Tag: VEN

Health Care

Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC Makes $15 Million Investment in Vivo Capital Fund

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SINGAPORE, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC) today announced a USD $15 million commitment to Vivo Capital Fund VIII (“Vivo VIII”).  Vivo Capital is an investment firm focused on investing in and developing healthcare companies in the U.S. and China.

This investment in Vivo VIII provides late stage venture and early stage growth capital to be invested in the United States and China. This investment helps bridge two of the world’s largest healthcare markets and enables cross-country relationships that will allow for market expansion and access to new products. The fund aims to combine the innovation and expertise with the growth and capital of the different regions using their presence in both regions.

JJDC is the first healthcare venture group to invest in Vivo VIII. With headquarters in Palo Alto, Shanghai, and Beijing, Vivo Capital maintains a long history of partnership with entrepreneurs and industry members in both countries.

“We are excited about our investment in Vivo VIII as part of our strategy to support and advance innovation in the Asia Pacific region,” said Vladimir Makatsaria, Company Group Chairman of Medical Devices, Asia Pacific for Johnson & Johnson. “Vivo Capital’s differentiated strategy and depth of experience in China and the United States provides us a greater window on the emerging science in China, and opportunities to invest in these promising companies.”  

Vivo Capital has managed a total of seven funds in the last 17 years. They have participated in seven IPOs in China, and have coordinated two of the largest medical device exits in Chinese history with China Kanghui and Trauson. In the United States, the fund has managed multiple exits, including Ceptaris, Neomend, Vicept, and Rempex. Given the room for continued industry growth in China, investment opportunities remain abundant, with total healthcare expenditure set to grow to USD $1 trillion by 2020, with an average growth rate of 18% every year since 2012.

About Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC

About Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. is the venture capital subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson that has been investing since 1973 in medical device, diagnostic, pharmaceutical and consumer health areas.  Our goal is to create opportunities that meet the strategic needs of Johnson & Johnson while providing visibility to innovative emerging technology, businesses and business models.  JJDC measures the success of an investment’s performance not only in financial returns, but also in the viability of providing strategic growth opportunities for the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies.  JJDC is interested in opportunities that address significant unmet medical needs, have clear competitive advantages, IP protection, an executable clinical and commercialization plan and are led by experienced management.  JJDC invests in companies across the continuum from early stage seed investments to advanced stages of series venture management.  Our investment teams are based in Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s four regional innovation centers in Boston, California, London and Asia Pacific.  For more information, please visit www.jnjinnovation.com.

(This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. and/or Johnson & Johnson.  Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the potential that the expected benefits and opportunities of this investment may not be realized. Investments in externally sourced innovation are inherently risky, with no guarantee of success. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2014, including in Exhibit 99 thereto, and the company’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson.  Neither Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. nor Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments).

Fashion

Global E-Commerce Marketplace Farfetch Announces a US$86 Million Series E Round of Investment Led by DST Global

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LONDON and NEW YORK, March 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Farfetch announced today a US$86 million Series E round of investment led by DST Global. Farfetch’s existing investors Conde Nast International and Vitruvian Partners also participated in the round.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150305/732387-a )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150305/732387-b )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150305/732387-c )

Yuri Milner, founder of DST Global, said: “Farfetch has a strong team, impressive growth and great potential to capitalize on the fast growing luxury fashion e-commerce market.”

This new investment, which values the company at US$1billion, puts Farfetch in a strong position to continue its rapid growth, focusing on international expansion and omni-channel propositions.

The funding will be used specifically to focus on international expansion with new local language sites, including German, Korean and Spanish; opening new offices in key global markets; and opening up new markets Japan and Australia to the supply side of the marketplace. It will also fuel the company’s omni-channel growth and customer propositions including launching same-day delivery in multiple global markets, and the continued development of VIP and loyalty programs for Farfetch customers in 180 countries.

Jose Neves, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Farfetch, remarked: “We have had an amazing journey so far, and it’s great to add DST to our already fantastic group of backers for the next stage of growth of Farfetch. The challenge now is to keep innovating and focus on establishing a long-lasting global brand.”

“Farfetch’s development has been remarkably dynamic over the last few years. We are happy to support the talented management team who drive the company forward on its successful course. “, said Moritz von Laffert, Vice President and Director of Acquisitions and Investments at Conde Nast International.

Farfetch’s current investors also include: – Advent Ventures Partners, Index Ventures, Novel TMT and e.Ventures. This latest investment puts the total amount raised by the company at over US$195 million.

For press enquiries please contact:

Sameera Hassan, Global Director of PR and Communications
sameera.hassan@farfetch.com
www.farfetch.com @farfetch

NOTES TO EDITORS

About Farfetch

Farfetch is a revolutionary way to buy fashion. The pioneering website brings together more than 300 of the world’s best independent designer boutiques, from Paris, New York and Milan to Bucharest, Kuwait and Tokyo. The Farfetch partner boutiques occupy a total of 1,000,000 square feet of retail space across 30 countries, allowing Farfetch customers, across 180 countries to shop an unparalleled range of brands and unique pieces.

