Inkling Lands New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b3e28c53-2ea0-478e-9d6d-6a8294f3dc63&Preview=1 Date 3/23/2011 Company Name Inkling Mailing Address Undisclosed San Francisco, CA 94105 Company Description Inkling was founded in late 2009 to tackle the challenges of interactive publishing. Inkling’s partnerships with major publishers like Cengage Learning, John Wiley & Sons, McGraw-Hill, and Wolters Kluwer will yield next-generation interactive titles that replace traditional … Continue reading “Inkling Lands New Funding Round”

Color Secures $41,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ba44677c-46a6-4bbc-854e-d26688715368&Preview=1 Date 3/23/2011 Company Name Color Mailing Address Undisclosed Palo Alto, CA 94301 Company Description Simultaneously use multiple iPhones and Androids to capture photos, videos, and conversations into a group album. There’s no attaching, uploading, or friending to do. Website http://www.color.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $41,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds … Continue reading “Color Secures $41,000,000 New Financing”

$7M Blooms for CrowdFlower

San Francisco-based CrowdFlower, which helps big companies crowdsource tasks such as correcting business listings and categorizing e-commerce products to a globally distributed workforce, has collected $7 million in new venture financing, according to an announcement today. Harmony Partners led the Series B round, which was joined by existing investors Trinity Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners … Continue reading “$7M Blooms for CrowdFlower”

DotCloud Raises $10M

DotCloud, a Y Combinator-backed startup that offers managed database and server hosting services to other Web companies, has raised $10 million in new venture cash from Benchmark Capital and Trinity Ventures, according to a report today from Dow Jones VentureWire. The money comes on the heels of an $800,000 seed investment in February from individual … Continue reading “DotCloud Raises $10M”

Shutterfly Orders Tiny Prints

Shutterfly (Nasdaq: [[ticker:SFLY]]), the Redwood City, CA-based photo sharing giant, said yesterday that it has agreed to acquire Tiny Prints, a Sunnyvale, CA, startup offering personalized greeting cards, invitations, announcements, and stationery. The cash-and-stock transaction, valued at $333 million overall, includes a $141 million cash payment and 3.9 million shares of Shutterfly common stock. “Shutterfly … Continue reading “Shutterfly Orders Tiny Prints”

Noteleaf Seeks to Sync Up Online Calendars, Contacts, For Meeting Prep On-The-Go

This is the second in a series of profiles of Y Combinator Winters 2011 (YC W11) startups. Whatever your thoughts about modern technology and whether it’s making life better or just busier, you can’t say that no one feels your pain. In fact, hundreds of new startups pop up every year to fix perceived pain … Continue reading “Noteleaf Seeks to Sync Up Online Calendars, Contacts, For Meeting Prep On-The-Go”

Who’s Going to Pay for Future Drug Development? (Part 1)

In case you haven’t noticed, heart disease remains a debilitating illness for millions. Cancer, despite some recent advances, has not been cured. Drug resistant strains of bacteria are spreading across the globe. There are still no effective treatments for Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and a huge number of other illnesses. The number … Continue reading “Who’s Going to Pay for Future Drug Development? (Part 1)”

DotCloud Garners $10,000,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=846d15be-b053-441c-b61c-603069742609&Preview=1 Date 3/22/2011 Company Name DotCloud Mailing Address Undisclosed San Francisco, CA 94105 Company Description The company provides a service for developers to provision, configure, monitor, backup and scale Web service applications. Website http://www.dotcloud.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. … Continue reading “DotCloud Garners $10,000,000 Series A Funding Round”

CrowdFlower Lands $7,000,000 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=da01464a-2708-403c-9d76-8cf3d45f5749&Preview=1 Date 3/22/2011 Company Name CrowdFlower Mailing Address 2111 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94110 Company Description CrowdFlower makes it easy for companies to tap thousands of workers for short stretches—and get good quality work. Website http://www.crowdflower.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $7,000,000 Transaction Round Series B Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes … Continue reading “CrowdFlower Lands $7,000,000 Series B Funding Round”

