Funding daily: crowdfunding, outsourcing, and social gaming

At VentureBeat, we come across a lot of funding news every day. In order to bring you the most information possible, we’re rounding up the quick-and-dirty details about the funding deals of the day and serving them up here in our new “Funding daily” column.

Crowdfunding bill passes in the Senate

First up, we have some news that affects the future of startup funding in the United States. Today, with a 73-26 vote, the Senate passed the JOBS Act, which allows startup entrepreneurs to get funding for their businesses from basically anyone, not just registered investors. The bill included a stipulation that money can only be invested through approved portals, a new rule that is meant to protect the investors. Each investor also has a cap on how much they can invest based on their income. The JOBS Act passed in the House earlier this month.

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Freelance-work service oDesk grabbed $15 million

Outsourcing service oDesk, which brokers jobs between freelance workers and businesses looking to outsource, announced today it has raised $15 million in its fourth round of funding. oDesk connects freelance contract workers with businesses that want to outsource hourly jobs. The round was led by Henry Ellenbogen of T. Rowe Price, Benchmark Capital, Globespan Venture Partners, and Sigma Partners.

Path may have grabbed some fresh cash

Rumors were flying today that Path, a social network for people who want their social networks to be only 150 strong, raised $20 million in new funding. Our Path sources claimed it was indeed just a rumor, but we’re still keeping out eyes out for signs that it could be true. The round was reportedly led by Redpoint Ventures and pegged Path at a $250 million valuation.

Voice recognition service OneTok raises $1.5 million

OneTok wants to bring Siri-like voice recognition to other applications and the web, so we can control much more with our voices. The company announced a $1.5 million first round of funding, according to an SEC form D filing, BetaBeat reported. The money came from an unnamed New York venture capital firm and friends and family.

Social casino-game studio Plumbee cashes in with $2.8M round

In the wake of Zynga buying OMGPOP Wednesday, another game studio emerged from stealth mode and announced a round of funding. Plumbee, which makes social casino-themed games, raised $2.8 million from Idinvest Partners, reported The Next Web. Plumbee also launched its first game, Mirrorball Slots, Thursday on Facebook. Who knows, maybe it’ll be the next game studio to get gobbled up by Zynga.

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