Expresso Fitness boosted by $6M
Expresso Fitness, maker of cardio gym equipment with interactive, virtual reality screens, has brought in $6 million in a fourth round of funding from Sierra Ventures, Physic Ventures, and Enterprise Partners Venture Capital, reports PE Hub. The Sunnyvale, Calif. company says it will use the new financing to add new features to its current products and to beef up its sales operations.
Expresso currently sells two types of stationary bikes — upright (which also comes in… Continue Reading
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., the company, which relies on an extensive patent estate, is one of a very small handful of firms racing to create biodegradable plastics.
Turning carbon gases into feedstock for profitable chemical… Continue Reading
EnergyHub ropes first round for home energy management dashboards
EnergyHub, creator of electronic dashboards that let people track and reduce how much energy they are using in real time, closed its first round of funding today, gaining a certain degree of legitimacy in an increasingly crowded field of competitors. The money will fund a 50-home pilot test of the firm’s products in preparation for commercial release as early as this summer.
While it didn’t disclose the amount of the round, received from .406 Ventures and… Continue Reading
Expresso pulls in $14M for interactive cardio equipment
Is it just me or is one of the best things to hit the gym the mini TV screens now built into treadmills and ellipticals? For all those who now depend on a good episode of CSI to get them through their workout, there’s good news today out of Expresso Fitness, a company that markets exercise bikes to gyms with a media twist. It just raised $14 million in a round of venture debt and… Continue Reading
HaloSource raises $11.5M for water purification
Water purification technology has drawn increased attention from investors of late. HaloSource just became the most recent company to receive funding, taking a round of $11.5 million for commercialize its device in the developing world.
HaloSource uses a chemical called bromine to kill microorganisms in water. The bromine is encased in polystyrene beads, which release tiny amounts as water passes over them. Cartridges containing the beads purify about 3,000 liters of water and cost $7 to… Continue Reading
Physic Ventures tops off first healthcare fund at $159M
updated
Physic Ventures, a San Francisco venture firm that invests in companies focused on healthcare and sustainable living for consumers, has finished raising its first fund of $159 million.
So far, Physic has put money into five companies, including sleep-inducing chocolate maker Dreamerz Food, the interactive exercise company Expresso Fitness and eco-friendly plastic producer Novomer.
Managing director Will Rosenzweig said that where traditional life science investors put money into things like drugs that are reimbursed by health-care providers,… Continue Reading
Expresso Fitness raises $12M for exercise technology
Expresso Fitness, which has created a more interactive experience for users looking to shed pounds on a stationary bike, has raised $12 million in the second part of its third round of funding. That comes on top of $9 million already raised for this round a year ago.
Among other things, Expresso Fitness allows you to race your bike on a virtual course while competing against an onscreen “ghost” who represents your best time. Expresso offers… Continue Reading
Novomer, an eco-friendly plastic maker, raises $6.6M
updated
Just as cars guzzle oil and spew out carbon dioxide, so does plastic manufacturing. Worse, landfills are overflowing with plastics that won’t degrade for hundreds of years, and harmful chemicals from some plastics threaten living organisms or eat away at the ozone layer.
Quite a few companies are working on, or already offer, plastics with safer properties. For example, some newer plastics are made from organic materials like sugar, biodegradable within weeks, or safe for animals… Continue Reading
Dreamerz Foods raises $10M, selling food that lets you sleep and reduces stress
Dreamerz Foods, a San Francisco natural foods company that says it seeks to induce “healthy sleep and stress reduction” with its food products, has raised $10 million in a second round of funding.
The company’s statement is here.
The financing comes from Physic Ventures, Dean Foods Company and Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd. Original investors Burrill & Company, Great Spirit Ventures, Prolog Ventures, and Unilever Ventures also participated in the financing, the company said
Dreamerz Foods says it… Continue Reading
Unilever invests in new venture fund Physic Ventures
Unilever has invested in a San Francisco venture firm called Physic Ventures, according to VentureWire (sub required).
The firm will take over management of Unilver’s portfolio of private investments, which until now has been run by a venture arm of Unilever.
The firm will invest in “consumer-directed health, wellness and sustainable living” companies, according to its Web site.