Juicero, a smart juicer maker, has raised $70 million in Series B funding led by Artis Ventures. Google Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers also participated. Juicero’s flagship product is a countertop device that makes juices out of packs of already prepared fruits and vegetables. The Juicero is only selling in California currently.
Playbuzz, a platform for distributing online content, has raised $15 million in a funding round led by Saban Ventures, with participation from Walt Disney. Existing backers 83North, Carmel Ventures and FirstTime Ventures also participated. Playbuzz will use the funds to develop its platform and expand its sponsored content business. The company raised a $16 million round of investment last year. “People are becoming impatient and don’t read a lot today. Traditional media is usually long-form articles or video and they don’t make sense in an era where people discover content on a four-inch screen,” Shaul Olmert, Playbuzz’s CEO, told Reuters.
News website Mashable has raised a $15 million funding round led by Time Warner Inc.’s Turner division. Turner’s TBS and TNT channels will work with Mashable to co-develop and distribute video content, and the companies will also work together on new technology and advertising opportunities. Time Warner Investments, Updata Partners, David Jones and Mike Lazerow, and R&R Venture Partners also participated.
Transit technology provider TransLoc has completed an $8 million round of financing. SJF Ventures and Fontinalis Partners led the round, with additional investment from Efficiency Capacity, Thomas McMurray and Patient Collaborative. “TransLoc is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the changing mobility trends and the new transit landscape. We’re bringing transit together with other transportation options in a way that benefits both passengers and agencies,” said Doug Kaufman, CEO of TransLoc. “The products we’ve built, the team we’ve put together, and market trends make this the perfect time to pour gas on the fire and accelerate our efforts across the board.”