A San Diego biopharmaceutical startup, formed just five months ago to resume development of a compound for treating age-related macular degeneration, has reported encouraging results from a two-year, mid-stage clinical trial of the compound, known as fenretinide. The findings were released in Florida yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Retinal Specialists … Continue reading “San Diego’s ReVision Therapeutics, Founded in April, Takes on Development of Drug Candidate for Age-Related Blindness”
CTIA Enterprise & Applications
The fall offshoot of the CTIA Wireless convention is in San Francisco this year. From the event site: “CTIA has rebranded its fall show to CTIA Enterprise & Applications to reflect the evolution of the industry and growing use of mobile technology in business. Building on the success of the show’s legacy, the event will demonstrate the increasing … Continue reading “CTIA Enterprise & Applications”
PerkinElmer Sells IDS Unit for $500M
PerkinElmer (NYSE:[[ticker:PKI]]), a Waltham, MA-based global provider of products for improving the health and safety of people and the environment, said today it plans to sell its illumination and detection solutions (IDS) business to the New York-based private equity firm Veritas Capital for about $500 million in cash. The IDS business, which has 3,000 employees … Continue reading “PerkinElmer Sells IDS Unit for $500M”
BigDoor Rolls Out Badge-O-Matic Tool
Seattle-based web “gamification” company BigDoor Media rolled out a new tool today called Badge-O-Matic to help online publishers integrate game-like mechanics into websites. Badge-O-Matic allows virtual economy administrators to quickly customize and create a series of badges, popularized by applications like Foursquare, that users automatically receive as rewards for leveling up, performing certain actions, and … Continue reading “BigDoor Rolls Out Badge-O-Matic Tool”
SocialDeck is Latest Ingredient in Google’s Recipe For A Social Platform to Rival Facebook; Reviewing the List, From Aardvark to Zynga
The latest addition to the budding Google social-and-gaming empire is SocialDeck, the maker of cross-platform social games such as Color Connect, Pet Hero MD, and Shake & Spell. The Waterloo, Ontario-based startup—which has also built a platform called Spark that lets game developers connect players on iPhones, BlackBerry devices, and Facebook—announced that it’s joining the … Continue reading “SocialDeck is Latest Ingredient in Google’s Recipe For A Social Platform to Rival Facebook; Reviewing the List, From Aardvark to Zynga”
Apptio Nabs $16.5M Series C, While Series A and B Funds Collect Interest in the Bank
Entrepreneurs looking for tips on how to rake in venture capital might want to talk to Apptio‘s co-founder and CEO Sunny Gupta. Although the Bellevue, WA-based software startup still has money in the bank from its $7 million Series A in 2007, the company said today that it has raised another $16.5 million in Series … Continue reading “Apptio Nabs $16.5M Series C, While Series A and B Funds Collect Interest in the Bank”
Detroit’s NextEnergy Charges Ahead With First Michigan Power Station in Electric Vehicle Program
A common refrain among skeptics of electric vehicles is that there’s a “lack of infrastructure” to support their widespread adoption. On Thursday, Detroit will see a what could be the beginning of the end of that circumstance when NextEnergy introduces Michigan’s first ChargePoint America electric vehicle charging station. ChargePoint America is a program sponsored by … Continue reading “Detroit’s NextEnergy Charges Ahead With First Michigan Power Station in Electric Vehicle Program”
Spreadshirt CEO Eggers to Leave Firm
Jana Eggers, the chief executive of Spreadshirt, a Leipzig, Germany-based online clothing boutique with North American headquarters in Boston, said today in a blog post that she is leaving the company. Eggers wrote that Spreadshirt has begun an international search for a new CEO, and that she will stay on “for a transition period.” She … Continue reading “Spreadshirt CEO Eggers to Leave Firm”
Fallbrook Raises Additional $6M for Innovative Transmission
San Diego’s Fallbrook Technologies has raised another $6 million in venture capital, according to an amended IPO registration form the company filed with government regulators Friday. Fallbrook, which is developing an innovative continuously variable transmission (CVT) for a variety of applications, originally filed for an IPO in February and revised its S-1 form previously in … Continue reading “Fallbrook Raises Additional $6M for Innovative Transmission”
Citrix Buys VMLogix
