TradeBeam raises $7M for trade management software
TradeBeam Holdings, a San Mateo, Calif.-based provider of software that manages global trade agreements online, has brought in $7 million to extend a $3 million round earmarked for expansion of its operations in China. Its product helps companies make sure they are complying with export regulations, inventory their assets, track their products in transit and oversee segments of their supply chains.
Serving more than 7,000 clients, the company has raised about $70 million in capital before… Continue Reading
Complete Genomics seals $45M for cheaper gene sequencing
Complete Genomics, provider of supposedly cheaper and faster DNA sequencing services, has raised $45 million in a fourth round of funding — a huge amount for a biotech company in today’s economic environment. Based in Mountain View, Calif., the company says it will be able to sequence people’s genes in only a few days, and for the bargain price of $5,000.
Apparently, genetic companies are where it’s at in the life science market right now. Earlier… Continue Reading
Expresso Fitness boosted by $6M
Expresso Fitness, maker of cardio gym equipment with interactive, virtual reality screens, has brought in $6 million in a fourth round of funding from Sierra Ventures, Physic Ventures, and Enterprise Partners Venture Capital, reports PE Hub. The Sunnyvale, Calif. company says it will use the new financing to add new features to its current products and to beef up its sales operations.
Expresso currently sells two types of stationary bikes — upright (which also comes in… Continue Reading
Expresso pulls in $14M for interactive cardio equipment
Is it just me or is one of the best things to hit the gym the mini TV screens now built into treadmills and ellipticals? For all those who now depend on a good episode of CSI to get them through their workout, there’s good news today out of Expresso Fitness, a company that markets exercise bikes to gyms with a media twist. It just raised $14 million in a round of venture debt and… Continue Reading
3Leaf Systems raises $35 million round for enterprise virtualization technology
Virtualization technology is still buzzing with activity, as its adoption by large companies remains one of the biggest trends in the economy right now.
Virtualization grabbed headlines 13 months ago, when VMware raised nearly $1 billion in an initial public offering. Now virtualization chip maker 3Leaf Systems has raised $35 million in a third round of funding to expand its offering.
Virtualization technology saves money for big companies, because it reduces the number of machines or other… Continue Reading
Expresso Fitness raises $12M for exercise technology
Expresso Fitness, which has created a more interactive experience for users looking to shed pounds on a stationary bike, has raised $12 million in the second part of its third round of funding. That comes on top of $9 million already raised for this round a year ago.
Among other things, Expresso Fitness allows you to race your bike on a virtual course while competing against an onscreen “ghost” who represents your best time. Expresso offers… Continue Reading
ReliOn raises $23M for hydrogen fuel cells
Update for April 28: The total amount taken by ReliOn for this round came to $23 million, according to John Cook. Additional funding was provided by PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund and Robeco Clean Tech Private Equity.
Original post from March 31: ReliOn, a Spokane-based fuel cell maker that helps provide backup power for communications companies and air traffic control towers, has taken over $17 million in a round that will likely be the company’s… Continue Reading
Quorum, cellphone chip maker, sold to Spreadtrum for $70M
Spreadtrum Communications, a Shanghai maker of wireless chips, has acquired Quorum Systems, a San Diego, Calif., CMOS RF transceiver maker, and its unclear whether Quorum’s Silicon Valley investors were able to make a significant return.
The deal is valued at $70 million including $55 million in cash and $15 million in stock. It also includes a $6 million cash earn-out over two years, based on performance.
Quorum had raised almost $40 million in funding from firms like… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Friday, Sept. 21, 2007
Featured companies: CG Therapeutics, Complete Genomics, ConforMIS, Flexible Medical Systems, LeMaitre Vascular, MAP Pharmaceuticals, ParaPro, Vascular Architects, Zars Pharma
(UPDATED on 10/1/07: See below.)
[NOTE: Posting has been slow recently for personal reasons. I'll be doing my best to catch up today.]
Complete Genomics raises funding for high-speed sequencing — Complete Genomics, a Mountain View, Calif., developer of high-speed genome sequencing technology, said it raised an undisclosed sum in a second funding round, VentureWire reports (subscription required). The company said… Continue Reading
LSI buys Tarari, a network security-control co., for $85M
LSI Corporation said it has agreed to acquire Tarari, a San Diego, Calif. maker of chips and software for network security and control, for approximately $85 million in cash.
According to the statement:
Tarari products enable high levels of performance for content-aware networking applications such as anti-virus, anti-spam, intrusion detection and prevention, XML security and advanced network control. Additional services include compression, cryptography and encoding for a wide variety of applications.
It was spun out of Intel Corp…. Continue Reading
Hammerhead Systems raises $10M more for data communications equipment
Hammerhead Systems, a Mountain View, Calif. data communications equipment vendor, has secured $10 million of an expected $18 million fourth round of financing, according to a regulatory filing cited by PE Wire. Return backers include Enterprise Partners Venture Capital, Foundation Capital, Mayfield Fund, Pequot Capital Management. Since 2002, it has raised around $83 million.
Expresso Fitness’s interactive fitness machine, raises $9.3M
Expresso Fitness, a Sunnyvale, Calif. company that provides a way for you to interact with a video screen while riding a stationary fitness bike, said it has raised $9.3M in a third round of financing.
The technology is significant because it brings interaction into the huge U.S. fitness services market, estimated by Expresso to be worth $14.39 billion last year. Of that, the majority comes from peoples’ payments to gyms in the form of dues/memberships…. Continue Reading
Devicescape connects your device to WiFi hotspots
Devicescape releases a software today that connects any of your WiFi devices automatically to a WiFi hotspot or muni network.
This is significant, because more cellphones are being equipped with WiFi, as the cost of WiFI chips hit bottom rates of $2. And by accessing WiFi with a Skype or other Internet (VoIP) phone, you can make cheap calls.
The service, a software download, automatically detects when there’s a Wifi network nearby; you can set the… Continue Reading