Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e2ae0a45-643d-4b27-876b-0b69520cc720&Preview=1 Date 1/21/2009 Company Name eIQnetworks Mailing Address 31 Nagog Park Acton, MA 01720 Company Description Company Overview Founded in 2001, eIQnetworks, Inc. is an industry-leading provider of integrated security, risk and audit management solutions that effectively meet security and compliance challenges. By combining enterprise security management (ESM) with IT governance, risk … Continue reading “eIQnetworks Garners $10,000,000 New Funding”
Dataupia Corporation Secures Series B Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7942969e-ff11-4872-822c-fcbc605a1be3&Preview=1 Date 1/21/2009 Company Name Dataupia Corporation Mailing Address One Alewife Center Cambridge, MA 02140 Company Description Dataupia addresses the growing gap between the massive volumes of stored data and the portion that a business can use to its benefit. By architecting specialized software and industry-standard hardware into a highly cost-effective and … Continue reading “Dataupia Corporation Secures Series B Funding Round”
Riverbed Technology Acquires Mazu Networks Inc. for $25,000,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=58ef87e5-787b-4ecb-8aac-f62b1cb70350&Preview=1 Date 1/21/2009 Company Name Mazu Networks Inc. Mailing Address 125 CambridgePark Drive, 4th Floor Cambridge, MA 02140 Company Description Mazu Networks provides behavior-based network security solutions that analyze network traffic and behavior to operate enterprise networks more securely. Website http://www.mazunetworks.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $25,000,000 Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A … Continue reading “Riverbed Technology Acquires Mazu Networks Inc. for $25,000,000”
PetraVM Receives $1,500,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=a8665c75-af3b-4b6d-8f82-b95f472ac174&Preview=1 Date 1/21/2009 Company Name PetraVM Mailing Address Undisclosed Seattle, WA 98104 Company Description PetraVM, Inc. is a VC-funded stealth-mode startup company based in the heart of old Seattle, Pioneer Square. We are developing technology to enable effective and reliable use of now ubiquitous multi-core systems. Website http://www.petravm.com Transaction Type Venture Equity … Continue reading “PetraVM Receives $1,500,000 New Round”
OneSeason.com Lands $3,500,000 Series A Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=73ce093f-a1a5-4d3c-969f-f24c26f80e79&Preview=1 Date 1/21/2009 Company Name OneSeason.com Mailing Address Undisclosed San Francisco, CA 94100 Company Description OneSeason.com is a virtual sports trading platform with social features and content for sports fans. The system provides sports enthusiasts with a way to compete, interact and have a vested interest in their passion. The Company is … Continue reading “OneSeason.com Lands $3,500,000 Series A Financing”
GenArts Acquires SpeedSix
Cambridge, MA-based GenArts, which makes digital-effects software for the TV and movie industries, announced today that it has acquired SpeedSix Software, a 6-person firm in Surrey, England that makes a popular graphics plug-in called Monsters and Raptors. GenArts, whose effects have been seen in productions such as the Lord of the Rings, Spiderman, Star Wars, … Continue reading “GenArts Acquires SpeedSix”
ThePlatform Signs Aussie Deal
ThePlatform, a Seattle-based online video firm, announced it has partnered with the Australian publisher News Digital Media to manage video across 50 sites, including The Australian, news.com.au, and Vogue.com.au. ThePlatform is an independent subsidiary of Comcast.
