VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Silicon Valley, US-based tech firm Tachyus landed $6 million in a venture round led by Founders Fund to expand its workforce and use data to optimize oil and gas production.

Giraffe Friend, a wearable device that reminds the user to correct bad posture to prevent backaches, launched a crowdfunding campaign on DemoHour and has already raised $14,000 (CNY87,527).

Guangzhou, China-based mobile messaging app WeChat released its image recognition SDK (Software Development Kit) this week to allow third-party users to add the technology to their accounts.

Menlo Park, US-based printer giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) settled with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Security and Exchange Commission for $108 million over the bribery and money laundering charges filed against it.

Samridhi Fund invested INR18 crore in Bhubaneswar-based diabetes care provider Kanungo Institute of Diabetes Specialties (KIDS) to help the latter expand its services in rural India.

Microsoft Ventures in India established the world's first startup hotline in Bangalore to give startups access to real-time professional advice regarding the accounting, taxation, legal, and technical aspects of a business via toll-free number.

UK-based growth capital fund Station 12 is raising $250 million (£150 million) for its new fund that will invest in the growth rounds of media tech startups in Europe.

San Francisco, US-based online food delivery startup Munchery raised $28 million in a Series B funding round led by Sherpa Ventures to bring its service to Seattle and other places in the US.

Stamford, US-based collaborative business intelligence (BI) platform Decisyon Inc landed $22 million in its Series B financing led by Catalyst Investors to support its global expansion.

San Francisco, US-based social music apps maker Smule scored $16.6 million in a new funding round led by Roth Capital Partners to develop its products and fuel its expansion into Asia.

RideScout, a transportation aggregating app that was previously available in Austin and Washington only, launched its service in San Francisco to help more people find the best route to get to their destination in real-time.

Kohlapur, India-based commercial bank Ratnakar Bank Ltd pocketed $54.6 million (INR3.28 billion) from foreign investors CDC Group and Asia Capital and Advisors through the sale of an undisclosed minority stake to fund its rural expansion.

Berkeley, US-based on-demand food startup SpoonRocket raised $10 million in funding from Foundation Capital and General Catalyst to deliver food to customers in San Francisco and East Bay within 15 minutes.

Bremerhaven, Germany-based food innovation firm Biozoon is devising a kind of 3D-printed food to help make sure that elderly patients who are unable to swallow will not choke during meals.

San Francisco, California-based WordPress parent firm Automattic acquired New York, US-based long-form reading content discovery app Longreads for an undisclosed amount with the latter to function as it is post-acquisition.