Daily Deal Activity 08/29/13

digital media/commerce

ecommerce

Simple Truths, an online-only retailer that sells and creates inspirational books, prints, and DVDs, has been acquired by consumer book publisher Sourcebooks. The company will become a Sourcebooks imprint, publishing around 100 backlist and upcoming books. Terms were not disclosed.

Digital Advertising

online lead generation

Lendio, a platform for connecting small businesses to lenders, has raised $4.5 million in Series B funding led by Runa Capital, with participation from return backers Tribeca Venture Partners and Highway 12 Ventures. Lendio’s free online service helps businesses find the right type of loan within minutes.

Marketing Technology

mobile technology

Ubimo, a company that develops mobile advertising software platforms, has raised $2 million in funding from Pitango Venture Capital. The deal also saw participation from angel investor Eyal Gura. Ubimo’s solution for mobile audience targeting enable advertisers to leverage user location context together with the latest programmatic buying technologies, to efficiently target and manage mobile media.

mobile technology

Zendrive, a startup that aims to make driving better by using data from smartphone sensors, today announced that it has raised $1.5 million from a group of backers including First Round Capital and number of individual investors. The company plans to use its technology to gather data from drivers’ smartphone sensors in order to pool together traffic data, help consumers get reduced rates on insurance, and provide rewards and discounts for safe driving.

online targeting/optimization

Retention Science, a provider of retention marketing solutions, has raised $0.7 million in new seed funding from Forerunner Ventures. The company’s tools include automated retention marketing campaigns based on a multi-channel approach that offers dynamic time-optimized offers.

Agency & Marketing Services

digital agency, market research

Espalhe, one of Brazil’s leading digital and social media marketing agencies, has been acquired by Publicis Groupe (ENXTPA:PUB). Included in Espalhe’s services is its media engagement monitoring and analysis tool, IndexSocial, which provides insights into how brands are performing in Brazil’s social media landscape. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Technology & Communications

data storage technology

Pure Storage, an all-flash enterprise storage array company, has raised $150 million in Series E funding from T. Rowe Price and Tiger Global Management, joined by undisclosed “public market investors” and return backers Greylock Partners, Index Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Samsung Ventures, and Sutter Hill Ventures. The company has now raised $245 million in total funding.

financial technology

Paymetric, a provider of SaaS-based enterprise security and payment acceptance solutions, has sold a majority equity stake to Francisco Partners. The company previously raised funding from Austin Ventures and Palomar Ventures.

Software

financial

Preferred Appraisal, which designs and develops desktop solutions for real estate appraisal, was acquired by Accurate Group, a provider of national real estate transaction services to the financial services industry. Terms were not disclosed.

infrastructure software

Mobise, a software company focused on bringing desktop workflow to mobile applications, has been acquired by EagleView Technologies, a technology company specializing in aerial imagery, measurements, analytics, and GIS solutions. Terms were not disclosed.

Information & Business Services

bpo

Divisions Maintenance Group, an integrated facilities maintenance company providing maintenance services for property managers and retail clients, has raised $16 million in funding from Caltius Mezzanine. The proceeds from the investment were used to help finance management’s purchase of the equity owned by outside shareholders.

credit/risk management information

Thompson Information Services, a provider of compliance information and training, has been acquired by Columbia Books & Information Services, from Thomspon Media Group. The acquisition will enable Columbia Books to reach beyond its core audience of political professionals to assist the individuals who must comply with regulation in the fields of human resources, benefits, food and drug administration, grants management and development, health care facilities, energy law, and environmental issues.

it consulting/systems integration

X7 Systems Integration, which specializes in the design, build, and support of comprehensive security management systems for government and commercial clients, has been acquired by System Development.Integration, another systems integrator that delivers technology systems and infrastructure for organizations with public-facing, critical operations. The acquisition, SDI’s second in as many months, establishes SDI as a $70M systems integrator specializing in the technical requirements, risk mitigation strategies, and advisory services required by critical infrastructure-intensive environments. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Other

Playtech (LSE: PTEC), a maker of gaming software, has announced that it is willing to spend upwards of €600 million ($795 million) on acquisitions.

