Silicon Valley Wire

Oakland-Based Renewable Funding Lands $12.2 Million in First Round

Oakland -- Renewable Funding, an Oakland-based financier of property assessed solar and energy efficiency programs, said that it has landed $12.2 million in its first round of funding, co-led by NGEN Partners L and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. New Cycle Capital and the Wilson Sonsini law firm also participated in the round, which the firm will use to accelerate its financing programs throughout the U.S. The firm backs Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs, which allow private property owners to pay for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects through an addition to their property tax bill. Over the past year, legislation enabling PACE programs has been adopted in 14 states. "With this infusion of capital, we have additional resources to accelerate the rollout of clean energy funding programs and respond to the growing demand for PACE financing," said Cisco DeVries, the president of Renewable Funding.
http://www.renewfund.com
http://www.renewfund.com/node/186

Palo Alto-Based Facebook Wins $711 Million Judgment Against Spammer

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Facebook, the Palo Alto-based online social network, has won a $711 million judgment against an alleged spammer who the company said accessed members' accounts without permission and sent phony wall posts and messages. The company had received a temporary restraining order against Sanford Wallace and two others in March. "While we don't expect to receive the vast majority of the award, we hope that this will act as a continued deterrent against these criminals," Facebook wrote in its company blog. "Most notably, the judge referred Wallace to the U.S. Attorney's Office with a request that Wallace be prosecuted for criminal contempt, which means that in addition to the judgment, he now faces possible jail time."
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=58219622130

comScore to Acquire Certifica, Trim Workforce by 8%

South San Francisco -- Boosting its presence in the fast-growing Latin American market, Virginia-based comScore, a provider of Internet audience measurement services with West Coast operation sin South San Francisco, said it will acquire Chilean web measurement firm Certifica. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Separately, the company said that it plans to cut 8% of its workforce -- around 46 jobs -- as its shifts resources to better support its Media Metrix 360 business. Despite the cuts, however, CEO Magid Abraham said that the company simultaneously plans to make "selective new hires in areas that hold high potential for us." comScore said that the acquisition positions it for further expansion Latin America, which has seen rapid growth in its Internet penetration. The company said that plans to sell and service its full suite of products in the region. Alejandro Fosk, the founder and CEO of nine-year-old Certifica, will become the senior vice president of comScore Latin America. 
http://www.comscore.com/
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/10/comScore_Acquires_Certifica
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/10/comScore_Reports_Third_Quarter_2009_Results

Santa Clara-Based Data Robotics Raises $10 Million in Fifth Round

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Data Robotics, a Santa Clara-based developer of automated storage products, said on Thursday that it has raised $10 million in its fifth round of funding, led by Focus Ventures. Previous investors Greylock Partners, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), RRE Ventures and Sutter Hill Ventures also participated in the round, which the company will use to accelerate research and development programs, as well as expand its sales and marketing initiatives. Data Robotics,which also landed $15 million last September, said that its Drobo data storage products combine the ability to quickly expand capacity with the company's redundant disk protection technology.
http://www.datarobotics.com
http://www.datarobotics.com/news/pr/press_release_2009_10_28.php

San Mateo-Based SnapLogic Lands $2.3M, Names Co-Founder as New CEO

San Mateo, Calif. -- SnapLogic, the San Mateo-based developer of an open-source data integration platform, said on Thursday that it has raised $2.3 million in its first round of funding, and also named company co-founder Gaurav Dhillon as its CEO. Investors included Andreessen Horowitz, Maples Investments, Google engineering vice president Brian McClendon and Vast chairman and Epinions co-founder Naval Ravikant. The company said that it will use the new funds to continue development of its DataFlow platform for on-demand data integration. Leading the way will be Dhillon, a founder and the former CEO of data integration firm Informatica. Dhillon co-founded SnapLogic in 2006, provided seed capital and served as the company's chairman since its inception.
http://www.snaplogic.com
http://www.snaplogic.com/news/dataflow-pioneer-snaplogic-closes-series-a-financing/

Google Debuts Music Search Feature with Lala, iLike

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google officially has announced the launch of a new music-focused search feature, known as "OneBox," which adds audio previews of songs to search results from partners Lala and MySpace's iLike. The feature lets users find songs by searching directly, by artist or title, or typing in a portion of the lyrics. Mountain View-based Google will also include links to digital music services Pandora, imeem and Rhapsody. "This feature doesn't just make search better. It also helps people discover new sources of licensed music online while helping artists to discover new generations of fans and reconnect with longtime listeners," the company said in its blog.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/making-search-more-musical.html
http://www.google.com/landing/music

