Silicon Valley Wire

San Francisco-Based PlayFirst Names New CEO, CFO

San Francisco -- PlayFirst, a San Francisco-based developer of casual games, including the "Diner Dash" franchise, has named Mari Baker as its new CEO and Jim Wandrey as its CFO. Baker most recently served as the CEO of Navigenics, and previously was president of BabyCenter. Wandrey, meanwhile, served as the CFO of Telephia. Baker replaces PlayFirst co-founder John Welch, widely regarded as one of the leaders of the casual game revolution. Welch will be moving on to a new, yet to be disclosed venture.
http://www.playfirst.com 
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-26-2009/0004979014&EDATE=

Qualcomm Acquires Fremont-Based Digital Fountain

Fremont, Calif. -- Wireless developer Qualcomm has acquired Fremont-based Digital Fountain, a provider of mobile video technology, for an undisclosed sum, according to several online reports. Digital Fountain's customer list includes Cisco, Scientific Atlanta, Pioneer, Sirius XM, Sony and Nokia. "Qualcomm has acquired a team of seven key engineers that will continue to support the technology and existing Digital Fountain customers," the company told StreamingMedia.com. Qualcomm said that the Digital Fountain team, led by founder and CTO Mike Luby, will work out of the company's campus in Santa Clara.
http://www.digitalfountain.com
http://blog.streamingmedia.com/the_business_of_online_vi/2009/02/qualcomm-acquires-digital-fountain.html
http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-qualcomm-buys-online-and-mobile-video-tech-provider-digital-fountain/

Campbell-Based Atrua Technologies Lands Funding, Hires New CEO

Campbell, Calif. -- Atrua Technologies, a Campbell-based developer of touch control technology used in mobile devices, said that it has raised an unspecified amount in a new round of funding, led by previous investor Blue Run Ventures, and named Carson Zhou as its new CEO. New investor DKP Group also participated in the round, which the company will use to expand its presence in China, allowing it to do better address the market for phones designed and manufactured in China and Taiwan. The funds will also enable the company to hire additional engineers. Zhou takes over for Anthony Gioeli, who has stepped down as CEO to pursue other interests, but will continue to serve the company in an advisory role. Zhou most recently served as the executive vice president of sales at Spreadtrum Communications, and has held senior management roles with AT&T/Lucent Microelectronics/Agere and Texas Instruments. Atrua's touch controls, including its "Made-for-Mobile" fingerprint touch control, have now been designed into over 55 mobile phones, including models from Toshiba, Lenovo, Sagem/Porsche Design, Ningbo Bird, Kyocera and Sharp.
http://www.atrua.com
http://www.atrua.com/press-release-02-25-2009.html

Kudelski Offers to Buy Remainder of San Francisco-Based OpenTV

San Francisco -- OpenTV, a San Francisco-based developer of interactive TV software and services, said on Friday that it has received a $127 million offer from Swiss content protection technology firm Kudelski Group to acquire shares of the company that it doesn't already own. The proposal comes more than two years after Kudelski acquired voting control of the company from Liberty Media in a stock deal then valued at $132.3 million. In the latest deal, Kudelski would pay $1.35 a share in cash. OpenTV said that its board of directors will meet to consider the offer.
http://www.opentv.com
http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/myPRNJ.jsp?profileid=1140076&resourceid=3930537
http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=172807&site=cdn

Yahoo CFO to Depart as Part of Organizational Shake-Up

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Yahoo said on Thursday that CFO Blake Jorgensen will be leaving the company, part of an organizational shakeup spearheaded by newly installed CEO Carol Bartz. Jorgensen, who has been with the Sunnyvale-based company since mid-2007, will continue in his role until a replacement is found. He was a close ally of former president Susan Decker, who left the company earlier this year after getting passed over for the CEO job. Though Bartz didn't specifically mention the move in a posting on Yahoo's blog, she said that part of her turnaround plan will be to remove obstacles that have "bogged this company down." "Today I’m rolling out a new management structure that I believe will make Yahoo a lot faster on its feet," Bartz wrote. "For us working at Yahoo, it means everything gets simpler. We’ll be able to make speedier decisions, the notorious silos are gone, and we have a renewed focus on the customer." Part of her plan will be the creation of a new Customer Advocacy group, as well as a bigger focus on branding. 
http://biz.yahoo.com/e/090226/yhoo8-k.html
http://ycorpblog.com/

