Finance

Foodspotting, the San Francisco-based social media site for sharing photos of food dishes, has raised its first venture round of $3 million, according to Liz Gannes at All Things Digital.

MONACO — The digital properties of the BBC Worldwide have been quickly growing, up 18 percent over the past twelve months to 65 million unique visitors in October, according to comScore.

Ping Li, a partner at powerhouse venture capital firm Accel Partners (investor in Facebook, others), says the big opportunity around video is mobile. 

VideoEgg, the online video technology and marketing company, will acquire the giant blog software company Six Apart in a deal to be announced tomorrow.  The new company will be called SAY Media.

Ooyala, the fast-growing online video platform company, has raised $22 million, brining the total raised to $42 million, the company just announced.

MyDamnChannel.com, the online video entertainment producer, has received a $4.4 million B round of venture funding, the company announced today.

The BlackBerry Partners Fund is about to close a $100 million investment fund for China and plans to raise $150-250 million new fund for other markets by the end of this year, said John Albright, co-managing director of the Toronto-based VC firm, in this video interview.

LOS ANGELES — Vinod Khosla, one of the world's most powerful venture capitalist, says in this video interview that the oil spill in the Gulf will spur innovation in clean energy development.

SecondMarket, a new New York-based electronic market place for shares of privately-owned companies and other illiquid assets, has recorded $100 million in sales of Facebook shares over the past 12 months.

FreeWheel, the San Mateo-based online video platform has raised an additional $16.8 in new venture funding from strategic investors, including Steamboat (Disney VC arm), Turner, and top VC's Battery and Foundation Capital.

Los Angeles-based Demand Media, the fast-growing Web content company, has hired Goldman Sachs to explore an IPO, reports Ken Li of the Financial Times.  Li writes that the IPO could come as early as August.

Brightcove, the Cambridge-based online video platform company has raised a "final" round of venture funding of $12 million from a group of venture capital firms and media companies and expects to go public next year, the Wall Street Journal's Jessica Vascellaro reported this afternoon (sub.).

LONDON — VideoPlaza, the Stockholm/London-based online video advertising platform, has raised $5 million in its first venture round, the company announced today.

In Las Vegas last week at the NATPE convention, Daisy caught up with Ross Levinsohn, former digital chief at News Corp and now a venture capitalist at Fuse Capital.

We read the TechCrunch report about Mint, the personal finance tool, which will be acquired by Intuit (Quicken, etc) for $170 million.

Boston-based Bain Capital Venture Partners, an investor in Blip.tv, is bullish on online video investment.

Venture capitalists are still opening their wallets for Web video start-ups, as evidenced by the $7.5 million 5min.com landed last week and by the $64 million-plus that went to mobile and broadband companies in the second quarter.

Online video site how-to programmer and syndication service 5min.com scored $7.5 million in venture capital in its second round, the company is expected to announce today.

Powerhouse venture capitalist Vinod Kholsa is about to close on $1 billion in new capital for his green-oriented venture capital firm, Becky Buckman at Forbes reports.

Newser, a new news content aggregation site, has raised $2.5 million investment funds, its first, Rafat Ali at paidContent reports tonight.