Daily Deal Activity 08/28/13

Digital Media/Commerce

ecommerce

Vastrm Fashion, an eCommerce company focused on made-to-order polo shirts, has raised $1 million in seed funding from Y Combinator, Columbus Nova Technology Partners, Quest Venture Partners, SV Angels, Ignition Partners, Andreessen Horowitz Seed Fund, General Catalyst Partners, and Start Fund.

mobile content/apps

China-based Camera360, a provider of a mobile camera app for iPhone and Android, has raised $18 million in Series B funding led by Susquehanna International Group China, with participation from return backers Gobi Partners and Matrix Partners.

niche content

FeeX, which enables people to give and receive financial insight from peers as they aim to save money on financial fees, has raised $3 million in Series A funding from Blumberg Capital. FeeX helps users discover hidden fees being charged on their retirement accounts, and also shows users how much they’re paying, and with crowdsourcing, what they could be paying instead.

social media/apps

Finland-based ThingLink, an image tagging and linking platform provider, has raised $2 million in funding led by Inventure Oy. The company’s platform enables tagging things inside an image with links to music, video, notes and more.

Digital Advertising

digital promotion/coupons, mobile content/apps

France-based Promoland, a discount coupon smartphone application, has been acquired by France-based  High Co (ENXTPA:HCO). Terms were not disclosed.

Marketing Technology

crm

Customer Focused Marketing, a provider of customer relationship management and marketing services, has been acquired by Dealertrack (NasdaqGS:TRAK), which offers Web-based software solutions and services that enhance efficiency and profitability for all major segments of the automotive retail industry. The company was purchase for a total consideration of $14.75 million, including a $1.75 million earnout.

crm

WaterSmart Software, a provider of customer engagement solutions that help water utilities educate customers on conservation, has raised $4.5 million in Series A funding led by The Westly Group, with participation from Physic Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Apsara Capital.

mobile technology

ShopPad, an eCommerce platform that turns retailers’ desktop websites into tablet-optimized experiences, has raised $0.5 million in seed funding for its SaaS technology now used by more than 10,000 online merchants. The funding was provided by a group of angel investors.

online targeting/optimization, mobile technology

Israel-based ubimo, a developer of location-based mobile audience targeting solutions, has raised $2 million in seed funding led by Pitango Venture Capital. Ubimo’s solution enables advertisers to leverage user location context together with programmatic buying technologies, to efficiently target and manage mobile media.

social technology

Trendrr, a company that tracks and analyzes conversation about TV shows on Twitter and other social media sites, has been acquired by Twitter. Trendrr not only tracks conversations, but offers curated tweets on a certain subject or from certain sources through its Twitter certified product. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

social technology, loyalty/retention

Belly, which operates a customer loyalty and marketing platform, has raised an initial tranche of $12.1 million Series B-1 funding. Backers include New Enterprise Associates, Andreessen Horowitz, DAG Ventures, Lightbank, Cisco (NasdaqGS:CSCO), and 7-Ventures. The company, which allows customers to accumulate loyalty points from multiple merchants on a single card or mobile phone app, is in 18 markets with 6,500 businesses. It has recently expanded from independent merchants to chains.

social technology

trueAnthem, a company that allows publishers to track the impact of their content on social media, has raised $2.6 million from CrunchFund, Core Ventures Group, and undisclosed angel investors. trueAnthem’s patented technology tracks the viral spread of shared content across the Web and mobile devices in real time, and pinpoints social influencers.

Agency & Marketing Services

loyalty/retention

Quantum Loyalty Solutions, a provider of movie ticket-related promotions, has been acquired by Fandango, an NBC Universal company offering online movie and entertainment destinations. Quantum’s reward platforms allow its clients to deliver rewards through multiple channels, including email, direct mail, handouts, on-pack, in-pack, or social media. Terms were not disclosed. The purchase will accelerate Fandango’s promotional ticket and gift card business.

