With all the news flying last week about IPOs, you might almost think that the public markets were opening up again as a capital-raising opportunity for startups and an exit opportunity for their early investors.
—LinkedIn filed registration papers to go public, saying it hopes to raise $175 million in an offering on either the Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange. In its filings the Mountain View, CA-based professional social networking service revealed key details on its membership and revenue growth; the company had adjusted earnings of $81 million in the first nine months of 2010, double the year-earlier figure.
—San Mateo, CA-based Epocrates is also preparing to go public—and to introduce an electronic health records system to complement its existing mobile medical reference tools.
—Patent risk management firm RPX, based in San Francisco, also filed IPO registration papers and intends to sell $100 million worth of shares, as Greg reported.
—San Francisco-based cloud management startup Okta began publicizing more details about its customers and its services, which are designed to help organizations manage authentication and usage across a growing number of subscription-based, off-premise cloud applications.
—I distilled a long and fascinating conversation with Eventbrite co-founders Kevin and Julia Hartz into an article listing nine lessons for entrepreneurs working to scale up their startups.
—EcoMotors, the Allen Park, MI-based engine builder funded by Silicon Valley venture firm Khosla Ventures, has begun signing deals with auto parts makers and is eyeing a former GM factory in Michigan as a production site, as Erin reported.
—The fabless chip design company formerly known as Pervasive has emerged from stealth mode and changed its name to EnVerv, as Bruce reported. Operating mainly from Milpitas, CA, with funding from Bay Area venture firms New Enterprise Associates and Walden International, the company is developing chips for smart utility meters.
—In infotech deals news, Fluidigm raised $5 million, Auditude raised $11 million, Appcelerator raised $1.3 million, Cirtas raised $22.5 million (and named a new CEO), Hipmunk raised $4.7 million, Liquid Robotics raised $18 million, and Sensr.net raised $1.5 million.
—On the energy and cleantech side, Solar Universe raised $7 million, Fulcrum BioEnergy raised $75 million, and Envia Systems raised $17 million in a round led by GM Ventures.
—Friday, January 28 marked the 25th anniversary of the destruction of the space shuttle Challenger. In a personal reminiscence, I described how the news opened my eyes to technology’s risks and helped nudge me into a career in tech journalism.
