Silicon Valley Wire

Redwood City-Based Visto Raises $35 Million in New Funding

Redwood City, Calif. -- Visto, a Redwood City-based independent provider of mobile email services, said on Friday that it has raised $35 million in its final round of funding from Altitude Capital Partners. The company, which raised $51 million in September, now has raised a total of $86 million. Visto said that it plans to use the capital to continue its worldwide growth, as well as expand its product portfolio and protect its intellectual property. "With this total of $86 million, Visto has a balance sheet that is stronger than any private company in this market," said Brian Bogosian, the company's chairman, president and CEO. Visto is the developer of a platform that allows mobile operators to provide mobile email to a broad set of devices. Current customers include Cingular, Rogers Wireless, Sprint Nextel and the Vodafone Group.
http://www.visto.com/news/releases/07.02.16_financing.asp

Milpitas-Based SanDisk to Cut 250 Jobs in Cost-Cutting Effort

Milpitas, Calif. -- Needing to cut costs to combat falling prices for its components, Milpitas-based SanDisk, a maker of flash storage card products, said on Friday that it will cut 250 jobs -- or about 10% of its workforce -- and reduce the salaries of its executives by as much as 20%. SanDisk said that the job cuts will primarily occur in early March, and will reflect its recent decision to de-emphasize the company's USB private label business in favor of its more profitable SanDisk branded business. Other cost-cutting measurers will include salary freezes for all employees and a hiring freeze in most areas of the company. SanDisk said that it expects to save $30-$35 million a year as a result of the measures. The company said that it has been hurt by component pricing that has deteriorated by as much as 50%, as well as seasonally weak demand.
http://www.sandisk.com/Corporate/PressRoom/PressReleases/PressRelease.aspx?ID=3723

Milpitas-Based LSI Logic to Acquire Fremont-Based SiliconStor

Milpitas, Calif. -- LSI Logic, a Milpitas-based maker of data storage chips, said on Friday that it will acquire Fremont-based SiliconStor, a developer of silicon products used in storage networks, for $55 million in cash. LSI said that the acquisition, which will add about 30 employees, will position it as one of the only storage building block suppliers with offerings for all nodes in the storage systems architecture. The deal is expected to close before the end of March.
http://www.lsi.com/news/corporate_news/2007/2007_02_16.html

Novato-Based Sonic Solutions Receives Delisting Warning from Nasdaq

Novato, Calif. -- Sonic Solutions, a Novato-based developer of digital media software, said on Friday said that it has received letter from the Nasdaq Stock Market warning the company that its stock is subject to delisting from the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Sonic said that the notice was expected after it failed to timely file its quarterly report for the quarter ended Dec. 31, due to an internal review of its stock option grant practices and related accounting. Sonic said that it will appeal the ruling, and has requested a hearing.
http://www.sonic.com/
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070216/20070216005607.html?.v=1

San Mateo-Based Sling Media Hit with Patent Lawsuit

San Mateo, Calif. -- Sling Media, a San Mateo-based developer of technology that allows users to access their home TV channels from any Internet-connected device, has been sued for patent infringement by the inventor of a wireless speaker system, CNET News.com reported. Stuart Meshon owns a patent for technology that transmits audio signals from a home audio source to a remote speaker through a wireless telephone network. Meshon said that he first notified Sling Media of the company's possible infringement in a letter dated March 4, 2005. "We are supremely confident in our position that the suit is totally without merit," Jason Krikorian, co-founder and senior vice president of business development for Sling Media, told News.com.
http://news.com.com/Inventor+sues+Slingbox+maker+for+patent+infringement/2100-1030_3-6159815.html?tag=nefd.top
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=Stuart&s2=Mershon&OS=Stuart+AND+Mershon&RS=Stuart+AND+Mershon

Warren Buffett Tops "Slate 60" List of Biggest Charitable Donations

Washington, DC -- Slate, the daily Internet magazine owned by The Washington Post Company, announced on Friday that Warren Buffett tops the "Slate 60" list with the largest charitable donation in history. Buffett pledged $36.4 billion in 2006 to charitable foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Other notable names on the annual list, compiled by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, include No. 6 David Rockefeller with $252 million, No. 9 Mayor Michael Bloomberg with $165 million, No. 18 Mort Zuckerman with $100 million, No. 31 George Soros with $60 million and No. 35 Oprah Winfrey with $58.3 million. The full list can be found at the link below.
http://specials.slate.com/slate60/2006/

