Survey Shows Venture Industry’s Outlook Brightening for 2011

Venture capitalists and venture-backed CEOs are feeling more optimistic about 2011, according to the fifth annual outlook survey being released today by the National Venture Capital Association and Dow Jones VentureSource. The most recent “Venture View” survey is based on responses from more than 330 VCs and 180 executives that were collected nationwide at the … Continue reading “Survey Shows Venture Industry’s Outlook Brightening for 2011”

GA Electromagnetic System Launches Navy Carrier Aircraft

General Atomics says a Navy F/A-18E Hornet aircraft was successfully launched using the company’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System instead of the steam-powered catapult technology used aboard aircraft carriers. General Atomics has been designing the electromagnetic launch system for CVN-78 class aircraft carriers. “This event marks the first time in over 50 years that the Navy … Continue reading “GA Electromagnetic System Launches Navy Carrier Aircraft”

Northern Power Systems Tapping Michigan Partners for Utility-Scale Wind Business

Northern Power System, the Barre, VT-based wind energy firm, has made some progress in its years-long pursuit of the lucrative market for utility-grade wind turbines. The company has made much of this progress here in Michigan. Last month the company shipped its first prototype of a utility-scale, 2.2-megawatt wind turbine to Traverse City, MI-based Heritage … Continue reading “Northern Power Systems Tapping Michigan Partners for Utility-Scale Wind Business”

MeLLmo Obtains $10,000,000 Series C Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=de63dbd9-f0a5-428d-a4ae-7a736ab6877c&Preview=1 Date 12/21/2010 Company Name MeLLmo Mailing Address 2002 Jimmy Durante Blvd Del Mar, CA 92014 Company Description MeLLmo Inc. is a privately funded software company setting out to solve this challenge. Founded in January 2008, with offices in San Diego and Santa Monica, MeLLmo’s goal is to create revolutionary ways to … Continue reading “MeLLmo Obtains $10,000,000 Series C Funding Round”

Bleacher Report Secures $10,500,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ea4d8cd7-84b2-4d45-b0ed-8b14a1ac224f&Preview=1 Date 12/21/2010 Company Name Bleacher Report Mailing Address 609 Mission St., Fourth Floor San Francisco, CA 94105 Company Description Bleacher Report is where the sports bar meets the press box, the place where fan-journalists create and critique high-quality sports analysis. Website http://www.bleacherreport.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,500,000 Transaction Round … Continue reading “Bleacher Report Secures $10,500,000 New Financing Round”

Cloud Engines Receives $15,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7a584a46-3a20-4a84-8c9b-aafa4d5a18ef&Preview=1 Date 12/21/2010 Company Name Cloud Engines Mailing Address 480 Pacific Avenue San Francisco, CA 94133 Company Description Founded in 2007 by experienced entrepreneurs from the digital media and security industries, Cloud Engines is located in San Francisco, California. The company was formed with a mission to change the way personal content … Continue reading “Cloud Engines Receives $15,000,000 New Funding”

NeoEdge Networks Obtains $3,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=22f9272f-c72a-425a-978a-e3f9d77fac57&Preview=1 Date 12/21/2010 Company Name NeoEdge Networks Mailing Address 45 Broadway Street San Francisco, CA 94111 Company Description NeoEdge is setting out to supercharge the video gaming industry by helping game developers and consumer services offer ad-supported video gaming to consumers. NeoEdge believes in providing consumers choice – to either purchase games … Continue reading “NeoEdge Networks Obtains $3,000,000 New Financing”

3VR Security Lands $17,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9b24f467-2709-4416-8d98-673452e49ff8&Preview=1 Date 12/21/2010 Company Name 3VR Security Mailing Address 475 Brannan Street San Francisco, CA 94107 Company Description 3VR Security, Inc. was founded to address the most pressing issue in the security industry today: overwhelming data stores. Website http://www.3vr.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $17,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes The … Continue reading “3VR Security Lands $17,000,000 New Financing Round”

