Quigo founder launches new ad network with Doclix
The bumper crop of ad networks divvying up the digital landscape just got a new addition: Doclix, provide of a pay-per-click network called AdSide that says its technology will drive more traffic and ensure better ad quality and placement. While this isn’t a terribly original claim, the New York-based company may get a boost from the fact that its founder, Oded Itzhak, also started ad-targeting platform Quigo and is therefore a known quantity in the… Continue Reading
Aster Data raises $5M more for data warehousing
Data warehousing startup Aster Data Systems has added another $5 million to its second round of financing, bringing its total capital to $27 million.
The Redwood City, Calif. company stores data for business analysis purposes for some big-name customers, including MySpace. Its nCluster system has the advantage of running on cheap servers, using the MapReduce programming framework popularized by Google to allow for more detailed queries. On top of that, it doesn’t have any downtime.
Chief executive… Continue Reading
Motion Computing snags $6M for tablets
Tablet computer maker Motion Computing raked in $6 million in fourth-round funding to increase its penetration of the health care sector. The Austin, Tex.-based company sells products with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities. Its newest, the Motion C5, is tailored for medical assitants, and is already used in over 4,000 hospitals and doctor’s offices around the world. It also has a tough LE1700 model designed for rugged outdoor use.
Motion has raised close to $49 million from… Continue Reading
Motion Computing picks up $6M for tablet PCs
Just a day after the long-suffering smartphone and handheld maker Palm picked up a $100 million investment from Elevation Partners, mobile computing startup Motion Computing is announcing a smaller, $6 million investment of its own.
Motion Computing makes slate tablet PCs that are used within industries, especially health care and mobile service. The company has three main lines of tablets, ranging from semi-rugged to fully ruggedized.
The Austin, Tex. company last raised $25 million in 2004, and… Continue Reading
Virtual world maker Gaia cuts staff by 13 percent
Gaia Interactive, a San Jose, Calif. creator of virtual world software, has laid off 13 percent of its employees (16 full-time and 20 contractors) due to unfavorable market conditions. The cuts follow an $11 million third round of funding the company announced in July.
It’s rumored that Gaia’s revenue for November came in much lower than anticipated, considering its summer launch of zOMG! (its new anime-flavored world for tweens). As of last week, the platform had… Continue Reading
Yodlee takes large financing — could spell trouble for Mint
Yodlee, an online finance web platform that directly serves banks and other financial institutions, has raised a large round of $35 million, led by banking giant Bank of America.
Although Yodlee has been something of a dark horse while popular personal finance sites like Mint have taken the spotlight, the company’s apparent success could indicate a more difficult road than anticipated for their competitors in the personal finance market, including Buxfer, Geezeo, Wesabe and many others.
The… Continue Reading
RGB Networks raises $20 milllion for video processing chips
RGB Networks raised $20 million in a fourth round of funding for continued expansion of its video processing chip business.
Institutional Venture Partners led the round. Also participating were existing investors Accel Partners, Comcast Interactive Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Focus Ventures, according to VentureWire.
The Sunnyvale, Calif., company has raised $57 million to date. The company has 125 employees. It was founded in 2003 and launched its first products in 2005. The company competes… Continue Reading
Microsoft gobbles up Danger, maker of the Sidekick mobile software
Microsoft Corp has agreed to acquire Danger, a Silicon Valley company that makes the software for the Sidekick and other mobile devices, for an undisclosed amount.
Danger has worked away for ten years on its device software, and recently filed for an IPO, which we termed as risky (see our piece The Danger-ous IPO), because Danger has not been as open as trends would suggest it should be, and it’s difficult to see how it could… Continue Reading
Medical imager Point Biomedical recaps with $25M
Point Biomedical, a San Carlos, Calif., developer of new biomedical-imaging products, raised $25 million in a recapitalization, peHub reports. Such recapitalizations often amount to a kind of “reset button” for existing investors and lenders, and usually suggest that a startup has run into some kind of significant — but not insurmountable — obstacle.
Investors in the recap round include new investor Vedanta Opportunities Fund and existing investors William Blair Capital Partners, De Novo Ventures, Institutional Venture… Continue Reading
The future of solar is nanotech: Nanogram, Sunflake and other upcoming technologies
With a fresh $32 million funding going to nanotechnoloy firm NanoGram, mainly for development of next-generation solar cells, it’s a good time to point out some up-and-coming technologies that work on very small scales to make photovoltaic cells more efficient.
NanoGram has already had several commercial successes, including inventions in both electronics and medicine. However, the company has of late turned its sights on boosting the efficiency of solar cells.
The company is working on ultra-thin crystalline… Continue Reading
ArcSight, enterprise network security co., files to go public — barely profitable
ArcSight a Cupertino, Calif. provider of software that manages security and compliance for the networks of large companies, has filed for a $74.75 million IPO.
The company broke even in the year ending April 30, on $69 million in revenues, according to its filing.
Since launching in 2002, the company has raised around $15 million from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (which has a 23.8 percent ownership stake), Institutional Venture Partners (11.9 percent), Integral Capital Partners (6.3… Continue Reading
Cortina acquires broadband chip company, ImmenStar
Sunnyvale semiconductor company Cortina Systems has acquired ImmenStar Inc., a Santa Clara, Calif. company that specializes in passive optical network system-on-chip technology, for an undisclosed amount, VentureWire reports (sub required).
The deal was combination of cash and stock.
HomeAway raises $160 for online vacation rentals — largest Internet funding this year
HomeAway, the world’s leader in online vacation rentals, said it has secured $160 million in debt and equity financing to expand globally — including buying the U.S. “rent-by-owner” vacation rental website, VRBO.com (Vacation Rentals by Owner).
This is a huge amount of money, which suggests it wants to go public. The Austin, Texas company’s announcement is here.
This funding represents the largest financing of an Internet software and services company in the U.S. in 2006, the company… Continue Reading