Our partner stores have been carefully selected for their unique approach, forward-thinking attitude and diversity, and include such renowned boutiques as Browns in London, L’Eclaireur in Paris, H. Lorenzo in LA, Fivestory in New York and Smets in Luxembourg.

Founded in 2008 by the Portuguese entrepreneur Jose Neves, Farfetch offers these bricks-and-mortar boutiques the opportunity to compete with the major players in online retail. And, for lovers of beautiful fashion, it offers the chance to indulge a passion and shop the world.

About DST Global

Founded in 2009 by Yuri Milner, DST Global is one of the leading investment groups globally to focus exclusively on internet related companies. DST Global’s portfolio includes some of the world’s leading and most valuable internet assets.

About Vitruvian Partners

Vitruvian is an independent private equity firm which specializes in middlemarket buyouts, growth buyouts and growth capital investments in Europe. Vitruvian focuses on investing in ‘dynamic situations’ in industries characterized by rapid growth and change, such as information technology, media, telecoms, financial services, business services, healthcare and leisure. Vitruvian is currently investing VIP II, its recently raised second fund of £1 billion. Its previous investments in the technology and internet sectors include Just Eat, Flexpay, Snow Software, Callcredit Information Group, Inspired Gaming, Openbet, IMD and ASP4All Bitbrains. Vitruvian has offices in London, Munich and Stockholm.

About Conde Nast International (CNI)

Conde Nast is a global media company producing the highest quality magazines, websites and digital content. Reaching more than 263 million consumers in 29 markets, the company’s portfolio includes many of the world’s most respected and influential media properties including Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Brides, Self, GQ, Conde Nast Traveller/Traveler, Allure, Architectural Digest, Wired, W and Style amongst others.

In addition to publishing 140 magazines and over 100 websites, the company operates a restaurant division and several ventures in education. Conde Nast Entertainment develops film, television and premium video programming.

Please visit condenast.com and condenastinternational.com

ENT Fashion

Crowdynews Raises EUR2,5 Million; Lets Newspapers And Publishers Integrate Social Media With Popular News Stories

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— INKEF Capital Leads the Series A Round with Singapore Press Holdings

GRONINGEN, Netherlands, Jan. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Crowdynews, the social media curation platform for media companies, today announced that it has raised EUR2,5 million in funding.  The Series A round was led by INKEF Capital and joined by co-investor Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) through its New Media Fund.  Crowdynews plans to use the funds to continue its rapid global expansion with media and newspaper companies. Customers include the Chicago Tribune, Washington Times, AccuWeather and hundreds of other media outlets around the world.

“Crowdynews was inspired when the US Airways plane landed in the Hudson River,” said co-founder Edwin Kuipers.  “Most of the breaking news was coming from social media posts.  Crowdynews found a way to integrate social media into the news cycle, and media companies have loved the reader engagement plus the revenue sharing model that gives them new digital income.  It’s been a dream come true.”

Crowdynews gathers social media posts, photos and videos from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo and other channels to augment traditional reporting with social media and engage readers. The Crowdynews platform uses advanced technologies such as natural language processing and artificial intelligence to achieve over 90% relevancy rates in more than 25 languages. Crowdynews is the only social media curation platform that is both multi-lingual, globally scalable and pulls from a list of premium social media services.

“Crowdynews was one of the early products in social media curation, and is still the only one to pull from almost all social media channels,” said co-founder Jeroen Zanen. “This funding will allow us to continue our aggressive global expansion, improve operational excellence, and drive innovation. The combination of INKEF Capital’s international and business development experience and SPH’s extensive and long-standing background in media management and operations brings balanced guidance to our company, and we’re excited to work with our new supervisory board members.”

INKEF is a venture capital firm focused on long term collaboration and active support of innovative technology companies. INKEF was founded in 2010. With EUR200 million under management, the firm represents one of the largest venture capital funds in the Netherlands. So far, INKEF has completed nine investments in the healthcare, IT, software and new media sectors. Two of these companies have been successfully acquired (Sapiens by Medtronic and Profibrix by The Medicines Company).

“We were looking to expand our investments in new media and software,” said Robert Jan Galema, managing director of INKEF Capital.  “Crowdynews has a unique angle on the social media phenomena, and it was a logical choice for our next step in technology investing. We are happy to work with the team as they take their solutions to new global markets.”

SPH is Asia’s leading media organisation. Beyond its stable of 19 licensed newspaper titles, its suite of digital products includes online editions of newspapers and magazines, as well as mobile applications.  In addition, it has also ventured into book publishing, broadcasting, events, out-of-home advertising and properties. The company’s New Media Fund, which was launched in October 2013, looks at investing in new and emerging companies in media-related and adjacent businesses.

