Robert Daniel
ViewLift, the New York provider of an over-the-top content distribution and monetization platform, closed an $8 million funding round. Weekapaug Partners and Robert Hisaoka joined previous investors Ted Leonsis, Clark Ventures, New Enterprise Associates, Revolution and others. In addition, ViewLift said it named Steven Brown chief revenue officer. Brown joins ViewLift from NeuLion Inc., the Plainview, New York, specialist in digital video broadcasting, distribution and monetization, where he was senior vice president of advertising solutions and platform sales.
Bright Health, the Minneapolis startup set to offer affordable health-care plans based on partnerships with health systems, raised $80 million of Series A funding. The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners and New Enterprise Associates, with Flare Capital Partners and others participating. Bright Health said it would use the funding to roll out its offerings to individuals nationwide; it plans to enter its first market and enroll members for the 2017 plan year. The company’s CEO and one of its co-founders is Bob Sheehy, former CEO of United Healthcare.
Kyulux Inc, the Fukuoka, Japan, advanced-materials startup focused on OLED display and lighting technology known as thermally activated delayed fluorescence, raised $13.5 million (1.5 billion yen) of Series A financing. Samsung Venture Investment Corp led the round, with participation from OLED panel manufacturers including Samsung Display, LG Display, Japan Display and Joled. Also participating in the funding were Japanese VC funds and a Japan-government-affiliated venture fund. Kyulux also said that it acquired a patent portfolio from Kyushu University and that the school took equity participation in the financing.
Vasona Networks Inc, the San Jose, California, provider of platforms to enable mobile-network operators to provide better service to users, raised $14.6 million of Series C venture capital. With the new capital, Vasona has raised a total of $48 million. The fresh funds will support Vasona’s deployments at major network operators and drive R&D, the company said in a statement. Participants in the round include Bessemer Venture Partners, New Venture Partners and NexStar Partners.
CloudHealth Technologies, the provider of a platform on which companies can visualize, optimize and automate their cloud environments, named Larry Begley chief financial officer. Begley joins CloudHealth from .406 Ventures, an early-stage venture-capital firm he co-founded. .406 Ventures participated in CloudHealth’s first two venture-funding rounds, and Begley has served as a CloudHealth director. Both firms are based in Boston. .406 Ventures recently closed its third venture fund, bringing its investment total to nearly $600 million.
LiveSafe Inc, the Arlington, Virginia, provider of a safety-and-security-communications platform for application at enterprises and event facilities, received $5.25 million of Series B venture financing from an affiliate of Frederick W. Smith, chairman and CEO of FedEx Corp. Smith also will join LiveSafe’s board. FedEx is the Memphis, Tennessee, package-delivery and logistics company.
Solidifi, the Buffalo, New York, provider of real-estate-valuation services to 60 of the top 100 lenders, said it acquired Linear Title & Closing Ltd for as much as US$96 million, conditioned on performance metrics. Solidifi is a unit of Real Matters Inc, which in turn is backed by Whitecap Venture Partners, the Toronto early-stage VC firm. Linear, based in Rhode Island, provides real-estate services. Real Matters, Markham, Ontario, privately placed $100 million of common equity to fund the deal.
Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners, the German telecom group's investment-management division, named Jack Young partner in charge of global venture operations. Young joins DT Capital Partners from Qualcomm Ventures, the investment unit of the San Diego chipmaker, where he was a managing director responsible for venture investment and portfolio management in North America.