Dec. 4 - 5, 2013
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Good news everyone! We’ve just gathered up all the funding news for the day and rolled it up into our now legendary* Funding Daily column.
Check out all the new investments below.
Aria Systems snags $40M for cloud-based billing
Aria Systems has some new capital to process. The San Francisco-based maker of cloud-based billing solutions just raised a $40 million funding round, the company announced today. Bain Capital Ventures led the round with participation from existing investors VMware, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Interwest Partners, Tugboat Ventures, and Venrock. In total, Aria has raised $83 million in investment. Read more on VentureBeat.
File-sharing service Hightail lands $34M to court the enterprise
In July, YouSendIt got a new name: Hightail. It reflects a change in focus for the company. The file-sharing service, which used to cater primarily to creative professionals, now wants to be the premiere cloud storage solution for the enterprise — and it just raised a hefty $34 million funding round to make that happen. Read more on VentureBeat.
Financeit grabs $13M
One of the frustrating realities of life is not being able to afford everything we want or need. Financeit‘s consumer financing platform puts big purchases like furniture, electronics, cars, and even surgery into the realm of possibility. Today the startup announced raising $13 million in its first round of funding. Read more on VentureBeat.
Signpost secures $10M to help businesses get more out of online marketing
Signpost closed $10 million in funding to help small businesses automate marketing like the big boys. Small and medium businesses don’t have the huge marketing budgets of large corporations. Signpost says it software can close that gap by taking care of all their marketing needs for just $150 a month. Read more on VentureBeat.
August secures $8M for its Yves Behar-designed smart lock
Back in May, home automation startup August announced the August smart lock, an inconspicuous but well-designed device developed in part by Jawbone’s Yves Behar. Now, August has raised $8 million to help manufacture the device, which it hopes to start selling next Spring. August’s funding round, which was led by Maveron and joined by Cowboy Ventures, Industry Ventures, Rho Ventures, and SoftTech VC, brings the company’s total funding to $10 million. Read more on VentureBeat.
Index raises $7M to help offline retailers figure out what the hell is going on
Add retail software company Index to the list of companies helping offline retailers regain their lost glory. Founded by a pair of Google Wallet execs, Index ties into retailers’ point-of-sale systems, connecting in-store, online, and mobile to create “a single unified experience.” In short, Index is all about turning physical stores back into assets, not liabilities. The round was led by Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors, Khosla Ventures, AIMCo and 819 Capital.
Kabbee marketplace gets $6.1M to help people compare ‘minicab’ prices
Kabbee wants to help those who love minicabs find the best price for their ride. The company received $6.1 million (£3.8 million) in funding today. Kabbee plans to use the money to expand beyond London, where minicabs are popular. Octopus Investments partner Simon King says the minicab is a “fragmented” one worth $2 billion, and is in need of this kind of marketplace. Read more on VentureBeat.
Freelancer marketplace oDesk files executive employee options of $2.65M
Freelancer marketplace oDesk is giving out $2.65 million to it executives as part of its 2013 executive employee option grants, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Read more on VentureBeat.
Gaming startup Plain Vanilla raises $1.9M
Game studio Plain Vanilla has secured a fresh $1.9 million round of funding, according to an SEC document filed today. The date of the first sale was Nov. 6, and it looks like the startup was able to obtain the entire amount it was seeking for the round. Plain Vanilla has raised a total of $5.6 million in funding to date. Read more here.
Play It Gaming Raises $700k for feature phone gaming in emerging markets
Canadian startup Play It Gaming secured $700,000 in seed funding, the company announced today. Play It Gaming wants to deliver quality games on feature phones (aka dumb phones that are not smart like the ones we typically write about on VentureBeat) in emerging markets, which equals about five million new users. Read more on TechVibes.
Say what? Tyra Banks invests in ad tech startup Locket
Proving yet again that you can’t escape Tyra Banks, she’s now setting her sights on ad tech. New York City-based Locket, which has developed a platform for ads and content on Android lock screens, announced today that Banks’ Fierce Capital has invested an undisclosed sum in the company. Read more on VentureBeat.
* Funding Daily might not actually actually be at legendary status at this time.