Placecast lands $5M more for location-triggered mobile advertisements

Placecast lands $5M more for location-triggered mobile advertisements

San Francisco’s 1020 Placecast, a company working on new mobile advertising technology, said today it raised $5 million in more funding to continue developing its opt-in location-triggered ad service.

Placecast, which previously raised $4 million, pushes advertisements from major brands to the consumer’s phone depending on their physical location, but allows users to opt-in to the system. Here’s a scenario: You’re shopping and have opted in to receive advertisement alerts from your favorite store, say GAP (you can… Continue Reading

PacketMotion raises $5M for network management

PacketMotion, a San Jose, Calif. provider of enterprise network monitoring and compliance technology, has raised $5 million in a third round of funding to build the sales and marketing operations for its PacketSentry Manager and Probe, a program that helps mid to large-sized companies comply with audit requirements.

Reservoir Venture Partners led the recent round of financing, which included Intel Capital, Mohr Davidow Ventures and Onset Ventures.

Vertos raises $15.5M to decompress spines

Vertos Medical, maker of a non-invasive device for decompressing lumbar spine discs, has brought in $15.5 million in a fourth round of funding from Onset Ventures, CHL Medical Partners, Foundation Medical Partners, Aweida Venture Partners and DFJ Mercury. Based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., the company has now raised $32.5 million to date.

HotSpur launches dialysis technology with new $2.75M

HotSpur Technologies, developer of technology for less invasive dialysis, has brought in $2.75 million to bring its two lead products to market. Based in Mountain View, Calif., the company is backed by Onset Ventures, Bio-Star Private Equity Fund, Finistere Partners, Saratoga Ventures, Three Arch Partners and Versant Ventures. It last raised money in November 2008, bringing in $1.75 million in a first round. Dow Jones VentureWire reports that it will need to raise $5 to… Continue Reading

Brilliant Telecom dials up $7.6M to sync wireless carriers

Brilliant Telecom, a company that designs, develops and distributes network timing solutions for telecommunications equipment, has brought in $7.6 million in convertible debt from Onset Ventures, NovAtel, Asset Management, Draper Associates, Draper Richards, Xilinx and a handful of individual investors, reports Dow Jones VentureWire. Based in Campbell, Calif., says its technology offerings ensure smoother operation of streaming voice and video applications.

Permuto launches platform to track performance of display ads

Permuto, an online marketing company seeking to optimize display advertising for its client brands, has launched a new platform that measures the performance of this type of ad with the same precision that most search engine text-ads are evaluated. Called, ShopperConnect, the platform is targeted at web-based retailers, promising to collect purchasing data, provide dazzling ads, buy ad space and calculate browsers’ responses to the ads.

Based in Palo Alto, Calif., Permuto says its new offering… Continue Reading

Data analytics provider Truviso takes $3M bridge, preps for third round of capital

Truviso, maker of data analytics software, has raised a $3 million bridge round of funding in hopes of getting itself in shape to raise a third round of capital next year. The financing came from Diamondhead Ventures, Onset Ventures and UPS Strategic Enterprise Fund, the same firms that previously provided Truviso with $10 million.

The Foster City, Calif., company is different from similar analytics providers because its software can analyze high-volume data as it comes in… Continue Reading

Vindicia raises $7.5M more for online billing

Vindicia raises $7.5M more for online billing

Vindicia, which provides companies with online software to help manage web billing and payments, has raised $7.5 million in a fourth round of venture funding.

The Redwood City, Calif., startup is one of several companies (Zuora and Aria Systems are the other ones we’ve covered) trying to bring the software-as-a-service approach, where the tools are provided via online subscription, to the billing software market. Among its customers are Symantec, Intuit, Atari/Cryptic Studios, and Outspark. The company… Continue Reading

Relievant Medsystems raises $20M to treat lower back pain

Relievant Medsystems, maker of minimally invasive procedures used to treat chronic lower back pain, has brought in $20 million in private equity from Morgenthaler Ventures, Canaan Partners, Emergent Medical Partners and ONSET Ventures.

Based in Redwood City, Calif., the company has conducted a small pilot study testing out the effectiveness of its lead procedure and has seen positive results. The device used allows spine surgeons to relieve nerve pain in just the lower back without damaging… Continue Reading

Apieron inhales funds for asthma monitor

Apieron, maker of a device that monitors asthmatic conditions, has brought in an undisclosed sum in a fourth round of financing from existing investors Alliance Technology Ventures, Canaan Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Onset Ventures. Based in Menlo Park, Calif., the company says its lead product, which measures lung inflammation, has already earned requisite approval. It says the new funds will go toward marketing and further product development.

