Business news in brief

ApprenNet L.L.C., an online learning start-up whose CEO, Rachel Jacobs, died in May's Amtrak crash in Philadelphia, announced that it received $1.8 million in its first round of financing. In July, ApprenNet, which is based in Philadelphia and was founded by a Drexel University professor, announced its merger with a San Francisco firm, Handsfree Learning. A Handsfree Learning cofounder, Paul Freedman, replaced Jacobs as CEO of ApprenNet. The $1.8 million investment in ApprenNet was led by Nick Hammerschlag's Martellus Holdings. Other investors included Education Design Studio, whose collaborators include the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Ben Franklin Technology Partners also participated in the funding. - Harold Brubaker

Sephora, an upscale retailer of makeup, perfumes, and beauty and skin-care products, will open a store at Suburban Square in Ardmore. The broker representing the mall announced the addition Tuesday. In late April, Macy's Inc. announced it was closing its Suburban Square store in January, as part of the retailer's strategy to close some stores nationwide. Macy's departure will leave 90,000 square feet for another large retailer to anchor the shopping center. Kimco Realty Corp. of New Hyde Park, N.Y., has been the landlord of Suburban Square since 2006. Kimco said Monday that in addition to Sephora, other smaller retailers have expressed interest in moving to Suburban Square. The mall is in the heart of the Main Line and has 103 tenants, including 40 retailers and 10 restaurants, occupying 350,000 square feet. - Suzette Parmley

An affiliate of Maryland-based National Delivery Systems has bought a 131,000-square-foot industrial building at the Interstate Business Park in Bellmawr for $4.91 million. Heller Road Partners purchased the property from Korman Commercial Properties, according to a statement from Colliers International, which represented the seller in the transaction. The logistics company occupied the building prior to the deal and will remain there, Colliers said. - Jacob Adelman

Canadian drugmaker Valeant will work with British competitor AstraZeneca on a potential treatment for psoriasis a few months after biotech giant Amgen said it was ending research on the drug because of a link to suicidal thoughts and behavior. Valeant could pay AstraZeneca as much as $445 million if the drug, brodalumab, is developed and approved, and meets sales targets. AstraZeneca has operations in Wilmington and Fort Washington. - Bloomberg News

McDonald's Corp. plans to start selling all-day breakfast across the United States on Oct. 6, aiming to reinvigorate sluggish sales by fulfilling a long-standing customer request. The company's franchisees have voted to approve the plan and it will be implemented nationwide, according to a statement from McDonald's spokeswoman Lisa McComb. The company's biggest menu change in years follows months of testing the idea at various locations. CEO Steve Easterbrook has been trying to pull the company out of its worst sales slump in more than a decade. Selling its signature Egg McMuffin all day could increase sales by as much as 2.5 percent a year, according to an internal company presentation. - Bloomberg News

Uber Technologies Inc. will have to defend a group lawsuit brought by drivers seeking the pay and benefits of employees. The ruling may slow Uber and cut into its $50 billion valuation. It could affect drivers around the country, though the case is limited to 160,000 in California. Changing drivers' status would entitle them to unemployment and workers' compensation as well as the right to unionize. Tuesday's federal court ruling means Uber's California drivers can, as a group, press the central claim of the case, that they can seek reimbursement for mileage and tips. Other courts in the U.S. will likely look to Judge Edward Chen's reasoning in evaluating such challenges, experts said. - Bloomberg News

Marissa Mayer, chief executive officer of Yahoo Inc., said she is pregnant with identical-twin girls, who are due in December, as she prepares for a spin-off of the company's stake in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. The 40-year-old plans to take limited time away from her role and work throughout the pregnancy, as she did with the birth of her son, according to a post on her blog. "There will be a lot to do for both my family and for Yahoo," Mayer wrote. "Both will require hard work and thoughtful prioritization." - Bloomberg News

U.S. construction spending in July climbed to its highest level in more than seven years, boosted by an increase in the building of houses, factories, and power plants. The Commerce Department said construction spending rose 0.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.08 trillion, the highest level since May 2008. - AP

A strong dollar and China's economic slowdown dragged growth at U.S. factories to the lowest level since May 2013. The Institute for Supply Management reported that its manufacturing index slid to 51.1 last month from 52.7 in July. It was the second straight drop; economists had been expecting the index to rebound modestly in August. Anything above 50 signals growth. - AP