Consumer

American Express Ventures has invested an undisclosed amount in Qualcomm-backed marketing technology company Capillary Technologies, provider of personalised recommendations to shoppers.

The following is an except from an upcoming feature in Global University Venturing which focuses on the relationship between universities and the gaming sector, and the recent acquision of Oxford spin-out NaturalMotion by games developer Zynga.

News editor Quentin Carruthers reports on deal activity during January.

Gregg Bayes-Brown, news editor of our sister title Global University Venturing, looks at how Canada is trying to ensure it stays on top of innovation despite worries this aspect of the economy is under performing.

Venturing in the services sector was on a roll last year, as
the intermediaries that help the business world function
capitalised on their strong relationships.

Whirlscape, a spin-out of the University of Toronto, secures $500,000 for its mobile device touchscreen keyboard.

Curated sports blogging site GiveMeSport raises an undisclosed amount of series B funding from IMG Media.

Urban agriculture company BrightFarms raises $4.9m series B funding from investors including Tengelmann's Emil Capital Partners, in push to commercialise urban agriculture and keep building greenhouses near supermarkets.

Hair colouring products, home delivery company Madison Reed raises $12m series B funding led by Norwest Venture Partners and including Maveron.

Bessemer Venture Partners has led a $9.5m financing, backed by Penguin Random House Holdings and Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, for Flat World Education to expand its platform in partnership with Brandman University and offer BBA degree courses on mobile devices.