EVRYTHNG’s powering ahead — a recap of 2014 so far
Last week EVRYTHNG, the Internet of Things software company, made its latest announcement in its mission to connect — well — everything, with a new $7m investment round. The team has won awards and recognition as a pioneer in this fast-growing and global space, and as a previous investor we’re proud to be leading this funding round alongside Cisco Systems, BHLP and Dawn Capital.
EVRYTHNG’S good news capped off a strong start to 2014 for our friends across the world, with many of our portfolio companies continuing their impressive momentum with great news of their own.
In Brazil, we also led the latest funding round for Bebê Store, which raised $12.3m in March. The team runs the leading online baby and children’s goods website in the country with a business growing at 130% year on year, and this is the third time we have invested since first backing Bebê Store in December 2011. Since that time they have cemented their position as a leader in Brazil’s booming e-commerce market, and we’re sure they’ll achieve even more in the coming years.
Quipper, the e-learning platform we first backed in October 2011, also raised $5.8m in March. Quipper produces cross-platform, cross-device software that allows teachers to set and track assignments, answer students’ questions via IM and monitor individuals’ learning progress. So far, they have helped over 8.5 million students worldwide and this number is growing at an amazing rate. They’re proof that disruptive technology can quickly improve peoples’ lives and be the foundation of great companies, and we’re proud to be with them on this journey.
Beyond funding news, Knewton, the adaptive learning technology company, has continued to go from strength to strength since we invested last December. Over the last few months they’ve announced a series of new partnerships with publishers in South Korea, Turkey and across Europe to create Knewton-powered digital textbooks. Their success demonstrates the truly global appetite for personalised courses that adapt to student needs. Knewton has quickly become the industry leader in meeting this need and we’re excited to be right alongside them as they continue to grow.
And finally, in February we were excited to see the public launch of State, developed by a team led by Alex Asseily, the co-founder and Chairman of Jawbone, and his brother, Mark, formerly Director of Business Development at Skype. Their company Equal Media, in which we were delighted to invest, created State to help connect people around the world through expressing opinions in a quick and fun way, and just last week launched a major update for iPhone that shows global conversations unfolding in real-time.
It’s great to see such momentum from these teams in so many places, from the UK to the US and Brazil. We’re working hard alongside our portfolio companies and look forward to celebrating more great successes throughout the rest of the year
