-Like.com, a “visual search engine,” secured $32 million in third round funding today, reports VentureBeat. How it works is that the contents of images and photos on the net are used to search and retrieve similar items. For instance, say you find a dress you like, but want to find something similar. Type in details (such “buckle” or a color) and the search engine will find other, similar items. Apparently, investors think Like.com is one to something. Along with this round of funding, VCs gave the start-up a $100 million valuation.

-Video site Howcast announced today that they raised $2 million in first round funding. The site, founded by ex-Google employees, provides a slew of how-to videos on topics ranging from how to repel ticks naturally, to how to call in “sick,” to how to walk in high heels. It’s basically a smorgasbord of fun and quasi-useful clips. In other words, we love it.

-V.I. Labs, the maker of anti-piracy software (arr!), landed $4 million in second round funding this week. They plan to use the investment to market their new product, CodeArmor Intelligence, a tool that’s embedded in software that reports back to developers when it’s being use improperly. Will this mean that we have to get rid of our bootleg version of Microsoft Office?

-Predictive Biosciences nailed a $22 million second round of financing last week. The start-up works in the field of cancer detection. Right now they’re specifically focused on researching bladder cancer, but say they plan to expand to breast, prostate, ovarian, and colorectal cancers as well. They say they’ll use their funding to initiate further human studies.

-Chemclin, a medical diagnostics company (which apparently are popular this week), captured $16.5 million in Series B funding. The company is based in Beijing, China.

-WideOrbit, a software start-up that oversees advertising sales for thousands of cable networks, radio stations, and TV stations, announced that they’ve secured $9.5 in fourth round funding. CNET, which reported the story, says that while advertising is expected to slow during the coming months as a result of the economic turmoil, this round of funding is a sign that some VCs don’t believe that speculation.

-Also suggesting that the ad business isn’t screwed just yet, AdMob, a mobile advertising start-up, secured $15.8 million in third round funding from Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners this week, reports the LA Times. It may be because they just raised funding, but AdMob CEO Omar Hamoui says that he expects mobile advertising to continue to grow. And while other companies are making cuts as a result of the economy, he says they’re proceeding business as usual: “We will need to continue to be careful and conservative about how invest, but we have always been that way.”

-Trusteer, a customer protection software business, landed $6 million in funding this week. Their software protects online banking, healthcare, and other applications that users fill out from fraud and hackers—even if the user’s computer is already infected with malware. We like the sound of that.

-Sutus, a Canadian start-up, raised $4.5 million in funding this week. The company makes an all-in-one device that combines the various pieces of equipment a business needs to communicate—including phone, data networks, and internet.

Image via TechCrunch