Canada

Temasek, Tencent among backers of Real Ventures IV’s $180 mln close

Real Ventures has raised $180 million for its fourth early-stage fund with the help of an expanded LP base, including two powerhouse Asian investors won over by the firm’s artificial-intelligence strategy. The Montréal venture firm this week announced the close of Real Ventures IV at its hard cap. It is backed by more than 60 LPs, among them new LPs Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Boston-based HarbourVest, Singapore sovereign-wealth fund Temasek and Chinese tech giant Tencent. They join returning LPs Teralys Capital, BDC Capital and Investissement Québec.

Meal-kit company Chefs Plate raises $10 mln Series C round

Toronto meal-kit delivery company Chefs Plate has secured $10 million in a Series C financing. The round was backed by Acton Capital, Emil Capital and InvestEco Capital, which invested in last year's Series B financing, as well as Comerica Bank. Founded in 2014, Chefs Plate is now delivering 450,000 meals per month, up 300 percent from Q3 2016, and operating in all regions of Canada. Led by CEO Jamie Shea, one of its co-founders, the company will use the funds raised to invest in technology, recruitment, automation of its fulfillment centres, and support of its supply chain of farmers and artisans. Chefs Plate is also backed by BrandProject.

Enghouse buys German affiliate of VC-backed XConnect

Enghouse Systems Ltd (TSX: ENGH) has bought XConnect GmbH, a German provider of carrier change processes and number portability services to telecommunications companies. No financial terms were released. The business was sold by XConnect Global Networks Ltd, a London, U.K.-based provider of voice, messaging and number information services. Enghouse, a Markham, Ontario-based enterprise software solutions company, said the deal establishes its Enghouse Networks division in Germany. Venture-backed XConnect closed its most recent round in 2013 with Young Associates and Crescent Group.

Norway's Hydro invests in venture-backed Corvus Energy

Corvus Energy Inc has closed an investment with Norsk Hydro ASA, an Oslo, Norway-based aluminum supplier. Hydro acquired 25.9 percent of the company's shares for an undisclosed sum. As a result, it joined other Corvus investors, including BW Group, Statoil Technology Invest, the venture capital arm of Norwegian energy company Statoil ASA, and affiliates of El Cuervo Holdings LP. Founded in 2009, Richmond, British Columbia's Corvus is a provider of energy storage in the form of modular lithium ion battery systems. It said the deal will help scale the company's operations and accelerate market penetration.

Dejero wins $32 mln in funding from Kayne Partners, Intelsat

Waterloo connectivity technology company Dejero Labs Inc has secured a $32 million investment from U.S. growth equity firm Kayne Partners and European satellite communications services provider Intelsat SA. As part of the deal, Kayne's Leon Chen and Rob Shilton and Intelsat's Michael DeMarco will join the board. Dejero blends internet connections to deliver connectivity needed for cloud computing, online collaboration, and the secure exchange of video and data. Led by CEO Bruce Anderson, the company will use the funds raised to take its solutions into new markets. In February, Dejero raised $14 million in growth funding from Wellington Financial.

Quantum software builder 1QBit raises $45 mln in Series B

Quantum software company 1QB Information Technologies Inc has raised $45 million in a Series B financing comprised of equity and revenue contracts. Japan's Fujitsu Ltd led the round. It was joined by Accenture, Allianz, Royal Bank of Scotland and CME Ventures. Founded in 2012 by CEO Andrew Fursman, President Landon Downs, and Head of Research Phil Goddard, Vancouver-based 1QB said it will use the funds raised to continue building its hardware-agnostic software platform and services. The company's technology is used to enable the development of applications which scale alongside advances in classical and quantum computers.

Interest analytics platform Affinio closes $11.4 mln Series B

Affinio Inc, a Halifax-based interest analytics platform, has secured about $11.4 million (US$9 million) in a Series B financing, according to a report by AdExchanger. The round follows the company's $4 million Series A financing two years ago. That deal was led by Whitecap Venture Partners and joined by Build Ventures, Affinio’s seed investor, as well as Social Starts, BRaVe Ventures and several angel backers. The Series B round saw Round13 Capital come on board as a new investor, the report said. Affinio was founded in 2013 by CEO Tim Burke, CTO Stephen Hankinson, Vice-President of Engineering Phil Renaud, and Chief of Staff Ardi Iranmanesh. Its technology helps marketers better connect with customers by using rich interest and affinity data.

Smooth Commerce nabs $2 mln to grow retail tech platform

Smooth Commerce, formerly known as SmoothPay, has closed a $2 million financing. The round was backed by new and existing investors, including Skunkworks Investment Corp, which committed $500,000. Founded in 2013, Toronto-based Smooth Commerce provides a platform for retailers to engage with customers through mobile payment, order ahead, loyalty rewards, and offers and promotions. It also provides merchants with insights into customer behaviours. Led by CEO Brian Deck, Smooth Commerce will use the funds raised to enhance its product, complete technology integrations, build its team, and execute on opportunities.

Kalgene’s Series A marks start of Lumira Capital’s next chapter

This year has been eventful for Lumira Capital. The Toronto life-sciences investor held a first close for Fund IV, completed the fund’s debut deals, tied up investing by prior funds, and took a portfolio star public. One milestone was met in this week's announcement of the Series A financing of Kalgene Pharmaceuticals, a developer of treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. Lumira led the undisclosed round and was joined by Anges Québec, Anges Québec Capital, Accel-Rx and family offices. Kalgene is the final deal of Merck Lumira Biosciences Fund, an early-stage vehicle managed by Lumira, which together with the later-stage Lumira Capital II raised $167 million over 2012-2013. With both funds now fully invested, Lumira is positioned to bring Lumira Capital IV to a final close in 2018 and back a new series of North American biotech financings.

Venture-backed Immunio acquired by Japan's Trend Micro

Trend Micro Inc has acquired Immunio, a Canadian provider of real-time security protection for web applications. No financial terms were released. Trend Micro, a Japanese cybersecurity business, said the deal allows it to expand its hybrid cloud security solution for the development and operations (DevOps) lifecyle. Based in Montréal, Immunio was founded in 2013 by CEO Zaid Al Hamami and CTO Mike Milner. It was seeded in 2015 in a round backed by Bloomberg Beta, Hoxton Ventures and Real Ventures, and last year raised $5 million of Series A financing led by White Star Capital.