The Merck Global Health Innovation group is a limited liability company managing a fund of the same name looking to identify new business models and external opportunities in adjacent healthcare fields to its main medical areas, which include diabetes and vaccines.

Taj Pharmaceuticals sets up corporate venturing fund as Eli Lilly co-invests in Mirror Projects and GlaxoSmithKline links with academia.

The money for the planned $500m and $750m in a quasi-corporate venturing fund for internet and new media companies will come from JP Morgan's private banking clients rather than the bank itself, news reports say.

The $150m BlackBerry Partners Fund II will invest exclusively in mobile computing companies from June 2011 and will have a broader international mandate than the first fund.

The 2011 PlayPhone $10m Social Power-Up fund will provide money to help companies monetarise their mobile social games launched on PlayPhone Social's platform.

Nomura will retain part of the assets in its Phase4 Ventures corporate venturing unit, with the rest sold to fund manager HarbourVest Partners.

Fliplife gains "seven-figure" sum from investors.

Neil Gardyne, principal at New Africa Mining Fund, said: "By NAMF II's second closing on 31 January 2012, we hope to have a total commitment of up $300m."

Responsability Social Investments raises venture fund and manages $$800m and is backed by Swiss financial institutions, including Baumann & Cie, Banquiers, Credit Suisse, Raiffeisen Schweiz, Swiss Re, Bank Vontobel as well as George Avenue.