Asia Digest: GoPizza secures $45m; Australian startups Vald and Morse Micro raise funding

South Korea-based pizza startup GoPizza closed its Series C funding round at $45 million, while Australian sports tech company Vald and semiconductor maker Morse Micro pocketed $25 million and $30 million, respectively.

CJ Investment leads GoPizza’s Series C round

South-Korea based pizza brand GoPizza has closed its Series C funding round at $45 million, according to Tech in Asia.

The round was led by CJ Investment and partcipated by Mirae Asset Securities, Big Basin Capital, Woori Bank, GS Venture, Pureun Partners, DS Asset Management, Capstone Partners Korea, Ncore Ventures, and DSC Investment.

Founded in 2016, the AI-operated pizza maker had earlier raised $25 million inSeries C funding in October reported DealStreetAsia.

The company plans to foray into new markets of Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the United States. It currently has 60 outlets across South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, India, and Hong Kong.

Vald secures $25m after shelving IPO plans

Australian sports technology company Vald has raised $25 million to expand into the US healthcare market, reported Australian Financial Review.

Queensland Investment Corporation and Canadian investment firm Vistara Growth led the company’s latest capital raise, after Vald indefinitely pushed a planned IPO last year.

The Brisbane-based startup plans to fund acquisitions, nearly double its local headcount, and expand into the US healthcare market.

Founded in 2015, Vald makes hardware and software that monitor athletes’ performance, injury, and recovery. Its devices are used by more than 1,200 professional sporting organisations, including NRL, English Premier League, NBA, and major league baseball teams.

Chipmaker Morse Micro raises $3om

Australia’s largest semiconductor maker, Morse Micro, has pocketed $30 million to top up its $140-million Series B funding, reported Australian Financial Review.

TelstraSuper, HESTA, Hostplus, NGS (managed by Blackbird Ventures), and UniSuper (managed by Uniseed) participated in the round, which will allow the chipmaker to accelerate its growth, with the goal of getting its chips into as many new devices as possible.

Japanese chipmaker MegaChips had contributed $100 million of the Series B round two months ago, including backing from Blackbird Ventures, Main Sequence Ventures, the government’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Skip Capital, Uniseed, SpringCapital Investment, and Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull.

Founded in 2016, Morse Micro designs chips typically used in smart home devices, such as surveillance cameras, motion sensors, and lighting controls in homes.

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