Survey: Most Companies Not Planning to Boost "Green" Efforts

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Despite a nationwide focus on "going green," most U.S. companies don't plan to ramp up their eco-friendly programs and policies in the near future, according to a a new survey by Menlo Park-based Robert Half Management Resources. Sixty-eight percent of CFOs interviewed said that they anticipate no changes in their companies' green initiatives over the next year, while just 28% said that they anticipate an increased focus on the issue. "Many companies may already be pursuing green initiatives and not feel they need further investments in the near term," said Paul McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources. "For other businesses, priorities may have shifted from environmental initiatives to returning to profitability, given the difficult economy."
http://www.roberthalfmr.com/PressRoom?id=2540

U.S. Cleantech Investments Rise 46% in Third Quarter

San Francisco -- U.S. venture capital firms boosted their investment in cleantech companies by 46% in the third quarter, according to a new report from Ernst & Young based on data from Dow Jones VentureSource. The $965 million invested in 50 funding round represents the second straight quarter of growth. Since the first quarter, quarterly investment has increased 182% in terms of capital and doubled in terms of financing rounds. "Continuing growth in cleantech investment in the third quarter reflects investor confidence in the commercialization of clean technologies," says Joseph Muscat, the Americas director of cleantech at Ernst & Young. "The diversity in this quarter's investment activity, in terms of the technologies receiving investment and the participating investors, illustrate the potential to create value through the development of a low-carbon economy." The energy/electricity generation category received the largest amount of investment with $316 million, followed by solar technologies ($309 million). All told, 61% of investments went to companies already shipping products.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/US-Cleantech-Venture-Capital-prnews-193665639.html?x=0&.v=1

Mountain View-Based Google Introduces "Social Search" Feature

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google has introduced a new experimental feature that expands a user's search results by adding relevant public content from their online social circle. The Mountain View-based company's Social Search service automatically searches for contacts linked from a user's public Google profile, such as who they're following on Twitter or FriendFeed, as well as contacts from their Gmail accounts. "Most people on the web today make social connections and publish web content in many different ways, including blogs, status updates and tweets," the company wrote in its blog. "With Social Search, Google finds relevant public content from your friends and contacts and highlights it for you at the bottom of your search results." Users must be signed in to their Google accounts to utilize the feature.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/introducing-google-social-search-i.html 

Palo Alto-Based Vdopia Raises $4 Million, Names New CEO

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Vdopia, the Palo Alto-based developer of a video advertising platform for the iPhone, said on Wednesday that it has raised $4 million in its first round of funding from Nexus Venture Partners, and named Rohit Sharma as its new president and CEO. A Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Sharma previously served as the executive vice president and CTO of ONI Systems. He also was a member of the investment team at Mohr, Davidow Ventures (MDV), focusing on information technology. Vdopia is the creator of the iVdopia advertising platform, which is completely contained within an app. The company has sales and development offices in New York City and India.
http://www.vdopia.com/
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091028005457/en

Los Gatos-Based Netflix to Raise $200 Million in Notes Offering

Los Gatos, Calif. -- Netflix, the Los Gatos-based online DVD rental service, said on Wednesday that it plans to raise $200 million through a notes offering. The company said that it will sell the senior unsecured notes, which are due in 2017, to qualified institutional buyers. Netflix will use the net proceeds to repay outstanding debt, as well as for possible future stock repurchases and general corporate purposes.
http://www.netflix.com/  
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Netflix-Proposes-to-Offer-prnews-2239599094.html?x=0&.v=1

Foster City-Based SciClone to Cut 17% of U.S. Workforce

Foster City, Calif. -- SciClone Pharmaceuticals, a Foster City-based biopharmaceutical firm developing drugs to treat cancer and infectious diseases, said on Wednesday that it plans to cut 17% of its U.S. workforce -- around seven jobs -- as part of a larger corporate restructuring. The bulk of the layoffs will occur in research and development, following the discontinuation of phase 2 clinical trial on a pancreatic cancer drug earlier this month. "We are committed to moving SciClone towards sustainable profitability," said Friedhelm Blobel, the company's president and CEO, calling the workforce reduction "inevitable." following the trial discontinuation. SciClone expects to complete the restructuring by year's end.
http://www.sciclone.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/SciClone-Announces-Corporate-iw-2510509105.html?x=0&.v=1

Survey: More Companies Planning to Reverse Salary, Hiring Freezes

Arlington, Va. -- Approximately half of the companies that froze salaries and hiring in the past year now plan to unfreeze them in the next six months, according to a new survey by consulting firm Watson Wyatt. According to the survey, 54% of employers that froze salaries now plan to unfreeze them, a sharp increase from 33% in August and 17% in June. In addition, 49% also plan to reverse hiring freezes at least partially, compared with 38% two months ago. The survey also found that an increasing number of employers are planning to reverse reductions to 401(k) match contributions in the next six months. "The general economic picture right now is definitely brighter than it was just a few months ago," said Laura Sejen, global director of strategic rewards consulting at Watson Wyatt. "However, the recovery is uneven and most employers aren't fully convinced that the improvements they've seen are here to stay."
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/news/press.asp?ID=22602