Tabloid: Bose Cuts 1,000 Jobs
Bose, the Framingham, MA-based audio products firm, has cut 1,000 employees due to a decline in consumer spending, the Boston Herald reported this morning. The daily tabloid reports that the cuts equal about 10 percent of the firm’s global workforce and will impact areas of the organization such as manufacturing, yet the privately held company … Continue reading “Tabloid: Bose Cuts 1,000 Jobs”
Obama Inauguration Breaks Streaming-Media Records
This morning, we gave you a guide to online outlets with live streaming video of President Obama’s swearing-in. This afternoon, we can report that record-breaking audiences accessed these streams, at least as far as Cambridge, MA-based networking leader Akamai was able to measure. At the height of Internet traffic at approximately 12:15 p.m. Eastern time … Continue reading “Obama Inauguration Breaks Streaming-Media Records”
Alnylam Loses Patent Dispute in Europe
Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, a leading developer of drugs using RNA interference technology, said today it lost an oral argument that it should be granted a particular patent in Europe from its Kreutzer-Limmer patent estate. The final decision on the patent, known as ‘945, is still subject to further appeal, Alnylam said in a statement. … Continue reading “Alnylam Loses Patent Dispute in Europe”
Northwest Venture Deals Down in Fourth Quarter of 2008—But Still a Few Good Ones
OK, no big surprise here. In the fourth quarter of 2008, venture capital investment in Washington and Oregon fell to $142 million, down 45 percent from $260 million in the previous quarter and a 68 percent drop from $450 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. For the year, venture investment in Washington state dropped … Continue reading “Northwest Venture Deals Down in Fourth Quarter of 2008—But Still a Few Good Ones”
Extreme Reach Wants to Extend Advertisers’ Cross-Media Reach
Video ads are showing up in so many places now—on the Web, on mobile devices, as part of on-demand programming, and of course on regular network TV—that managing all those video files, in all their various formats, is getting to be a bit of a nightmare for advertisers and their agencies. Extreme Reach, a new … Continue reading “Extreme Reach Wants to Extend Advertisers’ Cross-Media Reach”
N.E. VC Investment Sinks in 4th Quarter—No Surprise—And Lists of the Region’s Top Deals and Dealmakers
More ugly data on U.S. venture investment circulated over the weekend, so we at Xconomy thought we’d dig in and highlight some of the top deals and dealmakers in the region last quarter. But first the big picture from Dow Jones VentureSource. The nationwide survey of venture deals found that New England had 79 venture … Continue reading “N.E. VC Investment Sinks in 4th Quarter—No Surprise—And Lists of the Region’s Top Deals and Dealmakers”
Metabasis Therapeutics Restructures, Cuts 38 From Staff
After replacing its CEO last month, San Diego-based Metabasis Therapeutics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MBRX]]) says it is laying off 38 employees, or about 43 percent of its workforce. (An update to the San Diego layoff tracker is here.) “Given the tough market conditions, we have decided to refine our research and development focus and increase our efforts … Continue reading “Metabasis Therapeutics Restructures, Cuts 38 From Staff”
Medtronic Acquires Ablation Frontiers, Sequenom and Exact Sciences Go a Second Round, Qualcomm CEO Reflects on Strategy, & More San Diego BizTech News
It was like a real-world version of a TV game show in San Diego last week, with some companies announcing a “deal”—and some saying “no deal.” Let’s get on with the show: —Minnesota’s Medtronic (NYSE: [[ticker:MDT]]) gladdened the hearts of investors in Ablation Frontiers of Carlsbad, CA, by agreeing to pay $225 million upfront to … Continue reading “Medtronic Acquires Ablation Frontiers, Sequenom and Exact Sciences Go a Second Round, Qualcomm CEO Reflects on Strategy, & More San Diego BizTech News”
Stuck at Work? Watch the Inauguration Online
Let’s face it, the country is not going to get much work done today between, oh, 11:14 a.m. (when the Obama family will be seated on the Capitol platform) and 12:36 p.m. (when by-then-former-President Bush’s helicopter lifts off). But if you’re at the office and you can’t catch history being made in Washington on network … Continue reading “Stuck at Work? Watch the Inauguration Online”
Providence Geek Dinner featuring Treanor Brothers Animation
The “Beehive of Industry” (that’s Providence, RI) has geeks too. It’s a little far afield for our typical events listings, but their January dinner features Treanor Brothers Animation, and it should be a good time. They’ll be showing off some of their tools, techniques, and recent projects. Get more detail at the Providence Geeks Blog.
