Portfolio News
SocialShield offers safer social networking for teens
June 15, 2010 Social networks could get a lot safer for teens, starting today, if a new startup has its way.
SocialShield claims to have developed proprietary technology that gives parents tools to ensure their kids are protected from cyberbullying and other pitfalls on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and elsewhere.
Symantec To Buy PGP For $300M; Guardian Edge For $70M
By Eric Savitz, April 29, 2010 Symantec (SYMC) this morning announced a pair of acquisitions in the e-mail and data encryption market.
The company will acquire PGP Corp. for $300 million in cash, and it will buy GuardianEdge for $70 million in cash. Both deals are expected to close in the June quarter. The company said the deals will be 2 cents dilutive to non-GAAP EPS in FY 2011, and accretive starting in 2012.
You’ve Heard Of Foursquare. How About This Start-Up?
Ty McMahan April 13, 2010 In the shadow of Foursquare Inc., which is fast becoming a start-up darling, the marketing chief of a competing location-based service wondered how hype could help propel his company.
Dan Gilmartin, vice president of marketing for Where Inc., was watching the frenzy building around Foursquare Chief Executive Dennis Crowley as he spoke at a recent tech conference called Where 2.0.
Compute Your Way Through Traffic
April 1, 2010 The Hairy Man Festival, the Austin Batfest and the U.S. Congress have two things in common: Any of them could leave you stuck in traffic, and they're all in the database at Inrix, a company that predicts traffic jams and routes drivers around them.
Thumbs Up: Q Microbe wins patent for hot property
March 25, 2010 Congratulations to University of Massachusetts researchers, who discovered an ethanol-producing microbe in the soils around the Quabbin Reservoir, for reaching another milestone in taking their hot property from the laboratory to market.
Susan Leschine and colleague Thomas A. Warnick, who discovered the so-called Q Microbe, received a patent this week for the method they used to get the microbe to digest plant matter into biofuel.
Green energy in New Mexico Man-made ponds to grow algae near Columbus
By Marjorie Lilly, March 22, 2010 SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO – Columbus will be home to Luna County’s first green energy facility—literally green, in this case.
Algae will be cultivated by Sapphire Energy in man-made ponds about 8 miles west of Columbus on the Mexican border, to later be converted to a green goop called algae-based biofuel, oilgae, or algal fuel.
ULocate is Where, Now? Exactly
Wade Roush, March 18, 2010 Okay, bad joke in the headline. But there’s some real news behind it. The Boston startup formerly called uLocate, long known mainly as the creator of the GPS-based Where local search app for mobile phones, announced yesterday that it has taken the app’s name as its own.
Formerly Cc:Betty, Threadbox Emerges as a Realtime Collaboration Platform
March 12, 2010 Recently, startup Cc: Betty, a nifty service that organized and managed group email threads, decided to rebrand and relaunch its service. The new product, Threadbox, was going to be streamlined and tweaked to appeal to workspace users.
Today, Threadbox is officially launching in private beta, as a more collaborative and user-friendly service. Essentially, the site aims to combine email, IM, and collaboration tools into one platform. Instead of focusing on email like Cc:Betty, Threadbox centers around collaboration in the workplace. The service organizes and logs every type of communications with clients, allows users to share documents and images, and record decisions and feedback. The new service also has the ability to serve as a project management tool, allowing users to share and track requirements and specs, then track and follow team members from start to finish.
Instant Ads Set the Pace on the Web
Stephanie Clifford March 11, 2009 Time is now on the side of online advertisers.
Advertisers have been able to direct online messages based on demographics, income and even location, but one element has been largely missing until recently: immediacy. Advertisers booked slots in advance, and could not make on-the-fly decisions about what ads to show based on what people were doing on the Web.
The Next Best Thing: The Wall Street Journal Lists the Top 50 Venture-Backed Companies
March 9, 2010 The rankings were calculated based on how each company score in the following components: the track record of success for the venture-capital investors who sit on the company's board (Board Ranking); the amount of capital raised by the company over the last three years, in comparison to its peers (Total Equity Ranking); the track record of success for the company's founders and chief executive (Executive Ranking); and the recent growth in the value of the company (Valuation Ranking). As a last component, Dow Jones venture-capital reporters and editors also reviewed and ranked the companies. Overall rank is based on a weighted combination of all five components .
Awarepoint Raises $10M
March 1, 2010 Awarepoint Corp., the San Diego-based provider of patient and equipment tracking systems for hospitals, said March 1 that it has raised $10 million in venture capital.
Palo Alto-based JAFCO Ventures led the round, joined by existing investors Cardinal Partners and Venrock Associates. JAFCO general partner Tom Mawhinney has joined the company’s board as a result.
FirstNews Briefs for February 24, 2010
February 24, 2010 Wi-Fi networking company Quantenna Communications has raised $15 million Series D round of financing from its current investors Grazia Equity, Sequoia Capital, Sigma Partners, Southern Cross, Swisscom and Venrock Associates. The cash will speed production of its 11n 4x4 Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) Wi-Fi chipsets for wireless networks and devices.
Newport Media Raises $15M More
February 24, 2010 Lake Forest-based Newport Media, which develops semiconductors for the mobile TV market, announced today that it has raised $15M in a Series D funding round. The round was led by Pinnacle Ventures and also included prior investors Benchmark Capital, Venrock, Global Catalyst Partners, Oak Investment Partners and DAG. The firm last raised a round of funding in 2006. The new round brings the company's total raised to around $81M. According to Newport Media, the new funding will be used for working capital, and that it expects the funding is the "last step" needed to secure significant design wins. Newport Media's semiconductors integrate an RF tuner, demodulator, and memory on a CMOS IC
The $100M Revenue Club: 2Wire
March 1, 2010 2Wire Inc. has not needed venture capital in seven years.
According to Chief Executive Pasquale Romano, it is profitable, has 1,700 employees and revenue that’s “significantly north” of the $226 million it had in 2006, the last year it publicly disclosed financial figures.
In short, San Jose-based 2Wire would seem to be a company that either should be public or on the verge of listing
Aha Radio: Traffic, News and Social Media, Out Loud
Paul Bonanos, February 23, 2010 Mobile applications are often blamed when behind-the-wheel multitaskers put fellow drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians at risk, but some apps are intended to keep drivers’ attention on the road and away from their phones. Launched last summer to deliver real-time traffic reports as audio rather than text, Aha Mobile’s newly revised mobile application includes news, podcasts, social media streams, and information about nearby businesses, with minimal finger gestures and onscreen reading required in an effort to ensure the safety of both drivers and the people around them.
University of Oklahoma 'clean energy' technology promises gains in efficiency
February 16, 2010 A "clean energy" technology under development at the University of Oklahoma promises transformational advances with products that convert heat directly to useful electrical power.
"OU has one of the few research groups in the world with the expertise to develop the new semi-conductor materials needed for this new class of highly-efficient thermoelectric devices," according to Patrick J.McCann, lead investigator on the project and George Lynn Cross Research Professor at the OU School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Phononic Devices, a pioneer in the field of heat-to-electric energy conversion, is licensing the OU intellectual property and launched its activities with $2 million in venture capital funds from Venrock and Oak Investment Partners.
Endeca founders steering search firm toward ‘business intelligence’ market
Scott Kirsner January 31, 2010 Steve Papa and Peter Bell hatched their idea for a company in Papa’s dorm room at Harvard Business School. Pals from their undergrad days at Princeton, Papa was in the home stretch of earning his MBA, and Bell was camping out on a futon in the small living room, helping to hone the idea that would become Endeca Technologies Inc.
Hyper9 Named One of 10 Virtualization Vendors to Watch in 2010
AUSTIN, Texas – January 20, 2010 – Despite a tough economy and increased competition in the virtualization market, Hyper9, Inc. today announced the close of a banner year in 2009, capped off by a fourth quarter that was the company’s strongest quarter to-date. Demonstrating positive momentum across all areas of the business, Hyper9 won numerous industry accolades in 2009, most recently landing on CIO.com’s third-annual list of intriguing innovators in virtualization management, 10 Virtualization Vendors to Watch in 2010.
Ad network Bizo makes money in business-to-business market
January 12, 2010 Bizo — pronounced biz-oh, as in business — is an ad network founded in 2008 in San Francisco that caters to the business-to-business market, in which businesses target other businesses rather than individual consumers. In a press release scheduled for this morning, the company will report that December was its first profitable month.
CoreTrace increases revenues 500%
January 14, 2010 Three days after closing a $2.3 million investment, Austin-based CoreTrace Corp. reported 500 percent revenue growth in 2009 compared with the previous year.
On Monday, San Antonio-based file transfer technology firm GlobalSPCAPE Inc. invested in the growing software firm, which was the latest in several major infusions
Qteros changes out CEO Frey with ex-Microbia exec
January 13, 2010 Cellulosic ethanol technology company Qteros Inc. has replaced William Frey as CEO with industrial biotechnology veteran John McCarthy.
McCarthy joins the company from Microbia Inc., where he was chief business officer for the bio-based chemicals business. He also was executive vice president at Cambridge cellulosic ethanol company Verenium Corp., in charge of integration of acquisition and developing a corporate partnership with oil and gas giant BP plc.
Now, Electronics That Obey Hand Gestures
January 11, 2010 LAS VEGAS — The technology industry is going retro — moving away from remote controls, mice and joysticks to something that arrives without batteries, wires or a user manual. It’s called a hand.
Niche Sites Going After eBay
December 9, 2009 A host of Web start-ups are gaining traction based on the premise that they make it easier for people to buy and sell online than the company that invented the idea: eBay Inc.
Second Rotation Inc.'s Gazelle.com site, which offers people a set price to take used gadgets like iPods and laptops off their hands, last month more than doubled the number of products, to 18,000, that it took in compared with a year earlier.
How will Aha Mobile make money?
December 3, 2009 Aha Mobile is one of the many iPhone app makers racing to be the killer platform for a new "augmented reality" era. Augmented reality, as defined by Tim Chang, a venture capitalist at Norwest Venture Partners, is about making the physical world accessible around you.
Paul Allen-backed online ad startup Bizo raises $6 million
December 2, 2009 Bizo, which is creating a business-to-business display advertising network, has scored $6 million in venture funding from Bessemer Venture Partners, Venrock, Ascent and Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures. The San Francisco startup -- recently chosen as a finalist for Amazon.com's Web Services Startup Challenge -- has developed technology that allows advertisers to target their online messages to specific business audiences based on industry, size of company, seniority and other factors.
