Institutional Venture Partners in Menlo Park, CA, said today that it has finished raising limited-partner investments for its 13th fund, Institutional Venture Partner XIII, at $750 million. That’s significantly larger than the late-stage investor’s last fund, a $600 million fund closed in 2007. IVP invests in digital media, communications and wireless technologies, and enterprise information … Continue reading “IVP Closes $750M Fund”
Author: Wade Roush
Between 2007 and 2014, I was a staff editor for Xconomy in Boston and San Francisco.
Since 2008 I've been writing a weekly opinion/review column called VOX: The Voice of Xperience. (From 2008 to 2013 the column was known as World Wide Wade.)
I've been writing about science and technology professionally since 1994. Before joining Xconomy in 2007, I was a staff member at MIT’s Technology Review from 2001 to 2006, serving as senior editor, San Francisco bureau chief, and executive editor of TechnologyReview.com. Before that, I was the Boston bureau reporter for Science, managing editor of supercomputing publications at NASA Ames Research Center, and Web editor at e-book pioneer NuvoMedia.
I have a B.A. in the history of science from Harvard College and a PhD in the history and social study of science and technology from MIT. I've published articles in Science, Technology Review, IEEE Spectrum, Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Technology and Culture, Alaska Airlines Magazine, and World Business, and I've been a guest of NPR, CNN, CNBC, NECN, WGBH and the PBS NewsHour. I'm a frequent conference participant and enjoy opportunities to moderate panel discussions and on-stage chats.
My personal site: waderoush.com
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Udemy Collects $1 Million to Expand Casual Learning Platform
Great teachers prepare their students to be lifelong learners, even after they leave the classroom. And judging from the $9 billion that Americans spend each year on “casual learning” products—that is, courses, conferences, seminars, DVDs, self-help books, and other forms of instruction outside of formal educational institutions—they may be succeeding. One small company tapping that … Continue reading “Udemy Collects $1 Million to Expand Casual Learning Platform”
Puzzling Out Paul Allen’s Patent Suit Against Silicon Valley’s Giants
There’s something odd about the patent infringement lawsuit that Paul Allen’s holding company Interval Licensing filed last week against an array of high-profile Silicon Valley and e-commerce companies. The organization, which is part of the Microsoft co-founder’s large array of Seattle-based business and technology ventures, isn’t saying exactly how it thinks the defendants—AOL, Apple, eBay, … Continue reading “Puzzling Out Paul Allen’s Patent Suit Against Silicon Valley’s Giants”
$30M Series F for EndoGastric
EndoGastric Solutions in Redwood City, CA, said today that it has raised $30 million in Series F financing to support development and marketing of its devices for incisionless surgery to treat acid reflux and other gastrointestinal conditions. Canaan Partners and Radius Ventures led the round, which was joined by existing investors Advanced Technology Ventures, MPM … Continue reading “$30M Series F for EndoGastric”
Intel To Buy Infineon’s Wireless Division
Hot on the heels of a controversial purchase of McAfee two weeks ago, Intel in Santa Clara said today that it has agreed to buy the wireless services business of Neubiberg, Germany-based Infineon for $1.4 billion. The Infineon division, a rival of San Diego’s Qualcomm, makes 2G and 3G cellular chips and “complements Intel’s existing … Continue reading “Intel To Buy Infineon’s Wireless Division”
A Bidding War for 3Par, a Trademark War over Mafia Wars, a Barrage of New Y Combinator Startups, & More Bay Area BizTech and Life Sciences News
Tiny startups emerging into the public eye last week vied for attention with acquisitive giants like Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, and Google. —An as-yet-unresolved bidding war between Dell and Hewlett-Packard drove the proposed acquisition price for Fremont, CA-based storage virtualization company 3Par up to $30 per share. Dell’s original $18-per-share bid on August 16 was eclipsed by … Continue reading “A Bidding War for 3Par, a Trademark War over Mafia Wars, a Barrage of New Y Combinator Startups, & More Bay Area BizTech and Life Sciences News”