Quidel Hires New CEO
Quidel, the San Diego-based maker of diagnostic tests, said today it has hired Douglas Bryant as CEO. Bryant, 51, was chief operating officer of Luminex, where he oversaw its molecular diagnostics business. He will start with a minimum base salary of $450,000, plus an annual bonus worth 80 percent to 120 percent of his salary, … Continue reading “Quidel Hires New CEO”
Engine Developer Raises $20M
The Scuderi Group, which is developing a fuel-efficient internal combustion engine, says that it has raised $20 million in private funding. The West Springfield, MA-based firm—which plans to unveil a working prototype of its engine to the auto industry in April—has raised more than $35 million, according to the company. The firm did not disclose … Continue reading “Engine Developer Raises $20M”
Qualcomm Buys AMD Handheld Assets
San Diego-based wireless products firm Qualcomm (NYSE:[[ticker:QCOM]]) says that it has purchased graphics and multimedia technology assets from AMD (NYSE:[[ticker:AMD]]) for total cash consideration of $65 million. The assets were previously part of Sunnyvale, CA-based AMD’s handheld business, and Qualcomm says it plans to extend offers to some AMD employees who have been part of … Continue reading “Qualcomm Buys AMD Handheld Assets”
The Fourth Quarter Collapse: VC Funding Down Sharply in San Diego
The early returns on venture capital investments that came in over the weekend from Dow Jones VentureSource pretty much confirmed what we’ve been hearing. VC firms are battening down the hatches to weather the economic downturn. The nationwide survey showed venture funding in new companies declined by 30 percent during the last three months of … Continue reading “The Fourth Quarter Collapse: VC Funding Down Sharply in San Diego”
Microsoft Streams Obama Inauguration, Smartsheet Lands Cash, eBay Buys Positronic, & More Seattle-Area Deals News
After a gangbusters start to the year, the deal flow in the Northwest has slowed down. Most of the activity was in software last week. —Not the usual sort of deal, but Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) said its Silverlight software is being used to stream live video of today’s presidential inauguration on the organizers’ official website. … Continue reading “Microsoft Streams Obama Inauguration, Smartsheet Lands Cash, eBay Buys Positronic, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Assured Labor Launches Trust-Driven Job Marketplace
If you’re a busy, Web-savvy professional and you need a dog walker, a house cleaner, or someone to plow your driveway, your first thought is probably to search Craigslist. And indeed, there are thousands of people offering such services on the 14-year-old free classifieds site. But the problem with Craigslist, according to David Reich, a … Continue reading “Assured Labor Launches Trust-Driven Job Marketplace”
ImaRx, Led by Former Icos Manager, Comes to Town
ImaRx Therapeutics, a biotech company developing a new ultrasound-based stroke treatment, has moved its headquarters from Tucson, AZ, to Redmond, WA, as it attempts to get back on its feet again after a one-two punch of devastating setbacks. ImaRx (Imm-uh-Rex) is led by CEO Bradford Zakes, who formed his connections with the Seattle area from … Continue reading “ImaRx, Led by Former Icos Manager, Comes to Town”
Five Questions for the Future of Biotech in San Diego, Part 1
Biotech watchers were in a grim mood last week at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, but it didn’t strike me as quite as apocalyptic as advertised. I’ve come to that conclusion after doing some unscientific polling of San Diego biotech leaders (and a few in Boston) last week at the industry’s biggest … Continue reading “Five Questions for the Future of Biotech in San Diego, Part 1”
LaunchCapital Opens To Seed Startups, Describes Unique Investment Approach
LaunchCapital, a provider of seed-stage capital for tech startups, is expected next week to publicly announce its existence for the first time and describe its plans to invest in young companies in the Boston area and beyond. The Cambridge, MA-based firm aims to invest in startups at the earliest organizational stages, at a point when … Continue reading “LaunchCapital Opens To Seed Startups, Describes Unique Investment Approach”
The Scuderi Group Lands $20,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cc01049f-9250-48e2-bf03-7151f46b7479&Preview=1 Date 1/20/2009 Company Name The Scuderi Group Mailing Address 1111 Elm Street West Springfield, MA 01089 Company Description The Scuderi Group is an engine development company of fluid and thermodynamic experts focused on improving the performance of the internal combustion engine. The revolutionary Scuderi Split-Cycle Engine technology is the most significant … Continue reading “The Scuderi Group Lands $20,000,000 New Funding”
Maskless Lithography Obtains $29,500,000 Series A Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=489e71de-35cd-4b98-887d-5f6a0db3e2c1&Preview=1 Date 1/20/2009 Company Name Maskless Lithography Mailing Address 1507 Montalban Dr. San Jose, CA 95120 Company Description Develops direct imaging equipment to manufacture printed circuit boards. Website Undisclosed Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $29,500,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor TL … Continue reading “Maskless Lithography Obtains $29,500,000 Series A Round”
Geni.com Obtains $5,000,000 Series C Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=00e063b6-904c-49e7-b53d-dc807756555e&Preview=1 Date 1/19/2009 Company Name Geni.com Mailing Address 9229 Sunset Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069 Company Description Geni lets you create a family tree through our fun simple interface. When you add a relative’s email address, he or she will be invited to join your tree. That relative can then add other … Continue reading “Geni.com Obtains $5,000,000 Series C Round”
GoodGuide Garners $3,730,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=6bb55362-6398-4599-b512-0870662faff9&Preview=1 Date 1/19/2009 Company Name GoodGuide Mailing Address 2397 Shattuck Avenue San Francisco, CA 94101 Company Description GoodGuide gives you the best information available, wherever and whenever you need it most. We’ll help you find better products that represent your values, avoid products that are harmful to your health, the environment, or … Continue reading “GoodGuide Garners $3,730,000 Series A Funding”
Accounting 101 for Entrepreneurs
As many entrepreneurs have learned the hardway, you get through the funding rounds, get your company off the ground, and then realize that you have to scramble to get on top of what can be extremely complex—and, yes, potentially expensive—accounting issues. This working lunch program from The Capital Network promises to help get you up … Continue reading “Accounting 101 for Entrepreneurs”
Don’t Truck Your Waste to a Landfill: Truck A Gasification Plant To Your Waste
For most of the “clean energy” startups Xconomy covers, the big question is whether the company’s prototype—be it a wind turbine, a wood-chips-to-ethanol reactor, or an anaerobic cow-manure digester—will still work efficiently when scaled up to industrial proportions. But for IST Energy in Waltham, MA, the question was how to scale down a waste gasification … Continue reading “Don’t Truck Your Waste to a Landfill: Truck A Gasification Plant To Your Waste”
Microsoft Helps Stream Inauguration Video
Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) announced today that its Silverlight software will be used to stream live video of the official swearing-in ceremony on the Presidential Inaugural Committee website on Tuesday, January 20. The media-player software was developed in collaboration with Las Vegas, NV-based iStreamPlanet.
