Silicon Valley Wire

Mountain View-Based Google in "Advanced" Talks to Acquire Yelp

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google is in advanced negotiations to acquire San Francisco-based user-generated reviews service Yelp for at least $500 million, TechCrunch reported, citing multiple unnamed sources. Founded in 2004, Yelp counts around 9 million monthly unique visitors, according to comScore data. The company has to date raised $31 million in venture capital from investors including DAG Ventures, Benchmark Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners. Mountain View-based Google offers its own service that lets users create reviews of local businesses, and both services display star-based ratings in Google search results. The New York Times noted that "the two companies have had conversations for several years, but a more serious round of acquisitions talks began two months ago."
http://www.yelp.com
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/17/google-acquire-buy-yelp/
http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/google-is-in-talks-to-buy-yelp/

San Mateo-Based Tioga Energy Lands $20 Million in Second Round

San Mateo, Calif. -- Tioga Energy, a San Mateo-based provider of renewable energy services, said on Friday that it has raised $20 million in the initial closing of its second round of funding, which the company will use to build and develop solar projects. Investors included MEMC Electronic Materials, NGEN Partners, Nth Power and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. "This financing round will provide the operating capital to rapidly grow our business and accelerate the development of our growing project pipeline," said Paul Detering, the CEO of Tioga Energy. Tioga maintains and operates solar systems on behalf of its customers, allowing them to avoid the up-front costs of buying their own systems.
http://www.tiogaenergy.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Tioga-Energy-Completes-20M-bw-2172469176.html?x=0&.v=2

Napa-Based Inertia Beverage Group Raises $14 Million in Funding

Napa, Calif. -- Inertia Beverage Group (IBG), a Napa-based provider of direct sales technology and services to the wine industry, said on Friday that it has raised $14 million in a new round of funding. New investor PEI Funds joined previous backers Allegis Capital and Sid R. Bass Associates in the round, which the company will use to bolster its core services of fulfillment, winery-direct ecommerce and compliance. "We now have access to all of the necessary resources to execute our vision," said Ted Jansen, the president and CEO of IBG. The news comes five months after the company acquired the fulfillment assets of New Vine, including a 136,000-square -foot fulfillment center in American Canyon. Also on Friday, IBG named Dave Manougian, the former CEO of The Golf Channel, as its chairman.
http://www.inertiabev.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Inertia-Beverage-Group-Raises-bw-256911172.html?x=0&.v=1

Santa Clara-Based Applied Materials Completes Tender Offer for Semitool

Santa Clara, Calif. -- A month after first announcing the deal, Santa Clara-based Applied Materials, a developer of equipment, services and software used to make semiconductors, said on Friday that it has completed its tender offer for Montana-based Semitool, a supplier of electrochemical plating and wafer surface preparation equipment used by chip companies. The company said that more than 94% of Semitool's shares have been tendered. Applied Materials, which is paying $11 a share, said that it now plans to complete a second-step merger by Monday. The company said that the acquisition will expand its capability to address opportunities in the wafer packaging market, while also providing complementary systems and technology for advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Semitool will be operated as a part of Applied's Silicon Systems Group.
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/appliedmaterials/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20091218005132&newsLang=en

HHS Announces $60M Program to Increase Adoption of Health IT

Washington, DC -- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Friday unveiled a new $60 million program aimed at increasing the adoption of health IT. The funding, authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will be used to support projects focused on improving the security of health IT, making the technology more patient-friendly, developing new architectures to handle the exchange of health information and finding ways to use that information to improve the overall quality of health care. Applications for funding are due on Jan. 25, with awards expected to be announced in March. David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health IT at HHS, said that the program -- known as Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects (SHARP) -- "will bring together some of the best and brightest minds in the nation" to "increase the meaningful use of health IT."
http://www.hhs.gov
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091218005539/en

Report: Android Quickly Challenging iPhone in Smartphone Market

Reston, Va. -- Though only a few months old, Google's Android smartphone operating system already is making a significant impact on the U.S. mobile market, according to a new report from Reston-based comScore. Among American consumers in the market for a smartphone, 17% now say they are considering buying an Android-supported device in next three months, compared with 20% who plan to purchase an iPhone. The firm said that consumer awareness of Android is growing rapidly, due in large part to Verizon's Droid ad campaign. "With handsets on multiple carriers, from multiple manufacturers, and numerous Android device models expected to be in the U.S. market by January, the Android platform is rapidly shaking up the smartphone market," said Mark Donovan, comScore's senior vice president of mobile. "While iPhone continues to set the bar with its App Store and passionate user base, and RIM [Blackberry] remains the leader among the business set, Android is clearly gaining momentum among developers and consumers."
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/12/Android_Crashing_the_Smartphone_Party

