CardiAQ Captures $6.5M A Round Led by Former CoreValve President

[Updated and clarified—1/12/10, 2:30 pm ET, with timing of potential human study and other details] CardiAQ Valve Technologies, which is developing a catheter-based alternative to open-heart surgery for mitral valve implantation, reports today that it has raised $6.5 million in a Series A round of funding. The funding is expected to support R&D needed to … Continue reading “CardiAQ Captures $6.5M A Round Led by Former CoreValve President”

Melodeo, Making Big Push in Online Music, Eyes Apple in the Cloud

OK, so you’re a small, profitable tech company in the digital media sector. Your closest competitor just got acquired by Apple. Now Steve Jobs is encroaching on your territory. How do you want to play it? That’s the situation Seattle-based Melodeo faces after Apple paid a reported $85 million last month to buy online music … Continue reading “Melodeo, Making Big Push in Online Music, Eyes Apple in the Cloud”

Gearing up for a Bicoastal Smackdown: Xconomy’s Battle of the Tech Bands 3 Coming February 4

Xconomy’s Battle of the Tech Bands has become a welcome wintertime ritual in Cambridge: every January or February we get a bunch of loud, enthusiastic musicians together with a loud, enthusiastic crowd at the Middle East Night Club for a night of hot tunes, bravura performances, and audience voting. But this year—on February 4, to … Continue reading “Gearing up for a Bicoastal Smackdown: Xconomy’s Battle of the Tech Bands 3 Coming February 4”

Buerk Dale Victor Renamed Montlake Capital

Seattle-based venture capital and private equity firm Buerk Dale Victor announced today it has changed its name to Montlake Capital. The new name recognizes the firm’s evolution from a local partnership (founded in 1999) to a regional investment team with partners in Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho. Montlake Capital has $100 million under management, and … Continue reading “Buerk Dale Victor Renamed Montlake Capital”

Molecular Biometrics Scores $12.5M Second Round, Aims to Help IVF Users Avoid Octomom’s Fate

[Clarification—1/12/10, 1 pm ET] Nadya Suleman, aka the Octomom, grabbed headlines this time last year when she gave birth to octuplets conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Now, Molecular Biometrics is grabbing venture dollars for technology that could help other IVF users avoid a similar fate. The Norwood, MA-based firm raised $12.5 million in a … Continue reading “Molecular Biometrics Scores $12.5M Second Round, Aims to Help IVF Users Avoid Octomom’s Fate”

VentiRx Nabs $25M for Cancer, Allergy Drugs

VentiRx Pharmaceuticals has raised a venti-sized load of new cash. The San Diego and Seattle-based company that’s developing drugs to amplify the body’s innate immune system to fight cancer and allergies has pulled in $25 million through a new round of financing. The deal is technically described as an extension of a $26.6 million Series … Continue reading “VentiRx Nabs $25M for Cancer, Allergy Drugs”

San Diego’s SG Biofuels Announces Strategic Alliance with Life Technologies

It’s been almost a year since San Diego-based SG Biofuels stepped out of the shadows to announce its plans to produce biodiesel and feedstock substitutes from Jatropha, a hardy shrub that produces golf ball-size seeds with high oil content. Today, the company is announcing it has formed a strategic alliance with Life Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LIFE]]), … Continue reading “San Diego’s SG Biofuels Announces Strategic Alliance with Life Technologies”

Larry Cheng on the Birth of Volition Capital

While many pundits predicted that the financial crisis of 2007-2008 would lead to a big shakeout on the venture-capital stage, there’s been remarkably little change in the cast of characters so far, at least in Boston. But Monday saw the demise of one established Boston venture fund and the birth of another, as the entire … Continue reading “Larry Cheng on the Birth of Volition Capital”

Be of Good Cheer in New Year, All Ye Entrepreneurs and Startup Founders

The National Venture Capital Association recently released a member survey that predicted: —In 2010 there will be fewer VC firms —Surviving VCs will spend most of their remaining funds on existing investments, and —Leftover funding will focus investments mostly on later-stage deals It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that things are looking very grim for … Continue reading “Be of Good Cheer in New Year, All Ye Entrepreneurs and Startup Founders”

Flurry of Early Stage Internet Deals Highlight Q4 VC Activity; Investments Slip to $5.5B

