Innovation

KoBold Metals: AI-Based Mining Company Raises $537 Million (Series C) At $2.96 Billion Valuation

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2025

AI-based mining company KoBold Metals announced it raised $537 million in Series C funding at a $2.96 billion valuation. The lead investors in this round were Durable Capital Partners LP and T. Rowe Price. There was also participation by Andreessen Horowitz Growth, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Mitsubishi, StepStone Group, and WCM Investment Management.

Alibaba Selling Sun Art Stake To DCP In About A $1.6 Billion Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2025

Alibaba Group announced it is selling its brick-and-mortar retail company Sun Art Retail Group Ltd. shares to private equity firm DCP Capital for up to HK$12.3 billion ($1.6 billion). Alibaba held over a 70% stake in Sun Art and paid about $3.6 billion for the stake in 2020.

Rembrand: In-Scene Media And Virtual Product Placement Raises $23 Million (Series A)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2025

Rembrand, a leading innovator in In-Scene Media and Virtual Product Placement technology, announced it raised $23 million in Series A funding to expand and drive the company's already rapid growth. The funding round was led by super{set}. It included participation from The Trade Desk and Naver D2SF plus existing investors such as BOLD, the corporate venture capital fund of L'Oréal, Greycroft, and others.

HUTCHMED Sells $608 Million Stake In SHPL

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 3, 2025

HUTCHMED, a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that it is divesting a 45% equity interest stake in Shanghai Hutchison Pharmaceuticals Limited (SHPL) for about $608 million (RMB 4,478 million) in cash to GP Health Service Capital Co. and Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding.

SJSemi: $700 Million In New Financing Closed

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 1, 2025

SJ Semiconductor Corporation (SJSemi) announced the closure of a new financing round of $700 million. The investors include Wuxi Chanfa Science and Technology Innovation Fund, Jiangyin Binjiang Chengyuan Investment Group, Fortera Capital, Shanghai International Group, Lingang Xinxin Fund of Shanghai Lingang Special Area Administration and Lingang Shuke Fund of Lingang Group, together with Social Security Fund Zhongguancun Independent Innovation Fund, China Life Private Equity Investment Limited, Golden Link, etc.

Accel Raises $650 Million For Eighth India Fund, Says Reports

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 1, 2025

Accel announced it has secured $650 million for its eighth India-focused fund, according to several reports. This brings Accel’s total commitments for India-focused companies to nearly $3 billion. Accel India has been an early-stage investor in successful companies such as Blackbuck, Bluestone, Flipkart, Freshworks, and Swiggy.

Hamershlag Private Capital: $150.15 Million Venture Structured Investment In Patho Care

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 1, 2025

Leading health technology investment firm Hamershlag Private Capital Management Limited (HPCM) has announced a significant venture investment in Patho Care, a leader in the "lab on a chip" non-invasive point-of-care diagnostic tests. Patho Care's Raman spectroscopy-based testing platform is supported by 17 patents.

Casago Acquiring Vacasa In $128.6 Million Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 1, 2025

Casago (a vacation rental property management company) and Vacasa (a leading vacation rental management platform in North America) announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Casago and Vacasa will combine in a transaction in which Casago will buy all outstanding shares of the company held by public stockholders for $5.02 per share, subject to adjustment as outlined in the merger agreement.

Tractor Supply Closes Allivet Acquisition

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 1, 2025

Tractor Supply Company announced that it has completed its acquisition of Allivet, a privately-held online pet pharmacy. The plans to buy Allivet were previously revealed on October 24, 2024.

Employer.com To Buy Bench Accounting

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 1, 2025

Employer.com - a leader in workforce management and business support solutions - announced the acquisition of Bench Accounting, a premier provider of bookkeeping services and financial solutions for small businesses. And this acquisition reflects Employer.com’s commitment in expanding its portfolio of services and enhancing the value delivered to small businesses.

Samsung Invests Over $180 Million To Become Largest Rainbow Robotics Shareholder

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 31, 2024

Samsung Electronics announced that it will become the largest shareholder in Rainbow Robotics and accelerate future robot development like humanoid robots. Samsung first acquired a 14.7% stake in the Korean firm in 2023 with an investment of KRW 86.8 billion and has exercised a call option to increase its stake to 35%. Rainbow Robotics will be incorporated as a subsidiary under Samsung Electronics’ consolidated financial statements. To increase the stake in Rainbow, it appears that Samsung spent over 267 billion won (over $180 million), as revealed in a regulatory filing.

World Wide Technology Buying Softchoice For C$1.8 Billion

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 31, 2024

Softchoice and World Wide Technology, a global technology solutions and services provider, announced that they have entered into an arrangement agreement for Softchoice to be acquired by WWT via an all-cash transaction, which values Softchoice at an enterprise value of approximately C$1.8 billion. The shareholders, including each of the directors and senior officers of Softchoice representing about 51.3% of Softchoice’s issued and outstanding common shares, have entered into voting support agreements under which such shareholders have agreed to support and to vote all shares held by them in favor of the deal.

PrivacyEngine: Interview With Co-Founder & CEO Dr. John Ghent About The Data Protection Company

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 31, 2024

PrivacyEngine is a market leader in data protection and privacy management software and solutions, helping businesses and organizations comply with privacy regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA with an unrivaled combination of technology, expertise, and experience. Pulse 2.0 interviewed PrivacyEngine co-founder and CEO Dr. John Ghent to learn more about the company.

Immedica To Buy Marinus Pharmaceuticals In $151 Million Deal

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 30, 2024

Immedica Pharma, a leading global rare disease company, and Marinus Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company committed to improving the lives of patients with seizure disorders, announced today that they have entered into an agreement and plan of merger under which Immedica has agreed to acquire Marinus, using a tender offer and subsequent merger.

Commure To Buy Digital Care Company Memora Health

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 30, 2024

Commure, a leading healthcare technology company, announced the acquisition of Memora Health, a digital care navigation platform. Memora will strengthen Commure's existing AI-based portfolio of patient engagement, clinical documentation, revenue cycle management, and RTLS solutions.

Zebra Technologies To Buy Robotic Vision Company Photoneo

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 30, 2024

Zebra Technologies - a leading digital solution provider enabling businesses to connect data, assets, and people intelligently - announced today it plans to acquire Photoneo, a leading developer and manufacturer of 3D machine vision solutions. The 3D segment of the Machine Vision market is the fastest growing, and this acquisition will further accelerate Zebra’s presence in the category.

Qolab: Superconducting Quantum Computing Company Raises $16 Million (Series A)

By Amit Chowdhry ● Dec 30, 2024

Qolab - a leader in superconducting quantum computing - announced today that it secured over $16 million to date in its Series A financing round, led by Octave Ventures with co-investment from the Development Bank of Japan Inc. (DBJ), Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), and Phoenix Venture Partners.