North America

Sequoia appears to have raised $94 mln S Capital fund for Israel

Sequoia Capital appears to have raised $94 million for an Israeli venture fund, S Capital, according to a filing with the SEC.

VTS publisher Serious Factory grabs funding

Serious Factory, a virtual training suite publisher, has secured 3 million euros in funding, according to a blog post on its site. The investors included Odyssée Venture and Paris Region Venture Fund managed by CapDecisif Management and Sibessor 2/Investessor. The capital infusion will be used for personnel expansion. Serious Factory has offices in France, Morocco, Israel and Montréal.

Criminal justice reform startup Promise lands $3 mln

Criminal justice reform startup Promise has raised $3 million in funding. First Round Capital led the round with participation from Jay-Z's Roc Nation LLC, Y Combinator, Kapor Capital, 8VC and Adelfos.

Game-based learning platform Kahoot attracts $17 mln

Kahoot, a game-based learning platform, has secured $17 million in funding, according to an announcement on its site. The lead investors were Datum Invest AS, Northzone, Creandum, Microsoft Ventures and Kahoot! Chairman Eilert Hanoa.

Digital micro-grocer Farmstead rakes in $2 mln

San Mateo, California-based Farmstead, an artificial intelligence-powered digital micro-grocer that delivers local food, has secured $2 million in funding. Resolute Ventures and Social Capital led the round with participation from SV Angel and Y Combinator.

Unity Biotechnology snags $55 mln Series C

Unity Biotechnology Inc, a developer of treatments that prevent, halt, or reverse numerous diseases of aging, has raised $55 million in Series C financing. The investors included EcoR1 Capital Fund, 6 Dimensions Capital, Altitude Life Science Ventures, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Partner Fund Management, Pivotal Alpha Limited, Invus Opportunities, ARCH Venture Partners, Venrock, Founders Fund and the Longevity Fund.

VC-backed Gritstone Oncology appoints EVP of technical operations

Emeryville, California-based Gritstone Oncology, a personalized cancer immunotherapy company, has named Dr. Jayant Aphale as executive vice president of technical operations. Previously, he was vice president of technical operations at Sarepta Therapeutics. Gritstone Oncology’s backers include Versant Ventures, The Column Group, Clarus Funds, Frazier Healthcare Partners, RedMile, Casdin Capital, Lilly Asia Ventures, Trinitas Capital, GV, Alexandria Venture Investments and Bay City Capital.

Skycision raises $1.1 mln to bring predictive analytics to farmers

Skycision, which provides a data platform that leverages drone and satellite imagery to help farmers manage crops, announced it has raised $1.1 million in seed-stage funding. The round was led by Innova Memphis, and other investors, including Dane Scurich, with Scurich Berry Farms and Pete Nelson with AgLaunch, a Memphis-based Accelerator. The company was founded in 2015 by CEO Brendan Carroll.

TwoXAR raises $10 mln from SoftBank Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, OS Fund

TwoXAR said it raised $10 million in Series A financing in a deal led by SoftBank Ventures and joined by the Andreessen Horowitz Bio Fund and OS Fund.

Healthcare tech platform Parachute Health rallies $5.5 mln seed

Parachute Health, a healthcare tech platform, has raised $5.5 million in seed funding. The investors included Greater New York Hospital Association Ventures and Loeb Holding Corporation.