Category: San Francisco

Zynga Expands to Seattle

San Francisco-based Zynga this week posted job openings for Web engineers in Seattle, signifying that the social games juggernaut is expanding to the Northwest, already a hotbed of game design. Though the company has been on an acquisition binge lately—buying Bonfire Studios in Dallas, Challenge Games in Austin, Conduit Labs in Cambridge, MA, Dextrose in Frankfurt, … Continue reading “Zynga Expands to Seattle”

PlayFirst Wins $9.2M

PlayFirst, the San Francisco-based maker of popular iPhone, iPad, and Facebook games such as Diner Dash and Chocolatier, said Tuesday that it has raised $9.2 million in venture and debt financing. Mayfield Fund, Trinity Partners, DCM, and Rustic Canyon Ventures provided a $5.2 million venture infusion, while Comerica Bank provided a $4 million loan. Playfirst … Continue reading “PlayFirst Wins $9.2M”

CarWoo Promises Car Buyers Hassle-Free Quotes Online, Raises $4.2 Million

The Internet was supposed to make car shopping easier, Tommy McClung is explaining. Back in the 1990s, sites like Vehix.com, Cars.com, and Autotrader.com promised a future where you wouldn’t have to haggle with a salesman, and where you didn’t have to drive from dealer to dealer just to see who could offer the best price … Continue reading “CarWoo Promises Car Buyers Hassle-Free Quotes Online, Raises $4.2 Million”

Marvell Funds OLPC Tablet, Viewdle’s Face Recognition Advances, Aneesh Chopra Speaks, & More Bay Area BizTech News

Thanks to the long Columbus Day weekend (observed at Xconomy’s Massachusetts headquarters, if not by many Californians), last week seems like it was ages ago. But not so long ago that I couldn’t scrape up our main business and technology headlines. —I scored an interview with Aneesh Chopra, the chief technology officer of the United … Continue reading “Marvell Funds OLPC Tablet, Viewdle’s Face Recognition Advances, Aneesh Chopra Speaks, & More Bay Area BizTech News”

Prop. 24 Will Hurt California Businesses, Big and Small

Proposition 24, on the November ballot, is all about jobs. Prop. 24 will cost us as many as 322,000 jobs a year…next year, and for some years to come. Prop. 24 will cost us as much as $1.8 billion a year in revenues to the state…next year, and for some years to come. Those numbers … Continue reading “Prop. 24 Will Hurt California Businesses, Big and Small”

Venture Trend Toward Smaller-Size Deals Continues as Survey Shows Big Q3 Funding Surge in Texas, Drop in Massachusetts

Our friends at CB Insights made an early break out of the gate again today with data on venture capital investments in private companies, this time reporting total VC funding of $5.4 billion in 715 deals nationwide for the third quarter that ended Sept. 30. The CB Insights Venture Capital Activity Report shows, though, that … Continue reading “Venture Trend Toward Smaller-Size Deals Continues as Survey Shows Big Q3 Funding Surge in Texas, Drop in Massachusetts”

Xoft Secures $804,525 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f27b02ed-5b54-4e95-ad7d-256d14436ab7&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name Xoft Mailing Address 345 Potrero Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94085 Company Description Xoft is an innovative technological leader revolutionizing the practice of radiation oncology through electronic brachytherapy with proprietary miniaturized x-ray tube technology. Xoft is dedicated to providing the most intelligent, efficacious, and cost-effective therapy for patients, health-care … Continue reading “Xoft Secures $804,525 New Funding”

Carwoo Lands $4,500,000 Series A Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cfc699a5-7b2d-4a0d-a975-7872ab7560e5&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name Carwoo Mailing Address Undisclosed Burlingame, CA 94010 Company Description The company has created an online car buying service. Website http://www.carwoo.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $4,500,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor InterWest Partners Venture Investor Comcast … Continue reading “Carwoo Lands $4,500,000 Series A Financing Round”

xAD Obtains $4,000,000 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d1339fc6-cf6c-4618-b2c7-c33ad6fcc84e&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name xAD Mailing Address One Market St. – Spear Tower San Francisco, CA 94105 Company Description xAD publishers and advertisers benefit from the scale and reach of the LocalAdXchange platform. The LocalAdXchange manages billions of search and ad requests with the largest combined network of local and national … Continue reading “xAD Obtains $4,000,000 New Round”

