Silicon Valley Wire

Menlo Park-Based Shasta Ventures Closes New $250M Tech Fund

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Shasta Ventures, a Menlo Park-based venture capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies, said on Wednesday that it has raised $250 million for its second fund. The new fund, known as Shasta Ventures II, follows on the heels of the firm's initial $210 million fund, which has made 22 investments since debuting in early 2005. Shasta focuses on consumer and business Internet services, mobile and wireless and software and infrastructure, and has a portfolio that includes Arch Rock, Eye-Fi, SayNow, Mint, Lithium and Turn.
http://www.shastaventures.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/071031/20071031005324.html?.v=1

Report: Google Phones to Hit Market by Mid-2008

Mountain View, Calif. -- Following months of speculation, Mountain View-based Google is expected to announce within the next two weeks software and services that will allow handset makers to bring the search giant's phones to market by mid-2008, The Wall Street Journal reported. According to the report, the Google-powered phones will feature mapping, social networking and Gmail. The biggest asset, said The Journal, will be Google's plan to "open" the phone's software, with independent developers offered tools to build new features for the phone. Initial reports first surfaced about the long-rumored Google phone over the summer.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119369951717475558.html?mod=technology_main_whats_news (subscription required)
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSWEN201320071030?feedType=RSS&feedName=internetNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Iron Mountain to Acquire Mountain View-Based Stratify

Mountain View, Calif. -- Iron Mountain, a Boston-based provider of information protection and storage services, said on Wednesday that it will acquire Stratify, a Mountain View-based provider of electronic discovery services for the legal market, for approximately $158 million in cash. Stratify provides its services to large law firms and corporations. Iron Mountain said that the acquisition will expand its slate of services that manage paper and digital information for discovery and data investigations, compliance and associated records management, and litigation matters. Founded in 1999, Stratify has received funding from Mobius Venture Capital and In-Q-Tel.
http://www.stratify.com
http://www.ironmountain.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071031/new049.html?.v=26

ISTS Worldwide Tops New Deloitte Silicon Valley Technology Fast 50

San Francisco -- ISTS Worldwide, a Fremont-based provider of software development, consulting and systems integration services, is the top-ranked company on Deloitte's newly released Silicon Valley Technology Fast 50 list, which annually recognizes the fastest-growing companies in the Bay Area based on their revenue growth over a five-year period. ISTS led the list with 19,254% growth, followed by Sunnyvale-based TeleNav (16,666%) and San Jose-Based NeoPhotonics (16,169%). South San Francisco-based Theravance and San Francisco-based ZoomSystems round out the top five. The complete list is available at the link below.
http://www.public.deloitte.com/fast500/fast_50/search/company_search.asp

Zipcar to Merge with Rival Car Sharing Service Flexcar

San Francisco -- Zipcar, the Massachusetts-based car sharing service that relies heavily on the Internet for managing its members and fleet, said on Wednesday that it will merge with Flexcar, a Seattle-based counterpart owned by Steve Case's investment firm Revolution. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Both Zipcar and Flexcar currently operate car sharing programs in San Francisco, with members reserving vehicles online or through mobile devices, using a smartcard to open the doors, then returning the cars at the end of their reservations. An hourly or daily fee covers gas, insurance, maintenance, parking and emergency service. "When we acquired Flexcar in 2005 our goal was to bring car sharing to more people in more places," said Case, the chairman of Revolution and co-founder of AOL. "The Zipcar merger will accelerate this effort."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071031/new045a.html?.v=1 
http://www.Flexcar.com 
http://www.Zipcar.com   

Mountain View-Based PicksPal Raises $3 Million in Third Round

Mountain View, Calif. -- PicksPal, the Mountain View-based developer of a free, national online sports competition where users predict the winners of various games, has raised $3 million in its third round of venture capital financing from Bay Partners and Canaan Partners, PEHub.com reported. Founded by Tom Jessiman, a former executive at CBS SportsLine.com, PicksPal operates a year-round sports betting site where users compete for prizes. The company also sells the picks of its top-performing users to other sports bettors. PicksPal has now raised a total of $9 million.
http://www.pehub.com/article/articledetail.php?articlepostid=8534 
http://www.pickspal.com 

