Half a dozen Boston-area tech and life sciences startups have something to be thankful for heading into this week’s holiday, all of them having managed to close venture deals in a very tricky environment. A few public companies cut some interesting deals as well.
—ReGen Power Systems, a Salem, MA-based firm developing a power-producing external combustion engine, raised $5 million from 21Ventures and Quercus Trust. ReGen plans to use the money to build two prototypes of its engine for evaluation and field testing.
—RFID systems maker ThingMagic of Cambridge, MA, inked a strategic investment and technology development deal with CIA-founded venture firm In-Q-Tel. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
—In-Q-Tel also made an unspecified investment in Febit, a German maker of DNA- and RNA-sequencing devices with laboratories in Lexington, MA.
—Nashua, NH-based virtualization software maker AutoVirt added $4 million to its Series A round from return investors Kepha Partners and Sigma Partners, bringing its total raised to $8.5 million.
—Hadley, MA-based SunEthanol, a developer of cellulosic ethanol technology, raised $25 million in a Series B round of financing led by Venrock and Battery Ventures and joined by BP, Soros Fund Management, Camros Capital, and Long River Ventures. The firm also
