Apple acquires LearnSprout

Apple Inc has bought San Francisco-based education- technology start-up LearnSprout, which creates software for schools and teachers to track students' performance. Apple is working on education tools for its iPad, which will allow students to see interactive lessons, track their progress, and share the tablet with peers. About 2,500 schools in the US use LearnSprout's software, according to a Bloomberg News report.

Vidyard valued at $300 mn

Vidyard, a Canadian start-up that makes online video marketing tools, has raised $35 million in a funding round led by US venture capital firm Battery Ventures. The round values the Ontario-based firm at $300 mn. Existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners, OMERS Ventures and iNovia Capital, among others, participated in the financing, bringing its funding to $60 mn, the firm said.

Pakistani start-up gets funding

Pakistan-based on-demand marketplace for contractual labourers, Sukoon, has raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding, led by Crescent Ventures. The TIE Islamabad Angel fund and Dotzero Ventures also participated in the round. While details were not revealed, the start-up said the investors have bought a non-controlling, minority stake in the firm, Tech in Asia said.

Ex-banker creates gambling firm

A former gaming analyst from Denmark has started what he says is the world's first online gambling site for betting on share movements. Copenhagen-based Fibetco hired the tech team that developed the Hitman third-person shooter game series to create BetOnFinance, said founder Jeff Saul, who also served on the management team at foreign exchange broker Saxo Bank. Players can decide which of the 30 firms they think will be the day's top performer, or among the top three, Bloomberg News said.

JustDoc raises funds

Bengaluru-based JustDoc, a web portal enabling patients to have video consultations with specialists from their homes using mobile phones or PCs, has raised an undisclosed amount of seed funding from TracxnLabs, Singapore Angel Network and individual investors -including Infosys co-founder T V Mohandas Pai, InMobi co-founder Mohit Saxena, and TaxiForSure co-founder Raghunandan G, Tech in Asia said.
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