EmSense, the company that reads your brain’s reactions to ads, gets boost
EmSense — the San Francisco company that has created a device to read your mind to assess how you react to TV commercials and other media — has raised $9 million more in a third round of funding.
The company says it is trying to improve on established neuroscience technology called “EEG (Electroencephalography) recording” by offering a better way to tell marketing directors and video game developers which parts of commercials or video games people don’t… Continue Reading
Deeya closes $30M for long-term electrical storage
Deeya Energy, provider of a unique battery for long-term electrical storage, has raised $30 million in a third round of funding to offer renewable and more efficient energy options. Based in Fremont, Calif., the company says it is poised to take advantage of a $46 billion energy storage market — especially now when cutting energy costs is a prime concern for businesses and consumers alike.
The recent round of financing was led by Technology Partners and… Continue Reading
Tesla forecasts 2009 profit, despite recent hard knocks
Electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors announced it will hit profitability by the second half of 2009. The statement was made in a recent company newsletter. Boosted by the $40 million in capital it raised from existing investors in December, the San Carlos, Calif.-based company said this prediction is based on pre-sales of its new Roadster vehicle model, which is already sold out through November of this year. On top of that, the Department of Energy… Continue Reading
PowerGenix gets $30M for electric scooter batteries
Alt-chemistry battery maker PowerGenix has significantly upped its funding with a $30 million fourth round. The company plans to make batteries for electric vehicles, power tools, electronics and other applications.
One of PowerGenix’s most ambitious plans is to crack into the market for electric scooters, which we recently covered. Its nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries are cheaper than lithium-ion, the best battery type available, yet more powerful than standard lead-acids.
The company also has potential markets in hybrid electric… Continue Reading
Another massive funding for thin film solar, with $104M to AVA Solar, a challenger to First Solar
It may not be as much as the colossal $300 million financing that Nanosolar finally disclosed yesterday — the biggest ever for a solar company — but another thin-film manufacturer, AVA Solar, has broken into the nine-figure funding range today, with a challenge to industry giant First Solar’s dominance.
AVA stands out a bit from its peers, for several reasons. For one, it’s based in Fort Collins, Colorado, well away from the sunny or technology-laden areas… Continue Reading
Tria Beauty raises $30M to remove your excess back hair
Tria Beauty (formerly known as SpectraGenics), the Pleasanton, Calif. maker of a device that uses lasers for hair removal, has raised $30 million in its fifth round of financing.
Unlike similar devices, Tria’s hair removal system has been cleared for home use. While it has been sold for some time in Japan and some European countries, the device was also recently approved for the United States by the FDA.
To date, laser hair removal has been an… Continue Reading
PowerGenix hopes to overtake NiMH dominance with alt-chemistry rechargeable batteries
With the market for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) finally starting to heat up in earnest, several companies are making big bets on advanced rechargeable battery technologies. One of these is PowerGenix, a San Diego, Calif.-based startup that makes nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries.
Another is ZPower, a startup that hopes to oust lithium ion as the dominant technology by developing advanced silver-zinc (AgZn) batteries. While they offer greater power density, AgZn batteries haven’t been used much because they… Continue Reading
Life-science briefing: Monday, March 10, 2008
TODAY’S HEADLINES:
BrainCells raises $30M for neuroregeneration drugs (release)
EKR Therapeutics takes in $50M plus $95M in debt for pain, heart drugs (release)
Wright Medical acquires Berkeley’s Inbone Tech for $24M (release)
Argolyn Bioscience names Nixon Ellis as CEO (release)
BrainCells raises $30M for neuroregeneration drugs – San Diego’s BrainCells, a startup focused on drugs intended to stimulate the growth of new neurons, raised $30 million in a second funding round. Investors included MedImmune Ventures, Bay City Capital, Oxford Bioscience Partners,… Continue Reading
Will carbon-trading happen? Goldman hopes so, backs APX
APX, a Silicon Valley company that certifies carbon and emissions offset certificates, and which is well-placed to support carbon-trading markets when they emerge, has gotten backing from Goldman Sachs in a $14 million investment, VentureBeat has learned.
Carbon trading is a growing business that could someday come to resemble the world’s largest financial markets.
Today’s emissions markets are generally small and fragmented. In regional U.S. energy markets, utilities are already required to buy electricity from alternative energy… Continue Reading
The future of solar is nanotech: Nanogram, Sunflake and other upcoming technologies
With a fresh $32 million funding going to nanotechnoloy firm NanoGram, mainly for development of next-generation solar cells, it’s a good time to point out some up-and-coming technologies that work on very small scales to make photovoltaic cells more efficient.
NanoGram has already had several commercial successes, including inventions in both electronics and medicine. However, the company has of late turned its sights on boosting the efficiency of solar cells.