Palo Alto, CA-based VMLogix, which makes systems that virtualize large software lifecycle management and quality assurance programs, will be acquired by Fort Lauderdale, FL-based Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CTXS]]), the larger company announced last night. Terms of the purchase, which is expected to close in the third quarter, were not disclosed. Citrix said that the acquisition … Continue reading “Citrix Buys VMLogix”
$15M for Aptus Endosystems
Aptus Endosystems in Sunnyvale, CA, which makes devices for endovascular surgery to repair aortic aneurysms, said in a statement yesterday that it has raised $15 million in “Series AA” funding. U.S. Ventures and Longitude Capital led the round, which brings Aptus’s total venture funding to at least $65 million. The company said it will use the … Continue reading “$15M for Aptus Endosystems”
IVP Closes $750M Fund
Institutional Venture Partners in Menlo Park, CA, said today that it has finished raising limited-partner investments for its 13th fund, Institutional Venture Partner XIII, at $750 million. That’s significantly larger than the late-stage investor’s last fund, a $600 million fund closed in 2007. IVP invests in digital media, communications and wireless technologies, and enterprise information … Continue reading “IVP Closes $750M Fund”
Proximetry Emerging with Technology to Manage Performance of ‘Smart Grid’ and Other Wireless Networks
San Diego-based Proximetry’s co-founder and CEO, Tracy Trent, says he has been consciously trying to keep the wireless software company under the radar since it was started almost six years ago. Trent began Proximetry after previously serving as the president and CEO of Stellcom, the San Diego wireless software developer acquired by Vytek Corp. in … Continue reading “Proximetry Emerging with Technology to Manage Performance of ‘Smart Grid’ and Other Wireless Networks”
Udemy Collects $1 Million to Expand Casual Learning Platform
Great teachers prepare their students to be lifelong learners, even after they leave the classroom. And judging from the $9 billion that Americans spend each year on “casual learning” products—that is, courses, conferences, seminars, DVDs, self-help books, and other forms of instruction outside of formal educational institutions—they may be succeeding. One small company tapping that … Continue reading “Udemy Collects $1 Million to Expand Casual Learning Platform”
HubCast, an Amazon.com for Commercial Print Jobs, Takes a Traditional Process to the Cloud
It’s no surprise that many traditionally brick-and-mortar industries and activities are being improved or even replaced by Internet technologies. Wakefield, MA-based HubCast is looking to do the same thing for commercial printing, which is far more complex than the few clicks required for printing an essay off of a personal computer, say. Traditionally, commercial printing … Continue reading “HubCast, an Amazon.com for Commercial Print Jobs, Takes a Traditional Process to the Cloud”
SCVNGR Goes Live with Rewards for Boston Businesses, Eyes Potential Partners
I’m getting the sense that Seth Priebatsch could sell just about anything—and he will. His mobile gaming and rewards startup, Cambridge, MA-based SCVNGR, has been in PR overdrive for the past week, announcing everything from its integration with Facebook Places to new rewards partnerships with AT&T and Zipcar. Today, the company is showcasing a new … Continue reading “SCVNGR Goes Live with Rewards for Boston Businesses, Eyes Potential Partners”
Bing Powers Yahoo Search, City Teams Up With Ford, Startup Investments Drop from June to July, and More Seattle-Area Deals News
Most of the local tech deals we’ve seen recently have involved strategic partnerships, rather than financings. Over the last week, two big Internet and software players made some strides in a search partnership that was over a year in the making, a couple of partnerships were forged in the clean energy space, and a local … Continue reading “Bing Powers Yahoo Search, City Teams Up With Ford, Startup Investments Drop from June to July, and More Seattle-Area Deals News”
Aveo Pharma Stock Jumps 40 Percent in A Week, CEO Notes Progress in Pivotal Kidney Cancer Trial
Aveo Pharmaceuticals has grabbed the attention of investors, who have driven its stock price up by 40 percent over the past week to $8.67 per share at yesterday’s close. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm’s (NASDAQ:[[ticker:AVEO]]) stock is heating up as much of the rest of the market remains cool, and Aveo CEO Tuan Ha-Ngoc provided … Continue reading “Aveo Pharma Stock Jumps 40 Percent in A Week, CEO Notes Progress in Pivotal Kidney Cancer Trial”