HP, Dell in 3Par Bidding War
It’s almost like watching the bids on eBay. Dell (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DELL]]) in Round Rock, TX, and Palo Alto, CA-based Hewlett Packard (NYSE: [[ticker:HPQ]]) continue to issue dueling takeover offers for Fremont, CA-based 3Par (NYSE: [[ticker:PAR]]), whose storage virtualization technology is a hot commodity. Dell originally offered $18 per share or $1.15 billion in mid-August, and … Continue reading “HP, Dell in 3Par Bidding War”
HP Buys Stratavia
Palo Alto, CA-based Hewlett-Packard said today that it has acquired Stratavia, a Denver, CO, company that automates the deployment and maintenance of databases. Terms of the purchase were not revealed. The nine-year-old startup had raised $9.5 million in venture backing from Adams Street Partners, Asset Management Co. and Vista Ventures, according to a report in … Continue reading “HP Buys Stratavia”
Fotopedia Heritage Shows the Web Isn’t Dead—It’s Just Met the App World
The reports of the Web’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Wired has been getting a lot of attention this month for its “The Web Is Dead” cover piece. But, as many observers have pointed out, the article’s central chart, which purports to illustrate the Web’s wane, is fundamentally misleading. Web traffic may make up a … Continue reading “Fotopedia Heritage Shows the Web Isn’t Dead—It’s Just Met the App World”
The Wars over Mafia Wars: Dissecting Digital Chocolate’s Case Against Zynga
If we all lived inside a digital game, Digital Chocolate might be sending a guy over to Zynga right about now to break a few kneecaps. Fortunately, we live in a world of law and order, so Digital Chocolate has merely filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Zynga. At issue: the rights to the name … Continue reading “The Wars over Mafia Wars: Dissecting Digital Chocolate’s Case Against Zynga”
Bunge Joins Solazyme Round
South San Francisco-based Solazyme, which is developing a technology to use fast-dividing algae to produce biofuels, collected a $52 million Series D round of venture financing in early August. Today the company announced that Bunge Limited (NYSE: [[ticker:BG]]), one of Brazil’s largest processors of sugarcane, has joined the Series D round, alongside previously announced backers … Continue reading “Bunge Joins Solazyme Round”
AdGrok’s Grandiose Proposition: Replacing the “Craptacular” Google AdWords Interface
This is the sixth in a series of profiles of companies emerging this summer from Mountain View, CA-based startup incubator Y Combinator. AdGrok is at an interesting point in its evolution as a startup. Right now, the company is probably better known for a series of controversial blog posts by its CEO, Antonio Garcia-Martinez, than … Continue reading “AdGrok’s Grandiose Proposition: Replacing the “Craptacular” Google AdWords Interface”
Promising Skin Cancer Drug Could Be First Big Win for Plexxikon’s Structure-Based Drug Discovery Approach
There’s a biotech startup called Plexxikon in Berkeley, CA, where executives and investors are probably mirroring this week’s sunscreen-worthy Bay Area weather with some sunny faces of their own. That’s thanks to encouraging news about Plexxikon’s lead drug candidate, which goes by the prosaic label PLX-4032, and its ability to reverse tumor growth in patients … Continue reading “Promising Skin Cancer Drug Could Be First Big Win for Plexxikon’s Structure-Based Drug Discovery Approach”
Digital Chocolate Sues Zynga
Digital Chocolate, the San Mateo, CA-based maker of casual games for Facebook and mobile phones, filed suit against San Francisco-based Zynga today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. According to a report in TG Daily, which reviewed a copy of Digital Chocolate’s complaint, the suit alleges that Digital Chocolate owns … Continue reading “Digital Chocolate Sues Zynga”
Zimride Gases Up with $1.2M