Taking Monday On
Posting will be light between now and Tuesday as we’ll be observing Monday’s King Day of Service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who would have turned 80 yesterday. If you’d like to do some volunteering to mark the occasion, or if you’re hosting a service event and need volunteers, President-elect Obama has … Continue reading “Taking Monday On”
Qualcomm CEO Jacobs Talks Candidly About Innovation and Strategy
Constrained by legal restrictions and zealously protected by their handlers, the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are rarely enlightening when they make public appearances. But Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) CEO Paul Jacobs delivered a close approximation of candor this morning in what was billed as a keynote presentation at the Red Herring Global 100 summit, which … Continue reading “Qualcomm CEO Jacobs Talks Candidly About Innovation and Strategy”
Loud to Delist Stock from NASDAQ
Woodinville, WA-based Loud Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:LTEC]]), a pro audio and music company, has announced it is delisting its common stock from NASDAQ, effective in February. Loud cited management time and costs to maintain the listing, limited trading, and its 2008 financial results as some of the reasons for the move.
How Failure Is Viewed in the Innovation Community: Seattle Startups and VCs Weigh In
Last week, I reported that Voyager Capital managing director Erik Benson said failure is seen as a “black mark” in the Seattle innovation community—more so than in places like the San Francisco Bay Area or New England. I’ve been asking around at local startups and investment firms to see what people’s reactions are, and (if … Continue reading “How Failure Is Viewed in the Innovation Community: Seattle Startups and VCs Weigh In”
$55M for Boston-Power, Sequenom Plows Ahead with Exact Sciences Takeover Attempt, Nuance Announces $175M Stock Sale, & More Boston-Area Deals News
Everything else around here is frozen solid this week (hello, minus two degrees real-feel!), but the tech and life sciences deals are flowing. —Two Massachusetts firms—Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) of Cambridge and Cubist Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CBST]]) of Lexington—inked a marketing deal focused on Alnylam’s RNAi-based treatment for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Under the terms … Continue reading “$55M for Boston-Power, Sequenom Plows Ahead with Exact Sciences Takeover Attempt, Nuance Announces $175M Stock Sale, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
San Diego’s First Xconomy Forum: Physics for Future Presidents
The United States will have a new president in four days. But if it were you, how should science and technology guide you in making key decisions in areas like energy, the environment, and fighting terrorism? Should we invest heavily in solar power or electric cars? What is the real potential of nuclear technology—either as … Continue reading “San Diego’s First Xconomy Forum: Physics for Future Presidents”
Nuance Gets IBM Speech Technology
Burlington, MA-based Nuance Communications, shortly after announcing yesterday that it will raise $175 million in a stock sale to private equity firm Warburg Pincus, revealed that it has reached a deal with IBM to incorporate the computing giant’s speech technology into Nuance products. Nuance said it “expects the first integrated speech innovations combining Nuance and … Continue reading “Nuance Gets IBM Speech Technology”
Verenium Wins FL Grant
In an announcement yesterday, Cambridge, MA-based biofuels startup Verenium said it had won a $7 million grant from the state of Florida to help build a next-generation cellulosic ethanol plant in Highlands County, FL. The plant will use Verenium’s specialty enzymes to turn renewable grasses grown adjacent to the plant site into as much as … Continue reading “Verenium Wins FL Grant”
Axon Becomes Zeo, Adds $8.3M
Newton, MA-based Axon Labs, which is developing a wireless headband and bedside display designed to help people with sleep problems monitor their own sleep patterns, announced today that it has closed an $8.3 million Series C financing round and changed its name to Zeo Inc. Trident Capital of Palo Alto, CA, led the venture round, … Continue reading “Axon Becomes Zeo, Adds $8.3M”
