Mark Boslet
Pug Pharm Productions Inc. said it raised $1 million in a Series A round led by Goal Holdings. The company is developing gamification technology.
Not surprisingly, Stanford University alumni are the most likely to attract venture funding for their startups. But Harvard University and New York University are seeing fast growth in deal making.
Helpshift said it raised a $3.2 million round of seed funding led by True Ventures and Nexus Venture Partners. The company is developing a customer support service for mobile apps.
Russian entrepreneurialism appears on the rise, yet the quality of young companies is uneven. New laws promise a better market-oriented legal framework. Yet they may need another five years to mature. Russia is a land of contrasts. This was my takeaway from last week’s Russian Innovation Week, held in Silicon Valley.
The Fancy's parent company, Thing Daemon, has raised another $26.38 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The site, a fashion focused Pinterest competitor, had previously raised $10 million. American Express Vice Chairman Edward Gilligan is now listed as a Thing Daemon board member, the filing says.
In a VCJ analysis of select funds, 61% of 2001-era funds have positive IRRs
Datahug said it raised $3.2 million in a Series A financing from DFJ Esprit. The new money will enable the Dublin company to expand in the US and elsewhere, and build its customer base across industry sectors.
WalkMe said it raised $5.5 million in a round was led by Gemini Israel Ventures and joined by Mangrove Capital Partners and Giza Venture Capital. Mangrove Capital Partners provided a first round of funding to the company in April. WalkMe, which is developing an online guidance system, will use the money to expand sales, marketing and product development.
BrightSource Energy said it raised more than $80 million of additional equity financing, brings its total equity financing to more than $615 million. Alstom and VantagePoint Capital Partners lead the round with DFJ, CalSTRS, DBL Investors, Goldman Sachs, Chevron Technology Ventures and BP Ventures and others joining.
Lerer Ventures said it has raised a $36 million third fund to continue making seed investments in New York and Silicon Valley. The new fund is a noticeable step up from the firm’s $25 million second fund from 2011 and will enable Lerer to take larger positions in portfolio companies.