Traditional Media

cable & satellite television

United Arab Emirates-based Pehla Media & Entertainment, a provider of pay television, interactive, and digital services in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, has been acquired by United Arab Emirates-based Panther Media Group, which offers television shows broadcasting services in the Middle East and Africa. Terms were not disclosed.

Software

data management

Couchbase, a provider of NoSQL database technology, has raised $25 million in Series D funding led by Adams Street Partners, with participation from return backers Accel Partners, Mayfield Fund, North Bridge Venture Partners, and Ignition Partners. The round brings the total raised by the company to $55 million.

healthcare

Get Real Health, a provider of patient engagement software, has raised an undisclosed amount of venture capital funding from TELUS Ventures. The company’s flagship product, InstantPHR, is an electronic toolbox for creating and customizing personal health applications.

Information & Business Services

healthcare information

Access Intelligence has sold its Dorland Health and Contexo Media brands to UCG, a portfolio company with brands in the healthcare, financial services and telecom markets, among others. Terms were not disclosed. Contexo Media provides books, software, and e-learning products for medical practices in the areas of reimbursement, coding and compliance. And Dorland Health publishes the monthly Case in Point as well as a group of newsletters.

it consulting/systems integration

AlgoTrim, a Sweden-based developer of mobile solutions within the fields of data compression, mobile imaging, and video, has been acquired by Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL). No financial terms were disclosed.

Daily Deal Activity 08/27/13

Digital Media/Commerce

classifieds/auctions/p-to-p

Brazil-based LogoChef, which operates a design marketplace, has been acquired by 99designs, a crowd-sourced graphic design marketplace. No financial terms were disclosed. 99designs has raised $35 million in funding from Accel Partners.

ecommerce

Speakaboos, which offers a subscription-based children’s digital book rental site, raised $6.2 million in Series A funding from digital media venture development platform [212]MEDIA, Advancit Capital,  Korean education company Kyowon Group, and individual investors.

Digital Advertising

ad networks/exchanges

Martini Media, an online ad network targeting affluent consumer, has raised $14 million in Series D funding from Venrock, Granite Ventures, Reed Elsevier Ventures, and Silicon Valley Bank. The money will fund technology enhancements for its self-serve tool and international expansion.

mobile marketing

Carnival Labs, a mobile brand accelerator with offices in New York and New Zealand, has raised $2.4 million in seed funding co-led by Lerer Ventures and Gary Vaynerchuk, with participation from Flybridge Capital Partners, Bowery Capital, Google Ventures, David Tisch, Jos White, and Michael Lazerow.

Marketing Technology

commerce management

Austria-based Fine Trade, a provider of eCommerce trading solutions with payment options, is being acquired by Japan-based mobile operator NTT Docomo (TSE:9437). No financial terms were disclosed, although TechCrunch reports the price was “several tens of millions of Euros.” Through the acquisition, DOCOMO will expand its portfolio of finance and payment platform businesses in Europe, currently focused on the digital content market, to include the online retail market for consumer goods.

content management

PrecisionIR, a provider of online investor relations and Web-based corporate communications solutions, Issuer Direct Corporation (OTCBB: ISDR), a provider of disclosure management solutions and cloud-based compliance technologies. Issuer Direct acquired all of the common stock of Precision IR Group, Inc. in exchange for cash proceeds of approximately $3.45 million.

media management software

FilmTrack, a provider of rights and content management SaaS solutions for the film and television industries, has raised $20 million in equity funding from Insight Venture Partners. FilmTrack offers cloud-based enterprise-class solutions for content, contract, and rights management that enable film, video and television publishers to manage the entire intellectual-property lifecycle – from inbound script to optimizing global distribution agreements and capturing unexploited revenue streams.

mobile technology

Israel-based MySiteApp, the startup behind mobile website add-on Brow.si, has raised a further $1 million from existing investors thetime and a number of U.S./Israel-based angels. This brings the total backing for the company to $3.2 million.

search & discovery

Safaba Translation Solutions, a provider of automatic translation solutions for digital content, has raised an undisclosed amount of first-round funding. Newlin Investment led the round, and was joined by Innovation Works.