San Jose-Based Cisco to Acquire ScanSafe for $183 Million

San Jose, Calif. -- Cisco, the San Jose-based network equipment giant, said that it will pay $183 million to acquire ScanSafe, a London- and San Francisco-based developer of web security software. Cisco said that the deal, expected to close by the end of January, adds SacanSafe's web-based security service to on-premise content security tools that the company acquired in its 2007 acquisition of IronPort Systems. "Cisco will provide customers the flexibility to choose the deployment model that best suits their organization," said Tom Gillis, the vice president and general manager of Cisco's Security Technology unit. Cisco said that it will integrate ScanSafe's service with its own AnyConnect VPN Client.
http://www.scansafe.com/
http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2009/corp_102709.html

Accel-KKR to Acquire Menlo Park-Based Kana Software

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Accel-KKR, a Menlo Park-based private equity firm focused on technology, said on Tuesday that it will pay $48.9 million in cash to acquire Menlo Park-based Kana Software, a developer of technology that allows companies to offer customer service through multiple channels. Upon closing, expected to occur within 90 days, Kana's current operating business, which includes software, services and licensing, will operate as a privately held company under its current brand. At that time, the OTC Bulletin Board-listed entity will be renamed and will continue to be publicly traded under a new symbol, focusing on acquiring other businesses. "This is a transaction that brings optimal value to our shareholders, our customers and our company," said Michael Fields, Kana's CEO. "We intend to focus on completing this transaction promptly."
http://www.kana.com 
http://www.accel-kkr.com
http://www.kana.com/images/stories/press_releases/press_releases_new/KANA_Accel_KKR_Acquisition.pdf (PDF)

San Francisco-Based Netpulse Raises $3.1M for Fitness Equipment Platform

San Francisco -- Netpulse, the San Francisco-based developer of an interactive entertainment platform specifically designed for integration into both fitness equipment and viewing screens on cardiovascular machines, said on Tuesday that it has secured $3.1 million in its first round of funding. Javelin Venture Partners led the round, with participation from DFJ Frontier. The company said that it will use the proceeds to continue development of its platform, which will roll out in fitness centers later this year. The platform, which runs over a broadband connection, lets fitness centers offer their members access to live HD television, on-demand videos and music, iPod connectivity, personalized workout data and connection to social media.
http://netpulse.net/
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091027005724/en

Report: MySpace, Facebook in Talks to Share Content

Palo Alto, Calif. -- As MySpace looks to rebrand itself as more of a social entertainment destination, the company is in talks with Palo Alto-based rival Facebook on a possible deal to share content between the sites,  London's Telegraph reported. "Facebook is focusing on building the best technology which helps people share content, while at MySpace they are focusing on more a content-led strategy. We would like to have their content, as we already do with many other sites, shared across our network because it is good for our users," Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg told the Telegraph. "We are open to working with MySpace and are in talks with them at the moment. Owen [Van Natta, MySpace's CEO] used to work at Facebook and we are still very close to him." Van Natta also confirmed for the Telegraph that the two companies are in talks. "Partnerships are going to be a big part of our strategy moving forward as a lot of value can be derived from them," Van Natta told the Telegraph. "Facebook is about core communications with your friendship network, whereas MySpace is about congregating around popular content with people who share your interests."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/6440164/Facebook-and-MySpace-are-engaged-in-content-sharing-talks.html

Netflix to Enable Movie, TV Streaming to PlayStation 3

Los Gatos, Calif. - Netflix, the Los Gatos-based online DVD rental service, said that it will extend its on-demand movie and TV episode streaming service to Sony's PlayStation 3 game console. The company prteviously had an exclusive deal with Microsoft's Xbox 360. With the move, Netflix members in the U.S. will be able to access streaming video on their PlayStation 3 consoles at no extra cost beginning next month. Netflix currently counts around 11.1 million U.S. subscribers, while the PlayStation 3 U.S. installed base is nearly 9 million.
http://www.netflix.com/ps3
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Coming-Soon-Netflix-Members-prnews-1878759343.html?x=0&.v=1

NIH Grants to Help Develop "Facebook for Scientists"

Washington, DC -- The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $12.2 million in grants to seven universities as part of a project to create what's being called the "Facebook for scientists." The goal of the project, known as Vivo, is to link researchers around the country, while also protecting sensitive data and intellectual property through authentication mechanisms. "Many researchers have profiles and evolving networks on multiple, but incompatible, sites," said Katy Borner of Indiana University. "They try to use Facebook and Google for their research, however, these tools and services do not completely address the needs of scholars." Participants include Indiana, Cornell, Florida, Weill Cornell Medical College, Washington University in St. Louis, the Scripps Research Institute and the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico.
http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/12341.html
http://www.nih.gov/news/index.html#releases

