Silicon Valley Wire

San Jose-Based MapR Technologies Lands $20 Million in Second Round

San Jose, Calif. -- MapR Technologies, the San Jose-based developer of an updated version of the Apache Hadoop data analytics platform, said on Tuesday it has raised $20 million in its second round of funding, led by Redpoint Ventures. Previous backers Lightspeed Venture Partners and New Enterprise Associates (NEA) also participated in the round, which the company will use to scale operations. "We raised this round to further increase our technology lead, expand our commercial efforts and increase customer adoption," said CEO John Schroeder. http://www.mapr.com/
http://www.lightspeedvp.com 
http://www.mapr.com/company/press-releases/mapr-technologies-secures-20-million-in-funding

Santa Clara-Based Intel Forms Federal Unit to Boost Business with Gov't

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Computer chip giant Intel said on Tuesday it has formed a new unit to focus on the company's business with the federal government. The unit, known as Intel Federal, is currently seeking out office space in the Washington, DC area, and will initially maintain offices in Oregon and California, as well. "Initially Intel Federal will focus on the high performance computing segment, including work on exascale computing with the U.S. Department of Energy and other agencies," the Santa Clara-based company said in a statement. "In time, the subsidiary will be open to working with all branches of the government." Intel has named Dave Patterson, the former president and CEO of Optelecom-NKF and Siemens Government Services, as the president of Intel Federal.
http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2011/08/30/intel-forms-new-subsidiary-intel-federal-llc?cid=rss-258152-c1-269622

Palo Alto-Based E la Carte Lands $4 Million from Lightbank

Palo Alto, Calif. -- E la Carte, the Palo Alto-based maker of a tableside tablet for the restaurant and related hospitality industries, said on Tuesday it has raised $4 million in a round of funding from Lightbank. The company said it will use the proceeds to help meet the growing demand for its Presto tablet, which lets restaurant guests order, play games and pay from their seats without having to wait. The ruggedized unit has a full-day battery life and a credit card reader, and can sit naturally on restaurant tables. The company so far has signed up nearly 100 eateries, and has a waiting list of another 150. National chain customers include Pizzeria Venti and Umami Burger. http://www.elacarte.com 
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110830006370/en/Lightbank-Leads-4-Million-Investment-la-Carte

Redwood City-Based Kenandy Raises $10.5 Million in First Round

Redwood City, Calif. -- Kenandy, a Redwood City-based developer of cloud-based manufacturing management tools, said on Monday it has raised $10.5 million in its first round of funding, led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB). salesforce.com and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich Rosati also participated. Ray Lane, managing partner at KPCB, will also join Kenandy's board of directors. Kenandy has operated in stealth mode for over a year, with initial customer deployments expected to reach production before the end of the third quarter. "By building the core manufacturing applications on a social platform, we're providing the structure to use the new tools of social media and collaboration for greater efficiencies in global supply chain networks," said Sandra Kurtzig, the company's founder, chairman and CEO. Kurtzig previously was founder, CEO and chairman of the ASK Group.
http://www.kenandy.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110829005345/en/Kenandy-Closes-Series-Led-Kleiner-Perkins-Caufield

Palo Alto-Based 7 Degrees Changes Name to Reachable, Hires New CEO

Palo Alto, Calif. -- 7 Degrees, a Palo Alto-based developer of social business tools, said on Monday it has changed its name to Reachable and named Al Campa as CEO. Campa most recently was the CMO and senior vice president at Taleo, and previously was the founder and CEO of Jaspersoft. he also has also held senior positions at Actuate, Sybase and Sun Microsystems. Reachable's social business application under the same name (formerly known as PeopleMaps) allows users to leverage all of their contacts to expand their professional networks. The app consolidates contacts from social networking sites, email clients and other public data sources, and adds new ones from its database of 65 million professionals. The latest news comes 10 months after the company closed a $6.8 million round of funding co-led by Rho Ventures, vSpring Capital and Parkview Ventures.
http://www.reachable.com
http://www.reachable.com/newsroom/reachable-appoints-al-campa-as-new-ceo.html
http://www.reachable.com/newsroom/7-degrees-changes-its-name-to-reachable.html

DealPulp.com Relocates to Larger Headquarters in Santa Clara

Santa Clara, Calif. -- DealPulp.com, a daily deal site that provide online shoppers with national discounts, said on Monday it has relocated its corporate headquarters from San Jose to a larger facility in Santa Clara. The company, which launched in January, will occupy a 3,771-square-foot office space at TechMart -- nearly three times the size of its previous facility. DealPulp.com, which currently boasts nearly 250,000 members, said the move will accommodate its aggressive hiring plans.
http://dealpulp.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110829005131/en/DealPulp.com-Relocates-Corporate-Headquarters

Petaluma-Based DayMen Group Acquires San Francisco-Based JOBY

Petaluma, Calif. -- DayMen Group, a Petaluma-based manufacturer and distributor of imaging products and accessories, said on Monday it has acquired San Francisco-based JOBY, a maker of photo, mobile and lighting products including the GorillaPod line of flexible tripods. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. DayMen has been distributing JOBY in Canada since 2007 and Australia since 2008. "The acquisition by DayMen gives JOBY a great opportunity to expand both our distribution network and our product line," said JOBY CEO Forrest Baringer-Jones.
http://www.daymen.com
http://joby.com/
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110829005326/en/DayMen-Group-Announces-Agreement-Acquire-JOBY