Twitter Acquires Fluther for Undisclosed Sum

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=1e69a663-0b79-4566-90fd-d4731effa1fa&Preview=1 Date 12/21/2010 Company Name Fluther Mailing Address 2431 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94101 Company Description Fluther, an online, user-generated questions and answers site. Website http://www.fluther.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

LS9 Pockets $30M for Renewable Fuels, in Deal Led by BlackRock

LS9 got itself a new CEO earlier this month, and now it’s got a lot more cash in the bank, too. The South San Francisco-based developer of renewable fuels—whose technology is based on synthetic biology research at UC Berkeley and Harvard University—has pulled in $30 million in equity financing, according to a regulatory filing today. … Continue reading “LS9 Pockets $30M for Renewable Fuels, in Deal Led by BlackRock”

Automation Alley Chief Named Trade Adviser

Ken Rogers, executive director of Automation Alley, the Troy, MI-based technology business association, has been appointed to a trade advisory panel by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke. Automation Alley, in a news release, says Rogers will serve on the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Information and Communications Technologies, Services, and Electronic Commerce. He will … Continue reading “Automation Alley Chief Named Trade Adviser”

Babson’s MBA Program Plants a Flag in San Francisco’s SoMa

Cementing the expansion of its entrepreneurship-focused Fast Track MBA program to the Bay Area, Babson College announced today that it has signed a seven-year lease on 7,000 square feet of space at 135 Main Street in San Francisco’s startup-saturated South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood. As we wrote in a September profile, the Massachusetts-based school is … Continue reading “Babson’s MBA Program Plants a Flag in San Francisco’s SoMa”

MIT Energy Conference

MIT’s annual conference brings together those in energy technology, policy, and business. The two-day event includes interactive workshops, an exhibit of innovative technologies in the space, and keynote talks from those in industry, academia, and policy.

Polaris To Open Dogpatch in Dublin, Nabs Funding From Irish National Pensions Reserve Fund

Polaris Venture Partners is opening up a Dogpatch Labs incubator in Dublin, Ireland, the first international location for its network of startup workspace communities, according to an announcement last week by Ireland’s National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF). The organization also revealed that it had invested $50 million in Waltham, MA-based Polaris through its Innovation Fund … Continue reading “Polaris To Open Dogpatch in Dublin, Nabs Funding From Irish National Pensions Reserve Fund”

Fighting Alzheimer’s: New Hope in a New Year Through Innovation

The toll of Alzheimer’s disease on patients, their families, and our society is devastating. Alzheimer’s robs people of their memories, their identities and ultimately their lives. And the cost to society can’t be ignored. According to a new study, “Medicines in Development for Alzheimer’s Disease,” without effective new drugs and other therapies that curtail or … Continue reading “Fighting Alzheimer’s: New Hope in a New Year Through Innovation”

TechShop Opens Up Shop, mSpot Puts iTunes in the Cloud, Twitter Collects $200M, & More Bay Area BizTech News

As the holidays (you know, that breather right before CES) approached, Bay Area entrepreneurs and investors rushed to announce a series of product rollouts, openings, deliveries, and deals last week. —Palo Alto, CA-based mSpot rolled out a cloud music service catering to iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch owners, beating Apple to the punch. —Nissan delivered … Continue reading “TechShop Opens Up Shop, mSpot Puts iTunes in the Cloud, Twitter Collects $200M, & More Bay Area BizTech News”

Navy Drives Biofuel Production With Goal to Buy 336M Gallons a Year by 2020, Enhancing San Diego’s Role as Center for Algae Biofuels

The U.S. military’s interest in developing algae biofuels dates back at least three years, when the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) began to assess the technical capabilities needed to produce JP-8 grade jet fuel. By the end of 2008, DARPA awarded separate contracts to San Diego’s General Atomics and SAIC, now based in McLean, … Continue reading “Navy Drives Biofuel Production With Goal to Buy 336M Gallons a Year by 2020, Enhancing San Diego’s Role as Center for Algae Biofuels”