Santa Clara-Based McAfee to Acquire ScanAlert for $51 Million

Santa Clara, Calif. -- McAfee, the Santa Clara-based provider of Internet security software and services, said on Tuesday that it will pay $51 million in cash to acquire Napa-based ScanAlert, developer of a popular web site certification service. The value of the deal, which is expected to close by the end of March, could rise by as much as $24 million, if the company reaches certain performance targets. ScanAlert audits and certifies the security of 8,000 customers representing more than 75,000 web sites. The company's "Hacker Safe" mark is displayed by over 60% of the Internet Retailer Top 500 list, including brands such as the American Red Cross, GUESS, PETCO, Toshiba and Warner Brothers. ScanAlert will be integrated into McAfee's Web Security Group, co-led by Ken Leonard, the CEO of ScanAlert, and Tim Dowling, a vice president under McAfee's consumer, mobile and small business unit.
http://www.mcafee.com/us/
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071030/aqtu150.html?.v=20

San Francisco-Based FORA.tv Raises Seed Funding from Adobe

San Francisco -- FORA.tv, a San Francisco-based start-up providing online video content focused on political, social and cultural issues, said on Tuesday that it has raised an undisclosed amount in its seed round of funding, led by Adobe Systems. Venture capitalist Will Hearst also invested personally in the round. FORA.tv uses Adobe's video technology and media player to distribute its content, which focuses on discourse, discussions and debates surrounding a variety of global issues.
http://www.fora.tv
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/071030/20071030005138.html?.v=1

Optimism Remains High Among Silicon Valley Venture Capitalists

San Francisco -- Despite the sub-prime credit meltdown, the confidence of area venture capitalists remains high, according to a new survey. The quarterly Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist Confidence Index registered 4.14 on a scale of 5, nearly unchanged from last quarter. "The VC Index remained strong despite and, in part, because of the sub-prime credit market fallout," said study author Mark Cannice of the University of San Francisco School of Business and Management. "This is because large private equity firms rely much more on liquid credit markets than local VC firms do." The results are based on an October survey of 25 San Francisco-area VCs.
http://www.usfca.edu/sobam/nvc/
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/071030/20071030005608.html?.v=1

Winners Named in California Clean Tech Open

San Francisco -- The California Clean Tech Open, a major clean technology business contest, on Monday night announced the six category winners of its 2007 competition. "In this our second year, we received 130 entries and narrowed these down to 50 finalists," said co-chair Michael Santullo. "The judging panels had serious challenges in selecting just six winners and six runners-up." The winning startups received $100,000 in prizes , including $50,000 in cash and business services worth another $50,000. A complete list of winners is available at the link below.
http://www.cacleantech.com

Sony: Games Unit Losses Expected to Double

Foster City, Calif. -- Sony said that losses at its video game unit, Sony Computer Entertainment, will exceed $876 million this fiscal year -- more than double what the company had initially forecast, Reuters reported.  The U.S. unit of Sony Computer Entertainment is based in Foster City. Reuters said that the costly PlayStation 3 console is primarily to blame for dragging down the company's numbers, although Sony expects the unit to at least break even for the second half of its fiscal year.
http://www.reuters.com/article/technology-media-telco-SP/idUST13238820071029

Sunnyvale-Based Shipwire Raises $4 Million in First Round

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Shipwire, a Sunnyvale-based provider of merchandise storage and shipping services to online retailers, said on Monday that it has raised $4 million in its first round of funding, led by Meakem Becker Venture Capital. The company said that it will use the capital to expand its services and warehouse operations. On Monday, the company rolled out its rebuilt web site and a new business application. Using Shipwire's services, online retailers can store their merchandise at the company's warehouses in L.A. and Chicago, then have it packed and shipped orders to buyers. Monthly fees start at $29.95. Shipwire current counts more than 30,000 online stores as clients.
http://www.Shipwire.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/071029/20071029005402.html?.v=1

Santa Clara-Based Intevac to Acquire Creative Display Systems

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Intevac, a Santa Clara-based supplier of equipment to the hard disk drive industry and sensors, cameras and systems to the government, said on Monday that it will acquire Carlsbad-based Creative Display Systems (CDS),a developer of micro-display products for defense and commercial markets. Financial terms of the deal, expected to close within 30 days, were not disclosed. Launched early last year, CDS has developed eyeglass-mounted display systems, which provide high definition and a wide field-of-view in miniaturized, light-weight and portable designs. Joe Pietras, the vice president and general manager of Intevac's Imaging Instrumentation business, said that CDS's technology is "an excellent complement to Intevac Imaging's core competencies in night vision system products and miniature Raman instruments." CDS will be operated as a division of Intevac.
http://www.intevac.com/
http://www.intevac.com/company/news/102907

Mountain View-Based Apache to Acquire San Jose's Optimal Corp.

