Roundup: Omaha’s Oracle bets on electric cars, web radio gets a win, a cloud computing critic, and more
In case you’re tired of reading about the markets imploding, here’s some unrelated news:
Warren Buffet invests in Chinese battery maker — He’s called the Oracle of Omaha for his ability to spot long-term trends. Take note, then, that Warren Buffet has bought almost 10 percent of a Chinese battery maker whose cells go into electric cars, BYD Company, via one of his existing companies.
Web radio bill passes House — Companies like Pandora and Last.fm may survive after… Continue Reading
Amyris raising $70M for fuel to replace petroleum
Amyris, an Emeryville, Calif. company using synthetic biology to create a fuel to replace petroleum, said it has raised the first portion of a planned $70 million second round of funding.
Duff Ackerman & Goodrich Ventures (DAG Ventures) led the financing, and was joined by earlier investors Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and TPG Ventures, which together had invested $20 million last year.
The company, which was vague about its plans when we wrote about… Continue Reading
Conversation with McNamee: Three fit the bill — RIM, Palm and Apple
VentureBeat talked last night with Roger McNamee (pictured left), asking him why his firm, Elevation Partners, would want to buy into Palm, a company that many people see having a tough time ahead, given intense competition.
Some doubt its chances of survival as a standalone company.
[See our initial coverage of Elevation's $325 million in investment into Palm. Also see the Mercury News coverage. The Elevation-Palm deal comes amid a wave of M&A activity -- see coverage... Continue Reading
Seven Seas Water to buy up water purification companies in Caribbean
Seven Seas Water, a water desalination and purification company in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, has recieved $20 million to buy up similar companies in the sector.
According to VentureWire (sub required), the company is backed by buyout firm TPG, venture firm DFJ Element Venture Partners, and Douglas Brown, the former chief executive of water purification and desalination company Ionics Inc..
According to the report, Seven Seas Water has received commitments for up to $100 million from… Continue Reading