North America

Panache Ventures raises C$58 mln for maiden fund

Panache Ventures, a seed-stage venture firm, has closed its debut fund at C$58 million, beating its initial $40 million target. The fund's investors include Alberta Enterprise Corporation, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Investissement Québec, National Bank of Canada, TELUS Ventures, BMO Bank of Montreal and BC Tech Fund, managed by Kensington Capital. In March 2018, Panache announced it had raised C$25 million in the first close of the fund. Panache has offices in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

European CBD products maker KannaSwiss picks up $5.5 mln

KannaSwiss, a provider of European CBD products, has secured $5.5 million in funding. The investor was Altitude Investment Management plc.

VC-backed Aprea Therapeutics sets IPO pricing terms

Boston and Stockholm-based Aprea Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel anticancer therapies targeting the p53 tumor suppressor protein, has priced its IPO of 5 million shares between $14 and $16 per share. Aprea is backed by Redmile Group, Rock Springs Capital, 5AM Ventures, Versant Ventures, HealthCap, Sectoral Asset Management and Karolinska Development AB.

Indonesian lender Julo grabs $10 mln

Julo, an Indonesian lender, has secured $10 million in funding. Quona Capital, a leading fintech venture firm whose funds are sponsored by Accion, led the round with participation from return backers Skystar, East Ventures, Provident, Gobi Partners and Convergence.

Curamir Therapeutics lands $10 mln Series A

Woburn, Massachusetts-based Curamir Therapeutics, a biotech firm, has secured $10 million in Series A funding. The investor was Delos Capital.

Cresco Capital leads $25 mln round for Future State Brands

Los Angeles-based Future State Brands, a cannabis-focused consumer goods and marketing company, has secured $25 million in funding. Cresco Capital led the round.

Longitude Venture Partners targets $550 mln for fourth fund

Longitude Venture Partners is seeking to raise $550 million for its fourth fund, according to an SEC filing. The California-based venture firm invests in biotech and medical tech companies.

Bold Penguin inks $32 mln Series B

Columbus, Ohio-based Bold Penguin, a commercial insurance technology provider, has raised $32 million in Series B funding. The investors included Hudson Structured Capital Management Ltd., Lightstone, Guggenheim Insurance and Lockton.

VR fitness company and community takes in $1.1 mln

San Francisco-based YUR, a virtual reality fitness company and community, has raised $1.1 million in funding. The Venture Reality Fund and BoostVC led the round.

UAVenture backs CarboShield and Medicarbone

UAVenture Capital has invested in CarboShield Inc, a developer of a way to strengthen thousands of aging steel, concrete and wood bridges. Also, the Tucson, Arizona-based venture firm has invested in Medicarbone Inc, the patent holder of a flexible carbon fiber fabric inserted inside and around a fractured bone. No financial terms were disclosed.