Pulse Tracer Lands $8,999,999 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8fea8c32-dda7-4582-9710-a90fa08dd0f5&Preview=1 Date 3/22/2011 Company Name Pulse Tracer Mailing Address Undisclosed San Francisco, CA 94123 Company Description Only Basis gives you a complete overview of your day, and puts the tools to boost your health and wellness right at hand. Track your calories, activity, stress and sleep to make every day your best … Continue reading “Pulse Tracer Lands $8,999,999 New Financing Round”

Utique Lands $1,069,536 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8f803f86-b809-4dcf-9f69-24794bc47ef7&Preview=1 Date 3/22/2011 Company Name Utique Mailing Address 2448 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA 94109 Company Description The company provides undisclosed products and services. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $1,069,536 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed

Taskforce—the Y Combinator Startup With a Solution for E-mail Overload

This is the first in a series of profiles of Y Combinator Winter 2011 (YC W11) startups. E-mail: it’s both a blessing and a curse. It’s become the central tool for business and personal communication, yet for exactly that reason it gets more and more difficult every year to keep up with the growing number … Continue reading “Taskforce—the Y Combinator Startup With a Solution for E-mail Overload”

Jumio, Zediva, Enphase, Android: The 1-Minute Version of Last Week’s Bay Area Biztech News

And now for something completely different: Jumio’s mock-shock video playing up the sanitary hazards of cash didn’t amuse some Huffington Post readers, but I got the company and its PR firm to talk about why they made the video and why they aren’t worried about a backlash. Animoto’s system for making slide shows from your … Continue reading “Jumio, Zediva, Enphase, Android: The 1-Minute Version of Last Week’s Bay Area Biztech News”

Think Obamacare Will Suffocate New Drug Development With Price Controls? Think Again

There were a million arguments against healthcare reform a year ago. One was that if President Obama got his way and expanded health insurance to millions of uninsured people, and the government made a real effort to study the comparative effectiveness of drugs at high and low prices, it was really the first step toward … Continue reading “Think Obamacare Will Suffocate New Drug Development With Price Controls? Think Again”

Broadcom Acquires Provigent for $313,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=3a6550a4-da16-406d-904d-cbc48ca27c5d&Preview=1 Date 3/21/2011 Company Name Provigent Mailing Address 3333 Bowers Ave. Santa Clara, CA 95054 Company Description Provigent is a fabless semiconductor company aiming to become the leading supplier of SoC solutions for the broadband wireless transmission industry. Website http://www.provigent.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $313,000,000 Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms … Continue reading “Broadcom Acquires Provigent for $313,000,000”

NetLogic Microsystems Acquires Optichron for $220,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1df1565f-3fa0-4525-a7cd-c9f373918543&Preview=1 Date 3/21/2011 Company Name Optichron Mailing Address 4221 Technology Drive Fremont, CA 94538 Company Description Optichron is a fabless semiconductor company that leverages its proprietary Turbolinear signal processing technology to develop high-performance precision integrated circuits that target data conversion for communications and other signal processing applications. Website http://www.optichron.com Transaction Type M&A … Continue reading “NetLogic Microsystems Acquires Optichron for $220,000,000”

Shutterfly Acquires Tiny Prints for $333,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ef20360c-b02b-467b-91b9-f19c3c9cd6d0&Preview=1 Date 3/21/2011 Company Name Tiny Prints Mailing Address 415 East Middlefield Road Mountain View, CA 94043 Company Description Tiny Prints, Inc. is a web-based company comprised of two brands offering premium, personalized, social stationery, Tiny Prints and Wedding Paper Divas. Tiny Prints and Wedding Paper Divas provide simple, modern and unique … Continue reading “Shutterfly Acquires Tiny Prints for $333,000,000”

Jumio and the “Anti-Cash League”: Adventures in Viral Video

“It’s dirty, covered in microbacteria and traces of cocaine … [it] fuels criminal activity … it may be green in color, but it certainly is not good for the environment.” What is this nefarious threat? It’s cash money, at least according to Sebastian Cole of the Anti-Cash League. Cole is the British expert featured in … Continue reading “Jumio and the “Anti-Cash League”: Adventures in Viral Video”