Redwood City-Based Reactrix Raises $45 Million in Fourth Round of Funding

Redwood City, Calif. -- Reactrix Systems, a Redwood City-based provider of interactive media services to malls and theaters, said on Thursday that it has raised $45 million in its fourth round of funding. The round, the largest in the company's history, was co-led by new investors D. E. Shaw group and Menlo Ventures, and included participation from previous investors Mobius Venture Capital, Thomas Weisel Venture Partners and Worldview Technology Partners. Reactrix said that it will use the proceeds to expand its network of more than 160 malls and theaters. The company produces interactive displays that project vivid messages -- from advertisers including AOL, Coca-Cola, DirecTV, Sprint and Visa -- on a particular square space on the floor.
http://www.reactrix.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070215/nyth089.html?.v=78

Sunnyvale-Based MINO Wireless Raises $7 Million from Canaan Partners

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- MINO Wireless, a Sunnyvale-based maker of software that allows mobile phone users to make phone calls through the Internet, said that it has raised $7 million in a new round of funding from Canaan Partners. Mino said that its technology reduces the cost of international calls from mobile phones. Menlo Park-based Canaan Partners has a broad portfolio of investments in mobile and wireless companies including Aperto Networks, Blue Frog Mobile, Dexterra and Mobilitec, a company that was recently acquired by Lucent Technologies.
http://www.minowireless.com
http://www.canaan.com/news070214_mino.html 

Sunnyvale-Based Cepheid Acquires Sangtec Molecular Diagnostics

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Cepheid, a Sunnyvale-based molecular diagnostics firm, said on Thursday that it has acquired Sangtec Molecular Diagnostics from ALTANA Pharma for $27 million in cash. Sangtec, based in Sweden, makes PCR based molecular diagnostics products. Sangtec currently has 59 employees and had revenue in 2006 of approximately $8 million. Cepheid said that it plans to integrate Sangtec's family of PCR molecular diagnostic kits into its existing European and U.S. portfolio of in vitro diagnostic products.
http://www.cepheid.com/Sites/cepheid/content.cfm?id=160&releaseid=963506&listid=137

Google Makes Gmail Web-based E-mail Available to All

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google, the Mountain View-based Internet search giant, has made its Gmail web-based email service available to all users, following a three-year stint in which new users had to be invited to join by an existing user, the Associated Press reported. Despite the announcement, Gmail will remain in "beta" mode, indicating that it still is not considered a fully functional Google service. The launch of the Gmail service with its massive storage limits prompted rivals Yahoo and Microsoft Hotmail to increase their storage limits for users. Google co-founder Sergey Brin said that the company plans to introduce subscription options for heavy users later this year. Google's photo-hosting service charges $25 a year for 6.25GB of storage and $500 for 250GB.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070214/ap_on_hi_te/google_mail_1
http://gmail.google.com 

World Wildlife Fund Launches "Green" Weddings Site

Washington, DC -- The World Wildlife Fund has unveiled a new web site aimed at engaged couples looking to add a bit of green to their white weddings. The WWF's Weddings and Celebrations site offers tips on how to plan an environmentally friendly wedding, such as choosing eco-friendly reception venues, flower arrangements and food caterers. It also includes a wedding gift registry where couples can give guests the option of donating to the organization's conservation programs in lieu of traditional gifts. Couples also can choose to donate to the organization in lieu of traditional party favors, then download printable table cards announcing the donation. "Instead of getting a truck load of items they don't really need, many couples are deciding to use the occasion to tastefully raise funds for a cause they care about, like environmental conservation," said Terry Macko, the WWF's vice president of membership and partner marketing.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/weddings

Michael Cannon Resigns as President and CEO of Milpitas-Based Solectron

Milpitas, Calif. -- Solectron, a Milpitas-based provider of electronics manufacturing and supply chain services, said on Wednesday that Michael Cannon has resigned as its president and CEO. Cannon is leaving to join computer giant Dell, in the newly created position of president of global operations. Solectron's CFO, Paul Tufano, has been named interim CEO while the company conducts its search for a replacement. "We have made great progress in returning Solectron to growth and profitability during Mike's four years as CEO," said Bill Hasler, the company's chairman.
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=74829&p=irol-newsArticle&t=Regular&id=963341&