HBS Biz Plan Winner Gets Venture Capital Funding
Dan Primack, November 23, 2009 Winning Harvard Business School’s annual business plan competition is officially worth $50k and a silver fruit bowl (sans fruit). For this past April’s winner, it also helped foment a VC feeding frenzy.
“We almost immediately began getting a lot of interest from VC firms around the world,” says Matthew Prince, president and CEO of CloudFlare, an Internet security startup focused on website access control. “We were in a really luxurious position to be able to look around to see who made the most sense for us to work with, from both an expertise and personality perspective.”
CloudFlare went with Venrock and UV Partners, which recently provided a $2.05 million Series A round. Ray Rothrock of Venrock and Carl Ledbetter of UV Partners joined the CloudFlare board of directors. “They were our top choices,” Prince explains. “Carl was the former CEO of AT&T consumer and CTO at Novell, and Ray just knows more about the computer security space than almost any other investor I’ve encountered.”
More Money for “Real Time” Ad Tech: AppNexus Raises $5 Million
Peter Kafka, November 10, 2009 More money for ad technology: AppNexus, an ad-buying “platform,” has raised $5 million in a round led by Kodiak Venture Partners, along with Venrock and First Round Capital. The company is one of many trying to take advantage of “real-time” bidding for Web display ad inventory.
Receptos, Led By Biogen Idec Vets and Scripps Stars, Snags $25M For Drug Discovery Engine
Luke Timmerman, November 23, 2009 Receptos, a San Diego-based biotech startup formed by a number of Biogen Idec veterans, has nailed down $25 million in venture capital to develop a vivid new way to look at certain protein structures on cells that it hopes will ultimately take a lot of the guesswork out of drug discovery.
The cash infusion is coming from Venrock Associates, Arch Venture Partners, Flagship Ventures, and Lilly Ventures. Bill Rastetter, a partner at Venrock who was the CEO of Idec Pharmaceuticals before it merged into Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec, has joined Receptos as CEO.
Phononic Devices Selected for ARPA-E Award to Commercialize Advanced Thermoelectric Devices
November 5, 2009 Phononic Devices, Inc. has been selected for a $3 million grant from the
Department of Energy's new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
The grant will enable the company to further develop its new class of highly
efficient thermoelectric devices that convert waste heat from industrial and
commercial processes into usable electric power. Phononic Devices was one of
only 37 companies selected by ARPA-E for funding to pursue "transformational"
energy breakthroughs.
Alimera Sciences Re-Files for IPO
November 1, 2009 Alimera Sciences Inc., an Atlanta-based ophthalmic pharmaceutical company, has filed for an $80 million IPO. This comes less than two months after Alimera withdrew registration for a $75 million IPO due to “current public market conditions.”
Boston-Power`s Sonata Batteries Power New HP Pavilion dv8
Oct 14, 2009 Boston-Power, Inc., the rapidly growing provider of next-generation lithium-ion
batteries, today announced that its award-winning Sonata battery will ship with
the new HP Pavilion dv8 Entertainment Notebook PC. The new model is among an
impressive array of products being unveiled by HP this week in Geneva,
Switzerland.
Aha Mobile Launches New Version Of Traffic And Road Entertainment iPhone App
By Leena Rao September 30, 2009 Mobile apps that help drivers determine traffic patterns aren’t necessarily new but apps that combine crowdsourcing, voice-based traffic reports and entertainment are definitely worth a second look. Aha Mobile is launching a new version of its iPhone app, which takes a voiced-based, non-map-centric approach to real time traffic reports. In August Aha officially launched its free app in a few select cities but today is launching national traffic coverage and is adding a few entertainment and social media features to the app as well.
Semtek Gets Investment From VeriFone
September 30, 2009 San Diego-based Semtek Corporation, a developer of security technology used for protecting magnetic stripes on credit cards, has scored an investment from VeriFone Holdings, VeriFone said Wednesday. Amount of the investment was not disclosed. According to VeriFone, it was the lead in a Series B financing for Semtek, doubling its investment in Semtek and also acquiring an option at a future date to purchase the remaining shares in Semtek. The deal also includes a worldwide distribution agreement between the firm for licesing Semtek's encryption technology to point-of-sale hardware vendors. Other investors in the round included Venrock Capital and RRE Ventures.
Ethanol race a gold rush
By STAN FREEMAN September 13, 2009 Some call it a modern-day gold rush, but that's really not a fair comparison.
The quest to make commercially viable ethanol from plant matter, if it succeeds, will create wealth far beyond that dug from the ground in the Yukon or California hills in the 1800s.
After all, oil will run out. Plants never will.
Sapphire Energy launches algae-powered hybrid
Mehret Tesfaye September 12, 2009 Sapphire Energy, maker of an algae-based replacement for gasoline and jet fuel, unveiled its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle today in front of San Francisco’s city hall — combining several promising technologies aimed at slashing carbon emissions.
Repair Options for Ailing Electronics
Alina Tugend September 11, 2009 For months, I had been trying to ignore it. Like an ailing relative, my desktop computer was becoming increasingly frail. With each passing day, it took longer and longer to boot up. It sent endless “connecting” messages as I tried to get on the Internet. It froze in confusion if I clicked away too quickly.
Aha Mobile rolls new traffic application in San Antonio
August 19, 2009 Aha Mobile Inc. has developed a new application for the Apple iPhone that will provide road and traffic information for customers in San Antonio.
The Palo Alto, Calif.-based Aha included San Antonio traffic info as part of a strategic plan to roll out the service in select national markets. The application is free to download from the Apple iTunes App Store. Unlike navigation applications, which provide directions to drivers on the road, Aha Mobile allows drivers themselves to serve as virtual traffic reporters. Drivers have the ability to record and listen to 15-second traffic “Shouts” that are accessible to other drivers about congestion or accidents on the road.
Nano Takes Aim At Cancer Cells
Josh Wolfe, Forbes/Wolfe Emerging Tech, August 12, 2009 Cerulean is engineering nanoparticles to release drugs into tumors instead of into the blood stream.
Aha Mobile: the interactive traffic app that won’t kill you
Matt Marshall, August 6, 2009 Finally, someone has come out with a useful iPhone traffic application that won’t overly distract you while on the road.
Aha Mobile, an app that just launched last night, offers you a dead-simple dashboard with traffic congestion and incident information without you having to search for it. It’s possibly the safest traffic iPhone app so far, and I’m going to start using it right away. It offers community features, too: Users can use their voice to relay information about traffic, and they can leave more frivolous “shouts” too, such as about their mood or even sing karaoke. These frivolous elements are in a separate part of the app, which is nice because it doesn’t muddy the experience for those not interested in such off-topic shouts.
athenahealth Co-Founder Appointed Chief Technology Officer for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
August 3, 2009 WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--athenahealth, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHN - News), a leading provider of internet-based business services to physician practices, today announced that Todd Park, athenahealth co-founder and current Board Director, has been appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). To meet requirements for government service, Park will resign from his position as a Board Director for athenahealth effective August 10, 2009, and will also be required to divest his stock position in athenahealth and certain other financial interests. Park co-founded athenahealth in 1997 with current Chairman and CEO Jonathan Bush.
Cerulean socks away $10M, names Ryan as new CMO
July 28, 2009 Nanotech-focused Cerulean Pharma Inc. has closed a $10 million Series B-1 funding round, featuring participation from existing investors Polaris Venture Partners of Waltham, Bessemer Venture Partners of Wellesley, and Venrock and Lux Capital, both of New York.
3M Teams with CodeRyte to Offer Advanced Computer-assisted Coding Software for Outpatient Coding
Salt Lake City, Utah July 21, 2009—3M Health Information Systems and CodeRyte, Inc. have signed an agreement to integrate CodeRyte’s outpatient computer-assisted coding technology with 3M’s industry-leading 3M™ Codefinder™ Software to produce the 3M™ Codefinder™ Auto Edition, powered by CodeRyte technology. This powerful new tool uses clinical language processing to substantially automate the outpatient coding process, enabling coders to focus their expertise on coding accuracy and compliance. The result is streamlined outpatient workflow, enhanced revenue cycle efficiencies, and more timely reimbursement.
Biofuel Leader Qteros Achieves Major Breakthrough in Performance of Its Q Microbe Process
July 21, 2009 MONTREAL - Massachusetts-based biofuel company Qteros, whose breakthrough Q Microbe™technology turns biomass into cellulosic ethanol, today announced at an industry conference in Montreal that it has achieved unprecedented laboratory results in the performance of its proprietary, game-changing technology known as “C3” (Complete Cellulosic Conversion).
FierceBiotech's 2009 Fierce 15
John Carroll, June 29, 2009 At the beginning of this year, I was just a little nervous about how the Fierce 15 would come together for 2009. The biotech industry was headed into the Valley of Death, after all, not a pleasant-sounding place to go looking for up-and-coming companies boldly pursuing their destinies.
Email assistant Cc:Betty raises $1.5M
Anthony Ha June 9th, 2009 Cc:Betty, a startup that helps users organize their email, announced today that it has raised $1.5 million in seed funding. The round was led by Venrock, the firm where co-founder and chief executive Michael Cerda incubated the company as an entrepreneur in residence.
Beyond Detroit: On the Road to Recovery, Let the Little Guys Drive
By Charles C. Mann, May 22, 2009 The offices of Transonic Combustion are not going to win any design prizes. Located in Camarillo, California, the company occupies a line of anonymous rooms and padlocked garage workshops at the edge of town, where land is cheap and prying eyes are scarce. Alloy-frame bicycles lean against the walls of the computer-stuffed workspaces; wastebaskets overflow with empty Mountain Dew cans. So many nondisclosure agreements have spewed from the printers on the tables that they must be capable of producing them without human intervention.
BlogHer Takes $7 Million From V.C.’s, Report Says
May 14, 2009 BlogHer, a women’s blog network, has lassoed $7 million in a third round of financing, according to All Things Digital.
Partaking in the new round were previous backers — Venrock and Peacock Equity, NBC Universal’s V.C. fund — and a new investor, Azure Capital, the publication said.
Former Dash exec raised $3M for driver centric iPhone App
May 18, 2009 A new start-up called Aha Mobile Inc, announced last Friday to have secured $3 million in Series A financing from VC firm Venrock.