Mountain View, Calif. -- Apache Design Solutions, a Mountain View-based developer of a platform designed to detect, fix and prevent design weaknesses in computer chips, said on Monday that it will launch a cash tender offer to acquire San Jose-based Optimal Corp., a developer of 3D power, signal and thermal integrity analysis systems used by chip designers. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Apache said that the acquisition will further strengthens its offerings related to power and noise analysis. "We see a lot of synergy between Apache and Optimal's product lines," said Andrew Yang, the CEO of Apache.
http://www.apache-da.com
http://www.optimalcorp.com/
http://www.apache-da.com/apache-da/Home/NewsandEvents/PressReleases/10.29.07.html

S.F.-Based CNET Sells Webshots Photo-Sharing Site for $45 Million

San Francisco -- CNET Networks, the San Francisco-based media company focused on technology news, said that it has sold its Webshots photo-sharing service to American Greetings for $45 million. The company initially paid $70 million to acquire Webshots in 2004. "This transaction enables CNET Networks to continue to focus on key areas of growth," said Neil Ashe, the CEO of CNET Networks. The news comes as CNET reported a net loss of $16.6 million in the third quarter, compared with a $2.3 million loss in the same period a year ago.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/071025/20071025006329.html?.v=1 
http://www.cnet.com   
http://www.webshots.com

TeleSoft Partners Acquires Majority Interest in Nexant Shareholder

Foster City, Calif. -- TeleSoft Partners, a Foster City-based venture capital firm focused on high-tech start-ups, said on Monday that it has acquired a majority interest in the largest preferred shareholder of San Francisco-based Nexant, a provider of software, engineering and consulting services to the energy sector. The investment in Energy Software & Consulting I and II marks TeleSoft's entry into the global energy sector. Nexant is a developer of specialized software and services for the electric power grid and associated electric power markets, as well as for the global petroleum and chemical industries. A number of its modeling and analysis tools are used by major utilities, independent system operators and regional transmission organizations. Nexant's other investors include The Beacon Group, Morgan Stanley Global Energy Group, Hellman & Friedman, Nth Power, MC Capital, and IBM, as well as the company's management and staff.
http://www.nexant.com/
http://www.nexant.com/news/releases/07_10_29_telesoft.html

Sept. Chip Sales Rise Sharply, Spurred by Demand for Consumer Products

San Jose, Calif. -- Worldwide sales of semiconductors rose sharply in September, according to new figures released on Monday by the San Jose-based Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). Sales reached $22.6 billion for the month, an increase of 5.9% from the prior year and 5% from August. "Demand from the consumer products sector was very robust," said George Scalise, president of the SIA. "The two largest demand drivers for semiconductors -- PCs and cell phones -- continued to show healthy growth." For the first nine months of 2007, sales were $188.8 billion, 3.5% ahead of 2006 figures.
http://www.sia-online.org/pre_release.cfm?ID=454

Report: Facebook to Get Another $500 Million From Two Hedge Funds

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Following on the heels of news that Microsoft paid $240 million to acquire a 1.6% stake in Palo Alto-based online social network Facebook, Forbes.com has reported that Facebook is set to receive another $500 million in investments. The investments -- $250 million each from two New York-based hedge fund -- reportedly would be made with the same $15 billion valuation of Facebook used for Microsoft's investment. So far, Facebook has not confirmed the reports. 
http://blogs.forbes.com/meetblog/2007/10/facebook-making.html
http://www.facebook.com 