Mountain View-Based Google Loses Belgian Newspaper Copyright Case

Mountain View, Calif. -- A Belgian court has ruled against Mountain View-based Google in a copyright case in which Belgian newspapers accused the search giant of infringement for posting their news articles without permission, the Associated Press reported. The Copiepresse coalition of Belgian newspapers complained that Google's cache offered free access to articles on their subscription-based sites, and that its Google News posted their content without permission. Google said that it will appeal the ruling. "We believe that Google News is entirely legal," the company said in a statement. "We only ever show the headlines and a few snippets of text and small thumbnail images. If people want to read the entire story they have to click through to the newspaper's web site." The court also ordered Google to pay a fine of about $32,400 for each day that it did not comply with the ruling, down from an earlier ruling in September that put the fine at $1.3 million a day.
http://news.wired.com/dynamic/stories/B/BELGIUM_GOOGLE_VS_NEWSPAPERS?SITE=WIRE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
http://www.copiepresse.be

YouTube Releases Identity of TV Show Uploader to Fox

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google's YouTube video-sharing service has complied with subpoenas from 20th Century Fox that sought the identity of a user who uploaded episodes of "24" and "The Simpsons" -- some before their initial broadcasts -- to the site, internetnews.com reported. In addition to YouTube, the video-sharing site Live Digital also complied with a Fox subpoena. YouTube user "ECOtotal" and Live Digital user "Jorge Romero" were targeted in the Fox court filings, and will now be identified by the companies for Fox. "We intend to use the information provided to pursue all available legal remedies against those who infringed our copyrights," Chris Alexander, 20th Century Fox Television's vice president of media relations, told internetnews.com.
http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/3659401
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ECOtotal   

S.F.-Based Digital Magazine Publisher Zinio Acquired by Gilvest

San Francisco -- Zinio Systems, a San Francisco-based provider of digital publishing services for books and magazines, said that it has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by Gilvest, an investment group owned by entrepreneur David Gilmour. Zinio distributes more than 1,200 digital magazine titles and textbooks from more than 240 publisher partners. Since 2002, the company has delivered more than 65 million digital publications. The company will retain its current management team. Gilmour's other ventures include FIJI Water, South Pacific Hotel Corporation, Barrick Gold, TrizecHahn and VIV Publishing.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070213/sftu082.html?.v=93
http://www.zinio.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070213/sftu082.html?.v=93

Cindy Johanson Named COO of San Rafael-Based George Lucas Foundation

San Rafael, Calif. -- Cindy Johanson, a former senior vice president at PBS, on Wednesday was named the new COO of the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), a San Rafael-based non-profit group that uses various forms of media to spread the word about exemplary programs in K-12 schools. Johanson's priorities will be to advance an integrated media strategy across platforms including the award-winning Edutopia magazine, Edutopia.org, and e-newsletters. Johanson most recently served as the senior vice president of interactive and education at PBS, where she led the creation and growth of its PBS.org web site and its other Internet services from their inception in 1995. Lucus, the filmmaker responsible for the "Star Wars" series, founded the organization in 1991.
http://www.edutopia.org/

New York Times Co. to Partner with Monster on Co-Branded Job Sites

New York -- The New York Times Co., publisher of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat and Petaluma Argus-Courier, said on Wednesday that it has formed a new marketing partnership with online employment firm Monster Worldwide. Under the deal, 19 of the Times Co.'s newspaper web sites, including The New York Times and The Boston Globe, will co-brand their online recruitment advertising sites with Monster. The expanded sites will feature Monster's career tools and content, and allow recruiters to post job listings locally as well as nationally. Janet Robinson, the CEO of The New York Times, said that the deal "will significantly increase our presence in the online recruitment space." The co-branded sites will begin to appear in March.
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=105317&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=963086&highlight=