Robert Acker is the President and CEO at Aha Mobile. A seven years veteran of XM Satellite Radio, he was until last summer senior vice president of marketing at Dash Navigation a start-up which raised $71 milllion for building a connected PND until it stopped its consumer activity in Novembre 2008 , laid off most of its staff and went silent - if not dead.
Exclusive: BlogHer Nabs $7 Million in New Funding
by Kara Swisher Posted on May 13, 2009 BlogHer, which bills itself as “the community for women who blog,” has gotten $7 million more in a Series C funding, which will bring the total investment in the site to about $15.5 million.
CrossLoop's Screen-Sharing App Comes To The Mac
Erick Schonfeld TechCrunch.com May 4, 2009 After nearly five million downloads of its Windows PC client, CrossLoop brings its screen-sharing app and growing pro-am computer support community to the Mac (download here, for Intel Macs running OS X 10.4 or higher). CrossLoop is a peer-to-peer screen sharing app that lets a remote IT specialist or a friend take over your computer to fix a problem or give you a tutorial.
Food.com, Propel and rental cars, Kindle demographics, and more
By Cook, Engleman on May 1, 2009 Seattle is a hotbed for online recipe sites with companies such as AllRecipes.com, Big Oven and Foodista. All of them got some added competition today when Scripps Networks unveiled a beta version of Food.com, a place to store and manage recipes. You may recall that Scripps, owner of the Food Network, gobbled up Seattle's Recipezaar for about $25 million in 2007.
Real-time traffic data provider Inrix says it's tripled its coverage area to over 160,000 miles across North America during peak commute hours. The Kirkland-based company has added new cities in Canada including Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa. Inrix spun out of Microsoft Research in 2004 and is backed by Venrock, August Capital and others.
How to Raise $50M in a Recession: Highlights from the Xconomy Life Sciences Forum
Luke Timmerman, May 1, 2009 Some of biotech’s most innovative drugs emerged under the worst financial conditions. Two big breakthroughs in the 1990s, Enbrel for rheumatoid arthritis and Rituxan for lymphoma, came from small biotech companies that toiled for years, and survived brushes with extinction, before they made it.
AuditSolutions Changes Name, Raises $5 Million
April 20, 2009 Lavante (f.k.a. AuditSolutions), a San Jose, Calif.-based provider of recovery audit solutions, has raised $5 million in Series B funding. Return backers include ATA Ventures and Venrock. The company has now raised $10 million.
DEMO: Cc:Betty makes email easier for collaboration
Matt Marshall, March 2, 2009 A new company called Cc:Betty is making it a lot easier to follow email conversations.
Ever get fed up with tracking threads in your email inbox? Google’s Gmail was early to track conversation threads, but if you’re like me, it’s confusing, or at the least bothersome: You have to open the threads and scan through them all each time.
Acton's eIQnetworks raises $10 million
January 21, 2009 Acton's eIQnetworks Inc., a company focused on security and compliance management, said it recently closed a $10 million round of financing. Venrock, a venture capital firm with offices in Cambridge, led the company's first institutional round, eIQnetworks said.
America's Worst Intersections
Jon Bruner, February 25, 2009 The Cross Bronx Expressway, that fume-choked expanse of concrete and steel that slices through New York City's mainland borough, occupies a uniquely tragic place in the history of urban planning.
AppNexus Delivers Data Warehouse Cloud Service Based on Netezza
February 2, 2009 NEW YORK & MARLBOROUGH, Mass. - (Business Wire) Partners Netezza Corporation (NYSE Arca: NZ) and AppNexus today announced that AppNexus will deliver a terascale data warehouse cloud service leveraging the Netezza appliance. This new offering will provide online advertising providers with a cloud offering that not only can handle analytics on their huge volumes of data but also offers them a flexible way to take advantage of the performance, simplicity and time to value benefits of the Netezza appliance. Additionally, the partnership will expand the capabilities of AppNexus’ offering to the online advertising community.
Barriers To Innovation
Sramana Mitra, January 30, 2009, A decade ago I listened to Richard Newton, the former dean of engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and a lifelong champion of innovation, at a small private function in Silicon Valley. One of the things he said has stayed with me: Innovation opportunities going forward will be at the cusps of different disciplines--biology and computer science, information technology and health care, semiconductors and medicine.
Venrock Leads Investment Round in Hyper9
Feb. 26, 2009 Hyper9, Inc. the leading provider of management information for virtual infrastructures announced today that it has raised $8 million in a series B funding round. Venrock, a highly respected venture capital firm, led the round. Joining Venrock were current investors Matrix Partners, Silverton Partners and Maples Investments.
Texas Instruments Buys Ciclon Semiconductor
February 12, 2009 Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN) has acquired Ciclon Semiconductor Device Corp., a Bethlehem, Pa.-based developer of high-frequency power semiconductor solutions. No financial terms were disclosed. Ciclon had raised $24 million over two rounds of VC funding, from Guggenheim Venture Partners, TL Ventures and Venrock.
Second Rotation, NextWorth Solutions offer cash for 'e-waste'
By Efrain Viscarolasaga, February 6, 2009 Our consumer love affair with electronic gadgets is fickle, and once it’s over, there is an inevitable mess to clean up called electronic waste, or e-waste.
Legislators, manufacturers and retailers are all working on programs to help stem the tide of harmful materials from flowing into the world’s landfills. But for consumers, such programs provide little return beyond a warm, fuzzy feeling from helping the environment. A pair of New England companies, however, are giving people cash in exchange for their electronics while providing earth-friendly disposal.
Need PC repairs? Go to 'eBays of tech support'
By Troy Wolverton, February 2, 2009 Getting help for a problem PC can be a confusing and frustrating process.
Tech support can be costly and impersonal. And often it doesn't fix the problem, or requires consumers to call multiple times before getting help
Achaogen Receives £4.1 Million Award from the Wellcome Trust to Advance Its Neoglycosides Portfolio
January 8, 2009 Achaogen, an emerging biopharmaceutical company addressing the issue of multi-drug resistant bacterial infections through the discovery and development of innovative broad-spectrum antibiotics, today announced that it has received a £4.1 million Seeding Drug Discovery award from the Wellcome Trust. This award will help support the investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies and advancement into clinical trials of Achaogen’s portfolio of proprietary neoglycosides for the treatment of Gram-negative bacterial infections. Neoglycosides are Achaogen’s unique, next-generation aminoglycosides, in development to address the growing issue of multi-drug resistance to antibiotic agents.
Aria Systems Selects Tripwire Enterprise for Configuration Control
PORTLAND, OR, Jan 07, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- Tripwire, a leader in configuration assessment and change auditing for physical and virtual environments, today announced that Aria Systems has selected Tripwire Enterprise to help it comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). Tripwire's configuration assessment and file integrity monitoring solution allowed the company to successfully achieve PCI certification while enabling its staff to focus on projects that generate more business.
Boston-Power gets $55m in funding
By Erin Ailworth, January 14, 2009 Boston-Power Inc. said it received $55 million in funding the Westborough company will use to manufacture, market, and sell its Sonata lithium-ion battery, which Hewlett-Packard plans to start using in its notebook computers this year.
Hitachi Chooses Canesta's 3D Sensor Chip to Power World's First Gesture Controlled TV
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan 08, 2009 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Canesta, the pioneer in low-cost, single-chip-based 3D sensors, announced today that it has collaborated with consumer electronics giant Hitachi to create the world's first television that can be controlled by open-air hand gestures, rather than by the familiar hand-held remote control. The novel prototype, which uses a tiny Canesta 3D sensor for gesture recognition, will be unveiled to U.S. consumers this week at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES) being held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Quantenna Demonstrates Technology Leadership in Wi-Fi Market by Combining 4x4 MIMO with Transmit Beamforming for a Superior Home
Las Vegas, NV – January 7, 2009– Quantenna Communications, Inc., a developer of silicon for intelligent high speed wireless networking, today announced that at CES it will demonstrate the world’s first fully integrated 802.11n chip with 4x4 MIMO and transmit beamforming. By combining these technologies, a single chip can deliver up to a 25 dB performance improvement over older generation 802.11n 2x2 MIMO configurations. Quantenna is collaborating with Cavium Networks (NASDAQ: CAVM), which provides its PureVu Video processors with Super Low Latency (SLL) video compression technology to the solution. The solution demonstrates the significant Wi-Fi performance, reliability and home coverage improvements that can be attained to deliver near error-free and real-time high definition television (HDTV) wirelessly throughout any size home over standard 802.11n networks.
Bivio Networks Secures $15.8 Million in Funding
PLEASANTON, CA, Dec 9, 2008 -- Bivio Networks ( www.bivio.net), the leader in networking systems for deep packet inspection (DPI)-enabled applications and services essential for network security, visibility, control and monetization, today announced the company has secured $15.8 million in funding led by Silver Creek Ventures. In addition, ITOCHU Corporation, ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC), and Cross Technology Partners join existing investors, including InterWest Partners, Storm Ventures, Venrock Associates and Goldman Sachs, that have reinvested in the current round. Bivio Networks continues to experience record growth in shipments of its groundbreaking product line, meeting increased demand for DPI platforms that deliver the foundation for next-generation network infrastructure.
Boston-Power batteries to ship with HP PCs
December 10, 2008 Boston-Power Inc.¹s first lithium-ion batteries will ship with Hewlett-Packard Co.'s new line of environmentally-friendly laptops.
The deal announced Wednesday is the culmination of years of talks between the Westborough, Mass., battery maker and Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP (NYSE: HPQ).
The laptop maker will offer Boston-Power¹s Sonata battery as an add-on option to its new Enviro line of laptops in early 2009.
Everypoint, Red Bend make iPhone-like web apps for featurephone users
December 15, 2008 Two Boston-area companies have developed technologies that promise to bring iPhone-style mobile web applications to the billion-plus cell phone users worldwide who don’t own smartphones.
Boston-based Everypoint Inc. will announce today the beta launch of its Nemo platform, a Java-based application development and delivery system that sits on top of a featurephone’s firmware. Waltham’s Red Bend Software Inc. says it is ready in 2009 to release a platform that will enable service providers to push firmware updates needed to run the next generation of Java-based mobile applications on featurephones.
