Herzliya, Israel-based connected device network Neura bagged $2 million in a funding round led by Greenhouse Capital Partners to connect several gadgets using one mobile app.

Redwood City, US-based telecommunications services provider ItsOn Inc nabbed $12.9 million in a new funding round to create flexibility in the data plan of its users and allow them to customize their usage according to their needs.

San Francisco, US-based digital marketing tool developer Kenshoo secured $20 million in a funding round led by Bain Capital Ventures to launch its predictive media optimization platform.

Fayetteville, Arkansas-based crowdfunding and business planning platform EquityNet LLC raised $2.1 million in a new fundnig round led by Proton Enterprises for the expansion of its equity crowdfunding platform.

Windermere, US-based digital receipts provider FlexReceipts LLC closed $1.4 million in a Series A funding round led by early stage venture fund venVelo to fuel its sales and marketing expansion.

GE Financial Services is lending $50 million to investment company Rockland Capital LLC to be used for the latter's acquisition of power generation facility Elgin Energy Center in Illinois, US.

Chennai, India-based education startup Edsix Brain Lab wants to make it easy for children to improve their cognitive skills using their carefully researched and designed online and offline games under the brand Skill Angels.

Ramat-Gan, Israel-based nanotech startup StoreDot developed a prototype of a device that will enable a person to charge a phone within just 20 seconds in a cost-efficient and environment-friendly manner.

Redwood City, US-based remote home monitoring company iControl Networks acquired Ottawa, Canada-based home automation device maker Blacksumac for an undisclosed amount to expand its product portfolio.

Kansas, US-based broadband infrastructure investor Rural Broadband Investments LLC snapped up the cable system catering to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, for an undisclosed amount to provide people with better cable and internet services.

Boston, Massachusetts-based wine discovery mobile app Drync landed $2.1 million in a funding round from institutional and angel investors to build its wine shopping platform.

Philippine consortium LT Group Inc (LTG) increased its stake in Negros Occidental-based integrated sugar mill and refinery Victorias Milling Company Inc (VMC) from 7.4% to 14.8% for an undisclosed amount.

US President Barack Obama announced the new members of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) who will help start and grow new businesses in the US and around the world.

Santa Clara, US-based low-power SoCs (system on a chip) developer Ineda Systems scored $17 million in a Series B funding round led by Walden-Riverwood Ventures to develop products that can be used in wearable devices and Internet of Things (IoT).

Ontario, Canada-based social reading community Wattpad pocketed $48 million in its Series C funding from its existing investors to expand its workforce and develop its product.

Belfast, Ireland-based home-brewing firm Cargo bagged £82,000 in funding from Invest North Ireland (NI) for the development and marketing of its smartphone-controlled beer-making robot Brewbot.

San Francisco, US-based transportation network firm Uber will launch an on-demand courier service in Manhattan, New York tomorrow, according to an exclusive report by VentureBeat.

Social media giant Twitter snapped up Cover, a startup that offers a lock screen and app drawer for Android devices, for an undisclosed amount, to boost its popularity among Android users.

London, UK-based visual customer analytics firm Trak.io emerged from private beta and raised $150,000 in seed funding from Kima Ventures last August to track the behavior of startups' customers.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia-based taxi app GrabTaxi closed its Series A round with more than $1 million from Singaporean state-owned investment firm Vertex Ventures to conquer Southeast Asia.

US-based video-sharing giant YouTube representative Gonenc Gurkaynak filed a legal complaint to the Turkish Consitutional Court against the ban that prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued against the service.

Bangkok, Thailand-based digital publication platform Ookbee landed $7 million in a Series B funding led by Japanese outsourcing firm Transcosmos to fuel its Southeast Asian expansion.

Northwestern University (NU) trustees Michael Ferro Jr and Pat Ryan Jr each donated $2 million to build an incubator space called the Garage near the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion where student entrepreneurs can develop projects, classes, and businesses.

Cupertino, US-based smartphone giant Apple launched its iPhone trade-in program in Germany to allow its customers to purchase a new iPhone at a discounted price when they trade in a qualifying old device.

Boston, Massachusetts-based mobile healthcare management platform Wellframe nabbed $1.5 million in a seed funding round from several high net worth individuals to provide patients with an app that will serve as their personal digital nurse.

Former Zenith executive Andrew Cope bought a significant stake in Huddersfield, UK-based fleet management firm FMG for an undisclosed amount and will become part of the company's board.

Oneonta, US-based large format ultracapacitor manufacturer Ioxus secured $21 million in its Series C funding round to help address climate change by integrating its products into hybrid buses in China.

Davis, California-based agricultural biotech firm BioConsortia Inc took hoe $15 million in a Series B funding led by Khosla Ventures and Otter Capital to accelerate the commercialization of its crops.

London, UK-based innovation hub TrueStart raised $5 million in a seed funding round to invest in 20 retail and consumer startups in Europe every year and provide them with legal and recruitment support.

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.