Venture investing settled in a bit during the fourth quarter of 2009, but the analysts at ChubbyBrain, the New York firm providing the data, are encouraged by the overall mix, saying, “optimism, albeit of the cautious variety, seems to have found its way back.” While the total amount of venture capital investments during the quarter … Continue reading “Flurry of Early Stage Internet Deals Highlight Q4 VC Activity; Investments Slip to $5.5B”

CitySquares Online Acquires Yokel for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=eda7d4b8-63f4-4380-a344-4ae924a56a27&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name Yokel Mailing Address 580 Harrison Ave 4th Floor Boston, MA 02118 Company Description Yokel.com is a search engine that makes local shopping easier than ever before. With one of the most comprehensive Internet directories of local stores and products, Yokel enables shoppers to quickly find what they … Continue reading “CitySquares Online Acquires Yokel for Undisclosed Sum”

Harvest Automation Receives $4,000,000 Series A Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=15ee45bd-48ff-4936-a969-151f52f1adde&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name Harvest Automation Mailing Address 154 Main St Groton, MA 01581 Company Description Harvest was founded by a seasoned technology executive and a trio of robotics experts. The Company now comprises a diverse, commited team with expertise in sales and marketing, engineering (software, hardware, electrical, mechanical), project management, … Continue reading “Harvest Automation Receives $4,000,000 Series A Round”

CardiAQ Valve Technologies Garners $6,500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4275307f-c678-420f-83d4-9761dd96c715&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name CardiAQ Valve Technologies Mailing Address 1 Orient Street Winchester, MA 01890 Company Description CardiAQ Valve Technologies (CVT), a privately held company founded by heart surgeon Dr. Arshad Quadri, is developing innovative approaches to heart valve replacement and is initially focused on percutaneous mitral valve replacement (PMVR).There are … Continue reading “CardiAQ Valve Technologies Garners $6,500,000 New Funding”

VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Secures $25,000,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9103414a-316a-420c-b529-20d281694fba&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Mailing Address 12651 High Bluff Drive San Diego, CA 92130 Company Description VentiRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company committed to the development of novel medicines for the treatment of cancer, infectious, respiratory, and autoimmune diseases. Website http://www.ventirx.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $25,000,000 … Continue reading “VentiRx Pharmaceuticals Secures $25,000,000 Series A Financing”

SEDline Lands $3,500,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7cb0cf5a-9be3-4d4d-974e-7494005be8bc&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name SEDline Mailing Address Undisclosed Irvine, CA 92612 Company Description SEDLine, Inc. is a research-focused company with the mission to expand the scope and applications for neuromonitoring. Based on over 10 years of technical and clinical development, the SEDLine core product is a pioneering four-channel brain-function monitor that … Continue reading “SEDline Lands $3,500,000 New Financing Round”

Molecular Biometrics Lands $12,500,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=93a93b1a-0fb3-4fb1-a1a7-087028ae3908&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name Molecular Biometrics Mailing Address One Edgewater Drive Norwood, MA 02062 Company Description Molecular Biometrics, Inc. develops highly specific and sensitive analytical methodologies for molecular diagnostic and monitoring applications in medicine, and for drug discovery and development through pharmacodiagnostics. Website http://www.molecularbiometrics.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $12,500,000 … Continue reading “Molecular Biometrics Lands $12,500,000 Series B Financing Round”

SpectraWatt Lands $12,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=fc5a5747-8f25-4e2a-a3a8-9c31fad7756c&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name SpectraWatt Mailing Address 7175 NW Evergreen Pkwy Hillsboro, OR 97124 Company Description SpectraWatt will manufacture and supply photovoltaic cells to solar module makers. In addition to focusing on advanced solar cell technologies, SpectraWatt will concentrate development efforts on improvements in current manufacturing processes and capabilities to reduce … Continue reading “SpectraWatt Lands $12,000,000 New Financing”

Covario Acquires Netconcepts for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=540516b3-3264-4758-b9d8-1453676e5f10&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name Netconcepts Mailing Address 2820 Walton Commons West Madison, WI 53718 Company Description Netconcepts is an SEO consulting and technology company specializing in helping our clients have search engine optimal web sites and applications. We provide expert advice and services in all aspects of natural search marketing and … Continue reading “Covario Acquires Netconcepts for Undisclosed Sum”

