Rakuten said it will purchase messaging application Viber for $900 million, marking the latest and largest acquisition of the biggest internet company in Japan, TechCrunch reported.
Europe
German software giant SAP to open startup cafes in Palo Alto
In a bid to attract more startups, Walldorf, Germany-based sofware giant SAP planned to open a cafe in Palo Alto, California, where startups companies can hang out, collaborate, and connect to over 1,000 companies worldwide.
Irish online jewelry firm Coldlilies snags $50K in funding
Dublin, Ireland-based online jewelry retailer Coldlilies snagged $50,000 in funding from Enterprise Ireland's Competitive Start Fund fr female entrepreneurs to begin next phase of the business.
Hackers use flaw in Microsoft's new web browsers to attack websites of veterans, French aerospace employees
A flaw found in new version of Microsoft Corp's Internet Explorer was used to attack the website of the Veterans of Foreign Wars as well as that of that of French aerospace industry employees, Reuters reported.
New German digital currency XNF is backed by gold and silver
Germany-based new digital currency NoFiatCoin (XNF) is backed by gold and silver bullion to give digital currency the added security of the value of precious metals, in case the everything goes down.
Latest News
The savings of the European Union's 500 million citizens could be used to fund long-term investments to boost the economy and help plug the gap left by banks since the financial crisis, an EU document says.
Switzerland-based Lemoptix has raised and undisclosed funding amount from Swisscom Ventures, the venture arm of Swiss telco. Lemoptix develops technology that can embed micro-projectors in various devices, TechCrunch reported.
Fuel3D, the UK-based company that raised $300,000 on Kickstarter for its high resolution 3D scanner, has secured $2.6 million for its early stage funding round, TechCrunch reported.
Rhenovia Pharma, biotechnology company that specializes in applying biosimulation in researching and developing new therapies, has secured $738,000 or €540,000 for its second financing round.
Glasgow, Scotland-based travel agency and property developer Minoan Group PLC bought back a 20% holding in its travel and leisure business for £930,000, which it previously sold to an outside investor for £770,000.
Aboitiz Group, a conglomerate based in the Philippines, has exited completely from the shipping business by selling the interests it held in joint ventures with Norway-based Jebsen Group.
Mountain View, US-based software vendor Synopsis Inc completed the purchase of Heverlee, Belgium-based design and programming software tool developer Target Compiler Technologies for an undisclosed sum.
With the pipeline of talent for startups slowly drying out, Startup Institute Managing Director Andrew Hoag asks if career accelerators could provide the answer to the dearth of skills needed in these fast-growing companies in his VentureVillage post.
Shazam, a London-based music and television tagging service, is rumored to be raising a $20 million funding round, a VentureBeat report said citing a Re/code report.
