Venture

Last Week In Venture: VR Salons & Diamond Dust IDs

Hello and welcome back to Last Week In Venture, the rundown of deals which may have flown under your radar.

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There are plenty of companies outside the public company and unicorn spotlight. But their stories point to trends in the world of VC writ large.

So, without further ado, let’s dig into some of the deals from the week that was in venture land.

Identifying Diamond Dust, As A Service

Every once in awhile you see a company description which makes your head spin a little. Based in Boston, DUST Identity is developing “a technology utilizing nanoengineered diamonds to create an unclonable identity layer on any object,” according to a press release announcing new funding for the venture.

The company raised $10 million in its Series A round this week, led by Kleiner Perkins, which also led the company’s $2.3 million seed round announced in November 2018. Lockheed Martin Ventures and Airbus Ventures joined in as new investors in the round; prior investors including New Science Ventures, Angular Ventures, and Castle Island Ventures participated in the round.

VR Salons

If you follow the media industry and don’t happen to live under a rock the surname Murdoch probably rings a bell. James Murdoch, scion to daddy Rupert, is CEO of 21st Century Fox and is the lead investor in a venture round raised by immersive virtual reality salon operator THE VOID.

The Lindon, UT-based venture raised $20 million in a venture round this week. Led by the younger Murdoch, the deal also saw participation from The Walt Disney Company, Qualcomm Ventures, and Fidelity Management and Research Corporation. THE VOID recently added new in Atlanta, Tyson’s Corner in Washington, D.C., and the Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

And with that we’re done for the week! Have a great weekend! See you right here on Monday!

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