Quidel Acquires Diagnostic Hybrids for $130,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bcffbcd2-135f-47db-ad5f-fab2d47a3c7e&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name Diagnostic Hybrids Mailing Address 1055 East State St Athens, OH 45701 Company Description Diagnostic Hybrids innovates, develops, manufactures and markets cellular and molecular diagnostic kits for various applications in detecting a wide range of respiratory diseases, herpes infections, and other high value markers of disease. Website http://www.dhiusa.com … Continue reading “Quidel Acquires Diagnostic Hybrids for $130,000,000”

VigLink Receives $800,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=78888521-3e9d-4b0c-bdcf-29ca5428b8c3&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name VigLink Mailing Address 420 Bryant Street San Francisco, CA 94107 Company Description The company provides consumers extra income from online link sharing. Website http://www.viglink.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $800,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor Google Ventures … Continue reading “VigLink Receives $800,000 New Funding Round”

SocialGO Receives $800,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5cfd2d49-2867-4c90-9a62-56eb224a6bb2&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name SocialGO Mailing Address Undisclosed Redwood City, CA 94062 Company Description SocialGO is a service that allows anyone to create a professional-grade social network for their group, business or interest. Each social network created on the platform is independent and can be completely customized from it’s look and … Continue reading “SocialGO Receives $800,000 New Funding”

Flurry Garners $7,000,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8436e78d-eeda-4c76-9446-7570b4bcc68c&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name Flurry Mailing Address 282 2nd Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Company Description flurry, inc., a Delaware corporation, is a leader in developing next-generation mobile applications. flurry is an easy-to-use mobile email and RSS solution that works on hundreds of different cell phone models and thousands of email … Continue reading “Flurry Garners $7,000,000 Series B Financing Round”

ReputationDefender Obtains $8,650,000 Series B Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ea8cc493-b102-442d-89fd-ca45aa681975&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name ReputationDefender Mailing Address 2688 Middlefield Road Building C Redwood City, CA 94063 Company Description ReputationDefender was created in 2006 to defend your good name on the Internet. Today, ReputationDefender has grown to be the world’s first comprehensive online reputation management and privacy company. We’re the most experienced … Continue reading “ReputationDefender Obtains $8,650,000 Series B Round”

Shanda Acquires Mochi Media for $80,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8d54bc5f-05f8-4701-ac58-5b6b5b5e0f07&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name Mochi Media Mailing Address 611 Mission St. 5th Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 Company Description Our goal is to develop a network of properties that makes building web content fun and prosperous for our community of developers. Creativity, passion, and innovation are what drive us. Seeing the … Continue reading “Shanda Acquires Mochi Media for $80,000,000”

Spiceworks Secures $16,000,000 Series B Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=267ca46f-7c91-45db-b077-b62b0f33e9c5&Preview=1 Date 1/12/2010 Company Name Spiceworks Mailing Address 7300 FM 2222, Bldg 3 Austin, TX 78730 Company Description Spiceworks develops the industry’s first free IT management software designed to meet the unique needs of small and medium businesses. Spiceworks helps IT organizations easily manage their networks, solve IT problems and find the … Continue reading “Spiceworks Secures $16,000,000 Series B Financing Round”

Charles River Labs to Cut 300 Jobs

Charles River Laboratories International (NYSE:[[ticker:CRL]]) announced today that it plans to suspend operations at its Shrewsbury, MA, facility by mid-2010, reacting to a slowdown in demand for its preclinical testing services. The Wilmington, MA-based contract research company told the online publication Mass Device that it would let go nearly 300 workers in its preclinical business. … Continue reading “Charles River Labs to Cut 300 Jobs”

Sage Bionetworks Strikes Deal With Pfizer to Find Cancer Drug Targets

Sage Bionetworks, the Seattle-based nonprofit seeking to spark a movement toward open-source style sharing of biological data, is announcing today it has secured a partnership with Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company. Financial terms, and the length of the collaboration, aren’t being disclosed. But the deal will bring in enough cash for Sage to add … Continue reading “Sage Bionetworks Strikes Deal With Pfizer to Find Cancer Drug Targets”

India’s Innovation Front Lines 2009 (Part 5): Educating the Bottom of the Pyramid

