August 10, 2015
Daily funding roundup - August 10, 2015
Editas Medicine Inc secured $120M; Turing Pharmaceuticals bagged $90M; Vainglory raised $26M
- Editas Medicine Inc. raised $120 million from investors to support development of a technology that can precisely edit DNA and potentially treat fatal genetic diseases. The list of investors is pretty long. So long, in fact, that they formed a U.S.-based investment company, just to put money into Editas, called bng0. The new investor syndicate was led by Boris Nikolic, M.D., who is managing director of the company. Other investors included Deerfield Management, Viking Global Investors, Fidelity Management & Research Company, funds and accounts managed by T. Rowe Price Associates, Google Ventures, Jennison Associates on behalf of certain clients, Khosla Ventures, EcoR1 Capital, Casdin Capital, Omega Funds, Cowen Private Investments and Alexandria Venture Investments. Editas had previously raised $43 million in Series A venture capital financing led by Flagship Ventures, Polaris Partners and Third Rock Ventures with participation from Partners Innovation Fund. All of these investors participated in the new round as well.
- Vicis continues to raise cash for its high-tech football helmet. Less than two months after raising $1.6 million, the Seattle-based startup just reeled in another $1.5 million to help fuel development of its innovative helmet designed to mitigate the forces that are thought to cause concussions on the football field and in other contact sports. VICIS logoThe most recent funding came from Seattle-based W-Fund and the Washington Research Foundation, along with a 2014 NFL 1st round draft pick, an NFL coach, a Super Bowl MVP, and several neurosurgeons and spine surgeons. Vicis CEO Dave Marver wouldn’t reveal which former players and coaches were investing, but called them “high-profile.”
- Online marketplace for merchandise printing Inkmonk raised US$250,000 from LetsVenture. The startup is a part of Imprimatur Printing Services Pvt Ltd. It was founded by John Wesley and Surya Shankar in 2014. Inkmonk’s platform helps users print promotional productions such as button badges, mugs, stickers, and t-shirts.
- Former Israeli Air Force chief Eitan Ben Eliyahu has been named chairman of the Cronus board. The Israeli cyber security startup, Cronus Cyber Technologies raised $2.2 million from JANVEST Capital Partners LLC and other investors, in addition to the funding it had already received from the Office of the Chief Scientist as part of a program to promote investment in cyber startups.
- Proximity-based mobile payment startup ToneTag, snagged $1 million in funding from Reliance Capital’s venture fund arm. ToneTag will utilize the investment in hiring of technical, sales and marketing resources and also to market the product to users and onboard merchants
- Online advertising technology company C1X, raised $5.1 million in series A funding. The investment was led by University of Tokyo Edge Capital, with participation from Innovative Venture Fund (the joint fund of NEC and Sumitomo Mitsui Bank), Mobile Internet Capital, Japanese media company Mynavi, ad agencies and angel investors. The company has offices in Japan and India, with plans for continued growth in those countries, and across Southeast Asia.
- Indian mobile payment startup Ezetap, secured $23 million in series C funding from Horizons Ventures (the private investment arm for Li Ka-Shing), Capricorn Investment Group, and existing investors. Launched in 2013, Ezetap says it processes transactions worth US$1 million per day through 60,000 points of sale across India. It claims to be adding 500 new small retail merchants a week and will use the funds to increase its reach to 200,000 merchants in a year.
- Bounce Exchange, a startup that helps websites strategically advertise by analyzing user behavior, pulled in $6.45 million in new funding. 500Friends founder and angel investor Justin Yoshimura led the Series A-1 round, with participation from Contour Venture Partners, Primary Venture Partners, and New York Yankees’ All-Star Alex Rodriguez.
- Super Evil Megacorp, creator of hit touchscreen multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game Vainglory, bagged $26 million in funding. The funding is a big endorsement for Super Evil Megacorp’s plan to create hardcore esports games on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. The new round was led by Index Ventures, with support from Russian investor Yuri Milner, Jim Breyer of Breyer Capital, and Korea Investment Partners. Existing investors who also participated include Signia Venture Partners, General Catalyst, Raine Ventures, Initial Capital, and Cross Cut.
- Turing Pharmaceuticals, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing treatments for serious and life-threatening diseases, announced the completion of its Series A financing. The $90 million round was led by Martin Shkreli, Founder & Chief Executive Officer. One of the largest Series A rounds in biotech history, the financing included participation from multiple preeminent institutional equity investors and the simultaneous issuance of senior secured debt. The company intends to invest the proceeds from the Series A financing in acquisitions as well as advancing and accelerating its growing pipeline of novel drug candidates.
