Softbank diluted to 34.2% after RenRen's initial public offering, having originally invested $100m in April 2008, according to data provider Zero2IPO. By December last year, Softbank had invested $315m to give a six times return on the book value of its holding at $14 per share, Zero2IPO added.

IDG Capital Partners, the local corporate venturing unit of US-based publisher International Data Group, had originally backed CNZZ in late 2008 with more than $10m before its sale to Alibaba.

After more than three months of deliberations, LinkedIn, a social network for 100 million business people, has picked New York Stock Exchange for its flotation.

Shareholders will sell 10.2 millions ADSs, each representing three class A shares, and RenRen issue 42.9 million ADSs. A further 8 million ADSs are available if demand is strong enough with an estimated company valuation of about $4bn.

News provider Wall Street Journal said Yahoo was "weighing" a Hadoop spin-off potentially backed by venture capital firm Benchmark Capital.

Canada-based corporate venture-backed BlackBerry Partners Fund and phone maker Research In Motion (RIM) have doubled the prize for its annual Blackberry Developer Challenge to $3m, while one of its fund managers has exited Tungle.

SuccessFactors to buy Plateau Software for $290m and give an exit to consortium including GlaxoSmithKline-backed EuclidSR Partners.

US-based cable company Comcast's Peacock Equity corporate venturing fund will sell its holdings to US-based growth equity investors Summit Partners and TA Associates, whose $350m funding in Bigpoint is the second-largest investment in an online gaming company.

Momentive plans to raise up to $862.5m in its initial public offering, according to its regulatory filing. Apollo owns 89.5% of Momentive, with GE Capital Equity Investments, a subsidiary of General Electric, holding 8.9%.