Delhi, January 5, 2010—The biggest challenge and therefore opportunity faced by India is its demographic dividend: there are over 500 million youth under 25 years of age and 350 million under 15 years. Thirty percent of them are in cities. Only a small percentage of these youngsters will obtain university degrees. The majority will need … Continue reading “India’s Innovation Front Lines 2009 (Part 5): Educating the Bottom of the Pyramid”

Fidelity Ventures Team Forms Volition Capital

There’s a new player on the venture scene in Boston. The team behind the U.S. branch of Fidelity Ventures, the venture investing wing of Fidelity Investments, has left Fidelity and relaunched itself under the name Volition Capital, according to an announcement today. The new firm—in which Fidelity has no ownership stake—says it will invest in … Continue reading “Fidelity Ventures Team Forms Volition Capital”

DreamBox, Gist, VholdR Among WTIA Finalists

The Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) announced today the finalists for its 15th annual Industry Achievement Awards on March 4. Among the nominees are DreamBox Learning, Gist, and VholdR (for breakthrough startup of the year); Cheezburger Network, Cozi, and Picnik (for consumer product); Apptio, Concur, and Talyst (for commercial product); and Neah Power Systems, Pathway … Continue reading “DreamBox, Gist, VholdR Among WTIA Finalists”

Optics for Hire Buys Actuality Assets

The patent portfolio and other assets of Actuality Systems, a Bedford, MA-based maker of visualization systems for medicine, oil and gas exploration, and other applications, has been acquired by Optics for Hire, the Arlington, MA, company announced December 28. Actuality launched in 1997 after winning the MIT $50K business plan competition; its flagship product, Perspecta, … Continue reading “Optics for Hire Buys Actuality Assets”

A SeaChange for VividLogic

Acton, MA-based SeaChange International (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SEAC]]), which specializes in hardware and software for video-on-demand television, announced last week that it has acquired VividLogic of Fremont, CA, for $12 million in cash plus $8.6 million in working capital. VividLogic supplies software for home video networking and recording to cable operators, set-top box makers, and consumer electronics … Continue reading “A SeaChange for VividLogic”

AcadiaSoft Finds $4M

AcadiaSoft, which makes software for managing derivative investments, has raised $4 million in equity financing, according to an SEC filing. The Pembroke, MA-based startup told Mass High Tech that the investors in the financing included large financial institutions such as HSBC Holdings and ICAP, both of which are based in London, and New York-based JP … Continue reading “AcadiaSoft Finds $4M”

Virtify Reports $15M in A Round

Virtify, a provider of Web-based document management software for life sciences firms, has secured $15 million in an offering of Series A convertible preferred stock, according to an SEC filing. There are eight investors in the round, according to the filing, but the Cambridge, MA-based firm hasn’t yet identified them, and neither company CEO Satish … Continue reading “Virtify Reports $15M in A Round”

Progress Software Buys Savvion

Progress Software (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PRGS]]), the Bedford, MA-based maker of systems for integrating enterprise software applications, said this morning that it has acquired Santa Clara, CA-based Savvion for $49 million, net of Savvion’s cash. Savvion makes business process management software, and Progress president and CEO Richard Reidy said the acquisition “enhances our goal to provide unprecedented … Continue reading “Progress Software Buys Savvion”

Apple Eases Controls on iPhone App Development: One Local Developer’s Experiences

Downloading free or paid third-party applications has become such a key part of the Apple iPhone experience—with more than 100,000 apps now available through the iTunes App Store—that it’s easy to forget that outside apps weren’t even allowed on the device until summer 2008. But while Apple’s strategy has revolutionized consumers’ expectations about smartphones, and … Continue reading “Apple Eases Controls on iPhone App Development: One Local Developer’s Experiences”

Fund-Raising By U.S. Venture Capital Funds Fell 55% in 2009: We Have the Boston, San Diego, and Seattle Details, Too

It’s probably not much consolation for the entrepreneurs who tried to raise venture funding last year, but U.S. venture capital firms raised much less money from their institutional investors in 2009 than they have in recent years. New figures from Dow Jones LP Source show that fund-raising by venture firms in 2009 fell almost 55 … Continue reading “Fund-Raising By U.S. Venture Capital Funds Fell 55% in 2009: We Have the Boston, San Diego, and Seattle Details, Too”