Mountain View-Based NetLogic to Acquire Aeluros for $57 Million

Mountain View, Calif. --  NetLogic Microsystems, a Mountain View-based developer of knowledge-based processors used in a variety of networking systems, said that it will pay $57 million in cash to acquire Mountain View-based Aeluros, a developer of 10-Gigabit interface technologies and semiconductor products. The value of the deal could rise by as much as $20 million, if Aeluros meets future performance milestones. "Aeluros will provide us with a strong leadership position in interface technology for our next-generation knowledge-based processors," said Ron Jankov, the president and CEO of NetLogic. The deal is expected to close within the next 10 days.
http://www.aeluros.com
http://www.netlogicmicro.com
http://www.netlogicmicro.com/4-news/pr/2007/07-10-24b.htm

Fremont-Based NET to Acquire Quintum Technologies

Fremont, Calif. -- Network Equipment Technologies (NET), a Fremont-based maker of voice and data communications equipment for multi-service networks, said on Friday that it will pay $41 million to acquire New Jersey-based Quintum Technologies, a developer of Internet voice switching and gateway products. The deal consists of $20.5 million in cash and an equal amount in stock. Quintum's Voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) access switching and gateway products are distributed in more than 50 countries through independent resellers. Quintum will become a unit of NET, with its products continuing to be sold under the Quintum brand. Nicholas Keating Jr., the president and CEO of NET, said that the acquisition will "broaden our VoIP product" offerings.
http://www.net.com
http://www.net.com/news_events/f235191a-99b6-409a-bb1e-e172024eea3e.shtml

Pat Lavelle Elected to Second Term as CEA Exec. Board Chairman

Arlington, Va. -- The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the major trade association of the U.S. consumer electronics industry, including numerous companies in Silicon Valley, said that Pat Lavelle, the president and CEO of Audiovox, has been elected to serve a second term as chairman of its executive board. Gary Yacoubian, the president and COO of MyerEmco Audio Video, will serve as vice chairman. The board determines the CEA's policies, manages the association's affairs and defines qualifications for membership. The complete list of the CEA's 2008 board members is available at the link below.
http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=11381

S.F.-Based Friendster to Launch Developer Program Next Month

San Francisco -- Taking a cue from rival social networks Facebook and MySpace, San Francisco-based Friendster said that it will launch a developer program next month to allow third-party applications to be added to its social networking service. The company said that developers can immediately access the initial set of tools and a testing environment for the Friendster Developer Program. While attention has lately been centered on Facebook, which claims 49 million users, and MySpace, which has a reported 200 million users, Friendster still counts more than 50 million users, and remains quite popular in Asia and other regions abroad. Like Facebook's application directory, Friendster will feature a widget directory with applications that can access Friendster data.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-25-2007/0004690040&EDATE=
http://developers.friendster.com
http://www.friendster.com

Santa Clara-Based Agilent to Raise $600 Million in Debt Offering

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Agilent Technologies, a Santa Clara-based provider of communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis technology, said on Thursday that it will raise up to $600 million in a new public debt offering. The senior notes mature in 2017, and carry an interest rate of 6.5%. The offering is expected to close on Monday, with the company using a portion of the proceeds to repurchase stock and make acquisitions.
http://www.agilent.com/about/newsroom/presrel/2007/25oct-gp07027.html

Palo Alto-Based EchoSign Lands $6 Million in Second Round

Palo Alto, Calif. -- EchoSign, the Palo Alto-based developer of a web-based signature automation service, said on Thursday that it has secured $6 million in its second round of funding, led by Emergence Capital. Previous investor Storm Ventures also participated. The company said that it will use the proceeds to expand its sales, marketing and product development activities. EchoSign's service is used by companies to electronically sign contracts. It also gives executives instant visibility into the status of all outstanding contracts. Clients include AtRoad, British Telecomm, Johnson & Johnson, Network General and the University of California.
http://www.echosign.com/
http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/071025/0320278.html

Cupertino's Trend Micro to Acquire Mountain View-Based Provilla

Cupertino, Calif. -- Trend Micro, a Japanese developer of network antivirus and Internet content security software with U.S. headquarters in Cupertino, said on Thursday that it will acquire Mountain View-based Provilla, a developer of fingerprint technology used by organization to help prevent data leaks. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Trned Micro said that the acquisition will enhance its portfolio of content-security products for business customers. The company said that it plans to initially offer Provilla's products on a stand-alone basis, then gradually integrate them into its own products.
http://www.trendmicro.com
http://www.provilla-inc.com/
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-25-2007/0004690230&EDATE=