Technology & Communications

financial technology

Credorax, a payment processing and fraud prevention company, has raised $40 million in funding from FTV Capital, which participation from existing shareholders including Blumberg Capital and Mobile Internet Capital. This brings the company’s investments to nearly $100 million.

network infrastructure software

Globecomm Systems (Nasdaq: GCOM), a provider of satellite-based managed network solutions, is being acquired by Wasserstein & Co. The deal is valued at approximately $340 million, or $14.15 per share. The purchase price represents a premium of 22 percent over the closing price on January 14, 2013, the day on which Globecomm announced that it would be reviewing potential strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value.

network infrastructure software, networking infrastructure technology

Finland-based Sensinode, a provider of software products for embedded Internet applications, has been acquired for an undisclosed amount by ARM Holdings (LSE:ARM). Included in Sensinode’s offerings is NanoStack, a communication protocol stack software for IP-based wireless sensor networks,  NanoRouter, a border router software solution, NanoService, a solution that offers embedded Web services for the constraints of machine-to-machine (M2M) deployments, and NanoService Platform, a backend management platform to enable the deployment of M2M systems.

Information & Business Services

bpo

OmniForce, an athletic event production company, has raised an undisclosed amount of equity funding from Bregal Partners. OmniForce’s services include participant marketing and event publicity, participant training and fundraising support, sponsorship sales, and event planning and logistics.

bpo

Property Claims Services, a provider of loss adjusting and claims handling services to the property and casualty insurance market, has been acquired by VeriClaim, a subsidiary of T&H Global Holdings. No financial terms were disclosed. T&H is a portfolio company of Flexpoint Ford.

fulfillment

CableNet Services Unlimited, a provider of cable fulfillment services, has been acquired by Resilience Capital Partners. The purchase is the first add-on acquisition by Aero Communications, which Resilience Capital purchased in October 2012. No financial terms were disclosed.

healthcare

Canada-based ReaEvolution, a company specializing in the development of medical charting and clinical decision support solutions for pre-hospital and emergency care, has been acquired by Canada-based Logibec Groupe Informatique, an OMERS Ventures portfolio company offering a number of IT solutions for the healthcare industry. ReaEvolution’s products will further enhance the advantages of Logibec’s Emergency Department Information System by adding solutions for medical charting and clinical decision support. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

hr information

GuideSpark, a digital employee communications company, has raised $5 million in funding led by Storm Ventures, with participation from IDG Ventures.

Daily Deal Activity 08/26/13

Digital Media/Commerce

ecommerce, catalog

Ezibuy, a New Zealand-based online and catalog retailer of clothing and housewares, has been acquired by Australia-based Woolworths (ASX: WOW), which operates 1,033 supermarkets under the Woolworths and Safeway brand names, from Catalyst Investment Managers. The deal is valued at approximately $306 million.

social media/apps

Instagram has made its first acquisition, buying both the team and technology of Luma, a video-capture, stabilization and sharing app. Luma’s app will be shut down and its technology will be used to help Instagram’s more than 130 million users edit videos. Terms were not disclosed.

Marketing Technology

bi tools

Trove Predictive Data Sciences (fka GridGlo), a provider of business analytical solutions and data-driven insights, has raised $1.1 million in funding from existing investor CUBRC, which offers science and technology program management services. TROVE technology works by fusing an organization’s existing internal data with external data sources and applies its predictive science to help customers uncover new opportunities to monetize data and drive innovation.

online targeting/optimization

Parse.ly, which offers a predictive content optimization platform for publishers, has raised $5 million in Series A funding led by Grotech Ventures, with participation from Blumberg Capital, ff Venture Capital, and equity crowdfunding site FundersClub. The company’s technology is based on the use of natural language processing and statistical text analysis to evaluate Web pages. It generates reports in real time that help publishers and editorial teams understand what’s working with their audiences, when and why.

traditional media

Newcap Radio, a Canada-based radio broadcasting company with 88 licenses, has entered into an agreement to acquire the radio broadcasting licenses Boom 97.3, 93.5 Flow, Virgin Radio 95.3, Shore 104.3 FM, and AM 650 from Canada-based radio broadcaster Bell Media, which manages 107 licensed radio stations in 55 markets. Terms were not disclosed.

