Catch the last week’s startup headlines from around the world [9-13 July 2018]
ASIA
SRI Capital has launched USD 100 Mn Tech-Focused Early Stage VC Fund. It looks to invest in enterprise software ventures and will have a special focus on startups working on the deep technology.
Google has introduced a Launchpad accelerator for AI and ML startups in India.
Lightspeed Ventures has closed second India fund with USD 175 M in its kitty.
China’s Ganesh ventures is betting big on Indian startups with a recent announcement of USD 250 Mn Fund for startups in the country. USD 30 M have already been raised by Alibaba. It has invested USD 10 M in a series B in IndiaLends, a platform helping lenders connect with borrowers, along with London’s ACPI, an asset management firm.
One of India’s leading commercial vehicle maker, Tata Motors, has picked up a 26% stake in freight aggregator TruckEasy.
The newest Chinese company to enter the unicorn club is Luckin Coffee that recently raised a USD 200 Mn series A funding. The startup is counting on the growing taste for coffee among the mostly tea-drinkers in the world’s most populous nation.
Japanese startup Paidy has picked up a massive USD 55 Mn series C led by Japanese conglomerate Itochu, with the participation of Goldman Sachs.
EUROPE
France’s AI-powered image editing startup Meero raises USD 45 M Series B funding round led by Alven and Idinvest.
Berlin-based e-health startup Medidate has acquired its rival, the Medical One clinic group, in a deal funded by the VC firm Earlybird, MediDate’s largest investor.
Doctolib, a startup that schedules medical appointments, it is acquiring another French company which does exactly that — MonDocteur.
Germany’s fashion e-commerce company Lesara just touched the total USD 100 Mn funding mark with the recent USD 34 Mn in the funding round that came from 3L Capital
BIMobject, a Swedish building digitisation company has mopped up USD 27 Mn from EQT Ventures. The gathers information about building products for all parties to access and analyse.
USA
Real estate tech startup and WeWork competitor Convene, has announced a USD 152 Mn series D this week in a round led by ArrowMark Partners.
Toast, a restaurant management platform has raised USD 115 Mn in a Series D funding round led by T. Rowe Price Associates with participation from Tiger Global Management and existing investors at a valuation of USD 1.4 Bn.
Enterprise recruitment suite Greenhouse has nabbed USD 50 Mn in a series D investment made by Riverwood Capital, bringing its total funding to USD 110 Mn.
Miami based facial recognition startup Kairos has gobbled up Ireland’s EmotionReader, a startup that uses algorithms to analyze facial expressions in videos. The deal size remains undisclosed.
Paulo Alto-based online insurance platform Next Insurance has picked up USD 83 Mn in a series B funding led by Redpoint Ventures, and the round was joined in by insurance giants like Munich Re and Nationwide Insurance, others.