Apptio Garners $16,500,000 Series C Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b52f2c41-630d-4745-92a6-fa7f845432fe&Preview=1 Date 8/31/2010 Company Name Apptio Mailing Address 10900 NE 4th Street Bellevue, WA 98004 Company Description Apptio is an early stage software-as-a-service (SaaS) company focused on enabling IT organizations to optimize their services and operations. Website http://www.apptio.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $16,500,000 Transaction Round Series C Proceeds Purposes Customer … Continue reading “Apptio Garners $16,500,000 Series C Financing”
Udemy Secures $1,000,000 New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7e25b492-9a1b-4746-ae72-f6ef2ca39078&Preview=1 Date 8/31/2010 Company Name Udemy Mailing Address Undisclosed Undisclosed, CA 94300 Company Description Udemy is a website that enables anyone to create an online course. Our goal is to provide our teachers with everything they could possibly need to create a great learning experience over the internet. Founded in 2008, we’ve … Continue reading “Udemy Secures $1,000,000 New Round”
CA Technologies Acquires Arcot Systems for $200,000,000
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=0b4cac72-eca7-41f3-9b6c-f08b0f1bdfb9&Preview=1 Date 8/31/2010 Company Name Arcot Systems Mailing Address 455 West Maude Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94085 Company Description We are the world’s market leader in 3-D Secure software and services, providing multi-layered authentication to 11,000 card-issuing banks, 25,000 online merchants, and their customers. Website http://www.arcot.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount $200,000,000 Transaction … Continue reading “CA Technologies Acquires Arcot Systems for $200,000,000”
Cebix Obtains $14,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9f58ba2f-5858-4f64-9283-a368e0954093&Preview=1 Date 8/31/2010 Company Name Cebix Mailing Address 1298 Prospect Street La Jolla, CA 92037 Company Description Cebix is focused on the development of chronic replacement therapy based on human proinsulin C-peptide for the treatment of type 1 diabetic neuropathy. The role of C-peptide will also be explored in type 1 diabetic … Continue reading “Cebix Obtains $14,000,000 New Funding”
VMWare Acquires Integrien for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=cbd9330c-3ea2-4c6b-8e0f-476c64be2ef5&Preview=1 Date 8/31/2010 Company Name Integrien Mailing Address 114 Pacifica Irvine, CA 92618 Company Description Integrien Corporation is the leading provider of integrity management solutions. Integrien’s products and services allow enterprise IT organizations to predict, prevent and heal problems in technology-based business systems. Website http://www.integrien.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction … Continue reading “VMWare Acquires Integrien for Undisclosed Sum”
Greplin Receives $700,000 New Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=ef3ce55c-cbd1-48a3-9d99-20a04f986c43&Preview=1 Date 8/31/2010 Company Name Greplin Mailing Address Undisclosed San Francisco, CA 94123 Company Description The company provides an online personal search service. Website http://www.greplin.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $700,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture Investor SV Angel Venture Investor Individual Investor
Calsys Obtains $1,000,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7d75d867-3491-4898-99af-dc5c1f236223&Preview=1 Date 8/31/2010 Company Name Calsys Mailing Address 2700 Augustine Dr. Santa Clara, CA 95054 Company Description Headquartered in Silicon Valley, CalSys focuses on network video market with patent-pending technologies. Our unified digital video surveillance platform is configurable to be number of product lines including Digital Video Recorder (DVR), Network Video Recorder … Continue reading “Calsys Obtains $1,000,000 New Funding”
VMWare Acquires TriCipher for Undisclosed Sum
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=01f2392d-fb2d-49f3-bee4-23f32b685e4b&Preview=1 Date 8/31/2010 Company Name TriCipher Mailing Address 750 University Avenue Los Gatos, CA 95032 Company Description TriCipher enables business processes and online products to be delivered through web portals at a lower risk, higher convenience and lower cost than ever before. Website http://www.tricipher.com Transaction Type M&A Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round … Continue reading “VMWare Acquires TriCipher for Undisclosed Sum”