IBM Acquires PSS Systems for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=da2375d5-09ce-413f-9175-52ec10b6604f&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name PSS Systems Mailing Address 2525 E Charleston Road Mountain View, CA 94043 Company Description The company is an early solution leader and a clear thought leader enterprise on retention and preservation strategies. Its unique suite of software includes specific modules for litigation communications and collections and enterprise … Continue reading “IBM Acquires PSS Systems for Undisclosed Sum”

Qualcomm Acquires iSkoot for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5369515f-03ac-4390-b2ac-b4a498a75f2f&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name iSkoot Mailing Address Undisclosed San Francisco, CA 94123 Company Description The company develops mobile social networking and Skype communications software for mobile phones. Website http://www.iskoot.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Broadcom Corporation Acquires Beceem Communications for $316,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a4bc19fe-a940-4533-9c21-eb5ff1fc1024&Preview=1 Date 10/13/2010 Company Name Beceem Communications Mailing Address 3960 Freedom Circle First Floor 1 Santa Clara, CA 95054 Company Description Beceem Communications Inc. was founded in October 2003 with the goal of building a wireless technology company offering semiconductor solutions for the wireless broadband market. Beceem is the leading supplier of … Continue reading “Broadcom Corporation Acquires Beceem Communications for $316,000,000”

Synosia Raises $30M, Strikes Deal With UCB Worth Up to $725M for Parkinson’s Drugs

Synosia Therapeutics made some waves in biotech today with a couple of deals that reflect its progress in developing new therapies for Parkinson’s disease. The company, with offices in South San Francisco and Basel, Switzerland, said today it has formed a partnership with Belgium-based UCB that could generate as much as $725 million in milestone … Continue reading “Synosia Raises $30M, Strikes Deal With UCB Worth Up to $725M for Parkinson’s Drugs”

TubeMogul Collects $10M

Emeryville, CA-based TubeMogul, which runs a platform for distributing pay-per-view video ads on the Web, said last week that it has closed a $10 million Series B venture financing round. Foundation Capital was in the lead, with existing investors Trinity Ventures and Knights Bridge Capital Partners also on board. “TubeMogul brings innovative technology and expertise … Continue reading “TubeMogul Collects $10M”

$17M for Stent Maker TriReme

TriReme Medical, a Pleasanton, CA-based developer of cardiovascular stents, catheters, and balloons, said this week that it has raised $17 million in Series D funding. The round was led by EDB Investments subsidiary Bio*One Capital of Singapore, with existing investors Three Arch Partners and Adams Street Partners also participating. “This investment will allow us to … Continue reading “$17M for Stent Maker TriReme”

Threat to VC Is from Regular Angels, Not Super Angels, CEO Survey Says

[Corrected, see below] “Mounting tensions” would be the journalistic cliche to describe recent relations between traditional Silicon Valley venture capital firms and the growing class of “super angel” investors—groups like Ron Conway’s SV Angel, Mike Maple’s Floodgate Fund, Dave McClure’s 500 Startups, Aydin Senkut’s Felicis Ventures, and Jeff Clavier’s SoftTech VC. The relationship between these … Continue reading “Threat to VC Is from Regular Angels, Not Super Angels, CEO Survey Says”

Devicescape Software Garners $8,142,411 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e2452640-4087-4eb3-b35c-0ca321560457&Preview=1 Date 10/12/2010 Company Name Devicescape Software Mailing Address 1001 Bayhill Drive San Bruno, CA 94066 Company Description Devicescape is a leader in software for wireless devices. The company provides embedded platforms and enterprise applications that enable manufacturers to create diverse wireless devices, and enable users and service providers to manage and … Continue reading “Devicescape Software Garners $8,142,411 New Round”

Redwood Systems Garners $15,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=acf31323-7230-4e43-b7a1-fd11bc8451f1&Preview=1 Date 10/12/2010 Company Name Redwood Systems Mailing Address 46665 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94538 Company Description Redwood System Inc. is a company focused on commercial building energy conservation. Website http://www.redwoodsys.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $15,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A … Continue reading “Redwood Systems Garners $15,000,000 New Financing”

DeNa Acquires ngmoco for $400,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=2f150347-0d2a-47f2-a169-4039aa30383a&Preview=1 Date 10/12/2010 Company Name ngmoco Mailing Address 164 South Park Street San Francisco, CA 94107 Company Description The company is focused on publishing games for the iPhone. Website http://www.ngmoco.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $400,000,000 Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Ngmoco’s shareholders will receive $300 million in cash and securities, … Continue reading “DeNa Acquires ngmoco for $400,000,000”

