North America

Akero Therapeutics locks in $70 mln Series B

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Akero Therapeutics Inc, a biotechnology company focused on treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and other serious metabolic diseases, has raised $70 million in Series B funding. Janus Henderson Investors led the round with participation from Redmile Group, Boxer Capital of Tavistock Group, Cormorant Asset Management, BVF Partners, Rock Springs Capital, LifeSci Venture Partners, Apple Tree Partners, Atlas Venture, venBio Partners and Versant Ventures.

Greycroft leads Series B round for Happiest Baby

Los Angeles-based Happiest Baby Inc, a provider of parenting solutions, has secured $23 million in Series B funding. Greycroft Partners led the round with participation from Sallfort Bank and GV.

BlockFi snags $4 mln

New York-based BlockFi, a provider of loans to cryptoasset owners, has raised $4 million in convertible debt funding. The lead investor was Akuna Capital.

Optibus inks $40 mln Series B

Tel Aviv-based Optibus, a provider of software-as-a-service platform that modernizes mass transit for transportation operators, has raised $40 million in Series B financing. Insight Venture Partners led the round with participation from other investors that included Alibaba Group, Verizon Ventures, Pitango Venture Capital, New Era Capital and Sir Ronald Cohen.

InterVenn BioSciences lands $9.4 mln

Redwood City, California-based InterVenn BioSciences, a developer of an AI-driven mass spectrometry platform, has raised $9.4 million in funding. Genoa Ventures led the round with participation from True Ventures, Amplify Partners, Boost VC and Prado SV.

Intel Capital backs Movellus

San Jose, California and Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Movellus, which develops traditionally analog IPs, has secured an undisclosed amount of funding. The backer was Intel Capital.

4iQ grabs $18 mln Series B

Los Altos, California-based 4iQ, a provider of intelligence for identity theft protection vendors, has secured $18 million in Series B funding. C5 Capital led the round with participation from ForgePoint Capital, Adara Ventures and Benhamou Global Ventures. In addition to the funding, André Pienaar, a managing partner of C5 Capital, and Anik Bose, a general partner of BGV, will join the 4iQ's board of directors.

Ontario Teachers'-backed Stem acquires Constant Power

Stem Inc has acquired most of the assets of Constant Power Inc, a Toronto-based developer, integrator and operator of distributed energy resources with an energy storage-as-a-service solution. No financial terms were disclosed. Stem, a Millbrae, California-based artificial intelligence-enabled energy storage provider, said it has also appointed Brad Marks as country manager for Canada. The announcements come several months after the company secured $200 million from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. The investment by Ontario Teachers' was intended to support Stem's acquisition of Ontario energy storage projects and delivery of its systems.

BCF Ventures grows pool to $12 mln, backs six tech startups

BCF Ventures, a Montréal-based pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital firm, has increased the potential size of its fund to $12 million. Initially capitalized at $5 million by BCF Business Law partners, the fund raised additional commitments from family offices and accredited investors. Led by CEO and Partner Sergio Escobar, BCF and its co-investors provide financing to cloud and software-as-a-service companies leveraging artificial intelligence, big data, analytics and security, primarily in North America. To date, BCF has invested in six companies, including Canada's Bridgr, CareTeam and FleetOps.

Robotiq secures $31 mln in Battery Ventures-backed round

Robotiq, a Lévis, Québec-based provider of tools and software for the collaborative robotics market, has raised $31 million in a first institutional financing. The investor was U.S. venture capital firm Battery Ventures. Spun out of Laval University in 2008 by CEO Samuel Bouchard, Vincent Duchaine and CTO Jean-Philippe Jobin, Robotiq makes equipment that can handle manufacturing tasks previously done by human hands. Today, the company partners with more than 190 distributors in 48 countries and sells its products to customers in electronics, aerospace, automotive and other sectors. Robotiq will use the funds raised for product development, global growth and support of its partner ecosystem.