Have Xtra Fun Making Movies with Xtranormal
This week’s column comes partly in the form of a digital cartoon. Click on the play button below to watch it. (Or if you’re reading this story via an RSS feed or e-mail newsletter, click this link to view the video—then come back here). Clever, eh? Of course, it’s just fiction. I still have a … Continue reading “Have Xtra Fun Making Movies with Xtranormal”
Hydra Biosciences Raises $22M to Create New Pain Relievers With Fewer Side Effects
Hydra Biosciences has been around a long time for a private biotech company with no experimental drugs in clinical trials. Even so, seven years after its founding, the Cambridge, MA-based company has secured a $22 million Series D round of venture capital to develop experimental pain drugs designed to be as powerful as morphine—without the … Continue reading “Hydra Biosciences Raises $22M to Create New Pain Relievers With Fewer Side Effects”
Seattle Layoff Update: Cardiac, Medio, Varolii, Vulcan, and WatchGuard Slash Jobs
Unfortunately, this is fast becoming a weekly roundup of job losses. About the only bright side is that Microsoft hasn’t announced any layoffs—yet. But the following Seattle-area companies have all confirmed significant staff cuts this week (see the updated Xconomy Seattle layoff litany here): —Cardiac Science (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CSCX]]), a maker of heart diagnostic and therapeutic … Continue reading “Seattle Layoff Update: Cardiac, Medio, Varolii, Vulcan, and WatchGuard Slash Jobs”
How to Survive the Downturn: Five Questions With Boston Biotech Leaders, Part 2
Yesterday, we ran highlights from interviews with Alnylam CEO John Maraganore and Vertex Pharmaceuticals CEO Josh Boger, who were asked the same five standard questions about the future of the industry. Today, I’m sharing a second installment from conversations with Sirtris CEO Christoph Westphal, who responded via email, and Alkermes chairman Richard Pops and Jim … Continue reading “How to Survive the Downturn: Five Questions With Boston Biotech Leaders, Part 2”
Hydra Biosciences Secures $22,000,000 Series D Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4b83e982-eb1a-439e-bdac-1a69067b06d4&Preview=1 Date 1/16/2009 Company Name Hydra Biosciences Mailing Address 790 Memorial Drive, off Pleasant Street Cambridge, MA 02139 Company Description Hydra Biosciences is a biopharmaceutical company developing molecular regeneration medicines, novel cardiovascular therapies and drugs targeting novel ion channels. Website http://www.hydrabiosciences.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $22,000,000 Transaction Round Series D … Continue reading “Hydra Biosciences Secures $22,000,000 Series D Funding Round”
Zeo Inc Lands $8,300,000 Series C Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=8a4c8856-7f91-4f28-8f98-57889a77d009&Preview=1 Date 1/16/2009 Company Name Zeo Inc Mailing Address 320 Nevada Street, Floor 4 Newton, MA 02460 Company Description Our mission is to help people to discover new, scientifically-based ways to improve the quality of their lives through the power of sleep. We will accomplish this by combining breakthrough educational sleep technology … Continue reading “Zeo Inc Lands $8,300,000 Series C Funding Round”
For Whom The Bellwether Tolls: Cymer Enacts More Cuts
In a grim portent for the semiconductor sector, San Diego’s Cymer (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CYMI]]) says its fourth-quarter revenue will be about $100 million—at the low end of its guidance—and additional cutbacks will be necessary. Cymer makes specialized and extremely precise “deep ultraviolet” laser systems that are used as light sources in the photolithographic process in which … Continue reading “For Whom The Bellwether Tolls: Cymer Enacts More Cuts”
Vertex Envisions a Single Massachusetts Campus and a Bold Future
Vertex Pharmaceuticals isn’t going to move its labs and offices anywhere, at least in the near future. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company has extended leases at two main buildings in Cambridge until 2015. The leases will keep Vertex’s headquarters at 130 Waverly Street, and in other space at 200 Sidney Street through 2015, according to … Continue reading “Vertex Envisions a Single Massachusetts Campus and a Bold Future”