Coupa catches $7.5M for business procurement software
Coupa Software, maker of software that helps businesses keep track of what they are buying and how much they are spending, has remained buoyant through the economic downturn, now raising $7.5 million in a third round of funding. Based in San Mateo, Calif., the company has actually benefited from the recession, allowing its clients to curtail purchasing and save money.
That’s also how it was able to raise $6 million from Battery Ventures and BlueRun Ventures… Continue Reading
Valero inherits hefty stake in ethanol producer Qteros
Oil and gas company Valero Energy has acquired an undisclosed stake in Qteros, maker of microbial ethanol, along with other assets divvied up from bankrupt ethanol producer VeraSun Energy. It also assumed ownership of seven of the company’s plants — 780 megawatts in all — and rights to build another for $477 million.
Formerly called SunEthanol, Qteros specializes in converting biomass into cellulosic ethanol. It has received $2 million from the government for a pilot plant… Continue Reading
Freewheel nabs $12M for online video advertising
FreeWheel, an online video advertising platform that helps broker revenue-share deals between content providers, distributors and publishers, has closed $12 million in a third round of funding provided by Foundation Capital and Battery Ventures.
Based in San Mateo, Calif., the company counts Joost, Next New Networks and car ad network Jumpstart Automotive Media among its clients — which include 15 ad networks and distributon partners and 15 content providers. It also works with CBS and Warner… Continue Reading
Style never dies: Luxury clothing maker J. Hilburn raises $4M
J. Hilburn, a company that sells custom men’s clothing, has raised a $4 million first round from Battery Ventures.
The Dallas, Tex. startup may seem like an odd investment for a tech-focused venture firm, and its luxury product line sounds like even more of a stretch given the economic climate. I would imagine that many folks are cutting back on their clothing expenses until the economy improves. And as for those who are still wealthy, do… Continue Reading
BlueKai raises $10.5M to help sell consumer data
BlueKai, which runs a marketplace where advertisers can buy data about online shoppers, has raised $10.5 million in a second round of funding.
The Bellevue, Wash. startup allows shopping sites that have collected data about your interests and activities to sell that information to advertisers. Done right, that kind of smart advertising could probably deliver much higher returns than traditional ads. In fact, BlueKai says it can provide three times the response rate of a normal… Continue Reading
Angie’s List swells with $7M for consumer reviews
Angie’s List, the site that lets users rate and review local service providers from doctors to dog walkers, just nabbed $6 million in subordinated debt financing and $1 million in equity. The investment comes less than a month after it took $18 million in venture debt, and less than a year since its $35 million round from Battery Ventures in April. The Indianapolis-based company, fairly unique in its ability to combine local search and user-generated… Continue Reading
Pocket Communications stuffed with $100M for unlimited wireless
Youghiogheny Communications (much more conveniently dubbed Pocket Communications) is in the money today, closing a $100 million first round of financing led by Battery Ventures. The San Antonio, Tex.-based company will use the new funds to launch its flat-rate unlimited wireless plan in the northeastern region of the U.S.
The announcement comes as somewhat of a surprise in an economic climate that many thought would preclude such sizable investments (though this could still be on the way). The company… Continue Reading
Qteros readies for near-term cellulosic ethanol production
A technology that might offer some respite to first-generation ethanol makers like Verasun and Pacific Ethanol has received a significant $25 million from backers including oil giant BP and George Soros’s investment fund. The company in question is Qteros, formerly called SunEthanol, a little-known startup placing big bets on a plucky microbe.
Qteros is one of a large group of companies trying to engineer a microorganism to cheaply break down woody matter, including everything from corn… Continue Reading
ZeroG Wireless raises $17 million for embedded Wi-Fi chips
ZeroG Wireless is announcing today that it has raised $17 million in a second round of funding for its business of designing embedded Wi-Fi chips. This company is looking for the day when billions of everyday gadgets and sensors are connected to the Internet.
John Cummins, chief executive of the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company, says it’s able to get off the ground because it’s going the opposite direction of other wireless broadband chip makers. Others are focused… Continue Reading
Achronix nabs $43M for gate array technology
Achronix Semiconductor Corp. recently closed $43 million of a large, still open $52 million second round of financing. Argonaut Private Equity led the tranche, which also included existing investors Battery Ventures, New Science Ventures, Easton Capital Investment Group and Entrepia Ventures. These contributors helped the San Jose, Calif. company hit $25.4 in its first round last January. The company plans to use its new funds to develop a new generation of products.