ChartBeat Garners $3,000,000 Series A Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bdfe36f8-72ee-4e79-9b0b-8c3d394af911&Preview=1 Date 8/31/2010 Company Name ChartBeat Mailing Address 416 W. 13th St. New York, NY 10014 Company Description Chartbeat provides real-time data analytics and performance alerts for your website. Website http://www.chartbeat.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount $3,000,000 Transaction Round Series A Proceeds Purposes Proceeds purposes were not disclosed. M&A Terms Venture … Continue reading “ChartBeat Garners $3,000,000 Series A Funding”
MapMyFitness Lands $5,000,000 Series A Financing Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7ed5faf7-63ca-4865-a80d-c6c60a1f05ae&Preview=1 Date 8/31/2010 Company Name MapMyFitness Mailing Address 610 West 5th Street Austin, TX 78701 Company Description We target players across the health and fitness spectrum, including healthy and active individuals, race and event directors, and fitness and wellness oriented community groups and clubs. Our sites provide over 2,400,000 runners, cyclists, walkers, … Continue reading “MapMyFitness Lands $5,000,000 Series A Financing Round”
I Can Has Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh Publicly Offers to Buy Reddit from Condé Nast
[Updated with comments from Reddit co-founder Steve Huffman, 6:35 pm] I Can Has Cheezburger‘s Ben Huh extended an offer to purchase Condé Nast’s online user-generated news aggregation site Reddit.com last week, amidst an online debate over politically controversial advertising, according to VentureBeat. In a post on the Seattle-based humor network’s pop culture site, The Daily … Continue reading “I Can Has Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh Publicly Offers to Buy Reddit from Condé Nast”
Puzzling Out Paul Allen’s Patent Suit Against Silicon Valley’s Giants
There’s something odd about the patent infringement lawsuit that Paul Allen’s holding company Interval Licensing filed last week against an array of high-profile Silicon Valley and e-commerce companies. The organization, which is part of the Microsoft co-founder’s large array of Seattle-based business and technology ventures, isn’t saying exactly how it thinks the defendants—AOL, Apple, eBay, … Continue reading “Puzzling Out Paul Allen’s Patent Suit Against Silicon Valley’s Giants”
‘Innovation Index’ Says Michigan is Headed, Slightly, Toward Pre-Recession Numbers
If you squint just the right way at new numbers from a quarterly “innovation index” released by the University of Michigan-Dearborn, you might just believe that Michigan could be headed toward an actual end to the recession. The index, which measures things like loans, VC funding, and new incorporations rose to 89 (out of 100) … Continue reading “‘Innovation Index’ Says Michigan is Headed, Slightly, Toward Pre-Recession Numbers”
ShowUhow Raises $3M
San Diego-based ShowUhow, which creates and hosts online video instruction guides for retail and manufacturing partners, says today it has raised $3 million in Series A funding from Syncom Venture Partners, an investment firm in Silver Springs, MD, that specializes in media, mobile technologies, and web-based service companies. ShowUhow videos show consumers how to assemble … Continue reading “ShowUhow Raises $3M”
Mongo Boston
Mongo Boston will explore development with the open source, non-relational, document-oriented database MongoDB. The conference will feature sessions on schema design, indexing, administration, replication, sharding, and more. In addition to these topics, attendees can learn about MongoDB in the real world through a series of presentations about production deployments. Register now! Early bird discount ends … Continue reading “Mongo Boston”
HBA Boston: Up in the Air: Techniques for Making the Most of a Career Transition
The state of the economy has impacted every level of healthcare. With the current business environment many highly successful and tenured professionals find themselves either worrying about the longevity of their current role or working diligently to find the next opportunity where their skills and contributions will be recognized and rewarded. Whether by choice or … Continue reading “HBA Boston: Up in the Air: Techniques for Making the Most of a Career Transition”
Web Innovators Group (WebInno27)
This installment of the WebInno events will feature the usual formal demonstrations of self-funded and angel-funded startups, as well as informal, “side-dish” presentations to those networking. Those demos will be followed by a special breakout session dubbed “Self-Funded Success Stories,” moderated by Laura Fitton. Register here.
