Silicon Valley Wire

Dublin-Based Tria Beauty Files to Raise Up to $86.3 Million in IPO

Dublin, Calif. -- Tria Beauty, a Dublin-based developer of light-based aesthetic medical technologies, on Monday filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise up to $86.3 million in its initial public offering (IPO). The company, which plans to trade under the symbol "TRIA" on the Nasdaq Global Market, has yet to reveal details of the offering, such as the number of shares to be sold or their expected price range. Tria sells FDA-cleared handheld medical devices directly to consumers, including a hair removal laser and a high-intensity blue light designed to treat acne. 
http://www.triabeauty.com/
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1498824/000119312512027676/d257857ds1.htm

S.F.-Based Alsop Louie Leads $5M Round for Lookingglass Cyber Solutions

San Francisco -- Alsop Louie Partners, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology companies, said on Monday it has led a new $5 million round of funding for Lookingglass Cyber Solutions, a Baltimore-based developer of security software designed to help users anticipate and protect against targeted attacks. Vital Financial also participated in the company's first round, which it plans to use to boost sales and marketing activities, and help bring its latest tools to market. Lookingglass's core product, known as ScoutVision, allows organizations to continuously monitor their own networks, networks of their partners and cloud-computing resources to protect against malicious threats. The information helps security professionals determine whether networks have communicated with known threat sources. "The threat landscape changed dramatically in the last year and, as a result, more organizations are recognizing the value of having situational awareness and actionable intelligence," said CEO Derek Gabbard.
http://www.alsop-louie.com/
http://www.lgscout.com
http://www.lgscout.com/news/lookingglass_cyber_solutions_raises_5m_deliver_enterprise_class_cyber_situational_awareness

President Obama to Take Part in Google+ Virtual Interview Monday

Mountain View, Calif. -- President Obama on Monday afternoon was scheduled to take part in a virtual interview through social network Google+, answering questions submitted from the public as part of a live video chat. As of Monday morning, more than 227,000 people had submitted 133,000 questions and cast 1.6 million votes on the issues they'd like to see addressed. The Google+ "Hangout" event is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. PST, streamed live on the social network, as well as WhiteHouse.gov and http://www.YouTube.com/WhiteHouse.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/30/watch-live-president-obama-answers-your-questions-google-hangout

Palo Alto-Based GetHired.com Raises $1.75 Million in Seed Funding

Palo Alto, Calif. -- GetHired.com, the Palo Alto-based developer of a video-based social recruiting platform and job board, said on Monday it has raised $1.75 million in a round of seed funding. Identities of the investors were not disclosed. GetHired operates a free service that allows job seekers to differentiate themselves in the hiring process by creating video and audio profiles to accompany their resumes. The company said its method helps employers more quickly find the most qualified job candidates, saving them time and money.
http://www.gethired.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120130005363/en/GetHired.com-Raises-1.75M-Seed-Funding-Launches-Video-based

WSJ: Palo Alto-Based Facebook Could File IPO Next Week

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Facebook as soon as Wednesday could file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the largest-ever technology initial public offering (IPO), The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal reported that the Palo Alto-based company in seeking to raise as much as $10 billion with a valuation of $75-$100 billion. Morgan Stanley also reportedly is the frontrunner to become lead underwriter. The size of the IPO would likely surpass that of Infineon Technologies, which in 2000 raised a record $5.9 million, according to Dealogic.
http://www.facebook.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204573704577187062821038498.html?mod=djemalertTECH

Redwood City-Based Kabam Acquires Marin's Fearless Studios

Redwood City, Calif. -- Kabam, a Redwood City-based developer of social games, said on Friday it has acquired Marin-based Fearless Studios, an independent development studio. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Fearless was co-founded by Haden Blackman, the creator and senior executive producer of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Cedrick Collomb, the former director of engineering at LucasArts, who both will join Kabam. "Their skills in game design, emerging technologies and proficiency in making the transition from 2D to 3D on consoles mesh perfectly with Kabam's strategy," said CEO Kevin Chou.
http://www.kabam.com 
http://fearlessstudios.com/
http://fearlessstudios.com/?p=298

