Tethys picks up $25M for diabetes diagnostic
Tethys Bioscience, maker of a diagnostic test that indicates which patients are at the highest risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, has raised $25 million in a fourth round of funding. Based in Emeryville, Calif., the company is backed by Aeris Capital, Wasatch Advisors, Intel Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Mohr Davidow Ventures. It has raised about $80 million to date.
Spinal Modulation raises $27M to treat spinal pain
Spinal Modulation, a company that makes treatments for chronic spinal pain, has brought in $27.4 million in a third round of capital to finance trials of its lead medical device. Based in Menlo Park, Calif., the company is backed by Johnson & Johnson Development Corp., InCube Ventures, Raffle Venture Partners, DeNovo Ventures, DFJ ePlanet Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and MedVenture Associates.
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.
Nodality scores $3.5M for personal diagnostics
Nodality, a biotech company that makes diagnostics focused on cell pathways, has brought in $3.5 million of an expected $10 million round of equity, according to a filing with the SEC. Based in South San Francisco, its backers include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Maverick Capital and TPG Biotechnology.
iPierian snags $3.7M grant from NIH for cell reprogramming
iPierian, a South San Francisco-based company that’s researching the use of cellular reprogramming for drug discovery applications, has been selected by the National Institutes of Health for a $3.7 million grant to continue work on these topics in tandem with Johns Hopkins University.
The two-year “Great Opportunities” grant is actually part of the federal stimulus package to help fuel neurological and stroke-related research. Its work could eventually be used to treat ALS, Parkinson’s and spinal muscular… Continue Reading
RazorGator gobbles $188K to resell event tickets
RazorGator, a web-based platform for reselling your tickets to sporting or entertainment events, has raised $188,000 in rights, according to a filing with the SEC. The Los Angeles-based company is backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Hercules Technology Growth Capital and Oak Investment Partners.
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
Booyah rakes in $5M for online social game based on real life
Booyah makes a web and iPhone-based game that lets you earn points by achieving things in real life — like going to the gym, learning how to cook more recipes, etc. — and then share this information with your friends and others to keep motivation running high. Today, the Palo Alto company announced that it raised $5 million in a second round of funding, according to a filing with the SEC.
While Booyah did not list… Continue Reading
HX Diagnostics takes $4.7M for disease diagnostics
HX Diagnostics, maker of quick-acting diagnostic tests for infectious diseases, brought in $4.7 million in equity and securities, according to a filing with the SEC. The company has previously been backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
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
Fisker trumps Tesla with $528M loan from Energy Dept.
In a somewhat unexpected move, the U.S. Department of Energy has granted luxury plug-in hybrid-electric car maker Fisker Automotive a $528.7 million conditional loan to finance the development of two different car models. As part of the stimulus package, the money — announced today by Energy Secretary Steven Chu — could help Fisker create up to 5,000 jobs — it also beats out $465 million in loans the DOE gave to the company’s primary competitor,… Continue Reading
Juvaris gets infusion for infectious disease vaccines
Juvaris BioTherapeutics, a Burlingame, Calif.-based developer of vaccines to treat infectious diseases, announced that it raised financing toward its targeted $25 million second round of funding from SV Life Sciences and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. The company wouldn’t put a finer point on the amount, mostly because it is open to further investments in the round.
The money will give Juvaris a two-year runway to improve the immune responses caused by its vaccines. Right now,… Continue Reading
Electric car maker Fisker nails down plans for 2011 profitability
Fisker Automotive, prime Tesla Motors competitor and maker of the luxury plug-in hybrid vehicle known as the Karma, has announced plans to sell 15,000 cars and apply for government funds in order to hit profitability by 2011. The Southern California company plans to launch production later this year.
In order to turn a profit in such a short time frame, Fisker says it will need to be selling at least 15,000 cars — each with a… 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
Hara lands $14M to track environmental ‘metabolisms’
Hara, maker of environmental and energy management software, has raised $14 million in a second round of funding only three months after its launch. Backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the company is unique in its ability to track not only energy consumption or carbon output, but what it dubs “organizational metabolism.” It looks at all the resources that go into its clients’ supply chains — including water — how they are used, and… Continue Reading
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
3VR finds $12M for searchable surveillance
3VR Security, maker of video surveillance equipment with a built-in search engine and more detailed motion and facial recognition, has brought in $12 million in a fourth round of funding led by Menlo Ventures, according to PE Hub. Based in San Francisco, the company will continue to expand its client base, now numbering 600 across a wide array of sectors, and diversify its portfolio of surveillance products for different needs. One of the selling points… Continue Reading
Kleiner makes splash with inaugural water investment
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers has backed its first water-related cleantech company — a significant milestone for the firm, and a sign that the floodgates might finally open in water investing in the U.S. The lucky recipient, Applied Process Technology (APT), makes water remediation technology that removes agricultural (read: fertilizer) nitrates from well water.
Europe has been leading the pack in the water space for a while now, with the U.S. opting to focus cleantech investing… Continue Reading
RPX raises funds to aggregate defensive patents
RPX Corporation, provider of a service that aggregates patents to prevent violations and subsequent litigation costs, has brought in an undisclosed amount of second-round funding from Index Ventures, Charles River Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Based in San Francisco, the company charges companies fees between $35,000 and $4.9 million a year — a decent exchange for some companies that pay out millions of dollars annually due to patent infringement. RPX actually buys the rights… Continue Reading
iZumi Bio merges with Pierian to fuel stem cell technology
iZumi Bio, a research firm specializing in stem-cell research used to create a range of treatments, has merged with a similar company, Pierian, to advance development of regenerative medical therapies. At the same time, the new entity — iPierian — has taken in $11.5 million in new capital, including $10 million from MPM Capital.
The new company is taking up iZumi’s objective: to focus on pluripotent stem cells — skin cells that can be endowed with… Continue Reading