Microsoft Pays $240 Million for 1.6% Stake in Palo Alto-Based Facebook

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Microsoft said that it will pay $240 million for a 1.6% stake in Palo Alto-based Facebook, which puts a $15 billion valuation on the less than four-year-old online social network. The deal ends speculation about which deep-pocketed suitor -- Microsoft or Google -- would wind up with a stake in Facebook, which claims 49 million active users worldwide. Microsoft also will sell online ads for Facebook outside the U.S., after inking an exclusive U.S. ad deal with the company last August.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071024/aqw247.html?.v=1 
http://www.facebook.com 

Mountain View-Based Google, Nielsen Partner On TV Ads, Possibly More

Mountain View, Calif. -- Mountain View-based Google has announced a multi-year deal to partner with audience measurement giant Nielsen, with Nielsen providing demographic data to Google's system for selling television advertising. The agreement comes after some speculation about whether Google's entry into the market for selling television ads earlier this year would mean that the search giant would try to compete directly with Nielsen on ratings. As part of the partnership, Google will combine the data it receives from television set top-boxes with information that Nielsen provides on viewers by gender and age. "Based on the early feedback, we are quite optimistic this will scale very quickly," Keval Desai, the product management director at Google TV Ads, told Reuters. Google TV Ads is an online system that aims to make buying commercial time on television more efficient, both in terms of delivering the ads and by giving advertisers more precise data on their impact among viewers.
http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/20071024_tv.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071024/bs_nm/google_nielsen_dc_1
http://www.nielsen.com 

Berkeley-Based TasteBook Launches with CondeNet Investment

Berkeley, Calif. -- TasteBook, the Berkeley-based developer of an online service that lets users create personal books comprised of content found online, said that it has launched its service with an investment from CondeNet, the digital arm of publisher Conde Nast. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. TasteBook also said that it has partnered with CondeNet's recipe site, Epicurious.com, to allow users to create hardcover cookbooks from its library of 25,000 recipes. Using the TasteBook service itself is free, while printing a personal cookbook with up to 100 recipes costs $34.95. TasteBook was founded in February by Ofoto co-founder Kamran Mohsenin.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071024/nyw019a.html?.v=4
http://www.condenet.com 
http://www.tastebook.com 

Palo Alto-Based Trusted Opinion Raises $1.3 Million

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Trusted Opinion, a Palo Alto-based social network where users recommend media and offer product reviews to their friends, has raised $1.3 million in its first round of funding, TechCrunch reported. Investors in the round were not disclosed. Trusted Opinion claims 350,000 registered members, and said that it is adding 3,000 new members daily. Users can share recommendations on movies, which can also be integrated with their Netflix accounts, or any other media, product or topic.
http://www.trustedopinion.com
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/10/23/trusted-opinion-takes-13-million-series-a/

Pat Lavelle Elected to Second Term as CEA Exec. Board Chairman

Arlington, Va. -- The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the major trade association of the U.S. consumer electronics industry, including numerous companies in Silicon Valley, said that Pat Lavelle, the president and CEO of Audiovox, has been elected to serve a second term as chairman of its executive board. Gary Yacoubian, the president and COO of MyerEmco Audio Video, will serve as vice chairman. The board determines the CEA's policies, manages the association's affairs and defines qualifications for membership. The complete list of the CEA's 2008 board members is available at the link below.
http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=11381

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

San Francisco -- mFoundry, a San Francisco-based provider of mobile financial services, said on Wednesday that it has raised $15 million in its third round of funding, led by Motorola Ventures. PayPal, NCR and an unnamed wireless operator also participated. The company said that it will use the funds to help meet domestic and international market demand for its mobile banking and payments products. mFoundry's Spotlight Financial Platform is used by financial institutions, wireless operators and other mobile banking and payment providers.
http://www.mfoundry.com
http://www.mfoundry.com/display/corp/Press+Releases