Most Successful U.S. Startups 2008
Sapphire Energy, San Diego
Founders: Jason Pyle, Mike Mendez, Yan Poon, Bryan O'Neil, Kristina Burow, Stephen Mayfield, Steve Briggs, Nathaniel David
VC investment over the last four quarters: $85.4 million
Launched in 2007, Sapphire Energy is a biofuel company developing a way to make renewable fuel equivalent to crude oil using microorganisms like algae. The 80-person company has raised more than $100 million in venture capital on the promise of "green crude production" that could be a renewable source of gasoline and jet fuel. Despite the plunge in crude prices since July, "once the current financial crisis ends, expanding economies will outpace available energy supplies again and the tight margin between production and demand will cause another price runup," a company spokesperson says in an e-mail. "Nations [that] plan for the long term are doubling their efforts to secure energy sources during these times, not pulling back."
Key to startup success: "Understand that your product must fulfill a critical need. ... Commit to the long term and build your team from the ground up, using all the talent they can apply."
New Forbes Index Forecasts Economic Recovery
Jon Bruner and David K. Randall December 23, 2008 When will this recession end? There are lots of predictions out there, but as Warren Buffett advised recently, "The market will move higher, perhaps substantially so, well before either sentiment or the economy turns up. So if you wait for the robins, spring will be over."
With that in mind, we've concocted what we are calling the Forbes Chirp Index, an index that listens for the robins' chirps--meaning very early signs of shifting sentiment. Right now it's singing a possible economic rebound in August 2009.
Sapphire Energy Named to Biofuels Digest '50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy' Ranking
Top Algae-Based Fuel Company Number Two Overall
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 22, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Algae-based fuels, one of the most promising technological developments to positively transform the world's transportation industry, gained additional momentum today when Biofuels Digest ranked Sapphire Energy, an algae-based transportation fuels company, number 2 in its 2008 "50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy" rankings. Sapphire Energy was selected out of more than 1,000 bioenergy companies eligible and was the highest-rated algae-to-energy company receiving the accolade.
The Worst Places To Be Sick And Poor
Matthew Herper, December 22, 2008 Bernadette Sheridan, a doctor at Grace Family Medicine in Canarsie, Brooklyn, has stopped seeing patients covered only by Medicaid, the Federal-State partnership that pays for medical care for the poorest Americans.
Why? Sometimes Sheridan didn't get paid, and when she did, it took forever. New York takes 140 days to process most claims, compared with 41 for South Carolina, according to AthenaHealth (nasdaq: ATHN - news - people ), a company that helps doctors get paid. But the worst thing was that all the specialists to whom she wanted to refer patients had already stopped taking Medicaid. If a woman showed up with a lump in her breast, Sheridan had to just send the patient to a clinic or emergency room.
Venrock funds XenoPort shelf registration
January 2, 2009 Cambridge venture capital firm Venrock has participated in the financing of California-based biopharmaceutical firm XenoPort Inc.’s $39.7 million stock registration. Maverick Capital led the financing with its funds.
XenoPort (Nasdaq: XNPT) said it plans to sell 1.9 million newly issued shares of common stock and warrants to make available 283,420 shares of common stock for purchase, consisting of one common stock share and one warrant. The offering hinges on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approval of the shelf registration statement.
CRUNCHYROLL AND UDON COMBO DUKE IT OUT ON THE STREET
San Francisco, CA December 5, 2008 Canada-based publisher UDON Entertainment partners with online media distribution giant, Crunchyroll, to release manga and comics based on highly recognizable Capcom video game properties through the extremely popular weekly digital manga and mega comic digest UDON COMBO! Initial game-based offerings included in 100+page digest will be UDON¹s full color Street Fighter® comics, the manga adaptations of Street Fighter® Alpha and Onimusha®, and the original manga series 1520. As stories are completed, more titles from UDON¹s comic and manga library will be moved into the weekly schedule. 2008.
ExtendMedia Nabs $10 Million
December 2, 2008 ExtendMedia has raised $10 million in Series C funding from previous backers TVM Capital, Atlas Venture and Venrock.
The Newton, Mass.-based company powers consumer video services for customers including media companies and consumer electronics makers.
The 2008 Entrepreneur Of The Year winners
November, 2008 Health Sciences Jay Flatley Illumina, Inc. In a world where computers were not yet a personal possession and rapid evolution of technology married the many discoveries in molecular medicine, Jay Flatley found his niche. Illumina has had a pivotal position in the development of personalized medicine through analysis of genetic variation and function. Because of Flatley’s focus on innovation, he has made Illumina into an industry leader in genetic analysis. In less than nine years, Flatley has led Illumina from being a 24-person company to one with more than 1,000 employees. The company has advanced from the development stage to become the dominant player in its field, with a $500 million revenue run rate and a market cap of $4.4 billion. In what ways did he accomplish this? Flatley conducts open forums each quarter in various locations in which employees are encouraged to have an open dialog with him regarding concerning issues. No issue is too insignificant and getting things done has been the hallmark of this entrepreneur’s success. Watch Jay Flatley's acceptance speech recorded at the awards gala in Palm Springs.
Sensor Networker Pinpoints $13.3M
By Ken Schachter on 25 November 2008, Awarepoint, whose sensor networks track hospital assets through radio frequency identification, has pinpointed $13.3 million in a fourth round of funding.
The round was led by Cardinal Partners and included Venrock and prior investor Avalon Ventures.
CrossLoop Launches Transaction System for Tech Support Help Marketplace
CAMPBELL, Calif. - November 18, 2008 - CrossLoop, Inc., the world's leading "Help Marketplace" where low-cost, qualified technical help is immediately available, today launched a new payment system. This empowers technology experts in its Help Marketplace to more effectively provide computer support and training to consumers and small businesses. It comes with a 48-hour money back guarantee to ensure customer satisfaction. Additionally, the new transaction system simplifies payment processing for CrossLoop Helpers and customers by accepting any major credit card and PayPal, while tracking each tech support interaction.
Qteros, formerly SunEthanol, raises $25m
November 19, 2008 SunEthanol, a Hadley company that aims to produce economically feasible low-carbon fuel energy from plant and tree waste, said it has raised $25 million in Series B financing and that it is changing its name to Qteros Inc.
The Series B financing was led by a new investor, Venrock, a venture capital firm with offices in Palo Alto, Calif., and Cambridge, Qteros said.
Zooming past fuel problems: Camarillo firms improve auto efficiency
Stephen Nellis, November 22, 2008 Forget about Detroit, or even Los Angles. The future of the automotive industry is springing up in Camarillo.
As America’s major automakers wrangle for a $25 billion federal bailout to survive, two Camarillo companies – Transonic Combustion and CalMotors – are making the combustion engine more efficient than ever and designing tomorrow’s powertrains.
Cracking the Boys Club: 10 Pioneers in Tech and Web 2.0
Allyson Kapin, November 14, 2008 Every week it seems like a popular blogger, Tech Evangelist, or Web 2.0 guru releases their "Top 10" list of people who are breaking new ground in the technology world. These Top 10 lists are usually filled with some of the brightest minds in our sector yet strangely don't often include women.
The Most Influential Women in Web 2.0
By: Saabira Chaudhuri November, 2008 We've heard the stats before -- only a quarter of those involved in computer and mathematical occupations are women. And yet, in the ever-evolving world of Web 2.0, women have often been pioneers, redefining the way we interact online. To give credit where it's due, we tracked down the most influential of these. Our list wasn't chosen by star power, nor by career altitude. Rather, we feature the biggest innovators.
Video: To Fight Diabetes, Vacuum Seal the Stomach
By Aaron Rowe, October 31, 2008An experimental procedure could help high-risk people lose weight, and cut their chances of developing Type II diabetes, without going under the knife.
According to a report, published today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, new cases of the disease have doubled in the past decade, and one of the primary causes is obesity.
Bad Bug Busters
October 29, 2008 Silicon Valley firm, Achaogen, believes it can win the battle against drug-resistant bacteria.
Martini Media raises Series A funds
Posted by Don Reisinger, October 27, 2008 Martini Media Network, an advertising network that caters to the affluent, said Monday it has raised an undisclosed amount of Series A funding.
The company also announced that it hired Skip Brand, chief revenue officer at Pudding Media and a former advertising and business development employee at Yahoo, Cox Communications, and Excite@Home, to take the reins as CEO.
Brains Over Guts
Kerry A. Dolan 10.22.08, Forbes Magazine dated November 10, 2008 Outside a conference room that used to be Peter Hecht’s office sits a makeshift shrine to Warren Buffett: a dozen copies of the Berkshire Hathaway annual report, there for the taking, and a stack of books about the revered investor. Hecht has owned Berkshire stock since he was a teenager. “Whatever little I know about business, I mostly learned from reading Berkshire Hathaway reports,” says Hecht.
Weight-Loss Surgery, No Cutting Required
By DENISE GRADY, Published: October 20, 2008 On a recent Wednesday, Karleen Perez lay unconscious on an operating table in Upper Manhattan while her surgeons and two consultants from a medical device company peered at an overhead monitor that displayed images from inside her digestive tract.
Wi-Fi Gets a Boost With Quantenna Chips
Stacey Higginbotham, Monday, October 13, 2008 If you’re like me and believe that Wi-Fi is going to rule the home networking environment, then a means to ensure reliable and fast Wi-Fi connectivity to all corners of the home becomes essential. That’s where chipsets from Quantenna Communications, a startup from Sunnyvale, Calif., could come in handy. The company, which has raised $27 million from Sequoia Capital, Sigma Partners and Venrock Associates, expects to announce on Tuesday three chipsets that boost Wi-Fi signals with a small footprint.
Compute Your Way Through Traffic
Jon Bruner, October 10, 2008 The Hairy Man Festival, the Austin Batfest and the U.S. Congress have two things in common: Any of them could leave you stuck in traffic, and they're all in the database at Inrix, a company that predicts traffic jams and routes drivers around them.
Twofish gets $4.5M, adds CTO
October 10, 2008 Twofish Inc. said Friday it received $4.5 million in funding and added a chief technology officer.
The Palo Alto-based company said funders included Menlo Park-based Triplepoint Capital, Santa Monica-based Rustic Canyon, and Venrock, which has an office in Palo Alto.
Venrock guides $8M round for AppNexus
September 25, 2008 Venrock has led an $8 million Series B round of financing for AppNexus Inc., according to the company. New York-based AppNexus, a provider of enterprise-class cloud computing solutions, also named Venrock general partner Mike Tyrrell to its board of directors, officials said.