Palo Alto-Based kaChing Raises $7.5 Million in First Institutional Round

Palo Alto, Calif. -- kaChing, the Palo Alto-based developer of a money management site that lets users mirror the trades of those identified as skilled investors, said that it has raised $7.5 million in its first round of institutional funding, led by DAG Ventures. The company, which bills itself as a  "compelling alternative" to mutual funds, said that it will use the proceeds to fuel growth and infrastructure expansion. Site users have invested $4.5 million through kaChing's platform since its launch in late October. The company identifies skilled investors, called Geniuses, and allows anyone to follow and manually emulate their trades for free. It also charges a fee -- averaging about 1.25% annually -- for those who want the convenience of automatically mirroring the trades in their brokerage account. The company earlier attracted $3 million in funding from individual investors.
http://www.kaching.com
http://www.kaching.com/company/press/kaching-secures-7.5-million-in-financing

Report: Russia's Digital Sky Increases Stake in Facebook

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Russian investment firm Digital Sky Technologies (DST) has purchased additional shares of Palo Alto-based social networking site Facebook, pushing its stake in the company to more than 5%, according to Russian newspaper Kommersant, CNET reported. Earlier this year, DST invested $200 million in Facebook for a 1.96% stake, The firm is acting as a "passive investor," meaning it has not sought a seat on the company's board. The news comes a day after DST led a $180 million investment in San Francisco-based social games firm Zynga. The company also is reportedly in talks to purchase instant messaging service ICQ from AOL.
http://dst-global.com
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10417209-36.html
http://blog.quintura.com/2009/12/17/dst-raises-stake-in-facebook-to-more-than-5/

Emeryville-Based RepairPal Lands $4 Million in First Round

Emeryville, Calif. -- RepairPal, an Emeryville-based online publisher of auto repair and maintenance information, said that it has raised $4 million in its first round of funding, led by Tugboat Ventures. Several individual investors also participated, including Rick Keister, the former CEO of Keystone Automotive Industries, David Strohm, a partner at Greylock Partners; Mark Goines, a former Intuit executive; and Michael Torres, the CEO of Adelante Capital Management. David Sturtz, the CEO of RepairPal, said that the funding will allow his company to "significantly advance our roadmap." The company's site and iPhone app deliver free, instant repair estimates based on vehicle type and zip code, as well as a directory of auto repair facilities.
http://repairpal.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/RepairPal-Raises-4-Million-iw-2463843140.html?x=0&.v=1

Sundaresh Resigns as CEO of Milpitas-Based Adaptec, Company Seeks Sale

Milpitas, Calif. -- Adaptec, a Milpitas-based developer of storage technology for data centers that is attempting to sell its operations, said on Thursday that Sundi Sundaresh, its president and CEO since 2005, will leave the company effective Jan. 4. Adaptec said that Sundaresh will continue as a consultant, assisting with the sale. The company has named board member John Quicke to serve as interim president and CEO. He is a managing director and operating partner of Steel Partners. "The board has the upmost confidence that John Quicke as Interim CEO can lead the company through the sale process," said Chairman Jack Howard. Adaptec also said that it has hired Blackstone Advisory Partners to assist in the sale.
http://www.adaptec.com
http://investor.adaptec.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=97782&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1367092&highlight=

Milpitas-Based Nanometrics to Raise $20.6 Million Through Offering

Milpitas, Calif. -- Nanometrics, a Milpitas-based supplier of advanced process control metrology systems used to make semiconductors, solar photovoltaics and high-brightness LEDs, said on Thursday that it plans to raise $20.6 million through a public offering, pricing more than 2 million shares at $11 each. Vincent Coates, the company’s founder, also is selling 675,000 shares at the same price. The offering is expected to close on Tuesday, with Nanometrics using $2 million of the proceeds to repay debt related to its June acquisition of certain assets of Zygo.
http://www.nanometrics.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091217005607/en

FTC Files Suit Against Chipmaker Intel, Alleges Anticompetitive Tactics

Santa Clara, Calif. -- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Wednesday filed suit against Santa Clara-based chip giant Intel, charging that the company illegally has used its dominant market position for a decade to stifle competition and strengthen its monopoly. In its complaint, the FTC alleges that Intel has "waged a systematic campaign to shut out rivals' competing microchips by cutting off their access to the marketplace." "It's been running roughshod over the principles of fair play and the laws protecting competition on the merits," said Richard Feinstein, director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition. In response, Intel called the suit "misguided," and "based largely on claims that the FTC added at the last minute and has not investigated." The complaint charges that Intel used a series of threats and rewards to influence which chips computer manufacturers such as Dell, HP and IBM used in their products. The FTC said that the company also "secretly redesigned" key software, known as a compiler, to deliberately stunt the performance of competitors' chips. The suit does not seek monetary damages, but rather to change the company's conduct, officials said. The news comes a month after Intel agreed to pay $1.25 billion to Sunnyvale-based rival AMD to settle suits relating to its business practices.
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/12/intel.shtm
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Intel-Comments-on-FTC-bw-112159620.html?x=0&.v=1