Bio-Based Chemicals East: Strategic Science and the Business of Breakthrough Technologies
This event is the East Coast installment of San Diego’s Bio-Based Chemicals Summit. The three-day conference will explore the underlying technologies and techniques, market applications, and breakthrough products in bio-based chemicals. Registration details are here.
Electronic Data Sharing, Cloud-Computing, and Collaboration: The WBBA Talks on the Future of Health IT
“What is healthcare IT?” That was the question that kicked off the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association (WBBA)’s Health IT event last week, which was focused on recognizing the important role that information technology plays within the healthcare industry, finding ways to use technology to improve healthcare in the future, and looking forward to the … Continue reading “Electronic Data Sharing, Cloud-Computing, and Collaboration: The WBBA Talks on the Future of Health IT”
Otonomy Closes $38.5M Round to Fund Trials of Hearing-Disorder Treatments
Follow-on funding for Otonomy that Luke presaged in June has been disclosed by the San Diego biotech, a two-year-old startup developing drug treatments for hearing loss and balance disorders. Otonomy says today it has closed a $38.5 million Series B round of financing that was co-led by Novo Ventures and RiverVest Venture Partners, with Avalon … Continue reading “Otonomy Closes $38.5M Round to Fund Trials of Hearing-Disorder Treatments”
Coolidge Corner Theater Science On Screen Kickoff
This evening will be the kickoff of the Coolidge Corner Theater’s film series, Science on Screen. Check out where the laboratory meets Hollywood, with a screening of the movie The Man in the White Suit. The movie will be followed with a presentation by Ig Nobel Prizes founder Marc Abrahams, and Harvard chemist Daniel Rosenberg.
PrimeraDx Names New CEO
PrimeraDx, a Mansfield, MA-based developer of molecular diagnostic technology, has named Matthew F. McManus as its new president and chief executive, the company announced today. The startup, which raised $20 million in a series C financing last fall, said it’s gearing up to bring to market the first of its products, which are aimed at … Continue reading “PrimeraDx Names New CEO”
Yottaa Gets $4M, Releases Website Performance Monitoring Service
Cambridge, MA-based Internet startup Yottaa announced today that it has wrapped up a $4 million Series A financing round and has launched a free, beta version of its tool for analyzing website performance. The funding comes from General Catalyst Partners, Stata Venture Partners, and Cambridge West Ventures. Yottaa‘s first product, Yottaa Insights, enables consumers to … Continue reading “Yottaa Gets $4M, Releases Website Performance Monitoring Service”
$30M Series F for EndoGastric
EndoGastric Solutions in Redwood City, CA, said today that it has raised $30 million in Series F financing to support development and marketing of its devices for incisionless surgery to treat acid reflux and other gastrointestinal conditions. Canaan Partners and Radius Ventures led the round, which was joined by existing investors Advanced Technology Ventures, MPM … Continue reading “$30M Series F for EndoGastric”
Energy Savings Now
Raritan, Teladata, Federspiel Controls, and Power Assure sponsor an afternoon summit on improving the energy efficiency of data center operations. Topics, according to the event summary, will include: “How easy it is to put efficient systems in place The timeline for actualizing savings ‘Green’ opportunities that will position you as an industry leader Affordability through … Continue reading “Energy Savings Now”
Intel To Buy Infineon’s Wireless Division