The company is working on ultra-thin crystalline… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007
TODAY’S HEADLINES:
Topical Botox maker Revance gets $43M, option to be acquired by Medicis (release)
Reva Medical draws $42M for resorbable stents (release)
AccentCare raises $8M for senior home-care services (VentureWire, sub req’d)
Light Dimensions aims for $6M for light-based skin treatment (VW)
Carigent pulls in $2M for nanoparticle drugs (release)
Celtic Pharma shoots for $1.5B in two drug-investment funds (VW)
Topical Botox developer Revance gets $43M, option to be acquired by Medicis — Mountain View, Calif.-based Revance Therapeutics, a developer of… Continue Reading
Life sciences briefing: Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007
Featured companies: Reliant Technologies, Leptos Biomedical, Calidora Skin Clinic
Reliant Tech seeks $95M IPO for dermatology lasers — Mountain View, Calif.-based Reliant Technologies, a developer of medical lasers for “skin rejuvenation” treatment, filed to raise as much as $95 million in an initial offering. The company currently markets two laser systems for skin treatment under the Fraxel brand name, and intends to launch a third one next year.
Oddly enough, Reliant Tech’s IPO filing comes just days after… Continue Reading
ITM Software raises $4M more for CIO-focused management software
ITM Software, a Santa Clara, Calif. provider of IT business management software designed for chief information officers, said it has raised $4 million in a fourth round of funding.
The financing round was led by Red Rock Ventures and InnoCal Venture Capital, and also included Ascend Venture Group, Technology Partners, RBC Technology Ventures and Square 1 Bank, among others.
Here’s the announcement.
The company previously raised $28.5 million since 2002.
Technology Partners raises $300M clean-tech and life-science fund
Technology Partners, a Palo Alto, California-based venture capital firm investing focusing on life sciences and clean technology, said it has raised a fund totaling $300 million.
This is the firm’s eighth fund, and it will be equally split between clean technology and life sciences. The firm will invest in seed, early-stage and later stage opportunities, it said in a statement.
It has already invested some of the fund’s money into companies like Tesla Motors, NFocus Neuromedical,… Continue Reading
Biodiesel maker, Imperium Renewables, files for IPO amid growing losses
Imperium Renewables, a biodiesel maker in Seattle, Wa, filed for an initial public offering to raise up to $345 million, the latest sign of heat in the green technology industry.
This was expected. See the filing here.
Note that the company had an operating loss of more than $3.4 million in the three months ending March 31, and a net loss of almost $3 million. Note too that the cost it incurs for its revenues (”cost… Continue Reading
SpectraGenics draws at least $20M for laser hair removal
SpectraGenics, a Pleasanton, Calif., developer of laser hair-removal devices for home use, raised at least $20 million in a fourth round of funding, VentureWire reports (subscription required). The round was led by De Novo Ventures and Technology Partners; other investors included Aphelion Capital, Incubic Venture Capital and SDL Ventures.
SpectraGenics, which still seems to be fairly stealthy, sells a version of its hair-removal device in Japan under the name i-epi. If you read Japanese, or just… Continue Reading
Coaltek, a “clean-coal” company, raises $33.4M more
Coaltek, a Tucker, Ga., company that tries to lower the greenhouse gas emissions created by the burning of coal, has raised $33.4 million in a third round of financing, according to VentureWire (sub required).
Lightspeed Venture Partners led the round, and was joined by existing investors Braemar Energy Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Element Venture Partners, Technology Partners, and Warburg Pincus — brining the company’s total funding to more than $50 million in three rounds of funding.
The… Continue Reading
Whopping $113M round for biodiesel company, Imperium
Biodiesel company Imperium Renewables, of Seattle, said it has raised $113 million in equity financing and is wrapping up a $101 million line of credit, continuing the massive injection of capital into the alternative fuel sector.
The financing of Imperium, run by former Microsoft executive and venture capitalist, Martin Tobias, is believed to be the biggest private equity investment in the sector to date.
The company said Société Générale is arranging the credit financing.
From the statement:
The… Continue Reading
Accelergy, advanced catalytic materials co., raises undisclosed round
Accelergy Corporation, a Palo Alto company which says it offers “high throughput solutions for accelerated discovery, development and commercialization of advanced catalytic materials,” has said it raised a second round of financing from Goldman Sachs (which led the round), Sequoia Capital China and Lux Capital. Accelergy’s existing investors, Nth Power, Technology Partners, Mobius VC and Advent International also participated.
It says it helps companies use environmentally friendly fuels and petrochemicals. It has offices in both the… Continue Reading
Thermage, the anti-wrinkle company, suffers IPO bumbs — prices below forecast
Thermage, the Hayward maker of devices to treat wrinkles, priced six million common shares in its IPO at $7 per share, to raise $42 million.
It had originally wanted to raise $86 million, but lowered its pricing plans, first to between $11 and $13, but later to between $8 and $9.
Its Nasdaq ticker is THRM.
Thermage had raised $48 million from DFJ, Essex Woodlands Health Ventures, Institutional Venture Partners, Morgenthaler and Technology Partners.