Report: Online Sales of Valentine's Flowers, Greeting Cards Spike

Reston, Va. -- Though several online retail categories experienced significant sales increases in the week preceding Valentine's Day, flowers and greeting cards saw especially dramatic gains, according to new figures released by comScore Networks. Compared with the average of the previous four weeks, online sales in the category increased 98% to $24.5 million during the week ending Feb. 11.  Jewelry and watches also saw a bump in sales to $24.7 million, up 22%."In recent years, consumers have increasingly turned to the web for Valentine’s Day gifts," said Andrew Lipsman, a senior analyst at comScore Networks. "Flowers, which are always a sentimental favorite, have experienced the most noticeable spikes in online sales."
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=1208

S.F.-Based Bridge Pharmaceuticals Raises $35 Million in Second Round

San Francisco -- Bridge Pharmaceuticals, a San Francisco-based provider of pre-clinical contract pharmaceutical, biologics and vaccine development services, said on Tuesday that it has secured $35 million in its second round of funding. New investor Granite Global Ventures joined the company's previous investors in the round, which the company plans to use to expand its preclinical operations in China. The capital also will help the company pay for its December acquisition of Maryland-based Gene Logic's Preclinical Division, as well as for a planned construction project in Beijing.
http://www.bridgecro.com/
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070213/20070213005583.html?.v=1

South San Francisco-Based Trellis Bioscience Lands $10 Million in VC

South San Francisco -- Trellis Bioscience, a South San Francisco-based biotechnology company, said on Tuesday that it ha ssecured $10 million in its second round of venture capital financing. New investor Novartis Bioventures led the round, which also included participation from new investors Pac-Link Bio Venture Investment and Sagamore Bioventures, as well as previous investors Easton-Hunt Capital Partners and Morgenthaler Partners VII. The company plans to sue the proceeds to develop product candidates, bothj for itself and corporate partners. "This financing will help to transform Trellis from a technology platform company to a product-oriented biotechnology firm that generates its own therapeutic candidates in the areas of infectious disease and oncology," said CEO Brian Cunningham.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070213/20070213005769.html?.v=1
http://www.trellisbio.com/

Palo Alto-Based Telik to Cut 25% of Staff in Restructuring

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Telik, a Palo Alto-based biopharmaceutical firm, said on Tuesday that it will cut 25% of its workforce --  approximately 40 employees -- in a corporate restructuring aimed at significantly reducing spending. Following the moves, the company will have about 120 employees. Telik said that it wil record a $1.6 million charge for restructuring and severance costs in the current quarter. The company's most advanced drug candidate is designed to ovarian cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.
http://www.telik.com/pr/2007/pr_2007_0213.html

Palo Alto-Based LiveOps Raises $28 Million in Third Round of Funding

Palo Alto, Calif. -- LiveOps, a Palo Alto-based provider of distributed contact center services to companies, said on Tuesday that it has raised $28 million in its third round of funding. Benchmark Capital led the round, which also included participation from previous investors CMEA Ventures and Menlo Ventures. LiveOps, which in December brought in former eBay COO Maynard Webb as its CEO, said that it will use the infusion to help accelerate its growth through investments and acquisitions. The company provides its more than 150 clients with call center services through its network of more than 10,000 work-from-home customer service agents.
http://www.liveops.com/news_07-0213.html

San Jose-Based eBay Completes Acquisition of S.F.-Based StubHub

San Jose, Calif. -- More than a month earlier than expected, San Jose-based eBay said Tuesday that it has completed its $307 million acquisition of San Francisco-based StubHub, an online marketplace for the resale of event tickets. The companies first announced the deal in January, and expected it to close by the end of March. eBay said that the deal will allow it to expand its presence in the online tickets segment. Launched in 2000, StubHub last year sold more than $400 million worth of concert, event and sports tickets.
http://investor.ebay.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=229810

Bellrock Media Acquires S.F.-Based Mobile Entertainment Publisher Moderati

San Francisco -- Bellrock Media, a Santa Monica-based developer of premium entertainment content, said that it has acquired Moderati, a San Francisco-based publisher of mobile entertainment content. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Moderati was founded in 2001 as a unit of Japan-based Faith Inc., and has deals with 14 U.S. wireless carriers to distribute both its own ringtones and entertainment products, as well as partners' content. Founded in 2005, Bellrock develops and distributes original digital entertainment content; its backers include Intel and Faith, Inc. "Bringing Moderati and its management team under the Bellrock umbrella gives us tremendous credibility and a mature platform from which to execute in the U.S. mobile market," said Peter Levin, the president of Bellrock. "This acquisition accelerates our growth timeline domestically and gets us up to speed with our Japanese operation."
http://www.bellrockmedia.com/en/brmmod.html