Sanofi Taps Avila Therapeutics for Covalent Cancer Drugs in Potential $800M Deal

Avila Therapeutics is ending 2010 with a bang. The Waltham, MA-based drug development startup has snapped up a deal worth up to about $800 million with the French drug giant Sanofi-Aventis (NYSE:[[ticker:SNY]]), Avila said this morning. Sanofi is paying for access to Avila’s technology for identifying potential cancer drugs that silence tumor-related proteins with durable … Continue reading “Sanofi Taps Avila Therapeutics for Covalent Cancer Drugs in Potential $800M Deal”

Nissan Delivers First Leaf EVs, San Diego’s Drop Down Deals Launches Website, Connect Issues its Most Innovative New Product Awards, & More San Diego BizTech News

San Diego’s BizTech news was slowing down as Christmas approached, so this week’s roundup will be short and sweet. —Drop Down Deals, a San Diego startup funded by a private investment group called Sambreel Holdings, launched a new website to complement the free downloadable Web browser plug-in the company introduced last month. Once loaded on … Continue reading “Nissan Delivers First Leaf EVs, San Diego’s Drop Down Deals Launches Website, Connect Issues its Most Innovative New Product Awards, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Raytheon Buys Applied Signal for $490M

A pretty big merger in defense tech this morning. Waltham, MA-based Raytheon (NYSE: [[ticker:RTN]]) announced it has agreed to acquire Sunnyvale, CA-based Applied Signal Technology (NASDAQ: [[ticker:APSG]]) for $38 per share—about $490 million in cash. The deal is slated to close in the first quarter of 2011, and is not expected to have a material … Continue reading “Raytheon Buys Applied Signal for $490M”

Gilead Buys Arresto for $225M

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]), the Foster City, CA-based biotech company, said today it has agreed to acquire Palo Alto, CA-based Arresto Biosciences for $225 million plus future milestone payments based on product sale levels. Arresto’s lead drug candidate is an antibody for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease that Gilead has been studying with its … Continue reading “Gilead Buys Arresto for $225M”

iStocking Stuffers: The Best Apps for That iPad Under the Tree

So you know someone who’s lucky enough to be getting an Apple iPad as a Christmas present. Well, that’s just the beginning of the adventure. The next step is to get their device loaded up with great apps—and naturally, they’ll want a few that show off the iPad’s remarkable capabilities. Today I’m sharing my ideas … Continue reading “iStocking Stuffers: The Best Apps for That iPad Under the Tree”

GlobalScholar’s Kal Raman, Fresh Off $160M Deal, Seeks to Build an Oracle for K-12 Schools

Kal Raman has one of those classic poor-boy-makes-good life stories. He was born and raised in a village in India, hungry, with no electricity, no running water. The poor boy grew up to make a small fortune in the executive ranks in the U.S. at companies like Wal-Mart, drugstore.com, and Seattle-based Amazon. Now Raman, a … Continue reading “GlobalScholar’s Kal Raman, Fresh Off $160M Deal, Seeks to Build an Oracle for K-12 Schools”

Compass Healthcare Aims to Navigate NH Healthcare Shopping Business to New Regions

[Correction—11 am ET on 12/20/10. See below.] We’re still unable to go online and shop for a medical procedure like we would for a plane ticket. At least for some people in New Hampshire, however, Compass Healthcare Advisers has made it easier to go online or call an 800 number to choose certain healthcare services … Continue reading “Compass Healthcare Aims to Navigate NH Healthcare Shopping Business to New Regions”

How Michael French, a Military Brat Turned Dealmaker, Kept Marina Biotech Alive

Not once has J. Michael French scraped together more than six months of operating cash for his company since he became CEO in June 2008. More than once, almost any rational person would have concluded bankruptcy was imminent. Yet 30 months have come and gone and French’s company, Bothell, WA-based Marina Biotech (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MRNA]]), is … Continue reading “How Michael French, a Military Brat Turned Dealmaker, Kept Marina Biotech Alive”