Bay Area Life Sciences 2031: The Photo Gallery

California has one of the worst state budget shortfalls in the country, some godawful transportation bottlenecks, and housing prices that are high enough to send most newly minted PhD’s into talk therapy. And despite all that, in 20 years’ time, San Francisco will still be the world’s No. 1 place for creating innovative new drugs, … Continue reading “Bay Area Life Sciences 2031: The Photo Gallery”

Affymax Raises $50M

Affymax (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AFFY]]), the Palo Alto, CA-based developer of an anemia drug, said today it has raised $50 million in gross proceeds through a stock offering. The company sold about 8.47 million new shares at $5.90 apiece, about an 8.5 percent discount from yesterday’s closing stock price of $6.45. Lazard Capital Markets and Stifel Nicolaus … Continue reading “Affymax Raises $50M”

FivePrime Nabs Partner, Solazyme’s $100M IPO Plan, Where Blockbuster Drugs Come From, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News

I was a teensy bit preoccupied this week organizing and moderating our first life sciences event this week at Xconomy San Francisco, but managed to keep up with a few of the big headlines that crossed my desk. —FivePrime Therapeutics, the South San Francisco-based developer of protein drugs, said this week it struck a deal … Continue reading “FivePrime Nabs Partner, Solazyme’s $100M IPO Plan, Where Blockbuster Drugs Come From, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”

How to Enchant Your Way to Tech Success, Kawasaki Style

You’re a technology entrepreneur—more power to you. You’ve built a great product that solves a real problem—congratulations. Unfortunately, that’s only half the battle. Maybe even less than half. Now you have to make the world believe in you and your product. That’s the part of entrepreneurship that many innovators and startup founders aren’t prepared for. … Continue reading “How to Enchant Your Way to Tech Success, Kawasaki Style”

BrightSource Energy Lands $122,468,202 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ec268097-3476-4720-95e0-79f78167bfbd&Preview=1 Date 3/18/2011 Company Name BrightSource Energy Mailing Address 1999 Harrison Street Oakland, CA 94612 Company Description Bright Source Energy develops utility-scale solar power plants using high-temperature solar thermal technology that concentrates sunlight and converts the resulting heat into electricity. Website http://www.brightsourceenergy.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $122,468,202 Transaction Round Undisclosed … Continue reading “BrightSource Energy Lands $122,468,202 New Financing”

MyoScience Obtains $18,800,000 Series C Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=80bbe98a-7bfa-408a-bcae-9c90356e744e&Preview=1 Date 3/18/2011 Company Name MyoScience Mailing Address 525 Chesapeake Dr Redwood City, CA 94063 Company Description Develops novel technology with applications in cosmetic surgery. Website http://www.myoscience.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $18,800,000 Transaction Round Series C Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Undisclosed

Google Invests in CoolPlanetBioFuels

CoolPlanetBioFuels of Camarillo, CA, said today that it has collected a Series B financing round from Google Ventures, the investing wing of the Mountain View, CA, search giant. The amount of the investment was not specified. CoolPlanetBioFuels says it’s developing a “thermal/mechanical” fractionation technology that extracts hydrocarbons from stripped corncobs, corn stalks, wood chips, and … Continue reading “Google Invests in CoolPlanetBioFuels”

$10.8M for Doximity

Emergence Capital Partners and InterWest Partners have put $10.8 million into a Series A financing round for San Mateo, CA-based Doximity, the company announced yesterday. Started by Epocrates founder Jeff Tangney, Doximity is developing smartphone and tablet software that allows doctors to consult with colleagues securely and share text messages, high-resolution images, and other patient-care … Continue reading “$10.8M for Doximity”

Jawbone Gets $49M

Venture firm Andreessen Horowitz has invested $49 million in Jawbone, the San Francisco-based maker of noise-canceling Bluetooth mobile headsets and other audio technology, according to a report that first appeared in All Things D. Andreessen Horowitz partner Ben Horowitz has joined Jawbone’s board. The company, formerly known as Aliph, was founded in 1999 and has … Continue reading “Jawbone Gets $49M”