Sunnyvale-Based ResponseLogix Secures $5.6 Million in Funding

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- ResponseLogix, a Sunnyvale-based developer of Internet lead management software for the auto industry, said on Monday that it has secured $5.6 million in a new round of funding, led by Emergence Capital Partners. Previous investors GRP Ventures, Shasta Ventures, Belo and AH Belo also participated. ResponseLogix's web-based software is used by auto dealers to better respond to Internet leads. The company's SmartQuote tool answers Internet leads within 10 minutes with price quotes, while SmartFollow helps dealers stay in touch with potential clients with follow-up emails and SmartFacts delivers analytics on sales departments. ResponseLogix's products are available in 40 U.S. markets for Toyota, Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Honda, Lexus, Audi, Honda, Acura, Nissan, Infiniti and Hyundai dealers.
http://www.responselogix.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091026006144/en

S.F.-Based Unity Technologies Secures $5.5M for Game Platform

San Francisco -- Unity Technologies, a San Francisco-based developer of multi-platform game development tools, said on Monday that it has raised $5.5 million in its first round of venture capital financing, led by Sequoia Capital. Atari CEO David Gardner and VMware founder Diane Greene also participated. Unity's platform is designed to enable 3D interactive game content on platforms such as the web, PC, Mac, Wii and iPhone. Publishers including Electronic Arts and Cartoon Network currently are using the platform. "It is particularly gratifying to see that our offering can take the pain out of development for industry powerhouses such as Electronic Arts as well as individuals and small development studios," said CEO David Helgason, who co-founded the company with Nicholas Francis (chief creative officer) and CTO Joachim Ante.
http://unity3d.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unity-technologies-announces-investment-from-sequoia-capital-and-silicon-valley-luminaries-65984522.html

Mountain View-Based Watercooler Lands $5.5 Million

Mountain View, Calif. -- Watercooler, a Mountain View-based developer of fan communities and social games with more than 26 million users, said on Monday that it has raised $5.5 million in its second round of funding, led by U.K. online gambling firm Betfair. Previous backer Canaan Partners also participated. Founded in 2006, Watercooler operates online communities that connect fans around sports and TV entertainment, as well as fantasy sports games. The company said that it will use the funds to further develop its fantasy sports and social games on Facebook and other platforms. The Watercooler 2009 Bracket Challenge application on Facebook counted over 1.7 million active users.
http://www.watercooler-inc.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/watercooler-inc-announces-55-million-series-b-funding-led-by-strategic-corporate-investor-betfair-65974477.html

San Jose-Based PacketMotion Raises $5 Million in Third Round

San Jose, Calif. -- PacketMotion, a San Jose-based developer of tools to automate compliance and security, said on Monday that it has raised $5 million in its third round of funding, led by Reservoir Venture Partners. Previous backers Intel Capital, Mohr Davidow Ventures and Onset Ventures also participated in the round, which the company will use to expand its sales force and bolster marketing. "This should be our last financing round as we move towards expected profitability in 2010," said CEO Paul Smith. PacketMotion's user activity management technology is designed to guard against threats from company "insiders," capturing user transactions in real-time and applying policies to that data.
http://www.packetmotion.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/PacketMotion-Secures-5-bw-1515100423.html?x=0&.v=1

Preparing for Spin-Off, AOL Names New Board of Directors

New York -- Taking another step toward its separation from parent Time Warner, AOL on Monday named nine members to serve on its board of directors. Chaired by CEO Tim Armstrong, the board will include, among others, former FCC Chairman Michael Powell; Fredric Reynolds, the former CFO of CBS; and James Wiatt, former chairman and CEO of the William Morris Agency. Other directors will be Richard Dalzell, the former CIO of Amazon.com; Karen Dykstra, the COO and CFO of Plainfield Direct; William Hambrecht, the founder and CEO of WR Hambrecht & Co; Patricia Mitchell, the former president and CEO of PBS; and James Stengel, the former global marketing officer of Procter & Gamble. Time Warner announced plans to spin out AOL in May, with the move expected to be completed by year's end.
http://corp.aol.com/press-releases/2009/10/aol-names-its-board-directors

Tellabs to Acquire San Jose-Based WiChorus for $165 Million

San Jose, Calif. -- Tellabs, an Illinois-based builder of mobile backhaul networks for telecom service providers, said that it will pay $165 million in cash to acquire San Jose-based WiChorus, a developer of technology that allows operators to deploy large scale broadband wireless networks. The deal is expected to close in the next several months. Robert Pullen, the president and CEO of Tellabs, said that the acquisition will allow his company to "expand logically into an adjacent market." Rehan Jalil, the president and CEO of WiChorus, will head a newly formed Tellabs IP and mobile Internet group as senior vice president. The combined company will have about 3,250 employees. WiChorus has raised $43 million in venture capital, including an $18 million round led by Pinnacle Ventures last November.
http://www.wichorus.com
http://www.tellabs.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Tellabs-Acquires-WiChorus-to-prnews-923372894.html?x=0&.v=1