San Francisco-based Zimride, a three-year-old social ride sharing startup that participated in Facebook’s fbFund incubator program, said this week that it has raised $1.2 million in seed funding from Floodgate Fund, K9 Ventures, and a group of angel investors, including Keith Rabois and Teddy Downey. Zimride serves specific corporate and university campuses such as CIGNA, … Continue reading “Zimride Gases Up with $1.2M”
Cisco Leads $10M Atlantis Round
Mountain View, CA-based Atlantis Computing, which makes software optimizing the speed and storage capacity of virtual desktop systems, announced today that it has raised $10 million in a Series C venture financing round. Cisco Systems, Partech International, and El Dorado Ventures co-led the round. Atlantis said it will use the money to “fund sales growth, … Continue reading “Cisco Leads $10M Atlantis Round”
The Definitive Y Combinator Demo Day Debrief
“Mint.com for small businesses.” “Foursquare for sports games.” “Facebook without Facebook.” Comparing your idea to some existing and fabulously successful service, then saying why it will be even better, seems to be one of the modern formulas for pitching a startup—and it was on prominent display yesterday at Y Combinator‘s Demo Day, the culminating event … Continue reading “The Definitive Y Combinator Demo Day Debrief”
$15M Rains on Nimbula
Menlo Park, CA-based Nimbula, a two-month-old cloud computing startup founded by the developers of Amazon’s EC2 cloud infrastructure, has raised $15 million in Series B financing, according to an announcement yesterday. The round was led by new investor Accel Partners with participation from existing investor Sequoia Capital. Nimbula, which says it focuses on “blending EC2-like … Continue reading “$15M Rains on Nimbula”
Free Widgets from ViralHeat Let Web Publishers Track Social Media Buzz
No, “ViralHeat” is not the fever you get from a rhinovirus infection. It’s a San Jose, CA-based startup launched last year that’s disrupting the social media monitoring business by showing corporations what people are saying about them on Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz, YouTube, and the Web at prices far below those charged by most competitors. … Continue reading “Free Widgets from ViralHeat Let Web Publishers Track Social Media Buzz”
Rapportive’s “Social CRM” Gmail Plugin Makes E-mail Social Again
This is the fifth in a series of profiles of companies emerging this summer from Mountain View, CA-based startup incubator Y Combinator. When Google launched Gmail five years ago, a lot of people were freaked out by the keyword-based text ads that appeared alongside e-mail messages. The idea that Google’s algorithms were “reading” your e-mail … Continue reading “Rapportive’s “Social CRM” Gmail Plugin Makes E-mail Social Again”
HP Makes Rival Bid for 3Par
Dell, which made an $18-per-share tender offer for Fremont, CA-based storage virtualization company 3Par (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PAR]]) last week, now has a competitor. Palo Alto, CA-based Hewlett-Packard announced today that it will offer $24 per share or roughly $1.6 billion, which is about $450 million more than Dell’s offer. HP executive vice president David Donatelli told the … Continue reading “HP Makes Rival Bid for 3Par”
Google Likes Like.com
Like.com, a four-year-old startup in San Mateo, CA, that created a “visual shopping” site underpinned by sophisticated computer vision and machine learning algorithms, has been acquired by Google, according to an announcement on Like’s website. “We see joining Google as a way to supersize our vision and supercharge our passion,” CEO and co-founder Munjal Shah … Continue reading “Google Likes Like.com”
AngelPad Plans 9/10 Launch
AngelPad, a new mentorship program for Web startups founded by seven ex-Google employees, is planning to hold a launch event in San Francisco on September 10, according to a Twitter post yesterday. AngelPad’s founding team features a variety of former product, marketing, advertising, and research managers from Google, including Richard Chen, Keval Desai, Thomas Korte, … Continue reading “AngelPad Plans 9/10 Launch”
Nokia Buys Motally
