Udacity, an online education provider, has raised $105 million in Series D funding led by German media group Bertelsmann. The investment values Udacity at $1 billion. Google Ventures and Emerson Collective joined as new investors. Reuters reports that Bertelsmann is now the biggest strategic investor in Udacity, with a double digit percentage stake. “Our mission at Udacity is to democratize education making it affordable and accessible to billions of people around the globe to get the jobs they want to improve their lives. While we have made great strides, we have a long way to go in reaching our goal,” wrote Udacity president and COO Vish Makhijani. “This latest round values our company at $1 billion, making it an exciting yet humbling moment in our history.”
NextVR, a provider of live-action virtual reality broadcast technology, has announced a $30.5 million Series A funding round. Formation 8 led the investment round, with participation coming from Time Warner Investments, Comcast Ventures, Peter Gruber, RSE Ventures, The Madison Square Garden Company and dick clark productions. “This first-class group of investors is a major validation of our virtual reality technology platform,” said Brad Allen, Executive Chairman, NextVR. “We are focused on delivering a great virtual reality experience and the key is great content. These investments reflect the relationships we are building to provide marquee content.”
Eyefluence has unveiled its eye-interaction technology platform for augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality, and announced $14 million in Series B funding led by Motorola Solutions Venture Capital. The Series B round also included Jazz Venture Partners, NHN Investment, and Dolby Family Ventures as well as Series A investors. “Smart glasses are expanding human performance by changing the way people interact with technology, communicate with others and engage with the world around them,” said Jim Marggraff, CEO and founder of Eyefluence. “By combining biology and technology with a deep understanding of the eye-brain connection, Eyefluence enables a radically new form of human-computer interaction that is natural and intuitive and will allow consumers and enterprises to realize the full potential of head mounted display (HMD) technology.”
TigerText, a provider of secure communication and workflow platform for the enterprise, has closed a $50 million Series C financing round. Norwest Venture Partners led the round, with participation from Invus Group and Accolade Partners, as well as return backers Shasta Ventures, OrbiMed, and Reed Elsevier. “TigerText addresses a critical problem in the healthcare delivery landscape through their communications platform and API platform,” said Dr. Robert Mittendorff, principal at Norwest Venture Partners. “Coordinating providers around patients and sequencing the multitude of process steps required to deliver efficient and quality care requires a solution like this. More than just secure communications, the TigerText offering has the potential to make healthcare safer and more efficient by reducing errors in physician consults, patient care handoffs, and improving group work inside and outside of hospitals.”