Hot on the heels of a controversial purchase of McAfee two weeks ago, Intel in Santa Clara said today that it has agreed to buy the wireless services business of Neubiberg, Germany-based Infineon for $1.4 billion. The Infineon division, a rival of San Diego’s Qualcomm, makes 2G and 3G cellular chips and “complements Intel’s existing … Continue reading “Intel To Buy Infineon’s Wireless Division”
Genzyme Shoots Down Sanofi-Aventis’s Buyout Offer
Genzyme’s board of directors has unanimously rejected a new $18.5 billion buyout bid that came in from French drug giant Sanofi-Aventis over the weekend, saying that the offer doesn’t recognize the progress the Cambridge, MA-based biotech powerhouse (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]) has made in rectifying its manufacturing issues, according to a Genzyme press release this morning. The … Continue reading “Genzyme Shoots Down Sanofi-Aventis’s Buyout Offer”
First Two Startups Leaving CommNexus Incubator, Qualcomm at 25, Oceanhouse Media Shows App-titude for Children’s Books, & More San Diego BizTech News
Of all the tech news we had last week, I thought the most interesting was what our Xconomists had to say about Qualcomm, past and future. We’ve got the wrap on that, along with the rest of what happened in San Diego. —San Diego’s EvoNexus, the free tech incubator created last year by the CommNexus … Continue reading “First Two Startups Leaving CommNexus Incubator, Qualcomm at 25, Oceanhouse Media Shows App-titude for Children’s Books, & More San Diego BizTech News”
The Unica Story: Yuchun Lee’s Journey from MIT Blackjack Team to IBM Acquisition
Because of his past, Yuchun Lee is legally barred from certain establishments. Luckily, IBM is not one of them. Lee is the co-founder and CEO of Unica (NASDAQ: [[ticker:UNCA]]), the Waltham, MA-based marketing and analytics software firm bought by IBM for $480 million in cash earlier this month. Much has been made of Lee’s past … Continue reading “The Unica Story: Yuchun Lee’s Journey from MIT Blackjack Team to IBM Acquisition”
A Bidding War for 3Par, a Trademark War over Mafia Wars, a Barrage of New Y Combinator Startups, & More Bay Area BizTech and Life Sciences News
Tiny startups emerging into the public eye last week vied for attention with acquisitive giants like Hewlett-Packard, Cisco, and Google. —An as-yet-unresolved bidding war between Dell and Hewlett-Packard drove the proposed acquisition price for Fremont, CA-based storage virtualization company 3Par up to $30 per share. Dell’s original $18-per-share bid on August 16 was eclipsed by … Continue reading “A Bidding War for 3Par, a Trademark War over Mafia Wars, a Barrage of New Y Combinator Startups, & More Bay Area BizTech and Life Sciences News”
MassChallenge Company FitVirtual Uses Social Media to Crowdsource Customized Exercise Programs that Really Work
Thanks to sites like YouTube and online fitness publications, it seems like tutorials on virtually any form of exercise—from yoga to barefoot running—are at your fingertips. But personally, I’ve found that it’s difficult to manage the slew of content on the often-exotic exercise styles, and make sense of it with my everyday fitness routines. Boston-based … Continue reading “MassChallenge Company FitVirtual Uses Social Media to Crowdsource Customized Exercise Programs that Really Work”
Yottaa Obtains $4,000,000 Series A Funding Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=83f8ea8c-9e98-4b8b-85e3-ae3032a511b6&Preview=1 Date 8/30/2010 Company Name Yottaa Mailing Address 2 Canal Park, 5th Floor Cambridge, MA 02141 Company Description Founded in April 2009, Yottaa Inc is a Boston and Beijing based cloud computing company. Driven by the pursuit for a better Internet, Yottaa aspires to empower a new generation of interactive experience by … Continue reading “Yottaa Obtains $4,000,000 Series A Funding Round”