Venrock, which operates an office in Cambridge, is a venture capital firm founded in 1969 by the Rockefeller family.
Venrock guides $8M round for AppNexus
September 25, 2008 Venrock has led an $8 million Series B round of financing for AppNexus Inc., according to the company. New York-based AppNexus, a provider of enterprise-class cloud computing solutions, also named Venrock general partner Mike Tyrrell to its board of directors, officials said.
Venrock, which operates an office in Cambridge, is a venture capital firm founded in 1969 by the Rockefeller family.
With CrossLoop, Users Can Get Help From Techie Friend
Walter Mossberg, September 24, 2008 Trying to help a less-knowledgeable friend or family member solve computer problems can be very frustrating — especially if you can’t sit with him or her in front of the PC. It can be slow and awkward merely explaining the steps you’d like the other person to perform to diagnose and solve the problem.
Interview with Derrick Oien, Intercasting
September 18, 2008 We seem to receive lots of pitches from companies looking to attack the mobile market with their mobile software applications, but few who have deployed on-deck with carriers. San Diego-based Intercasting (www.intercasting.com) is one of the companies which seems to have gotten some traction, and has deployed with Boost, Virgin, Sprint, and is in the process of deploying with Verizon and ATT. We spoke with Derrick Oien, president and co-founder of the firm, about the company's mobile social networking applications, as well as about his view on penetrating the mobile carriers. Intercasting is backed by $17.5M in funding from Venrock, Avalon, and Masthead.
Bill Gates invests in algae fuel
September 17, 2008 Bill Gates' investment firm is funding Sapphire Energy, a company that intends to make auto fuel from algae.
Sapphire Energy said Wednesday that a series B round will bring the total amount it has raised to more than $100 million. Investors include Gates' investment firm Cascade Investment, as well as Arch Venture Partners, Wellcome Trust, and Venrock.
CrossLoop Raises $6M to further Lower the Bar for Computer Support and Training
September 15, 2008 We started our journey with a desktop screen sharing software to help and get help on one's computer. It became immensely popular because it was:
- free and
- worked and
- was grandma-friendly
With the mission of enabling anyone to get help on anything, easily, immediately and cost effectively, we then began to complement our technology with people who can help, who want to help and who like to help. We embarked on this phase in December along with El Dorado last year with our Series A funding announcement. The fundamental notion was to provide all that was necessary to get computer help - technology and people who cared about the Customer.
INRIX Expands Management Team and Establishes INRIX European Headquarters
KIRKLAND, Wash. and DÜSSELDORF, Germany – September 3, 2008 – INRIX®, the leading provider of traffic information, today announced two significant additions to its executive management team and the opening of its European headquarters. Hans-Hendrik Puvogel, formerly CEO of Jentro Technologies, is joining INRIX as general manager Europe and is responsible for establishing the company’s European headquarters in Düsseldorf, Germany. Chris Hamer, a seasoned marketing executive at OnStar, Cadillac and priceline.com, is joining INRIX as vice president of marketing.
Making a Business of Family Loans
By AMY ZIPKIN September 5, 2008 AS banks tighten lending standards, alternative sources like Virgin Money USA are stepping into the breach. Last year, Richard Branson, chairman of the Virgin Group, acquired a majority stake in the company, formerly called CircleLending. Unlike a traditional bank, which pools its available lending funds from various sources, Virgin Money organizes and processes loans among family, friends and business associates. The company says it has originated $350 million in loans since 2001 and has grown 75 percent in the last 11 months.
Newport Media Gets Design Win
September 5, 2008 Lake Forest-based Newport Media, which develops semiconductors for broadcasting audio and video, has scored a design win with Longcheer Holdings LTD, a manufacturer of 2G and 3G cellular handsets. Longcheer Holdings said that it will use Newport Media's products for three different GSM/GPRS handsets, for digital television broadcasting (DVB) capability. Financial impact of the design win was not disclosed. Newport Media's chips are used by electronics firms to add DVB and other digital audio and mobile TV support. The firm is venture backed by DAG Ventures, Benchmark Capital, Global Catalyst Partners, Oak Investment Partners, Pinnacle Ventures, and Venrock.
Thirst” wins World’s Best Presentation Contest 2008
September 2, 2008 THIRST by Jeff Brenman, a beautiful presentation on the impending water shortage across the world was unanimously chosen by the judges as the best presentation in the contest.
What the judges had to say: “Creative, world subject, very clear and persuasive, most professional, great show and great design”
Crunchyroll Adds Gonzo Anime Titles
August 11, 2008 Online media distributor Crunchyroll has acquired digital distribution rights to multiple GDH K.K. titles including Kaleido Star and Peacemaker Kurogane. Crunchyroll, which has built a large anime community on the web, will begin streaming the programs for free with a download-to-own option at the end of August. Purchase prices will range from $2 to $3 U. depending on the distribution platform.
Woman to Woman, Online
August 13, 2008 Heather Armstrong’s wickedly funny blog about motherhood, Dooce, is more than just an outlet for the creativity and frustrations of a modern mother. The site, chock full of advertising, is a moneymaking machine — so much so that Ms. Armstrong and her husband have both quit their regular jobs.
Who? What? When? AT&T Customers Can Ask WHERE
Aug. 5, 2008 — Call it a pocket concierge. AT&T wireless customers can use their GPS-enabled handsets to find the cheapest gas, snag tickets to local concerts or even get the skinny on the best sushi in a city by downloading or accessing a single mobile application — WHERE™, AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and uLocate announced today. A version is also available for devices not equipped with GPS.
DATAllegro Acquired By Microsoft
July 24, 2008 Aliso Viejo-based DATAllegro, which develops data warehouse appliances, has been acquired by Microsoft, the two firms said today. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to Microsoft, it will retain most of DATAllegro's team in Aliso Viejo, where it will create a "Center of Excellence" for data warehousing. DATAllegro was venture backed by Adams Capital Management, Focus Ventures, Intel Capital, JAFCO American Ventures, Palomar Ventures, The Hillman Company, and Venrock Associates. The firm last raised a round of funding in May worth $19.6M, which brought its total raised to $63.1M since its founding in 2004.
Gazelle Will Give You Cash for Your Gadgets
July 28, 2008 Have an old laptop lying around? Too lazy to recycle your first-generation iPhone? Enter Gazelle.com, a Web site launching Monday that will pay you for your old consumer electronics equipment.
Visitors to the site will be asked to type in their product's specs, answer a few questions about its condition and whether you have accessories like chargers, adapters or earpieces. Gazelle will then give you in instant quote. If you accept, the company will send you a pre-paid envelope or box, which you use to ship them your item.
Peak Surgical wins FDA approval to market 'tissue dissection' technology
July 24, 2008 Peak Surgical Inc., a Palo Alto medical device company, said Thursday it's won Food and Drug Administration clearance to market its proprietary "tissue dissection" system for use in general surgery.
The system includes a generator that supplies radiofrequency energy and a low-temperature surgical cutting and coagulation tool. It will be commercially available next month, company officials said.
For she-bloggers, does it take a village to profit?
Posted by Stefanie Olsen, July 17, 2008 Just three years ago, she was one of "three chicks with credit cards" trying to form a consortium of female bloggers.
Now, former CNN journalist Lisa Stone is championing a network of 2,200 blogs in a fresh strategic partnership with iVillage, taking on a new $5 million investment from iVillage-parent NBC Universal, and playing host to as many as eight blog-publishing conferences this year around the country. This Friday, the BlogHer conference in San Francisco is expected to attract as many as 3,000 bloggers, some of them mothers driving across the country via caravan while blogging about their trip. (Stone co-founded BlogHer in February 2005 with Elisa Camahort Page and Jory Des Jardins.)
WHERE Available From Apple App Store at Launch
Boston, MA--July 10, 2008-- uLocate Communications, Inc. today announced its award-winning, location-based application, WHERE, will be available from Apple's new App Store when it launches today. iPhone and iPod Touch users can leverage WHERE's library of location-enabled widgets to easily discover nearby places and things of interest. These users will also be able to share their location and status with friends via Buddy Beacon, North America's leading friend finding network. Each of WHERE's widgets delivers content based on the user's current location and provides the ability to show this content on a map, get directions and easily share the location with friends.
hi5 Acquires PixVerse for Cross-Network Chat
June 30, 2008 Social network hi5 has just announced its acquisition of application creator PixVerse for an undisclosed amount. PixVerse, the Flash-based virtual world chat platform, has branched out into social networking applications such as Pix Chat and Pix Wall, both of which have gained some traction on hi5’s social network platform, among other places across the Web. Founded last year, PixVerse was funded by Venrock for an undisclosed amount.
IP Commerce Raises $17 Million in Series C Funding
June 3, 2008 IP Commerce, Inc., a software company delivering on-demand access to the next generation of commerce services, announced today it raised $17 million in Series C funding. The round was led by Venrock, the venture capital firm founded by the Rockefeller family.
Bartleby.com Joins Imaginova’s Growing Network
New York, NY - May 29, 2008 - Imaginova Corp., a leading digital media and commerce company, today announced that Bartleby.com, one of the first publishers of reference materials, verse, fiction and nonfiction on the Web, has joined the Imaginova Network. As part of the multifaceted partnership, Imaginova will represent Bartleby.com’s premium ad inventory. Imaginova will also refer readers to Bartleby.com’s reference materials to supplement relevant content on its owned sites.
Top entrepreneurs of the year honored
May 31, 2008 Austin's entrepreneurs honored some of their own Thursday night at the annual Entrepreneur of the Year awards sponsored by Ernst & Young.
The winners included Satin Mirchandani and Mike Rosenfelt, co-founders of Message-One. The company, which makes e-mail backup systems, was recently purchased by Dell Inc. Mark Adams, founder of medical malpractice insurer Advocate MD, and Sam Goodner, founder of tech services firm Catapult Systems, also won.
Apoptos Inc. Raises $28 Million in Series A Financing
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 6, 2008 Apoptos Inc., an oncology research and development company, today announced that it has secured $28 million in funding. Major investors in the milestone-driven, two-tranche Series A financing include Venrock, ARCH Venture Partners, OrbiMed Advisors, and Advanced Technology Ventures. The financing will fund the company through 2010. It will be used to advance Apoptos’ portfolio of small molecule drugs that are directed at inducing tumor cell apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death.
