VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Arizona, US-based Internet domain registrar and web hosting service GoDaddy Group Inc is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) less than three years after it was sold for $2.25 billion, according to sources familiar with the situation.

San Francisco, US-based startup studio Expa, which was created by Uber founder Garrett Camp, raised $50 million in funding from big-time investors to provide seed funding for startups.

Washington, US-based private equity firm Emerging Capital Partners (ECP) is acquiring a 33% interest in Algeria-based PepsiCo Inc bottler Atlas Bottling Corp for an undisclosed amount as part of an expansion plan.

Belfast, Ireland-based analytics and big data firm Analytics Engines secured $1.6 million (£1 million) in a funding round led by Crescent Capital to develop its software accelerating platform and widen its market reach.

In a first app merger in the wine sector, San Francisco, US-based wine app Hello Vino purchased wine-focused photo-sharing app Corkbin for an undisclosed amount.

San Francisco, US-based real-time economic data tracking platform Premise nabbed $11 million in a Series B funding round led by Social+Capital Partnership to continue tracking prices of food staples in Asia, Latin America, US, and Europe.

Boston, Massachusetts-based cable television firm Layer3 TV raised $21 million in a Series A funding round led by North Bridge Venture Partners and Evolution Media Growth Partner.

Santa Monica, US-based events planning mobile app Klutch scored $1.5 million in a funding round led by LaunchpadLA to help people plan get-togethers and socialize offline.

Chennai, India-based local language speech-based software solutions provider Uniphore Software Systems grabbed an undisclosed amount of funding from angel investors Indian Angel Network, Ray Stata, and YourNest Angel Fund for its international expansion.

San Francisco, US-based digital music service Rdio picked up troubled Chennai, India-based music streaming startup Dhingana for an undisclosed sum as part of its strategy for international expansion.

San Francisco, US-based educational analytics startup BrightBytes pocketed $15 million in a Series B funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners to help schools identify learning gaps in their systems.

Beijing, China-based outbound visa service ByeCity received $20 million in its Series B funding from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Chinese private equity firm CBC Capital.

Dundee, UK-based software startup Allthings landed £400,000 in funding from the Scottish Investment Bank and other local investors to support its growth strategy and the improvement of its task-listing and collaboration tool.

Milford, US-based analytical lab instrument manufacturer Waters Corp invested €400,000 in Cork, Ireland-based INFANT centre in the University College Cork (UCC) where a test for premature birth is being developed.

San Francisco, US-based on-demand transportation startup Lyft announced that it will add more coverage to its ride insurance to include the time that drivers are not actively driving passengers.