Motally, a San Francisco startup making software that measures the usage of mobile applications, will acquired by Nokia, the Espoo, Finland-based wireless giant said Friday. Nokia plans to adapt Motally’s software to work with applications running on the Qt, Symbian, Meego and Java mobile operating systems. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Motally was backed by … Continue reading “Nokia Buys Motally”
Inkling Launches E-Textbooks
San Francisco-based Inkling announced Friday the release of an iPad app that displays interactive digital textbooks. Aimed at college students, the program allows in-app purchases of textbooks, including McGraw-Hill texts on biology, economics, marketing, and psychology. Inkling also said that it has collected an unspecified amount of Series A venture financing from Sequoia Capital, Felicis … Continue reading “Inkling Launches E-Textbooks”
Intel Buys McAfee, Facebook Challenges Foursquare, Zynga Acquires Conduit Labs, & More Bay Area BizTech News
Technology newshounds were torn last week between the old and the new. One analyst described Intel’s multi-billion-dollar takeover of McAfee as “a lot like a horseless-carriage vendor buying a leading supplier of buggy-whips.” There was far more buzz over Facebook’s new geolocation platform and what it might mean for competitors. The roundup: —In dollar terms, … Continue reading “Intel Buys McAfee, Facebook Challenges Foursquare, Zynga Acquires Conduit Labs, & More Bay Area BizTech News”
Facebook Catches Hot Potato
Brooklyn, NY-based Hot Potato today confirmed rumors that it’s the latest acquisition target at Palo Alto, CA-based Facebook. Hot Potato launched last fall with an iPhone app that allows users to “check in” to an activity or event, such as a sports game, and converse with other people about the same activity. Those features overlap … Continue reading “Facebook Catches Hot Potato”
Apple to Shut Down Quattro Wireless Ad Network; Quattro Team Working to get iAd Platform Up to Speed
Waltham, MA-based Quattro Wireless, which was acquired by Apple in January, is shutting down its three-year-old mobile advertising network in order to focus exclusively on suppporting Apple’s new iAd platform for distributing rich-media ads to iPhone and iPod touch users. Quattro announced the shutdown today on its website and in a memo to advertisers and … Continue reading “Apple to Shut Down Quattro Wireless Ad Network; Quattro Team Working to get iAd Platform Up to Speed”
In Seed Funding Race, AngelList Sorts the “Junk” from the “Maybes”
You don’t have to search far on Twitter for glowing testimonials about AngelList, a matchmaking service for startups and angel investors launched in February by San Francisco investor/entrepreneurs Babak Nivi and Naval Ravikant: “Wow, just a few days and I’m pretty impressed by the quality of the opportunities”—Hunter Walk “An entrepreneur’s best friend. Two companies … Continue reading “In Seed Funding Race, AngelList Sorts the “Junk” from the “Maybes””
Mega-Merger: Intel Buys McAfee
Leading chipmaker Intel (NASDAQ: [[ticker:INTC]]) announced today that it will acquire computer security company McAfee (NYSE: [[ticker:MFE]]), whose Santa Clara, CA, headquarters is not far from Intel’s. The price: $48 per share, totaling some $7.7 billion. Both companies’ boards have approved the agreement. In an announcement, Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini said that security … Continue reading “Mega-Merger: Intel Buys McAfee”
Why Facebook Places Will Make Foursquare into a Footnote
If Facebook is doing location, then location must finally be real. I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way. I think that’s actually the most important takeaway from the introduction of Facebook Places last night, at a media event I attended at the social networking giant’s Palo Alto headquarters. The new feature allows people accessing … Continue reading “Why Facebook Places Will Make Foursquare into a Footnote”
SI-Bone Raises $11M
SI-Bone, a San Jose-based developer of plasma-coated titanium implants that immobilize the sacroiliac joints in patients with degenerative bone diseases of the pelvis, said today that it has raised $11 million in a venture financing round led by Skyline Ventures of Palo Alto, CA. The company said the funds will help it to launch new … Continue reading “SI-Bone Raises $11M”
HP to Buy Fortify
