eAsic takes $7M for integrated circuit technology
eAsic, provider of integrated circuit technology tailored to specific applications, has brought in $7 million of an expected $12 million round of convertible promissory notes, according to a filing with the SEC. Based in Santa Clara, Calif., the copany is backed by Advanced Equities, Crescendo Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Evergreen Partners.
Soladigm takes $20.7M for green building materials
Soladigm, a fairly stealthy green building company based in Santa Rosa, Calif., has raised $20.7 million of an expected $21.6 million round of equity, according to a filing with the SEC. It lists Sigma Partners and Khosla Ventures as previous investors.
The company doesn’t provide much information on its products or services, saying only that it is “developing next-generation green building solutions with a global impact.” It is, however, recruiting experts in the semiconductor, glass-making and… Continue Reading
Amyris racks up $41.8M for renewable biofuels
Amyris Biotechnologies, one of the most generously-funded startups using microorganisms to produce synthetic biofuels, has added to its third round of funding, taking it from $24.7 million to $41.8 million. But Amyris is not going to stop till it hits its $60 million target, hopefully later this fall, it says. Achieving this amount would boost its total capital raised to more than $165 million (to put this in context, it’s lead competitors LS9 and Coskata… Continue Reading
Green investing bounces back from recession
Venture Capital investment in green technology companies has jumped to tie pre-recessionary levels, according to a new report out of Greentech Media. With $1.9 billion spread over 112 deals, this year’s third quarter trounced figures from earlier this year, signaling a stronger than anticipated comeback for the sector, which took a beating during the economic downturn last fall.
To put the recent numbers in context: the second quarter this year saw $1.2 billion distributed across 85… Continue Reading
Chevron chips in $25M for biofuel company LS9
LS9, perhaps the company to watch synthesizing biofuels and chemicals from organic feedstocks like switchgrass, has brought in $25 million in a new round of capital from Chevron Technology Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Flagship Ventures.
This is the second big win, the South San Francisco company has had recently. In May, it also landed a deal with corporate giant Procter & Gamble to make consumer chemicals from renewable and sustainable sources. Right now, its… Continue Reading
Mascoma teams with Chevron to turn ethanol byproduct into diesel and jet fuel
Soon after announcing funding for Soane Energy — a company working to clean up its oil extraction projects — Chevron released news that it will partner (PDF) with biofuel maker Mascoma to turn lignin, a byproduct of ethanol production, into diesel and jet fuel.
If the technology takes hold, it could nearly double the productivity and efficiency of ethanol plants. This is important, considering the national emphasis on ethanol derived from agricultural sources like corn and… Continue Reading
LanzaTech churns steel factory emissions into fuel
Biofuel companies are gaining momentum — with the market fixing its eyes on the conversion of corn and other agricultural stocks into ethanol. But another area of the business seems to be heating up: turning trash into transportation fuel. Last week, Fulcrum BioEnergy demonstrated its technology squeezing ethanol from municipal garbage. Today, New Zealand-based LanzaTech says it can do the same from waste gases released by steel factories.
Founded in 2005, the company has proved that… Continue Reading
Cleantech due for a comeback? Khosla Ventures raises $1.1B, hires former Facebook CFO
Update: Khosla Ventures just sent us a press release confirming the news.
Looks like not everyone’s afraid of the ongoing shakeup of the venture capital industry. Khosla Ventures, the firm headed by Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla, has raised two funds totaling $1.1 billion to invest mostly into companies seeking to clean up the environment.
We already wrote that Khosla was raising the funds, but the New York Times has confirmed that he’s pulled together the money.
There’s… Continue Reading
Battery maker Seeo raises $8.6M
Seeo, a Berkeley, Calif.-based battery-maker, has raised more than $8.6 million in new funding, according to a regulatory filing. The company’s website doesn’t say much about the product, except that “Seeo is developing advanced materials to revolutionize electricity storage and delivery.” The company raised nearly $1 million from Khosla Ventures last year, and peHub reports that Khosla is a return investor.
Amyris takes $24.7M for renewable biofuels
Amyris Biotechnologies, one of the best-funded companies deriving biofuels from synthetic microorganisms, has raised $24.75 million of a targeted $62 million third round of venture financing, according to a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Emeryville, Calif. company has raised an impressive $120 million before now.