Cupertino-Based Seagate to Repurchase Another $1 Billion in Stock

Cupertino, Calif. -- Seagate Technology, a Cupertino-based maker of hard disk drives and storage devices, said it plans to repurchase an additional $1 billion of company stock The news drove company shares up 5% in heavy trading on the Nasdaq. To date, the company has utilized approximately $1.1 billion of the $2 billion share repurchase authorization approved by its board in late 2010, buying back 67.8 million shares. Seagate said it expects to use the remaining portion by the end of June. "The board and the management team remain confident in the company's ability to maintain a strong balance sheet and sustain exceptional cash generation from the business," said Steve Luczo, Seagate's chairman, president and CEO.
http://www.seagate.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120126006476/en/Seagate-Technology-plc-Increases-Quarterly-Cash-Dividend

Cupertino's MagnaChip to Acquire Dawin Electronics

Cupertino, Calif. -- MagnaChip, a South Korean maker of analog and mixed-signal chips with U.S. headquarters in Cupertino, said on Friday it will acquire fellow South Korean semiconductor company Dawin Electronics. Financial terms of the deal, expected to close by the end of March, were not disclosed. Sang Park, MagnaChip's Chairman and CEO, said the acquisition will allow his company to "continue to diversify and expand our fast-growing Power Solutions business into the commercial and industrial segments." Darwin's products include Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) modules, which are used in many consumer appliances such as variable speed refrigerators, air-conditioners and stereo systems, as well as electric vehicles and hybrid cars.
http://www.dawinsemi.com
http://www.magnachip.com/
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/magnachip-to-acquire-dawin-electronics-designer-and-manufacturer-of-power-modules-138187464.html

Aneesh Copra Resigns as Federal Chief Technology Officer

Washington, DC -- Aneesh Chopra, who in 2009 was named the nation's first federal CTO, has resigned from the position, the White House said on Friday. Politico reported that Chopra's last day will be Feb. 8. Chopra, who previously served as Virginia's Secretary of Technology, reportedly is mulling a possible career in politics. "Aneesh found countless ways to engage the American people using technology, from electronic health records for veterans, to expanding access to broadband for rural communities, to modernizing government records," said President Obama in a statement. "His legacy of leadership and innovation will benefit Americans for years to come, and I thank him for his outstanding service."
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/01/27/statement-president-departure-aneesh-chopra
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/72080.html

Mountain View-Based drchrono Raises $2.8 Million in Funding

Mountain View, Calif. -- drchrono, a Mountain View-based developer of iPad apps for the healthcare industry, said on Thursday it has raised $2.8 million in a new round of funding, led by individual investor Yuri Milner. Several new investors also took part, including Matt Cutts, a principal engineer in the search quality group at Google. drchrono this week released its new "Billing Center," which is designed to simplify a medical practice's revenue stream. The company also announced it now has more than 15,000 registered providers and more than 400,000 patients using its platform. "With just an app on the iPad, we can instantly deliver new technology to our doctors that streamlines their workflow and slashes bureaucratic costs," said CEO Michael Nusimow.
http://www.drchrono.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120126005315/en/drchrono-Closes-Funding-Led-Yuri-Milner-Google%E2%80%99s

San Mateo-Based SolarCity Names Toby Corey as Chief Revenue Officer

San Mateo, Calif. -- SolarCity, a San Mateo-based provider of solar power design, financing, installation, monitoring and energy efficiency services, on Thursday named Toby Corey as chief revenue officer. Corey most recently was the co-founder and CEO of Intend Change, an incubator that launched more than half a dozen companies, and previously was the co-founder and president and COO of USWeb. The latest news comes seven months after SolarCity launched a $280 million fund backed by Mountain View-based Google to finance residential solar projects.
http://www.solarcity.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120126006006/en/SolarCity-Appoints-Toby-Corey-Chief-Revenue-Officer

S.F.-Based Aberdare Ventures Invests $2 Million in MC10

San Francisco -- MC10, a Massachusetts-based developer of electronics for the healthcare industry, said on Thursday it has landed a $2 million investment from San Francisco-based Aberdare Ventures. The company also has named Paul Klingenstein, managing partner at Aberdare, to its board of directors. MC10 said it is developing a variety of products including interventional circuits, which can diagnose and influence tissue function, and "seamless sensing" devices that can monitor aspects of performance such as the heart (ECG), the brain (EEG), muscles (EMG), body temperature and hydration.
http://www.mc10inc.com
http://www.aberdare.com/
http://mc10inc.com/news/2012/mc10-accepts-2m-follow-on-investment-from-aberdare-ventures-the-leading-investment-firm-focused-on-the-convergence-of-healthcare-and-technology/

