Energetiq pulls in $5M in third funding round
Woburn-based Energetiq Technology Inc., a maker of advanced light sources for nanoscale fabrication and analysis, has landed $3.8 million of a $5 million Series C round, according online reports.
Investors in the round include Shea Ventures of California, Intel Capital and Ushio Inc., a Japanese maker of light and laser equipment for a variety of applications, with its U.S. headquarters in California, reported website PE Hub, citing a federal regulatory filing.
New Atlantic tests the waters in $500K first round for Koofers
New Atlantic Ventures has participated in a $500,000 tranche of a $2 million Series A round for Koofers Inc., according to online reports. Fellow investors include California-based Altos Ventures.
Based in Reston, Va., Koofers Inc. allows students to share old tests and quizzes as study aides. The site began with copies of old tests and quizzes compiled from files kept at fraternities and sororities at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. “Koofers” is Virginia Tech slang for such material.
Healthcare Ventures, Novartis BioVentures help raise $40M for Catalyst Biosciences
Two Cambridge investment firms, Healthcare Ventures and Novartis BioVentures, participated in a $40.4 million Series C financing round of Catalyst Biosciences Inc., the South San Francisco-based biopharmaceutical firm announced.
The funding was led by Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, with additional funding support from return backers Burrill & Co., Johnson & Johnson Development Corp., Morgenthaler Ventures and Sofinnova Ventures. Per terms of the deal, Jeff Himawan of Essex Woodlands will join the board of directors at Catalyst Biosciences
Catalyst CEO Nassim Usman said in a press release that the company plans to use the funding to grow its business of engineered proteases known as Alterase therapeutics. Specifically, Catalyst plans to push its CB 813 lead protease, used to treat acute bleeding in hemophiliacs, through Phase 1/2 studies.
Retail Optimization scores $1.2M investment
Retail Optimization Inc. reports it has raised $1.2 million in new venture funding. Investors included Connecticut Innovations and Elm Street Ventures, as well as management and private investors. The $1.2 million figure included a $400,000 investment that Connecticut Innovations announced in November, said a CI spokeswoman
“(ROI’s product) helps consumer product companies show to the retailers how their products can drive incremental profits if the shelf space is allocated differently,” said Connecticut Innovations executive director Peter Longoin an e-mailed statement. “To our knowledge, there is currently no other product in the marketplace that offers a similar result.”
Polaris leads $13M funding of rechargeable battery maker
Polaris Venture Partners is a leader on a $13 million Series B round of financing for Infinite Power Solutions Inc., according to a release from IPS. Fellow returning investor D.E. Shaw Ventures co-led the round with Waltham-based Polaris. Other returning investors include Core Capital Partners, Applied Ventures LLC and In-Q-Tel, as well as a new unnamed strategic investor.
N.H. home to new VC firm Harbor Light Capital Partners
Markem Corp. has launched a new private investment firm, the Keene, N.H.-based company reports. Harbor Light Capital Partners will be based in Keene and will invest in early- and growth-stage companies, with a focus on long-term investment, firm officials said.
New tech-focused investment funds dismiss down economy
Say what you want about the horrible economic conditions — a handful of tech entrepreneurs are launching investment funds, perhaps betting on the notion that there’s nowhere to go but up.
Two of the funds are first funds —Genovation Capital in Waltham and Clean Energy Investment Partners in Winchester — formed by longtime Boston-area entrepreneurs. At least two other funds are being launched by established venture capitalists, including a new fund for Atlas Venture of Waltham and a new firm, called Kepha Partners LLC, from former Highland Capital Partners partner Jo Tango, according to federal documents.
Genovation Capital, which expects to begin raising money in the new year, was formed by Jeff Binder, Dave Fellows, and Vin Bisceglia, all veterans of the communications industry. The threesome now expects to bring its expertise to the investment side. All of them concede that times are tough in the financial sector but say that the timing is perfect to begin building a portfolio.
uTest Raises $5 Million More For Crowdsourced Bug Testing
uTest
, the crowdsourcing QA startup that lets companies rely on external developers to help them identify bugs, has closed a $5 million Series B funding round led by Longworth Venture Partners and Egan-Managed Capital, along with existing investors Mesco Ltd. and Massachusetts Technology Development Corp. The new round brings the startup’s total funding to around $7.8 million after a $2.3 million Series A round last year and some early seed funding.
Viridity Software pulls in $7M Series A funding
Amesbury startup Viridity Software Inc. has raised $7 million in a first financing round with investment from Waltham firms Battery Ventures and North Bridge Venture Partners, according to Viridity officials.
Boston Scientific helps fund $11M in Calif. med device maker
Natick-based Boston Scientific Corp. and two California firms have invested $11 million in West Coast medical device maker Endoscopic Technologies Inc.
UTest taps new investor in $5M second round
UTest Inc. has secured a $5 million Series B round of funding, the company said. New investor Longworth Venture Partners LP led the round, joined by Eagan Managed Capital LP. Returning investors are the Massachusetts Technology Development Corp. and Mesco Ltd.
Angel investors help Aras expand to European market
Investors have supplied Aras Corp. with nearly $1.2 million in new cash, according to a November U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing, and the Andover-based open-source product life cycle management software provider is using it to establish beachheads in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Maine VC leads $14M round for KickApps
Social media application platform developer KickApps Corp. has landed a third round of funding worth $14 million, led by Portland, Maine-based North Atlantic Capital.
M2D2 funds two new med device startups
The Massachusetts Medical Device Development Center (M2D2) reported providing “fast-lane” funding last week to two early-stage companies, MedicaMetrix of Wayland and VeinAid LLC of Fairfield, Conn.
General Catalyst leads $5.5M funding of event ticket search engine
Local venture capital and private equity firm General Catalyst Partners, of Cambridge, led a $5.5 million financing round of California-based FanSnap, a live event ticket search engine. FanSnap, which is working in beta mode, said it plans to continue growing its ticket provider base and building its search engine and team.
The funding was the second by General Catalyst, which also led an earlier $5 million round. Awarepoint makes real-time location systems that rely on radio frequency identification tags to track the movement of equipment and people. Venrock general partner Brian Asher said Awarepoint addresses a challenge facing health-care institutions.
Local VCs push $100M investment in Pocket Communications’ wireless data
Battery Ventures, of Boston, has led a $100 million equity investment in Pocket Communications Northeast, a wireless voice and data service provider in Texas that plans to expand to the Northeast. Charles River Ventures, of Waltham, also participated in the investment, as did Pocket Communications CEO Paul Posner.
Venrock backs RFID system maker Awarepoint
Venrock Associates has invested in Awarepoint Corp., joining fellow new investor Cardinal Partners and existing investor Avalon Ventures in a $13.3 million Series D round, according to San Diego-based Awarepoint.
