Series A
The Levo League, a online platform where women can network, get mentored and find jobs, has raised $7 million in Series A funding from backers including two angels: Olayan Financing Co. CEO Lubna Olayan and Fimalac president and Webedia/Allocine CEO Véronique Morali. Total backing behind the company exceeds $8 million, and Sheryl Sandberg is among its early investors. The New York startup leverages a job board with listings from companies like The New York Times, eBay and Gilt.
Plymouth Ventures has led a multi-million dollar Series A investment in MicroMarket technology company 365 Retail Markets. The Troy, Michigan company, which operates in the vending and foodservice space, has grown by more than 300 percent annually on average since it was founded.
Funding
Aviasales, reportedly Russia’s biggest travel search engine, has secured $10 million in funding from iTech Capital, which gets a minority stake in Aviasales. The St. Petersburg portal drew upwards of 2.4 million visitors in November 2012, according to the site. Data from Russia’s Federal Agency of Air Transport via TechCrunch stated online tickets and hotel reservations attracted a spend of RUB 240 billion ($6.9 billion) in 2013.
Wilmington, N.C. cloud-based banking solutions company nCino, Inc. has gained $10 million in funding from Wellington Management Company LLP. The startup added upwards of 20 customers in 2013, according to a release. The company had previously received $9 million in funding from investors including John Mack, former Morgan Stanley chairman and CEO; Chip Mahan, Live Oak Bank chairman and CEO; and Eugene Ludwig, Promontory Financial Group CEO.
San Jose-based Data Physics Corp., provider of test-and-measurement services for noise and vibration applications, has raised an undisclosed investment from Battery Ventures, which took a controlling stake in the company. Data Physics serves customers like Boeing, Apple, BMW and IBM. Monroe Capital LLC backed a senior secured credit facility “to support the purchase…by Battery Ventures,” according to a release.
Utah enterprise software company Primary Data has expanded and realized its Series B funding round, which now comes to $60 million. Among the round’s backers: Accel Partners, Battery Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Pelion Venture Partners and recently, Mercato Partners. According to its LinkedIn page, Primary Data predicts it will remain in stealth mode until late 2014 and previously realized a $50 million investment in October of last year.
Music application company Shazam is looking for $20 million at a valuation of $500 million, according to reports. The London-based startup, which offers an app it claims ranks as one of the world’s top 10, draws more than 80 million active users monthly.
Telemedicine company Specialists on Call has raised $32 million from an affiliate of Warburg Pincus. The Reston, VA company serves “suburban and urban acute-care hospitals via videoconferencing,” a market gauged at $3 billion, according to a release. Specialists On Call has provided upwards of 80,000 consultations since its start.
M&A
Microchip Technology Inc. will pay $33 per share to pick up public semiconductor manufacturer Supertex, “which represents a total equity value of about $394 million, and a total enterprise value of about $246 million,” according to a release. The deal between the Chandler, AZ company, which also operates in the semiconductor space, and Sunnyvale-based Supertex looks to close in the second quarter of this year, pending approval by the latter company’s shareholders, customary closing conditions, and regulatory approvals.
Dublin-based Mallinckrodt plc will acquire San Diego’s Cadence Pharmaceuticals for $14 per share, or roughly $1.3 billion “on a fully diluted basis.” The two companies have agreed that a Mallinckrodt plc subsidiary will leverage a tender offer to buy the rest of Cadence’s shares. The two companies expect the deal to close in March.
Israel’s Calcalist has reported Cyprus-based chat application Viber is navigating a $300-$400 million exit. However, Viber Media CEO Talmo Marco has denied he is negotiating the sale of his company, purportedly to an Asian chat company. Viber’s website claims it serves upwards of 200 million users in more than 193 countries.
According to reports, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd wants to buy what it doesn’t own of Beijing mapping and location services startup AutoNavi Holdings Ltd in a transaction valuing the latter company at $1.58 billion. Alibaba is said to own more than a quarter of AutoNavi already, 28 percent.