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June VC Funding: 65 startups raise over $2.2B with agtech, biotech leading


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It is summer for Boston startups indeed.

More than 60 startups raised over $2 billion in venture funding in June. Chief among those were Duck Creek Technologies' $230 million round and Indigo Ag's $300 million Series F round.

Venture capital firms were active, too: Cambridge-based Atlas Venture closed a new $400 million fund which will go towards 15 to 20 startups. Boston private equity firm HarbourVest Partners, meanwhile, raised $288 million for its Harbourvest Adelaide fund.

Prime Impact Fund, a Cambridge-based early-stage venture capital firm focused on breakthrough climate technologies, closed its fund with approximately $50 million in capital. And Boston-based VC firm Material Impact announced Material Impact Fund II, a $200 million oversubscribed fund that will invest in startups developing products enabled by materials innovations.

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Below are the startups that raised capital in June:

AgTech

Northampton-based Clean Crop Technologies closed a $2.75 million seed round to develop its High Voltage Atmospheric Cold Plasma (HVACP) technology for reduction of food waste and crop loss across the food space. Prime Impact Fund led the round and was joined by Factor[e] Ventures, Innova Memphis, the Syndicate Fund and the Alchemy Fund.

With a renewed focus on bringing sustainable biopesticides and a coronavirus vaccine to market, GreenLight Biosciences, the rapidly growing agtech and life sciences firm based in Medford, has brought in a whopping $102 million in Series D funding. The round, which was oversubscribed, was led by Chinese investment firm Morningside Ventures. S2G Ventures, Coromorant Asset Management, Continental Grain Company, Fall Line Capital, Tao Capital Partners, Baird Venture Partners, MLS Capital Fund II, Lewis and Clark AgriFood and Lupa Systems also participated.

Axios reports that agtech startup Indigo Ag has raised around $300 million in new Series F funding from Flagship Pioneering, Alaska Permanent Fund and Riverstone Holdings. Indigo Ag is now the world's most highly valued agtech startup, with a $3.5 billion post-money valuation.

Woburn-based Enko Chem, which is using AI to find new molecular compounds to make pesticides sustainable and safe, emerged from stealth with $45 million in Series B funding. The round was led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and brought on Finistere Ventures, Novalis LifeSciences, Germin8 Ventures and TO Ventures Food as new investors.

Biotech

Repare Therapeutics, a precision oncology company based in Cambridge and Montreal,  entered into an exclusive, worldwide research collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb. As part of the agreement, Bristol Myers Squibb has invested $15 million in equity into Repare. Shortly following that announcement, Repare filed for a $100 million IPO.

Lowell-based LaunchPad Medical received follow-on support of up to $1.8 million from the Michigan-Pittsburgh-Wyss Regenerative Medicine Resource Center to improve the translation of promising tissue engineering and regenerative medicine technologies for dental, oral and craniofacial clinical practice, per an email to BostInno.

Lexington-based biotech startup NodThera pulled in $55 million in Series B funding from 5AM Ventures, F-Prime Capital, Sofinnova Partners and others

Cambridge startup Cullinan Oncology emerged from stealth mode with $150 million in Series A funding, which was led by F2 Ventures and a UBS venture fund managed by MPM Capital

Cambridge-based Artax Biopharma, a biotech company focused on transforming autoimmune disease treatment, completed an extension of an undisclosed amount to its Series B financing, led by Columbus Venture Partners.

Lexington-based Accent Therapeutics and AstraZeneca announced they would  collaborate to discover, develop and commercialize transformative therapeutics targeting RNA-modifying proteins (RMPs) for the treatment of cancer. As part of the deal, Accent will get an upfront payment of $55 million, with the potential to receive up to $1.1 billion in milestone payments.