S.F.-Based Zynga Lands $180M Round, Led by Facebook Backer DST

San Francisco -- In a development highlighting the growing importance of social media, San Francisco-based Zynga, a publisher of social networking games such as FarmVille and Mafia Wars, on Wednesday announced a $180 million round of funding, led primarily by Facebook investor Digital Sky Technologies (DST). New backers Andreessen Horowitz and Tiger Global, and previous investor Institutional Ventures Partners also participated. The bulk of the funds, however, came from DST, a Russian firm that earlier this year invested $200 million into Palo Alto-based Facebook. "Our earlier investment in Facebook and now in Zynga underscores our premise that social networking and social entertainment will define the next generation of the web," said Yuri Milner, the CEO of DST. Zynga said that it will use a portion of the proceeds to fuel growth, while utilizing the remainder to facilitate liquidity for employees and investors. Zynga claims over 230 million monthly active users for its games, which include FarmVille, Cafe World, Zynga Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille, FishVille and the recently announced PetVille. The company makes the bulk of its revenue when players purchase virtual goods.
http://www.zynga.com/
http://blog.zynga.com/2009/12/zynga-receives-investment-from-digital-sky-technologies-.html

Palo Alto-Based Smule Raises $8 Million in New Funding

Palo Alto, Calif. -- SonicMule (Smule), a Palo Alto-based developer of music applications for the iPhone, said on Wednesday that it has raised $8 million in a new round of funding led by Shasta Ventures. Previous backers Bessemer Venture Partners and Granite Ventures also participated. Smule is the creator of iPhone music apps such as Leaf Trombone: World Stage and I Am T-Pain. The company said that it has sold more than 2.4 million downloads from Apple's App Store since its first product was released in September 2008 . 
http://www.smule.com

Sunnyvale-Based AlikeList Lands $5M for Local Business Reviews

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- AlikeList, the Sunnyvale-based developer of a new social site that features user-generated local business reviews, said that it has raised $5 million in its first round of funding from Syncom Venture Partners. The company, whose competitors in the space include Yelp and CitySearch, plans to use the funds for product development, as well as to build its user base and expand its executive team. AlikeList lets users create reviews of local establishments, list businesses they wish to visit and share their referrals with friends. Users may also choose to share their reviews with the entire AlikeList community.
http://www.alikelist.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alikelist-secures-5-million-in-series-a-funding-from-syncom-venture-partners-79288917.html

Report: MySpace in Talks to Buy San Francisco-Based Flixster

San Francisco -- Fresh off of its recent acquisitions of music services iLike and imeem, social networking giant MySpace is in talks to acquire San Francisco-based Flixster, a movie-focused social media site, according to a report in All Things D. Citing several unnamed sources, the blog reported that MySpace would combine Flixster with Rotten Tomatoes, the film reviews aggregator operated by News Corp.'s IGN. Founded in 2006, Flixster counts some 50 million users of its service, and claims the top movie-related application for Apple's iPhone. The company has raised $7 million to date from backers including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Pinnacle Ventures and Reid Hoffman.
http://www.flixster.com
http://kara.allthingsd.com/20091214/exclusive-myspace-eyes-flixster-for-acquisition/

Redwood City-Based Silver Spring Networks Raises $100 Million

Redwood City, Calif. -- In one of the largest funding rounds for a U.S. technology company this year, Redwood City-based Silver Spring Networks, a developer of technology that allows utilities to transmit and receive information from the electric grid, said on Tuesday that it has raised $100 million in new preferred equity financing. Participants included previous backers Google Ventures, Foundation Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Northgate Capital. The company, which has raised more than $267 million since its inception, plans to use the proceeds to develop new smart grid applications, as well as for job growth and the continued expansion of its global footprint. "We have a terrific opportunity to accelerate the development and deployment of next generation smart grid initiatives," said CFO Warren Jenson. Silver Spring provides hardware, software and services that allow utilities to deploy advanced applications, such as smart metering and demand response, over a single, unified network. Clients include Florida Power & Light, Pacific Gas & Electric, Pepco Holdings, Jemena Electricity Networks and United Energy Distribution.
http://www.silverspringnetworks.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Silver-Spring-Networks-bw-638930472.html?x=0&.v=1

WSJ: Google Testing Own Phone; Will Sell Direct to Consumers

Mountain View, Calif. -- Google currently is testing a new mobile phone that the company designed and plans to begin selling directly to consumers, perhaps as early as next year, The Wall Street Journal reported. According to people familiar with the matter, the new "Nexus One" phone is being developed by HTC, which also makes two other handsets that run Google's Android mobile operating system. This time, however, Mountain View-based Google was directly involved in all aspects of creating the software experience on the phone, and plans to sell the device online, rather than going through a wireless carrier. The blog All Things D also reported that Google is in talks with T-Mobile USA to sell the phone at a discount to the carrier's subscribers.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704121504574594012027538086.html (subscription required)
http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20091213/google-pals-up-with-t-mobile-to-push-its-nexus-one-phone/
http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2009/12/android-dogfood-diet-for-holidays.html

