Car-sharing drives investment levels with $250M for Lyft, while Internet of Things startups also earn big in April, according to latest from Rutberg & Co.
San Francisco-based driver-finding startup Lyft drove to the top of another huge month for mobile venture capital funding, according to the latest report from Rutberg & Co.
Rutberg & Co. reports that mobile-focused private companies raised $1.4 billion in 121 deals during April, adding to the whopping $1.1 billion raised in March this year.
Here are the top five earners in April:
Company | Location | Funding Amount | Developing | Backers |
Lyft | San Francisco | $250M | Ride-share app & service | Alibaba, Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue Management, Founders Fund, Mayfield Fund, Third Point Ventures |
Prodea Systems | Richardson, Texas | $100M | An Internet of Things platform | Mubadala Development Company |
Fuhu | El Segundo, Calif. | $65M | A tablet for children | N/A |
Apigee | Palo Alto, Calif. | $60M | An API-management system | Bay Partners, BlackRock, Focus Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, Pine River Capital Management, SAP Ventures, Third Point Ventures, Wellington Management |
SimpliSafe | Cambridge, Mass. | $57M | A connected home platform | Sequoia Capital |
Source: Rutberg & Co. |
Rutberg also notes that Internet of Things (IoT) startups are getting plenty of money and attention from their VC pals now:
Six IoT companies raised $174 million in April, including $100 million for Prodea Systems... Other IoT companies that raised venture capital in April include: Jasper Wireless, which raised $50 million from Temasek Holdings, a Singaporean sovereign wealth fund; Ayla Networks, which raised $14.5 million from investors including Cisco Systems, Crosslink Capital, and the IFC; Evrythng, which raised $7 million from investors including Atomico and Cisco Systems; Understory, which raised $1.9 million led by True Ventures with participation from investors including RRE Ventures and SK Ventures for its ground-level wireless weather detection network; and Huminn Mesh, which raised $300,000 from undisclosed investors.
Follow the VC money further below:
— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading
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