Boston Tech Watch: Autodesk, HubSpot, ViralGains, MLK Memorial & More
This week in Boston tech, we’ve been tracking another HubSpot artificial intelligence acquisition, investments in advertising and marketing technology startups, the acquisition of a nearly century-old local tech company, and a local entrepreneur’s effort to help build a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., in Boston. Read on for details.
—HubSpot acquired Chicago-based Motion AI, a maker of business chatbots, for an undisclosed price. The deal marks HubSpot’s third acquisition in three months, following the purchases of Kemvi and Evolve. All three use machine learning and related technologies. Cambridge, MA-based HubSpot (NYSE: HUBS) sells marketing and sales software.
—ViralGains, a Boston-based online video advertising software company,
announced that it raised $13.5 million in a Series B funding round. The investment is a combination of $10 million in equity funding from First Analysis, Origin Ventures, and earlier backers, plus $3.5 million in debt financing from Square 1 Bank.
ViralGains said in January 2016 that it was raising $12.3 million in a Series A round.
—BlueConic tacked on about $3.4 million to a venture funding round that now totals around $9.6 million, according to SEC filings. The Boston-based firm sells software that helps marketers crunch data about customers.
—Autodesk was one of the investors in a $2.5 million funding round for ManufactOn, a Boston-area construction management software firm. The round was led by Brick & Mortar Ventures, and WND Ventures also contributed, according to a press release.
—Censio, a young company based in Winchester, MA, snagged $2 million from investors, according to an SEC filing. One of the company’s investors told BostInno that Censio is working on cybersecurity for the healthcare industry, but it’s keeping details quiet for now. This is not the same Censio that changed its name to TrueMotion; that company is working on mobile telematics software for drivers and insurance companies.
—Boston-based Wevo said it raised $1.6 million in a seed funding round. The company is using artificial intelligence-related technologies and crowdsourcing to help digital marketers develop more effective websites. Its backers include Will Graylin, a Samsung Pay executive who co-founded LoopPay; Frank Moss, former director of the MIT Media Lab; and David Chang, an entrepreneur and investor who was chief operating officer of PayPal Media Network.
—C&K Holdings, an 89-year-old Newton, MA-based maker of electromechanical switches, was acquired for an undisclosed price by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners. C&K employs 1,500 people, and its products are used in cars, consumer electronics, telecommunications equipment, and other sectors.
—Lastly, entrepreneur Paul English is working with the city of Boston and others to create a local monument to Martin Luther King, Jr. English—the co-founder of travel technology companies Kayak and Lola—pledged to donate at least $1 million, and he’s helping to raise at least $5 million altogether, the Boston Globe reported. King earned a PhD in systematic theology at Boston University in 1955.
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