In 2003, Apieron brought in $4.6 million from… Continue Reading

Sadra Medical raises $30M for aortic valve replacement

Sadra Medical, which is developing a procedure to replace the aortic valve (for the less medically-savvy, that’s part of your heart), has raised $30 million in a third round of funding. The Campbell, Calif., company dubs its procedure “percutaneous aortic valve replacement,” and it involves placing the prosthetic valve in a patient’s heart by threading a catheter through their arteries. The round was led by Accuitive Medical Ventures, with participation from previous investors Boston Scientific,… Continue Reading

Obopay scores $70M from Nokia for mobile payments

Obopay scores $70M from Nokia for mobile payments

Obopay, provider of a mobile service that lets people transfer money to one another through text messages, just received an investment from Nokia, estimated at $70 million. [Update: It turns out that not all of this money came from Nokia, as most people reported. There were other undisclosed investors involved. TechCrunch suggests that several of Obopay's old-faithful firms also chipped in, including Qualcomm, Redpoint Ventures, Onset Ventures and Richmond Management, but nothing has been confirmed.]… Continue Reading

Netseer nabs $8.1M for ad targeting beyond keywords

Netseer, a company that targets ads based on intuitive relationships between keywords, has brought in an $8.1 million tranche of an expected $14.1 million round of funding from Mission Ventures and ONSET Ventures, according to VentureWire. The Los Angeles company hasn’t disclosed its plans for the new money.

As an example of what Netseer does, VentureWire says its algorithms would be capable of targeting ads for sites mentioning both Cuban cigars and cognac — two things… Continue Reading

Sentilla powers up with $7.5M for energy management

Sentilla powers up with $7.5M for energy management

Sentilla, a company that offers hardware and software for facilities to manage their energy use more efficiently, just brought in $7.5 million in second-round funding to continue product development and expand worldwide.

For now, the Redwood City, Calif. firm gives commercial and industrial companies several ways to determine how much energy they consume and how to cut down. Its Java-based software packages work together to let clients create and run their own energy-saving applications in the… Continue Reading

Stealthy Permuto nabs $6M for web promotions

Permuto, a Palo Alto, Calif. company so secretive that it hardly gives any indication of its business on its website, has brought in $6 million in first-round funding to promote websites and applications for free. The primary appeal of the company so far seems to be its prestigious flock of founders, which includes executives from Yahoo, DoubleClick, Apple, Oracle, Microsoft and Excite@Home.

One hint, a job listing on its site is scouting for software developers who… Continue Reading

BAROnova pulls in funds for weight-loss tech

Medical technology company BAROnova announced today that it brought in $7.5 million in a second round of funding led by pharmaceutical firm Allergan. It plans to use the money to continue developing a weight loss device called the TransPyloric Shuttle.

Basically, the shuttle is installed at the pylorus, the opening of the small intestine located at the bottom of the stomach (it’s inserted endoscopically). The goal of the mechanism is to cause users to feel full… Continue Reading

Apieron seeks $25M under new leadership

Apieron Inc. plans to score $25 million in its currently open fourth-round of funding to advance development and build up sales of an asthma monitoring device.

This round is the first of Holly McGarraugh’s brand new tenure as president and chief executive officer. She joined the Menlo Park, Calif.-based company in January as vice president for marketing. While the company is still busy hammering out term sheets with venture capital firms, McGarraugh says the round should… Continue Reading

1020 Placecast serves location-based ads on Eventful

1020 Placecast serves location-based ads on Eventful

When I got a chance to meet with events web site Eventful back in July to look at their iPhone application, the company informed me it was working on some interesting ways to incorporate advertisements. Today, it revealed those plans: It’s the first cross-platform partner of location-based ad-targeting service 1020 Placecast.

What this means is that Placecast will be in charge of serving up advertisements on Eventful’s webpages and on its mobile site — including the… Continue Reading

Ahead of deployment, Brilliant Telecom adds to its round

Sometimes a funding is all about timing. In Brilliant Telecommunications‘ case, everything it does is about timing. The Campbell, Calif.-based company makes timing devices for the telecom industry.

Gearing up for its deployment of wireless products with a European carrier, the company has added $4.9 million to its second round of funding, according to VentureWire.

This new money, led by previous investor NovAtel, brings its second round total up to $11 million. Asset Management, Draper Associates, Draper… Continue Reading

Arcot Systems pulls down $23 million for digital authentication

As more people handle tasks that require personal verification online, digital signatures are increasingly important.

Arcot Systems, which does digital-based signatures has raised a second round of funding. The money will no doubt be used to expand its operations in digital authentication.

The $23 million round was participated in by Accel Partners, Goldman Sachs, ONSET Ventures, Granite Ventures and Vedanta Capita.

The Sunnvale, Calif.-based Arcot Systems recently developed a token that Google can give business users of its… Continue Reading