US

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.

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.

SonarMD grabs $10 mln

SonarMD, which is focused on managing complex patients, has raised $10 million in funding. The investors were BCBS Venture Partners and Arboretum Ventures.

Omnivore picks up $10 mln Series A

Hayward, California-based Omnivore, a point-of-sale connectivity platform, has secured $10 million in Series A funding. The lead investors were The Coca-Cola Company and Performance Food Group.

Stray Dog collects $25.55 mln for second fund

Stray Dog Capital has raised $25.55 million for its second fund, according to an updated SEC filing. No target was listed on the document. Based in Leawood, Kansas, Stray Dog invests in early-stage businesses.

Balderton hires Yang as IR head

Balderton Capital has hired Jodi Yang as head of investor relations. She is a founding partner at Gratia Capital, a spin-out of Canyon Capital.

Versant Ventures wraps up two funds at $700 mln

Versant Ventures has closed its seventh biotech fund at a hard cap of $600 million. Also, the healthcare investment firm closed its Canadian companion fund at $100 million. Versant Ventures Fund VII will focus on 20 or more biotech companies in the U.S., Canada and Europe while the Canadian fund, Versant Voyageurs I, will focus on five to eight startups in Canada.