Paul Musselman, formerly of Intel Capital and IBM's corporate development team, takes the top role at the language learning start-up.

The US-based online marketplace for crafted good is reportedly backed again by Google Ventures in the latest round.

Evernote raises the funds and also buys Penultimate, a handwriting app, which is the fourth biggest selling application for the iPad since Apple began selling them.

This is the second in a bimonthly series of articles about the personal alternative investments markets available to the professional corporate venturer. This section in Global Corporate Venturing magazine looks beyond our readers' day jobs at how they manage their time and wealth using the same skills of insight, trend analysis and managing risk they bring to their professional careers.

The exact size of Microsoft's stake is outlined in the social network's latest regulatory filing.

US-based law firm Fenwick & West's corporate venturing unit os joined by Menlo Venture and Comerica Bank, back the online media company.

The Google Ventures-backed local deals company has raised its A round led by Spark Ventures, after sealing seed backing in 2010 from Google Ventures and Spark.

The Germany-based dog food company is backed in a seed deal, by the state-backed fund supported by industrial groups.

US-based technology company Microsoft takes a stake in Nook, Barnes & Noble's e-reader.

Nasdaq-listed vending group Coinstar is joined backing the electronics recycling company by Singapore billionaire Koh Boon Hwee, advisory firm AKS Capital and venture firms including Claremont Creek Ventures.