Technology & Communications

financial technology

Yellowpepper, which provides mobile financial products and services that enable monetary and informational transactions between financial institutions, businesses, and consumers primarily in Latin America, has raised $15 million in its series C funding led by new investor LatinIdea Ventures, with participation from existing investor International Finance Corporation. The company has raised $30 million in funding to date.

virtualization technology

HyTrust, a provider of virtualization security, compliance, and access control solutions for VMware-based virtual infrastructure, has extended its Series C round to $18.5 million as it continues selling its software to financial services companies, the military, health insurers, universities, and other deep-pocketed customers. The Series C brings the company’s total venture backing to $34.5 million and was provided by Intel Capital, Fortinet, VMware (NYSE:VMW), and In-Q-Tel , as well as returning backers Granite Ventures, Cisco, Trident Capital, and Epic Ventures.

Software

collaboration

Canva, which offers a tools that enables people to create and collaborate on design online, has launched with $3 million in seed funding from Matrix Partners, InterWest Partners, 500 Startups, and various angels.

healthcare

ExtendMD, a developer of software that enables medical patients with chronic conditions to communicate their ‘at home’ readings directly to their healthcare team, has been acquired by Orange Health Solutions, which provides administrative and management services for providers in accountable care organizations. Orange plans to integrate ExtendMD assets into its existing platform and offer the existing service found in the acquired technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Information & Business Services

it information

Professional services and software recommendation platform BestVendor, which offers a number of information for choosing between different SaaS and software services, has been acquired by DocStoc, a company operating a platform for sharing professional documents. Terms were not disclosed. The acquisition follows Docstoc’s expansion of its product set with the release of License123, which provides a database of licenses and permits needed to start a business, as well as its ExpertCircle platform for sharing recommendations of the best online and offline vendors for small businesses.

Daily Deal Activity 08/23/13

Digital Media/Commerce

mobile content/apps, local search

Local event discovery app PlayCez, which monitors social media and location check-in activity to recommend events and activities to users, has been acquired by IndiaMART’s online B-to-B marketplace subsidiary Biztradeshows. PlayCez had previously raised approximately $0.5 million in a seed investment from GSF India, iXiGO CEO Aloke Bajpai, and Mukul Singhal of SAIF Partners.

niche content

Canada-based VitaminDaily.com, an online lifestyle magazine for women, has been acquired by Glacier Media Group, from Daily Dose Media. VitaminDaily.com joins Glacier Media’s holdings in both print and digital media, which include Social Shopper, Business in Vancouver, The Vancouver Courier, and The North Shore News. Terms were not disclosed.

niche content

Coast Guard News, which operates an online portal for news and information about the Coast Guard, has been acquired by Bright Mountain Holdings, a hub of news, products, entertainment and services all geared towards active and veteran Military, Law Enforcement, Firefighters, and EMS workers. The purchase is part of strategic efforts to grow a large following of active and veteran Military members online. Terms were not disclosed.

Digital Advertising

digital promotion/coupons

Baidu (NasdaqGS:BIDU) has agreed to acquire a 59 percent stake in China-based group-buying site Nuomi Holdings from Renren (NYSE:RENN). The deal is valued at $160 million. The investment follows Baidu’s recent $1.9 billion purchase of third-party app store 91 Wireless.

