Eamon Murphy
Osmo, maker of augmented reality iPad games for children, has raised $24 million in funding with the aim of helping to build the next big thing in children’s entertainment. The Palo Alto, California-based company raised the latest funding from Mattel, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Collab+Sesame, the early-stage venture firm formed by Collaborative Fund and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit […]
Early-stage investor Slow Ventures has raised $145 million for its third fund, hitting the target, according to a regulatory filing. Founded by ex-Facebook employees Kevin Colleran and Dave Morin, Slow targets companies seeking seed-stage funding, and also makes angel investments. More than half of Slow Ventures III is reserved for follow-on investments, the firm said […]
Bain Capital is raising money for Bain Capital Life Sciences Fund LP, a regulatory filing shows. The document does not say how much the fund is targeting. According to a website created for the business, baincapitallifesciences.com, “several long-term trends in healthcare … are creating an increased need for targeted capital and value-added strategic support of companies […]
Prynt, a San Francisco-based startup mixing augmented reality (AR) with physical photography, announced a $7 million Series A round of funding, as well as strategic partnerships with retailers Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Urban Outfitters to sell its product. The round was led by U.S.- and China-focused venture firm GGV Capital. Greycroft Partners, 500 Startups, WI Harper, […]
Fundraising (value up 19.5%) Fundraising for U.S.-based venture firms rose modestly, amounting to $2.5 billion in October, compared with $2.1 billion in September for a 19.5 percent gain. Greylock Partners led the way in October by pooling $1 billion for its 15th flagship fund. Third Rock Ventures followed with $616 million raised for Third Rock Ventures IV. Deals (value […]
There was news on the fundraising front at two healthcare-focused venture firms last week. Versant Ventures is targeting $350 million for its sixth fund, according to a regulatory filing. The firm closed its fifth fund in 2015 at $305 million. With $1.9 billion under management, Versant invests in companies across the healthcare sector, at all stages of development. […]
“The second fund was remarkably easier than the first,” Chris Olsen said, reflecting on Drive Capital’s recent $300 million close. “When we were doing our first fundraise, it was two guys with a PowerPoint presentation, with an idea and a bunch of research.” Those guys were Olsen and Mark Kvamme, former partners at Sequoia Capital, […]
ObEN Inc, a developer of 3D virtual reality avatars, raised $7.7 million in a Series A round led by CrestValue Capital, the investment arm of China’s DunAm Group. Other Chinese investors in the round were Cybernaut Westlake Partners, the U.S. fund of Cybernaut Investment, and Leaguer Venture Investment Co, the venture fund of the Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen. Additional participants included Third […]
Veteran investor Alan Patricof bucked the National Venture Capital Association at an event the group co-sponsored, opposing taxation of carried interest at the capital-gains rate. A conversation between Patricof, 81, and NVCA President Bobby Franklin was the keynote interview of SHIFT NYC, an Oct. 28 conference focused on “bridging the gap” between corporate VC and venture partnerships. After a few introductory questions, Franklin […]
SJF Ventures has raised about $68.2 million for SJF Ventures IV, according to a regulatory filing. The fund is targeting $125 million. A separate filing for SJF Ventures IVA lists about $6.2 million raised toward the same goal. Based in Durham, North Carolina, SJF Ventures focuses on cleantech, Web services, business services and consumer health […]