Shanghai SmartPay Jieyin Ltd. (“SmartPay”), a China-based provider of electronic payment services, has raised $10 million in Series B funding. Return backers include RRE Ventures, Evolution Capital and Lunar Group Capital. http://smartpay.com/cn
NorSun AS, an Oslo, Norway-based solar energy company, has raised around $8.45 million in VC funding from Itochu Corp. www.norsuncorp.no
Stat Nurses International Inc., a Greenwood Village, Colo.-based provider of nurse staffing services, has raised $2.5 million in Series B funding, according to VentureWire. Enhanced Capital Partners led the deal, and was joined by Marisco Enterprises and individuals. www.statnurseintl.com
Local Marketers Inc., a Seattle-based online advertising startup, has raised $600,000 in Series A funding led by Madrona Venture Group, according to a regulatory filing. www.madrona.com
M2M Holdings Inc. (a.k.a. Made2Manage), an Indianapolis
ASML Holding NV (Nasdaq: ASML) has agreed to acquire Brion Technologies Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif.-based provider of semiconductor design and wafer manufacturing optimization solutions for advanced lithography. The deal is valued at approximately $270 million in cash. Brion has raised around $28 million in total VC funding, including an $8 million Series A round […]
CenturyTel Inc. (NYSE: CTL) has agreed to acquire Madison River Communications Corp., a Mebane, N.C.-based provider of rural telephone services, for $830 million in a combination of cash and assumed debt. Madison River had been in registration for a $287.5 million IPO, Madison Dearborn Partners, Goldman Sachs and Providence Equity Partners. www.centurytel.com www.madisonriver.net
North Castle Partners has agreed to sell Avalon Natural Products Inc. to The Hain Celestial Group Inc. (Nasdaq: HAIN) for $120 million in cash. Avalon is a Petaluma, Calif.
Paul Capital Partners of San Francisco is raising up to $650 million for its third healthcare fund, which will focus both on royalty and direct investment opportunities in the healthcare market. www.paulcapital.com
Rincon Venture Capital, a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based early-stage VC firm, is raising up to $80 million for its inaugural fund, according to a regulatory filing. The firm's co-founders are Jim Andelman, formerly a principal with Broadview Capital Partners, and Brian Kelly, co-founder of Eastern Development Corp. www.rinconvp.com