Banjo, a service for news publishers, has closed a $100 million Series C funding round led by Softbank. “Banjo is in an interesting space, bringing together the ideas of big data, social, local, mobile and trying to derive value from that combination for both consumers and businesses. I am excited by what I have seen so far, and think this has the potential to be very interesting, and big. Damien thinks big, and is a very dedicated individual — we like his aspirations and are delighted to support him,” said Nikesh Arora, Vice Chairman, Softbank. The company, which analyzes data from about events and breaking news in real time, has raised $121 million to date.
Robinhood, a stock trading app that enables people to invest for free, has raised $50 million in funding led by New Enterprise Associates. Previous backers Index Ventures, Ribbit Capital, and Social Leverage participated, as did new investor Vaizra Investments. The company has now raised a total of $66 million to date. Robinhood also announced it expansion into Australia. “With an average age of 26 among our community members, Robinhood has been a game changer for empowering young people to explore the stock market and open their first investment account. We’re thrilled that Australians will have access to this new way to invest in the U.S. stock market,” said Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of Robinhood.
Publisher tools provider Chartbeat has raised a $15.5 million Series C investment, led by Harmony Partners. Existing investors DFJ, Index Ventures, Jason Calacanis and Jeff Clavier joined new backer Digital Garage in participating. The company has now raised $31 million to date. Chartbeat also announced two new products for publishers and advertisers.
Business intelligence provider Govini has confirmed a $20 million Series C funding round. The company, which offers its tools to companies selling goods and services to the public sector, will use the funds to expand its team in Washington D.C. and develop its platform. Accel Partners, Salesforce Ventures and Symphony Technology Group were among the investors. “This funding allows us to continue to expand our operations and development on both coasts. Govini is quickly becoming the must-have resource for all contractors and sales teams that are serious about growth in the government market. By using our tools the entire government contracting apparatus can become more efficient and transparent – bringing benefits to all parties,” said Eric Gillespie, Founder and CEO of Govini. “We look forward to continuing to grow our relationships with both our new and our long-standing funding partners.”