S.F.-Based Signature Labs Launches with $1.1 Million in Seed Funding

San Francisco -- Signature Labs, the San Francisco-based developer of a mobile shopping assistant, said on Thursday it has launched after previously raising $1.1 million in seed funding. Investors in the round, which closed in May, included Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Triangle Peak Partners, Amicus Capital, Don Hutchison and Dave Pell. Signature's iPhone app is designed to improve the experience of customers in brick-and-mortar stores, delivering notifications about shopping events and new arrivals, as well as an in-store greeting summarizing relevant events. It also tells shoppers when preferred sales associates are in-store, and allows them to make appointments and leave messages. Sales associates can then tailor the shopping experience to customers' preferences, favorites and sizes. "The key to an exceptional retail experience is personal and differentiated service -- delighted customers return more often and spend more in the store," said David Hegarty, the company's founder and CEO. Signature so far has signed a handful of retailers as paying customers and advisory board members, with plans to roll out pilot deployments nationwide.
http://www.getsignature.com/
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/signature-launches-to-make-the-retail-experience-personal-and-mobile-1611479.htm

San Francisco-Based TRUSTe Raises $15 Million in Third Round

San Francisco -- TRUSTe, a San Francisco-based developer of privacy management tools designed to help online businesses better handle customer data, said it has raised $15 million in its third round of funding, led by Baseline Ventures.  Previous backers Accel Partners, DAG Ventures and Jafco Ventures also participated in the round, which the company will use to accelerate the development of new technologies, expand its international operations and invest in additional sales and operations staff. Chris Babel, the CEO of TRUSTe, said the new funding will allow his company to "expand and enhance" its online privacy suite for the mobile, cloud and advertising markets, while also continuing to "develop new consumer privacy education and tools." The company said it has nearly tripled in size -- in terms of sales, employees and product offerings -- over the past 18 months.
http://www.truste.com
http://www.truste.com/about_TRUSTe/press-room/news_truste_expands_privacy_management_product_suite

San Mateo-Based Gudewire Raises $115 Million in IPO, Shares Spike 33%

San Mateo, Calif. -- Shares of San Mateo-based Guidewire Software spiked 33% on their first day of trading Wednesday after the maker of core system software for the insurance industry raised $115 million in its initial public offering (IPO). The company late Tuesday priced 8.85 million shares at $13 each -- above its expected price range of $10-$12. The shares, trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "GWRE," closed at $17.30 Guidewire counts more than 100 property and casualty insurers among its clients, including GEICO, Nationwide and CNA.
http://www.guidewire.com/
http://www.guidewire.com/news-and-events/press-releases/2012/guidewire-software-inc-announces-pricing-of-initial-public-offering/
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1528396/000119312512022157/d287692ds1mef.htm

San Francisco-Based SquareTrade Raises $238 Million in Funding

San Francisco -- SquareTrade, a San Francisco-based provider of independent consumer warranties on consumer electronics products, said on Wednesday it has raised $238 million in a round of equity funding, led by Bain Capital. Previous investors included Weston Presidio Capital and JP Morgan Partners. The company said the latest backing will fuel the next phase of its growth following a year of nearly three-fold revenue growth. "We have a long term view of investing in service, technology and brand awareness," said CEO Steve Abernethy, who co-founded the company in 1999 with Ahmed Khaishgi. SquareTrade said its warranties are 40% less expensive, on average, than those offered by retailers. The company's warranties are available through retailers such as Amazon.com, Crutchfield and Buy.com, or through the company's website.
http://www.squaretrade.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bain-capital-leads-238-million-growth-investment-in-squaretrade-138040953.html

Pleasanton-Based Five9 Names Barry Zwarenstein as CFO

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Five9, a Pleasanton-based developer of hosted virtual call center software, on Wednesday named Barry Zwarenstein as its CFO. Zwarenstein most recently served as the CFO of Smart Modular Technologies, through its $635 million acquisition by Silver Lake Partners. He also has served as the CFO of VeriFone Holdings, Iomega, Mellanox Technologies, Acuson and Logitech. "Barry's extensive experience in the equity and debt markets, his successful navigation of the IPO process for prior companies and his leadership as CFO of multiple publicly traded technology companies provides us with the financial leadership to capitalize further on the significant market opportunity," said CEO Mike Burkland. The move comes a year after the company raised $8.6 million in a round of funding led by Adams Street Partners.
http://www.five9.com 
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120125005091/en/Five9-Announces-Appointment-Chief-Financial-Officer

