It’s time to catch up on the latest happenings in the Boston-area tech scene:
—Joule Unlimited, a decade-old biofuels company that raised at least $200 million in venture capital, is reportedly calling it quits. The Bedford, MA-based company laid off nearly all of its 120 employees, sold its New Mexico manufacturing facility, and is trying to sell its patents, according to the Boston Globe.
Joule was created by the venture firm Flagship Pioneering. The company was trying to commercialize a process that would convert carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight into fuels using microorganisms.
—Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) announced an agreement to acquire Boston-based Cloud Technology Partners for an undisclosed price. The seven-year-old cloud consulting firm previously raised at least $25.4 million from investors, according to SEC filings. Its venture backers include Rackspace, State Street Bank, and Pritzker Group Venture Capital.
—HubSpot snapped up Evolve, maker of a machine learning-powered mobile app that dispenses dating and relationship advice. Terms weren’t disclosed in a press release announcing the deal. The acquisition was first reported by BostInno.
Evolve, an alum of the Techstars Boston startup accelerator, raised $1 million from Spark Capital and other investors, according to the press release.
—Norwegian data analytics firm Cxense is shuttering its Boston office after laying off about 35 people here, according to a BostInno report. The move is part of a consolidation of its East Coast operations in New York, BostInno reported. The company gained the Boston office through its 2015 acquisition of part of Ramp’s business for $10 million.
—Techstars Boston’s new leadership team is taking shape. Aaron O’Hearn has joined the startup accelerator program as director. He’ll work alongside Clément Cazalot, who was named the program’s managing director in May. Cazalot took over for Semyon Dukach, who was in charge for three years.
The move is a return to Techstars Boston for O’Hearn, who was its head of special projects five years ago, according to LinkedIn. He went on to lead Startup Institute.
—The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth opened a new research and development lab in Fall River, MA, for marine technology startups. The “RapidLab” will support companies working on maritime-focused products in advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and robotics. The facility received a $250,000 state grant.
