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M&A and deal activity jump as fundraising rebounds in December

Disclosed M&A deal grows 121% month-over-month

ElectNext Inks $1.3M

ElectNext has raised $1.3 million from investors including Brooklyn Bridge Ventures. The company says it aims to provide contextual political data to media properties.

Earlybird Backs Auctionata

Earlybird Venture Capital has joined Bright Capital and Kite Ventures in backing online fine art and auction house Auctionata. The Berlin-based company has raised $20.2 million for expansion, recruiting and technology development.

Liquid Robotics Closes on $45M Series E

Liquid Robotics has raised $45 million in Series E financing, led by Riverwood Capital. Liquid Robotics is a maker of autonomous ocean robots and ocean data services. The funding will go toward development. VantagePoint Capital Partners, an existing investor, also participated.

Armor5 Launches with $2M in Seed Funding

Citrix Startup Accelerator, Nexus Venture Partners and Trinity Ventures have contributed $2 million in seed financing for security technology startup Armor5. The company is based in Santa Clara, Calif.

True Office Inks $3M Series A

True Office, a company that gamifies regulatory and compliance training, has raised $3 million in Series A financing from investors including Rho Ventures, the Partnership for New York City Fund and Contour Venture Partners.

Data Point Capital, Longworth Lead Round for Kitsy Lane

Kitsy Lane, maker of a platform for launching online jewelry and accessories businesses, has raised $3.5 million in Series A financing. Data Point Capital and Longworth Venture Partners led the round. Existing investor Point Judith Capital contributed. Data Point Capital's Scott Savitz joins the company’s board.

Roam & Wander Inks Series A

Roam & Wander Ltd., a children's entertainment studio based in Hong Kong and Taipei, inked an undisclosed amount of Series A financing from venture firms WI Harper and TMI. Roam & Wander is focused on connecting software, devices and toys for kids ages 2 to 6.

Unitus Seed Fund Inks $8M For Seed Fund

Unitus Seed Fund has raised $8 million in commitments for its seed-stage venture fund focused on startups serving low-income consumers in India. Founding investors include Mike Murray, co-founder Unitus Labs; Vinod Khosla; 500 Startups, and Bob Gay.