San Francisco-Based Cloud Engines Lands $3 Million in Funding

San Francisco -- Cloud Engines, a San Francisco-based developer of technology that lets users access their hard drives remotely, has raised the first $3 million of a planned $4 million round of equity funding, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Names of the investors were not disclosed. Founded in 2007, Cloud Engines is the developer of Pogoplug, a device that connects users' USB drives to the Internet, allowing them to remotely share and access files. The company also has developed an application that lets users tap their hard drives from their iPhones. The news comes seven months after Cloud Engines raised an undisclosed amount of funding from The Foundry Group. 
http://www.pogoplug.com
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1392084/000139208409000005/xslFormDX01/primary_doc.xml

Los Altos-Based Rambus Acquires Technology, Patents from GLT

Los Altos, Calif. -- Rambus, a Los Altos-based developer of of high-speed memory architectures, said that it has paid $26 million to acquire technology and a portfolio of advanced lighting and optoelectronics patents from Ohio-based Global Lighting Technologies (GLT). Rambus said that the acquisition, which includes MicroLens light distribution technology, broadens its offerings for computing and consumer electronics. As part of the deal, 12 employees from GLT, including co-founder and former CEO Jeff Parker, will join Rambus. Parker will lead the company’s new Lighting Technology Division. "Through the work of Jeff Parker and his team, we will continue to enhance the display of games, movies and images on computers and consumer electronic products," said Harold Hughes, the president and CEO of Rambus.
http://www.rambus.com
http://www.glthome.com
http://www.glthome.com/index.htm

Milpitas-Based FireEye Opens Federal Government Practice

Milpitas, Calif. -- FireEye, a Milpitas-based developer of malware protection systems, said on Tuesday that it has opened a new office near Washington, DC to cater to federal clients, and named Gene Skiba as the vice president of its federal sector. The move comes just a month after the company landed a new investment as part of a larger technology development deal with In-Q-Tel, the venture fund backed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Skiba most recently served as vice president of the U.S. Public Sector at BlueCat Networks, and previously was the vice president of federal sales and operations at F5 Networks. FireEye's technology is designed to detect advanced malware by replaying suspicious web and network traffic flows through virtual machines. The results allow customers to properly secure their networks.
http://www.fireeye.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/FireEye-Expands-Federal-bw-473231379.html?x=0&.v=1

Apple's Steve Jobs Among Finalists for Time's Person of the Year

Cupertino, Calif. -- Steve Jobs, the CEO of Cupertino-based Apple, is among seven finalists for Time magazine's "Person of the Year," the publication announced on Monday. Other finalists include Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal, President Barack Obama and the "increasingly influential" Chinese worker. Obama received the honor last year. Jobs, the influential co-founder of Apple, returned to work in July following a six month leave of absence, during which he underwent a successful liver transplant. The winner will be announced during Wednesday's Today Show on NBC. Voting is being conducted at the link below.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/34367161/ns/today-today_people/

San Mateo-Based Clarizen Lands $8 Million in Third Round

San Mateo, Calif. -- Clarizen, a San Mateo-based developer of online work and project management software, said on Monday that it has raise $8 million in its third round of funding, led by DAG Ventures, Benchmark Capital and Carmel Ventures. The company said that it will use the proceeds to expand its marketing and sales operations while also bolstering product development. Founded in 2005, Clarizen is the maker of web-based software designed to give clients real-time visibility into their business processes. The company current boasts more than 500 customers.
http://www.clarizen.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Clarizen-Secures-8M-in-iw-3963998611.html?x=0&.v=1

On Semiconductor to Acquire Milpitas-Based California Micro Devices

Milpitas, Calif. -- California Micro Devices (CMD), a Milpitas-based developer of analog and mixed signal chips for the mobile handset, consumer electronics and personal computer markets, said on Monday that it has signed a deal to be acquired by Arizona-based ON Semiconductor. ON will pay $4.75 a share through a cash tender offer, making the deal worth about $108 million. "The acquisition of California Micro Devices will significantly strengthen our offering of application specific integrated passive (ASIP) devices to protect products in the wireless, computing and consumer electronics end-markets," said Keith Jackson, the president and CEO of ON Semiconductor. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2010.
http://www.cmd.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091214005425/en

Fremont-Based ActivIdentity to Acquire CoreStreet for $20 Million

Fremont, Calif. -- ActivIdentity, a Fremont-based developer of authentication and credential management technology, said on Monday that pay approximately $20 million to acquire CoreStreet, a maker of certification, credentialing and physical access products with offices in Massachusetts and Washington, DC. The deal, expected to close before year's end, consists primarily of cash, but also includes stock and warrants. ActivIdentity said that the acquisition will strengthen its authentication and credential management offerings, which are designed to establish a person's identity when interacting digitally. "This deal represents the first piece in our growth strategy going forward," said ActivIdentity CEO Grant Evans.
http://www.actividentity.com/
http://www.corestreet.com
http://www.corestreet.com/about/news_events/pr/2009/2009_12_14.html