Alpha Tau Medical, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based developer of alpha-radiation cancer therapy Alpha DaRT whose U.S. HQ is in Lawrence, closed a $26 million Series B round with investments from Shavit Capital, Medison Ventures and OurCrowd

Cambridge-based oncology therapeutics startup PanTher Therapeutics raised $3 million in equity in a $7 million funding round, according to an SEC filing.

CereVasc, an Auburndale-based biotech focused on treating hydrocephalus, closed its Series A round of $43.9 million led by the Perceptive Xontogeny Venture Fund and ATON Partners. Hydrocephalus, often referred to as “water on the brain,” is a condition where fluid builds up in the cavities (ventricles) deep within the brain. The excess fluid increases the size of the ventricles and puts pressure on the brain, often causing impaired vision, loss of coordination and more.

Concord-based Applied BioMath was awarded a grant of an undisclosed amount for the development of a software platform called Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) Workbench.

Checkmate Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge-based cancer immunotherapy startup, closed an $85 million Series C round. The round was led by Longitude Capital and Novo Holdings, with participation from new investors Medixci, Omega Funds, Clough Capital Partners, Sectoral Asset Management and BrightEdge, the venture investment fund of the American Cancer Society, along with existing investors Sofinnova Investments, venBio Partners, F-Prime Capital and Decheng Capital.

Boxborough-based HelixBind, which is developing an innovative diagnostic platform to revolutionize care for invasive infections such as sepsis, was awarded a new $3 million grant from the NIH.

Verve Therapeutics raised a $63 million Series A-2 round from GV, ARCH Venture Partners, F-Prime Capital, Wellington Management and others. The biotech plans to use the genetic mutation and the gene editing technology CRISPR to turn off eight genes linked to high cholesterol. 

Lexington-based oncology company Curis announced that it expects to raise $17.5 million in a registered direct offering.

Cambridge-based biotech startup Fulcrum Therapeutics raised $68.5 million in equity, according to an SEC filing. 

Boston-based Life Biosciences, which is addressing the eight pathways of age-related decline (ARD) in totality, raised $18.2 million in equity in a $100 million funding round, per an SEC filing.

Cambridge-based Glympse Bio, which is developing in vivo sensing technology to transform disease monitoring, raised $26.1 million in equity in a $45 million funding round, according to an SEC filing. 

The Wyss Institute signed a one-year agreement worth up to $16 million with the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to identify and test FDA-approved drugs that could be repurposed to prevent or treat Covid-19. Scientists at Wyss are testing those drugs using Organ Chips, microfluidic devices lined with living human cells that were recently developed at the institute and are now produced by Wyss spinout Emulate.

C4 Therapeutics, a Watertown-based biotechnology company pioneering a new class of small-molecule drugs that selectively destroy disease-causing proteins via degradation, closed a $170 million round. The funding included $150 million in Series B equity co-led by existing investor Cobro Ventures and new investor Perceptive Advisors and $20 million in venture debt from Perceptive Advisors.

Woburn-based microbiome startup MarvelBiome raised $2.3 million in equity, according to an SEC filing. 

Cambridge-based Goldfinch Bio, a clinical-stage biotech focused on precision medicines for the treatment of kidney diseases, closed an oversubscribed Series B round at $100 million. The financing was led by Eventide Asset Management and included new investors Wellington Management Company, Ally Bridge Group, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Casdin Capital and Irving Investors.

CivicTech

ClearGov, the Maynard-based transparency and budgeting software startup that exists to serve local governments, raised $3 million in equity, according to an SEC filing. The startup has seen a boost as local governments pivot to address the novel coronavirus, as we reported last month

Construction

Boston-based Trade Hounds, the startup behind a professional community built exclusively for the construction industry, raised a $3.2 million seed round led by Corigin Ventures and Brick and Mortar Ventures.

Cryptocurrency

Floating Point Group, a Cambridge-based provider of a platform for institutional traders to deploy algorithmic systems for cryptocurrency trading, raised $2 million in funding from AngelList and MetaStable Capital founder Naval Ravikant, pif.vc, Algorand CEO Steve Kokinos, BoxOne Ventures, Seabury Global Markets and several asset management executives.

