Upek raises $6.2M for fingerprinting software
Upek, a provider of software technology that authenticates fingerprints for various security applications, has brought in $6.2 million of a targeted $12.7 million round or equity, rights and securities, according to a filing with the SEC. The Emeryville, Calif. company is backed by Diamondhead Ventures, Earlybird, EDBV Management, Green Dot Capital, and Sofinnova Ventures.
Upek filed to go public in 2007, but ended up withdrawing its application last year due to poor market conditions. It last… Continue Reading
Alvine gobbles $21.5M to treat gastrointestinal disease
Alvine Pharmaceuticals, developer of drugs for autoimmune and gastrointestinal diseases, has raised $21.5 million more in first-round funding, bringing the total to $47.5 million. The San Carlos, Calif. received the expansion from Panorama Capital, InterWest Partners, Prospect Venture Partners, Sofinnova Ventures, Black River Asset Management and Flagship Ventures.
Hyperion raises $60M to battle urea cycle disorders
Hyperion Therapeutics, developer of treatments for urea cycle disorders and illnesses, has brought in $60 million in a third round of financing from Bay City Capital, Panorama Capital, Highland Capital Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Sofinnova Ventures.
Based in South San Francisco, the company recently completed phase-two clinical trials for its lead drug candidate and says the new capital will be used to push it through phase three. This therapy is targeted at patients who are… Continue Reading
Hyperion brings in $13M for gastrointestinal relief
Hyperion Therapeutics, maker of pharmaceuticals to treat hepatology and gastrointenstinal conditions, has raised $13 million of an anticipated $15 million round of debt, according to VentureWire. Contributors have not been disclosed, but the South San Francisco, Calif. company had previously raked in $40 million in a second round of funding from Sofinnova Ventures, Highland Capital Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Washington Research Foundation Capital.
Hyperion is one of the companies that has reported fundraising activity due… Continue Reading
Investors give up on diabetes drug maker DiObex
After failing to raise a sustaining round of capital, DiObex has been effectively shut down by its investors. They have laid off the San Francisco company’s eight employees and are moving to quickly sell off its assets, including its lead drug candidate, a compound that prevents hypoglycemia in diabetes patients.
DiObex originally launched with $30 million from Domain Associates, Inventages Venture Capital, Pequot Capital, Sofinnova Ventures and several others in 2003. In the past year or… Continue Reading
KaloBios tacks on $12M more for engineered antibodies
South San Francisco, Calif.-based KaloBios, a biotech company that raised $20 million just five months ago, has added another $12 million in a second close of its fourth round of venture capital.
KaloBios has three antibody products in development, each of which targets a specific set of diseases. Two of the candidates, KB001 and KB002, have made it to Phase 2 clinical testing.
The new funding was led by Baxter International, one of the world’s largest healthcare… Continue Reading
Catalyst lands $40M to combat disease-causing proteins
Catalyst Biosciences has raked in $40.4 million in third-round funding to continue engineering an enzyme called protease to fight disease-causing proteins. The technology has the potential to affect many different diseases, including cancer and hemophilia. It has R&D agreements with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Centocor Research & Development.
Based in South San Francisco, the company received its recent round from new investor Essex Woodlands Health Ventures and previous backers Burrill & Company, HealthCare Ventures, Johnson & Johnson… Continue Reading
Phenomix cancels IPO, finds new lab partner
Biopharmaceuticals company Phenomix withdrew its filing to go public yesterday and right away announced a $340-million collaboration deal with Forest Laboratories. The IPO, intended to raise $86.3 million, had been pending since January.
Forest will aid the San Diego-based firm in the development of its diabetes treatment, dutogliptin, which is currently in its third phase of clinical trials. The deal represented $75 million for the company up front, with potentially more to come as the drug… Continue Reading
Crocus snags $15.8M to develop magnetic memory chips
French semiconductor maker Crocus Technology has raised $15.8 million in second round financing, in addition to $4.1 million from OSEO, France’s public agency for funding innovation.
The company plans to use the round for continued development of its magnetic random access memory (MRAM) chips, which can store information using magnetic fields. These chips are less volatile, suck less power and are generally faster than the flash memory used in most computers and handheld electronics.
Crocus expects that… Continue Reading
Engineered antibody maker KaloBios takes on $20M for clinical trials
South San Francisco, Calif.-based KaloBios Pharmaceuticals, which develops non-human antibodies for use in human bodies, has taken $20 million in its fourth round of venture funding.
KaloBios is currently going through seven first- and second-phase clinical trials for two drugs and is working on a third, newer drug. The drugs are aimed at patients with cystic fibrosis and autoimmune disorders like asthma.
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and Genzyme Ventures co-led the round. Also participating were previous investors MPM… Continue Reading
Anthera Pharmaceuticals raises $19M for anti-inflammatory drugs
Anthera Pharmaceuticals has raised $19 million in a second round of funding led by Caxton Advantage Life Sciences Fund and HBM BioCapital. Existing investors VantagePoint Venture Partners, Sofinnova Ventures, Pappas Ventures and Mitsubishi International Corporation also participated.