Redwood City-Based Rapport Raises $18.5 Million in Third Round

Redwood City, Calif. -- Rapport, a Redwood City-based developer of multiprocessor chips and systems that can be dynamically reconfigured for compute-intensive applications, said that it has raised $18.5 million in its third round of funding, led by Centurion Holdings. The company said that it will use the proceeds to further expand in the government and commercial sectors. Rapport's first mass production chip, the KC256, started shipping in 2006. The company is currently developing new chips, and is testing its development platform with initial partners.
http://www.rapportincorporated.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/071023/20071023005549.html?.v=1

San Mateo-Based Levanta Lands $8 Million in New Funding Round

San Mateo, Calif. -- Levanta, a San Mateo-based developer of Linux data center automation software, said that it has landed $8 million in a new round of funding from vSpring Capital, Walden International and Levensohn Venture Partners. The company said that it will use the new capital to expand its product offerings, as well as its sales and marketing efforts. Clients include shopzilla, Raytheon, Motorola and Third Screen Media.
http://www.levanta.com
http://www.levanta.com/news/releases/2007-10-22.shtml

Palo Alto-Based Facebook Sued Over Unwanted Text Messages

Palo Alto, Calif. -- An Indiana woman has sued Palo Alto-based online social network Facebook after being charged by the company for unwanted text messages she received through her mobile phone, the Associated Press reported. The woman, Lindsey Abrams, received a new mobile phone number from Verizon in 2006, and soon began receiving text messages that included "explicit language and unsettling remarks." Abrams alleges that she was charged $0.10 for each unwanted message. Abrams alleges that she was told she could not block the unwanted messages while continuing to receive other text messages from her friends via the site. The suit, which is seeking class-action status, also claims that young children have been the recipients of unwanted text messages through Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071022/ap_on_hi_te/facebook_lawsuit_5

eBay's MicroPlace Launches Investment Site to Address Global Poverty

San Jose, Calif. -- MicroPlace, a unit of San Jose-based eBay, said on Wednesday that it has launched a new web site that allows everyday people to help finance businesses launched by the working poor in developing countries. Through the company's platform, people can purchase investments starting at $100 from microfinance security issuers. The institutions then use the funds to make small loans to the working poor, who in turn use the loans to start or expand small businesses. At launch, MicroPlace will offer investment opportunities in Africa, Eurasia, Latin America and Southeast Asia. Investments can be purchased using PayPal or a checking account at a U.S. bank. MicroPlace has selected Maryland-based Calvert Social Investment Foundation as the first issuer to sell investments on the site. Calvert will be responsible for making interest and principal payments to investors.
http://www.microplace.com
http://www.calvertfoundation.org

Mobile Entertainment Forum Looks to Track Global Content Sales

San Francisco -- An industry trade group has announced the launch of a new program aimed at more accurately and cost-effectively tracking global content sales. The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), which represents content providers and mobile content distributors, said that its initiative will aim to cover ringtones, full-track music, images, video clips and streams, mobile TV, subscriptions to content, premium SMS and mobile games. Companies supporting its effort include record labels EMI, Warner Music, Universal and Sony BMG; mobile carriers Orange Group and Vodafone; mobile content distributor Glu Mobile; and other firms including Music Reports, Netsize, QPass and Telephia. "To take the industry to the next level globally, it is vital that operators, aggregators and media rights holders work with MEF to accurately and consistently report on the uses and usage of this growing media," said Patrick Parodi, the global chair of MEF.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20071023005756&newsLang=en
http://www.ddex.net 
http://www.m-e-f.org 

San Jose-Based Cisco to Acquire Navini for $330 Million

San Jose, Calif. -- Cisco, the San Jose-based network equipment giant, said on Tuesday that it will acquire Texas-based Navini Networks, a developer of mobile WiMax technology, for $330 million in cash and assumed options. Navini's technologies are designed to improve the performance and range of WiMax services and lower deployment and operational costs for service providers. "Emerging country service providers are in expansion mode, building out broadband wireless networks and are concerned about deployment costs and the availability of skilled resources," said Brett Galloway, the vice president and general manager of Cisco's Wireless Networking unit. The deal is expected to close by the end of January.
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2007/corp_102307.html

