Daily funding roundup - March 9, 2016

Catalyst DevWorks raised $11.5M; Omnes led investment in Intersec; Drive Spotter secured $750k

• Drive Spotter, a video analytics platform for commercial fleets, secured $750,000 in seed financing led by Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company with participation from Voss Distributing (an official Red Bull distributor for 150 counties across Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri). The investment is the largest yet for a Global Insurance Accelerator (GIA) portfolio company, as Drive Spotter was part of the accelerator’s 2015 cohort.
  
  
• WeWork, a platform for booking shared workspaces, secured a new funding round led by Legend Holdings and Hony Capital with participation from "existing shareholders and new partners,” according to a blog post from company CEO Adam Neumann. WSJ’s sources say the company’s new round gives the company a valuation of $16 billion, a 60 percent increase on the $10 billion valuation given to the company when it raised $434 billion last summer
  
  
• IndiaMART, which runs an online B2B platform for small and medium businesses connecting global buyers with suppliers under the brand Indiamart, raised an undisclosed amount in Series C funding led by Amadeus Capital. WestBridge Capital, Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund (managed by Quona Capital) in addition to existing investor Intel Capital, participated in the funding round.
  
  
• Chronicled, Inc., a San Francisco, CA-based hardware and software platform for authentication, tracking, and social engagement around collectible and vintage sneakers, raised $3.425 million in seed funding. The round was led by Mandra Capital, a Hong Kong-based venture capital firm, with participation from Colbeck and San Francisco based Pantera Capital, an investor in blockchain technology. The company intends to use the funds to build up its customer base, to implement an encrypted BLE tagging solution, and to expand its data and analytics capabilities.
  
  
• Selerity, a startup that monitors unstructured data and delivers personalised alerts to investors and traders, raised $4.2 million in a funding round led by Citi, which is also using the firm's algorithms to provide recommendations to clients through its Citi Velocity platform. Several existing Selerity Series B investors also participated in the round, including financial technology industry entrepreneurs and investors Roger Ehrenberg and Mark Faulkner.,
  
  
• NewCo, a San Francisco-based company that produces city-like festivals that acquaint attendees with local businesses, raised roughly $4.3 million in fresh funding, shows a new SEC filing that states the outfit has raised just north of $6 million to date. The new funding was led by earlier investor True Ventures, and included participation from other previous backers Obvious Ventures, Transmedia Capital, Bloomberg Beta, other early angel investors, and Battelle himself.
  
  
• French private equity firm Omnes Capital co-led a $10 million new financing round for Paris-based data analytics specialist Intersec. The round was co-led by software group Cisco Systems and backed by Harbert European Growth Capital and its banks, with participation also from Innovacom, Highland Capital Partners Europe and CMC-CIC Innovation.
  
  
• Catalyst DevWorks, a Baltimore MD-based provider of a platform that applies predictive analytics to assembling teams of software engineers, raised $11.5 million in financing. Backers included Salem Investment Partners. The company intends to use the funds to add marketing and sales capabilities, hire technologists and continue to evolve its Platform for both internal use and licensing to clients.
  
  
• Indochino, a Vancouver-based online made-to-measure menswear company, raised “up to” $30 million in strategic financing from Dayang Group, a China-based clothing manufacturer. Founded in 2007, Indochino covers suits, shirts, accessories, and more, and aims to marry style and affordability by incorporating customization into the core process. Before today, Indochino had raised a little more than $17 million, the bulk of which came in a $13 million deal two years ago.
  
  
• Ifix, a Malaysia-based streaming service, announced a $45 million investment from British satellite TV operator Sky, along with a separate investment from Indonesian media firm Emtek for an undisclosed amount. Iflix had previously raised $30 million in a round that included local investment firm Catcha Group and Evolution Media Capital.
  
  
• Aprea AB, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel anticancer therapies targeting the tumor suppressor protein p53, completed a Series B financing round, raising EUR 46 million (approximately $51 million). The international syndicate was co-led by Versant Ventures and 5AM Ventures, with participation by Sectoral Asset Management. HealthCap acted as the local lead investor.

VC's Raising Funds

• Lightspeed Venture Partners raised $1.2 billion across two funds, the firm has revealed. The first is the firm's eleventh fund, called Lightspeed Venture Partners XI, which closed at $715 million. Its previous fund was Lightspeed X, a $635 million fund. The second is called Lights-peed Venture Partners Select II, and it closed at $500 million. 

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: naviganancial.com