Blackbox Republic, No Longer Just Sex Positive, Opens Alternative Social Site

I wish I could say this is just about sex, but it isn’t. Nevertheless, a lot has changed since we last heard from Blackbox Republic, the Portland, OR-based niche social network that is trying to be a more private and intimate alternative to Facebook and Match.com, for helping manage your personal life. The paid site … Continue reading “Blackbox Republic, No Longer Just Sex Positive, Opens Alternative Social Site”

PlumChoice Receives $10,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d95e1e2f-f2f2-4a9a-a848-71f05bf6c3e3&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2009 Company Name PlumChoice Mailing Address 5 Federal Street Billerica, MA 01821 Company Description PlumChoice’s premium remote computer and technology service is available to home and business PC users, business travelers, telecommuters, college students, persons with limited mobility and any PC user with Internet access. The company’s remote services include … Continue reading “PlumChoice Receives $10,000,000 New Funding Round”

Solar Nation Secures $2,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=59a64ca4-44b5-4be7-bc9c-3ff4305ca465&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2009 Company Name Solar Nation Mailing Address 17116 NE Sandy Boulevard Portland, OR 97230 Company Description Solar Nation is full-service design/engineer/build solar-energy-systems and solutions provider serving business, government, and non-profits organizations. Website http://www.solarnation.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. … Continue reading “Solar Nation Secures $2,000,000 New Funding Round”

Roper Industries Acquires Verathon for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1bb2c1c1-dd5a-43b5-8173-587f65f7375f&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2009 Company Name Verathon Mailing Address 20001 North Creek Parkway Bothell, WA 98011 Company Description Verathon® (formerly Diagnostic Ultrasound Corporation) designs, manufactures and distributes reliable, state-of-the-art medical devices and services that offer a meaningful improvement in patient care to the health care community. Website http://www.verathon.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Roper Industries Acquires Verathon for Undisclosed Sum”

Service-now.com Receives $41,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=d1abb056-3a4d-49d7-9e3f-0ff455e5827d&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2009 Company Name Service-now.com Mailing Address 120 S. Sierra Avenue Solana Beach, CA 92075 Company Description Service-now.com is championing a new approach to IT Service and Asset Management through modern application development, delivery and pricing. We offer the first and only On Demand, Web 2.0 solution (AJAX and SOAP enabled) … Continue reading “Service-now.com Receives $41,000,000 New Funding Round”

Transaction Wireless Obtains $2,000,000 Series B Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=960bb932-1b12-4d11-b12f-f57bef8388a3&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2009 Company Name Transaction Wireless Mailing Address 9645 Scranton Road San Diego, CA 92121 Company Description Transaction Wireless is dedicated to providing cutting-edge wireless payment solutions. As in many other sectors, the payment industry is increasingly turning to wireless technologies as a means of offering new advantages to financial organizations, … Continue reading “Transaction Wireless Obtains $2,000,000 Series B Funding”

Palisade Systems Lands $2,600,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=20268ee8-91cc-4b1d-be21-18b87a914f0d&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2009 Company Name Palisade Systems Mailing Address 400 Locust Street Des Moines, IA 50309 Company Description Medical records, financial information, intellectual property and personal information – your data keeps growing at an accelerated rate. Trying to protect this data is paramount to business continuity and success. The loss of sensitive … Continue reading “Palisade Systems Lands $2,600,000 New Financing”

Rocket Fuel Garners $2,850,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=40c8378c-7f59-4a77-932d-979c4ff43ed8&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2009 Company Name Rocket Fuel Mailing Address 350 Marine Parkway Redwood City, CA 94065 Company Description Rocket Fuel Inc. is a well-funded advertising technology company in Silicon Valley. Website http://www.rocketfuelinc.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $2,850,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Funds will be used to continue building corporate … Continue reading “Rocket Fuel Garners $2,850,000 New Funding Round”

DisplayLink Receives $8,000,000 Series C Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4ee43a01-ed79-44fd-b7f5-9f4795da7298&Preview=1 Date 12/9/2009 Company Name DisplayLink Mailing Address 480 South California Ave Palo Alto, CA 94306 Company Description DisplayLink has reinvented the way computers talk to multiple displays through the use of semiconductors and software. We have a growing team of technology, business, and creative minds who share a passion for creating … Continue reading “DisplayLink Receives $8,000,000 Series C Funding Round”

