Seed funding
Wellframe, which aims to connect healthcare providers and patients after they have returned home, has announced $1.5 million in seed funding. Investors include Athenahealth chief executive Jonathan Bush, Draper Fisher Jurvetson’s Tim Draper, Fidelity Biosciences venture partner Carl Byers and Leering Capital founder James Nahirny, among others. The company’s product and services uses mobile apps and artificial intelligence to help patients.
Series B
San Francisco-based Alios BioPharma has completed a $41 million Series B financing round. The biotechnology company develops proprietary therapeutics for respiratory viral diseases. The round was led by a new, undisclosed, investor, but all previous investors participated. According to Lawrence M. Blatt, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alios BioPharma: “This funding will allow Alios to retain ownership and control of our novel, first-in-class anti-respiratory virus development programs.”
Series C
Ultracapacitor technology manufacturer Ioxus has completed its Series C funding round, raising a total of $21 million. The company’s tech is used in transportation, industrial and energy applications. Menlo Park, California-based venture capital firm Westly Group led the financing, along with IFC, a member of the World Bank Group. The company will use the funds to focus on China.
Funding
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s venture capital fund has bet on the future success of online voting, and has invested $40 million into digital voting company Scytl, which is based in Barcelona. Scytl was founded in 2001 and aims to modernize the election process until all countries are comfortable with a fully digital solution. The introduction of online voting has been met with fierce opposition in the past, particularly in the U.S. The company boats clients in 30 different countries, including Canada, Mexico and Australia.
Pharmaceutical company Kaleo announced it has entered into a $150 million debt facility with PDL BioPharma to help commercialization of its naloxone hydrochloride injection product EVZIO, and develop other products. PDL will provide the amount in cash, and will receive interest on the principal outstanding. The note is backed by royalty payments on Kaleo’s first product to market, the Auvi-Q, and a portion of net sales from EVZIO.
Mobile payment company Square has announced a revolving credit facility to help with growth. The deal will provide Square with approximately $200 million in capital, according to CNBC. Goldman Sachs led the financing, and Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Chase, Barclays and Silicon Valley Bank participated.
M&A
Lynda.com, an education platform, has acquired online code editor Compilr for around $20 million. A company press release states the acquisition represents Lynda.com’s recognition of the growing importance of programming language education. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of software developers is projected to grow 22 percent from 2012 to 2022, faster than the average for all occupations.
Twitter has acquired Cover, a lock screen app for Android. Deal terms were not immediately disclosed. Cover displays six apps that users are most likely want to use on the Android lock screen, based on current context and analysis of the smartphone user’s habits.