Monotype Imaging Acquires Redwood Shores-Based Planetweb

Redwood Shores, Calif. -- Monotype Imaging, a Massachusetts-based developer of text imaging technology, said that it has acquired Planetweb, a Redwood Shores-based maker of user interface software. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Monotype said that the move will allow it to offer manufacturers of consumer electronics products that integrate its font technologies with Planetwebs graphical user interface tools. Monotype said that several key members of Planetweb's executive team will remain with the company.
http://www.planetweb.com
http://www.planetweb.com/mti-announce.html

Mountain View-Based Hansen Settles Litigation with Luna Innovations

Mountain View, Calif. -- Clearing a major hurdle in its bid to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Virginia-based Luna Innovations, a developer of sensing, instrumentation and nano-medicine technologies, said on Monday that it has settled its litigation with Mountain View medical robotics firm Hansen Medical. The news comes nine months after a Santa Clara County jury ordered Luna to pay Hansen $36 million to settle a contract dispute -- a move that eventually forced the company's bankruptcy in July. With the settlement in place, Luna has filed a new reorganization plan, which includes paying all of its outstanding claims while allowing stockholders to retain their shares. It also includes a deal for Hansen to use Luna's fiber optic shape sensing technology in its medical robotic instruments, as well as a $5 million promissory note payable over four years from Luna to Hansen.
http://www.lunainnovations.com/
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091211005725/en

WSJ: AOL in Talks to Sell ICQ Instant Messaging Business

New York -- Newly independent AOL is in early talks to potentially sell its ICQ instant-messenger business to Russia's Digital Sky Technologies in a deal that could be worth up to $300 million, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. ICQ, which is most popular with Internet users in Germany and Russia, is among a handful of AOL assets, along with social networking site Bebo, that AOL reportedly is attempting to shed. A person familiar with the matter told the Journal that AOL also has had initial talks with other potential suitors about the business. The news comes just five days after AOL completed its spinout from parent Time Warner.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703442904574594390157672818.html?mod=WSJ_hps_sections_tech (subscription required)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/technology/companies/14aol.html?partner=yahoofinance

Palo Alto-Based CloudShare Raises $10 Million in Second Round

Palo Alto, Calif. -- CloudShare, a Palo Alto-based tech startup formerly known as IT Structures, said on Friday that it has raised $10 million in its second round of funding from Sequoia Capital, Gemini Capital and Charles River Ventures. The company plans to use proceeds to fund product development and expand its go-to-market capabilities. CloudShare has developed technology that lets users share copies of complex IT environments online, allowing them to collaborate with customers, partners and colleagues. "Since founding CloudShare in 2007 we've been focused on developing our technology," said CEO Zvi Guterman, adding that the company now has officially exited stealth mode. "We now have all the right assets in place." CloudShare's customers include VMware, Cisco and SAP.
http://www.cloudshare.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/CloudShare-Lands-10M-in-iw-1071045753.html?x=0&.v=1

Redwood Shores-Based Rocket Fuel Lands $3 Million in New Funding

Redwood Shares, Calif. -- Rocket Fuel Inc., a Redwood Shores-based startup developing an intelligent ad serving platform designed to understand consumer interest and intent, said on Friday that it has raised $3 million in a new round of funding led by previous backer Mohr Davidow Ventures. The company plans to use the proceeds to continue building its corporate infrastructure, scaling operations and expanding its engineering team. "With this recent investment, we see a clear path to profitability in late 2010, and we'll be scaling to better address the demand we see for optimized display advertising," said CEO George John.
http://www.rocketfuelinc.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Rocket-Fuel-Secures-3M-in-iw-1302229292.html?x=0&.v=1

Palo Alto-Based Pageonce Raises $6.5 Million in Funding

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Pageonce, a Palo Alto-based developer of personal finance and travel information applications for smartphones, said that it has raised $6.5 million in a new round of funding, led by Israel's Pitango Venture Capital. The company now has raised $10 million since its inception. Pageonce's flagship product, Personal Assistant, is a popular personal finance and travel app for the iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Windows platforms, with more than one million registered users. The app allows users to log in once to view aggregated personal information from various password protected sources. "Our goal is to own the personal information management category on the mobile platform," said CEO Guy Goldstein. The company also has named Jim Scheinman as its new COO. Scheinman was previously Bebo's first employee and a member of the company's board of directors.
http://www.pageonce.com/
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Pageonce-Announces-One-prnews-2233792909.html?x=0&.v=1

San Mateo-Based Deltagen Acquires Benten BioServices

San Mateo, Calif. -- Deltagen, a San Mateo-based provider of drug discovery and screening tools to the biopharmaceutical industry, said that it has acquired Benten BioServices, a Pennsylvania-based provider of manufacturing and testing services to drug developers. Under the deal, Deltagen issued 9.1 million shares of its stock in exchange for all outstanding shares of Benten. Penn Venture Partners and Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central Pennsylvania then invested $1.25 million and $250,000, respectively, in the combined company, which was valued at $8.5 million. Deltagen said that the acquisition will allow it to expand its existing drug discovery and screening products with complementary services and technologies.
http://www.deltagen.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Deltagen-Acquires-Benten-bw-1320923222.html?x=0&.v=1

