Hi, hope you had a wonderful weekend, everyone!

No column today (it’s not ready quite yet), but quick mention: one week from today, we’ll be in Boston for TechCrunch interviewing the “father of robotics,” Rodney Brooks. If you’re a robotics investor or work for a robotics startup or just happen to have some questions you’d like us to ask him, shoot them our way; we’re happy to get you answers if we can.

Top News in the A.M.

New SEC rules went into effect today to permit any company, no matter how large, to file paperwork for an initial public offering without immediately disclosing the fact to the public. Fortune has more here.

Recode reported this morning that Amazon is quietly rolling out its own Geek Squad to set up gadgets in your home. Best Buy has since lost $1 billion in value.

Other interesting news on the regulatory front: The nation’s consumer watchdog, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is adopting a rule today that will allow class-action lawsuits against financial firms, rather than forcing customers into arbitration and blocking them from banding together. Lawmakers have 60 legislative days to overturn the rule, which would take effect next year.

Sponsored By . . .

StrictlyVC is brought to you this week by First Democracy VC, a new, registered equity crowdfunding portal formed through a partnership between Indiegogo and MicroVentures, crowdfunding and investing pros. Equity crowdfunding is a great way for startups to raise money from their community of customers and fans and can augment a raise from other institutional investors. Moreover, First Democracy VC gives anyone, yep anyone, the ability to invest in startups and growing companies. Interested in raising money for your startup?  Apply now.  Interested in investing?  Check out current investment opportunities here.

New Fundings

AutoLotto, a 2.5-year-old. San Francisco-based mobile Powerball app that allows users to buy tickets from their smart phone, has raised $17 million in Series A funding from a long roster of investors, including angel backer Jason Port, venture capitalists Bruce Gibney and Ben Narasin, Causecast CEO Ryan Scott, and Aurum Partners. CNBC has more here.

Cargo Systems, a year-old, New York-based monthly subscription service for ride-share drivers wanting to offer additional products to their passengers like candy and Kind bars, has raised $1.75 million in funding from Techstars Ventures, Rosecliff Ventures, Fontinalis Partners, and Detroit Venture Partners. More here.

CellTrak Technologies, an 11-year-old, Schaumburg, Ill.-based company that makes care delivery management software for home and community-based health organizations, has raised more than $11 million in new funding from Boathouse Capital and return backer MK Capital. More here.

CerebrEX, a five-year-old, Osaka, Japan-based maker of IP blocks and display controllers for flat panel displays, has raised roughly $7 million in funding from Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and Fortune Venture Capital. More here.

Chengjia Apartment, a two-year-old, China-based apartment rental platform, has raised $50 million in funding from earlier backers IDG Capital and Huazhu Hotels Group. China Money Network has more here.

Choice Pet, a Stamford, Conn.-based pet retailer with 17 stores, has raised $2.7 million in funding from Petros Partners. More here.

Matcherino, a two-year-old, Seattle-based eSports crowdfunding platform, has raised $1.5 million in funding, including from Madrona Venture Group, Vulcan Capital, and Seven Peaks Ventures. More here.

Movile, a 19-year-old, São Paulo, Brazil-based mobile marketplaces company that claims more than 100 million monthly active users, has raised $53 million in funding led by earlier backer Naspers, with participation from Innova Capital. More here.

NewLeaf Symbiotics, a five-year-old, St. Louis-based agricultural biologicals startup, has raised $24 million in Series C funding. Monsanto Growth Ventures and Otter Capital co-led the round, and were joined by Lewis & Clark Ventures, Rockport Capital, Pangaea Ventures and Open Prairie Ventures. The Saint Louis Post-Dispatch has more here.

SignUpGenius, a nine-year-old, Charlotte, N.C.-based online sign up site for event and volunteer management, has raised a strategic majority investment of an undisclosed amount by Providence Strategic Growth, the growth equity affiliate of Providence Equity Partners. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal represents the first round of funding for the company. More here.

Sunrate, a year-old, China-based company offering both cross-border payments and exchange rate risk management, has raised an undisclosed amount of Series A funding led by China Growth Capital. China Money Network has more here.

Yamibuy, a four-year-old, City of Industry, Ca.-based e-commerce site for Americans wanting to purchase popular Asian snacks, beauty products, health supplements and home appliances, has raised $10 million in Series A funding led by GGV Capital, with participation from New Oriental Education & Technology Group and K2VC. More here.

New Funds

CRV, a 46-year-old, venture firm formerly known as Charles River Ventures, looking to raise up to $450 million for its 17th early-stage venture firm and $400 million for an opportunity fund that would back its breakout companies, shows two SEC filings, here and here.

Partech Ventures, the 35-year-old, Paris-based venture firm (with partners also in San Francisco and Berlin) has  closed on $450 million in capital commitments for its Partech International Ventures VII fund. The capital will be used to fund mostly Series A- and B-stage companies. Limited partners include Nokia, L’Oréal, and Cisco. TechCrunch has more here.

UBS has raised $325 million from its clients for The Rise Fund a private equity impact investment fund co-founded by Bono and led by TPG Growth. (We’d written about it here last year.) Reuters has more on the news here.

IPOs

Kala Pharmaceuticals, a Waltham, Ma.-based developer of ophthalmic products based on muscle-penetrating particle technology, announced its IPO terms this morning. More here.