US

McDonald Hopkins hires Koss to head startup and VC group

McDonald Hopkins LLC, a business advisory and advocacy law firm, has hired Jordan Koss to head its startup and venture capital group. Previously, Koss worked at Goodcounsel LLC.

Blumberg Capital beefs up team with six new hires

San Francisco-based Blumberg Capital, an early-stage venture firm, has added six new staffers to its team. Joining Blumberg are Steve Gillan as chief operating officer and chief financial officer in San Francisco; Yodfat Harel Buchris as managing director in Tel Aviv; Ehud Schneorson as managing director in Tel Aviv; Idan Nurick as principal in Tel Aviv; Andrew Van Nest as associate in San Francisco; and Peter Cooney III as data analyst in San Francisco.

VC-backed BlueRock Therapeutics adds Kovacs to C-suite team

Toronto, New York and Cambridge, Massachusetts-based BlueRock Therapeutics LP, a cell therapy company, has appointed Shane Kovacs as both chief business and chief financial officer. Previously, he was managing director and head of biotechnology investment banking at RBC Capital Markets in New York. BlueRock was backed by Bayer AG and Versant Ventures.

Copado nets Series A funding

Madrid, Spain-based Copado, a cloud-based release management platform, has secured 7.5 million euros in Series A funding. The investors were Insight Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures.

GitLab raises $100 mln, led by Iconiq, surpasses $1 bln in valuation

San Francisco-based GitLab, provider of an open core collaboration platform for developers, announced it has raised a $100 million Series D round of funding valuing the company at $1.1 billion. The funding round was led by Iconiq Capital, the Silicon Valley fund that is an investment vehicle for the founders of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. The company, which has now raised more than $145 million since it was founded, is eyeing an IPO in 2020.

Vonage to buy NewVoiceMedia for $350 mln

Vonage Holdings Corp said Sept. 20 that it agreed to buy NewVoiceMedia for $350 million. NewVoice is a cloud Contact Center-as-a-Service (CCaaS) provider. NewVoice is backed by investors including BGF Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners (BVP), Eden Ventures, Highland Capital Partners Europe, Salesforce Ventures and Technology Crossover Ventures. Update: Phil Berkowitz, Jason Greenberg and Paul Zangrilli of Jefferies advised NewVoiceMedia. Samantha McGonigle and Kevin Sullivan of Weil, Gotshal & Manages provided legal advice.

Providence Medical raises $25 mln

Providence Medical Technology Inc said Sept. 20 that it raised $25 million in financing led by Revelation Partners. Also participating was the private equity investment team at BMO Global Asset Management (EMEA), MVM Life Science Partners, Medvest Capital, and Aphelion Capital. Providence, of Pleasanton, California, is developing surgical solutions for cervical spine surgery.

Proterra raises $155 mln from Daimler, Tao Capital Partners, G2VP, others

Proterra said it raised $155 million in a deal co-led by Daimler and Tao Capital Partners and joined by G2VP and other technology investors. Proterra and Daimler also agreed to explore the electrification of select Daimler heavy-duty vehicles.

YouDo.com raises $17 mln

YouDo.com said Sept. 19 that it raised $17 million. PJSC MTS, which led the round, accounted for $12 million. Current shareholders also took part in the round. YouDo.com, of Moscow provides an online platform that allows users to find professionals to perform their private or business-related tasks including cleaning and housekeeping, freight transport and courier delivery.

OODA Health raised $40.5 mln

OODA Health said Sept. 19 that it raised $40.5 million in a series A round led by Oak HC/FT and DFJ. OODA, of San Francisco, is a healthcare payments company.