S.F.-Based FusionStorm Acquires Adexis Division of Cranel

San Francisco -- FusionStorm, a San Francisco-based systems integrator and managed services provider, said that it has acquired Ohio-based Adexis, a division of Cranel specializing in systems, storage and networking technologies. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. FusionStorm said that the acquisition bolsters its engineering talent and strengthens its Midwest sales teams. "They add some unique talent to the company and also bring with them some new partnerships and areas of business that we were not currently delivering to our clients," said John Varel, the CEO of FusionStorm.
http://www.fusionstorm.com/
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Fusionstorm-1089208.html .

NCR Acquires Campbell-Based DVDPlay to Expand Video Rental Kiosks

Campbell, Calif. -- NCR, video rental giant Blockbuster's partner in the burgeoning market of automated DVD rental kiosks, said on Thursday that it has acquired Campbell-based DVDPlay, which operates a network of 1,300 kiosks in the U.S. and Canada. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. With the acquisition, Georgia-based NCR said that it expects to have 3,800 Blockbuster-branded rental kiosks in operation by year's end. The deal also will provide Blockbuster with new kiosks in California, Colorado and Illinois.
http://www.ncr.com
http://www.dvdplay.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091210005170/en

Friendster Acquired by Malaysian Payments Firm MOL

Mountain View, Calif. -- Confirming earlier media reports, Friendster, the online social network with U.S. headquarters in Mountain View, on Thursday announced that it has been acquired by Malaysia-based MOL Global. Though financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, reports earlier this week pegged it at more than $100 million. Friendster in July hired Morgan Stanley to help it seek a buyer. Founded in 2002, the social network pioneer has limited popularity in the West, compared with market leaders MySpace and Facebook, but is still widely used across Asia, where the majority of its 115 million users reside. MOL, which is owned by Malaysian tycoon Vincent Tan, plans to integrate the site into its own business "to create Asia's largest end-to-end content, distribution and commerce network." MOL operates a network of over 500,000 physical and virtual payment channels across 75 countries. MOL's Ganesh Kumar Bangah will become group CEO of the combined company, while Friendster CEO Richard Kimber will become non-executive chairman.
http://www.friendster.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mol-global-to-acquire-friendster-78932997.html

Sunnyvale's eInfochips Acquires nGIN Technologies

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- eInfochips, a technology design services company with dual headquarters in Sunnyvale and India, said on Thursday that it has acquired nGIN Technologies, an India-based provider of networking software and services to telecom manufacturers. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. "With this acquisition, eInfochips will now offer a much wider and deeper portfolio of networking products and services to its customers," said Pratul Shroff, the CEO of eInfochips. Johnson Rajkumar, the CEO of nGIN, added that eInfochips' video delivery and networking capabilities "complement ours."
http://www.einfochips.com/
http://www.ngintech.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/einfochips-acquires-ngin-technologies-78945582.html

S.F.-Based Hellman & Friedman Completes Acquisition of Datatel

San Francisco -- Hellman & Friedman, a San Francisco-based private equity firm, said on Thursday that it has completed its deal to buy Datatel, a Virginia-based provider of administrative software systems and e-marketing tools to colleges and universities, from an investor group led by Thoma Bravo. Plans for the acquisition were first announced in early November. Financial terms were not disclosed. Datatel's current management will remain in place, led by John Speer, its president and CEO. The company, which has focused exclusively on higher education since 1979, said that its technology is used by nearly 800 institutions.
http://www.datatel.com 
http://news.datatel.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=1236&view_id=1088&

AOL Begins Life as Independent Company Following Spinoff

New York -- Shares of AOL recovered from an early decline to close up slightly on Thursday, their first full day of public trading in nearly nine years. The company, which late Wednesday completed its spinout from former parent Time Warner, is trading under the symbol "AOL" on the New York Stock Exchange, where CEO Tim Armstrong rang the opening bell. "As an independent company with a recognized global Internet brand, we will be competing for the future of content, communications and advertising and that is a very exciting and significant opportunity," said Armstrong. Shares of Time Warner, meanwhile, rose more than 4% on the day. "With the separation of AOL, we've returned to our roots as one of the leading content companies in the world," said CEO Jeff Bewkes. "We're now better positioned to focus even more closely on driving the best possible performance at our content businesses in the most efficient way." Through the spinoff, owners of Time Warner stock received one share of AOL for each of their 11 shares. Long known for its dial-up Internet service, AOL is attempting to reinvent itself as a content company, battling with the likes of Google and Yahoo for online advertising dollars.
http://corp.aol.com/press-releases/2009/12/aol-celebrates-day-one-independent-company
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Time-Warner-Inc-Completes-bw-3428111370.html?x=0&.v=1