Fremont-Based Optichron Raises $12 Million, Names New CFO

Fremont, Calif. -- Optichron, a Fremont-based developer of signal linearization technology, said that it has raised $12 million in a new round of funding, which the company plans to use to ramp production of its new integrated circuits. Then company also has named Thomas Carlson as its CFO. Investors in the round included US Venture Partners, TL Ventures, Battery Ventures and VentureTech Alliance. Optichron now has raised a total of $38 million since its inception. Managing that capital will be Carlson, who has more than 30 years of financial and operations management experience. Previously Carlson 0served as the vice president of finance, CFO, secretary and acting vice president of operations at Caspian Networks. Optichron's linearization technology is designed to correct nonlinear distortion, a problem prevalent in signal processing systems.
http://www.optichron.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/071022/0317374.html 

Area VC Drops Slightly; Still Second Highest Quarterly Total Since '01

San Francisco -- Silicon Valley companies raised $2.5 billion million in venture capital last quarter, down from $2.6 billion the previous quarter though still the second-highest quarterly total since 2001, according to new information released by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association. The figures were in line with a national trend that saw a slight drop in total funding. The quarter, however, also saw notable increases in both the clean tech and Internet sectors, as well as ongoing strength in first rounds of venture capital financings. "While software and biotechnology upheld their historical placements as the top funded industries, venture capitalists seemed to diversify across various industries this quarter," said Tracy Lefteroff, global managing partner of the venture capital practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. 
http://www.nvca.org/
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071022/nym014.html?.v=99

Shares of Cupertino-Based Apple Soar Following Earnings Report

Cupertino, Calif. -- Shares of Cupertino-based Apple jumped in Tuesday's early trading, a day after the company posted quarterly revenue that climbed 28%, bolstered by 1.1 million sales of iPhones. The company's earnings also rose by 67%, to $904 million, on revenue of $6.22 billion. Along with iPhone sales, Apple's bottom line was helped by sales of 10.2 million iPods, an increase of 17% from the same period a year ago. The company said that it has now sold 1.39 million iPhones since launch. The device is set to go on sale in several European countries next month; Apple also reiterated its forecast of 10 million iPhone sales in 2008.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/

San Francisco-Based GameLayers Raises $500,000

San Francisco -- GameLayers, a San Francisco-based game developer focused on "passively-multiplayer" online games (PMOG), has raised $500,000 in new funding led by O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, PEHub.com reported. The PMOG concept uses data from web surfing, such as which sites a user has visited and how they arrived there, to ascribe points. The company's PMOG.com game, which utilizes a Firefox plug-in to monitor web surfing, is currently accepting applications for beta testers. Other shareholders in GameLayers include Joi Ito, chairman of Creative Commons and CEO of venture capital firm Neoteny, and Richard Wolpert, the chief strategy officer at RealNetworks.
http://www.pehub.com/article/articledetail.php?articlepostid=8386
http://www.passivelymultiplayer.com 
http://www.gamelayers.com 

Report: Social Network Membership to Plateau in 2012

London -- Revenue from social networking sites is expected to reach $965 million this year, when worldwide members will total 230 million, according to a new report from market research firm Datamonitor. By 2012, the firm expects revenue to increase to $2.4 billion, when membership will plateau. "The extraordinary proliferation of online social networks is… changing the way we communicate," said Datamonitor analyst Ri Pierce-Grove. "However, the hothouse atmosphere of easy capital, media attention and user curiosity which stimulates creativity will not be sustained indefinitely." The firm said that infrastructure providers, social network providers and wireless companies stand to profit largely in the near term.
http://www.datamonitor.com
http://www.datamonitor.com/~704b1865e6fd4852b0aa8bbb1fd1c0b5~/home/press/article/?pid=F17026AF-6994-470A-B61F-1DAF44E94F50&type=PressRelease

Citrix Completes Acquisition of Palo Alto's XenSource for $500 Million

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Citrix Systems, a Florida-based provider of application delivery infrastructure, has completed its acquisition of XenSource, a privately held, Palo Alto-based provider of virtual infrastructure technology, for about $500 million in a combination of cash and stock. Citrix said that the acquisition moves it into the adjacent server and desktop virtualization markets. The acquisition will also strengthen each company's partnership with Microsoft and "commitment to the Windows platform," the company said. The XenSource team and products will form the core of the new Virtualization & Management Division of Citrix, the company announced. Peter Levine, CEO of XenSource, will lead the new division.
http://www.citrix.com/English/NE/news/news.asp?newsID=683171&ntref=hp_article_headlines_US

