November gave a new boost to investments in 2019 thanks to the end of the month with a cumulative 140.83M€ invested in startups in a total of 22 public operations, making it the second month with the highest number of capital raised in 2019 after April (280.36M€) and ahead of July (131.61M€).
The total accumulated is now at €874.48 million in the first 11 months of 2019, already surpassing 2017 which closed with €834.26 million and approaching €1,000 million which seems unlikely to be this year’s accumulated total. Long exceeded are the 1,227.09M€ of 2018 (including the €430M round of Letgo). In total, in 2019, 182 public operations were closed at the end of the month compared to 185 last year. During November, two operations stand out above the rest. Jobandtalent‘s €78M led by Seek (whose last public round was announced in June 2018 for €10M) and Holaluz‘s €30M. It is also worth mentioning Burugoo’s €10M round announced at the end of the month, in a series A operation with which it will consolidate its growth in Europe and Latin America and help them focus on their global expansion.
PUBLIC OPERATIONS NOVEMBER 2019
Jobandtalent: has closed a round of more than 78 million Euro thanks to the leadership of the Australian company Seek. The capital increase took place between new certificates and the repurchase of those held by the original investors. In addition, DN Capital, Quadrille Capital and Schroeder & Co also participated in the operation as new shareholders and repeated Atomico and the FJLabs fund. According to the newspaper La Información, the round was set at the beginning of this year, although the negotiations have been prolonged until now. The founders of Jobandtalent expected to obtain between 40 and 45 million, although in the end the figure has surpassed 70 million.
Holaluz: has increased its capital by 30 million Euro and its value amounts to 160 million Euro on the eve of listing on the Alternative Stock Market (MAB) on Friday 29 November. The starting price of the share has been set at €7.78. The capital increase of the green technology startup consists of the investment of national and international investors, in addition to the sale of shares for a value of 10.4 million Euro by the founding partners and Axon Capital Partners.
Buguroo: the Spanish cybersecurity company has obtained 11 million dollars (10 million Euro) in Series A financing to consolidate its success in Europe and Latin America and focus on its global expansion. Buguroo offers cutting-edge technology in online fraud detection and prevention, based on deep learning, combining behavioral biometrics, malware detection and device analysis. The round was co-led by Ten Eleven Ventures and Seaya Ventures. Inveready and Conexo Ventures, investors already present in the company, also participated.
ID Finance: ID Finance has closed a capital increase of 5.7 million Euro through the investment marketplace Crowdcube. The fintech specializing in online loans will allocate the funds raised to its international expansion plan. More than 1,200 investors from 62 countries participated in the round, with an average investment of 4,700 Euro. This is the largest equity crowdfunding operation in Spain.
Bnext: In its crowdfunding equity, Bnext has reached a total amount of more than 3.3 million Euro. This means that the round is the second one that has collected the most through the online investment platform Crowdcube. A total of 4,988 people took part in the operation, making the fintech the Spanish startup with the most investors financing it through an equity crowdfunding round in Spain. The capital increase has closed with an oversubscription of 288% since the start of the operation.
Xceed: the startup with headquarters in Barcelona, has closed a round of 2.3 million Euro with the support of 360º Capital. The nightlife company, which works to build a definitive going out community, offers a use of big-data technology that allows millions of businesses to better manage their spaces and events and reach millions of party goers around the world. Since its inception Xceed has raised a total of 3 million Euro and has managed more than 30 million Euro and 5 million reservations and, in 2018, surpassed the break-even point.
Broomx: Barcelona-based startup Broomx Technologies has raised 2 million Euro in its latest round of financing. Telefónica’s Open Innovation Hub (Wayra), Banc Sabadell’s BStartup and Stornoway Investments, together with a group of business angels from the United Kingdom and Luxembourg, participated in this investment. Broomx is the creator of the world’s first virtual reality projector, the MK360, a technology that allows people to enjoy immersive experiences shared in real spaces without using virtual reality headsets. This technology is already being used in 20 different countries, and its clients include big names such as Catalonia Hotels and Marriot, corporations such as Skoda, Asepeyo and Japanese NTT Docomo, and universities such as UCLA in the United States. In addition, the company is participating in a clinical study on the impact of immersive technologies in the treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases funded by Health Canada.
Alerion: the company has obtained 1.2 million Euro thanks to the support of Orza and Easo Ventures. The company from San Sebastian, which specializes in the development of autonomous navigation using artificial vision, high-performance computer software and data analysis, will use the funding to strengthen the team and drive the company’s international growth. After this investment, the company’s co-founders still have a large majority of the company’s capital.
Nabrawind: Nabrawind Technologies has raised 1.175 million Euro in its latest round of financing led by Basarro 2005 SL and EIT Innoenergy, entities that already participated in the shareholding of the company from Navarra. Both have joined other investors in the company such as Barinaga&Alberdi SA and Sociedad de Desarrollo de Navarra (Sodena).