Palo Alto-Based Financial Engines Files to Raise $100M in IPO

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Financial Engines, a Palo Alto-based provider of online financial advice and professional services related to retirement planning, on Wednesday filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise up to $100 million in its initial public offering (IPO). The company has yet to disclose details of the offering, such as the number of shares or their expected price range. Co-founded in 1996 by Nobel Prize-winning economist Bill Sharpe, Financial Engines plans to list its stock on the Nasdaq under the symbol "FNGN."
http://www.financialengines.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Financial-Engines-Files-bw-656270064.html?x=0&.v=1
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1430592/000095012309069405/f52084orsv1.htm

Palo Alto-Based Facebook Enhances Privacy Settings

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Facebook on Wednesday called on its more than 350 million users to "review and update their privacy settings," pointing them toward new settings that let users further control who sees what they share on the service. The new Publisher Privacy Control feature lets users select a privacy setting for every post they make at the time they create it. The company is doing away with the large "regional networks" setting in favor of four narrower settings: Friends, Friends of Friends, Everyone and Customized. Palo Alto-based Facebook also has created a Transition Tool, which will require people to review and update their privacy settings. The tool gives them the option to maintain their current settings, or choose Facebook's "recommended" setting -- which "takes into account how users have shared that information previously and recognizing that users may consider some information more sensitive." Finally, Facebook said that it will take steps to limit the visibility of content created by users under 18.
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=196629387130
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/facebook-asks-more-than-350-million-users-around-the-world-to-personalize-their-privacy-78861127.html

Palo Alto-Based DisplayLink Raises $8 Million, Hires New CEO

Palo Alto, Calif. -- DisplayLink, a Palo Alto-based developer of network display chips and software designed to make it easy to hook up multiple monitors to a single computer, said on Wednesday that it has raised $8 million and hired semiconductor industry veteran Craig Ensley as its new chairman and CEO. The company's third round of funding included investments from Atlas Venture, Balderton Capital, DAG Ventures and DFJ Esprit. It has raised $59 million to date. Ensley most recently served as the president and COO of Peregrine Semiconductor, and previously held executive roles at Cirrus Logic, including senior vice president of the embedded products division and senior vice president of engineering. DisplayLink's technology, which enables virtual graphics connectivity between computers and displays, is found in PC accessories including monitors, docking stations, display adapters, projectors and thin client systems.
http://www.displaylink.com/
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/DisplayLink-Names-Craig-bw-3675950004.html?x=0&.v=1

MySpace Acquires Assets of San Francisco-Based imeem

San Francisco -- Nearly a month after reports first surfaced about the deal, online social network MySpace said that it has acquired "certain assets" of struggling San Francisco-based music streaming service imeem. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 2003, imeem claims 16 million users for its ad-supported service. The company, however, was close to seeing its licenses to stream major label songs expire, due to its inability to continue paying per-song streaming fees, PaidContent reported. MySpace said that it already has begun to redirect imeem users to its MySpace Music site, and is working to make users' existing playlists compatible with the service. "As quickly as possible, we'll be working to offer users the imeem playlists they've created on MySpace Music," MySpace CEO Oven Van Natta wrote in a blog post. The company added that several of imeem's top executives will remain as "consultants to help manage this transition."
http://www.imeem.com
http://www.myspace.com/pressroom?url=/article_display.cfm?article_id=1126
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-its-official-myspace-music-acquires-imeem-will-move-users-to-myspace-mu/

EnerNOC Acquires Concord-Based Cogent Energy

Concord, Calif. -- EnerNOC, a Boston-based provider of clean energy and energy management technology, said on Wednesday that it has acquired Cogent Energy, a Concord-based energy management consulting firm. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Cogent Energy's has provided consulting services to about 200 customers nationwide, including California State University, the University of California, the city and county of San Francisco, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the state of California. EnerNOC said that the acquisition will allow it to service smaller facilities with less sophisticated control systems, which significantly increases the size of the potential market for EnerNOC's energy efficiency applications.
http://www.enernoc.com
http://www.enernoc.com/press/releases/release.php?press_id=153&keepThis=true&