Apple CEO Steve Jobs Still Expected to Return in June

Cupertino, Calif. -- Apple CEO Steve Jobs is still expected to return from a medical leave at the end of June, a company board member revealed during a shareholder meeting on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. Apple director Arthur Levinson told investors that "nothing has changed" since Jobs announced on Jan. 14 that he would take a medical leave of absence before returning this summer. Jobs put COO Tim Cook in charge of day-to-day operations during his leave. Jobs, a survivor of pancreatic cancer who had appeared more gaunt in recent months, first revealed on Jan. 5 that he was suffering from a treatable hormone imbalance. But a week later, Jobs acknowledged that his health problems were "more complex" that initially thought, and announced he would take a leave of absence.
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090225/ap_on_hi_te/apple_shareholders_4

Bessemer Venture Partners Adds $350 Million to Seventh Fund

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Bessemer Venture Partners, a New York-based venture capital firm with offices in Menlo Park, said on Thursday that it has raised another $350 million to add to its seventh fund, which closed in mid-2007 with more than $1 billion. "Great companies have been founded during downturns and Bessemer sees a lot of investment opportunity in the current market environment," said Ed Colloton, the firm's COO. Founded in 1911, Bessemer specializes in venture capital investments, but also participates in late-stage financings and sometimes makes small, seed-stage investments below $1 million. More typically, the firm makes investments in the range of $4 million to $10 million, in a range of industries.
http://www.bvp.com/
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/090226/3846102en_public.html?.v=1

Top Yahoo Mobile Exec Marco Boerries Steps Down

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Marco Boerries, the head of Sunnyvale-based Yahoo's Connected Life mobile division, said that he plans to step down from his position, All Things D reported. Boerries, an entrepreneur who has sold several of his own companies,has served as executive vice president of the Connected Device Division at Yahoo for four years. He attributed his decision to needing to attend to family living in Germany, as well as future plans and ambitions. Incoming Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz also is expected to announce a management restructuring at the company later week, sources told All Things D.
http://kara.allthingsd.com/20090225/connected-life-head-marco-boerries-to-leave-yahoo/

Survey: Company Layoffs Expected to Decline

Washington, DC -- The majority of companies already have completed the bulk of their sweeping cost-cutting measures in the face of the ongoing recession, though many are still planning further moves such as salary and hiring freezes, as well as reduced 401(k) matches, according to a new survey by consulting firm Watson Wyatt.  According to the survey of 245 large U.S. employers conducted last week, 52% have recently made layoffs. The number of companies still planning layoffs, however, fell to 13%, down from 23% two months ago. "Companies have come to terms with the fact that this recession is going to last and that they can't slash their way out of it," said Laura Sejen, global director of strategic rewards consulting at Watson Wyatt. "Many companies are putting the drastic cuts behind them and are now focusing on smaller, more sustainable cost-cutting actions." The complete report is available at the link below.
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/news/press.asp?ID=20684

Visits to Online Job Sites Soar as Recession Deepens

New York -- As the nation's recession leaves more and more people looking for new jobs, web traffic to career development sites continues to grow in step, according to new figures from Nielsen Online. Traffic to the sites rose 20% in January, compared with the year before, with CareerBuilder (20.8 million unique visitors), Yahoo HotJobs (11.7 million) and Monster (9.5 million) leading the way. "With the current unstable economy and rising unemployment rate, more people are heading online to search for jobs, and interestingly not just the unemployed," said Chuck Schilling, the research director for agency & media at Nielsen Online. "Many people are trying to build up their resumes and get a sense of the job market before the next potential layoff." The fastest growth in the category came from people age 65 and over, suggesting a trend toward later or partial retirement.
http://www.nielsen-online.com/press.jsp?section=new_pr&theyear=2009&country=United%20States&themonth=1
http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/090226/0477462.html

San Jose-Based Ocarina Networks Lands $20 Million in Second Round

San Jose, Calif. -- Ocarina Networks, a San Jose-based developer of online storage optimization technology, said on Wednesday that it has landed $20 million in its second round of funding, led by JAFCO Ventures. Previous investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Highland Capital Partners also participated. Ocarina's system is designed to allow customers to store the same amount of data on significantly fewer disks, freeing up space for new files and reducing capital expenditures. The company, headed by CEO Murli Thirumale, said that its technology not only optimizes storage capacity for backup or archived data, but also online file data.
http://www.ocarinanetworks.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/090225/0477071.html

San Mateo-Based Appirio Raises $10 Million in Third Round

San Mateo, Calif. -- Appirio, a San Mateo-based provider of web-based software designed to help businesses move to cloud computing, said on Wednesday that it has raised $10 million in its third round of funding from GGV Capital and Sequoia Capital. The company, which previously had raised $5.6 million last July, plans to use the proceeds to bolster product development and marketing, as well as to expand partnerships. "The business case for cloud computing is strong, and we're seeing the pace of investment from investors and customers growing as a result," said Chris Barbin, the CEO of Appirio. Founded in 2006, Appirio currently has partnerships with companies such as Google and salesforce.com, as well as more than 2,500 clients.
http://www.appirio.com/
http://www.appirio.com/about/pr_funding_022509.php

