Boston Tech Watch: Rethink Robotics, SquadLocker, Semcasting & More

There was a flurry of tech deals announced this week in Boston, including the acquisitions of Applause, Digital Lumens, and Dragon Innovation, and a $6 million investment in GNS Healthcare. Here are a few more deals you might have missed:

—Rethink Robotics raised $18 million from investors, part of a funding round announced last December that now totals $36 million, according to SEC filings. That brings Rethink’s total venture capital haul to at least $148 million. The company makes robots that can collaborate with factory workers on tasks like assembly and testing.

Semcasting, a North Andover, MA-based provider of data tools for marketing and advertising, acquired Orlando, FL-based Transparency AI for an undisclosed price. Transparency AI helps clients in the automotive industry measure the effectiveness of their online advertisements. With the acquisition, Semcasting now has around 60 full-time employees located at offices nationwide, a spokeswoman said.

—Warwick, RI-based SquadLocker received a $7 million Series B investment led by Causeway Media Partners, a spokesman said. Causeway’s managing partners include Boston Celtics co-owner and CEO Wyc Grousbeck. Earlier SquadLocker investor James Lombardi also contributed to the funding round. Causeway managing partner Bob Higgins has joined SquadLocker’s board, according to a press release.

SquadLocker’s online tools help coaches and parents manage the process of designing and ordering youth sports apparel. The company has raised about $18 million from outside investors, according to the Boston Globe. SquadLocker co-founder and CEO Gary Goldberg has also put in $4 million, the Globe reported.

—Here’s one that flew under the radar: Day Zero Diagnostics announced earlier this month that it closed a $3 million seed funding round led by Golden Seeds and Sands Capital Ventures. The startup, based at the Harvard Innovation Lab, wants to use genomic sequencing and machine learning tools to improve infectious disease diagnostics.

—Boston medical device firm Rebion raised nearly $2.2 million from investors, according to a new SEC filing. Formerly known as Rebiscan, the company says it has developed eye-scanning technology for detecting lazy eye and traumatic brain injury.

—CareAcademy closed a $1.7 million seed round led by Rethink Education, Lumina Foundation, and Techstars Ventures, according to multiple news reports. The Boston-based startup, which provides online education for professional in-home caregivers, participated in this year’s Techstars Boston accelerator program.

Author: Jeff Bauter Engel

Jeff, a former Xconomy editor, joined Xconomy from The Milwaukee Business Journal, where he covered manufacturing and technology and wrote about companies including Johnson Controls, Harley-Davidson and MillerCoors. He previously worked as the business and healthcare reporter for the Marshfield News-Herald in central Wisconsin. He graduated from Marquette University with a bachelor degree in journalism and Spanish. At Marquette he was an award-winning reporter and editor with The Marquette Tribune, the student newspaper. During college he also was a reporter intern for the Muskegon Chronicle and Grand Rapids Press in west Michigan.