2001 is off to a running start for dealmakers in New England’s tech and life sciences sectors, it seems.
—Cambridge, MA-based Genocea Biosciences pulled in a tidy $35 million in a Series B funding round. The vaccine developer, a spinout of Harvard, saw contributions from new investors Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, MP Healthcare Venture Management, and Skyline Ventures. Existing Genocea backers Auriga Partners, Cycad Group, Lux Capital Management, Morningside Ventures, Polaris Venture Partners, and SR One also participated in the deal.
—Rave Wireless, the Framingham, MA-based maker of security and emergency alert software for mobile phones, reported to the SEC that is has raised $4 million in an equity offering. Rave’s previous investors include Sigma Partners, Bain Capital Ventures, and RRE Ventures.
—Boston’s Longwood Founders Management capped its first fund at $85 million. The biotech-focused firm, whose partners include Rich Aldrich, Christoph Westphal, and Michelle Dipp, has already made investments in Alnara Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) in July 2010, and Verastem.
—Littleton, MA-based Movik Networks raised $3 million in a debt offering, according to an SEC filing. Investors in the startup, which makes software for delivering content to mobile devices, include North Bridge Venture Partners and Highland Capital Partners.
—Medical device maker Augmenix raised $3 million in an equity and debt financing round. Catalyst Health Ventures, Pinnacle Ventures, and Versant Ventures have all previously invested in the Waltham, MA-based firm, which makes hydrogel implants for reducing the side effects of radiation therapy.
—Newton, MA-based Zeo, a maker of sleep-tracking gizmos, took in $12.3 million of a planned $15.4 million round of equity financing. Previous backers of Zeo include iD Ventures America and Trident Capital.
—Belmont, MA-based CQuotient, a developer of analytics software for retailers, confirmed that it recently raised $3 million in Series A financing from Bain Capital Ventures. Rama Ramakrishnan, CQuotient ‘s founder and CEO, chatted with Greg about the stealthy startup’s genesis, strategy, and “secret sauce.”
—Location-based gaming startup, SCVNGR, raised $15 million in a funding round led by London-based Balderton Capital and joined by return investors Google Ventures and Highland Capital Partners. TechCrunch reports that the deal put the Cambridge-based startup’s valuation at just over $100 million.
—Affirmed Networks of Acton, MA, raised $1.7 million out of a planned $3.2 million equity offering, according to an SEC filing. Members of Charles River Ventures and Matrix Partners sit on the telecomm startup’s board of directors.
