Monitise, a UK-based mobile money network, has acquired US-based Clairmail, a provider of mobile banking and payments solutions in a share-only transaction. Investor Growth Capital, JAFCO Ventures, Norwest Northwest Venture Partners and Outlook Ventures are all backers of Clairmail. (CORRECTION: Clairmail backer Norwest Venture Partners was incorrectly spelled in an earlier version of this story). PRESS [...]

Social gaming company Digital Chocolate Inc. has closed on a $5 million venture loan from NXT Capital‘s Venture Finance Group. The company, based in San Mateo, Calif., is backed by investors including Sutter Hill Ventures, Intel Capital, Bridgescale, DN Capital, Outlook Ventures and Greenspring Associates.

Zynga’s not for everyone. There are plenty of VCs out there with less than a quarter-billion to gamble. Some of them will do well to look into Digital Chocolate, which is reaching out to new potential investors for its Series D fundraising, sources at multiple VC firms told peHUB.com.

Its’ A, B, and C rounds netted it in excess of $40 million (less than one-tenth of the haul Zynga already has raised, never mind its reported $250 million ongoing fundraising effort) and, should the company succeed in its ongoing attempts, it’s safe to say…