Microsoft throws it’s weight behind Semantic light weight, POWERSET.COM
Powerset has been closely watched as a potential challenger to Google because of its search engine’s ability to understand both the meaning of search queries and the language of a Web page in order to match the two together. Google has generally eschewed natural-language search in favor of its search engine based on search keywords.

http://www.powerset.com
http://www.microsoft.com

France, Samsung Brings RFID Co’s Series C Round To $42M
Inside Contactless SA, a mobile-payment company that makes radio frequency identification chips for cellphones and debit cards, has extended its Series C round to $42 million after the venture arm of a top handset maker expressed a keen interest in the French company’s technology.
http://www.insidecontactless.com

Birmingham, Software Maker Daxko has raised $7.75M To Serve YMCAs
Daxko Inc., a provider of on-demand software to nonprofits, has received a $7.75 million investment from private equity firm Frontier Capital.
http://www.daxko.com

France, Steek Stores loads $8M for online storage service
Steek SA, a French provider of web based storage software, has secured an $8 million second financing round from AGF Private Equity and return investor Innovacom.
http://www.steek.com

Cupertino, ForeScout Tracks Down Insiders For $8M Round
Network security company ForeScout Technologies Inc. has raised an $8 million insider round of funding as we go into the slow season of investing.
http://www.forescout.com

San Jose, Agiliance Complies With $10M Series B
Agiliance Inc. has raised a $10 million Series B financing round led by Castile Ventures.
http://www.agiliance.com

Stockholm, Insiders Deliver $41M To PacketFront
Fiber-to-the-home technologies provider PacketFront Systems AB has raised a $41.25 million (insider) round to expand into new markets.
http://www.packetfront.com

Shanghai, SocNet 51.com Takes $51M From Giant
Five One Network Development Co. Ltd., which runs Chinese social network 51.com, has agreed to $51 million in funding from China-based game developer Giant Interactive Group Inc.
http://www.51.com

San Jose, Cisco raises the stakes for BRIC Investments, VC’s trailing close behind
Cisco first invested $60 million in Almaz Capital Russia Fund I LP. The firm hopes to add more capital to this fund, and officially close on an unspecified target by the end of the year. “The thing about Cisco is, they have done this before,” said Peter Loukianoff, managing partner of Almaz Capital. “We’re dealing with a very professional group of people and experienced in implementing this type of model in various parts of the world.”

“We really do look at investments as being a critical component of our overall strategy of market disruption,” said Hilton Romanski, vice president of global corporate development for Cisco. “You’ve seen that history play out for us in places like Israel, Over time we invested directly in the market and eventually did acquisitions.”

Cisco has implemented the same strategy in places like China, India and Western Europe.

http://www.almazcapital.com/
http://www.cisco.com

Rotterdam, Nimbuzz Calls Insiders For $15M More
As it passes the 1 million user mark, Dutch mobile software maker Nimbuzz BV has raised a $15 million second funding round from two previous backers, and will soon start tailoring its products for Apple Inc.’s iPhone and handsets based on Google Inc.’s open Android platform.
http://www.nimbuzz.com

NEW YORK, CBS Completes Acquisition of CNET
CBS Corporation announced that it has completed its acquisition of CNET Networks, Inc. and merged its operations into a newly expanded CBS Interactive division.
http://www.cnet.com
http://www.cbs.com/sales/

Cambridge, Arkex’s Gravity Gradiometry Devices Pull In $30M
To continue development of its gravity gradiometry imaging service, Arkex Ltd. has raised a GBP15.4 million ($30.7 million) third round of funding.
http://www.arkex.com

Minneapolis, SuperDimension Secures $22.3M For Device Sales
SuperDimension Inc., which sells a device that enables physicians to treat small, hard-to-reach lung lesions, has raised a $22.3 million expansion round to fund sales and marketing in the U.S. and Europe.
http://www.superdimension.com

Berwyn, Boomi Snatches $4M For Software Integration
Boomi Inc. has raised $4 million in its first round of venture funding from FirstMark Capital.
http://www.boomi.com

London, Accel Builds $1M Bridge For Playfish
Social gaming company Playfish Ltd. has raised a $1 million bridge round from Accel Partners.
http://www.playfish.com

Pasadena, Internet Accelerator FastSoft Seeks $8M Series B
FastSoft Inc., a maker of Internet acceleration equipment, is beginning the hunt for an $8 million Series B round.
http://www.fastsoft.com

Sunnyvale, Agito investors answers the call with $13M For Enterprise Mobility
Selling a device that enables corporate employees to use their cellphone as their business phone, Agito Networks Inc. has secured $13 million in Series B financing.
http://www.agitonetworks.com

Tel Aviv, Aniboom Toons Into $10M Series B
Aniboom Ltd. has secured a $10 million Series B round of funding for its online cartoon network.
http://www.aniboom.com

Las Vegas, Comcast invests in mobile broadband firm
Comcast is making more inroads in mobile broadband. The cable firm made a seed-round investment in Littleton, Mass.-based startup Cartiza Networks, which is developing an IP-based content management and delivery system for mobile broadband networks. Cartiza raised $12.6 million in venture capital funding in 2007 and its investors include Comcast Interactive Capital, Prism VentureWorks and the Business Development Bank of Canada. The company reportedly is in “stealth” mode and has not publicly discussed its technology or strategy. However, the firm is a member of the WiMAX Forum.

The investment is interesting considering Comcast’s other mobile broadband plays–most notably its investment in the new Clearwire. In May, Sprint and Clearwire announced that they will combine their WiMAX businesses and create a new company, called Clearwire, that will include a $3.2 billion investment from Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Trilogy Equity Partners.

http://www.cartizanetworks.com/
http://www.comcast.com
http://www.clearwire.com

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