First Investment For MailRoom Fund Is Social Network Analytics Startup
Michael Arrington TechCrunch.com May 15, 2008 People expect MailRoom Fund, a joint venture fund established by William Morris Agency, Accel Parners, Venrock and AT&T earlier this year, to make interesting investments. With deep connections in the entertainment, technology and communications industries, they can't help but have great and varied deal flow.
Stem cell startup names another top executive
May 14, 2008 Stem cell startup Fate Therapeutics, which earlier this week announced it had appointed its first CEO, said today that it had appointed John Mendlein -- a veteran biotech executive -- as the company's executive chairman.
Mendlein was CEO of Adnexus Therapeutics until that Boston area-based protein therapeutics company was purchased by Bristol-Myers Squibb for at least $430 million in late September. He also has served as chairman and CEO of another biotech, Affinium Pharmaceuticals.
Interview: Shlomo Kramer
May 1, 2008 The serial company founder and SC's CEO of the Year tells Paul Fisher why he knew all along that data-centric security was the future.
We are on the top floor of the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Knightsbridge. Shlomo Kramer's imposing frame is supported by a sofa in the middle of the living area of the suite, which seemingly meets his approval. He likes the view. Looking through the windows and out over Hyde Park, Kramer asks if there is much fun to be had there - he is bringing his family over for Passover, he says, and is looking for activities for the kids. I can only think of horse riding and the children's playground, probably not what he had in mind. The suggestion is duly noted - with just an "OK". I feel I should have come up with some better ideas.
VeriFone Brings Breach Protection to Petroleum Retailers
GRAPEVINE, TX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Monday, May 5, 2008 VeriFone Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: PAY - News) today announced that it is extending its VeriShield Protect credit and debit card encryption technology to Secure PumpPay, its PCI-approved solution for upgrading fuel dispensers to accept electronic payments securely.
Ad Platform Adify Sold to Cox Enterprises for $300 Million
April 28, 2008 Erick Schonfeld As strange as it might sound, cable company Cox Enterprises is acquiring Adify, according to the Washington Post  (although it wouldn’t be so strange if the acquirer was actually parent company Cox Enterprises, which owns various media properties including Cox Communications).
The deal would make it a ten-bagger for investors Venrock, US Venture Partners, NBC’s Peacock Equity fund, and Time Warner, who put in a total of $27 million over the past two years. This will be the second Internet advertising startup founders Larry Braitman and Richard Thompson sold for big bucks. The first one was Flycast Communications, which CMGI (remember them?) bought in 1999 for $2.3 billion, after it went public.
Apple Up 1.7% Pre-Earnings; Buys Chip Design Firm
April 23, 2008, Posted by Eric Savitz Apple (APPL) today confirmed that it has acquired microprocessor design firm P.A. Semi, reportedly for $278 million in cash.
According to Forbes, which first reported the story, Santa Clara-based P.A. Semi was founded in 2003 by Dan Dobberpuhl, who was a lead designer for the Alpha and StrongARM microprocessors developed by Digital Equipment in the 1990s. The company has 150 employees, according to Forbes. “The company, which is known for its design of sophisticated, low-power chips, could spell a new future for Apple’s flagship iPhone, and possibly iPod products as well,” Forbes says.
Investors in P.A. Semi include Silicon Valley Bank, Bessemer Venture Partners, Focus Ventures, Highland Capital Partners and Venrock Associates.
Constellation Pharmaceuticals Closes $32 Million in Series A Funding
April 29, 2008, CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Constellation Pharmaceuticals, the first biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel drugs targeting selective regulators of epigenetic function, today announced that it has closed a $32 million Series A financing. Proceeds from the financing will be used to establish the discovery platform and accelerate the development of a preclinical candidate pipeline of epigenetic-targeted drugs.
Imperva raises $20 million
April 7, 2008 Data security software maker Imperva Inc. raised $20 million in its fourth round of venture funding.
The Foster City company, started by Shlomo Kramer, Mickey Boodaei and Amichai Shulman, has an office in Tel Aviv. Kramer helped start Check Point Software Technologies in 1993.
Space.com puts its trust in science, but not as we know it
By Joshua Chaffin, April 14 2008 Nearly a decade ago, Lou Dobbs abandoned the anchor's desk at CNN, the cable news network, to take a journey into the final frontier, launching a fledgling website devoted to all things space.
In spite of bold predictions of success, Space.com burned through tens of millions of dollars in cash and fell to earth a few years later.
The AlwaysOn Northeast 100 Winners
April, 2008 We proudly present the first annual Northeast 100 Top Private Companies. With this list of the most innovative and promising new companies in the Northeastern United Sates, AlwaysOn’s editors and our panel of industry experts introduce a new generation of game-changing players in New England’s high-growth marketplace.
Alcatel-Lucent Extends Strategic Relationship With Genband for Mobile NGN Solution
LAS VEGAS, April 1, 2008, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- CTIA Wireless -- Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that it has extended its strategic relationship with Genband, a market-leading developer of next-generation media gateways and applications solutions, by adding Genband's new G9 Converged Media Gateway to Alcatel-Lucent carrier-grade Mobile Next Generation Network (NGN) solution
Malware at Hannaford Raises More Questions About Data Security
March 31, 2008 Fraudsters planted so-called malware, or malicious software, on servers at about 300 supermarkets in or affiliated with the Hannaford Bros. Inc. supermarket chain and with it were able to steal credit and debit card data, according to a letter from a Hannaford attorney to Massachusetts officials. The thefts happened even though Hannaford at the time was compliant with the Payment Card Industry data-security standard, or PCI.
Bungee Labs Takes $8 Million Series C
Duncan Riley, March 14, 2008 Bungee Labs has raised $8 million Series C in a round that included Wasatch Venture Fund and existing investors North Bridge Venture Partners and Venrock Associates.
Orem, Utah based Bungee Labs offers Bungee Connect, a web-based Ajax environment for creating interactive web applications. Bungee Connect allows developers to “efficiently create and instantly deliver rich web applications for the small-to-medium business market” by providing an online environment where developers and clients don’t have to install anything. Bungee Connect also automates SOAP and REST based web services. See our February 2008 review of Bungee Connect here.
Crunchyroll and Speed Racer Enterprises Announce Strategic Digital Video Partnership
San Francisco, CA March 26, 2008 – Crunchyroll, the leading community and destination for Asian video content on the Internet, and Speed Racer Enterprises announced today a strategic digital video partnership to bring the iconic cartoon to audiences around the world through a combination of Crunchyroll's ad-supported, subscription, and download-to-own video services.
Crunchyroll Announces Content Partnership Program
SAN FRANCISCO, BUSINESS WIRE -- March 21, 2008 Crunchyroll, the leading community and destination for Asian video content on the Internet, today announced partnerships with several content creators, Akibanana, DLE, GDH, and GTChannel to distribute streaming content online. Through these strategic partnerships, Crunchyroll is able to deliver unique content to a large and growing community of four million passionate fans around the world.
GENBAND Paves the Way for Next Generation Network Technology at CTIA Wireless 2008
March 31, 2008, Las Vegas - GENBAND Inc., a market-leading developer of next-generation IP gateways and application solutions, will demonstrate how it uniquely addresses the challenges and opportunities facing service providers as they evolve legacy communications infrastructures to deliver Next-Generation VoIP and Multimedia services at CTIA Wireless in Las Vegas, April 1 - 3, at Booth #6365.
Tomorrow's Motor Is Today's Motor
Steve Kichen, March 19, 2008 Gee-whiz technologies like fuel cells and electric cars may eventually dominate our roads. But the internal combustion engine, a technology that is over 100 years old, will keep powering most automobiles for a while--at least for the foreseeable future.
Digit Wireless gets $4M and a new CEO
February 19, 2008 Mobile phone interface maker Digit Wireless Inc. has landed $4 million in new funding and brought in former Telus Communicaitons Inc. executive Robert Blumenthal to lead the company as CEO.
The funding marks the fourth round for the Burlington company, bringing its total to $16.1 million. The financing was provided by previous investors Venrock in Cambridge and Qualcomm Inc.
Game Developers to Benefit from Canesta's 3D Camera - Softkinetic's 3D Software Collaboration
February 21, 2008 SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Canesta, Inc, the inventor and pioneer of Electronic Perception Technology, announced today that it has entered into a cooperative agreement with Softkinetic S.A., a leading provider of 3D gesture recognition interfaces, to provide an integrated hardware/software development platform to game developers. The impact is to open up the game development process, and give game designers the ability to immerse players fully in the game experience through full body tracking and gesture controls. The consolidated solution marries 3D middleware from Softkinetic with Canesta's low cost, three-dimensional color camera technology, allowing developers to concentrate on making great, immersive game experiences without the need to deal with the complexities of 3D image processing.
Intel and SAP Put $15 Million Into Enterprise-Search Company Endeca
Erick Schonfeld, January 23, 2008 Two weeks after Microsoft announced its $1.2 billion acquisition of FAST Search & Transfer, enterprise-search competitor Endeca is getting a $15 million cash infusion from Intel and SAP. This is on top of the $50 million Endeca has already raised in the past few years from Lehman Brothers, Granite Global Ventures, Ampersand Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Venrock Associates and DN Capital.
Intel and SAP Put $15 Million Into Enterprise-Search Company Endeca
Erick Schonfeld, January 23, 2008 Two weeks after Microsoft announced its $1.2 billion acquisition of FAST Search & Transfer, enterprise-search competitor Endeca is getting a $15 million cash infusion from Intel and SAP. This is on top of the $50 million Endeca has already raised in the past few years from Lehman Brothers, Granite Global Ventures, Ampersand Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Venrock Associates and DN Capital.
Our buoys will rule the waves, say OreCon power pair
By James Ashton, March 2, 2008 She is more used to riding the waves off the Cornish coast than making money from them.
But Nikki Meek, a former world champion dinghy sailor, has attracted £12m of venture-capital funding for OreCon, the wave-energy company spun out of Plymouth University six years ago.
OreCon raised the cash from Advent Venture Partners, Wellington Partners, Venrock and North Zone of Norway.
Twofish Elements: Virtual World Economy in a Box
By Wagner James Au, February 13, 2008 Last year, Om wondered aloud what Lee Crawford at the Venrock and Rustic Canyon Partners-backed startup TwoFish was up to. Well now we finally know: Twofish Elements, billed as a “turnkey solution” for companies with online worlds and game networks that want someone to handle in-game currency, micro-transactions and other features that comprise a virtual economy.