San Carlos-Based Aster Data Systems Lands Another $5 Million

San Carlos, Calif. -- Six weeks after originally raising $12 million in its second round of funding, Aster Data Systems, a San Carlos-based developer of analytic database systems for data warehousing, said on Wednesday that it has added another $5 million from Institutional Venture Partners (IVP). JAFCO Ventures led the original tranche. "Expanding this financing round will help us continue to innovate and grow aggressively, with a nice cushion to ride the economic waves," said Mayank Bawa, the co-founder and CEO of Aster. Clients such as MySpace, Akamai and Aggregate Knowledge use Aster's nCluster database.
http://www.asterdata.com
http://www.asterdata.com/news/090225_aster_IVP_funding.php

Report: President Obama to Name Jon Leibowitz as Head of FTC

Washington, DC -- President Barack Obama is set to name current Federal Trade Commission member Jon Leibowitz as the next chairman of the FTC, an administration official told Bloomberg. Leibowitz, a former lobbyist for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), was appointed a Democratic member of the FTC in 2004. Leibowitz would succeed Republican William Kovacic as chairman, with Kovacic remaining on the five-member commission. In recent years, the FTC has been active in numerous online and technology-related consumer issues.
http://www.ftc.gov 
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=astpQcaBUtf4&refer=us

S.F.-Based AlwaysOn Names Winners of GoingGreen East 50 Awards

San Francisco -- AlwaysOn, a San Francisco-based producer of tradeshows and events, on Wednesday named the winners of the first annual GoingGreen East 50 Awards, honoring the top cleantech and greentech companies in the Eastern U.S. and Canada. Cambridge, Mass.-based GreatPoint Energy was named as the competition's overall winner. The complete list, available at the link below, was compiled through surveys with more than 300 venture investors, investment bankers and technology insiders, who nominated more than 500 companies, in all. The winners will be honored during an event in Boston next month.
http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/31372

Redwood City-Based Visto to Acquire Good Technology from Motorola

Redwood City, Calif. -- Visto, a Redwood City-based provider of mobile email software, said on Tuesday that it will acquire Sunnyvale-based mobile messaging firm Good Technology from owner Motorola. Financial terms of the deal, expected to close by the end of this month, were not disclosed. Good Technology offers wireless messaging, mobile data access, device management and handheld security services in the U.S., Europe and Asia. "Good's [offerings] will complement Visto's strong operator presence in business and consumer markets," said Brian Bogosian, the CEO of Visto. Motorola acquired Good Technology in late 2006 in a deal worth more than $400 million.
http://www.visto.com
http://www.visto.com/news/releases/09.02.24_good.asp

San Jose-Based Hitachi GST to Acquire San Mateo-Based Fabrik

San Jose, Calif. -- Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST), a maker of hard disk drives and sold state drives, said that will expand into external storage by acquiring San Mateo-based Fabrik, maker of G-Technology and SimpleTech storage products. Financial terms of the deal, expected to occur in April, were not disclosed. Fabrik's business will continue intact and form the core of Hitachi GST's newly-formed external storage business. Mike Cordano, Fabrik's co-founder and CEO, will hold an unspecified role on the company's executive team. "The Fabrik acquisition becomes the cornerstone for the next phase of our business transformation," said Steve Milligan, the president of Hitachi GST. "It strategically expands our market presence, strengthens our product portfolio and increases our customer base."
http://www.hitachigst.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/090223/20090223006432.html?.v=1

Campbell-Based Tela Innovations Acquires Blaze DFM

Campbell, Calif. -- Tela Innovations, a Campbell-based developer of technology for semiconductor design and manufacturing, said on Tuesday that it has acquired Blaze DFM, a Sunnyvale-based developer of technology designed to reduce power in advanced manufacturing process nodes. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Tela said that the acquisition gives it Blaze's complete line of products and technologies, including the company's power-optimization software. It also will gain several key engineering employees. 
http://www.tela-inc.com
http://www.tela-inc.com/nr_022309_blaze.php?PHPSESSID=e9dcda9f60713ddc8a336666e8b0f00a