Intel Buys NVP-backed Silicon Hive

Santa Clara, CA-based Intel has acquired Silicon Hive, a developer of programmable parallel processor technology based in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, according to an announcement today. Silicon Hive was spun out by Philips Electronics in 2007 with help from San Mateo, CA-based New Venture Partners. The company already had a close technology collaboration with Intel, which … Continue reading “Intel Buys NVP-backed Silicon Hive”

Android Smartphone Web Browser Is 52 Percent Faster than iPhone Browser, Study Finds

As if the smartphone wars weren’t fierce enough already, now comes an additional piece of ammunition for defenders of Google’s Android mobile operating system. On average, the Web browser pre-installed on Android phones loads Web pages 52 percent faster than the Safari browser on Apple’s iPhone, according to a study released today. In other words, … Continue reading “Android Smartphone Web Browser Is 52 Percent Faster than iPhone Browser, Study Finds”

Jawbone Receives $49,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e6ded1f8-bdb0-47ce-a0b8-110aaa861fa4&Preview=1 Date 3/17/2011 Company Name Jawbone Mailing Address 99 Rhode Island Street 3rd Floor San Francisco, CA 94103 Company Description The company designs and sells mobile audio products, such as the Jawbone, a wireless headset. Website http://www.jawbone.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $49,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Rahman said the … Continue reading “Jawbone Receives $49,000,000 New Funding Round”

Zero Motorcycles Garners $26,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e712da86-9d96-4fd1-99dd-243da94d28ab&Preview=1 Date 3/17/2011 Company Name Zero Motorcycles Mailing Address 1 Victor Square Scotts Valley, CA 95066 Company Description Zero Motorcycles is the next step in motorcycle evolution and represents the ultimate electric motorcycle technology. Unencumbered by conventional thinking about how we design, manufacture, and sell high performance electric motorcycles, we’re on a … Continue reading “Zero Motorcycles Garners $26,000,000 New Round”

Jumio Garners $6,500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=03881616-ac9d-4488-a905-d2ca1667313e&Preview=1 Date 3/17/2011 Company Name Jumio Mailing Address 1971 Landings Dr. Mountain View, CA 94043 Company Description The company provides an online and mobile payment system. Website http://www.jumio.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $6,500,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed, however the company is preparing to launch … Continue reading “Jumio Garners $6,500,000 New Funding”

FivePrime Nabs $495M Deal With Human Genome Sciences to Develop Cancer Drug

FivePrime Therapeutics said last summer that there was “significant interest” in its lead protein drug for cancer, and now we can see that interest has translated into a big new partnership. South San Francisco-based FivePrime said today it has secured a $50 million upfront payment, plus as much as $445 million in additional milestones, as … Continue reading “FivePrime Nabs $495M Deal With Human Genome Sciences to Develop Cancer Drug”

See You Tonight at Bay Area Life Sciences 2031

Will the San Francisco Bay Area continue to be the world’s No. 1 hub for life sciences innovation 20 years from today? What kind of impact can we expect this next wave of GenenExers to make? Or will San Francisco lose its mojo to other places with high quality of life and low cost of … Continue reading “See You Tonight at Bay Area Life Sciences 2031”

Zediva Launches Online DVD Viewing

Sunnyvale, CA-based Zediva today launched a service aimed at disrupting the DVD rental market currently dominated by companies like Netflix and Coinstar’s Redbox. For $1.99 per DVD, Zediva members can watch a movie that’s physically playing on a DVD player at Zediva’s data center and streaming remotely over the Internet to a computer, tablet, smartphone, … Continue reading “Zediva Launches Online DVD Viewing”

Pricelock Locks In $12M

Redwood City, CA-based Pricelock, an online service that helps businesses buy fuel and carbon credits at guaranteed prices, said yesterday that it has raised $12 million in Series B financing. New investors Barclays, RenaissanceRe Ventures, and Travelers Insurance joined existing investor Artiman Ventures in the round. The company also has backing from Goldman Sachs. “This … Continue reading “Pricelock Locks In $12M”

The Lean Launchpad at Stanford—Class 2: Business Model Hypotheses

Our new Stanford Lean LaunchPad class was an experiment in a new model of teaching startup entrepreneurship. This post is part two. Part one is here. Syllabus here. By now the nine teams in our Stanford Lean LaunchPad Class were formed, In the four days between team formation and this class session we tasked them … Continue reading “The Lean Launchpad at Stanford—Class 2: Business Model Hypotheses”

