CrunchBase Weekly Market Momentum

News About Crunchbase
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Jaclyn Robinson, Senior Manager of Content Marketing at Crunchbase

Summer is drawing towards its official close at the end of the month and we’re already halfway through Q3. Thus far in 2014, we’ve seen emerging venture investment categories supported through the creation of seed funds and accelerators designed to target certain verticals. During the last week, however, Education, BioTech and Healthcare startups led all categories with a number of large, later stage venture deals.

Education made the biggest jump as the number of startups funded doubled the prior week. Most notably, Guangzho-based Xingshuai Teach raised a $30M Series B this week from Chinese VC’s Northern Light Venture Capital and Legend Capital for its educational software for designers and animators. Welsh e-learning company MedaPhor also raised £4.7M for its educational technology geared toward medical training. The investment from the Wales Life Sciences Fund is in anticipation of a public offering later this year.

Biotechnology startups also enjoyed an eventful week as 17 companies were funded, led by a $51M Series C for Dermira of Redwood City. Healthsense, based in Minnesota, raised $10M last week in a venture round led by Mansa Capital that also included participation from the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund and Radius Ventures. Mansa Capital followed that up with a $3M round for HealthPrize Technologies the next day.

Enterprise Software, Saas and Health & Wellness startups each saw a modest increase in funding from seven rounds during the prior period to nine each last week. Within Enterprise Software, PernixData raised the most from a roster of 9 different investors for a $35M Series C. Data Robot and Comprehend Systems also raised matching $21M rounds. The Series A for Data Robot included funding from New York Life, IA Ventures, Atlas Venture and New Enterprise Associates. Quotidian, Sequoia and Lightspeed came together for the $21M Series B for Comprehend Systems. Lightspeed was also included in the round for PernixData while Sequoia provided follow-on rounds last week for portfolio companies Medallia, Thumbtack and Jiuxian.