VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Takamatsu-shi, Japan-based cranes and aerial work platforms manufacturer Tadano Ltd completed its acquisition of its Yorkshire, UK-based distributor Cranes UK for an undisclosed amount to continue its market expansion.

Bangkok, Thailand-based digital publication platform Ookbee landed $7 million in a Series B funding led by Japanese outsourcing firm Transcosmos to fuel its Southeast Asian expansion.

Family Mart Co Ltd has planned to leave the South Korean market through an initial public offering, said a report from Reuters.

US smartphone giant Apple Inc. had been in discussion with Renesas Electronics to buy a controlling stake in the company, according to a source familiar with the matter said a Reuters report.

San Jose, Costa Rica-based healthy food startup Natural Sins sells baked snacks made of real fruits and vegetables in a bid to help fight obesity.

Developers have modified the open source Bitcoin software and released a new version to resolve the transaction flaws and to prevent a Mt Gox-like incident from happening again.

US-based investment firms Benchmark Capital, Fortress Investment Group, and Ribbit Capital are buying a stake in Pantera Capital's Bitcoin fund called Pantera Bitcoin and committed to conduct virtual currency transactions through Pantera.

After the collapse of Bitcoin exchange, the government of Japan decided not to regulate Bitcoin transactions because they do not consider it a currency, but a commodity that will be subject to sales tax.

Japan will be setting out rules this week on how it would treat bitcoin under its existing rules. This is seen as the country's first step in dealing with the digital currency after the closure of Mt. Gox, Reuters reported.

Tokyo, Japan-based Bitcoin exchange Mt Gox set up a call center to deal with the inquiries of Bitcoin users after it lost $473 million worth of the digital currency and filed for bankruptcy protection.

After shuttering its operations this week, Tokyo-based Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox told reporters that it will be seeking bankruptcy protection, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Paris, France-based event planning mobile app WePopp paired up with San Francisco, US-based restaurant booking app OpenTable to integrate restaurant booking service into the steps required to plan for a given event.

Sony will shut down two-thirds of its retail outlets located across the US, with 11 out of the 31 stores near major markets to remain open, as part of its move to offload unprofitable units and reduce liabilities.

Japan-based mobile messaging app Line will launch an open sticker marketplace called Line Creators Market in April and will also release a Skype-like service in five countries.

Tokyo, Japan-based staffing firm Outsourcing Inc invested $5 million (INR30 crore) for a majority stake in Bangalore, India-based search and staffing company Alp Consulting Ltd to gain access to the Indian market.