Mountain View-Based Polyvore Raises $14 Million in Third Round

Mountain View, Calif. -- Polyvore, the Mountain View-based developer of an online fashion community, said it has raised $14 million in its third round of funding, led by DAG Ventures. New investors Goldman Sachs and Vivi Nevo, as well  as previous backers Benchmark Capital and Matrix Partners also participated. With the latest news, co-founder and CEO Pasha Sadri will now focus on product strategy and engineering full-time as CTO, with co-founder Jess Lee transitioning from vice president of product to the role of CEO. Polyvore is known for its fashion "sets" -- digital collages that users create by combining products from across the web. The site now has more than 13 million unique monthly visitors. "We plan to use the funds to recruit more engineering talent and accelerate our rapid growth," said Sadri.
http://www.polyvore.com 
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120123006406/en/Polyvore-Announces-14-Million-Series-Funding

San Francisco-Based Fitbit Raises $12 Million in Third Round

San Francisco -- Fitbit, the San Francisco-based developer of digital health and fitness devices, said on Tuesday it has raised $12 million in its third round of funding from previous backers Foundry Group, True Ventures, SoftTech VC and Felicis Ventures. The company said it will use the proceeds to fuel expansion. "This funding will help us accelerate the hiring of the best hardware and software engineers, designers, product managers and marketers," said co-founder and CEO James Park. Founded in 2007, Fitbit makes the Ultra Wireless Activity and Sleep Tracker, a wireless fitness tracker sold through retailers such as Amazon.com, Best Buy, Brookstone, Radio Shack, REI and Target. The company also recently introduced its Aria Wi-Fi smart scale.
http://www.fitbit.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120124005603/en/Fitbit-Closes-12M-Series-Funding-Led-Foundry

San Francisco-Based Recurly Lands $6 Million in First Round

San Francisco -- Recurly, a San Francisco-based provider of pay-as-you-go subscription billing services, said on Tuesday it has landed $6 million in its first round of funding, led by BV Capital. Polaris Venture Partners, Harrison Metal Capital and FreeStyle Capital also participated. Thomas Gieselmann, a co-founder of BV Capital, will join the company's board of directors. Launched in 2010, Recurly provides recurring billing management for more than 750 clients, including Fox News Radio, JibJab Media, Weather Underground, Justin.tv, GOOD.is, Slideshare and EquityFeed.
http://recurly.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120124005882/en/Recurly-Raises-6-Million-Series-Recurring-Billing

San Jose-Based Talari Networks Raises $4.5 Million in Funding

San Jose, Calif. -- Talari Networks, a San Jose-based developer of wide-area network (WAN) virtualization tools, said on Tuesday it has raised $4.5 million in a new round of funding from current backers Menlo Ventures and Silver Creek Ventures, as well as private investors. "This funding will be used to expand sales and customer-facing functions to meet that demand," said CEO Emerick Woods. Dubose Montgomery, founder and managing director of Menlo Ventures, will join Talari's board of directors.
http://www.talari.com 
http://www.talari.com/news/press_release_012412.php

HP to Pay $425,000 Penalty for Failing to Report Notebook Battery Issues

Palo Alto, Calif. -- The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said that Palo Alto-based Hewlett-Packard (HP) has agreed to pay a $425,000 penalty to settle allegations the company knowingly failed to report that some of its lithium-ion battery packs can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard. The packs were shipped with new HP notebook computers, sold as accessories or provided as spare parts for various HP models. The CPSC said HP knew of 22 incidents associated with the batteries by Sept. 2007, and even conducted a related study, but did not notify the commission until July 2008. HP and the CPSC announced a recall of about 32,000 lithium-ion battery packs later that year. Robert Adler, commissioner of the CPSC, said he voted against the settlement, deeming it "too small" and not coming close to what "I consider the appropriate amount for this case." Still the CPSC voted 3-1 to provisionally approve the agreement.
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12091.html?tab=news

Earth Networks to Launch Boundary Layer Monitoring Network in Calif.