Sammsoft Bought for $8.5M

Redmond, WA-based Sammsoft, which makes security and privacy software for personal computers, has been acquired by support.com (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SPRT]]), an online technology firm based in Silicon Valley, for $8.5 million in cash. The assets of Sammsoft’s parent company, Xeriton, were also acquired in the deal. Sammsoft was operated by former Microsoft employees, most of whom … Continue reading “Sammsoft Bought for $8.5M”

Dendreon Seeks to Raise More Than $400 Million to Support Prostate Cancer Drug Launch

Dendreon is on the prowl for another big round of financing. The Seattle-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DNDN]]) said today that it is seeking to sell 15 million new shares of stock to investors in an offering that’s being underwritten by JP Morgan Securities and Deutsche Bank. The company didn’t release any terms of the financing, … Continue reading “Dendreon Seeks to Raise More Than $400 Million to Support Prostate Cancer Drug Launch”

Adamis to Merge with La Jolla Pharmaceutical

San Diego’s La Jolla Pharmaceutical, which was unable to muster a sufficient number of investors to approve its liquidation plan, has agreed to a merger with Adamis Pharmaceuticals, a Del Mar, CA, biotech with shares that trade over-the-counter. Under a reverse merger approved by both boards, La Jolla Pharmaceutical shareholders will get as much as … Continue reading “Adamis to Merge with La Jolla Pharmaceutical”

Sermo Cutting 30 Workers, Source Says

Sermo, the company that created the country’s largest online community of doctors, informed about 30 workers this morning that they will be laid off, according to a source familiar with the matter. The source says that the company employed 60 to 80 people prior to the cutbacks. We reported that layoffs were coming in our … Continue reading “Sermo Cutting 30 Workers, Source Says”

With Extra Dose of Cash, Zogenix Raises VC Round to $71M for Launch of Migraine Treatment

San Diego-based Zogenix got a $20 million vote of confidence for the anticipated launch next month of its needle-free, drug-and-device delivery system for migraine and cluster headaches. Zogenix, which announced in September that it had closed on a $51 million Series B round of venture funding, says it extended the round to accommodate an additional … Continue reading “With Extra Dose of Cash, Zogenix Raises VC Round to $71M for Launch of Migraine Treatment”

Epizyme Tacks On Extra $8M Financing For Drugs that Turn Genes On or Off

Epizyme has found a new benefactor. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company, which develops drugs that dial genes on or off using “epigenetic” techniques, has raised another $8 million in its Series B venture financing from New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Tacking on that extra cash means Epizyme has now raised a total of $40 million in … Continue reading “Epizyme Tacks On Extra $8M Financing For Drugs that Turn Genes On or Off”

.406 Ventures Backs WellAware

Boston-based .406 Ventures is investing in WellAware Systems’ new $7.5 million round of financing, the Charlottesville, VA, startup reports. The company has developed integrated sensors and software designed to help healthcare providers monitor senior patients. Valhalla Partners, of Vienna, VA, joined .406 (which is named after the record-setting batting average of the late and great … Continue reading “.406 Ventures Backs WellAware”

Meetcha: A New Dating Site for the 40-Plus Set, from Monster/Eons Founder Jeff Taylor

[Updated 12/8/09 2:30 p.m. with comments from Taylor, see below] Jeff Taylor, the founder of Monster Worldwide and the founder/CEO of the boomer-focused online community Eons, is up to something new. Xconomy has learned that Taylor is about to launch a dating site, Meetcha.com, designed for people 40 and over. In an e-mail obtained by … Continue reading “Meetcha: A New Dating Site for the 40-Plus Set, from Monster/Eons Founder Jeff Taylor”

Hydro-Photon Finds $2M for Light-Based Water Purification Biz

Hydro-Photon, the Maine-based maker of handheld devices that use ultraviolet light to purify water, has raised just shy of $2 million in equity, according to an SEC filing. This will put more capital behind the firm’s product, called the “SteriPEN,” which looks like the hunting knife version of a lightsaber. But this handheld device is … Continue reading “Hydro-Photon Finds $2M for Light-Based Water Purification Biz”