Vulnerability management: weathering the storm
Dan Kaplan, February 1, 2008 For 25 years, The Weather Channel has been in the business of calculating risk. Each day, forecasters prognosticate which way a particular snowstorm will track, whether a drought-stricken region will see measurable rainfall, or if a hurricane will strengthen prior to landfall.
Yahoo Buys Maven as Video Ads Get Hot
By Ken Schachter, February 12, 2008 Yahoo, in the midst of dealing with unsolicited suitor Microsoft, Tuesday said it had closed on the $160 million acquisition of Maven Networks, a player in the increasingly hot arena of online video advertising.
The deal follows last week's $7.5 million funding of TurnHere by Venrock and Hearst Interactive Media and January's acquisition of GlobeShooter, a network of independent filmmakers, producers and photographers, by venture-backed Spot Runner.
I-95 to Get Real-Time Satellite Traffic Reports
By Marty Jerome, January 29, 2008 Smart highways are still years away. But smarter highways just got a boost with the announced rollout of a satellite system that will disseminate real-time traffic data along a highly congested 2,500 mile corridor of I-95, stretching from Maine to Florida. It's the largest project of its kind.
Second Rotation finds home for old gadgets, raises money
Posted by Martin LaMonica January 29, 2008 Admit it: somewhere in a drawer or stashed in your closet, you have an old cell phone or digital camera with no practical purpose.
Second Rotation is a Web site designed to find a home for that used and no-longer-loved electronic gear. On Tuesday, the company announced that it has raised $4.4 million in funding led by Venrock to expand its product catalog and ramp up marketing.
uLocate acquires Buddy
By Narayan Bhat, January 14, 2008 uLocate Communications says it acquired the trademark rights to the location-based friend-finding service "Buddy Beacon," which it developed in alliance with Helio years ago.
Boston-Power expanding laptop battery production
Martyn Williams, PC World, January 4, 2008 Battery making start-up Boston Power is more than tripling production of its Sonata laptop battery, a device that offers faster charging and longer life than conventional lithium-ion batteries, it is due to announce Thursday.
Pharmos Corporation Completes Initial Closing of Private Placement
ISELIN, N.J., Jan 03, 2008 Pharmos Corporation (Nasdaq: PARS) announced today that it has completed an initial closing of a private placement of its 10% Convertible Debentures due November 2012. At the initial closing the Company issued $4,000,000 principal amount of the Debentures, at par, and received gross proceeds in the same amount.
The purchasers consisted of certain existing investors in the Company, namely Venrock, New Enterprise Associates, Lloyd I. Miller, III and Robert Johnston.
Phase 3 study generates promising results for QuatRx
By Nathan Bomey, January 4, 2008 QuatRx Pharmaceuticals Company's leading drug candidate edged closer to commercialization this week as the company celebrated positive results from a critical late-stage study.
Tempo Pharmaceuticals Closes $8 Million in Series B Funding
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan 03, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Tempo Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on novel, intelligently designed nanoparticle-based drugs, today announced that it has closed an $8.1 million Series B financing. Proceeds from the financing will be used to accelerate the development of Tempo's preclinical pipeline of multi-compartmental, nanoparticle-based drugs that have the potential to substantially improve the efficacy and safety of existing and new therapeutics.
All (User-Generated) Content Doesn’t Want to Be Free
Wade Roush, December 14, 2007 You know that little “CC” you see here and there on the Web, in the margins of blogs or attached to photos on Flickr? It stands for the Creative Commons license, and until now, it’s basically been a way for content creators to say, “I don’t approve of traditional copyrights, so I’m just going to give my work away, with a few minor restrictions.” But a Cambridge startup being launched this weekend will add a new dimension to content protection. RightsAgent is rolling out a way for creators to still be liberal and open about sharing their work, while at the same time collecting money for certain uses of it.
Web Spinning
By Holly M. Sanders November 16, 2007 -- The lucrative business of selling Web ads has become so fragmented - and easy to do - that even Martha Stewart has thrown her hat in the ring by setting up an online advertising network.
$12 million generated for Fate biotech, stem cell drugs
By Ángel González, November 30, 2007 A group of venture capitalists is investing $12 million to launch Fate Therapeutics, a biotech company aiming to develop drugs that spur dormant adult stem cells to regenerate damaged tissue.
Quantenna Secures Series B Funding of Over $12.7 Million
SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantenna Communications, Inc., a fabless semiconductor company creating advanced, chipsets for wireless technology, today announced that it has closed series B funding of over $12.7 million led by new investor Sigma Partners. The round, which includes another new investor Grazia Equity, along with previous investors Sequoia Capital and Venrock Associates, brings Quantenna's total financing to approximately $25 million. Additionally, Fahri Diner, managing director of Sigma Partners has joined Quantenna's board of directors.
MMS Starts to Take Off
November 1, 2007 Multimedia messaging service (MMS) has been slow catching on as a way of sending photos and even video with a handset. Some accounts have deemed it a failure. But use of the application has grown dramatically in the past year, both by consumers and even by businesses.
Symantec to Acquire Vontu
CUPERTINO, Calif. — November 5, 2007 — Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Vontu, the leader in Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions, for $350 million, which will be paid in cash and assumed options. The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth calendar quarter of 2007, subject to receiving regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions
Acceleron Pharma Completes $31M Series C Financing
October 30, 2007 CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Acceleron Pharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that modulate the growth of tissues including bone and muscle, today announced it raised $31M in a Series C financing. Bessemer Venture Partners led the round along with other new investors MPM BioEquities and QVT Financial. All existing institutional investors participated in the round including Advanced Technology Ventures, Flagship Ventures, OrbiMed Advisors, Polaris Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures and Venrock.
INRIX Raises $15M in Series C Venture Funding
October 30, 2007 INRIX Traffic Solutions, a provider of traffic-flow data and analysis, announced Monday that it has raised $15M in a third round of venture financing. INRIX said previous investors August Capital, Bain Capital Ventures and Venrock with led the effort. INRIX said it will use the funds for growth and deployment. INRIX is headquartered in Kirkland, Washington and provides systems used for real-time monitoring of traffic and road conditions. The round brings the company's total venture capital raised to $31.1M.
Semtek Gets Series A
October 31, 2007 San Diego-based Semtek, a provider of a hardware devices for payment card security, announced today that it has raised a Series A round of funding. Amount of the funding was not disclosed. The funding came from RRE Ventures and Venrock, who co-led the funding, and also was supported by VeriFone Holdings, a strategic investor in the firm. Semtek is developing hardware which is targeted at combating credit card counterfeiting. Rich McGinn at RRE, Mike Brooks at Venrock, and Douglas Bergeron, Chairman and CEO of VeriFone, join the firm's board of directors as part of the funding.
The Top 10 real life Star Trek inventions
November 1, 2007 In the past few months a number of technologies and products that invoke the Star Trek name have been rolled out. MIT was the latest with a tractor beam-like device, but all manner of other new stuff from Star Trek funeral products to healthcare items are also out there.
The Communicator
This product has been out for awhile but it still warrants mentioning, especially in wildly interesting articles such as this. The crew of the classic science-fiction show's Starship Enterprise wore small devices on their chests that they could tap to communicate instantly with their colleagues. Vocera's Communications System is uncannily like those science-fiction gadgets. It uses hands-free, voice-activated devices that users can carry around their necks to talk with co-workers any time, anywhere within range of the enterprise's Wi-Fi network.
2Wire Buys Kenati Tech
October 17, 2007 2Wire Inc., a San Jose, Calif.-based provider of broadband service delivery platforms, has acquired Kenati Technologies Inc., a Sunnyvale, Calif.�based provider of home networking software and services. No financial terms were disclosed.
Asoka Announces New CEO and $7M in New Funding
Foster City, CA October 3, 2007 - Asoka USA, a leading Powerline Network Solutions provider, today announced the appointment of Dano Ybarra as the company's new Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Ybarra will assume leadership responsibilities for the company, including the advancement of its Powerline Communications product lines and global expansion plans.
Virgin Starting U.S. Lender Aimed at Family and Friends
By KATIE ZEZIMA, October 15, 2007 The Virgin Group, which has big aspirations in financial services, is starting small in the United States: today, it is scheduled to open a lending business, Virgin Money USA, intended to make loans easier among family members and friends.
WHERE™ GPS Widget Platform Announces New Content From Leading Web Properties
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--October 10, 2007 Amidst a flurry of news including carrier launches and an innovative, industry leading developer contest, WHERE™, the world’s first wireless GPS widget platform is pleased to announce in their latest release, the addition of three diverse widgets to the leading location based platform. Yelp, Zipcar and Topix have each debuted WHERE widgets within the past 30 days and are all currently available, in addition to WHERE’s existing content, to subscribers on the Sprint and Alltel networks.
Intercasting Gets Win At Boost
September 25, 2007 Venture backed Intercasting, the firm behind the Rabble mobile social networking service, said today that it has been selected by Boost Mobile to power a new social networking feature on Boost's ANTHEM service.
Innovation Awards
Among this year's winners: a hypertension drug, a device that pulls drinking water from the air and a service that delivers TV over the Web
By MICHAEL TOTTY, September 24, 2007 High blood pressure is a killer. Nearly a billion people around the world and one out of three in the U.S. suffer from the condition. Yet no new therapy has been developed in a dozen years. Until now.
Bristol-Myers to Buy a Biotech Company
September 25, 2007 Bristol-Myers Squibb said yesterday that it would pay $430 million for Adnexus Therapeutics, a privately held biotechnology company whose lead product is a cancer drug in the earliest stages of human trials.
Interview with Sachin Deshpande, Tapioca Mobile
September 24, 2007 Earlier this month, San Diego-based Tapioca Mobile raised a first round of funding from Venrock, saying that it is developing to deliver video and rich media to mobile handsets. To get a better perspective on where Tapioca Mobile fits into the mobile market, and for more color on the funding, we spoke with Sachin Deshpande, CEO and Co-founder of Tapioca last week. Ben Kuo conducted the interview.
Microbia, Forest Collaborate: Up To $330M For IBS Candidate
By Randall Osborne, September 18, 2007 Microbia Inc.'s potential $330 million deal - $70 million up front as a licensing fee - with Forest Laboratories Inc. for the Phase IIb gastrointestinal drug linaclotide could let the pair jump into the $500 million-plus market gap left earlier this year when Novartis AG pulled its compound for constipative irritable bowel syndrome, Zelnorm, off the shelves due to safety concerns.
