (2008, Boston, $45.8M , Acq ) provides advanced data analysis services and software in the field of preclinical imaging research.Acquired by Konica Minolta in Sep 2017.

Clinical Trial Solutions
Medidata (1999, New York, $66.2M, Public) provides cloud based solutions for clinical trial management and analytics. Backed by Insight Venture Partners, Milestone Venture Partners, Stonehenge Growth Equity, Silicon Alley Venture Partners, The Lambda Funds, State Street, and Alpha Venture Partners and went public in June, 2009.
Parexel (1983, Massachusetts, Public) is a clinical research organization which offers clinical trial management solutions and services. Backed by Capvis.
Datatrak International (1991, Cleveland, Public) offers clinical enterprise solutions which include tools for electronic data capture, trial design, trial supply management and project management.
Comprehend (2010, Palo Alto, $45.9M) provides clinical data reporting and  visualization tools for clinical trials. Backed by Y Combinator, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, SV Angel, Menlo Ventures, Crosslink Capital, Quotidian Ventures, Ulu Ventures, Life Sciences Angel Network, and Easton Capital.
Go Balto (2008, San Fransisco, $38.1M) provides cloud-based electronic solutions for clinical trial design, data capture analysis. Backed by Qualcomm, Aberdare Ventures, Mitsui Global Investment, EDBI, West Health, and Dolby Family Ventures.

GRC Solutions
Metric Stream (1999, Palo Alto, $215M) provides solutions for quality management, regulatory compliance, risk management, and corporate governance. Backed by Goldman Sachs, KPCB, Integral Capital Partners, Gold Hill Capital, Sageview Capital, Saints Capital, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, Blade Ventures, Montage Capital, and The Camelot Group.
Virtify (2004, Lexington, $25.1M) provides enterprise content and compliance management solutions for the life sciences industry. Backed by Tudor Growth Equity, Blue Cloud Ventures, and Spring Lake Equity Partners.
Qumas (1994, Cork, $10M, Acq) provides Compliance and Quality Management Software for Life Sciences including solutions for document management, process management and submission management. Backed by  General Catalyst Partners, Fidelity Ventures, Delta Partners, ACT Venture Capital, Fidelity Growth Partners Europe, Kernel Capital, and Eight Roads Ventures. Acquired by Accelrys in Dec, 2013.

Automation Solutions
Emerald Therapeutics (2010, San Francisco, $34M) has developed Emerald Cloud Laboratory that scientists can remotely access via the internet and can perform experiments using automated robotics. Backed by Founders Fund, Western Technology Investment, and Schooner Capital.
Quartzy (2009, Palo Alto, $28.8M) offers web-based platform for lab management and supports collaboration, inventory and order management. It also hosts catalogs from vendors for lab consumables. Backed by  Y Combinator, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, SV Angel, Khosla Ventures, Washington U., Silicon Badia, Reinmkr Satsang, A Capital, Life Science Angels, Science House, Accelerator Tech, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, and Eminence Capital.

Market Intelligence
IMS Health (1954, Danbury, Merged) offers a suite of market intelligence products and services which are aimed at improving productivity and healthcare delivery of healthcare organizations.
CitiusTech (2005, Princeton, $112 M) offers Business Intelligence and healthcare analytics platform. Backed by General Atlantic.
SHYFT Analytics (2005, Waltham, $39M), formerly Trinity Pharma Solutions, provides cloud-based analytics and data management platform for customer engagement and revenue analytics. Backed by Milestone Venture Partners, Health Enterprise Partners, Medidata, and McKesson Ventures.
Zephyr Health (2011, San Francisco, $33.5 M) offers Zephyr Illuminate, an Insights-as-a-Service platform designed to help companies improve product life cycle performance with customer and market insights and can be used for collaboration, targeting and segmentation, and planning. Backed by KPCB, Jafco Ventures, and Icon Ventures.

Sales and Marketing
Veeva Systems (2007, San Francisco, $ 4 M, Public) offers Content Management, Customer Relationship Management, Customer Master data management and related software and services to the life sciences industry. Backed by  Lead Edge Capital, and Emergence Capital. Went public in October 2013.
Aktana (2008, San Francisco, $25 M) offers sales force solutions and customer relationship management solutions for life sciences industry. Backed by Safeguard Scientifics, and Starfish Ventures.

Operations Management and Supply Chain
Tracelink (2009, Woburn, $77 M) offers an online platform for global distribution, visibility and traceability of pharmaceuticals to limit the sale of counterfeit drugs. Backed by FirstMark Capital, Goldman Sachs, Volition Capital, and F-Prime Capital Partners.
Bluechiip (2003, Scoresby, Public) provides wireless tracking solutions for bio samples and other products. Went public in Oct, 2010 via a reverse takeover by Sofcom Limited.

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

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

INTERESTING STARTUPS

TreatUp (2017, Bangalore), automated patient engagement platform. Founder is ex- MoEngage Inc., Co-Founder of Tuitor and is an alumni of Birla Institute of Technology & Science. Local comparables are DocTalk (2016, Mumbai, $5M) and Praktice (2016, Bangalore). Global comparables are OneView (2007, Blackrock, $16M) and LifeWallet (2014, Miami, $350K).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Universal Sportsbiz (2012, Hyderabad), that operates brands like Imara, Wrogn, and Collectabillia, raises $15.2M in funding from Accel Partners. Link

Promoters of KIMS Hospitals (2005, Amalapuram), standalone tertiary care multi speciality hospital, raise $9.2M in structured debt round of funding from Avendus Finance. Link

Heritage Foods (1992, Hyderabad), Indian private sector dairy enterprise, to acquire Vaman Milk Foods, Punjab based dairy products manufacturer, for an undisclosed amount. Link

UrbanClap (2014, Delhi), marketplace for multiple local services, launches wedding planning services in India. Link

Terry Matthews, Chairman of Canada-based investment management firm Wesley Clover International, launches $10M Alacrity India Startup Fund. Link

Northeast-IAS, Guwahati based educational organisation, launches incubator to support Startup India. Link

Nasscom (1988, Delhi), constitutional body for India’s IT/BPM industry, selects Debjani Ghosh as first woman president. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Uber (2009, San Francisco), mobile app that connects passengers with vehicle drivers for hire, approves $10B investment offer from Softbank. Link

I.am+ (2012, LA), developer of a voice enabled smart-watch, raises $117M in Series C round of funding from Salesforce. Link

The Guarantors (2014, NYC), rental lease guarantee provider, raises $12M in Series A round of funding from  White Star Capital, SilverTech Ventures, Global Founders Capital and Partech Ventures. Link

Ecological Service Partners (2016, Dallas), ecological restoration services provider, raises $250M in PE round of funding from undisclosed investors. Link

Barracuda (2002, Campbell), provider of network firewall solution for enterprise web & email, acquires Sonian (2007, Dedham), cloud based archiving as a service provider, for an undisclosed amount. Link

VerticalScope (1999, Toronto), internet media company, acquires VarageSale (2012, Toronto), online platform for pre-owned goods. Link