VentureBeat

RedSeal takes $12M for security software

RedSeal Systems, developer of cybersecurity software that estimates and manages risk, has raised $12 million in a third round of venture funding led by OVP Venture Partners. Based in San Mateo, Calif., it is also backed by Venrock, Jafco Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures and Leapfrog… Continue Reading

Teranetics scores $2M for Ethernet chips

Teranetics, maker of chips that allow 10-gigabit Ethernet signals to be transmitted over copper wire, has brought in $2 million of a targeted $12.3 million round of equity, debt, rights and securities, according to a filing with the SEC. The San Jose, Calif. company was… Continue Reading

RedSeal closes in on $12M for to manage security risks

RedSeal, a maker of software that keeps track of security risks for businesses, is just $200,000 shy of a $12 million round of equity, according to a filing with the SEC. The San Mateo, Calif. company is backed by Jafco Ventures, Leapfrog Ventures, Sutter Hill… Continue Reading

Satiety fills up on $25.3M for obesity treatments

Satiety, maker of a minimally-invasive medical device that reduces obesity, has raised $25.3 million of an anticipated $33 million round of equity and rights, according to a filing with the SEC. The Palo Alto, Calif. company was previously backed by HLM Venture Partners, Morgenthaler Ventures,… Continue Reading

Durect holds follow-on private sale to raise $10M

Pharmaceutical company Durect has struck a deal with Venrock to sell 4.4 million shares of common stock at $2.25 each (a 9 percent discount) to raise $10 million more. Based in Cupertino, Calif., the company, recently valued at $215 million, says it will use the… Continue Reading

Sapphire Energy launches algae-powered hybrid

Sapphire Energy, maker of an algae-based replacement for gasoline and jet fuel, unveiled its plug-in hybrid electric vehicle today in front of San Francisco’s city hall — combining several promising technologies aimed at slashing carbon emissions.

The car, aptly dubbed the “Algaeus” — built into the… Continue Reading

Quantenna adds new funds for wireless video chips

Quantenna, maker of chipsets used to improve video functionality in televisions and laptop, has added an unspecified amount to its third round of funding, which previously amounted to $13.8 million.

Based in Fremont, Calif., the company has now raised $44 million to date ($2 million more… Continue Reading

Email assistant Cc:Betty raises $1.5M

Cc:Betty, a startup that helps users organize their email, announced today that it has raised $1.5 million in seed funding. The round was led by Venrock, the firm where co-founder and chief executive Michael Cerda incubated the company as an entrepreneur in residence.

The Palo Alto,… Continue Reading

Boston Power puts Massachusetts on the battery map with $9M

Boston Power, maker of advanced batteries for electric vehicles, has struck a deal with the Massachusetts state government for $9 million in matching funds to make its new manufacturing facility in Auburn, Mass. a reality. The funds will help get the ball rolling as the… Continue Reading

Valero inherits hefty stake in ethanol producer Qteros

Oil and gas company Valero Energy has acquired an undisclosed stake in Qteros, maker of microbial ethanol, along with other assets divvied up from bankrupt ethanol producer VeraSun Energy. It also assumed ownership of seven of the company’s plants — 780 megawatts in all —… Continue Reading

Satiety secures $7.5M bridge for tummy tuck shortcut

Satiety, maker of a minimally-invasive device that shrinks stomach capacity via the mouth, has landed a $7.5 million bridge loan from its existing investors — a group that includes Skyline Ventures, HLM Venture Partners, Pinnacle Ventures, Morgenthaler Ventures, Three Arch Partners, Venrock and medical inventor… Continue Reading

BlogHer, the “community for women who blog,” raises $7M more

BlogHer , a content network for "women who blog,” has raised $7 million more in a third round of financing, giving it a treasure chest to keep it through the downturn as it seeks to become profitable next year.

The Redwood City, Calif., company has now… Continue Reading

Lavante racks up $5M for vendor communication services

Lavante, a company that automates communication between vendors and major companies to prevent transaction errors and losses, has taken in $5 million in second-round funding from Venrock and ATA Ventures. Based in San Jose, Calif., the firm, previously known as AuditSolutions, plans to use the… Continue Reading

Philanthropic fund of funds Legacy closes $276M

Legacy Venture, the Palo Alto, Calif. firm that holds a portfolio of other investment funds and distributes returns to charities, announced that it closed a new $276 million fund, its fifth, despite adverse economic conditions. Basically, Legacy takes money from limited partners who commit their… Continue Reading

Canesta scores its 37th U.S. patent for gesture-control technology

Maybe I’m paranoid, but I can smell a legal battle coming in gesture control for TVs, computers, game consoles and other gadgets.

Maybe it’s because Canesta is soon to announce its 37th patent. Normally, that wouldn’t be a big deal, but innovations in user-interfaces are hot… Continue Reading

Public biotech firms Cadence, Affymax draw $128M from bargain-hunting VCs

Much has been written about how the IPO market froze out biotech companies in 2008, but it looks like times are also tough for those who went public before the economy soured. Cadence Pharmaceuticals has seen a dip in stock price from $9 to $7.53… Continue Reading

Compliance software maker Autonomic fails to rebrand, shutters

Autonomic Networks, the very recently reinvented version of Vernier Networks, has finally given up the ghost after failing to raise a new round of capital. The Mountain View, Calif.-based maker of software that monitored compliance with network security protocols had just launched a beta of… Continue Reading

China-focused VCs depart posts — Asia capital crunch to blame?

Sequoia Capital China founding partner Zhang Fan’s decision to leave for an advising post at a philanthropic fund, is the latest development in a wave of departures for venture capitalists working in Asian markets. Citing the desire to work on issues he’s passionate about, Fan… Continue Reading

Allux Medical shuts down, turns to Sherwood

Silicon Valley shutdown/turnaround consultancy Sherwood Partners has been called in by ailing Allux Medical, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based developer of devices used to treat airway and skin inflammatory diseases. The company, which managed to raise $13 million in capital and a $1.68 million bridge round,… Continue Reading