StudentMentor Matches Mentors and Protégés Online

[Editor’s note: due to an editing oversight, this story was originally published under the byline Wade Roush. It was actually written by freelance contributor Elise Craig. Sorry Elise!!] When StudentMentor.org co-founders Ashkon Jafari and Stephanie Bravo were in college, they felt lost. Bravo, a first-generation college student, had her sights set on medical school, but … Continue reading “StudentMentor Matches Mentors and Protégés Online”

Genius.com Lands Series E Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=756dc73e-4913-4e12-8e77-066748f08b53&Preview=1 Date 3/16/2011 Company Name Genius.com Mailing Address 1400 Fashion Island Boulevard San Mateo, CA 94404 Company Description Genius.com provides innovative on-demand customer intelligence solutions that deliver individual web visit data directly to sales and marketing professionals. Website http://www.genius.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Series E Proceeds Purposes … Continue reading “Genius.com Lands Series E Financing Round”

Doximity Obtains $10,800,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6b654cc0-14c1-4891-89da-4211dee889b9&Preview=1 Date 3/16/2011 Company Name Doximity Mailing Address 119 S. B St. San Mateo, CA 94401 Company Description Doximity is a free communication platform that links medical professionals, enabling faster, smarter treatment. With Doximity, physicians can use their iPhone, iPad, Android device or computer to quickly connect with any U.S. physician to … Continue reading “Doximity Obtains $10,800,000 Series A Round”

The Apple of Solar Energy? Enphase Applies Silicon Valley Smarts to Solar’s Neglected Plumbing

When the sun shines, free electrons pour out of rooftop solar panels in the form of direct current (DC). But every light bulb, fan, and appliance in a house needs alternating current (AC), which reverses direction 60 times per second. And therein lies a huge headache for installers and owners of photovoltaic systems. The central … Continue reading “The Apple of Solar Energy? Enphase Applies Silicon Valley Smarts to Solar’s Neglected Plumbing”

Will the Bay Area Still Be the No. 1 Biotech Cluster in 20 Years? We’ll Ask Tomorrow

It’s tough, as baseball great Yogi Berra once famously observed, to make predictions, especially about the future. But that’s the risky business we’ve signed up for tomorrow night, as I plan to ask a handful of visionaries to think big about how they see the San Francisco Bay Area biotech hub evolving over the next … Continue reading “Will the Bay Area Still Be the No. 1 Biotech Cluster in 20 Years? We’ll Ask Tomorrow”

Daintree Networks Secures $4,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=67e14ac1-1962-4578-9e6c-5a6fc1c6ff51&Preview=1 Date 3/15/2011 Company Name Daintree Networks Mailing Address 1503 Grant Road Mountain View, CA 94040 Company Description Based in Mountain View, California, with an R&D facility in Melbourne, Australia, Daintree Networks is a clean technology company that provides wireless control solutions for commercial buildings. Website http://www.daintree.net Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Daintree Networks Secures $4,000,000 New Financing Round”

Pricelock Secures $12,000,000 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=29a67469-d5ac-43dd-a0de-bb88967103e2&Preview=1 Date 3/15/2011 Company Name Pricelock Mailing Address 101 Redwood Shores Parkway Redwood City, CA 94065 Company Description Pricelock’s mission is to innovate and market previously unavailable Internet-integrated commodity price management solutions to businesses and also to retail consumers. Website http://www.pricelock.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $12,000,000 Transaction Round Series B … Continue reading “Pricelock Secures $12,000,000 Series B Funding Round”

Spigit Obtains $10,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0200777e-1cb8-43bd-bff1-d81375b2aae1&Preview=1 Date 3/15/2011 Company Name Spigit Mailing Address 311 Ray Street Pleasanton, CA 94566 Company Description Spigit is a purpose built social networking tool used by leading companies to connect their employees, customers and business partners for idea and innovation discovery. Using sophisticated analytics built on advanced mathematics, Spigit takes us beyond … Continue reading “Spigit Obtains $10,000,000 New Round”