“Media companies around the world are looking at ways to integrate social media as part of their product offerings,” said Mr. Chua Boon Ping, CEO, SPH Media Fund.  “Through Crowdynews, media companies can quickly engage readers through the timely broadcast and sharing of headlines and breaking news stories. Crowdynews also offers new opportunities to grow digital revenues as advertisers have another channel to reach out to their target audiences. Crowdynews fits the profile of the investment that we are seeking.  The company’s innovative products and global reach demonstrate strong growth prospects. We look forward to playing a role in driving its development to the next level.”

As part of the investment, Robert Jan Galema from INKEF Capital will join the supervisory board of directors. 

About Crowdynews
Founded in 2010, Crowdynews is headquartered in Groningen, The Netherlands.  The company’s social media curation platform is comprised of three products:  The Crowdynews Widget, Crowdynews Breaking Burner and Crowdynews Amplifinder.  Customers include the Chicago Tribune, Washington Times, AccuWeather, NBA, Sport.es, The Malaysian Insider, Philippine Star, and hundreds of media outlets around the world.  For more information, please visit www.crowdynews.com.

ENT Fashion

Art e-Commerce Company HIHEY.COM Receives Series-B Investment

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China Citic Securities and Shenzhen Capital Group to invest about US$100 million

BEIJING, Nov. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — An advertisement on the large screen which overlooks New York’s Times Square spelling out “the largest art e-commerce company” in Chinese characters stood out against all the others. The ad was issued by HIHEY.COM, the art trading website located in Beijing’s 798 art gallery district. The website recently announced that it had received a series-B investment of about US$100 million from CITIC Securities and Shenzhen Capital Group after obtaining an equity investment from China Minsheng Banking Corporation.

HIHEY.COM, The leading Online Art Market

HIHEY.COM, The leading Online Art Market

With the advice and help of capital and media experts, HIHEY.COM has experienced rapid growth since its inception. The shareholder lineup has been proven to be the strongest among all companies that started up in 2014. Both the strategic investment by China Minsheng Banking Corporation and the recent participation by CITIC Securities and Shenzhen Capital Group demonstrate the enormous attraction of the cultural and art segment as well as HIHEY’s competitive advantages and strong growth in the art e-Commerce sector. As the largest private bank in China, China Minsheng Banking Corporation has proven itself highly innovative in its handling of the art finance business and in executing on corporate social responsibility. All steps taken by the bank, including the first fund dedicated to investing in works of art, the first non-profit art museum sponsored by a financial institution and the first private bank art club, are revolutionizing the way that the financial and art worlds interact with each other. CITIC Securities, with assets of 271.4 billion yuan (approx. US$44.2 billion), is the largest broker in Asia. Shenzhen Capital Group is the largest Chinese state-controlled venture capital investment group. With a conservative but highly precise investment modus operandi, the group has 30 billion yuan (approx. US$4.9 billion) under management and has successfully invested in 98 venture capital backed IPOs. It has been named by zero2ipo.com as the No.1 venture capital firm in China for five consecutive years. HIHEY.COM has taken it upon itself to break the industry’s unspoken rules and bring stability to the art market via its open and transparent network platform, while creating value for its clients through ongoing technological innovations. As a result of these efforts, the company was not only the first art firm to obtain venture capital investment but is also the art e-commerce platform with the strongest shareholder lineup.

Creating an art world where everyone and anyone can be a collector

Founded in 2011, HIHEY.COM, the leading online art market, is a comprehensive one-stop-shop for the promotion and sale of works of art. Every category of art object is available and a full range of transaction services is offered. The realization of the initial goal of transforming the art world by moving it into an Internet ecosystem and having the sale of artworks be handled online has brought about transparency in pricing and fairness in transactions. HIHEY, by enabling artists to display their wares through online channels, has provided career opportunities and support for tens of thousands of artists and allowed them be able to not only survive but to also thrive in their artistic endeavors. Meanwhile, HIHEY’s safe and convenient online art transaction platform helps newly wealthy Chinese discover leading new-generation artists. The firm’s VIP clients are all leaders across a wide range of industries, with entertainment barons such as Wang Changtian, Guo Jingming, Wang Zhongjun, Xu Xiaoping and Shen Lihui, as well as C-suite executives and managers at leading financial companies including Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley all steadfast fans of the website. With the fast-growing Chinese economy, HIHEY is creating a world where everyone and anyone can be an art collector.

The Internet and the worlds of art and finance join hands to create a world-class art transaction platform

Relying on the backgrounds and resources of its shareholders, the HIHEY team will provide basic services for artwork transactions and provide financial support for the art industry through the mobile Internet, an “offline to online” (O2O) ecosystem for the promotion and sale of works of art as well as the creation and management of art funds. The spirit of innovation, the professionalism of the team, the strong backgrounds of the shareholders and the implementation of leading technologies will help maintain HIHEY.COM’s leading position in development and growth of the overall online art transaction market. The new ecosystem creates an efficient, open and free art sharing platform for artists, galleries, auction houses as well as purveyors and collectors from the traditional art market, and, at the same time, provides a new experience as for how artists and collectors interact with other.

Photo – http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20141112/0861408441
Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141112/158107