EBay’s $135 million acquisition of the mobile startup Where took the spotlight this week, but we also saw headlines of financings for New England-area firms in the IT, cleantech, and life sciences spaces.
—Cambridge, MA-based Bluebird Bio pulled in $30 million in Series C financing from new investor ARCH Venture Partners and existing backers Third Rock Ventures, TVM Capital, Forbion Capital Partners, and Easton Capital Investment Group. The company is working on gene therapies and will use the new funding to increase enrollment in an ongoing Phase I/II trial of its drug for the blood disorder beta-thalassemia over the next 12 months to about 10 patients.
—Where, a developer of technology for mobile location-based services and advertising, was acquired by eBay for a reported $135 million. Where will be rolled into eBay’s PayPal business unit, helping eBay (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EBAY]]) achieve its goal of strengthening itself in the areas of mobile and local commerce.
—Boston-based Humedica, a developer of clinical informatics technology, nabbed $20 million in an equity funding round. The firm previously raised a $30 million financing from Bain Capital Ventures, General Catalyst Partners, North Bridge Venture Partners, and the investment bank Leerink Swann.
—Chelmsford, MA-based Brooks Automation (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BRKS]]) said it sold its Portland, OR-based contract manufacturing unit to Canadian firm Celestica, for $80 million in cash. The firm, which makes technology for semiconductor applications, said the sale will help it better focus on developing technology for controlled temperature and pressure environments.
—Mersana Therapeutics, a Cambridge-based developer of cancer drugs, raised $6 million toward a $10 million debt-based funding round from seven investors, an SEC filing showed.
—Next Step Living, a Boston-based provider of energy efficiency services for the home, pinned down $1.5 million of an equity round that could hit $2.8 million, from nine investors. Last year the company raised $2.6 million in Series B money from Black Coral Capital, the Clean Energy Venture Group, and Triumvirate Environmental president and CEO John McQuillan.