The San Mateo, Calif. company is developing treatments for inflammatory diseases and autoimmune disorders. told VentureWire that its lead treatment, Varespladib, is directed at cardiovascular patients and has completed two Phase II tests. Anthera raised $36 million in 2006.
InterKrin raises $18.5M for continued work on diabetes drug
Palo Alto, Calif.-based InterKrin is developing an anti-diabetes drug. It has raised an $18.5 million in a not-yet-closed third round of funding, according to VentureWire. The round was led by Amgen and Skyline Ventures and joined by existing backers Sofinnova Ventures, OrbiMed Advisors, Asset Management, Sears Capital Management and Vivo Ventures.
Alvine Pharmaceuticals raises $26 million for disease research
San Carlos, Calif. company Alvine Pharmaceuticals recently added $5 million to its first venture round, bringing total funding to $26 million, according to VentureWire.
Alvine’s research focuses on treatment for autoimmune and gastrointestinal diseases, and it started clinical trials in February for its treatment of celiac sprue, a condition that stems from the inability to process gluten. Backers include Cargill Ventures, Flagship Ventures, InterWest Partners, Prospect Venture Partners and Sofinnova Ventures.
Life-science briefing: Monday, March 24, 2008
TODAY’S HEADLINES:
Trius Therapeutics raises $30M for new antibiotics (release)
Genomas gets $1.2M grant for genomic side-effect tests (release)
Provasculon receives $500K, enters Biogen Idec incubator (VentureWire)
Animal diagnostics firm Quadraspec aims for $5M round (VentureWire)
MPM Capital names two executive partners (release)
Trius Therapeutics raises $30M for new antibiotics – Trius Therapeutics, a San Diego startup developing new treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections, raised $30 million in a second funding round. Investors included Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers, FinTech Global Capital, Sofinnova… Continue Reading
Laszlo Systems, developer of Ajax applications, raises $6.6M more
Laszlo Systems, the original developer of OpenLaszlo, an open source platform for building and deploying advanced Ajax applications, has raised $6.6 million more for its third round of financing.
This is apparently in addition to the$8 million in funding the company got more than a year ago (see our coverage).
Investors include WI Harper Group, General Catalyst Partners, Sofinnova Ventures, Mitsui & Co. Venture Partners and others.
The San Mateo-based company offers a product called OpenLaszlo, which has… Continue Reading
Roundup: Google’s space-algae plans, Visto’s cries IPO, more
Here’s the latest action:
1)Google’s hires astronaut, funds algae-in-space research
2) Google slowly but surely moves apps to work offline
3) AdaptiveBlue makes its “Smart Links” smarter
4) YieldBuild wants to improve the placement and color of text ads
5) Technology to let machines drive cars is six to eight years away
6) Network Physics dies, sells assets to Opnet Technologies
7) Facebook sued for messaging
Visto declares it wants to go public for fourth year in a row
9) NBC Universal has pulled… Continue Reading
Catalyst Mobile, mobile application supplier, raises $10M
Catalyst Mobile, a startup that delivers mobile music and entertainment for large partners like China Mobile, has raised $10 million in funding.
The Emeryville, Calif., company provides a panoply of mobile services, essentially trying to do everything mobile for big companies: Foremost, it offers music download technology, with digital rights management. It offers this directly, but also offers the download technology to companies like Warner Music Japan’s Rhino mobile (see screenshot).
But it also offers playlist recommendations,… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2007
Featured companies: Atritech, Avalon Partners, Ensemble Discovery, Hyperion Therapeutics, LifeBond, ReShape Medical, SafeStitch, Trophos, UltraShape
Hyperion Therapeutics raises $40M against GI and kidney disease — Hyperion Therapeutics, a South San Francisco, Calif., specialty pharmaceutical company, raised $40 million in a second funding round. Investors included Sofinnova Ventures, Highland Capital Partners, New Enterprise Associates and WRF Capital.
Hyperion, which buys the rights to test and market drug candidates from other companies, said the proceeds will allow it to complete… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Monday, Aug. 27, 2007
Featured companies: Bravo Health, InfraReDx, MedAssets, Prestwick Pharmaceuticals
Prestwick Pharma raises $20M for neuro drugs — Specialty pharma Prestwick Pharmaceuticals, a Washington, D.C., firm that acquires cast-off drug candidates to treat neurological conditions, raised $20 million from existing investors, VentureWire reports (subscription required). Among those participating in the funding were Atlas Venture, Sofinnova Ventures, Vivo Ventures, Scale Venture Partners, Warburg Pincus and Pequot Ventures.
Prestwick said it raised the funds to acquire additional drug candidates. The company filed… Continue Reading
KaloBios draws in $20M for antibody drugs
KaloBios, a Palo Alto, Calif., biotech antibody-therapeutic company, raised $20 million in a third funding round. The company is developing new drugs based on monoclonal antibodies, which target specific cells or proteins in the body. Its lead candidate, an antibody against granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, or GM-CSF — a protein that helps regulate the white-blood-cell immune response — is intended to treat a variety of immune-related diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.
Lehman Brothers led… Continue Reading