Cybersecurity

Wellesley-based SaaS security startup Zilla Security raised an additional $1 million in equity in a $4.1 million funding round, according to an SEC filing. 

As companies adjust to remote workforce operations, Waltham startup Uptycs raised $30 million in Series B to identify security breaches as they happen. The funding round was led by Sapphire Ventures, with participation from existing investors Comcast Ventures and ForgePoint Capital. This round of capital brings the company’s total funding to $43 million.

Energy Tech

Quaise Inc., an MIT spinout that developed a millimeter wave drilling technology to access deep geothermal energy, raised $6 million in seed funding. The investment was led by MIT’s venture arm, The Engine. Silicon Valley investor Vinod Khosla, who helped found the company, and Collaborative Fund also participated in the round. Founded and headed by the former technical director of The Engine Carlos Araque, Quaise is in the process of developing and commercializing technology that was invented at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center

FinTech

Leveredge, a Harvard i-lab startup that uses group buying power to negotiate down student loan rates, raised a $2.5 million seed round last month led by NFX along with Global Founders Capital and founders from fintech companies Earnest and SoFi.

Boston-based mobile banking company Envel raised $1 million in debt in a $4.1 million funding round, according to an SEC filing. 

FitnessTech

Cambridge-based Hydrow, a maker of connected rowers that allow users to digitally row with professionals, announced that it has raised $25 million. The round was led by from L Catterton, a private equity firm that has also backed Peloton and other fitness companies, including Equinox, CorePower Yoga and Bodytech. Rx3 Ventures, which was co-founded by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, also participated in the round. 

Hardware

Andover-based Mercury Systems received a $3.9 million, multi-phase contract award from a defense prime contractor for the development of a high-density system-in-package solution for radar systems utilizing its novel 2.5D chip-scale integration technology.

Healthcare

Boston-based home health care startup LifePod Solutions raised an additional $11.9 million in equity, according to an SEC filing. 

CareAcademy, a Boston-based startup that trains senior home care professionals, raised $9.5 million in a new round of funding led by Impact America Fund (IAF). Rethink Impact, ReThink Education, Revolution’s Rise of the Rest, Wanxiang America Healthcare Investment, Techstars Ventures, Strada and ECMC also participated in the round.

Boston-based health cloud company Abacus Insights raised a $35 million Series B round led by new investor Blue Venture Fund and joined by returning investors CRV, .406 Ventures, Horizon Healthcare Services and Echo Health Ventures. The debt facility was provided by J.P. Morgan.

In conjunction with TechSprings at Baystate Health, Nutrimedy announced it was part of the $95K Sandbox Grant from the Massachusetts eHealth Institute.

Insurtech

Boston-based insurance software startup TowerIQ raised $4.4 million in equity, according to an SEC filing. 

Boston-based insurtech startup Openly raised $15 million in equity, according to an SEC filing.

Boston-based Hi Marley, provider of an AI-enabled texting platform for the  insurance ecosystem, raised $8 million in a Series A1 round led by True Ventures and Underscore VC. Bain Capital Ventures and Greenspring Associates also participated in the round. This round, which we first reported in March, brings the company’s total funding to $18.6 million.

Micromobility

Superpedestrian brought in a new investment of $55 million, per SEC filings. The startup also acquired assets of Zagster. 

Robotics

Wilmington-based Locus Robotics raised more than $45 million in new funding led by Zebra Ventures, the strategic investment arm of Zebra Technologies. Existing investors, including Scale Venture Partners, also participated in the round. 

Software

Cambridge-based Common Sense Machines raised $4.8 million in equity in a $5.1 million funding round, according to an SEC filing. 

OpenExchange, a Lincoln-based video exchange for financial communications, raised $4.4 million in debt in a $6 million funding round, according to an SEC filing.

