Every day, Global University Venturing rounds up the smaller investments from across the university innovation ecosystem in its deal net.

IonQ, a US-based quantum computing technology spinout of University of Maryland and Duke University research, has increased its series B funding to $84m with an undisclosed amount from aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin, venture capital firm Cambium and Robert Bosch Venture Capital, the corporate venturing unit for industrial equipment maker Robert Bosch. IonQ is developing trapped-ion quantum computers that would run from the cloud to enable remote algorithms across a range of industries. It secured $55m from Samsung Catalyst Fund, Mubadala Capital, Hewlett Packard Pathfinder, Amazon, Airbus Ventures, GV, Acme Capital, Tao Capital Partners, Correlation Ventures, A&E Investment and New Enterprise Associates in October 2019. Bubo.AI, a UK-based developer of customer behaviour analysis software that is allied to institutions including Teeside University and Staffordshire University, has raised £650,000 ($810,000) from investors including the UK government and EU-backed Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund. Founded in 2019, Bubo.AI relies on artificial intelligence as part of a customer behavioural analytics platform that recommends the best product price to sales staff in retail stores while avoiding unnecessary discounts. The cash will help it expand more rapidly across Europe and North America. Zipp Mobility, an Ireland-based e-scooter maker spun out of University College Dublin, has secured €300,000 ($335,000) in a seed round led by an unnamed VC  firm that included unnamed angel investors, Silicon Republic reported yesterday. Founded in 2019, Zipp markets e-scooters that rely on a built-in GPS locator and QR code to allow rental without use of a docking station. The startup will invest the proceeds in bolstering its headcount, with a view to licensing its e-scooter operation in cities across the UK.

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