Before everyone checks out for the holidays, let’s take a look at a few recent headlines in the Boston-area tech world:
—Soft Robotics raised $3 million in a Series A round expected to reach $5 million, BetaBoston reported. The round is being led by Material Impact Fund, with participation by Haiyin Capital and Taylor Ventures. The Cambridge, MA-based startup’s robots can be used in warehouses and factories to grip and move things like fresh produce, clothing, and electronic components.
—Buoy Health, a quiet Boston-based healthtech startup, raised nearly $2.5 million in a round that could reach $3 million, according to an SEC filing. Buoy, formerly known as Qur, is reportedly developing software that would analyze the symptoms communicated by users, spit out a list of possible diagnoses, and guide them toward next steps for their care, according to a description on co-founder Andrew Le’s LinkedIn profile.
—The Federal Aviation Administration has granted Terrafugia permission to test the hovering capabilities of a smaller version of its planned flying car. The product would be a four-seat, hybrid-electric, semi-autonomous flying car that has vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. Read more about it in this Xconomy profile from 2013.
—Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) acquired Talko, a Manchester, MA-based startup that developed a mobile app for business communications, for an undisclosed price. Talko’s technology and small team—except for founder Ray Ozzie—will now be incorporated into Skype, which is owned by Microsoft.
It’s the second Ozzie startup acquired by Microsoft, which bought his Boston-based Groove Networks in 2005. After that deal, Ozzie joined Microsoft and rose to the position of chief software architect.
—Boston-based TVision Insights raised $2.5 million in a round led by Project 11 Ventures, Golden Venture Partners, Sigma Prime Ventures, and angel investors in the BOSS Syndicate on AngelList. The company uses facial recognition technology to capture and analyze data about TV viewer behavior in real time.
—Westford, MA-based cybersecurity firm Seceon raised $1.85 million out of a possible $2.3 million funding round, an SEC filing shows.
—Lowell, MA-based Macom has been busy scooping up semiconductor technology. First, it spent $60 million to acquire Japan-based FiBest. Then, it paid $38 million for a diode business owned by U.K.-based Cobham.