The round is being… Continue Reading
Redwood Systems gets $4M for commercial building LEDs
Redwood Systems, a Danville, Calif.-based firm that wants to help businesses conserve energy by converting to LED lighting, has raised $4 million in first round funding, according to PEHub.
While compact fluorescent lightbulbs (or CFLs, as they’re more commonly known) are a major improvement over incandescents, most analysts and building experts believe LEDs are the future of energy-efficient lighting. And if VC investments are any indication, then it looks as though that transition could be coming… Continue Reading
Adisn, another company that uses “social” data to target ads, raises $1.6 million
Adisn is the latest social data-using ad company to raise venture funding — $1.6 million, from Battery Ventures and angel investors, according to VentureWire. The Long Beach, Calif. company says it is aggregating and analyzing “web conversations,” online profiles, blogs, and user behavior to spot the most meaningful relationships between millions of “seemingly unrelated topics.” It uses this information to target ads that are most relevant to users.
Right now, venture investors are still putting money… Continue Reading
Lotame raises $13M for customizable social media ads
Lotame, an Elk Ridge, Maryland-based advertising startup, has closed its second funding for its social media ad platform, Crowd Control. Motto, and I quote: “Every Party Needs Crowd Control!”
The company claims that its technology allows brands to tap into audiences that have proved they’re interested in certain subjects. It’s working with sites including Flixster, Fotolog, and The Huffington Post — in total, 53 million users, it claims. The company uses cookies to track anonymous user… Continue Reading
Surveillance firm Insitu sells to Boeing for reported $400M
Aerial surveillance startup Insitu surprised everyone Tuesday when it said that it would sell to Boeing, one of the world’s largest aviation firms. The company, which makes unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), had been expected to go through an IPO within a year or two.
UAV makers have met with plenty of success in the past few years, in part because of the vast military expenditures in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as growing markets for applications… Continue Reading
Agito Networks clears the way for enterprise WiFi phones
Agito Networks has figured out a way for enterprises to embrace WiFi based mobile phones even though wireless carriers haven’t made it easy to integrate WiFi with the cellular phone system. Thanks to its clever solution, the company is announcing today that it has raised $13 million in a second round of venture capital.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company hopes to make it easier for big businesses to adopt smart phones with WiFi access for employees who… Continue Reading
Virtualization startup Neocleus raises $11.4M
Neocleus, a company that provides “endpoint virtualization,” has raise $11.4 million in a second round of funding.
Endpoint virtualization involves creating an isolated virtual environment for IT on laptops and desktop computers. Jersey City, NJ-based Neocleus says its solution stands out because of its flexibility and security.
The round was led by Battery Ventures and Gemini Israel Funds, who were Neocleus’ initial investors.
Bazaarvoice raises $7.1 million to provide brands with consumer-generated content options
Bazaarvoice provides technology for brands to utilize consumer-generated content. Now the company will have more money to do so following its 4th round.
The service has quite a few big name clients including Dell, Petco, The Home Depot, Kmart and many others.
The $7.1 million round was participated in by Austin Ventures and Battery Ventures.
Bazaarvoice is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
Bright View Technologies raises $15 million for display technologies
Bright View Technologies, which provides optical films for video displays has raised a third round of funding.
Bright View will likely use this money to continue work on its technologies which are used in many of the latest display technologies including Plasma, LCD, Rear Projection, Front Projection and the newer OLED. Bright
This latest $15 million round was led by Battery Ventures as well as Duke University. The Morrisville, North Carolina-based company previously raised $7.5 million in… Continue Reading
World Golf Tour scores big round of cash, and will become more social
World Golf Tour, a company that uses Flash technology to make a realistic game for golfers, has raised a second round of financing in the double-digit millions of dollars.
The San Francisco company, which I raved about a year ago when I first tried it out, announced the funding at the VentureBeat party last night. The company isn’t disclosing the exact size of the round.
It’s now moving in that inevitable direction — to become a social… Continue Reading
Angie’s List collects $35M to expand services
1995 might as well be the dawn of civilization in terms of the Internet as we know it today. Yet that is how long Angie’s List, a source for local service ratings, has been around. Today, the company announces a new round of funding to keep its site going strong well into the future.
The $35 million investment comes from Battery Ventures, which will also take a minority stake in the company with the deal.
Angie’s List… Continue Reading