Palo Alto, CA-based Hewlett-Packard announced yesterday that it has agreed to acquire Fortify Software, a San Mateo, CA, maker of automated systems to find and fix security vulnerabilities in enterprise software. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Fortify’s venture backers, who last provided a $10 million Series D financing round in 2005, include DAG … Continue reading “HP to Buy Fortify”
Hipmunk, Conceived by David Pogue’s Teenage Co-Author, Embarks On Mission to Make Travel Search Easier
This is the fourth in a series of profiles of companies emerging this summer from Mountain View, CA-based startup incubator Y Combinator. If anyone was ever predestined to be the co-founder of a Y Combinator-backed Web startup, it’s Adam Goldstein. He’s got the academic pedigree, having gotten his bachelor’s degree from MIT in electrical engineering … Continue reading “Hipmunk, Conceived by David Pogue’s Teenage Co-Author, Embarks On Mission to Make Travel Search Easier”
Zynga Buys Conduit Labs; Social Gaming Giant’s Footprint Now Includes Boston
[Updated, see page 2] San Francisco-based Zynga, continuing the acquisition spree enabled by the massive success of its social games for Facebook, MySpace, and the Apple iPhone, has acquired Conduit Labs, the three-year-old music gaming company based in Cambridge, MA. Zynga announced the acquisition in a press release. Conduit, headquartered in the Barron Building at … Continue reading “Zynga Buys Conduit Labs; Social Gaming Giant’s Footprint Now Includes Boston”
Shopkick Releases iPhone App
Shopkick, a San Francisco startup with $20 million in venture backing from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Greylock Partners, today introduced an iPhone app that allows users to earn rewards by visiting retail locations such as American Eagle Outfitters, Best Buy, Macy’s, the Sports Authority, and malls owned by Simon Property Group. The service—a … Continue reading “Shopkick Releases iPhone App”
$5.1M for Cloudcrowd
San Francisco-based Cloudcrowd, a “Labor as a Service” startup that helps businesses outsource tasks such as data processing to a virtual workforce, has raised $5.14 million in Series A venture financing, according to an August 13 regulatory filing. Draper Fisher Jurvetson led the round, according to several online reports.
The Eyes Have It: GazeHawk Introduces Low-Cost Eye Tracking Studies for Web Designers
This is the third in a series of profiles of companies emerging this summer from Mountain View, CA-based startup incubator Y Combinator. In e-commerce, understanding the psychology of the all-important click is more art than science. No one knows for sure what stimulates Web page visitors to click on certain links and not others; all … Continue reading “The Eyes Have It: GazeHawk Introduces Low-Cost Eye Tracking Studies for Web Designers”
Edmund Shea Jr. Dies at 80
Edmund H. Shea Jr., a venture investing pioneer at San Francisco-based investment bank Hambrecht & Quist in the 1960s, passed away August 13 at his home in San Marino, according to an announcement today from J.F. Shea Co., Inc., the family-owned civil contracting and home-building company Shea helped to lead. Between 1960 and 2000, Shea … Continue reading “Edmund Shea Jr. Dies at 80”
The Y Combinator Class of Summer 2010
This summer and fall we’re featuring profiles of selected companies participating in the Summer 2010 session at Mountain View, CA-based startup school Y Combinator. “YC S10” companies spent the summer gearing up for the program’s climax, “Demo Day” pitches to investors on August 24. August 11: InDinero Co-founder Sees “Humungous” Market in Small Business Expense … Continue reading “The Y Combinator Class of Summer 2010”
Dell Offers $1.15B for 3Par
Fremont, CA-based 3Par (NYSE: [[ticker:PAR]]) which makes software and servers for data storage in virtualized cloud environments, is the target of an $18-per-share tender offer from Round Rock, TX-based Dell (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DELL]]). The deal, already approved by both company’s boards, would amount to $1.15 billion, net of 3Par’s cash, according to an announcement today. The … Continue reading “Dell Offers $1.15B for 3Par”
Felicis Closes Fund at $40M
