Crunchbase Daily: Grab, Blueground, Financial Times, TNW and Salesforce

never-ending Series H funding round total to $4.5 billion.

Blueground raises $20M for tech-rich rentals

New York-based Blueground, a provider of tech-rich, furnished apartment rentals in several cities, has raised $20 million in fresh funding to expand its footprint.

Financial Times buys controlling stake in TNW

The Financial Times announced that it has bought a controlling stake in media company TNW (also known as The Next Web), and former employee and current Crunchbase News editor Alex Wilhelm has feelings about it.

Salesforce launches Australia VC fund

Salesforce Ventures announced that it is launching its fourth country-specific fund, this time to boost involvement with Australia’s startup community. The aptly-named Australian Trailblazer Fund will invest $50 million into early stage companies.

SaaS shares stay aloft after earnings wobbles

Disappointing earnings reports from Box and Salesforce haven’t done material damage to software-as-a-service stocks as a whole. A leading index for the space shows cloud and SaaS stocks are only a smidgen off all-time highs.

Crunchbase: Ultimate guide to raising startup capital

A lack of capital is one of the primary reasons startups fizzle within the first few years, so learning the ins and outs of raising money and promoting your company can help ensure a successful business. We walk through everything you need to know about raising money from investors.