Marketing Technology

content management

Slice Technologies, which offers an online shopping organizational tool that works by automatically pulling information from the electronic receipts in emails, including shipping notifications, tracking numbers, return policies, and customer service information, has raised $23 million in a Series B round of financing led by Rakuten (JASDAQ:4755), with participation from NDP Group, Russia Partners, and returning investors DCM, Innovation Endeavors, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. Slice also offers its technology via an API to partners in eCommerce and deals, banking, and financial services, to help them understand their customers’ needs and offer targeted deals to them.

crm

RealScout, a Web and mobile platform that enables realtors to communicate about listings with clients, has raised $1.1 million in seed funding from DCM, Formation8, and Ken DeLeon. The company’s platform offers a search portal for home buyers, and provides Realtors with natural language email marketing software and a CRM solution.

sfa/lead management, big data technology

SalesPredict, which offers SaaS-based technology  utilizing big data and predictive analytics to help sales professionals improve conversions, has raised $1 million in a seed funding round led by Pitango Venture Capital, with AfterDox and RSL Venture Partners participating along with angel investors. The company’s algorithms, which are tightly integrated into Salesforce App Exchange, help to score leads.

Traditional Media

entertainment media

(8/16/2013) Global youth media company Vice Media, which operates online video destination VICE.COM, an international network of digital channels, a television production studio, a magazine, a record label, an in-house creative services agency, and a book-publishing division, has sold a five percent stake to Twenty-First Century Fox for $70 million. The company reported total revenue of $175 million for the year ended 2012. The round was raised at a post-money valuation of $1.4 billion.

magazine publisher

Radhakrishnan Nair, the publisher of Man’s World and Rolling Stone India, has sold a majority stake in the magazines to Spenta Multimedia, a custom publishing house that also operates digital agency Spenta Online. Terms were not disclosed.

broadcast television

U.S-based specialty television network My Combat Channel, has been acquired by Anthem Media Group, the parent company of Fight Network. Terms were not disclosed.  Along with airing live fighting events, My Combat Channel also airs combat related movies, documentaries, television series, news, and fitness related shows.

Technology & Communications

financial technology

Taulia, which develops enterprise software to increase the processing speed of large organizations’ purchases, is raising $18 million in Series C funding. The initial close of $12.5 million in the Series C round was led by Germany-based Lakestar, joined by existing investors including DAG Ventures, Matrix Partners , Telus Ventures, and Trinity Ventures. A secondary closing of $5.5 million is currently underway. The company has now raised $29.7 million.

Software

healthcare

PathCentral, a firm that makes software for pathologists, has been acquired by XIFIN, which develops cloud-based financial software for the healthcare sector. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition will advance XIFIN’s ability to support the convergence of diagnostics between the laboratory, anatomic pathology, radiology, and other diagnostic service providers to improve health outcomes and lower the costs of healthcare management.

Information & Business Services

bpo

Qualcomm (NasdaqGS:QCOM) has agreed to sell its North and Latin American transportation and logistics business, Omnitracs, to private-equity firm Vista Equity Partners for $800 million in cash. Omnitracs offers software applications, computing platforms, and services for private and for-hire fleets. Its technology includes services for safety and compliance, driver retention, GPS fleet tracking, and fleet maintenance software. The deal is expected to be close during the December quarter.

Omaha Legal Services, a full-service litigation support company offering: scanning, copying/printing, electronic discovery, trial support and online hosting document review tools to law firms and legal departments, has been acquired for an undisclosed amount by D4, a provider of eDiscovery, digital investigations, information management to law firms.

market research, management consulting

The Benenson Strategy Group, a global strategic research and consulting firm, has been acquired by WPP’s (LSE:WPP) wholly owned data investment management business, Kantar. Terms were not disclosed. Founded in 2000, Benenson Strategy Group ran the research and polling programs for President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns and has advised 11 prime ministers and presidents worldwide.

Other

direct selling, ecommerce

Uber, which offers an on-demand care service available through the company’s mobile and Web app, has closed $361.2 million in its latest round of funding from Google Ventures, Benchmark Capital, and TPG. The round values Uber at $3.4 billion pre-money and $3.8 billion post. Google Ventures led the investment with a $258 million contribution, which accounts for 86 percent of Google Venture’s $300 million per year fund.