Nutshell Building New CRM Software From Scratch, With A Big Focus On Mobile

For Guy Suter, starting from scratch is a good thing. At least when it comes to user interfaces, he says. His Ann Arbor-based startup Nutshell is building a customer relationship management software system from the ground up that he says offers a better user experience than what’s long been out on the market. Suter first … Continue reading “Nutshell Building New CRM Software From Scratch, With A Big Focus On Mobile”

iStocking Stuffers: The Best Apps for That iPad Under the Tree

NEXT APP >> 1. Angry Birds HD — Chillingo, $4.99 — This game has been at the top of the iPhone and iPad charts for months, but it seemed so goofy and frivolous that I resisted buying it for a long time. That was dumb. It is goofy and frivolous, but in a totally addictive … Continue reading “iStocking Stuffers: The Best Apps for That iPad Under the Tree”

Nasuni Nets $15M Series B to Help Businesses Manage and Access Their Data in the Cloud

Well, we couldn’t go into the holiday season in Boston without a new data storage deal. Nasuni, a cloud storage startup based in Natick, MA, has closed $15 million in Series B financing led by new investor Flybridge Capital Partners. Existing investors North Bridge Venture Partners and Sigma Partners also participated in the round, which … Continue reading “Nasuni Nets $15M Series B to Help Businesses Manage and Access Their Data in the Cloud”

Nasuni Secures $15,000,000 Series B Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=db116f66-2111-4382-bc3a-8b824fe636b7&Preview=1 Date 12/20/2010 Company Name Nasuni Mailing Address 313 Speen Street Natick, MA 01760 Company Description Nasuni was founded in 2009 by seasoned executives to deliver a gateway to cloud storage that makes it feasible for more business users. Website http://www.nasuni.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $15,000,000 Transaction Round Series B … Continue reading “Nasuni Secures $15,000,000 Series B Funding Round”

CaseNET Lands $8,409,054 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4d105a58-52c9-4527-b851-d21fe613e76d&Preview=1 Date 12/20/2010 Company Name CaseNET Mailing Address 23 Crosby Drive Bedford, MA 01730 Company Description The company is a developer of care management software for workers’ compensation and health care organizations. Website http://www.casenetinc.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $8,409,054 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. SEC … Continue reading “CaseNET Lands $8,409,054 New Funding”

Capricor Lands $2,000,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bc361d82-7596-4a3a-bb7a-f367913f7201&Preview=1 Date 12/20/2010 Company Name Capricor Mailing Address 8700 Beverly Blvd., Davis Building Los Angeles, CA 90048 Company Description Capricor is a biotechnology company that aims to create powerful, yet easy to administer cardiac stem cell treatments to regenerate the heart improve its function. Website http://www.Capricor.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount … Continue reading “Capricor Lands $2,000,000 New Funding”

Purfresh Secures $3,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=dadc76e6-ebf0-4b18-918e-7cada3d42cbd&Preview=1 Date 12/20/2010 Company Name Purfresh Mailing Address 47211 Bayside Parkway Fremont, CA 94538 Company Description Purfresh is a leader in clean solutions for food and water. Its chemical-free, ozone-based family of products has been approved by the FDA, EPA and USDA to kill deadly, food-borne pathogens such as E. coli and … Continue reading “Purfresh Secures $3,000,000 New Financing Round”

Wortal Secures $500,000 New Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bc4bb11b-a952-46b2-ab3d-c6e6f55fac7b&Preview=1 Date 12/20/2010 Company Name Wortal Mailing Address 1137 Fife Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301 Company Description Wortal Inc is a technology company focused on empowering individual consumers to make well informed decisions in their daily lives, using help from local communities on Web and Mobile Platforms. Website http://www.wortalinc.com Transaction Type Venture … Continue reading “Wortal Secures $500,000 New Funding”

Gilead Sciences Acquires Arresto Biosciences for $225,000,000

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=718e54ad-59f8-473b-8058-ed212e98753f&Preview=1 Date 12/20/2010 Company Name Arresto Biosciences Mailing Address 3183 Porter Drive Palo Alto, CA 94304 Company Description Arresto BiosciencesTM is a biotech company that develops medicines to treat cancer and fibrotic diseases by targeting extracellular matrix proteins. Website http://www.arresto.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $225,000,000 Transaction Round Proceeds Purposes M&A Terms … Continue reading “Gilead Sciences Acquires Arresto Biosciences for $225,000,000”

