Silicon Valley, US-based tech firm Tachyus landed $6 million in a venture round led by Founders Fund to expand its workforce and use data to optimize oil and gas production.

Giraffe Friend, a wearable device that reminds the user to correct bad posture to prevent backaches, launched a crowdfunding campaign on DemoHour and has already raised $14,000 (CNY87,527).

Guangzhou, China-based mobile messaging app WeChat released its image recognition SDK (Software Development Kit) this week to allow third-party users to add the technology to their accounts.

Menlo Park, US-based printer giant Hewlett-Packard (HP) settled with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Security and Exchange Commission for $108 million over the bribery and money laundering charges filed against it.

Samridhi Fund invested INR18 crore in Bhubaneswar-based diabetes care provider Kanungo Institute of Diabetes Specialties (KIDS) to help the latter expand its services in rural India.

Microsoft Ventures in India established the world's first startup hotline in Bangalore to give startups access to real-time professional advice regarding the accounting, taxation, legal, and technical aspects of a business via toll-free number.

UK-based growth capital fund Station 12 is raising $250 million (£150 million) for its new fund that will invest in the growth rounds of media tech startups in Europe.

San Francisco, US-based online food delivery startup Munchery raised $28 million in a Series B funding round led by Sherpa Ventures to bring its service to Seattle and other places in the US.

Stamford, US-based collaborative business intelligence (BI) platform Decisyon Inc landed $22 million in its Series B financing led by Catalyst Investors to support its global expansion.

San Francisco, US-based social music apps maker Smule scored $16.6 million in a new funding round led by Roth Capital Partners to develop its products and fuel its expansion into Asia.

RideScout, a transportation aggregating app that was previously available in Austin and Washington only, launched its service in San Francisco to help more people find the best route to get to their destination in real-time.

Kohlapur, India-based commercial bank Ratnakar Bank Ltd pocketed $54.6 million (INR3.28 billion) from foreign investors CDC Group and Asia Capital and Advisors through the sale of an undisclosed minority stake to fund its rural expansion.

Berkeley, US-based on-demand food startup SpoonRocket raised $10 million in funding from Foundation Capital and General Catalyst to deliver food to customers in San Francisco and East Bay within 15 minutes.

Bremerhaven, Germany-based food innovation firm Biozoon is devising a kind of 3D-printed food to help make sure that elderly patients who are unable to swallow will not choke during meals.

San Francisco, California-based WordPress parent firm Automattic acquired New York, US-based long-form reading content discovery app Longreads for an undisclosed amount with the latter to function as it is post-acquisition.

Los Angeles, US-based digital postal mail startup Zumbox announced via email that it will be shutting down its service on April 14, 2014 due to difficulty in staying above the cost of delivering the service.

California, US-based social network giant Facebook announced that it will pull Messenger from its mobile app to boost the usage of the standalone Messenger, starting with European users before rolling out the change worldwide.

Takamatsu-shi, Japan-based cranes and aerial work platforms manufacturer Tadano Ltd completed its acquisition of its Yorkshire, UK-based distributor Cranes UK for an undisclosed amount to continue its market expansion.

Abingdon, UK-based environmental consultancy RPS Group Plc bought Derby-based water industry consultancy Clear Environmental Consultants Ltd in a deal valued at £8.34 million in cash to expand further in the UK.

Vantaa, Finland-based international rental giant Cramo purchased Klaukkala-based earthmoving equipment rental specialist OptiRent for an undisclosed amount to gain traction over its competitors in the earthmoving industry.

Dalia, Israel-based water measurement solutions and services provider Arad Group picked up a controlling stake in Mexico-based water meter manufacturer Cicasa for $2.04 million to gain access to the Latin American market.

London, UK-based healthcare appointment platform Zesty bagged an additional $2 million in its seed funding round from TA Ventures and ABRT Fund to expand its services beyond London.

San Francisco, California-based startup Fundbox emerged from stealth mode and nabbed $17.5 million in a funding round led by Khosla Ventures to help small and medium-sized enterprises get access to cash to clear their invoices within a day.

San Francisco, US-based cloud service marketplace AppDirect nabbed $35 million in its third funding round led by Mithril Capital Management to fuel its growth campaign.

Massachusetts, US-based software professional training tool provider PluralSight purchased Oklahoma City-based creative software training services Digital-Tutors in a deal valued at $45 million to increase its educational content.

Tel Aviv, Israel-based mobile gallery startup Flayvr grabbed $2 million in seed funding from institutional and angel investors to help smartphone users organize their gallery photos for easy viewing and sharing.

Sunnyvale, US-based autonomous robot maker nabbed $2 million in a seed funding round led by Morado Venture Partners to revolutionize the service industry including hospitals, offices, and care centers.

San Francisco, US-based health-tech startup Omada Health pocketed $23 million in a Series B funding led by Andreessen Horowitz to fuel its digital weight loss program for diabetic people.

New York, US-based coding school The Flatiron School raised $5.5 million in a recent financing led by Charles River Ventures (CRV) and Matrix Partners to improve the quality of its educational services.

San Francisco, US-based mobile app performance startup Crittercism took home $30 million in a funding round led by Scale Venture Partners for its expansion and enterprise initiatives.