Alnylam Maps Out First Steps in ‘RNA Decade’

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals CEO John Maraganore had a snappy greeting ready for our first conversation of 2010. “Happy RNA Decade,” Maraganore said. For the sake of his Cambridge, MA-based company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]), Maraganore is wagering that this will be the decade in which scientific seeds of RNA-based therapies start to fulfill their potential. The decade-long vision … Continue reading “Alnylam Maps Out First Steps in ‘RNA Decade’”

Tandem Diabetes Care Snags $52M Financing for Insulin Pumps

Tandem Diabetes Care, a San Diego-based company developing insulin pumps for diabetics, has raised a whopping $52.3 million round of equity financing that began last May, according to a regulatory filing. The company is led by CEO Kim Blickenstaff, the co-founder and former CEO of Biosite, a diagnostic company that was acquired by Inverness Medical … Continue reading “Tandem Diabetes Care Snags $52M Financing for Insulin Pumps”

Quattro Scooped Up By Apple, Medtronic Invests in GI Dynamics, EMC Acquires Archer, & More Boston-Area Deals News

New England’s tech and life sciences companies hit the ground running in the new year, inking a host of deals this week. —Data storage giant EMC of Hopkinton, MA, made a bold move into the market for governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC) with the acquisition of Overland Park, KS-based Archer Technologies. Archer will become … Continue reading “Quattro Scooped Up By Apple, Medtronic Invests in GI Dynamics, EMC Acquires Archer, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

Qualcomm Shows its Consumer Side at CES, Venture Investor Joins Economic Development Corp., Dot Hill Buys Cloverleaf, & More San Diego BizTech News

There was a lot of tech news from Las Vegas last week, and it wants to get out. So we’re setting it free now. —Dazzling examples of the latest innovations of tablet computers, e-book readers, 3D-TVs, netbooks, and many more electronic devices were introduced at the annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which ended yesterday … Continue reading “Qualcomm Shows its Consumer Side at CES, Venture Investor Joins Economic Development Corp., Dot Hill Buys Cloverleaf, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s Unique Take on Startup Hiring and Culture

What’s more annoying than a 24-year-old who sells his company to Microsoft for $265 million and never has to work another day in his life? Easy. When that same guy sells his next company to Amazon.com for more than $1 billion. OK, so it took 10 more years of hard work, but Tony Hsieh, now … Continue reading “Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s Unique Take on Startup Hiring and Culture”

See You at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference

It’s mid-January, and in biotech that means only one thing—it’s time for the annual industry pilgrimage known as the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference. I’m here as always, attending the meeting in San Francisco’s Union Square that draws most of this fragmented industry’s major investors, biotech executives, and pharma dealmakers in one place for a frenzy … Continue reading “See You at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference”

The Intellectual Property Century

Great technology improvements over the past decade have proven again that innovation serves as the best currency for progress against our greatest challenges. Terrific new tools and applications in information technology have been on display everywhere during the holidays; green tech ideas abound offering great promise; and even in the more prolonged R&D world of … Continue reading “The Intellectual Property Century”

AcadiaSoft Secures $4,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=87052d2f-7dd7-465b-b29d-4477801d6a03&Preview=1 Date 1/11/2010 Company Name AcadiaSoft Mailing Address PO Box 1166 Lynnfield, MA 01940-1166 Company Description AcadiaSoft Inc. develops and markets derivatives and collateral management solutions for institutional investors. By listening to the market and its customers, AcadiaSoft has developed a solution that combines disparate sources of information that maximizes organizational efficiency … Continue reading “AcadiaSoft Secures $4,000,000 New Financing”

Virtify Obtains $15,000,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f04b87ba-4120-4f77-891d-9a110dfe9bdd&Preview=1 Date 1/11/2010 Company Name Virtify Mailing Address 55 Cambridge Parkway Cambridge, MA 02142 Company Description Virtify is the market leader in Enterprise Content Compliance solutions for life sciences. Organizations rely on Virtify to reduce time-to-market, risk, and costs by managing and automating the complex regulatory compliance and content exchange requirements throughout … Continue reading “Virtify Obtains $15,000,000 Series A Funding Round”