Daily funding roundup - March 4, 2016

Snapchat bagged $175M funding; Oro received investment from Highland Europe; Wrap Media landed $4M

• Snapchat raised another $175 million in venture funding. The funding came from Fidelity Investments, and it gives Snapchat a total of $1.34 billion raised in total venture funding. This is the first funding that Snapchat has raised since taking $537 million last year. Back then it was valued at $16 billion, and now it's valued at... $16 billion.
  
  
• Chennai based Aahaa raised $1 million in pre-Series A round led by YourNest Angel fund and other investors. Aahaa is an online platform for sourcing consumables for businesses. The fresh infusion of funds will fuel aahaa’s market expansion, help enhance its technology and infrastructure and attract talent. The platform was launched in 2013 and helps its clients to consolidate their orders and provide end-to-end fulfillment.
  
  
• Mobile and web job search app developer WorkHere closed a $1.7 million seed investment. The company plans to use the funds to improve the WorkHere mobile app and expand market share in Indiana. WorkHere’s seed round was led by Indianapolis based VisionTech Angels with participation by other angel investors located all over the United States.
  
  
• ICX Media raised $2.5 million in its seed financing round. The company is utilizing the initial investment to build a content distribution and data platform for independent video creators, brands and media companies. ICX Media is currently in private beta with numerous amateur and professional independent content creators.
  
  
• Phenom People, a talent relationship marketing company based in Philadelphia, raised an additional $2.7 million in Series A funding, bringing total funding for the round to $7.6 million. Sigma Prime Ventures joined the round. In conjunction with the investment, John Simon, Sigma Prime managing director, will join the Phenom People’s group of senior advisors.
  
  
• Wrap Media, LLC, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of a mobile-first, interactive storytelling and commerce platform, raised $4 million in funding. Dream Incubator made this investment, which is in addition to the $12.7 million Series B round announced in September 2015. The company, which has raised a total of $25.2m to date, will use the funds to grow throughout Japan and other Asian markets.
  
  
• LTG Exam Platform (LTG), developer of mobile apps for standardized test preparation, secured a Series A round of venture capital investment, totaling $5.325 million. The round is led by Square Peg Capital, joined by Atlas Venture and strategic individual investors Jamie McCourt, Edward and Mitch Roberts, Margot Lebenberg Carter of Living Mountain Capital, Brian Shin, and Eric Dobkin, among others.
  
  
• LightSail, a NYC-based edtech company focused on K-12, raised $11 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Scott Cook (the co-founder of Intuit) and his wife, Signe Ostby, via their foundation, the Valhalla Charitable Trust, with participation form the Bezos Family Foundation as well as new and existing investors. The company, which has raised more than $23 million to date, intends to use the funds to hire edtech talent and expand adoption of the product via increased sales and marketing efforts.
  
  
• Oro, a Los Angeles, CA-based global provider of open-source business platforms focusing on CRM and B2B e-Commerce, raised $12 million in funding. Highland Europe made the investment. In conjunction with the funding, Tony Zappala, a Partner at Highland Europe, will join Oro’s Board of Directors, The company intends to use the funds to accelerate the development of its flagship products and to further drive international expansion in sales, marketing and partner development.

VC's Raising Funds

• Cisco committed €5 million (approximately $5.51 million) to Invitalia Ventures Sgr, an Italian Government led vc firm investing in the Italian startup ecosystem. The investment is part of the recently anticipated country plan under which the networking giant will invest €100 million in Italy in the next three years. Led by CEO Salvo Mizzi, Invitalia Ventures has set up a €50 million co-investment fund, called Italia Venture I, which co-invests in tech/digital startups along with private players.

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: ambler.com