VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Asian stocks slipped on Thursday, giving back earlier gains as initial cheer from a rebound on Wall Street fizzled out, while the New Zealand dollar hit a one-year low when the central bank governor decried the currency's recent strength.

National Australia Bank (NAB.AX) is considering the sale of its life insurance unit worth an estimated $800 million, seeking to boost earnings and returns on capital, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The U.S. dollar held near a six-year peak against the yen early on Thursday and powered to a seven-month high on its New Zealand peer, which fell after the country's central bank said its current level is "unjustified and unsustainable".

Washington, US-based software giant Microsoft acquired Wellington, New Zealand-based cloud computing firm GreenButton for an undisclosed amount to incorporate it into the Azure public cloud platform to give companies remote access to software.

Melbourne, Australia-based payments startup Aston Club took home $1.5 million in its seed funding round led by Chris Morris of Computershare to launch a mobile app that helps users pay their bar and restaurant bills.

New Zealand-based customer relationship management (CRM) software startup MyWave bagged NZ$2.5 million in an oversubscribed first funding round to develop its product and customer base before its 2015 listing on the New Zealand Stock Exchange.

Wellington, New Zealand-based mining firm Bathurst Resources Ltd secured A$7.39 million in a discounted placement of its shares at A$0.06 (NZD0.065) apiece to gain funds for its open-cut coal project on the Denniston Plateau.

Wellington, New Zealand-based tech startup Loomio launched a $100,000 crowdfunding campaign on its own website to develop a mobile version of its open-source collaborative decision making tool.

Ridgeville, US-based biotech forestry firm ArborGen purchased Southland, New Zealand-based seedling grower Edendale Nursery for an undisclosed amount to tap the markets in the North and South Islands of New Zealand.

Auckland, New Zealand-based point-of-sale software provider Vend pocketed $20 million in a funding round led by Valar Ventures and Square Peg Capital to expand to North America and Europe.

Dublin, Ireland-based over-the-counter (OTC) drug manufacturer Perrigo Company PLC picked up a set of products being marketed in Australia and New Zealand from South African firm Aspen Global Inc in a $51-million cash deal.

New Zealand Venture Investment Fund Chief Executive Officer Franceska Banga thinks that the rule change permitting equity crowdfunding in New Zealand is a positive development, Fairfax NZ News reported.

New York, US-based hedge fund Libra Advisors will pick up a $7.2% stake in Auckland, New Zealand-based business developer Rubicon to support that latter's future forestry biotech project.

San Mateo, California-based Internet startup AVOS Systems is laying off 80% of its workforce because of the lack of traction, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Limerick, Ireland-based environmental software developer AMCS Group closed €23.5 million in a funding round led by Highland Capital Partners Europe (HCPE) for its expansion into Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Americas.