Monday, April 30, 2012Grid2Home Connects Into $2.0M MoreSan Diego-based Grid2Home, which develops smart energy management software, has raised $2.0M in an equity funding, according to a regulatory filing from the firm. Source of the new funding was not disclosed. Grid2Home develops network protocols and software stacks used in the smart grid market. The firm is led by Rick Kornfeld, who was previously EVP & Chief Strategy Officer, NextWave Wireless and NextWave Broadband and also was President & CEO of Staccato Communications. The company has previou (More info...)
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FamilyFinds Launches DailyFinds EmailLos Angeles-based FamilyFinds, the daily deal service headed by Matt Coffin, the founder of LowerMyBills.com, looks to running another experiment with the service this week, telling subscribers that it is launching a new product called DailyFinds. According to the email sent to subscribers, the email will highlight "the most important things being talked about in the mama-sphere today". FamilyFinds looks to be playing with its model a bit, and also launched a Pinterest-like service called MyFind (More info...)
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AeroVironment Gets $3.6M OrderMonrovia, California-based unmanned aerial vehicle maker AeroVironment reported Monday that it has scored another order from the U.S. military, this time for $3.6M of the firm's RQ-11B Raven Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The company said the order, from the United States Marine Corps, came through an existing U.S. Army contract. AeroVironment's unmanned aircraft is a 4.2-pound, hand-launched UAV used for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition.
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Insights: In Sales or Marketing? Throw Out The Laundry List!In our Insights and Opinions section, we like to feature advice, opinions, and other information which might be of use to our readers. For today's contribution, we have Scott Thompson, an executive recruiter and avid blogger, who gives a little advice about managing that "to do" list for sales and marketers.
If you're a salester or marketer, you have to figure out what you're not doing.
Before reading past the follow question, give yourself up to 30 seconds to answer. Question: what ar (More info...)
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SpaceX Test Fires RocketHawthorne-based SpaceX, the commercial rocket firm headed by technology mogul Elon Musk, test fired its Falcon rocket at slightly after 1 PST Monday, after an unspecified delay. SpaceX, which had not yet released any details of the testing results, had set its test firing for noon Monday, to prepare for an upcoming mission to dock with the International Space Station (ISS). The static firing test was webcast on SpaceX's site. The initial testing was paused at 47 seconds to firing for unspecified (More info...)
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Report: Demand Media Passed Up $1.2B Go Private DealLos Angeles-based Demand Media just passed up a deal to go private, according to a report over the weekend from the WSJ's AllThingsD, which says that the firm--headed by Richard Rosenblatt--ultimately decided to pass on the offer from private equity shop Thomas H. Lee Partners. Apparently, T.H. Lee offered up to $1.2 billion to take Demand Media private, but the offer was ultimately declined due to financing and ability to retain executives after an acquisition, according to the report. Demand M (More info...)
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Phoenix Energy Technologies Gets $5MIrvine-based Phoenix Energy Technologies, a provider of enterprise energy management software and services, announced this morning that it has raised $5M in an investment round. The round came from Five Peaks Capital Management and Bluff Point Associates. According to Phoenix, the funding will go towards growth plans in the enterprise energy management space. Phoenix Energy Technologies is headed by Lisa M. Varga.
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NanoH2O Lands $60M In Funding
El Segundo-based NanoH2O the developer of high efficiency, reverse osmosis membranes for seawater desalination, announced this morning that it has raised a total of $60M in equity and debt funding. According to the firm, it raised $40M in equity and $20.5M in credit facilities. The equity round was led by BASF Venture Capital GmbH, Total Energy Ventures International and Keytone Ventures, and also included Khosla Ventures, Oak Investment Partners, CalPERS Clean Energy & Technology Fund represe (More info...)
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Mahalo Retools As Educational Content Apps ProviderRemember Santa Monica-based Mahalo, the startup headed by Jason Calacanis and backed by such investors as Sequoia Capital? The firm has been fairly quiet recently, but apparently in the last few months has retooled itself as an "educational startup", focused on providing courses on the iPad, iPhone, and Android, in addition to YouTube, the web, and Apple's iBook platform. In a recent blog post, Calacanis said that the firm has now seen more than 950,000 downloads of its apps and 200M videos on Y (More info...)
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NetDNA Launches CDN Service For E-commerce SitesLos Angeles-based content delivery network (CDN) provider NetDNA is targeting e-commerce site owners this morning with a new product, the company said. The firm said its new CloudCache.com content delivery network service is aimed at e-commerce site owners, and offers up to 200 gigabytes of bandwidth for prices starting at $12.00 per month. The company said the new service is integrated with the latest version of e-commerce storefront software PrestaShop, which has more than 120,000 deployed st (More info...)
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Gen-Probe Acquired By Hologic For $3.7 BillionSan DIego-based molecular diagnostics equipment maker Gen-Probe, which is publicly held, is being acquired by Hologic in a $3.7 billion deal, the firms said this morning. The two said that Hologic will pay $82.75 per share in cash for Gen-Probe. Hologic said it will continue to maintain a "significant presence" in San Diego. Gen-Probe was advised by Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Cooley LLP in the deal. Hologic was advised by Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Perel (More info...)
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JustEnough Wins Online RetailerNewport Beach-based JustEnough Software, which develops software used by brands to manage demand planning, reported a win today, with online retailer Advanced MP3 Players. Financial details of the customer win were not disclosed. JustEnough said that Advanced MP3 Players is using its software, JustEnough Advanced Planning for NetSuite, to manage the demand forecasting, inventory planning, and replenishment for managing the inventory of MP3 players and accessories that it carries. Advanced MP3 Pl (More info...)
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Mindspeed In Femtocell Win With SK TelesysNewport Beach-based Mindspeed Technologies said today that it has scored a design win in a long term evolution (LTE) femtocell from SK TElesys. According to the firm, SK Telesys is using its Transcded wireless baseband processors in the new product. Shipping volumes and financial impact of the win were not disclosed. Mindspeed said the femtocells are being deployed in South Korea. Mindspeed's processors are being used in combination LTE + Wi-Fi femtocells in densely populated areas of South Kore (More info...)
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