Series B
Zenefits, which provides cloud-based paperless human resources solutions to businesses for free, has raised a Series B round of funding worth $66.5 million. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Institutional Venture Partners. Zenefits has now raised a total of $84 million since it was launched one year ago. Andreesen Horowitz also led the first round.
Series C
Digital marketing platform Offerpop has raised $15 million in a Series C financing round led by Edison Ventures. Co-investors included CommonAngel, Hearst Ventures, Salesfroce.com and Windcrest Partners. The company will use the funds to accelerate global sales and enable more product innovation.
Chinese personalized news provider Toutiao has raised a $100 million Series C funding round led by Sequoia Capital, according to reports. Weibo also participated in the round, which puts the company’s valuation at $500 million. Toutiao will use the funds for product development.
Series D
Online live auction marketplace Invaluable has raised a $33.75 million Series D funding round led by Insight Venture Partners. Existing investors Ascent Venture Partners and Commonwealth Capital Ventures also participated. The company will use the funds to scale its live auction offering. Invaluable enjoyed a 98 percent increase in gross merchandise sales in 2013, according to a company press release.
Aryaka Networks, an ‘As-a-Service’ provider of WAN optimization, network application delivery and cloud networks has raised $10 million in Series D funding. Existing investors Trinity Ventures, InterWest Partners, Nexus Venture Partners, Mohr Davidow Ventures and Presidio Ventures all participated. The company currently serves hundreds of customers across over 3000 customer sites in 280 cities and 48 countries, according to a press release.
Funding
Shopping personalization company RichRelevance has secured $20 million in new funding. The financing round was led by Centerview Capital Technology and existing investors Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ), Greylock Partners, Crosslink Capital and Shea Ventures all participated. The company will use the funds for international expansion.
M&A
Learning platform Chegg, has acquired InstaEDU, an on-demand tutoring marketplace, for $30 million in cash. InstaEDU connects students with tutors in more than 2,500 subjects for as little as $0.40 per minute. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of this month.