Verdezyne raises $3M for organism-made biofuels

Verdezyne, a company that develops special microorganisms used to produce biofuels and biochemicals, has brought in $3 million of an expected $15.2 million round of equity, according to a filing with the SEC. Based in Carlsbad, Calif., the company is backed by Life Science Angels,… Continue Reading

Complete Genomics seals $45M for cheaper gene sequencing

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… Continue Reading

Novomer funnels carbon dioxide into plastics, nabs $14M

Novomer funnels carbon dioxide into plastics, nabs $14M

Novomer, a polymer company with disruptive potential, has made catalysts capable of transforming carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide into plastics and marketable chemicals — and now it’s raised $14 million in a second round of venture funding to scale its technology. Based in Boston, Mass.,… Continue Reading

Tigo Energy charges up with $10M for solar power balancing

Tigo Energy, a company that ties together hardware and software systems to improve solar array efficiency, has raised $10 million in a second round of preferred stock, reports VentureWire. By balancing power evenly across solar deployments, the service prevents outages, improves reliability and increases net… Continue Reading

EnerG2 aims to improve ultracapacitors for electric cars, industry

EnerG2 aims to improve ultracapacitors for electric cars, industry

EnerG2 Inc., an ultracapacitor startup that has kept quiet until now, is launching today with the official announcement that it has raised $8.5 million in its first round of financing. Founded in 2003, it has spent five years developing electrode materials that it claims can boost… Continue Reading

EnerG2 raises $8.5M for energy storage materials

EnerG2, a Seattle, Wash. company making advanced materials for fuel and energy storage, has raised an $8.5 million round of funding, according to Xconomy.

Various nanomaterials that the company is working on could prove useful for holding methane, hydrogen and other fuels. Other new materials could… Continue Reading

Mobile app maker MobUI acquires Action Engine to extend reach

MobUI Corp., a young mobile application developer, announced today that it has bought peer company Action Engine Corp. The latter has a software platform that streamlines the process of adapting one application to different handhelds and carriers, which could help MobUI scale. The cost of… Continue Reading

AdmitOne Security uses keystroke identification to screen users

AdmitOne Security uses keystroke identification to screen users

Identity thieves are everywhere. A teenager snatched the login of his real-estate agent father and threw wild parties at homes that were up for sale. Students get someone else to take a test for them. Loan officers get hacked and the profiles of 7,000 of… Continue Reading

CarbonFlow raises $2.9M for carbon trading software

CarbonFlow, a San Francisco, Calif.-based developer of carbon trading software, has secured $2.9 million in first round funding. It was led by Clean Pacific Ventures, with OVP Venture Partners and New Zealand-based Meridian Energy, a strategic partner, also taking part. One of the firm’s cofounders… Continue Reading

Lucid Commerce raises $2.5M for business intelligence

Lucid Commerce, a Seattle startup that provides business data for direct-response marketers, has raised a $2.5 million first round of venture capital, according to VentureWire. OVP Venture Partners led the round, and Adconion Media Group chairman Neil Sunderland also participated.

There are a number of companies… Continue Reading

Vantos raises $10.6M for enterprise investigation

Vantos, a Seattle-based software startup with a product that can help companies with internal investigations and auditing, has raised $10.6 in a second round of funding.

Regulatory changes like the passage of Sarbanes-Oxley have opened the way for companies like Vantos. New laws demanding tight controls… Continue Reading

Tigo Energy raises $6M for solar panel boost

A Los Gatos company that says it brings together innovations from solar, IT and the semiconductor industry, Tigo Energy has raised a first round of funding for a combined hardware / software designed to improve solar panel installations.

Power output, up-time and reliability are all improved,… Continue Reading

Life-science briefing: Friday, March 14, 2008

Life-science briefing: Friday, March 14, 2008

TODAY’S HEADLINES

Cantimer takes in $2M for dehydration diagnostics (VentureWire)
Recodagen launches, takes aim at cancer (release)
Juniper Diagnostics spins out of ChemSensing (VentureWire)

Cantimer takes in $2M for dehydration diagnostics –The mystery of Menlo Park, Calif.-based Cantimer has resolved a bit. We wrote about this stealthy company back… Continue Reading

TZero raises $20M for ultrawideband chips

TZero Technologies, a Sunnyvale, Calif. wireless ultrawideband developer and chipmaker, is raising up to $20 million in a third round of funding, according to a financing documents sent to VentureBeat.

Ultrawideband is a wireless transmission technology with much higher speeds than WiFi, but it has not… Continue Reading

GainSpan receives funding for wireless sensors

GainSpan receives funding for wireless sensors

Tucked unobtrusively away in corners and out-of-the-way places, sensors record the world around us — tracking air quality, electricity usage, temperature and other variables. The modern world needs such measurements, but installing and maintaining the sensors is costly.

GainSpan is a Sunnyvale, Calif. company that says… Continue Reading

M2E Power raises $8M for self-recharging batteries

M2E Power raises $8M for self-recharging batteries

Like the self-powered “kinetic” watches many people now wear, M2E Power’s batteries include a micro-generator that continuously recharges battery power as the user moves around.

Aiming at soldiers carrying mobile devices in the field, M2E says it can lower the battery weight they need to carry,… Continue Reading

Life sciences briefing: Friday, Oct. 26, 2007

Life sciences briefing: Friday, Oct. 26, 2007

Featured companies: Allozyne, Arteriocyte Medical Systems, Arthrosurface, Bay City Capital, EnteroMedics, OncoVista, Novotech, Power Medical Interventions, Reliant Technologies

UPDATED: Expanded items on Allozyne, Reliant Tech, Power Medical and Bay City Capital.
UPDATE REDUX: Added item on EnteroMedics IPO.

Seattle’s Allozyne draws $30M for new interferon — Allozyne, a Seattle biotech… Continue Reading

Life sciences briefing: Friday, Sept. 21, 2007

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 —… Continue Reading

Accelerator incubator raises $23M for new biotech investments

TZero, ultrawideband chip co., searching for more capital amid competition

TZero Technologies, a Sunnyvale, Calif. developer of chips for so-called wireless ultrawideband technology that can transmit large data files such as video in the home, is on the prowl for $25 million in a third round of funding, according to VentureWire (subscription required).

The search for… Continue Reading