San Diego’s ParAccel, Which Sprang From Netezza, Prepares for Next Database War

I discerned a couple of recurring themes when I sat down with ParAccel CEO David Ehrlich to discuss the venture-backed startup that specializes in database management systems technology. One is that ParAccel’s industry seems prone to what Ehrlich calls “database wars,” which might be best exemplified by the intense competition that broke out in the … Continue reading “San Diego’s ParAccel, Which Sprang From Netezza, Prepares for Next Database War”

Calistoga Builds More Momentum for Cancer Drug, Eyes Pivotal Trial Next Year

Seattle-based Calistoga Pharmaceuticals has gathered more evidence that it may have a real drug for blood cancers, which is shrinking tumors in patients without killing too many other healthy cells in the blood. The drug, CAL-101, didn’t work for everybody, but it did cause tumors to shrink at least by half for 60 percent of … Continue reading “Calistoga Builds More Momentum for Cancer Drug, Eyes Pivotal Trial Next Year”

Sugar on a Stick Sweetened

Sugar Labs, the Brookline, MA-based non-profit organization developing the Sugar educational operating environment originally designed for the One Laptop Per Child Foundation’s XO Laptop, has released a new version of Sugar on a Stick, an edition of the software that allows PC, netbook, or Mac users to boot directly into Sugar. The new version, called … Continue reading “Sugar on a Stick Sweetened”

Mersana Therapeutics Advancing Anti-Tumor Treatment with Novel Drug-Delivery Technology

Mersana Therapeutics is picking up momentum, thanks to the positive data its first anti-cancer drug is generating in a Phase I clinical trial. The study is providing evidence that the Cambridge, MA-based firm’s drug delivery technology works in humans. The startup’s “Fleximer” technology—which uses sugar-derived polymers to deliver treatments into cells—has the potential to rescue … Continue reading “Mersana Therapeutics Advancing Anti-Tumor Treatment with Novel Drug-Delivery Technology”

Backchannelmedia Signs Knology Deal

Boston-based Backchannelmedia, whose technology allows viewers of cable and broadcast TV shows and commercials to request information via e-mail whenever a “clickable moment” icon appears onscreen, has signed a deal with West Point, GA-based digital cable TV provider Knology to offer Backchannelmedia’s service to Knology customers in the Southeast and South Dakota. Up to now, … Continue reading “Backchannelmedia Signs Knology Deal”

Arzeda Gets Federal Grant to Make Renewable Enzyme for Tires, Sidesteps VC Funding Model

Arzeda is finding out what it wants to be when it grows up. The Seattle-based startup, which designs custom-made enzymes on computers, has pocketed a grant from the National Science Foundation to see if it can create an enzyme that can turn plant biomass into one of the key ingredients in synthetic rubber tires. The … Continue reading “Arzeda Gets Federal Grant to Make Renewable Enzyme for Tires, Sidesteps VC Funding Model”

ZymoGenetics Sells Inflammatory Drug to Old Parent, Novo Nordisk, for $24M Upfront

Seattle-based ZymoGenetics has struck a deal with its former parent from Denmark, Novo Nordisk, that will give Novo a jumpstart on its quest to become a bigger player in autoimmune diseases. Novo said it agreed to pay $24 million in upfront cash, and milestone payments worth as much as $157.5 million over time to ZymoGenetics … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics Sells Inflammatory Drug to Old Parent, Novo Nordisk, for $24M Upfront”

The Arrogant Venture Capitalist: A View from the Trenches

The VC-entrepreneur relationship debate has always been heated and has been intensifying of late. Beyond “sour grapes” and “frustration bred by failure,” I wanted to dig deeper, so I used my blog to ping the community and share the feedback. Over sixty entrepreneurs responded and provided the foundation for this writeup. Poor First Impressions Richard … Continue reading “The Arrogant Venture Capitalist: A View from the Trenches”

Massachusetts IT Collaborative’s Report Is Data-Rich, Policy-Poor: A News Analysis