San Jose's LGC Wireless To Be Acquired for $169 Million

San Jose, Calif. -- LGC Wireless, a privately held, San Jose-based provider of wireless coverage and capacity products, has signed an agreement to be acquired by ADC, a Minneapolis-based telecommunications firm, for $169 million in cash. ADC said the acquisition "represents a central part of ADC's All IP Radio Access Network (IP RAN) strategy," which was announced earlier this year. LGC Wireless had sales of $83 million in the last 12 months, compared to sales of $43 million in the year ended December 2006. The company has about 240 employees.
http://www.adc.com/investorrelations/newsandcommunications/newsreleases/show.jsp?RELEASEID=270334 
http://www.lgcwireless.com

Palo Alto's Voltage Security Raises $12 Million in Fourth Round

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Voltage Security, a Palo Alto-based provider of encryption security technology, on Monday announced that it has raised $12 million in its fourth round of venture capital, led by Trident Capital. Founded in 2002, Voltage offers products designed to protect sensitive information. The company said that it had a revenue increase of about 80% for the twelve months ended in June and positive cash flow in the first six months of 2007. Other investors in the company's latest investment deal include Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Morgenthaler Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Cipio Partners and JAFCO Ventures.
http://www.voltagesecurity.com/about/pressreleases/PR071022.htm

Oakland-Based LiveScribe Raises $22 Million

Oakland, Calif. - LiveScribe, a developer of electronic pen and paper technology, has raised $22 million in its first round of venture capital financing, led by VantagePoint Venture Partners, PEHub.com reported. Oakland-based LiveScribe has developed a "smart pen" with sensors and proprietary paper that lets users record presentations aurally, as well as take notes that can be automatically transferred to a computer. LiveScribe plans to sell its smart pen for under $200 when it launches in the first quarter of 2008.
http://www.pehub.com/article/articledetail.php?articlepostid=8361

OPNET Acquires Network Physics For $10 Million

Mountain View, Calif. -- Maryland-based OPNET Technologies, a provider of technology for managing networks, announced that it has completed the acquisition of most of the assets of Network Physics, a privately held software company based in Mountain View, Calif. OPNET paid $10 million in cash for Network Physics. OPNET said the acquisition will help it grow its application performance management offerings.
http://www.opnet.com/news/press_releases/pr_2007/np_acquisition_pr.html

San Francisco-Based BrightRoll Lands $5 Million

San Francisco -- BrightRoll, the San Francisco-based operator of an online video advertising network, has raised around $5 million in its second round of venture capital financing, PEHub.com reported. Investors in the round included True Ventures and Adams Street Partners. BrightRoll said that it has served more than 800 million ads since its was founded in 2005, and serves over half of the top 250 web sites, as measured by comScore.
http://www.pehub.com/article/articledetail.php?articlepostid=8388
http://www.brightroll.com 

Mill Valley-Based SocialMedia Networks Raises $3.5 Million

Mill Valley, Calif. -- SocialMedia Networks, a Mill Valley-based provider of tools for developers building applications for online social networks, said that it has raised $3.5 million in its first round of venture capital financing, led by Charles River Ventures. Marc Andreessen, the co-founder of Netscape, and Jeff Clavier, the founder and managing partner of SoftTech VC, also participated. SocialMedia's core engine, known as Appsaholic, enables Facebook developers to track applications, buy installs and sell installs on the social media network.
http://apps.facebook.com/appsaholic/index.php
http://www.socialmedia.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071018/aqth075.html?.v=26

Palo Alto-Based Symphony Services Acquires Optimal Engineering

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Symphony Services, a Palo Alto-based provider of product engineering outsourcing services, said on Friday that it has acquired Massachusettes-based counterpart Optimal Engineering Partners. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 2002, Optimal focuses on embedded systems and application development. Earlier this year, the company was named to Inc. Magazine's list of fastest growing companies, with revenue growth of 423% since 2003. Symphony said that the acquisition will expand its engineering team and strengthen its embedded and real-time systems application development capabilities.
http://www.optimalengineering.com
http://symphonysv.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/071016/20071016005128.html?.v=1