San Jose-Based Adobe Completes Tender Offer for Omniture

San Jose, Calif. -- One month after launching its tender offer for Utah-based Omniture, San Jose-based Adobe Systems, the developer of popular web publishing software, said on Friday that it has completed the deal, paying about $1.46 billion for an 87% stake in the developer of online business optimization software. Adobe paid $21.50 a share for 68.1 million shares, and has received commitments to purchase another 3 million. The company planned to complete its acquisition through a merger on Friday. Omniture will become a unit of Adobe, adding technology designed to let clients create and more effectively monetize their content and applications online. Omniture's more than 5,000 customers include eBay, AOL, Wal-Mart, Gannett, Microsoft, Neiman Marcus, Oracle, Sony and HP.
http://www.omniture.com 
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091023005200/en

Santa Clara-Based Ensphere Solutions Lands $4 Million Investment

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Ensphere Solutions, a Santa Clara-based developer of communications chips, said on Monday that it has landed a $4 million investment from Ideavelopers, manager of Egypt's first technology venture capital fund. Hessam Mohajeri, the CEO of Ensphere, said that the funding will help his company to "expedite our product development and rollout plans." Ensphere, which has a design center in Egypt, develops and markets semiconductor products for various optical interfaces used in the communications, consumer electronics and computing markets.
http://www.enspheresolutions.com/
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091022006261/en

San Jose-Based Endwave Names Mikulsky to Succeed Keible as CEO

San Jose, Calif. -- Endwave, a San Jose-based developer of radio-frequency technologies used in mobile communications networks, said on Thursday that Ed Keible will retire as its vice chairman and CEO on Nov. 30. The company said that John Mikulsky, who currently serves as its president and COO, will take over as president and CEO. "I believe that John is the right person to lead Endwave as it enters the next chapter of its history, and expands its product offerings beyond the telecommunications industry," said Keible, who has led the company since 1993. Mikulsky joined Endwave in 1996, and was named president in July.
http://www.endwave.com
http://investor.shareholder.com/endwave/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=417481

Foster City-Based Equinix to Acquire Switch & Data for $689M

Foster City, Calif. -- Equinix, a Foster City-based provider of data center services, said on Thursday that it will pay approximately $689 million in cash and stock to acquire Florida-based counterpart Switch & Data Facilities. The deal will extend Equinix's presence to 16 new markets across North America, including Atlanta, Denver, Miami, Seattle and Toronto. "Our complementary business models, coupled with Switch & Data's broad North American market coverage, provide a platform for strong growth as well as an opportunity to accommodate our customers’ demands for additional services," said Steve Smith, the president and CEO of Equinix. Switch & Data operates 34 data centers in 22 markets across the U.S. and Canada. The deal is expected to close in early 2010.
http://www.switchanddata.com
http://investor.equinix.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=122662&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1344808&highlight=

San Mateo-Based RedSeal Systems Raises $12 Million in Funding

San Mateo, Calif. -- RedSeal Systems, a San Mateo-based developer of software designed to help clients guard against data breaches, said that it has raised $12 million in a new round of funding, led by OVP Venture Partners. Previous investors Venrock, Jafco Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures and Leapfrog Ventures also participated in the round, which increased the company's total backing to more than $43 million. RedSeal's software is designed to automatically assess the cybersecurity defenses of an organization, identifying weaknesses before they can be exploited. Mark Ashida,  managing director at OVP Venture Partners, has joined  the company's board of directors.
http://www.redseal.net
http://www.redseal.net/news-and-events/press-releases/102109.php

Yahoo, GroupM Team to Work Brands Into Online Programs

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Yahoo said that it has partnered with GroupM Entertainment, a unit of advertising giant WPP, in a bid to help marketers incorporate their brands into original online programming. Under the deal, the companies plan to "identify advertisers, develop creative concepts that map media content with an advertiser's messaging and produce the content for each program," which will appear on Yahoo's channels such as News, Sports, Finance and Entertainment. Yahoo previously landed a deal with Scottrade to sponsor its TechTicker program, and developed Sports Minute for client Dunkin' Donuts.
http://www.groupm.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091021005851/en

Microsoft to Add Facebook, Twitter Data to Bing Search Results

San Francisco -- Microsoft said that it has signed separate deals with Palo Alto-based online social network Facebook and San Francisco-based microblogging service Twitter to incorporate real-time status updates from the services into its Bing search engine. Though financial terms of the deals were not disclosed,  PaidContent cited reports pegging Twitter's take as "several million dollars," in addition to a share of ad revenue. A beta version of Twitter search results on Bing already has gone live at Bing.com/twitter, with Facebook integration reportedly launching at a later date. Unlike Twitter, Facebook users can choose not to publicly share their status updates. Microsoft already provides search services to Facebook, and purchased a stake in the company two years ago for $240 million. http://www.bing.com/twitter
http://www.bing.com/community/blogs/search/archive/2009/10/21/bing-is-bringing-twitter-search-to-you.aspx
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-microsoft-to-bring-twitter-and-facebook-updates-to-bing/