Here in Massachusetts, we’re very good at collecting data. This is the state that gave birth to the spreadsheet, after all. But when it comes to launching coordinated action to solve the problems confronting one of the state’s biggest industries, we’re a bit slower. Back in February, the administration of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick pulled … Continue reading “Massachusetts IT Collaborative’s Report Is Data-Rich, Policy-Poor: A News Analysis”

Movik Networks Receives $8,500,000 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=98110ec3-86fb-4d26-be2f-b5debc78ff98&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name Movik Networks Mailing Address One Monarch Drive Littleton, MA 01460 Company Description Movik Networks is headquartered near Boston, MA and has an R&D group in Bangalore, India. The company is focused on delivering purpose-built solutions that bring content and application awareness to the edge of the mobile … Continue reading “Movik Networks Receives $8,500,000 Series B Funding Round”

Cell Biosciences Acquires Protein Forest for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6e90e643-63eb-495e-96f7-5d683c306f23&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name Protein Forest Mailing Address Ledgemont Center 128 Spring St Lexington, MA 02421 Company Description Protein Forest, Inc. (founded in 2002) is a proteomics tools company located in Lexington, Massachusetts. The company develops, manufactures and markets instruments, consumables and software products to scientists around the world. The initial … Continue reading “Cell Biosciences Acquires Protein Forest for Undisclosed Sum”

Hydro-Photon Obtains $2,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7e5238e4-e733-4060-91bd-29adc7e0084d&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name Hydro-Photon Mailing Address 262 Ellsworth Road Blue Hill, ME 04614 Company Description SteriPEN® is the only portable water purifier that uses ultraviolet (UV) light to destroy waterborne microbes. Whether your source is a woodland brook or an overseas hotel tap, SteriPEN purifies clear water by destroying viruses, … Continue reading “Hydro-Photon Obtains $2,000,000 New Financing”

TPI Composites Lands $26,000,000 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f6446427-320d-4288-8413-3fc17dc122fa&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name TPI Composites Mailing Address 373 Market Street Warren, RI 02885-0367 Company Description TPI is a leading developer and volume manufacturer of large-scale composite structures for the wind energy, transportation and military vehicle markets. The company’s technology excels where high strength, light weight and durability are needed. TPI … Continue reading “TPI Composites Lands $26,000,000 Series B Funding Round”

Epizyme Obtains $8,000,000 Series B Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=67596a7b-37b6-4f7d-bb42-ef17d61a6c7f&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name Epizyme Mailing Address 840 Memorial Drive Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Epizyme is a biopharmaceutical company located in Cambridge, MA. Founded in late 2007, the company has brought together premier academic and industry leaders to rapidly translate the exciting discoveries emerging from epigenetic research into specific programs … Continue reading “Epizyme Obtains $8,000,000 Series B Financing”

Evofem Lands $25,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0d594d26-782a-4cff-b28e-383069a0627a&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name Evofem Mailing Address 4275 Executive Square La Jolla, CA 92037-1477 Company Description Evofem, Inc., formerly named Instead Inc., is dedicated to providing women with greater freedom, comfort and control of their reproductive and sexual health. We are dedicated and passionate about the struggles and issues of all … Continue reading “Evofem Lands $25,000,000 New Financing”

AIKO Biotechnology Secures $1,200,000 Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b164c1d0-616b-4ecd-a1f3-5daf78addf96&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name AIKO Biotechnology Mailing Address 2 Union Street Portland, ME 04101 Company Description AIKO Biotechnology, Inc. (“AIKO”) is an early stage drug discovery company founded to characterize and validate therapeutic candidates for the management of pain, addiction and adverse side effects resulting from prescription opioid pain reliever use. … Continue reading “AIKO Biotechnology Secures $1,200,000 Series A Financing”

SEQUANS Communications Garners New Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a4ef330b-09d7-4f2f-9714-36d502af10d2&Preview=1 Date 12/8/2009 Company Name SEQUANS Communications Mailing Address 10001 N De Anza Boulevard Cupertino, CA 95014 Company Description SEQUANS Communications is a leading supplier of fixed and mobile WiMAX silicon and software based on IEEE 802.16 standards. Offering both base station and subscriber station chips for both fixed and mobile WiMAX, … Continue reading “SEQUANS Communications Garners New Round”

