Clarus Ventures’ Very Big Deal, Color Kinetics’ Acquisition, VMware’s Upward Trek, and More

It’s been a crazy week here at Xconomy. We’ve suffered a few technical and other difficulties, but (inside joke alert) we’re keeping our chins up. So, it seems, are many local tech firms.

—Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) amended a $2 billion line of credit and a $5 billion term loan—in part by prepaying $1 billion—in order to gain “additional financial flexibility as it implements initiatives designed to increase shareholder value,” the company announced. The move was not enough, however, to convince Standard and Poor’s to upgrade the firm’s negative rating.

—Cambridge, MA-based Clarus Ventures led a $110 million series E financing round for Globus Medical, a Pennsylvania maker of spinal implants. Dan Primack at peHUB amusingly points out that it’s the largest VC deal of 2007—by $1.65.

Shareholders approved the acquisition of Boston-based LED lighting firm Color Kinetics (NASDAQ: CLRK) by Philips.

—Waltham, MA’s Adnexus Therapeutics—which develops drugs derived from the protein fibronectin—filed for an IPO worth up to $86 million.

—Veveo in Andover, MA, garnered $14 million in a second round of funding, on top of a first round of the same amount, writes Rafat Ali at MocoNews. Ali calls Veveo’s technology, which won’t launch until September 10, an “impressive service at first glance.”

—Inotek Pharmaceuticals in Beverly, MA closed a $19 million Series C round.

—After hitting a high of $73.95, VMware (NYSE: VMW) closed the week at $71.30, up over 14 points (nearly 25 percent).

Author: Rebecca Zacks

Rebecca is Xconomy's co-founder. She was previously the managing editor of Physician's First Watch, a daily e-newsletter from the publishers of New England Journal of Medicine. Before helping launch First Watch, she spent a decade covering innovation for Technology Review, Scientific American, and Discover Magazine's TV show. In 2005-2006 she was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT. Rebecca holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Brown University and a master's in science journalism from Boston University.