Palo Alto-Based Eiger BioPharmaceuticals Raises $7.1 Million

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, a Palo Alto-based biotechnology start-up developing antiviral therapies, said on Tuesday that it has raised $7.1 million in its first round of funding, co-led by InterWest Partners and Vivo Ventures. The company said that it will use the proceeds to advance its lead program, targeted a specific region in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protein. Eiger was founded on research conducted by Stanford professor Jeffrey Glenn, and is led by David Cory, its president and CEO.
http://www.eigerbio.com/
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/090224/aqtu006.html?.v=80

Netscape Co-Founder Launches Palo Alto Investment Firm

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen has teamed with former Opsware executive Ben Horowitz to launch a new venture capital firm based in Palo Alto, peHUB reported. The firm, Andreessen Horowitz, formally unites a pair of angel investors who have been backing start-ups since 2007. Andreessen, in fact, said that they so far have invested their own money in 36 young companies. peHUB reported that the firm now plans to raise a new fund, expecting to increase its investment target from $100,000 to $500,000 a deal.
http://www.pehub.com/32230/andreessen-launches-vc-fund/

Fremont-Based Exar to Acquire Los Gatos-Based Hifn

Fremont, Calif. -- Exar, a Fremont-based maker of chips used in portable devices, home media gateways, communications systems and industrial automation equipment, said on Monday that it will acquire Los Gatos-based Hifn, a developer of storage and networking technology. Under the deal, expected to close in April, Hifn shareholders will have the option of trading each of their shares for either $4 or $1.60, plus 0.35 of a share of Exar. Al Sisto, the chairman and CEO of Hifn, will join Exar's board of directors. "We believe we can achieve our strategic and financial objectives more quickly with the Hifn acquisition," said Pete Rodriguez, Exar's president and CEO. "The two companies have developed complementary technologies."
http://www.hifn.com
http://www.exar.com/
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/090223/sf74215.html?.v=1

Alameda-Based Wind River to Acquire Tilcon Software

Alameda, Calif. -- Wind River, the Alameda-based developer of platforms designed to let companies develop, run and manage device software, said on Monday that it will pay $3.5 million in cash to acquire Canada's Tilcon Software, a maker of software for creating and deploying graphical user interfaces in embedded devices. Wind River said that the deal, expected to close by Feb. 27, will give it embedded graphical user interfaces that will enhance its VxWorks and Wind River Linux software platforms. Ken Klein, the CEO of Wind River, said that the two companies have "complementary customers, partners and target vertical markets "
http://www.windriver.com
http://www.windriver.com/news/press/pr.html?ID=6601

Palo Alto's Borg Institute Names Winners of "Women of Vision" Awards

Palo Alto, Calif. -- The Palo Alto-based Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology on Monday announced the winners of its 2009 Women of Vision Awards, which annually honor women making "significant contributions" to technology in the areas of innovation, leadership and social impact. The organization said that it will honor Mitchell Baker of Mozilla, Yuqing Gao of IBM Research and Jan Cuny of the National Science Foundation at its awards banquet, scheduled for April 30 in San Jose. More information is available at the link below.
http://anitaborg.org/news/archive/2009-wov-winners/

Ritz Camera Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

Beltsville, Md. -- Hurt by sharply lower sales in recent months, Ritz Camera Centers, the large retailer of cameras and other consumer electronics -- with more than 40 locations in the Bay Area -- on Monday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Reuters reported. The company, which has nearly 900 locations operating under names such as Ritz Camera, Wolf Camera, Kits Cameras, Inkley's and The Camera Shops, said that it has suffered with the increasing popularity of digital photography, which has shaved revenue from its photo finishing business. Sharply lower sails at its 130-store Boater's World Marine Centers chain also contributed. Ritz listed between $100-$500 million of both assets and liabilities. The company plans to seek $85 million in financing, which it will use to continue operating while it restructures.
http://www.ritzcamera.com/
http://uk.reuters.com/article/marketsNewsUS/idUKN2332434320090223

Gawker, Huffington Post Top List of Most Valuable Blogging Firms

New York -- Gawker Properties, the New York-based publisher of popular blogs including Gawker, Defamer, Jezebel, Gizmodo, Lifehacker and Jalopnik, tops a newly released list of the 25 most valuable blogging companies, as determined by 24/7 Wall St. The rankings are based on unique visitor and page view information, advertising and estimated monthly costs. Gawkers, whose sites draw about 23 unique visitors a month, is worth an estimated $170 million. The Huffington Post (more than $90 million) ranks second, followed by The Drudge Report ($48 million), Perez Hilton ($32 million) and Sugar Inc. ($27 million) round out the top five. The complete list is available at the link below.
http://247wallst.com/2009/02/23/the-twenty-five-most-valuable-blogs/