Boston-based care collaboration and e-notifications platform PatientPing raised $60 million in Series C funding. The round was co-led by Andreessen Horowitz, F-Prime Capital, GV and Transformation Capital, with participation from existing investors.

jSonar, a database security startup based in Waltham that leans heavily on AI and machine learning, closed a $50 million investment from Goldman Sachs for the company’s first institutional round of funding.

Burlington-based Appfire, a provider of apps for software development teams, received a $49 million strategic investment from Silversmith Capital Partners.

Duck Creek Technologies, a Boston-based software provider for property and casualty insurers secured $230 million in new funding. The investment was led by Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management and Whale Rock Capital Management. The round comes on the heels of the company’s $120 million financing round in December last year.

Kyruus, a Boston-based analytics and scheduling software provider for health care systems, pulled in $30 million led by Bay Area private equity firm Francisco Partners. This new investment follows on the heels of the company’s Series D round worth $42 million late last year, bringing its funding total to $155 million since its founding in 2010.

Waltham-based Infinidat, which provides multi-petabyte data storage solutions, secured an additional investment round from its existing investors: TPG Growth, Goldman Sachs, Claridge, Ion Investors and Moshe Yanai, founder of Infinidat.

Boston-based Vendr raised $4 million led by Craft Ventures. The startup's goal is to help companies save money on their software purchasing.

Enterprise Presto company Starburst, based in Boston, raised $42 million in Series B funding led by Coatue with participation from Index Ventures.

Boston-based automated bookkeeping startup Botkeeper raised $25 million in equity, according to an SEC filing. 

Wise Systems, a Techstars, MassChallenge and MIT Global Founders’ Skills Accelerator alumnus, raised $15 million in a Series B round led by Valo Ventures, a Palo Alto-based fund that invests in applied AI companies. Existing investors Gradient Ventures, Prologis Ventures and E14 Fund also participated in the round. This round brings the company’s total venture funding to $23 million.

Zerto, a Boston-based IT resilience company, raised $33 million in equity financing, which also allows Zerto to draw up to $20 million in additional venture debt under an existing credit facility. The round was supported by Access Industries, 83North, Battery Ventures, Harmony Partners, IVP, RTP Ventures, U.S. Venture Partners and others.

Newton-based BabelBark, which offers a digital platform for pet owners, raised $1.6 million in debt in a $2.3 million funding round, according to an SEC filing. 

Privitar, a British data privacy company whose regional headquarters are in Boston, received a $7 million add-on to its Series C round from HSBC.

Immuta, a Boston-based automated data governance company, secured $40 million in Series C funding. The round was led by new investor Intel Capital, with participation from new investor Ten Eleven Ventures and existing investors DFJ Growth, Dell Technologies Capital, Greycroft, Drive Capital and Citi Ventures.

Boston-based AI startup Neurala raised $4.9 million in equity in a $12 million funding round, according to an SEC filing. 

Boston-based NODAR, which is creating 3D sensors for autonomous vehicles and mobile robots, raised $1.8 million in equity in a $2.7 million funding round, according to an SEC filing. 

Somerville-based KGS Buildings, which enables facilities performance and operational improvement using cloud-based building analytics, raised $6.9 million in equity in an $8 million funding round, according to an SEC filing. 

Security Tech

Armored Things, a Boston-based startup that uses sensors and AI software that monitor crowd flow and predict threats, brought in $7 million in additional seed funding led by Will Ventures, with participation from Splunk, Glasswing Ventures, iNovia and MassVentures. The new funding comes nearly two years after Armored Things closed the first tranche of its seed round at $5.5 million. The company was founded in December 2016 by now-CEO Julie Johnson and Charles Curran.

Semiconductors

Stoneham-based MetaLenz, which develops optical elements that exploit structured Huygens' surfaces for controlling properties of light, raised $7.4 million in equity, according to an SEC filing. 


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