Seattle Genetics, Genentech Lymphoma Drug Passes Early Test with “Naked” Antibody

Seattle Genetics gets attention for its “empowered” antibody that targets tumor cells with a potent toxin, but today it presented some impressive data from a more typical “naked” antibody that doesn’t carry an extra lethal toxin. The Bothell, WA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SGEN]]) said today that half of the 30 patients with diffuse large B-cell … Continue reading “Seattle Genetics, Genentech Lymphoma Drug Passes Early Test with “Naked” Antibody”

Tools Company Nexus Biosystems Acquires Aurora Biotechnologies

Nexus Biosystems, a life sciences tools company located 20 miles north of San Diego in Poway, says it’s acquiring another tools company in the area, Aurora Biotechnologies. The price wasn’t disclosed. Both privately held companies develop technologies for the storage and management of biological samples used to study genetic traits and human disease, among other … Continue reading “Tools Company Nexus Biosystems Acquires Aurora Biotechnologies”

Amazon Highlights: Jeff Bezos Interview, an E-Commerce Competitor, and Nook Reviews

With the holiday shopping season here, it’s a good time to recap how Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) is doing in the marketplace. No, not with a frothy piece about the company’s best sales quarter yet or its latest flashy Kindle update. In case you missed it, there have been a number of informative media stories in … Continue reading “Amazon Highlights: Jeff Bezos Interview, an E-Commerce Competitor, and Nook Reviews”

Sermo Changes Strategy to Gain More Pharma Business, CEO Declines to Discuss Layoff Talk

Sermo, provider of the nation’s largest online community of doctors, has had a tough year in getting financial services firms to pay for access to its physician network and has decided to shift its strategy more toward serving drug and medical devices manufacturers, CEO Daniel Palestrant tells Xconomy. The change comes amid talk of layoffs … Continue reading “Sermo Changes Strategy to Gain More Pharma Business, CEO Declines to Discuss Layoff Talk”

Mochila Raises Half of $2M Target

Mochila, an online startup that aggregates syndicated media content and provides Web-based services to media companies, has raised about $1 million of a targeted $2 million investment round, according to a recent filing with government regulators. The Carlsbad, CA-based Internet venture has raised about $30 million since it was founded in 2001. Mochila says its … Continue reading “Mochila Raises Half of $2M Target”

WSU, Startups Get $2M Algae Grant

Washington State University will receive a $2 million federal grant to develop algae-based biofuels in a collaboration with a couple of Seattle-based startup companies. The grant, secured with help of Washington Sen. Patty Murray, will support what’s called the Washington State Algae Alliance, a partnership of WSU, Seattle-based Targeted Growth, and Seattle’s Inventure Chemical.

ModusLink Gets Tech For Less

ModusLink Global Solutions (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MLNK]]), a Waltham, MA-based supply chain management and e-business outsourcing provider, said today that it has acquired Boulder, CO-based e-retailer Tech For Less for $30 million in cash. Tech For Less refurbishes and sells consumer electronic equipment and business machines returned by customers.

Movik Nabs $8.5 Million

Movik, a Littleton, MA, startup developing software to speed delivery of content to mobile devices, has raised $8.5 million in new equity-based financing, according to regulatory documents filed Friday. Existing investors Highland Capital Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners participated in the round. Movik CEO Ramji Raghavan is a former general manager at Telsima, founder … Continue reading “Movik Nabs $8.5 Million”

Advanced Cell Gets $2.8M

Worcester, MA-based Advanced Cell Technology, the developer of human embryonic stem cell technology, has raised $2.77 million in financing from debt and options, according to a regulatory filing. Half of the financing arrived in mid-November, and the other half is due within 90 days of the original closing, according to the regulatory filing. Last month, … Continue reading “Advanced Cell Gets $2.8M”

Fallbrook CEO Says Latest Funding Reflects Near-Term Cleantech Prospects

Fallbrook Technologies CEO Bill Klehm was in South Korea two weeks ago, when the San Diego cleantech startup disclosed in a regulatory filing that it had raised an additional $4 million from investors. I wanted to get more information about the deal, since it has only been a year since the developer of a new … Continue reading “Fallbrook CEO Says Latest Funding Reflects Near-Term Cleantech Prospects”