Sunnyvale-Based Canesta Raises $16M for 3D Image Sensors

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Canesta, a Sunnyvale-based developer of 3D image sensors, announced on Wednesday that it has raised $16 million in a new round of funding from returning backers Carlyle Growth Partners, Hotung Venture Group and Venrock, as well as new investors Quanta Computer and SMSC. The company said that it will use the funds for business expansion and working capital. Canesta's 3D camera chips provide a real-time, 3D "depth map" of the surrounding area to PCs and consumer electronics like televisions, video games and smartphones. The technology can be used for hands-free gesture control, facial recognition, avatar control in virtual worlds and other augmented reality applications.
http://canesta.com/
http://canesta.com/corporate/press-releases/102109

CEO Resigns from San Jose-Based Immersion

San Jose, Calif. -- Immersion, the San Jose-based developer of touch feedback technology often used in video game controllers and other devices, said on Wednesday that Clent Richardson has resigned as its CEO to pursue other interests. The company's board has named Victor Viegas, Immersion's former CEO and a current director, to serve as interim CEO. "We would like to thank Clent for his service to Immersion and wish him well in his future endeavors," said Chairman Jack Saltich. Richardson joined Immersion in April 2008, after having served as the chief marketing officer at Alviso-based TiVo and Nortel Networks.
http://www.immersion.com
http://ir.immersion.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=417088

San Jose-Based RiseSmart Adds Another $4.6 Million to First Round

San Jose, Calif. -- RiseSmart, a San Jose-based provider of web-enabled outplacement and job search services, said on Wednesday that it has raised $4.6 million in an extension of its first round of funding, closing the round at $8.85 million. The new tranche included a $2.8 million investment from Storm Ventures and $1.8 million from Norwest Venture Partners (NVP). The company last year landed $3 million from NVP. "This infusion of capital will enable us to aggressively expand our sales efforts and enhance our product and service offerings," said founder and CEO Sanjay Sathe. RiseSmart's service combines web technology with HR professionals to provide corporate clients with an alternative to traditional outplacement services. The company offers displaced workers  help with marketing themselves through a rewrite of their resumes and cover letters, guidance from a transition specialist and job leads from across the web.
http://www.risesmart.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/RiseSmart-Announces-46-bw-317231314.html?x=0&.v=1

San Mateo-Based SuccessFactors to Raise $186 Million Through Offering

San Mateo, Calif. -- SuccessFactors, a San Mateo-based developer of web-based performance and talent management software, said that it plans to raise $186 million in its previously announced public offering. The company plans to sell 12 million shares for $15.50 each through the offering, which is set to close on Monday. Underwriters Goldman, Sachs, Deutsche Bank Securities and Morgan Stanley will have the option to buy up to 1.8 million more shares, to cover any over-allotments. The company said that it plans to use the net proceeds for working capital and general corporate purposes, including potential acquisitions.
http://www.successfactors.com
http://www.successfactors.com/press-releases/detail/?id=1344333

San Jose-Based Persistent Systems Acquires Paxonix from MWV

San Jose, Calif. -- Persistent Systems,a San Jose-based software development firm, said on Wednesday that it has acquired the web-based branding and packaging business of Virginia-based consumer packaging firm MeadWestvaco (MWV). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The business, known as Paxonix was formed in 2001 by MWV, which now says that the unit is "best positioned for success and growth" as part of a software services firm. MWV said that it plans to continue using and reselling Paxonix's web-based software and services.
http://www.meadwestvaco.com 
http://www.persistentsys.com
http://www.meadwestvaco.com/mwv/groups/content/@corp/@newsevts/documents/documen
t/mwv014152.pdf (PDF)

White House Unveils Plan to Free Up Credit for Small Businesses

Washington, DC -- Hoping to open the flow of credit to small businesses and spur job creation, President Obama on Wednesday announced new measures that would provide lower-cost capital to small community banks lending in the hardest-hit rural and urban areas. "The President's announcement today has a simple goal: help small businesses by helping the community banks whose business it is to serve them," said Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. Under the plan, qualifying financial institutions would be able to access funds from the government's $700 billion financial bailout, then pay the government a discounted dividend. The administrations also will push for new legislation to increase the maximum size of three types of Small Business Administration (SBA) loans, and meet with regulators, Congressional leaders and small-business owners to figure out what else can be done to free up credit.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/President-Obama-Announces-New-Small-Business-Lending-Initiatives/  

