StrictlyVC: March 3, 2016

Hi, happy Thursday, everyone.:)

No column today. Yesterday was busy, punctuated by a dinner in one of San Francisco’s tiniest restaurants. (Delicious food!)

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Top News in the A.M.

Amazon just added two new members to its Echo family.

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New Funds

Africa Internet Group, a three-year-old, Lagos, Nigeria-based outfit that owns online retailer Jumia, has raised $326 million in funding, including a previously disclosed chunk of money from AXA. Other backers include existing stakeholders MTN, an Africa mobile operator; Rocket Internet; and new backer Goldman Sachs. TechCrunch has more here.

Fe3 Medical, an eight-year-old, San Antonio, Tex.-based company whose transdermal patch helps patients suffering from iron-deficiency anemia, has raised $11 million in Series B funding led by the Chinese drug company Jianmin Pharmaceuticals. Other participants include HG Capital, PingAn Ventures, and earlier investor InCube Ventures. The San Antonio Express-News has more here.

GoTenna, a four-year-old, Brooklyn-based startup whose pocket-size communication tool lets smartphones talk to one another without cell service, has raised a $7.5 million Series A led by earlier backer Walden Venture Capital, with participation from MentorTech Ventures, BBG Ventures, Bloomberg Beta, Wareness.io, and individual investors. TechCrunch has more here.

Haizhi, a three-year-old, China-based cloud computing service provider, has raised $30 million in Series C funding led by Legend Capital. The round reportedly values the company at $250 million. DealStreetAsia has more here.

iAngels Crowd, a 2.5-year-old, Tel Aviv, Israel-based crowdfunding investing network that matches international investors with Israeli startups (that are already backed by Israeli investors), has raised $14 million in Series B funding led by the Australia-based Thorney Investment Group. Venture Capital Dispatch has more here.

Mapillary, a two-year-old, Malmo, Sweden-based startup that’s using crowdsourced photos to create an open source, B2B database to compete with Google’s Street View, has raised $8 million in Series A funding from AtomicoSequoia Capital, LDV Capital, and PlayFair. TechCrunch has more here.

Oro, a 3.5-year-old, L.A.-based company that makes open-source tools for CRM and B2B e-commerce, has raised $12 million in Series A funding from Highland Europe. Tech.eu has more here.

OurCrowd, a three-year-old, Jerusalem-based global equity crowdfunding platform, has raised $10 million from Singapore-based United Overseas Bank in a deal that heralds OurCrowd’s first major foray into Asia. DealStreetAsia hasmore here.

Pathmatics, a 5.5-year-old, Santa Monica, Ca.-based company that sells analytics products to the online display advertising industry, has raised $3 million in Series A funding led by Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, with participation from Wavemaker Partners, Manatt Venture Partners, and earlier investors Upfront Ventures, Karlin Ventures, Baroda VenturesDouble M Partners and Daher Capital. VentureBeat has more here.

Roofstock, a year-old, Oakland, Ca.-based online marketplace for buying and selling already-rented homes (so you get tenants and cash flow immediately), has raised $13.25 million in Series A funding from Khosla Ventures, investor Ron Conway, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Bain Capital, and others. TechCrunch has more here.

Wrap Media, a two-year-old, San Francisco-based storytelling and commerce platform for brands, has raised $4 million in new funding from returning investor Dream Incubator, a Tokyo-based consulting and private equity firm that has also signed a strategic partnership with Wrap Media. TechCrunch has more on the company — which has now raised $22.7 million altogether — here.

XJet, an 11-year-old, Rehovot, Israel-based startup that develops technology for 3D printing for metal parts, has raised $25 million in new funding led by Catalyst CEL and Autodesk. Reuters has more here.

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New Funds

FreshTracks Capital, a 16-year-old, Vermont-based venture capital firm, is targeting $25 million for its fourth fund, shows an SEC filing.

Kensington Capital Partners, a Toronto-based alternative asset investment firm, has closed a new venture capital fund of funds with C$306 million ($227.9 million) in commitments. The firm began raising the fund in November 2014. More here.

Ted Leonsis is starting another venture fund: This one will be a $10 million pool designed to invest in tech startups with the potential to change the way users watch and experience sports. Leonsis is also a cofounder of Revolution Growth. The Washington Business Journal has more here.

Peakspan Capital, a 1.5-year-old, New York-based venture firm focused exclusively on growth-stage, B2B and other enterprise software companies, has closed on $150 million for its debut fund, shows an SEC filing. Among its newest deals: MindTouch, a San Diego-based company that provides cloud-based answers to consumer product questions and that raised $12 million in funding last month.

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Exits

Cisco said yesterday that it’s acquiring Israeli chip designer Leaba Semiconductor for $320 million. TechCrunch has more here.

RNTS, the German company, has acquired Inneractive, an Israeli-based real-time bidding and mobile ad exchange, for $46 million in cash, plus up to $26 million in earn-outs and retention payments. TechCrunch has more here.

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People

Yesterday, former Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon, who in more recent years had cofounded the early-stage venture firm Deep Fork Capital,drove into the bottom of an overpass at what authorities describe as a “high rate of speed,” and died. McClendon was charged on Tuesday with conspiring to rig bids to buy oil and natural gas leases in the state; he was slated to turn himself into authorities late yesterday morning.

Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk may have a new problem. It’s now the target of one of Wall Street’s most prominent short sellers.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is now on a military advisory board for the Pentagon.

Like a boss: LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner is forgoing his annual stock package, worth $14 million so that employees can have it instead. “Jeff did not receive an equity package this year at his request,” a company spokesperson tells Recode. “He asked the Compensation Committee to . . . put it back in the pool for employees.”

Former Snapchat and Instagram executive Emily White has created a high-end personal concierge startup, says Fortune. The new Santa Monica, Ca.-based startup is called Mave and it’s apparently akin to a “chief of staff” for users’ households.

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Jobs

LendingClub is hiring a director of corporate strategy. The job is in San Francisco.

Levis is looking for a director of corporate development. The job is in San Francisco.

Syntheo Ventures, a seed-stage outfit backed by Banco Santander, is hiring an associate. The job is in London.

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Essential Reads

This Wall Street firm says virtual reality is like smartphones nine years ago.

Mercedes is booting robots from its production line.

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Detours

First listen: Jeff Buckley, “You and I.”

The market is definitely doomed now.

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Retail Therapy

The most expensive SUV in the world.


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