This week, one company raised over US$60 million and announced a partnership with LINE. Read on for the details, plus news about the latest in food, money, travel, and more.
Folio
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Folio is a robo-advisor financial tech startup focused on theme-segmented investment. From US$900 and higher, you can invest in any or several of Folio’s different themes like drones, cybersecurity, genetic drugs, etc.
The company just raised US$63 million from some Japanese and American investors including Line, Goldman Sachs, Dentsu Ventures, Mitsui, SMBC Capital, DCM Ventures, and Draper Nexus Ventures.
Line also announced a new partnership with Folio. The Japanese chat app is expanding its platform through partnerships that include bike-sharing, food delivery, and now fintech. Meanwhile, Folio is looking to integrate seamlessly into Line and operate as an independent service.
Dely
Dely created Kurashiru, a website that features short cooking videos similar to Buzzfeed’s Tasty. Dely just raised US$30 million, bringing its total funding to over US$63.2 million. Investors include Softbank, YJ Capital, Akatsuki, and United.
While Kurashiru just received a sizeable amount of cash, it is isn’t the only video recipe site gaining recognition and funding in Japan. Its competitor Delish Kitchen by Every just raised over US$18 million at the end of last year, bringing their total funding to over US$49 million.
Original Life Inc.
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Original Life has developed Wedding News, an app that has 17 categories providing information on wedding planning, venues, budget, and more. It also has an Instagram account where its 120,000 followers can get inspiration.
The startup recently raised over US$1 million from F@N Communications as well as angel investor Kotaro Chiba.
Original Life has also hired Nobusuke Tsunii, previously chief design officer (CDO) at Goodpatch, to take on the same role.
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