Santa Clara-Based Sun Microsystems to Cut Up to 3,000 Jobs

Santa Clara, Calif. -- With its $7.4 billion takeover by Oracle on hold, Santa Clara-based server maker Sun Microsystems said on Tuesday that it plans to cut up to 3,000 jobs -- roughly 10% of its workforce -- over the next 12 months. The company said that the move will "better align the company's resources with its strategic business objectives." Sun and Oracle announced their deal in April, but continue to wait for the conclusion of an extended antitrust review by the European Commission. The company said that it will incur $75-$125 million in expenses as a result of the cuts.
http://www.sun.com 
http://biz.yahoo.com/e/091020/java8-k.html

San Jose-Based InSync Software Raises $4.7 Million in Second Round

San Jose, Calif. -- InSync Software, a San Jose-based developer of tools that allow users to rapidly develop applications to locate and track assets, said on Tuesday that it has raised $4.7 million in its second round of funding, led by previous investors Intel Capital and Rustic Canyon Ventures. Individual investors also participated. The funding comes at the tail end of a year in which InSync has doubled its customer and partner base and completed major deployments of its iApp platform and applications by companies such as Dole Foods, Bayer and SonicWall. "The investment comes at a crucial time, as momentum is increasing and the AIDC and RFID applications market is starting to mature," said Ashish Chona, the company's co-founder and CEO.
http://www.insyncinfo.com/
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/insync-software-inc-announces-47-million-in-series-b-funding-65015397.html

Six Bay Area Firms Crack Top 10 of Deloitte Technology Fast 500

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Six Bay Area companies, led by Sunnyvale-based Infinera, have cracked the top 10 in the 2009 Deloitte Technology Fast 500, released on Tuesday. The annual list ranks the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean tech companies in the nation based on percentage revenue growth over five years (2004-2008). Infinera, with five-year revenue growth of 86,580%, came in at No. 2 overall, trailing only Woodland Hills-based ReachLocal and topping the communications and networking category. Other locals among the top 10 include Palo Alto-based Affymax (No. 3), Emeryville-based Onyx Pharmaceuticals (No. 6), Santa Clara-based Data Domain (No. 7), Redwood City-based Genomic Health (No. 8) and San Jose-based Force10 Networks (No. 10). The complete list is available at the links below.
http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/Industries/Technology/technologyfast500/article/176ce72434554210VgnVCM200000bb42f00aRCRD.htm 
http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/TMT_us_tmt/us_tmt_Fast500winnersbyrank_101509.pdf (PDF)

Palo Alto-Based Revolution Computing Scores $9 Million, New CEO

Palo Alto, Calif. -- REvolution Computing, a Palo Alto-based developer of software and support for the open source "R" statistical computing language, said on Tuesday that it has raised $9 million in a new round of funding, and named predictive analytics veteran Norman Nie as its new CEO. Investors included North Bridge Venture Partners and Intel Capital. Nie founded statistics software company SPSS in 1968, and served as chairman and CEO until it was acquired by IBM for $1.2 billion in August. He takes over for founding CEO Richard Schultz. Revolution's software, including REvolution R and REvolution R Enterprise, enable statisticians and scientists to create predictive models and quickly derive meaning from large amounts of data.
http://www.revolution-computing.com
http://www.revolution-computing.com/aboutus/news-room/2009/revolution-computing-announces-9-million-in-new-funding-and-names-norman-nie-ceo.php

Menlo Park-Based Sequoia Capital Invests $12M in Jive Software

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Sequoia Capital, the Menlo Park-based venture capital firm focused on technology, said on Tuesday that it has invested $12 million in Jive Software, an Oregon-based developer of social business software designed to help employees better communicate and collaborate. Sequoia also funded the company's first round in 2007. Jive said that it will use the proceeds to expand its product development activities, as well as grow its sales and customer support teams. "Enterprises want to accelerate collaboration efforts by embracing social business software," said Jim Goetz, a partner at Sequoia. "The vast majority of employees have already been exposed to social software through the consumer experience, dramatically improving the rate of adoption." During the first nine months of 2009, Jive added clients such as Cricket Wireless, Experian, InterContinental Hotels Group, Lufthansa and McAfee.
http://www.jivesoftware.com
http://www.jivesoftware.com/news/releases/2009/10/jive-software-secures-12-million-in-series-b-funding-from-sequoia-capital-to-accelerate-growth

San Jose-Based Tilera Lands $10M Investment from Qunata Computer

San Jose, Calif. -- Tilera, a San Jose-based developer of multicore processors used in networking, wireless and multimedia infrastructure, said that it has landed a new $10 million investment from Taiwanese notebook computer maker Quanta Computer. As part of the deal, Quanta said that it will use Tilera's 64-core processor to develop products for cloud computing datacenters. "Tilera's power efficient, general purpose processors are a natural fit for datacenter products," said Ted Chang, vice president of the Quanta Research Institute.
http://www.tilera.com/
http://www.quantatw.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Quanta-and-Tilera-Partner-on-iw-2361538704.html?x=0&.v=1