StudentFinance: The fintech and edtech have closed an investment round of 1.15 million Euro thanks to the confidence of international investors such as MustarSeed and SeedCamp. The funds will be used to consolidate its system of educational financing based on the “Shared Income Agreement”. This support will allow the company to continue facilitating access to technological skills training in Spain.
Happybox: Happy Box has closed a financing round of 820,000 Euro thanks to 333 investors from 39 different countries through Crowdcube and an ENISA participative loan of 300,000 Euro. The startup, which is a pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence technology and chatbots for the last mile, has ensured that the success of the round is key to further accelerate growth. The resources will be used specifically to improve the development of its artificial intelligence technology and chatbot capabilities, hire key personnel (such as traffic managers, data scientists, back-end developers and international business developers), and open new markets and intensify its marketing.
Micappital: Spanish fintech regulated by the CNMV, which specializes in designing tailor-made savings and investment plans for small savers, raised 750,000 Euro in its second round of financing. The operation was led by Uriel Inversiones and, in addition, new business angels participated, and all the initial investors revalidated their support. In this way, the investment holding company of the Huarte family from Navarre became the majority shareholder of the automated financial advisory company.
Helloteca: the capital increase of the company closed with a total value of 720,000 Euro. The resources were contributed by the entrepreneurial members of Helloteca and the business angels club Padeinvest. The latter participated in the operation for its differential value and growth forecast. Helloteca expects to close the nine months of operation in 2019 with around 1,000 mortgages in management and 300 signed.
Able Human Motion: has raised a total of 700,000 Euro in its latest round of investment, in which the venture capital entity BStartup Health was key, a program of Banco Sabadell dedicated to health startups. The healthtech company will invest the funds raised in the transformation and evolution of the prototype of the current exoskeleton to make it a robust and scalable product. To achieve this goal, Able Human Motion will require R&D personnel, materials, services and, mainly, the national entry of the patent, as well as clinical validation of the device at the Guttmann Institute for subsequent certification as a suitable medical device.
Worldcoo: has closed a 565,000 Euro financing round led by Equity4Good, the vehicle managed by Ship2B and co-invested by the European Investment Fund. Part of the disbursement of this round is subject to compliance with objectives set by the entities in the coming months. A round in which the IFEM and other private investors have also joined.
Verone: the technological platform that offers jewelry rental subscriptions in Europe, has closed a round of 500,000 Euro with the support of the Spanish fund Reus Capital Partners, investor in projects such as Badi and 21 Buttons. Tous SA, which has accompanied Verone since its creation, is also backing the project. In addition, Carlos Blanco (founder of Nuclio Venture Builder), Gerard Romy (of Media Digital Ventures) and Telmo Pérez (Acciona) participated in the operation. The round will be aimed at consolidating leadership in Spain and opening three new international markets: Germany, France and Italy. “In these three countries, consumption in the luxury market is much higher than in Spain. It was necessary to be in these markets as soon as possible and to be the first to introduce the concept of subscription jewelry”, said Luis Feliu de la Peña, CEO and founder of Verone.
Hetikus: has closed its first round of funding in which it has raised 500,000 Euro. The round was led by Inveready, with the participation of Encomenda Smart Capital and EASO Ventures. This startup is the first RegTech comprehensive regulatory management platform in the world of SaaS architecture. With the entry of this capital, Hetikus intends to begin the international marketing of the platform, focusing on the markets of Latin America, Europe and the United States. In this sense, Javier Garatea, founder and CEO of Hetikus has stated that the round “is a decisive financial impulse for the international expansion of the company and the acceleration of the entry to markets in which there is a great opportunity for growth”.
Siguetuliga: has closed a round of financing of 500,000 Euro thanks to the investment of various entrepreneurs and renowned footballers. This capital increase is a continuation of the company’s rise. After establishing itself nationally in the sector, Siguetuliga has decided to take a step forward and focus its efforts on the development of management tools to help sports clubs. The social network for grassroots sports clubs and fans already has a community of more than three million users publishing results, line-ups, goals and calendars.
FoodVAC: Angels Capital, the investment company of businessman Juan Roig and Herrecha Inversiones, owned by Hortensia Herrero, have decided to participate in the shareholding of FoodVAC, with a minority percentage, through a joint investment of 400,000 Euro. The objective of this entry is to contribute to the growth and expansion of the company.
Hemper: through La Bolsa Social, has closed an investment round of 280,000 Euro in which 41 investors interested in high impact and sustainable projects have participated. With the resources obtained, the aim of the firm is to promote the plans to open its first physical store, to consolidate itself in the national market, and to bet on European markets.
Blocktat: the company has received 250,000 Euro from the NEOTEC Program, belonging to the Centre for Industrial Technological Development (CDTi), in order to implement its blockchain technology in the field of IoT (Internet of Things). The Spanish startup specialized in blockchain technology provides the characteristics of inviolability, immutability and open verification for all its digital certificates.