North America

Hologic to buy VC-backed Focal Therapeutics for $125 mln

Hologic has agreed to acquire Sunnyvale, California-based Focal Therapeutics, a medical device company, for $125 million. Focal Therapeutics was backed by Okapi Venture Capital and Emergent Medical Partners, according to Crunchbase.

Blok.Party nabs $10 mln

San Francisco-based Blok.Party, creator of PlayTable, a blockchain-based video game console, has raised $10 million in funding. The investor was JRR Capital.

Redpoint Ventures leads Series B round for Gremlin

San Jose, California-based Gremlin, a failure-as-a-service platform created by engineers formerly at Amazon and Netflix, has secured $18 Million in Series B funding. Redpoint Ventures led the round.

Project44 racks up $45 mln

Chicago-based Project44, an advanced visibility platform for shippers and third-party logistics firms, has secured $45 million in funding. Sapphire Ventures led the round. In conjunction with the funding, Kevin Diestel, a partner at Sapphire Ventures, will join Project44's board of directors.

Town Hall Ventures collects $115 mln for fund

Town Hall Ventures has raised $115 million for its new fund, according to an SEC filing. Based in New York City, the firm invests in healthcare solutions for underserved communities.

Liferay takes controlling stake in VC-backed Triblio

Liferay Inc, a software creator, has acquired a controlling stake in Reston, Virginia-based Triblio, an account-based marketing platform. No financial terms were disclosed. Triblio's backers included Longworth Venture Partners and Kepha Partners.

Espresso Capital to provide venture debt funding to Thentia

Toronto-based Thentia, a provider of regulatory and compliance software, has agreed to secure venture debt funding from Espresso Capital. No financial terms were disclosed. WD Capital Markets Inc provided financial advice to Thentia on the deal.

VelosBio picks up $58 mln Series A

VelosBio, a biotech firm focused on oncology, has raised $58 million in Series A funding. Arix Bioscience plc and Sofinnova Ventures led the round with participation from other other investors that included Pappas Ventures, Chiesi Ventures, Takeda Ventures Inc and Decheng Capital. In conjunction with the funding, Mark Chin, Arix investment director, will join the VelosBio board of directors.

Modis Therapeutics lands $30 mln Series A

Oakland, California-based Modis Therapeutics, a developer of medicines for patients with rare genetic diseases, has raised $30 million in Series A funding. F-Prime Capital Partners and OrbiMed led the round.

FirePower to boost lending capacity in $100 mln JV with Arena

FirePower Capital has entered into a $100 million joint venture that will expand its debt-financing horizon, according to a news release. The Toronto firm said Friday it formed a JV with Arena Investors, a New York investor and merchant-capital provider. The partnership will enable FirePower to increase credit available to Canadian mid-market companies to a range of $1 million to $20 million. FirePower, which offers first-lien, unitranche, second-lien, mezzanine and venture loans through its Gap Debt fund, is especially active in Canadian technology sectors.