Former Googler Aydin Senkut has closed fundraising for Felicis Ventures, super-angel/micro-VC fund, at $40 million, according to reports over the weekend in VentureBeat, the Wall Street Journal, and other publications. That’s more than the $30 million Senkut said he intended to raise in a regulatory filing in June. Limited partners in the fund include both … Continue reading “Felicis Closes Fund at $40M”
Report: Facebook Drinks in Chai
Mountain View, CA-based stealth mode startup Chai Labs has been acquired by Palo Alto, CA-based Facebook, Kara Swisher of the Wall Street Journal’s AllThingsD blog reported Sunday. Founded and led by former Google AdSense product manager Gokul Rajaram, Chai Labs has developed software that helps publishers and retailers make their online content more easily searchable, … Continue reading “Report: Facebook Drinks in Chai”
Google Buys Jambool
Continuing its push into online social gaming, Google has acquired Jambool, the San Francisco- and Seattle-based maker of the Social Gold platform for managing virtual currencies and virtual goods sales, according to a post last Friday on Jambool’s blog. Terms of the acquisition weren’t disclosed. Founded in 2006, Jambool had raised $6 million in venture … Continue reading “Google Buys Jambool”
1000Memories Confronts Death by Celebrating Lives
This is the second in a series of profiles of companies emerging this summer from Mountain View, CA-based startup incubator Y Combinator. When I met the founders of 1000Memories, a new website where family and friends of people who’ve died can create free multimedia memorials to their loved ones, my mind flashed first to The … Continue reading “1000Memories Confronts Death by Celebrating Lives”
$52 Million for Solazyme, $25 Million for Nanosys, $7.5 Million for WePay, & More Bay Area Biztech News
The news in San Francisco and Silicon Valley last week hit every stage of the innovation process, from new tech companies being born to mature ones finding new investors, to old ones firing their CEOs and suing each other. —I profiled inDinero, a Y Combinator-backed startup offering an online finance tracking tool that it bills … Continue reading “$52 Million for Solazyme, $25 Million for Nanosys, $7.5 Million for WePay, & More Bay Area Biztech News”
Oracle Sues Google over Java Patents
Oracle (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ORCL]]), the Redwood City, CA-based database giant, filed a patent infringement complaint yesterday against Mountain View, CA-based Google (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GOOG]]) in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The suit alleges that the Android mobile device operating system developed by Google includes Java code that infringes on patents Oracle … Continue reading “Oracle Sues Google over Java Patents”
GreenVolts in $7.5M Debt Round
GreenVolts, a Fremont, CA, startup developing high-end photovoltaic panels for utilities that include sunlight-concentrating optics, has raised $7.5 million in debt financing, and could eventually borrow as much as $11.25 million, according to a regulatory filing this week. Oak Investment Partners in Westport, CT, put $30 million into GreenVolts in a 2008 Series B round.
Lighting Up the World’s Text: A Talk with Vook Founder Brad Inman
The San Francisco Bay Area is one of those places where the new is always coming up against the old, with strange and often delightful results. You’d think, for example, that anyone who has an iPad would want to show it off. But in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, not far from my office, there’s a … Continue reading “Lighting Up the World’s Text: A Talk with Vook Founder Brad Inman”
Highland Capital Leads $7.5 Million Series B Round for Group Payments Startup WePay
Lexington, MA-based Highland Capital Partners is the lead investor in a $7.5 million series B round for WePay, the group payments startup that emerged from the Mountain View, CA-based Y Combinator startup incubator last year. WePay co-founders Rich Aberman and Bill Clerico confirmed news of the funding round, which was first reported tonight by the … Continue reading “Highland Capital Leads $7.5 Million Series B Round for Group Payments Startup WePay”