Report: U.S. Video Viewing Continues Rise on TV, Web & Mobile

New York -- Americans now watch more than 151 hours of TV a month -- an all-time high -- while those who watch video online and through mobile devices consume another three and four hours a month, respectively, according to a new report from Nielsen. "Viewers appear to be choosing the best screen available for their video consumption, weighing a variety of factors, including convenience, quality and access," said Susan Whiting, the vice chair of Nielsen. "It is clear that TV remains the main vehicle for viewing video, although online and mobile platforms are an increasingly important complement to live home-based television." The study also noted that while men continue to watch video on mobile phones more than women, women watch video on the Internet and television more than men.
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire 

S. F.-Based Riverbed Completes Deal for Mazu Networks

San Francisco -- Riverbed Technology, a San Francisco-based developer of wide-area network (WAN) optimization technology, said on Friday that it has completed its $25 million acquisition of Mazu Networks, a Massachusetts-based provider of tools for managing business software applications. The deal was first announced last month. Riverbed also has named Mazu CEO Paul Brady to run its new Application Intelligence unit. Founded in 2000, Mazu offers software that analyzes network traffic and provides information about the interactions and dependencies between users, applications and systems. Riverbed said that the acquisition will extend its suite of WAN optimization products to include global application performance, reporting and analytics.
http://www.riverbed.com/
http://www.riverbed.com/company/news/press_releases/press_022009.php

Foster City-Based SCEA Expands PlayStation Business to Latin America

Foster City, Calif. -- Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) on Friday officially announced the expansion of its PlayStation business into Latin America, making its computer entertainment systems and services formally available to the region. Specifically, the move will introduce the company's PS3, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 systems to 13 different countries in the region. Services, such as access to the PlayStation Network, will be made available through a partnership with Sony Latin America, and the company also plans to launch localized versions of its PlayStation web site.
http://www.playstation.com
http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/myPRNJ.jsp?profileid=1140076&resourceid=3925514

Sunnyvale-Based Pharmacyclics Lands $1.4M in Private Placement

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Pharmacyclics, a Sunnyvale-based developer of drugs in the areas of oncology and autoimmune diseases, said on Friday that it has raised $1.4 million through a private placement with Pacific Biopharma Group (PBG), a cancer drug developer based in San Bruno and China. The company sold its shares for $0.93 each in the deal. "We are in active communication with the principals of PBG discussing collaborative opportunities," said Robert Duggan, the CEO of Pharmacyclics. "We look forward to a fruitful relationship." Pharmacyclics currently has four drugs in clinical development for cancer.
http://www.pharmacyclics.com/
http://ir.pharmacyclics.com//ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=366726

Report: One in Five Web Users Streaming Full TV Episodes

Menlo Park, Calif. -- One in five U.S. Internet users between the ages of 13-54 now watches full-length streaming episodes of TV shows online, up from 10% in 2006, according to a new report from Menlo Park-based market research firm Knowledge Networks. The report found that those who stream TV episodes still prefer the networks' own sites, but that use of third-party sites like Hulu.com has doubled over the past year. "Among streamers, there is no shortage of demand for TV network content, and Internet availability of full episodes increases their appetite for both online and traditional viewing of programs," said David Tice, the vice president of client service at Knowledge Networks.
http://www.knowledgenetworks
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-12-2009/0004971327&EDATE=

Palo Alto-Based HP to Cut Salaries of All Employees, Executives

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Attempting to avoid massive layoffs in the face of the ongoing recession, Palo Alto-based Hewlett-Packard (HP) has announced pay cuts for all of its employees. CEO Mark Hurd will take a 20% cut, members of the executive council 15%, other executives 10% and all other employees 5%. The company, which late Wednesday announced a 13% drop in quarterly earnings, also plans to implement changes in its 401(K) and share ownership plans. "At a company-wide level, I don’t believe a major workforce reduction is the best thing for HP at this time," Hurt wrote, in a memo to employees obtained by AllThingsD. "But we do have to do something…because the numbers just don’t add up and we need to have the flexibility to make the right long-term investments for HP." Hurd said that if the company performs better than expected, the reductions potentially could be made up in bonuses.
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20090219/hp-ceo-mark-hurds-memo-to-the-troops/?reflink=ATD_yahoo_ticker
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/090218/20090218006271.html?.v=1

AMD Shareholders Approve Plans for Joint-Venture Semiconductor Firm

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- AMD, the Sunnyvale-based chipmaker, said that its shareholders have approved a plan to form a joint venture foundry company with the Advanced Technology Investment Company of Abu Dhabi. The new semiconductor manufacturing venture, called The Foundry Company, will be based in Silicon Valley. It initially will have its principal manufacturing operations in Germany, with plans to eventually build a state-of-the-art facility in Saratoga County, New York. AMD said that the company will "address growing demand for independent, leading-edge foundry production capabilities."
http://www.newglobalfoundry.com
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/090218/20090218005832.html?.v=1