LS9 Receives $30,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c9cf2177-f7a3-4ea0-9473-f69a880db224&Preview=1 Date 12/20/2010 Company Name LS9 Mailing Address 600 Gateway Blvd South San Francisco, CA 94080 Company Description The company develops solutions for industrial biotechnology and energy applications. Website http://www.ls9.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $30,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes With this new round of funding, LS9 will be able … Continue reading “LS9 Receives $30,000,000 New Financing Round”

Major League Gaming Lands $10,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=e11295af-411c-4b7e-ba91-5c050643a679&Preview=1 Date 12/20/2010 Company Name Major League Gaming Mailing Address 420 Lexington Ave New York, NY 10170 Company Description Major League Gaming (MLG) is the largest organized league and international sanctioning body for the world’s fastest growing competitive sport: professional video gaming. Website http://www.mlgpro.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $10,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “Major League Gaming Lands $10,000,000 New Financing Round”

Regulatory and Legal Issues in 2011: What Directors, General Counsel, Managers, and Shareholders Should Know

SEC Commissioner Kathleen Casey is the scheduled keynote speaker in the bonus session that kicks off this year’s Corporate Directors Forum conference. The afternoon presentations also include a panel discussion concerning the current regulatory landscape and a session on legal developments and litigation trends following the financial crisis. This afternoon session is presented by the … Continue reading “Regulatory and Legal Issues in 2011: What Directors, General Counsel, Managers, and Shareholders Should Know”

NxGen Electronics: A Case Study in Design Engineering and Manufacturing

Like many mid-size companies these days, NxGen Electronics is looking for innovative partnerships and collaborations as a way to sharpen their niche and profitability in the highly competitive world of design, engineering and manufacturing of microelectronic products. While NxGEN Electronics and Dr. Stephanie Althouse have embarked on many collaborations—some more successfully than others—they know there’s … Continue reading “NxGen Electronics: A Case Study in Design Engineering and Manufacturing”

Intermune Gets EU Advisory Nod; Shares Boom

Intermune (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ITMN]]), the Brisbane, CA-based maker of a drug for a deadly lung disease called pulmonary fibrosis, said today that it has won a positive recommendation for its treatment from a panel of expert advisors to European Union regulators. The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency recommended that … Continue reading “Intermune Gets EU Advisory Nod; Shares Boom”

What Does Telehealth Say About Technology Adaptation?

This MIT Enterprise Forum event explores the question of whether good technology is enough to change up a system. It’s looking at it through the lense of telehealth—the process of using telecomm technologies to improve wellness. Those in the healthcare field have been slow to adopt the newest in software, services, and devices, and this … Continue reading “What Does Telehealth Say About Technology Adaptation?”

Tech Tuesday

Come for this informal networking gathering, and have your laptops and demo material ready if you’d like to take part in an ad-hoc show-and-tell session. People from all slices of the technology field will be at this free event. Tell them you’re coming here.

Tribune Acquires CastTV

CastTV, a four-year-old video search site in San Francisco backed by investors Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Ron Conway, and Marc Andreessen, has been acquired by Tribune Media Services of Chicago, according to an announcement yesterday. Tribune sells access to a database of TV and movie information that’s used in media guides published by Microsoft, Google, TiVo, Comcast, Time … Continue reading “Tribune Acquires CastTV”

Krush Founder Gina Ashe, Survivor of Horrific Car Crash, Has New Lease on Startup Life

As an entrepreneur, sometimes it doesn’t matter how much money you raised, from whom, or even what your company is building. Sometimes it just matters that you’re alive. Meet Gina Ashe, the co-founder and CEO of stealthy Internet startup Krush, based in Cambridge, MA. She isn’t talking much about her new business yet, but a … Continue reading “Krush Founder Gina Ashe, Survivor of Horrific Car Crash, Has New Lease on Startup Life”