North America

Female-led tech startup Momni inks more than $1.75 mln

Momni Inc, a female-led tech startup, has raised more than $1.75 million in funding. Tamarak Capital led the round.

Cycle Capital names two as partner and another as VP

Cycle Capital Management has made several new appointments. Pascal Drouin will become partner; Natalya Novikov has been named chief financial officer and partner; and Catherine Bérubé is now vice president, sustainability, investor relations and public affairs. CCM is a cleantech venture capital firm.

Sea Machines raises $10 mln led by Accomplice

Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics, which develops autonomous control technology for marine vessels, announced that it has raised $10 million in Series A funding. Accomplice VC led the round, with participation from Toyota AI Ventures, Brunswick Corp, through its investment partner TechNexus Venture Collaborative, Eniac Ventures, NextGen VP and others. Sea Machines, founded in 2014, has now raised $12.5 million in funding.

The Mom Project fetches $8 mln Series A

The Mom Project, a career destination for moms, has secured $8 million in Series A funding. Grotech Ventures and Initialized Capital led the round with participation from other investors that included Aspect Ventures, Atlanta Seed Company, Engage Ventures, OCA Ventures, BBG Ventures, IrishAngels and Wintrust Financial.

TicketGuardian scores $8 mln Series A

TicketGuardian, an insurtech company focused on the live events space, has secured $8 million in Series A funding. American Family Ventures and IA Capital Group led the round.

CPPIB joins first close of Northleaf Venture Catalyst Fund II

Northleaf Capital Partners has initially closed Northleaf Venture Catalyst Fund II (NVCF II), a fund of funds earmarked for investments in Canadian venture capital funds and technology companies. The amount raised was not disclosed. The Globe and Mail reported NVCF II secured half of its C$300-million target. NVCF II was launched with the help of the C$400-million Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative. It was also backed by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, a longtime Northleaf partner. Other investors included Sun Life Financial and TD Bank Group. Ottawa announced in June that VCCI would commit capital to five fund-of-funds managers, including Northleaf, a Toronto-based private-markets investor. NVCF I closed at its C$300-million hard cap in 2015.

CI Financial to acquire majority of VC-backed WealthBar

CI Financial Corp (TSX: CIX) has agreed to acquire a majority stake in WealthBar Financial Services Inc, a Vancouver-based online wealth management and financial planning platform. No financials terms were released for the deal, which is expected to close in January. CI Financial, a Toronto-based asset manager and wealth management advisor, said the transaction will help accelerate its digital strategy. WealthBar will continue to operate as a stand-alone business led by CEO Tea Nicola. Two years ago, WealthBar secured $5.5 million in a financing led by Nicola Wealth Management.

India learning app BYJU racks up $540 mln

India-based BYJU, a K-12 learning app, has secured $540 million in funding. The lead investors were Naspers and Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board. To date, BYJU's investor base includes General Atlantic, Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, Tencent, Sequoia Capital, Sofina, Verlinvest, IFC, Aarin Capital, Times Internet and Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Matrix Partners China raises an additional $77.9 mln

Matrix Partners China has raised more capital for its Chinese investing, according to a filing with the SEC.

Sapphire Ventures raises $115 mln for sports tech fund

Sapphire Ventures has raised a $115 million sports tech fund called Sapphire Sport, according to a regulatory filing. The fund was launched last year with an initial $100 million target, and the firm raised the commitments from 29 investors. Partners listed on the fund tinclude Sapphire Managing Directors Nino Marakovic, Jai Das, David Hartwig, Doug Higgins and Andreas Weiskam.