Menlo Park-Based Exponent Names Paul Johnston as Next CEO

Menlo Park, Calif. --  Exponent, a Menlo Park-based engineering and scientific consulting firm, said on Thursday that Paul Johnston, currently the company's president and COO, will take over as president and CEO in late May. He will replace Michael Gaulke, who will shift to the role of executive chairman for a 12-month term. Johnston has been with Exponent for 28 years. He was named COO in 2003 and president in 2007. "I have worked closely with Paul for over a decade and feel he is unquestionably the right person to lead our firm as its CEO in the years ahead," said Gaulke. "We are very fortunate to be able to appoint such a well-qualified successor."
http://www.exponent.com/
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/090219/aqth519.html?.v=32

Milpitas-Based Nanometrics Names James Moniz as New CFO

Milpitas, Calif. -- Nanometrics, a Milpitas-based maker of process control metrology systems used in semiconductor manufacturing, has named James Moniz as its new CFO. Moniz most recently served as the CFO of Photon Dynamics, which was acquired by Orbotech. He also spent eight years as the CFO, treasurer and assistant secretary of Nextest Systems. "After an exhaustive five-month search, we found a financial executive with the right blend of professional, industry and business experience to make immediate and long term contributions," said Timothy Stultz, the president and CEO of Nanometrics.
http://www.nanometrics.com
http://www.nanometrics.com/news/pr-2009-0218.html

S.F.-Based SynthaSite Secures $20 Million in Second Round

San Francisco -- SynthaSite, a San Francisco-based developer of tools designed to help users more easily create web sites, said that it has raised $20 million in its second round of funding from Luxembourg-based Reinet Fund. The company, which also has major operations in South Africa, said that it will use the proceeds to make acquisitions and continue growing organically. SynthaSite's tools use drag and drop technology, allowing users to easily incorporate widgets -- including YouTube videos, Google Gadgets and PayPal Widgets -- without any knowledge of html code. The company, which previously raised $5 million in late 2007, has more than 1 million registered users.
http://www.synthasite.com
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Synthasite-950688.html

Campbell-Based Exalt Communications Lands $15 Million in Third Round

Campbell, Calif. -- Exalt Communications, a Campbell-based provider of microwave radio systems for wireless backhaul applications, said that it has raised $15 million in its third round of funding, led by InterWest Partners. Previous investors Velocity Interactive Group and Trinity Ventures also participated. The company said that it will use the funds to accelerate its international growth, expand its marketing and sales activities and develop new products. Four-year-old Exalt has sold its microwave radio systems to more than 500 customers, including wireline carriers, mobile operators, government agencies and corporations.
http://exaltcom.com
http://exaltcom.com/pressRelease.aspx?id=994

Mountain View-Based Jasper Design Automations Raises $7 Million

Mountain View, Calif. -- Jasper Design Automation, a provider of electronic design automation (EDA) software and services, said on Wednesday that it has raised $7 million in its fourth round of funding. Menlo Park's ZenShin Capital led the round, which also included participation from previous investors Accel Partners, Cambrian Ventures, Foundation Capital, InnovationsKapital and Northzone Ventures. The company plans to use the funds for working capital, as well as for continued market and product expansion. Jasper's design and verification tools are used by clients in the semiconductor, networking, wireless and consumer electronics markets.
http://jasper-da.com
http://jasper-da.com/newsevents/02182009.htm

Heeding Outcry, Facebook Dumps New "Terms of Use" Policy

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Reacting to an uproar over a recent change in the way it handles user information, Palo Alto-based Facebook announced late Tuesday that it will return to its previous "terms of use" policy. The company earlier this month had quietly changed its terms, allowing it to keep users' personal information and content in perpetuity, even if they decided to cancel their accounts. The decision sparked outrage among many users, who threatened boycotts of the service. "Over the past few days, we have received a lot of feedback about the new terms we posted two weeks ago," Facebook posted on its site. "Because of this response, we have decided to return to our previous Terms of Use while we resolve the issues that people have raised." Under those terms, the company's rights to the information expire when users leave the service. "Going forward, we've decided to take a new approach towards developing our terms," CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote. "We concluded that returning to our previous terms was the right thing for now." The company said that it has created a new group, called "Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities," where its more than 175 million users can post questions, comments and requests regarding the issue.
http://www.facebook.com
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=54746167130

