VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Roche Holding will acquire a majority stake in molecular and genomic analysis business Foundation Medicine, it said on Monday, signaling its determination to expand in cancer immunotherapy by paying a hefty mark-up on the U.S. company's current price.

Tripadvisor (TRIP.O) has agreed to acquire top Dutch online restaurant review and booking sites Iens, the companies said on Thursday, giving the travel website a leading position in the Netherlands.

Activist-investor Starboard Value LP has reiterated that Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) should consider a merger with AOL Inc (AOL.N) and cut costs to improve profits, spurred by media reports that Yahoo is exploring other large-scale acquisitions.

Social network operator Facebook Inc said it bought QuickFire Networks, a startup that helps view high-quality video with low bandwidth. QuickFire announced the acquisition on its blog on Thursday.

WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems, whose washers and dryers are used weekly by more than 5 million people in North America, is exploring a sale that could value it at more than $900 million, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter.

Ally Financial Inc (ALLY.N) said on Monday that it completed the sale of its stake in a joint venture with a Chinese auto lender to General Motors Co (GM.N) for $1 billion.

Facebook Inc (FB.O) acquired a company that makes voice recognition technology for wearable devices and Internet- connected appliances, the latest sign of its ambition to extend its reach beyond computers and smartphones.

Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) approached AOL Inc (AOL.N) about a potential acquisition or joint venture to expand its mobile-video offerings, Bloomberg reported, citing people with knowledge of the matter.

German consumer goods and industrial glue maker Henkel wants to expand in the area of consumer branded goods and hair care and could consider a large acquisition, the company's chairwoman told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

More than 100 employees at the U.S. interdealer broker GFI Group have asked the company to alter their contracts to allow them to leave if a hostile takeover bid by a rival firm succeeds, according to a report on Sunday by the Financial Times.

Verso Paper Corp will have to divest paper mills in Maine and Wisconsin in order to complete its acquisition of NewPage Holdings, the U.S. Justice Department said.

Private equity firm BC Partners [BCPRT.UL] said on Wednesday it will sell a 40.25 percent stake in its supermarket chain Migros (MGROS.IS) to Turkish conglomerate Anadolu Endustri Holding AS.

Chinese conglomerate Fosun International Ltd is making its first foray into the U.S. insurance market and buying property and casualty insurer Meadowbrook, a deal that it said would help it secure funds for further acquisitions.

AdvisorHUB, a year-old gossip and news website for the brokerage industry, has become such a part of brokers' daily reading routine that some call it the "New York Post of financial news."

Private equity firm Apollo Global Management LLC (APO.N) is considering making a bid for Portuguese lender Novo Banco SA, the bank carved out of Banco Espirito Santo SA (BES) (BES.LS), Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.