PlayFirst Lands $9,200,000 Series D Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e114b2d2-7e70-49b6-ba27-53bcd6def4f0&Preview=1 Date 10/12/2010 Company Name PlayFirst Mailing Address 160 Spear Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Company Description PlayFirst is the leading publisher of highly-original games made for casual gamers wherever they play. Committed to fostering creativity, PlayFirst works with talented internal and external developers to bring innovative games to multiple platforms, including … Continue reading “PlayFirst Lands $9,200,000 Series D Funding Round”

Exelixis Nabs $60M Upfront, Potentially $505M More, From New Deal With Bristol-Myers

Exelixis may have had a rough moment this summer in its relationship with Bristol-Myers Squibb, but apparently the two companies still see a lot in common and no reason to break up. South San Francisco-based Exelixis (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXEL]]) said today it has struck a new partnership in which it will get a $60 million upfront … Continue reading “Exelixis Nabs $60M Upfront, Potentially $505M More, From New Deal With Bristol-Myers”

TriReme Medical Receives $17,000,000 Series D Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f6824cee-07ff-4e17-91b7-4c7ab31435ac&Preview=1 Date 10/11/2010 Company Name TriReme Medical Mailing Address 7060 Koll Center Parkway Pleasanton, CA 94566 Company Description TriReme Medical Inc. is a privately held medical device company based in Pleasanton, California and dedicated to the development and manufacturing of novel stent technology for the treatment of atherosclerotic disease at or near … Continue reading “TriReme Medical Receives $17,000,000 Series D Financing Round”

Genentech’s Souped-Up Breast Cancer Drug Beats Original Herceptin in Head-to-Head Study

Genentech broke new ground with a targeted antibody drug for breast cancer in the late 1990s, and now it’s showing another sign that it may have surpassed the original. Researchers reported today on a study of 137 breast cancer patients who were randomly assigned to get the original trastuzumab (Herceptin) along with chemotherapy, or a … Continue reading “Genentech’s Souped-Up Breast Cancer Drug Beats Original Herceptin in Head-to-Head Study”

Snaptic is Now Catch

San Francisco-based Snaptic, a maker of cloud-based notekeeping apps for Android phones, iPhones, and the iPad, has officially changed its name to Catch.com, according to a blog post yesterday. The company also introduced new “Catch Notes” apps in the Android Marketplace and the iTunes App Store. “With Catch.com, our name matches our mission to help … Continue reading “Snaptic is Now Catch”

$8M Round for Involver

Involver, a San Francisco-based maker of platforms that help marketers reach audiences through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media channels, has raised $7 million out of a potential $8 million in a sale of equity, options, and warrants, according to a regulatory filing. Involver previously disclosed a $1.3 million financing round, in September; it’s not … Continue reading “$8M Round for Involver”

Research Universities and Big Pharma’s Wicked Problem

A few years ago BP awarded a consortium of universities led by Berkeley the largest grant in University of California history: $500 million over 10 years to develop biofuels. Despite BP’s well-publicized travails, their commitment to the Energy Biosciences Institute remains firmly in place. BP is a huge company with a wealth of resources at … Continue reading “Research Universities and Big Pharma’s Wicked Problem”

Just When I Was Working Up Some Sympathy for Mark Zuckerberg—Facebook Blows It Again

I was going to write an impassioned column this week attacking David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin for the hatchet job they performed on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. I can’t remember the last time a movie made me so angry; no entrepreneur who’s created such a beloved and successful service, even if … Continue reading “Just When I Was Working Up Some Sympathy for Mark Zuckerberg—Facebook Blows It Again”

Onyx Delays FDA Push, Vega Aims High Against Diabetes, Stanford Biologist Goes Open Source, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News

This week the biotech beat served up its usual variety of news from the fields of cancer, diabetes, genomics, and stem cells. Catch up on any headlines you might have missed here. —Emeryville, CA-based Onyx Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ONXX]]), the maker of cancer drugs, said this week it is delaying its application to seek FDA approval … Continue reading “Onyx Delays FDA Push, Vega Aims High Against Diabetes, Stanford Biologist Goes Open Source, & More Bay Area Life Sciences News”