Campbell-Based Brilliant Telecommunications Secures $7.6 Million

Campbell, Calif. -- Brilliant Telecommunications, a Campbell-based developer of network timing and synchronization tools, said that it has $7.6 Million in a new round of funding, co-led by ONSET Ventures and NovAtel. Asset Management, Draper Associates, Draper Richards, Xilinx and other private investors also participated in the round, which the company will use to accelerate growth through expanded sales and channel partner development. "With this new infusion of capital we can continue our future growth and expansion in the mobile telecommunications market," said Charles Barry, the company's president and CEO.
http://www.brillianttelecom.com
http://www.brillianttelecom.com/press/press_releases/26/

San Francisco-Based Scout Labs Raises New Round of Funding

San Francisco -- Scout Labs, a San Francisco-based developer of social media monitoring and analysis tools, said that it has raised an undisclosed amount in a new round of funding from new investors El Dorado Ventures and Javelin Venture Partners, as well as previous backer Minor Ventures. The company said that it will use the proceeds to fund its marketing and sales efforts. Jed Katz, managing director of Javelin Venture Partners, and Tom Peterson, a general partner at El Dorado Ventures, both will join the company's board of directors, which also includes Halsey Minor, the founder of CNET who was the largest shareholder in Salesforce.com. Scout Labs' web-based application is designed to give clients better visibility into social media such as blogs, social networks, image-sharing sites, video-sharing sites and Twitter.
http://www.scoutlabs.com/
http://www.scoutlabs.com/2009/09/29/time-to-shift-into-high-gear/
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/10/prweb2974034.htm

Foster City-Based Scale VP Leads $16M Round for HubSpot

Foster City, Calif. -- Scale Venture Partners, a Foster City-based venture capital firm, has led a new $16 million round of funding for HubSpot, a Massachusetts-based provider of Internet marketing software, the company said on Monday. Previous investors General Catalyst Partners and Matrix Partners also participated in the company's third round. Founded in 2006, HubSpot  makes software designed to help businesses raise their online profile. The company' platform includes tools that allow professional marketers and small business owners to manage search engine optimization, blogging and social media, as well as landing pages, lead intelligence and marketing analytics. Scale partner Rob Theis will join HubSpot's board of directors.
http://www.scalevp.com
http://www.hubspot.com/blog/bid/5176/HubSpot-Closes-16-Million-Series-C-Financing

NEA Raises Nearly $2.5 Billion for New Venture Fund

Menlo Park, Calif. -- New Enterprise Associates (NEA), the Baltimore-based venture capital firm focused on IT, healthcare and energy technology, has raised the first $2.46 billion of a new $2.5 billion fund, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm, which has a major office in Menlo Park, said that it plans to raise another $42.3 million before closing the fund, it's 13th, overall. The news comes more than three years after the firm closed NEA 12, also worth $2.5 billion. Since its founding in 1978, NEA has invested in more than 500 companies, and currently has over $8.5 billion under management.
http://www.nea.com
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1452907/000145290709000004/xslFormDX01/primary_doc.xml

Investments in U.S. Venture-Backed Firms Stall in Q3

San Francisco -- Following an uptick in the second quarter, investments in U.S. venture-backed companies stalled in the third quarter, putting 2009 on track to be the worst investment year since 2003, according to new data from Dow Jones VentureSource. Venture capitalists invested $5.1 billion in 616 deals during the quarter, down 4% from the previous quarter and 38% from the same period in 2008. "The slow recovery we've seen for venture capital has faltered," said Jessica Canning, director of global research for Dow Jones VentureSource. "As liquidity and fundraising lag after the economic meltdown in 2008, investors have no choice but to keep a tight rein on investments until the industry is on more solid ground." Locally, investment in the Bay Area fell 33% compared to the third quarter of 2008, with $2.2 billion going into 183 deals. 
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/US-Venture-Capital-Recovery-prnews-650616852.html?x=0&.v=1

San Jose-Based eBay Launches "Bill Me Later" Payment Option

San Jose, Calif. -- A year after paying $945 million to acquire Maryland-based Bill Me Later, San Jose-based online auction giant eBay and that it has officially added the company's service as a payment option at checkout. The service, available through PayPal, lets online shoppers pay for items without the use of a credit card, Instead, shoppers provide their birth date and last four digits of their social security number, and later receive a bill in the mail. "Bill Me Later is the perfect complement to PayPal and eBay," said Sam Shrauger, PayPal's vice president of global product strategy. "Customers now have the choice to buy the items immediately and pay for them when they want with Bill Me Later's flexible financing options."
https://www.billmelater.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091019006028/en