VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Li Ka-Shing, the richest man in Asia, led a $23-million investment round in Silicon Valley, US-based synthetic egg startup Hampton Creek which is preparing to conquer the Asian market.

Bangalore, India-based outsourced engineering solutions provider Quest Global Engineering added Houston, US-based engineering firm Beeken TechQuest for an undisclosed sum to meet the engineering workforce demand in the oil & gas industry.

Seattle, US-based e-commerce and digital media giant Amazon will rename its London-based streaming video service LoveFilm as Prime Instant Video in Germany and the UK starting February 26.

Subiaco, Western Australia-based mining firm Balamara Resources Ltd agreed to divest three of its non-core assets located in the Balkans for A$15.2 million to focus on its flagship projects.

Tokyo, Japan-based Internet services company Rakuten Inc opened its first European research and development (R&D) facility in Paris, France, which is called the Rakuten Institute of Technology.

Pennsylvania, US-based language learning app Duolingo secured $20 million in a recent funding round led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers to conquer the Asian market and compete with other English-teaching services.

Cupertino, US-based smartphone giant Apple considered purchasing Palo Alto, California-based electric car manufacturer Tesla, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report citing an unnamed source.

Jacksonville, US-based domestic trucking and international shipping firm Momentum Transportation USA Inc acquired JIX International Freight Services for an undisclosed amount to expand its worldwide operations.

The savings of the European Union's 500 million citizens could be used to fund long-term investments to boost the economy and help plug the gap left by banks since the financial crisis, an EU document says.

State-backed fund Innovation Network Corp of Japan (INCJ) entered an agreement to pick up a 20% stake in Kyoto-based robotic hand maker Squse Inc for JPY500 million ($4.9 million), according to three sources familiar with the matter.

Sydney, Australia-based online travel booking service Rezdy pocketed $1 million in a recent funding round from both new and existing investors to establish a new office in San Francisco, US.

Based on data gathered by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, foreign direct investment (FDI) poured into Seoul, South Korea, reached $6 billion in 2013, an all-time high since the global financial crisis hit in 2008.

Munich, Germany-based secondhand clothes marketplace Vinted landed $27 million in a Series B funding round led by Insight Venture Partners and Accel Partners for its expansion to the US.

Texas, US-based tech media startup Daily Dot Media (DDM) added London, UK-based tabloid-style news site The Kernel, whose editor-in-chief is stepping down from his position, for an undisclosed sum.

In its fourth expansion via acquisition, Paris, France-based carpooling site BlaBlaCar added Podorozhniki for an undisclosed sum to tap into the market of Russia and Ukraine.