TubeMogul.com Garners $999,998 New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=08520732-6e7e-480d-b947-6434a0470a73&Preview=1 Date 10/8/2010 Company Name TubeMogul.com Mailing Address 1250 53rd Street Emeryville, CA 94608 Company Description TubeMogul is a free service that provides a single point for deploying uploads to the top video sharing sites, and powerful analytics on who, what, and how videos are being viewed. Website http://www.tubemogul.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “TubeMogul.com Garners $999,998 New Round”

Onyx Delays Cancer Drug Application as FDA Asks for More Data on Manufacturing

Some minor bad news came out this afternoon from Onyx Pharmaceuticals, and its lead drug candidate for patients with multiple myeloma. The Emeryville, CA-based drug developer said today it is delaying the new drug application for carfilzomib after FDA officials asked for more data to show it can manufacture larger commercial batches that are consistent … Continue reading “Onyx Delays Cancer Drug Application as FDA Asks for More Data on Manufacturing”

Eventbrite Makes a Date with $20M

Eventbrite, the San Francisco startup that handles online event ticket sales for thousands of other organizations, said yesterday that it has collected $20 million in Series D venture funding. Leading the round were new investors DAG Ventures and Tenaya Capital (the former Lehman Brothers Venture Capital). Eventbrite’s sole existing investor, Sequoia Capital, also participated. Eventbrite … Continue reading “Eventbrite Makes a Date with $20M”

Offerpal Becomes Tapjoy

Fremont, CA-based Offerpal Media, which provides virtual currency platforms for online games, virtual worlds, and social networks, announced yesterday that it is adopting the name of the startup it acquired in March, Tapjoy, and moving its headquarters to San Francisco. Tapjoy was known before the acquisition for its pay-per-install service for distributing apps to mobile … Continue reading “Offerpal Becomes Tapjoy”

TOPGUN: Good Training for Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship

Top Gun the movie, like many movies loosely based on true stories or real organizations, certainly left us all entertained, and hopefully even a little motivated. The scenes of beach volleyball, testosterone-charged competition, and Maverick’s famous rendition of the Righteous Brothers’ classic were all unforgettable. But Hollywood never lets the truth get in the way … Continue reading “TOPGUN: Good Training for Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship”

Aneesh Chopra, Obama’s Chief Technology Officer, Talks About Health IT Geek Squads, Entrepreneurship Prizes, and “Data as a Policy Lever”

“In the Obama Administration, entrepreneurs are welcome.” So said Aneesh Chopra, chief technology officer of the United States, in a keynote speech yesterday at “DC to VC,” a summit on healthcare IT investing organized by Morgenthaler Ventures partner Rebecca Lynn in San Francisco and co-sponsored by Silicon Valley Bank and Venrock. Speaking to a group … Continue reading “Aneesh Chopra, Obama’s Chief Technology Officer, Talks About Health IT Geek Squads, Entrepreneurship Prizes, and “Data as a Policy Lever””

$10M for SocialShield

SocialShield, a San Bruno, CA-based startup that offers subscription-based Web tools that parents can use to monitor their children’s activity on Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, said yesterday that it has completed a $10 million Series A financing round. Venrock, U.S. Venture Partners, and “notable Silicon Valley angels” led the round, including Russell Fradin, Larry Braitman, … Continue reading “$10M for SocialShield”

Yahoo To Buy Dapper

Dapper, a provider of customized display ads for the Web with offices in San Francisco, New York, and Tel Aviv, will be acquired by Yahoo for an undisclosed amount, the two companies announced today. Yahoo wants Dapper’s technology in order to enhance its Smart Ads targeted advertising platform. “Yahoo currently partners with Dapper, along with … Continue reading “Yahoo To Buy Dapper”

The One Percent Solution: How Innovalight’s Silicon Ink Makes Solar Panels Slightly More Efficient, and Why That’s a Huge Deal

Silicon Valley is a place defined by big numbers and rapid change. Since the 1960s, the number of transistors that can be placed on an integrated circuit for the same cost has doubled every two years or so. The capacity of Flash memory chips has been increasing even faster of late, doubling every year. So … Continue reading “The One Percent Solution: How Innovalight’s Silicon Ink Makes Solar Panels Slightly More Efficient, and Why That’s a Huge Deal”

Stanford, UCSD Biologists Take Plunge Into Arpanet-Style Project With Sage Bionetworks

