Global venture capital firm White Star Capital has pulled in a second fund of $180 million.
According to TechCrunch, the company plans to use the money to invest in “transatlantic” companies that need assistance in going international. White Star already has a presence in London, New York, and Montreal, and will use the new funding to expand to Paris and Tokyo.
The company revealed it will invest in around 20 new companies for between $1 million and $6 million. White Star’s first fund of $70 million closed in 2015 and the firm has backed around 26 startups to date, including FinTech and InsurTech companies Borrowell (Canada) and Clark (Germany), as well as “disruptive commerce” models Vention (Canada), Meero (France), and Butternut Box (U.K.). The fund has also invested in digital health companies Echo (U.K.) and Dialogue (Canada), as well as data-as-a-service company Unacast (U.S.).
White Star Capital Managing Partner and co-founder Eric Martineau-Fortin told TechCrunch the VC will focus on three specific areas of investment: FinTech, “disruptive commerce,” and algorithms and sensors. It will also continue to look for companies that use data as a competitive advantage and where the fund’s “operational experience and physical presence can help companies scale internationally.”
In addition, White Star Capital has recruited Matthieu Lattes, who was previously a VC specialist at Rothschild, as its new partner in Paris. Shun Nagao has also joined as a Venture Partner in Tokyo, and Lylan Masterman has been promoted to partner in the VC firm’s office in New York.
“Our growing team has extensive operational experience and we are passionate about supporting ambitious entrepreneurs with truly global ambitions,” said Martineau-Fortin. “Internationalization represents a huge opportunity for many high-growth companies, and our global reach means we can support companies looking to scale outside of their home market. We become active partners to all the entrepreneurs we work with, and the new fund will enable us to help even more companies realize their potential.”