VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Starbucks Corp's (SBUX.O) early re-launch of its popular Pumpkin Spice latte drink failed to heat up business at its U.S. cafes, disappointing Wall Street and sending the company's shares down almost 5 percent.

A chance to buy the candy empire of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is the kind of opportunity in a fast-growing market that would normally have multinational confectioners - like Nestle or Cadbury's parent Mondelez - drooling at the prospect.

Chicago, US-based big data startup Food Genius analyzes and detects future trends in the US and shares it with restaurant chains, convenient stores, and other companies to help them determine their standing or future strategy in the food market.

New York, US-based brand advocacy startup Crowdtap picked up $5 million in a Series B funding round led by Foundry Group to continue inspiring its customers to create quality promotional content on blogs and social media sites.

McDonald's and Kraft to sell packaged McCafe-branded coffees in 2014.