North America

Customer feedback platform AskNicely gathers $10 mln Series B

Portland, Oregon and New Zealand-based AskNicely, a customer feedback platform, has raised $10 million in Series A funding. Nexus Venture Partners led the round with participation from return backers Blackbird Ventures and K1W1. In addition to the funding, Abhishek Sharma of Nexus Venture Partners will join the AskNicely board.

Shasta Ventures leads Series A round for AppSheet

Seattle-based AppSheet, a no-code application platform, has secured $15 million in Series A funding. Shasta Ventures led the round with participation from previous backer New Enterprise Associates.

AR startup Magic Leap racks up $280 mln

Florida-based Magic Leap, an augmented reality startup, has secured $280 million in funding. The backer was NTT DOCOMO Inc.

NFX targets $275 mln for sophomore fund

NFX is seeking to raise $275 million for its second fund, according to an SEC filing. The San Francisco-based venture firm makes seed and Series A investments.

Blockchain art platform MakersPlace snags $2 mln seed

MakersPlace, a blockchain art platform, has raised $2 million in seed funding, according to a Medium blog post. Uncork Capital led the round with participation from other investors that included Draper Dragon Fund and Abstract Ventures.

Sirnaomics nabs $47 mln

Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Sirnaomics Inc, a biopharmaceutical company focused on RNAi therapeutics against cancer and fibrotic diseases, has raised $47 million in funding. The investors included CR-CP Life Sciences Fund, Rich Yield Capital, Rolling Boulder Investment and Legend Sky Investment.

NAVAN procures seed funding

South San Francisco-based NAVAN Technologies Inc, a biotechnology company, has secured an undisclosed amount of seed funding. The investors included Amgen Ventures, High-Tech Gründerfonds and Hemi Ventures.

Chicago nail salon Ezza Nails pulls in $1.5 mln seed

Ezza Nails, a Chicago-based nail salon, has raised $1.5 million in seed funding. The company's investors include Linnea Roberts of GingerBread Capital.

NACO appoints Hurt Capital's Claudio Rojas as new CEO

The National Angel Capital Organization (NACO) has appointed Claudio Rojas as its new CEO. Rojas has more than 14 years of experience in finance, law and business and has worked with several organizations active in Canada's innovation ecosystem. He is currently managing director of Hurt Capital, a founder-focused investment and venture capital platform. Rojas replaces Yuri Navarro, who stepped down as NACO's CEO earlier this year. Rojas replaces Yuri Navarro, NACO's CEO since 2012. Toronto-based NACO represents more than 40 networks consisting of over 3,000 angel investors across Canada.

Symic Bio grabs $11 mln

Emeryville, California-based Symic Bio, a biopharmaceutical company, has raised $11 million. Cell Innovation Partners led the round.