VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Airbnb, the US home-sharing startup, has confirmed closing of $1.5 billion fund-raising round. The latest closure of fundraising puts the unicorn startup at staggering valuation.

Chicago-based start-up lender Avant Inc has mobilized $325millions in its latest round of funding from a private equity (PE) firm General Atlantic and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Balyasny Asset Management and Tiger Global Management LLC are also investing in the round taking total fund-raising for Avant to $659mn till date. General Atlantic-led round is expected to close in October. With this fund-raising, the valuation of Avant is pegged at $1billion. The start-up firm is planning to use the mobilized funds to offer various financial products and fund its global expansion plan.

Online website maker Squarespace has taken in USD40 million worth of Series B funding, reported TechCrunch.

CitiusTech, a healthcare IT firm, was able to get an undisclosed substantial investment amount from growth equity firm General Atlantic, a statement about the funding said.

Sweden-based online payments company Klarna has bought Germany-based firm SOFORT in an acquisition deal valued at $150 million to become one of Europe's biggest independent payments alternative.

PA Group, the parent company of UK's national news agency Press Association, is to sell its weather unit MeteoGroup to private equity group General Atlantic in a deal valued at £160 million (€190 million).

New York-based private equity firm General Atlantic LLC has invested $44 million for a minority stake in Turkey's yemeksepeti.com.

Business process and technology services provider Genpact Ltd said U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital Partners will buy a 30 percent stake in the company from General Atlantic and Oak Hill Capital Partners.

Private equity firm General Atlantic LLC has invested $125 million in Box.

One of Facebook's earliest investors has turned his attention to a distant market with a small but lively start-up scene: Brazil.