Boston Roundup: FirstFuel, ownCloud, Lagoa, Novomer

A quick trip through some cleantech, software, and materials fundraising news around the region:

—FirstFuel Software, which specializes in energy-efficiency analysis for commercial buildings, has raised an $8.5 million Series B investment. The Lexington, MA-based company says new and existing investors supplied the money, including German utility E.ON. FirstFuel has now raised a total of nearly $21 million, including a $10 million Series A in 2012.

—OwnCloud, a Lexington, MA-based software startup that lets companies build online file-sharing services, has filed paperwork for a new $4.4 million equity financing. The SEC filing indicates the investment round could grow to $7 million. Media reports say ownCloud plans to spend the money on developers, sales, and marketing, and that previous backer General Catalyst was among the most recent investors.

—Lagoa, a Montreal startup that sells online software for product designers, has raised a $5.3 million Series A investment led by Cambridge-based Atlas Venture. Lagoa, which also has an office in Boston, has previously partnered with local design software startup GrabCAD.

—Novomer, a Waltham, MA-based chemical company whose products include synthetic plastics, has landed a new round of investment led by the venture arm of international oil giant Saudi Aramco. SEC paperwork shows the new investment is worth $15 million.

Author: Curt Woodward

Curt covered technology and innovation in the Boston area for Xconomy. He previously worked in Xconomy’s Seattle bureau and continued some coverage of Seattle-area tech companies, including Amazon and Microsoft. Curt joined Xconomy in February 2011 after nearly nine years with The Associated Press, the world's largest news organization. He worked in three states and covered a wide variety of beats for the AP, including business, law, politics, government, and general mayhem. A native Washingtonian, Curt earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Western Washington University in Bellingham, WA. As a past president of the state's Capitol Correspondents Association, he led efforts to expand statehouse press credentialing to online news outlets for the first time.