North America

French photo startup Meero snaps up $230 mln: Reuters

French photo startup Meero has raised $230 million in funding, according to Reuters. The investors included Eurazeo. The funding reportedly puts Meero well above a $1 billion valuation, qualifying it as a unicorn.

CIX names Lightspeed POS its 2019 innovator of the year

CIX has named Lightspeed POS (TSX: LSPD) its 2019 “Innovator of the Year”. Founded in 2005 by CEO Dax Dasilva, Lightspeed is a Montréal-based retail and restaurant POS and e-commerce solution. It went public this year in Canada, raising $276 million at a valuation of $1.5 billion. Lightspeed raised more than $400 million from venture capital firms. Going into the public launch, it was backed by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Inovia Capital and others. Dasilva will accept the award and tell his story as the opening keynote speaker with Inovia's Chris Arsenault at CIX on October 16 in Toronto.

Great North Labs wraps up maiden fund at $23.7 mln

Great North Labs has closed its debut fund at $23.7 million. Great North Labs invests in tech startups based in the Upper Midwest.

SmartRent nets $32 mln Series B

Scottsdale, Arizona-based SmartRent, a smart home automation platform company for multifamily property managers and renters, has secured $32 million in Series B funding. Bain Capital Ventures led the round.

Canopy Rivers invests $10 mln in plant science company ZeaKal

Canopy Rivers has invested US$10 million in ZeaKal, a San Diego, California-based plant science company. The deal gives Canopy, the venture capital arm of Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth Corp, 8.7 percent of ZeaKal and an observer seat on its board. Founded in 2010, ZeaKal develops technology for sustainably increasing photosynthesis, improving plant yield and enhancing nutritional profiles for a variety of agricultural crops. Following Canopy's investment, the company will expand its commercial program, previously focused on row crops, to include cannabis and hemp.

Fortino backs Declaree

Fortino Capital Partners has made an investment in Declaree, a Dutch provider of expense management solutions. No financial terms were disclosed.

Text IQ fetches $12.6 mln Series A

Text IQ, a provider of AI solutions for identifying sensitive information, has secured $12.6 million in Series A funding. FirstMark Capital led the round with participation from Sierra Ventures.

Sendoso picks up funding

Sendoso, a sending platform, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding. The investor was Stage 2 Capital.

Vynca scores $10.3 mln Series B

Palo Alto, California-based Vynca, a provider of advance care planning solutions, has secured $10.3 million in Series B funding. The investors included First Trust Capital Partners, OCA Ventures, Spectrum Health Ventures, Generator Ventures and the Ziegler LinkAge Longevity Fund.

Invitae buys Singular Bio

Invitae Inc has acquired San Francisco-based Singular Bio, a developer of novel technology for single molecule analysis of DNA. No financial terms were disclosed. As a result of this transaction, Civilization Ventures is exiting Singular Bio.