Funding daily: show me the money, say news, health, real estate, and yes, funeral companies

It’s been a slowish day for funding news, but with big dollar signs on many of the deals that did happen. Here’s a rundown on the days’ deals.

Trulia buys Market Leader for $355 million

Yes, that’s actually a company named Market Leader, the phrase is not just a hopeful description. Trulia, the real-estate marketplace, announced the deal today.

Market Leader provides a suite of software solutions that real estate professionals use to manage their business online. Products include a website-builder, tools for lead generation tools and marketing, and contact management. The combined marketplace will have 46,000 premium subscribers, which the company said is more than any other online real estate marketplace. This deal means Trulia can provide an “end-to-end solution” for these professionals.

More details here.

Microsoft offering $1B for Nook?

This deal is not yet a deal, but a rumor: Microsoft may be attempting to buy Nook’s digital media and tablet business. More details …

NowThisNews raises $4.8M

NowThisNews, a video-news startup from the brains of former Huddington Post execs, has just raised a healthy round of institutional funding. The $4.8 million round (out of a total $6 million in equity the startup is attempting to raise, according to SEC documents) comes from Oak Investment, Lerer Ventures, Bedrocket, and new investor SoftBank Capital.

Here’s the full story.

HealthTap Secures $24 Million Series B

Health Q&A startup HealthTap has raised $24 million in its second round of funding and added former Square COO Keith Rabois to its board of directors, the company said today.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based HealthTap offers a popular service for doctors to answer questions from everyday folks. More than 38,000 accredited doctors in the U.S. are on the platform and more than 8 million unique visitors connect with those doctors each month via apps for smartphones, tablets, and the web.

Full details here.

Octopus leads £2m funding round into TrialReach

Octopus today announced that it has led a £2 million ($3.1 million U.S.) investment round into TrialReach, an online platform that is transforming clinical trials by connecting patients with healthcare companies and research organisations to make new treatments available more quickly and efficiently. Octopus is investing alongside existing investors Amadeus Capital Partners, which first invested in TrialReach in 2011.

Axiologix announces $7.5 Million preferred equity investment

Axiologix, Inc., a technology services company focused on delivering cloud-based products and services announced today that it has entered into a $7.5 million Preferred Equity Investment with Ironridge Technology Co. The company plans to use the proceeds from this investment to fund operational growth, make strategic and immediately accretive acquisitions, and to pay down remaining debt over time.

JumpStart invests $250,000 in eFuneral

End-of-life planning startup eFuneral has received a $250,000 investment to help people find resources online for funeral planning including funeral home reviews, estate planning, and cemetery information.

“This industry is completely antiquated,” Belsito told VentureBeat. “We saw a big gap and decided to make a better solution.”

More details here.

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