AOL to Complete Spinout, Prepare Shares for Trading on NYSE

New York -- Internet pioneer AOL was scheduled to officially begin its new life as a fully independent company late Wednesday, completing its spinout from Time Warner and preparing for Thursday's debut on the New York Stock Exchange. Under the terms of the deal, owners of Time Warner stock were to receive one share of AOL for each of their 11 shares after the close of the markets. AOL, which now has a market value of about $2.5 billion -- down from more than $100 billion prior to its 2001 merger -- reportedly plans to celebrate its newfound independence Wednesday night with a party in New York featuring recording artist Diddy, according to the blog AllThingsD. Officials then will ring the opening bell at the NYSE Thursday morning. The separation occurs nearly nine years after the two companies completed a $164 billion merger that analysts have lamented as one of the most disastrous of all time. Now, with the bulk of its core dial-up Internet business gone, AOL will try to reinvent itself as a major player in the Internet content arena, competing with the likes of Google and Yahoo. To help in that effort, the company is in the process of cutting about one-third of its workforce -- up to 2,500 employees -- in a move to reduce expenses by $300 million a year. The cuts will leave AOL about 4,400 employees, down from a high of more than 20,000. Even so, some analysts believe that the company may suffer decreasing profits for several years to come, according to Bloomberg, with its dial-up subscription base possibly disappearing altogether by 2016.
http://kara.allthingsd.com/20091209/aol-puff-daddy-parties-and-cockroaches-on-npr/?reflink=ATD_yahoo_ticker
http://money.cnn.com/2009/12/09/technology/aol_spinoff/
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aJOcqoviAQyQ

San Mateo-Based Actuate to Acquire Canada's Xenos Group

San Mateo, Calif. -- Actuate, a San Mateo-based developer of business intelligence and corporate reporting software, said on Tuesday that it will acquire Toronto-based Xenos Group, a developer of software designed to streamline supply chains. Actuate will pay $3.29 a share under the deal, which values Xenos at $26.7 million. Pete Cittadini, the president and CEO of Actuate, said that the acquisition will help expand the market opportunity for its Eclipse BIRT open source project, a development environment for rich information applications. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2010.
http://www.actuate.com
http://www.xenos.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091208006542/en

Redwood City-Based Support.com Acquires Sammsoft

Redwood City, Calif. -- Support.com, a Redwood City-based provider of online technology support services over the Internet and phone, said on Tuesday that it has paid $8.5 million in cash to acquire Sammsoft, a Seattle-based provider of consumer software products designed to maintain, optimize and secure personal computers. Support.com said that the acquisition will allow it to add software to its assisted services, as well as provide it with an online marketing channel to reach consumers directly with offers for software and services related to computer performance. Sammsoft, which is operated by former Microsoft employees, said that substantially all of its employees will remain with the company.
http://www.support.com
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/SupportCom-NASDAQ-SPRT-1087083.html

Menlo Park-Based DCM Invests in Japan's Tonchidot

Menlo Park, Calif. -- DCM, the Menlo Park-based venture capital firm focused on the technology sector, said on Tuesday that it has led a new $4 million funding round for Tonchidot, the Japanese developer of an application that allows camera-attached mobile devices to access hypertagged social, informational and entertainment services over the Internet. Previous backer Itochu Technology Ventures also participated in the company's first round.  The company said that it will use the proceeds to fuel its global expansion. Tonchidot launched the Japanese version of its Sekai Camera service for the iPhone in September, and now plans to target other countries, as well. DCM's Osuke Honda will join the company's board of directors.
http://www.tonchidot.com
http://www.dcm.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091208005312/en

San Francisco-Based Francisco Partners to Acquire QuadraMed

San Francisco -- Francisco Partners, the San Francisco-based private equity firm focused on the technology sector, said on it will acquire Virginia-based QuadraMed, a provider of information technology services to the healthcare industry, in an all-cash deal worth approximately $126 million. News of the deal, which will take the company private, drove shares of QuadraMed up 30% in Tuesday's trading on the Nasdaq. "After a thorough and careful review of the strategic alternatives available to us, [we] have concluded that this transaction represents the best option to maximize value for our shareholders," said James Peebles, QuadraMed's chairman. The company said that it plans to maintain its Reston, Va. headquarters, as well as its operations at various offices throughout the U.S. CEO Duncan James said that going private will allow the company to "place more emphasis on generating long-term value for our clients with less distraction on short-term results for the public markets." The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2010.
http://www.quadramed.com
http://www.franciscopartners.com
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=81676&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1363332&highlight

Mountain View-Based Google Adds Real-Time Data to Search Results

Mountain View, Calif. -- Mountain View-based Google said that it has added real-time data to its search results, including updates from services like Twitter, FriendFeed and Facebook, as well as seconds-old news stories and blog posts. The real-time data can be found by clicking on "Latest results" or "Latest" from the search options menu. Google also has launched a new "hot topics" section to Google Trends that will display the most common topics people are publishing to the web in real-time. Sunnyvale-based rival Yahoo began including similar real-time data in its search results last month, while Microsoft's Bing added data from Twitter in October.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/relevance-meets-real-time-web.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRkYmx4A9Do

Palo Alto-Based Facebook to Launch Safety Advisory Board

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Facebook, the Palo Alto-based online social network, said that it plans to create a global safety advisory board, aimed at protecting its members from online predators. The board will be made up of representatives from organizations including Childnet International, The Family Online Safety Institute, Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely and WiredSafety. "One of our first projects together will be to overhaul the safety information that's available to you from the Facebook Help Center so that the resources are more comprehensive and include content that's specifically tailored to the needs of parents, teachers and teens," the company wrote in a blog post.
http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=195195332130