Tuesday, January 15, 2008ProQuo Adds $8M In Series B FundingLa Jolla-based ProQuo said Tuesday that it has received an $8M, second round of funding from Mission Ventures and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Mission led the round for the company, which operates a service which stops junk mail and use of personal information by marketers. Leo Spiegel of Mission Ventures has joined the company's board of directors along with the funding. ProQuo had received a round of funding in 2006 worth $5M from DFJ.
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 (More)(Full story)
Morgan Stanley Buys Stake In Cleantech VC NGEN PartnersMorgan Stanley announced Tuesday that it has taken a stake in Santa Barbara-based cleantech firm NGEN Partners LLC. Amount of the minority equity investment was not disclosed. Morgan Stanley claimed that the investment was the first by a major Wall Street firm in a clean technology venture firm. NGEN Partners is an investor in the alternative energy, energy efficiency, pollution abatement, and other related areas. Morgan Stanley said that the stake represents an "exciting investment opportunity" (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
G-Technology Acquired By FabrikSanta Monica-based G-Technology, a provider of storage products for the Apple Macintosh market, said today at MacWorld that the firm has been acquired by Fabrik, Inc. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. G-Technology is a maker of RAID storage systems, including Firewire, USB, SCSI and Fibre Channel hard drive systems. Fabrik, which is based in San Mateo, also has operations in Santa Ana and Santa Monica; the firm owns Simpletech, which it purchased from STEC in February of last year. (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
Fisker Gets Funding From Kleiner PerkinsIrvine-based Fisker Automotive, a company developing environmentally friendly, plug-in hybrid vehicles, has raised a round of funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the firm said Tuesday. Size of the funding round was not disclosed, however the firm said that the multi-million dollar investment follows earlier funding from Palo Alto Investors. Fisker Automotive is developing a plug-in hybrid sports car which the firm says will enable emissions free travel of up to 50 miles a day. Fisker (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 (More)(Full story)
Knight & Carver Gets $12MNational City-based Knight & Carver Wind Group, a provider of wind turbine blade inspection, repair, and maintenance services, said today that it has raised $12M in an investment from Global Environment Fund. Global Environment is a private equity investment firm focused on the environment. Knight & Carver provides its services to wind farm operators, and was founded in 1997. National City is located south of San Diego.
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
Ticketmaster Buys TicketsNowWest Hollywood-based Ticketmaster said this morning that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire TicketsNow, and Illinois-based online marketplace for music, sports, and live entertainment tickets. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ticketmaster said it will use the buy to create an "integrated platform" where fans can review and compare ticket availability and pricing. Ticketmaster said TicketsNow will continue to operate in Rolling Meadows and Crystal Lake, IL, and t (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
Oversee.net Gets $150M InvestmentLos Angeles-based online marketer and domain name firm Oversee.net said this morning that it has raised $150M in an investment from private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners. According to Oversee, the funding will be used to augment the firm's growth and acquire technologies to enhance its services. The deal is expected to close by the end of the month. Specific terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The investment is the first for Oversee.net, which has not taken any prior funding. Ov (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
MSC.Software Acquires Network AnalysisSanta Ana-based software simulation firm MSC.software said Monday that it has acquired Network Analysis, an Arizona-based firm developing thermal modeling software. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. MSC.Software said the deal includes all of Network Analysis' expert technical staff. Network Analysis develops software used for modeling thermal properties of designs; the software is used for designing satellites. MSC.Software develops software simulation products used for desi (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
YouMail Launches Advertising ProgramIrvine-based YouMail, the venture-backed startup developing a personalized voicemail service, said today that it has launched a new advertising program. The firm said the new program will connect brands with mobile users through text-based advertising. The firm, which offers a free service which enhances mobile voicemail, said it will add short, non-intrusive marketing messages with the text alerts already sent to users when they receive a voicemail. The firm is tapping 4INFO, a text messaging f (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
Qualcomm Buys Open InterfaceSan Diego-based Qualcomm has quietly purchased Open Interface, a Seattle-based developer of technology for the Bluetooth headset market. No details of the acquisition have been released. Open Interface develops software development kits for application developers, silicon vendors, and others in the Bluetooth market; the firm's software is used for developing stereo Bluetooth headsets.
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
THQ Buys Big Huge GamesAgoura Hills-based THQ said this morning that it plans to acquire Big Huge Games, a developer of role playing games. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Big Huge Games employs 100 people in timonium, Maryland, and develops RPG games for the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, and Windows PCs; the firm is currently developing a new RPG title for THQ on those platforms. THQ said that Big Huge Games will become a wholly owned subsidiary of THQ, and the management and employees of the firm w (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
BenSoft Acquired By MetavanteSan Diego-based BenSoft Incorporated, a developer of web-based software for healthcare benefits management, has been acquired by Metavante. Metavante announced the deal Tuesday, but did not disclose financial terms. BenSoft develops a web-based software tool, RepayMe, used for requesting reimbursement from FSA and HSA healthcare plans. Metavante said the transaction is not expected to have a significant impact on its revenue or profitability in 2008. Metavante is based in Milwaukee.
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
Placely Launches Travel FeatureLos Angeles-based Placely, a web 2.0 startup focused on travel, said today that it has launched a new feature to help users receive relevant travel information about travel destinations. The firm said its new TripKit feature allows users to enter a travel itinerary, and receive a map, weather forecast, and top restaurant choices, along with other information through a Google Maps mashup. Placely launched a beta of its web site late last year; the site is focused on connecting users with other tr (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
STEC Gets Win At EMCSanta Ana-based STEC said Monday that its solid state drives have been selected by data storage giant EMC for its Symmetrix DMX-4 storage systems. Financial impact of the design win were not disclosed. STEC said that EMC will use its solid state drives -- which are based on Flash memory chips -- as part of the EMC Symmetric DMX-4 high end networked storage system. EMC's Symmetrix is the firm's high end, enterprise, highly reliable storage system. STEC's Zeus-IOPS line of solid state drives provi (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
Entropic's Foley Leaves FirmSan Diego-based Entropic Communications, a developer of semiconductors for connecting home entertainment systems, said late Friday that the firm's President and COO, Mark Foley, is leaving the firm. According to Entropic, Foley has decided to leave to "pursue other interests." Patrick Henry, the firm's CEO and Chairman, will assume Foley's duties, the firm said last night. Foley joined Entropic when it acquired RF Magic last year.
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
The Active Network Gets Win At Capital Visitor CenterSan Diego-based The Active Network, a provider of software for community and sports organizations, said yesterday that the firm has been selected for the new Capital Visitor Center in Washington, D.c. Financial impact of the deal was not announced. According to The Active Network, it has been selected by The Office of the Architect of the Capital to build and host the ticketing and reservation system for the new visitor's center. The Active Network develops a number of different online, softwa (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)
Vue Technology Signs New BalanceLake Forest-based Vue Technology said Monday that the firm's RFID solutions have been implemented by footwear manufacturer New Balance. Financial impact of the deal was not disclosed. Vue said that New Balance will use the firm's RFID solution to track distribution of the firm's footwear from its distribution center to its corporate factory store. Vue Technology is venture backed by Canaan Partners, MeadWestvaco, and Partech International.
posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2008(Full story)