Fremont-Based Offerpal Media Raises $15 Million in Second Round

Fremont, Calif. -- Offerpal Media, a Fremont-based provider of online ad technology for social media and video games, said on Tuesday that it has landed $15 million in its second round of financing, led by D.E. Shaw Ventures. Previous backers InterWest Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners also participated in the round, which the company will use to further develop its monetization platform, as well as create more tools and services for customers. Founded in 2007, Offerpal currently works with more than 800 social media publishers, placing third-party applications for brands on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and other social networks. The company also helps brands market themselves on social gaming sites and within virtual worlds operated by WeeWorld, Acclaim Games and Aeria Games.
http://www.offerpalmedia.com
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Offerpal-950234.html

Santa Clara-Based OpSource Lands $10 Million in Fifth Round

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Three months after initially partnering with Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), Santa Clara-based OpSource, a provider of web-based software and services to businesses, said on Tuesday that the Japanese company has led its new $10 million round of funding. Previous investors Velocity Venture Capital, Key Venture Partners and Artiman Ventures also participated in the company's fifth round. Six-year-old OpSource, which became cash-flow positive in December, said that it will use the funds to further develop its current offerings, as well as to pursue other key initiatives in the cloud computing space.
http://www.opsource.net
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Opsource-NYSE-NTT-950249.html

Santa Clara-Based ViVOtech Lands Another $8.6M in Third Round

Santa Clara, Calif. -- ViVOtech, a Santa Clara-based developer of contactless and mobile phone payment technologies, said on Tuesday that it has landed $8.6 million in new funding, expanding its third round to more than $40 million. The company said that the latest tranche included previous investors. It initially raised about $19.9 million in the first tranche of the round in May 2007, led by First Data Corp., and has since landed other major investments from NCR and Motorola Ventures.  ViVOtech has developed technology that allows consumers to buy items by waving their mobile phone (or special cards or keyfobs) at readers at stores and restaurants.
http://www.vivotech.com 
http://www.vivotech.com/newsroom/press_releases/Funding_Extension_Release.asp

San Mateo-Based Bizanga Lands $8 Million in New Funding

San Mateo, Calif. -- Bizanga, the San Mateo-based developer of an email and message management platform, said on Tuesday that it has secured $8 million in a new round of funding, led by France-based Credit Agricole Private Equity. Seed round investor Galileo Partners also participated. "The investment will primarily be used to finance the continued development and launch of new products and the growth of sales in the Asia Pacific region." said Jerome Lecat, the CEO of Bizanga. The company's flagship Intelligent Message Processor (IMP) is designed to help service providers protect their email infrastructure from threats such as spam, viruses, denial-of-service and harvest attacks.
http://www.bizanga.com/
http://www.bizanga.com/company/press_room/bizanga_completes_8_million_funding_round_led_by_crdit_agricole_private_equity_galileo_reinvests.php

San Mateo-Based Aragon Consulting Acquires Menlo Park's Krugle

San Mateo, Calif. -- Aragon Consulting Group, a San Mateo-based software development outsourcing firm, said on Tuesday that it has acquired Menlo Park-based Krugle, developer of a search engine that allows users to mine for open source code. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. "Aragon has been one our most involved and influential customers," said Steve Larsen, the co-founder and CEO of Krugle. Aragon plans to continue supporting Krugle's products and open source code search service, and also plans to begin offering a range of integration and customization options that to date have not been available. Founded in 2005 by Larson and Ken Krugler, Krugle has a client list that includes American Express, Bank of America, Microsoft, Motorola, Raytheon and Symantec.
http://www.krugle.org
http://www.aragoncg.com/outsourcing_resources/press_releases/full_press_release.html

Report: Silicon Valley Hurt by Recession; Clean Tech to Lead Rebound

San Jose, Calif. -- Though the global financial collapse and national mortgage crisis finally have caught up with Silicon Valley, the region has the potential to rebound through clean tech innovation, according to the 2009 Silicon Valley Index, released on Monday. The report, published jointly by the Silicon Valley Network and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, said that while home foreclosures, economic instability and the year-end spike in job losses have wounded the area, investments in clean tech have grown 94% and jobs in the sector have grown 23% since 2005. "Our economic challenges are greater than they have been in years," said Russell Hancock, president and CEO of the joint venture. "At the same time, we have become a magnet for green innovation and a new epicenter for solar technology. New technologies and employment in the green sector may help offset the Valley's economic woes."
http://www.jointventure.org
http://www.jointventure.org/inthenews/pressreleases/2009index.html

