VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Mike Lazaridis, co-founder of Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry, has sold 3.5 million shares in the troubled company for $26 million, according to documents filed with US regulators.

Brazil-based iron ore miner Vale agreed to sell a stake in logistics company VLI SA to Canadian firm Brookfield Asset Management in a deal valued at BRL2 billion ($842.78 million).

Ontario, Canada-based tech giant IBM is acquiring California, US-based bootstrapped file transfer firm Aspera to provide its clients with a file transfer tool for data from social media and various devices.

Idea.me, a crowdfunding platform founded in Argentina, now allows people in seven Latin American countries to fund projects and startups using bitcoin in lieu of credit cards and PayPal.

Canadian dairy firm Saputo Inc, following a probe by Australia's Takeover Panel, said that it will raise and extend its takeover offer for Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory Holdings Co.

Sources told the Wall Street Journal that BlackBerry's executive vice president of global sales and official in charge of its mergers and acquisitions strategy will be departing the struggling smartphone maker in weeks.

France-based ophthalmic lenses firm Essilor International has acquired Canada-based sunglasses and reading glasses distributor Suntech Optics Inc to develop its prescription and non-prescription eyewear product portfolio.

Chinese lender China Everbright Co raised $2.6 billion in its third attempt at a Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) of 5.08 billion shares priced at HK$3.98 apiece.

Saputo Inc., Canada's biggest dairy company, has extended its bid for Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory Co. by a week to next Friday. Saputo is up against Murray Goulburn Co-operative Co. Ltd. and Bega Cheese Ltd. for the Australian dairy firm, according to a Reuters report.

US-based hedge fund Golden Tree Asset Management LP increased its stake in English-language daily newspaper publisher Postmedia Network Canada to 39% in a deal valued at $1.6 million.

The pension funds in Canada were said to have shifted towards private equity in their quest to avoid fees and improve performance to better serve the needs of its retirees, a Businessweek report said.

An investor group led by Canadian private equity firm TorQuest Partners has bought a majority stake in Edmonton-based A&B Rail Services Ltd in a deal with undisclosed financial terms.

Ottawa, Canada-based e-commerce company Shopify has raised $100 million in a Series C funding round to help it transition to a commerce company that reaches the online and offline market.

Australia-based dairy firm Bega Cheese's offered to merge with Murray Goulburn to to preserve the Australian ownership of Warrnambool Cheese and Butter (WCB), amid a three-way bidding contest with Saputo for WCB.

Canada-based gold exploration firm Giyani Gold Corp announced on Monday its acquisition of a 57.7% interest in Canoe Mining Ventures through a securities exchange agreement.