Microsoft signs deal with spinoff
By John Cook, September 5, 2007 Slightly more than three years ago, the technology behind Inrix was spun out of Microsoft Research to commercialize a system that predicts traffic bottlenecks on major roadways.
Tapioca Mobile Secures Seed Funding from Venrock
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- September 12, 2007 Tapioca Mobile announced today that it has closed its initial round of funding and added Venrock’s David Siminoff and Neeraj Choubey to its board of directors. Tapioca Mobile, which specializes in mobile rich multimedia messaging, will use the seed financing to accelerate product and customer development.
uLocate Communications Announces WHERE™ Developer Contest
Boston, MA - August 27, 2007 - uLocate Communications, Inc., the leading publisher of mobile GPS applications, today announced the WHERE™ Developer Contest, the first mobile application development contest that requires no prior mobile development experience. The contest will be run through the WHERE Developer Program.
DATAllegro Releases New Data Warehouse Appliance
August 21, 2007 Aliso Viejo-based DATAllegro said today that it has launched a new data warehouse appliance, targeted at online archiving. The firm said that the new appliance is designed to hold petabytes of historical data online in a small data center footprint.
Introducing the Inc. 5,000
August, 2007 The Inc. 5,000 includes the Inc. 500, but digs deeper to offer the most comprehensive look ever at the entrepreneurial engine driving the U.S. economy. Read more about the 5,000 fastest growing companies in America and what makes them work.
Three Venrock-backed companies made the Top 500; Simple Star, GenBand and Vocera Communications.
QuatRx preps for IPO or acquisition
By Tom Henderson, August 27, 2007 Ann Arbor-based QuatRx Pharmaceuticals Co., which has raised more venture capital than any company in Michigan since the National Venture Capital Associationbegan keeping records in 1980, says it plans to go public or be sold by the end of next year.
Waltham biotech Adnexus looks to join IPO parade
By Todd Wallack, August 27, 2007 Adnexus Therapeutics Inc., an ambitious young biotech company in Waltham, says it is going public. The five-year-old firm, still in the early stages of developing an cancer drug, plans to raise $86 million in an initial public offering in the coming months, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Adify Soars Past Key Milestone, Powering More Than 35 Expert Vertical Advertising Networks
SAN BRUNO, CA -- 07/30/07 -- Adify Corporation, the leading provider of technology and services that power online vertical advertising networks, today announced broad adoption of its Build Your Own Network® (BYON) platform by global media companies and entrepreneurs. Adify's BYON platform is the first turnkey solution designed for network builders to define, assemble, merchandize and manage new, highly-targeted, content-centric vertical networks within weeks, incurring little or no upfront cost.
Adnexus Therapeutics Raises $15.5 Million in Series C Funding
WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--August 9, 2007: Adnexus Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that it has raised $15.5 million through a private placement of Series C Preferred Stock. The financing was led by a new investor, HBM BioVentures (Cayman) Ltd., a leading global healthcare investment firm. All of Adnexus’ existing venture investors, Atlas Venture, Flagship Ventures, Polaris Venture Partners and Venrock, participated in the financing.
Intercasting Ties Into Sprint
July 17, 2007: San Diego-based Intercasting, which operates the Rabble.com mobile social networking web site, said today that it has made its mobile social networking platform available on Sprint phones. The firm's solution, named Anthem, enables wireless carriers to develop their own social networking web sites for their mobile customers. According to Intercasting, the service will be available starting next week for $2.99 per month plus data charges. Intercasting is venture backed by Avalon Ventures, Masthead Venture Partners, and Venrock.
Stomach stapler for the obese gets $30 million
July 20, 2007, Posted by Michael Kanellos
Toga...toga.
If you hear someone chanting that in a hospital, they probably aren't repeating dialogue from Animal House. They are asking for the latest in obesity technology.
Satiety, which has created the TOGa procedure for stapling a stomach without surgery, has raised $30 million in a fourth round of funding. Investors included Skyline Ventures, HLM Venture Partners and Venrock.
PSS buys stake in Massachusetts company
July 2, 2007 PSS World Medical Inc. has bought a 5 percent stake in a Massachusetts-based provider of Web-based medical records technology.
The $22.5 million investment in athenahealth Inc. includes a two-year, exclusive agreement under which PSS subsidiary Physician Sales & Service will distribute athenahealth's practice management, billing and electronic medical records management software.
GENBAND’S Converged Media Gateway Named Worldwide Market Share Leader
May 29, 2007, Plano, TX - GENBAND™ Inc., a market-leading developer of next-generation IP gateways and application solutions, today announced that independent analyst firm Infonetics Research has named the GENBAND 8000 Converged Media Gateway as the world’s leader in port shipments for the calendar year 2006.
Nanotechnology Drug Delivery
May 23, 2007- - By Mira Schwirtz Tempo Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based developer of nanoparticle drug delivery technology, secured $12.1 million in Series A funding.
Venrock Partners, based in New York and Menlo Park, California, and Waltham, Massachusetts-based Polaris Venture Partners co-led the funding, with additional money from New York-based Lux Capital.
New Dollars for New Medicines
May 23, 2007 By Herbert A. Sample
Tens of millions of venture capital dollars were plowed this week into two drug companies developing treatments for everything from estrogen deficiencies to high blood pressure.
QuatRx Pharmaceuticals of Ann Arbor, Michigan, garnered the major share of that largesse, winning $44 million in Series E funding—among the largest VC investment promised a biotech firm this year—from a plethora of financiers. QuatRx's financing team was led by Venrock, the nearly 30-year-old venture capital arm of the Rockefeller family.
Rockefeller fund eyes British firms
Nick Mathiason, business correspondent
Sunday May 27, 2007
The Observer
The Rockfeller family's venture capital fund has signalled its intent to buy into leading British technology firms with its first ever investment in a UK company.
Tempo Pharmaceuticals Closes $12.1 Million in Series A Funding
Posted on May 23rd, 2007 Venrock of New York, N.Y. and Polaris Venture Partners of Waltham, MA co-led the round with participation from Lux Capital of New York, N.Y. and William H. Rastetter, Ph.D., former executive chairman of Biogen Idec and a partner at Venrock. Tempo was previously co-founded and seed funded by Polaris.
Transonic Combustion Secures Second Round of Venture Financing
May 22, 2007 CAMARILLO, Calif.--Transonic Combustion, Inc. announced today that it has completed its second round of venture funding. The round was lead by Venrock and also includes Rustic Canyon and Khosla Ventures. These three world class venture capital firms, who were also the first round investors, participated on an equal basis. This second round of financing was closed just nine months after the company’s first round of financing and 15 months ahead of the initial business plan schedule. The accelerated second stage funding will facilitate tripling the company’s R&D effort and building the team.
Virgin USA Acquires Majority Interest in Pioneering Financial Services Company
New York, N.Y. – May 15, 2007 – Virgin USA, Sir Richard Branson's North American investment group, announced today that it has acquired a majority stake in CircleLending, Inc., the innovative financial services company that pioneered the business of managing loans between relatives and friends. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
uLocate Secures $11 Million in Growth Capital Investment
Framingham, MA-May 16, 2007-uLocate Communications, Inc., an award-winning publisher of location-enabled mobile applications, today announced the close of an oversubscribed investment round of $11 million. Poised at the leading edge of the LBS mobile application market, uLocate will use the capital to fuel the continued development and marketing of the WHERE platform. International venture capital firm Venrock led the round, with additional participation from returning investors GrandBanks Capital and Kodiak Venture Partners. Venrock's General Partner, Mike Tyrrell, also joined uLocate's Board of Directors.
INTERCASTING CORP. SECURES $12 MILLION IN SERIES B VENTURE FUNDING
San Diego, California, May 8, 2007: Intercasting Corporation, a leading mobile media company, today announced that it has raised $12 million in Series B financing that was led by Venrock and also supported by existing backers Avalon Ventures and Masthead Venture Partners.
GENBAND Complete Acquisition of Tekelec's Switching Solutions Group
April 23, 2007, Plano, TX - GENBAND™ Inc., a leading developer of next-generation infrastructure and multimedia application solutions for fixed, cable, and mobile service providers, today announced it has completed the acquisition of Tekelec’s Switching Solutions Group.
RED HERRING 100 WINNERS
May 5, 2007 Red Herring announces the Red Herring 100, including Venrock portfolio companies athenahealth, Imperva, Satiety and ZoomInfo.
REDSEAL SYSTEMS RAISES $17.1 MILLION IN SERIES B FUNDING
SAN MATEO, Calif. — May 3, 2007 RedSeal Systems, the leader in innovative security risk management (SRM) solutions, today announced it has secured $17.1 million of new capital. This round of funding was led by Venrock Associates and includes JAFCO Ventures as a new investor, in addition to significant participation on the part of the current investors, Sutter Hill Ventures and Leapfrog Ventures.
The Bush who pays the bills
On the last day of November, Jonathan Bush, 37, the CEO of AthenaHealth and a first cousin of the Commander-in-Chief, sat restlessly on a Louis XVI - style sofa in the Presidential Suite of Manhattan's Pierre hotel and faced a pair of investment bankers from Piper Jaffray.
Intarcia Raises $50 Million in a Series BB Financing
Intarcia Therapeutics, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, announced today the completion of a transaction to raise $50 million to support the development of its lead therapeutic candidates for the treatment of hepatitis C and type 2 diabetes.
NANOSYS, DoCoMo Capital, and NTT DoCoMo to Collaborate on Nanotechnology-Enabled Wireless Communication Opportunities
Nanosys, Inc. and DoCoMo Capital, Inc., a wholly owned US subsidiary of NTT DoCoMo, Inc., today announced they have entered into an exclusive collaboration agreement among Nanosys, DoCoMo Capital, and NTT DoCoMo, Inc. to develop Nanosys' nanotechnology platform for potential product opportunities in wireless communications for mobile telephone applications in Japan .
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Venrock’s entrepreneurs have charted new advancements in the analysis of genetic variation and function.
"Venrock, as a leader in the healthcare field, provided leadership, knowledge and experience to our team in addition to funding. Illumina benefited from our strong, trusted relationship with Venrock. They worked closely with us to shape our strategy, build our company, attract our talented team and develop critical industry alliances."
Jay Flatley, President and CEO, Illumina
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