- Gurgaon-based GreyOrange Robotics Limited, raised fresh fundingworth $30 million in a Series-B round of funding led by TigerGlobal Management with participation from Blume Ventures. The fresh funds will be used to developnew products expand internationally into Asia Pacific, Middle East and Europe.
- Kensho, a US-based artificial intelligence (AI) technology developer that includes internet company Google among its investors, secured $47.8 million in Series B funding. Investors in the round have not been disclosed, and the filing only cites Chief Executive Daniel Nadler.
- Edaixi, an O2O (online-to-offline) laundry services mobile app developed by Beijing-based laundry brand Rong Chang, completed a new round of financing led by Baidu Inc. Existing investors Matrix Partners and SIG China also participated in the round, which reportedly raised US$100 million.
- London-based fintech company Prodigy Finance, secured more than $100 million in investment to boost development and adoption of its de facto crowdfunding platform, which basically helps students finance their international postgraduate studies by tapping investors directly. The fresh capital actually comes in the form of both equity funding ($12.5 million from Balderton Capital and some cash from Betfair co-founder Ed Wray) and credit - a further $87.5 million in loan capital was provided by financial services giant Crédit Suisse.
- Genstar Capital, a middle-market private equity firm that focuses on investments in targeted segments of the financial services, software, industrial technology, and healthcare industries, completed fundraising for Genstar Capital Partners VII with $2.0 billion of total limited partner committed capital, exceeding its initial target of $1.5 billion. The general partner will commit a meaningful amount of additional capital. Genstar now manages funds with total capital commitments of more than $5 billion.
If you are interested in being included in our funding roundup, submit your press release or blog post about your financing round to mitos@vator.tv.
Image source: dcinno.streetwise.co
Mitos Suson
I produce Vator Events and enjoy the challenge. I am learning and growing a lot, being involved with Vator and loving every moment of it!
All author postsRelated Companies, Investors, and Entrepreneurs
Contour Venture Partners
Angel group/VC
Joined Vator on
Contour Venture Partners is a New York based early stage venture capital firm. Contour invests in companies that provide innovative technology enhanced products and services into the financial services, digital media and internet sectors. Contour teams with passionate entrepreneurs and management teams to build great businesses that seek to ultimately transform their industries.
General Catalyst
Angel group/VC
Joined Vator on
There’s a simple premise behind the founding of General Catalyst (GC) in 2000: entrepreneurs are best served by those who've been in their shoes. In fact, all of GC’s managing directors are accomplished entrepreneurs in their own right. We’re familiar with the challenges you face. And we thrive on our ability to use our entrepreneurial experience to assist, guide, and nurture entrepreneurs on their journey.
As a venture capital firm focusing on Early Stage and XIR/Growth investments, we're thrilled to encounter and delight in helping exceptional entrepreneurs and innovative companies bring a new product to market or transform an industry. But it’s more than just writing a big check. We're tireless in our business-building and partnership development assistance.
Index Ventures
Angel group/VC
Joined Vator on
Many venture firms would be best described as a collection of free agents who pursue their own deals and share offices and overhead with their partners. They are more mercenary than missionary and will tell you to focus more on the individual partners and less on the partnership. We hope to have the opportunity to show you how we are different.
We are true partners who have built our own firm together, brick by brick; the same way you are building your company. When we commit to supporting your company, each and every partner in our firm commits to contributing his or her network, creativity and resources towards achieving your success. We are big believers in the power of teams.
We believe you will want an investor with whom you can build a close, supportive relationship over a number of years, yet who will be bold enough to challenge your thinking and your expectations. If Index looks like a good fit, we encourage you to learn about us through the stories and news articles on this website. We invite you to read about the companies we have invested in, and to speak to the entrepreneurs we have partnered with. Their experience is our best reference.
Crosscut Ventures
Angel group/VC
Joined Vator on
There are no shortcuts to building revolutionary companies, but our background, network and capital can help smooth the path.
We are looking for dedicated entrepreneurs who have the foresight and personal fortitude to take their ideas and make them happen. In a big way. Passion and conviction required, but also a grounded sense of the realities inherent in starting and building a world-class company. We like entrepreneurs who can cut against the grain.
Related News