Mountain View, Calif. -- Earth Networks, the operator of WeatherBug, said on Tuesday it has partnered with Colorado-based Radiometrics to launch a new network that will continuously monitor the planetary boundary layer and above. The companies initially will deploy 10 sites in California, recording data such as temperature, humidity and liquid profiles in a bid to help meteorologists improve mesoscale forecasts and storm warnings. Currently, boundary layer observations are made using radiosondes, commercial aircraft soundings, radar and a small number of wind profilers and tall towers. "The planetary boundary layer is the single most important under-sampled part of the atmosphere," said Bob Marshall, the president and CEO of Earth Networks, which has West Coast offices in Mountain View.
http://www.earthnetworks.com
http://www.earthnetworks.com/MediaCenter/PressRelease/tabid/118/newsid513/355/Earth-Networks-to-Launch-Boundary-Layer-Monitoring-Network-to-Provide-Critical-Insight-for-Weather-Forecasters-and-Aid-Renewable-Energy-Sector-Aviation-and-Other-Markets--/Default.aspx

S.F.-Based Uber Planning to Rally Supporters in Battle with DC Officials

San Francisco -- Battling allegations that it is operating illegally in Washington, DC, Uber, the San Francisco-based developer of an on-demand car service, is organizing what it calls "a conversation on how we can preserve innovation and transportation choice in DC." Company co-founder and CEO Travis Kalanick will join the company's local executives at the event, scheduled for Thursday night. Uber, which lets clients request a car by either texting their address or using its mobile app, has been the subject of intense scrutiny by the Washington, DC Taxi Commission. The commission claims the company is failing to heed local laws, which among other things requires a taxi meter, and recently executed a sting on one of its vehicles. "DC regulators came after Uber and tried to intimidate us into shutting down our operations in the District," wrote Rachel Holt, the general manager of Uber DC, in an email to customers. "Well we're still standing: not only are we still fully operational in the District, our business is busier than ever. So while we got through round one mostly unscathed, this challenge is far from over."
https://www.uber.com/
http://uberdclove.eventbrite.com/ (DC event)
http://blog.uber.com/2012/01/13/an-uber-surprise-in-dc/ 

Mountain View-Based Kiwi Crate Raises $5 Million in First Round

Mountain View, Calif. -- Kiwi Crate, the Mountain View-based developer of a subscription-based service that produces and delivers hands-on activities for kids, said it has raised $5 million in its first round of funding. Previous backer Comcast Ventures led the round, and other previous investors First Round Capital, Mayfield Fund, Felicis Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, Consigliere Brand Capital, Uj Ventures and 500 Startups participated. The company, which launched and announced its initial seed financing last October, provides all the materials, ideas and instructions for a variety of kids' activities, delivered monthly. Subscriptions cost $19.95 a month. Kiwi Crate said it wil use the funding to scale the company, expand its product offering and grow its community.
http://www.kiwicrate.com
http://blog.kiwicrate.com/

Santa Clara-Based Intel Names New COO, Chief Product Officer

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Intel,. the Santa Clara-based chipmaking giant, on Friday promoted Brian Krzanich to COO and Dadi Perlmutter to chief product officer. Krzanich had previously been a senior vice president in charge of Intel's worldwide manufacturing, while Perlmutter will continue to lead the company's Architecture Group. Both moves come as the company prepares to elevate Andy Bryant from vice chairman to executive chairman at its annual stockholders' meeting in May. Intel also has named Kirk Skaugen the new head of its PC Client Group (PCCG), succeeding Mooly Eden, who is moving back to Israel to become president and general manager of Intel Israel. Diane Bryant will succeed Skaugen as general manager of the company's data center business, and Kim Stevenson will succeed Bryant as CIO.
http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2012/01/20/intel-announces-management-changes

Redwood City-Based Trion Worlds Raises $85 Million in Funding

Redwood City, Calif. -- Trion Worlds, a Redwood City-based developer and publisher and of connected video games, said it has raised $85 million in a new round of funding, led by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. Previous backer Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI) also participated in the round, which the company will use to further expand its premium online games business. "We are thrilled about entering this exciting period of growth and scale with our investors," Lars Buttler, the founder and CEO of Trion Worlds. The company launched its first title, Rift, last March, and players activated more than one million game accounts in less than four months. Trion is currently teaming with Petroglyph Games to develop End of Nations, a massively multiplayer real-time strategy game, and collaborating with Syfy to simultaneously produce a TV show and online action game in the same universe. Trion also recently announced plans to launch an initiative, code-named Red Door, that comprises both a consumer platform and a full-scale publishing and development platform based on the technology fueling its own games.
http://www.trionworlds.com/
http://www.trionworlds.com/en/news/press-releases/2012/01/growth-financing