Both Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers have invested in Amyris — also setting it apart as one of the companies to watch in the… Continue Reading
CalPERS commits $60M to Khosla’s new seed fund
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System announced today that it has committed $60 million dollars to Khosla Ventures for its new seed-stage fund. The firm, based in Menlo Park, Calif., and founded by former Kleiner Perkins higher-up Vinod Khosla, has invested in 70 early and late-stage companies to date with a strong focus on the cleantech area — including the solar, energy efficiency, battery and biofuel spaces. It has raised $250 million for its seed… Continue Reading
ZocDoc takes $940K for online doctor appointment booking
ZocDoc, a web site that allows regular people to book doctor appointments, view patient reviews and find physicians online for free, has raised $940,000 of a targeted $1.6 million round of equity, reports VentureWire. The New York company’s backers include Khosla Ventures, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ firm Bezos Expeditions, and Salesforce founder Marc Benioff.
ZocDoc has raised $3 million to date.
Coskata looks to stimulus to finish commercial biofuel plant
Even though cellulosic ethanol maker Coskata just brought in $40 million in a third round of funding in November, it needs more to finish off its new commercial-scale plant — and the government stimulus package for biofuels looks like just the ticket.
Chief executive Bill Roe told VentureWire that Coskata is “very optimistic” about its chances of receiving the low-interest loans and loan guarantees from the Department of Energy soon. [Update: Previously, this post stated that… Continue Reading
Khosla Ventures to bank $1B as fund-raising freeze shows signs of thaw
Khosla Ventures, the venture firm spearheaded by Sun Microsystems co-founder Vinod Khosla, is getting ready to close two new funds in the next two weeks: A $250 million pot to support seed-stage startups, and a $750 million pot to finance bigger deals.
Venture firms looking for funding have had a tough time recently as limited partners and institutional investors conserve their cash through the downturn. Very few new funds have made it past the starting line… Continue Reading
Mobile payment startup Boku rolls up social rivals, raises funding
Mobillcash, Paymo and Zong have spent the last year or so competing to offer mobile payment services, most prominently for social gaming applications and casual gaming sites. Now, as social gaming continues to grow in users and revenue, the competition is getting fiercer — and that means consolidation. Mobillcash and Paymo have been rolled up into a new, fourth company: Boku.
Founded at the beginning of this year by serial entrepreneur Mark Britto, Boku is trying to combine… Continue Reading
YuMe takes $2.9M for broadband video ads
YuMe, an advertising network specializing in broadband video, has brought in $2.9 million of a $4.5 million round of equity. In the past, it raised about $16 million in capital from Accel Partners, BV Capital, DAG Ventures and Khosla Ventures, reports VentureWire. It is very similar to video ad network Blinkx.
MokaFive snags $5M for virtualization software
MokaFive, maker of computer virtualization software, says it brought in $5 million of an expected $7.5 million round of debt financing. Based in Redwood City, Calif., the company has not disclosed its recent investors. However, it previously raised a $15 million second round of funding in 2007 from Khosla Ventures and Highland Capital Partners.
Xsigo raises funds for wireless data centers
Xsigo, maker of a device that virtualizes network connections in data centers, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from North Bridge Venture Partners, Greylock Partners, Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, among others. The San Jose, Calif. company says its technology can drastically reduce the number of wires running through server farms.
Xsigo says the new money will be used to grow its sales and marketing organization. It already has 35 customers and… Continue Reading
Ausra raises $25.5M for narrowed focus on solar equipment
Ausra, one of the big names in Silicon Valley solar, just brought in $25.5 million to become a primary supplier of solar thermal equipment for utilities and power generation plants. The money couldn’t come at a better time as capital continues to dry up, especially in the cleantech and solar sectors. At the same time, it solidifies the Mountain View, Calif. company’s role as a supplier, and not a builder of plants itself.
Ausra is one… Continue Reading
WiMax chip provider Beceem raises $20M
Beceem Communications, one of the top providers of WiMax chipsets, announced that it’s brought in $20 million in a fifth round of funding to scale its manufacturing operations.
The round was led by Motorola and included Global Catalyst Partners, Khosla Ventures, KTB Ventures, Walden International, Intel Capital, NEC, Mitsui and Samsung. Beceem, based in Santa Clara, Calif., has raised $110 million to date.