Time to catch up on recent Boston tech news, including several venture capital investments, an acquisition in cybersecurity, and a White House tour app developed by a Boston startup in partnership with Amazon. Read on for details.
—Devo (no, not that Devo) said it raised $25 million in a Series C funding round led by Insight Venture Partners. The Boston-based data analytics software company was previously known as Logtrust. Kibo Ventures also invested in Devo’s Series C round.
—Circle Internet Financial, the Boston-based blockchain and cryptocurrency startup that recently raised a $110 million funding round, is planning to apply for a federal banking license and seek registration as a brokerage and trading business, according to a Bloomberg report. The plans illustrate Circle’s leaders’ long-held belief that it’s better to work with regulators and established banks than try to circumvent them, as many blockchain and cryptocurrency ventures do.
San Francisco-based Coinbase—which, like Circle, enables customers to buy and sell cryptocurrencies—has also considered seeking a banking license, Bloomberg reported.
—ConnectRN pulled in $11.5 million in equity funding, according to a filing with the SEC. The Newton, MA-based company makes software used to connect hospitals with part-time nurses looking for open shifts.
—Boston-based meditation app developer 10% Happier shared more details about a previously disclosed investment it received. The startup said it recently raised $3.7 million from new investors Khosla Ventures, Trinity Ventures, and Correlation Ventures, as well as previous backers Eniac Ventures, NextView Ventures, and Founder Collective, according to a press release e-mailed to Xconomy.
Xconomy reported in March that 10% Happier had raised nearly $4.2 million from investors, based on an SEC filing. The funding announced this week brings its total venture capital haul to $5 million, the company said.
The startup’s software powers Apple’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AAPL]]) corporate mindfulness program, according to the press release.
—ClearGov said it raised $2.25 million in funding led by Launch Capital, RiverPark Ventures, and Hub Angels, as well as previous investors Kepha Partners and MassVentures. The Maynard, MA-based startup makes software that local governments use to better manage data, and to more simply and clearly share it with citizens. The company said it has raised $3.75 million in total venture funding.
—Rivetz, a Richmond, MA-based mobile cybersecurity company, said it acquired DISC Holdings, a developer of blockchain-based mobile payment applications. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed. Rivetz’s founder and CEO is Steven Sprague, who previously led cybersecurity firm Wave Systems.
—IBM (NYSE: [[ticker:IBM]]) laid off an unspecified number of employees at its Watson Health business, the Triangle Business Journal reported. IBM said in 2015 that its Watson Health unit had a global team of 2,000 people, with a main office in Cambridge, MA, expected to house at least 700 employees.
—Lastly, we head to Washington, DC: Boston-based Cuseum led development of a free mobile app that delivers virtual tours of the White House and surrounding neighborhood. The startup worked with Amazon Web Services and the White House Historical Association to create the app, which also includes a feature that lets users take a selfie and find out which president or first lady they most resemble. That feature uses deep learning and image analysis tools from Amazon, according to a press release.
Cuseum is a 2015 alum of the Techstars Boston startup accelerator.