[Updated: 6:40 am Pacific] Stephen Friend had plenty of doubters last year when he quit a high-powered Big Pharma executive job to start a nonprofit seeking to spark an open source style movement for biology. One year later, the former chief of cancer research at Merck has pulled off another unlikely feat. He’s corralled four … Continue reading “Stanford, UCSD Biologists Take Plunge Into Arpanet-Style Project With Sage Bionetworks”

Pathwork Diagnostics Lands $30,000,000 Series C Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e7f29e5f-348c-4c84-a24d-5a7db0074cfc&Preview=1 Date 10/6/2010 Company Name Pathwork Diagnostics Mailing Address 595 Penobscot Drive Redwood City, CA 94063 Company Description Pathwork Diagnostics is applying new discoveries in genomics to unmet clinical needs in oncology. Using proprietary technologies, Pathwork Diagnostics plans to harness the power of genomics information to develop FDA-cleared microarray-based tests that provide … Continue reading “Pathwork Diagnostics Lands $30,000,000 Series C Financing Round”

Alphonso Labs Obtains $1,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6caf9fa8-5d71-45ce-a787-86cfa9288c6e&Preview=1 Date 10/6/2010 Company Name Alphonso Labs Mailing Address Undisclosed Undisclosed, CA 94301 Company Description Pulse is an elegant news reading application for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. It incorporates colorful panning story bars and fills them with content from your favorite sources. Website http://www.alphonsolabs.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $1,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Alphonso Labs Obtains $1,000,000 New Funding Round”

Miramar Labs Lands $1,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=49023999-5d10-4289-bf06-bee2fea45ed1&Preview=1 Date 10/6/2010 Company Name Miramar Labs Mailing Address 445 indio Way Sunnyvale, CA 94085 Company Description The company is developing medical device technology for aesthetic indications. Website http://www.miramarlabs.com Transaction Type Debt Transaction Amount $1,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC regulatory filing. M&A Terms Venture Investor … Continue reading “Miramar Labs Lands $1,000,000 New Funding”

Eventbrite Lands $20,000,000 Series D Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f2799593-b362-47dc-89d5-e49831c0e4f4&Preview=1 Date 10/6/2010 Company Name Eventbrite Mailing Address 410 Townsend St San Francisco, CA 94107 Company Description Eventbrite is the leading provider of online event management and ticketing services. Eventbrite makes it easy for anyone to hold a successful event of any type and size. Eventbrite is free if your event is … Continue reading “Eventbrite Lands $20,000,000 Series D Financing Round”

Involver Receives $6,999,999 Series C Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ffc3b060-c6b1-418d-a26a-dcb9805672a0&Preview=1 Date 10/6/2010 Company Name Involver Mailing Address 611 Mission St San Francisco, CA 94105 Company Description Involver is the web’s most trusted social marketing platform supporting 80,000 brands and agencies and interacting with more than 200,000,000 fans. Involver’s platform powers over 30 applications built specifically for marketers engaging their audiences through … Continue reading “Involver Receives $6,999,999 Series C Financing”

Threatmetrix Collects $12.1M

Los Altos, CA-based ThreatMetrix, which helps online businesses prevent fraud by authenticating the hardware devices people use to log in to e-commerce sites and other services, today announced the closing of a $12.1 million Series C funding round. Tenaya Capital (formerly Lehman Brothers Ventures) led the round, which also included existing investors U.S. Venture Partners, … Continue reading “Threatmetrix Collects $12.1M”

Omnicell Buys Pandora Data Systems

Mountain View, CA-based Omnicell (NASDAQ: [[ticker:OMCL]]), a maker of systems that restrict and automate access to medications and anesthesia in hospitals, said today that it has acquired Pandora Data Systems of Scotts Valley, CA. Pandora makes software that analyzes hospital records to detect “medication diversion,” i.e. theft, and meet regulatory requirements. Terms of the deal … Continue reading “Omnicell Buys Pandora Data Systems”

With $10 Million Series B Round, Viewdle Turns Its Face Recognition Technology on Consumers

Viewdle is one of those technology startups that probably should have stayed in stealth mode a lot longer. The San Jose, CA-based company created a stir around the time of its public launch back in September 2007 with demos that promised real-time facial recognition for digital video—a still-unsolved problem that, if definitively licked, could help … Continue reading “With $10 Million Series B Round, Viewdle Turns Its Face Recognition Technology on Consumers”