VENTURE CAPITAL POST

American rap superstar Kanye West is buying 10 Burger King outlets across the UK, France, and Italy for an undisclosed amount as a wedding present for fiancee Kim Kardashian.

The alarming levels of pollution in Paris, France have pushed the government to ban half of the city's vehicles except electric and hybrid cars on Monday and Tuesday in an effort to help clear the smog trapped in the city.

Marseille, France-based last minute hotel booking mobile app VeryLastRoom bagged $2.1 million in a venture round led by APlusFinance and Extend & Sigma Gestion to fuel its expansion in Europe.

France-based premium pay television channel Canal Plus took a majority interest in YouTube French comedy channel group Studio Bagel for an undisclosed amount to beef up its Over the Top Technology (OTT) business in the country.

Flower Power, a Bluetooth device made by Paris, France-based consumer product developer Parrot, is paired with a mobile app that helps users monitor plant growth to make the gardening chore easier.

Capitaine Train, a France-based online vendor for train tickets, puts emphasis on giving its users a simpler, hassle-free and more efficient ticket-buying experience, TechCrunch 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.

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.

France has become friendlier with young firms as it substantially raises the limits of Kickstarter-like crowdfunding and equity crowdfunding campaigns of French startups to $1.4 million respectively each year, TechCrunch reported.

Paris, France-based hospitality major Accor is aiming to exit its 40% stake in Mumbai, India-based Sofitel hotel in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and fold the Sofitel brand into itself, according to sources.

British helicopter airline Bristow Helicopters picked up a 60% stake in UK-based airline Eastern Airways International Ltd, with the two firms to continue operating as entities independent from each other, as part of the strategic investment deal.

France-based cloud storage service HubiC now has an updated product offering that consists of a 25GB free storage, 100GB for $1.35 (€1) every month, and 10TB for a $13.50 (€10) monthly fee.

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.

Germany-based car maker Audi is investing in Paris, France-based bio gasoline startup Global Bioenergies, which makes cheap gasoline from sugar, as part of an effort to decrease greenhouse gas emissions amid stricter regulations.

Dublin, Ireland-based pharmaceutical firm Actavis sold its stake in Chinese subsidiary Actavis (Foshan Pharmaceutical Co) for an undisclosed sum because of its limited presence in the country.