Hundreds of TV Stations Make Switch to Digital Signals

Washington, DC -- Some 421 television stations plan to terminate their analog broadcasts by the end of Tuesday, the original date of the nation's digital TV transition, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Though Congress earlier this month delayed the switch to June 12, it also gave broadcasters the flexibility to make the transition early. Of the nation's nearly 1,800 full-power televisions stations, the FCC said that 220 already have turned off their analog signals. By the end of Tuesday, 641 stations -- about 36% of those nationwide -- will be broadcasting in all digital. The FCC said that it has dispatched staffers to 72 markets where the impact is expected to be the greatest. "This is not just about whether people can watch their favorite reality show," said Michael Copps, acting chairman of the FCC. "It's about whether consumers have access to vital emergency alerts, weather, news and public affairs." Locally, San Francisco's KCNS and KOFY, San Jose's KICU and Santa Rosa's KFTY all were expected to complete their switchovers on Tuesday. Another, station, Fort Bragg's KUNO, already has made the switch. 
http://www.fcc.gov/PN021609.pdf (PDF)
http://www.fcc.gov/021609AttachmentA.pdf (List of Stations)

Study: 33.7 Million U.S. Workers Now Telecommute

Washington, DC -- About 33.7 million U.S. workers now telecommute at least one day a month, up 43% from five years ago, according to new figures from human resources association WorldatWork. "Our study shows that occasional telework has risen dramatically," said Rose Stanley, the work-life practice leader at WorldatWork. "Employers seem more willing to try new ways of working." The study also found a shift away from full-time telework to occasional telework, with the number of those working remotely at least once a month growing, and the number of those doing it almost every day decreasing slightly. Eighty-seven percent of those who telecommute do so from home.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/prweb/20090217/bs_prweb/prweb2089024_1 http://www.worldatwork.org/

YouTube Testing Video Downloads for Offline Viewing

San Bruno, Calif. -- YouTube, the San Bruno-based online video site owned by Google, has announced plans to give video owners the option to offer free or paid downloads of their videos for users to view offline. "Many video creators on YouTube want their work to be seen far and wide," the company said. "They don't mind sharing their work, provided that they get the proper credit."
Partners already offering free video downloads so far include Stanford, Duke, UCLA, UC Berkeley and UCTV. "YouTube users who are traveling or teachers who want to show these videos in classrooms with limited or no connectivity should find this particularly useful," said the company. "A "small number" of other YouTube partners also are testing the new paid downloads option, including "khanacademy," "householdhacker" and "pogobat." Downloads will be sold through the Google Checkout platform, with Google taking a small cut of sales.
http://www.youtube.com/blog?entry=Mp1pWVLh3_Y 
http://www.youtube.com/pogobat 

Los Gatos-Based Netflix Hits 10 Million Subscribers

Los Gatos, Calif. -- Netflix, the Los Gatos-based online DVD rental service, announced that it has surpassed 10 million subscribers, adding more than 600,000 since the start of the year. The company said that its subscriber base has grown at an average of nearly 30% a year since its launch in 1999. "Ten million subscribers is a symbolic but meaningful achievement for our company," said Reed Hastings, the company's co-founder and CEO. The company also said that it expects to close the first quarter with between 10.1-10.3 million subscribers, and forecasts as many as 11.3 million by the end of this year.
http://www.netflix.com
http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-12-2009/0004971156&EDATE=

Mountain View-Based Google to Stop Selling Broadcast Radio Ads

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google said that it plans to shutter its program that sells ads for broadcast radio stations by the end of May. The move could result in up to 40 layoffs at the unit, which began the ads three years ago. The company said that it will instead use its technology "to develop Internet-based solutions that will deliver relevant ads for online streaming audio." Mountain View-based Google also recently shuttered its newspaper ad sales division. The company told the Associated Press that it intends to maintain its television ad sales business.
http://google-tmads.blogspot.com/2009/02/google-exits-radio-but-will-explore.html
http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090212/ap_on_hi_te/tec_google_radio_1

San Francisco-Based Twitter Lands Another $35 Million in Funding

San Francisco -- Twitter, the popular San Francisco-based microblogging service, said on Friday that it has raised $35 million in its third round of funding, co-led by Institutional Venture Partners and Benchmark Capital. Started as a side project in March of 2006, Twitter now has raised a total of $55 million. "We weren't actively seeking more funding… Nevertheless, our strong growth attracted interest and we decided to accept a unique opportunity to make Twitter even stronger with a very attractive offer," the company said in a blog post. The company said that it will use a portion of the proceeds to "begin building revenue-generating products," as well as expand the size of its staff, currently at 29 employees.
http://blog.twitter.com/
http://twitter.com/