Siimpel raises undisclosed round for low-power micro-cameras
Siimpel, manufacturer of precise low-power mobile and digital cameras, announced an undisclosed round of strategic funding from LG Innotek. The Arcadia, Calif. company previously raised $75 million from backers Motorola Ventures, DOCOMO Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Global Catalyst Partners, Portage Venture Partners, Scale Venture Partners, Sun America Ventures and Zone Venture Fund.
In the fall, Siimpel said it was going to start developing micro-elecro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) technology ideal for cell phones.
Siimpel raises $8.7M for mobile cameras
Siimpel, manufacturer of highly-precise and low-power mobile and digital cameras, took in an $8.7 million tranche of an expected $16 million investment round, according to regulatory filings. Contributors included Qualcomm, Zone Venture Fund, Draper Fisher Jurvetson Fund, and a handful of individuals.
Earlier this month, the Arcadia, Calif. company announced the development of micro-electro-mechanical-sysetems (MEMS) techonology that would be best used in mobile devices. In the past, it has received funding from DOCOMO Capital, the venture… Continue Reading
InvenSense takes on $19M for phone motion sensing
While the first thing many people will think of when they hear “motion sensing” is home security systems, the technology that InvenSense is working on has more in common with a Nintendo Wii than ADT.
InvenSense makes gyroscopes and accelerometers that can sense the movements users make while holding mobile devices. The technology could lead to gesture-enabled phones and new gaming techniques.
The $19 million funding was led by Sierra Ventures. Also participating were Foxconn, Inventec Appliances,… Continue Reading
Stealth finance software firm Verient raises an additional $1.5 million
Verient is a stealth company based in San Jose, Calif. that is building software to manage transactions for financial institutions, to help them make money both online and offline, chief executive Rajesh Shakkarwar tells me.
He’s not saying much more at this point, but the company has raised $1.5 million from
DoCoMo Capital and Global Catalyst Partners, which is a more recent part of an earlier round we covered. The company previously raised $2.13 million of… Continue Reading
Avatar company Gizmoz raises $6.5M
Gizmoz, an Israel-based company that lets you create 3D avatars, has raised $6.5 million in a second round of venture funding.
DoCoMo Capital — a subsidiary of NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s largest cell phone operator — led the round, which Gizmoz plans to use for expansion in Asia. ngi capital and previous investors Benchmark Capital and Columbia Capital also participated.
Gizmoz is also unveiling a new partnership with AOL, which will allow AOL Instant Messaging users to animate… Continue Reading
Beceem raises $40M more for mobile WiMax offering
Santa Clara’s Beceem Communications, a leading provider of WiMax chips for mobile phones, said it has raised more than $40 million in a fourth round of financing, and may raise more.
The promise of WiMax is that it ranges as far as 10 miles, while WiFi reaches only a few hundred feet. It’s challenge is that is just now being rolled out, and so it is untested in most of the world. Intel wants to use… Continue Reading