San Francisco-Based GoFish to Acquire Bolt Media for $30 Million

San Francisco -- GoFish, a San Francisco-based video sharing site, said on Monday that it will acquire New York-based Bolt Media in a stock-for-stock deal worth as much as $30 million. The combined company will develop made-for-Internet programming geared toward 18-34 year-olds. Bolt reported sales in 2006 of approximately $7 million, and counts Coca-Cola, Verizon Wireless, Nike and Sony among its repeat advertisers. The deal is expected to close in March or April. "Bolt is one of the Internet’s great youth brands and a perfect fit for GoFish," said Michael Downing, the CEO of GoFish.
http://www.gofish.com/corp/press.gfp

Redwood City-Based EA Acquires San Francisco's SingShot Media

Redwood City, Calif. -- Electronic Arts, the Redwood City-based developer and publisher of video games, said on Monday that it has acquired SingShot Media, developer of a San Francisco-based online karaoke community. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. SingShot's web-based social networking platform allows site members to record their renditions of famous songs, share their recordings with friends and customize recordings with photos and videos. EA said that the acquisition will accelerate its efforts in community-building and promoting user-generated content.
http://info.ea.com/news/news.php

Sunnyvale-Based ShoreTel Files to Raise Up to $85 Million in IPO

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- ShoreTel, a Sunnyvale-based provider of Internet telephone systems for businesses, on Monday filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise up to $85 million in an initial public offering (IPO). Details such as the number of shares or their expected price range have yet to be disclosed. The company said that it has sold its telecommunications systems to over 4,000 corporate customers, including CNET Networks, Robert Half International and the City of Oakland. Last year, ShoreTel recorded net income of $3.95 million, its first profit, on $1.6 million in revenue.
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1388133/000089161807000066/f26847orsv1.htm

Mountain View-Based Dash Navigation Lands $25 Million in Funding

Mountain View, Calif. -- Dash Navigation, a Mountain View-based developer of Internet-connected GPS devices, said on Monday that it has raised $25 million in its second round of funding, led by Crescendo Ventures. New investors Artis Capital, ZenShin Capital Partners and Gold Hill Capital, as well as previous investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Sequoia Capital and Skymoon Ventures also participated. The company said that it will use the capital to fund this fall's national consumer roll-out of its Internet-connected automotive GPS device, which was picked "Best of Show" by CNET and LAPTOP Magazine at the recent International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
http://www.dash.net/news_pr-070212.php

San Jose-Based Cisco to Acquire San Francisco-Based Five Across

San Jose, Calif. -- Cisco Systems, the San Jose-based networking equipment giant, has announced its first foray into the social networking space with its deal to acquire Five Across, a San Francisco-based developer of technology that lets companies add social networking and user-generated content functionality to their web sites. Financial terms of the deal, expected to close by the end of April, were not disclosed. Founded in 2003, Five Across has 11 employees and a customer base that includes the National Hockey League (NHL), Alloy and Daily Comedy. Once the deal closes, the company will be integrated into the Cisco Media Solutions Group (CMSG).
http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/070209/0213454.html
http://www.cisco.com/go/media 

Cytyc to Acquire Sunnyvale-Based Adeza for $452 Million

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Cytyc, a Massachusetts-based provider of surgical and diagnostic products, has agreed to pay $452 million in cash to acquire Adeza Biomedical, a Sunnyvale-based maker of products for women's health. Adeza's key product is used to identify women at risk of preterm birth. The test is a single-use, disposable cassette run on Adeza's TLiIQ instrument, which assesses the level of a certain fetal protein associated with premature births.
http://ir.cytyc.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=229483

Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Leads $16.5 Million Round for Vertica

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a Menlo Park-based private equity firm, has led a new $16.5 million funding round for Vertica, a Massachusetts-based developer of database management technology, Private Equity Week reported. Previous investors Bessemer Venture Partners and Highland Capital Partners also participated. Vertica was founded in 2005, and its first product is still in best testing.
http://www.vertica.com