Tendril grows consumer-facing smart grid with new $30M
Tendril, one of few companies that serves household energy consumption data to both utilities and consumers, has landed a fresh $30 million third round of capital led by VantagePoint Venture Partners. It plans to further expand its hardware and software systems and forge more partnerships with appliance makers and utilities. It will round out its staff with 25 new employees.
Most smart meter and smart grid companies only beam data back to the utilities they work… Continue Reading
DEMO: Tendril releases mobile app for home energy management
Tendril Networks, a company that offers a portfolio of energy management tools to the utility industry, unveiled a web-based program for individual users at the DEMO conference today. The new application, called Tendril Vantage Mobile, lets users monitor their energy consumption, accumulating energy costs and pricing changes from their cell phones.
The application will also send users alerts and notifications of various changes in home energy use and pricing structure. One of program’s key features is… Continue Reading
LED maker Terralux shines with new round of funds
Terralux, maker of light-emitting diode systems, just brought in an undisclosed first round of financing but is already looking to raise more. Based in Boulder, Colo., the company has been operating off of funds provided by its founder, a practice that it has long since outgrown.
With about 30 LED products on the market, Terralux has seen sales jump consistently by 50 to 60 percent each year since its founding in 2003. Right now, it’s emphasis… Continue Reading
HD electronics maker VizionWare short circuits
VizionWare Inc., a producer of cables and adapters, has shuttered — and fast. The announcement went out today and the company’s website has already disappeared. Attributed to disappointing sales in Blu-ray connectors, its close leaves investors who contributed $21 million since its 2002 founding out in the cold, including Novus Ventures (with a 27 percent stake), Access Venture Partners, DFJ Mercury Venture Partners, Individuals’ Venture Fund and InterWest Partners.
The Austin, Tex.-based company started to unravel… Continue Reading
Database company TrackVia raises first round
TrackVia, the maker of an online database with a point-and-click interface, has raised an undisclosed first round of venture funding, according to TechCrunch. Backers include Flywheel Ventures and Access Venture Partners, with participation from several angel investors, including Tim Draper.
The company, founded in 2005 and based in Denver, describes it product as “easy as a spreadsheet, powerful as a database.”
Tendril, an energy efficiency startup, grabs $12M
Want to keep tabs on how much electricity your home is using? Tendril is one of a newer breed of energy-management startups that gives consumers a personal view of their consumption, but is still capable of tying in with and providing information to the utilities providing the power.
The company’s Energy Management System includes both hardware and software, and makes use of the open-source Zigbee and OpenHAN communication protocols to ensure that it’s interoperable with other… Continue Reading