Apple Shares Dip Slightly Following Resignation of Steve Jobs

Cupertino, Calif. -- Shares of Apple fell nearly 1% on Thursday, hours after co-founder Steve Jobs surprised the technology world by announcing his resignation as CEO. Tim Cook, previously Apple's COO, will succeed Jobs, who will remain with the company as chairman. "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come," Jobs wrote in a letter to the company's board of directors. "I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role." Jobs had been on medical leave since Jan. 17 following a series of well-documented health issues, including a cancer diagnosis in 2003 and liver transplant in 2009.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/08/24Steve-Jobs-Resigns-as-CEO-of-Apple.html
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/08/24Letter-from-Steve-Jobs.html

Santa Clara-Based Embrane Raises $18 Million in Second Round

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Embrane, the Santa Clara-based developer of a distributed software platform for powering elastic network services, said on Thursday it has raised $18 million in its second round of funding, led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Lightspeed Venture Partners and North Bridge Ventures -- which both participated in the company's $9 million first round -- also participated. Embrane, which is currently in beta mode and plans to officially launch later this year, said it will use the funding to ramp up its sales and marketing, as well as continue to develop virtual network services. Pete Sonsini, a partner at NEA, will join the company's board.
http://www.embrane.com/
http://www.embrane.com/company/news

San Francisco-Based CouchSurfing Lands $7.6 Million in New Funding

San Francisco -- CouchSurfing International, the San Francisco-based developer of a cultural exchange network that combines social networking technology with cultural exchange to connect travelers with locals in 248 countries and territories, said on Thursday it has raised $7.6 million in a new round of funding from Benchmark Capital and Omidyar Network. The company said the round marks its transition from non-profit to a new type of corporation that uses business to create public benefit. CouchSurfing also announced that co-founder Daniel Hoffer has taken on the roles of president and CEO. Founded in 2004, the company has evolved from a non-profit connecting travelers with local hosts into a global community of travel-minded people engaging in thousands of connections, homestays, meetings and events.
http://www.couchsurfing.org/
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110825005488/en/CouchSurfing-Raises-7.6-Million-Series-Benchmark-Capital

S.F.-Based Zendesk to Establish Software Development Center in Denmark

San Francisco -- Zendesk, a San Francisco-based developer of cloud-based help desk software, said on Thursday it plans to open a new software development center in Denmark, the country where Zendesk was founded in 2007. The company plans to hire 12 engineers this year at the facility. Zendesk currently boasts more than 10,000 clients, including Adobe, MSNBC, Sony, OpenTable and Groupon. The company is backed by Charles River Ventures, Benchmark Capital and Matrix Partners.
http://www.zendesk.com
http://www.zendesk.com/company/press/zendesk-to-establish-development-center-in-denmark

Morgenthaler Names 11 Finalists in DC to VC: HIT Startup Showcase

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Morgenthaler Ventures , the Menlo Park-based venture capital firm, on Thursday named the 11 finalists in its DC to VC: HIT Startup Showcase, aimed at finding promising health IT startups looking for seed and first-round funding. Each company founder will present to venture capitalists, angel investors and entrepreneurs at an event scheduled for Sept. 22 in Mountain View. Bay area companies among the finalists include San Francisco-based Skimble, Viewics, Empower Interactive and Jiff. The complete list is available at the link below.
http://www.dctovc.com/news-and-updates.html

Google to Pay $500 Million to Settle DOJ Charges Over Pharmacy Ads

Mountain View, Calif. -- The Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Wednesday it has reached a $500 million settlement with Mountain View-based Google following allegations that the Internet giant accepted millions of dollars in illegal drug ads from Canadian online pharmacies. The DOJ said the ads, placed through the company's AdWords program, resulted in the unlawful importation of drugs into the U.S. "Google was aware as early as 2003, that generally, it was illegal for pharmacies to ship controlled and non-controlled prescription drugs into the United States from Canada," said the DOJ. The agreement also requires Google to set up several compliance and reporting measures to insure it doesn't repeat the infractions. "This settlement ensures that Google will reform its improper advertising practices with regard to these pharmacies while paying one of the largest financial forfeiture penalties in history," said Deputy Attorney General James Cole.
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2011/August/11-dag-1078.html

San Francisco-Based Taptera Raises $2 Million in First Round

San Francisco -- Taptera, a San Francisco-based developer of mobile business apps for the iPhone and iPad, said on Wednesday it has landed $2 million in its first round of funding. Prominent Silicon Valley investor Terence Garnett led the round, which also included participation from salesforce.com and individuals such as M.R. Rangaswami and David Murphy. Taptera said it will use the funding to expand its portfolio of apps for sales, operations, collaboration and creativity. The company's first app, called Colleagues, is a mobile employee directory that will be unveiled this fall.
http://www.taptera.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/taptera-secures-2-million-funding-for-enterprise-iphone-and-ipad-apps-128309313.html

San Jose-Based Wanova Raises $10 Million in Second Round of Funding

San Jose, Calif. -- Wanova, a San Jose-based developer of software used to centrally manage computer desktops, said on Tuesday it has raised $10 million in its second round of funding from Greylock Partners, Carmel Ventures and Opus Capital. The company will use the proceeds to expand its global sales and support teams. Wanova's desktop-as-a-service technology allows clients to centralizes PC images in the network, but also enable a copy of the image to run locally on a laptop or desktop. "This new investment will help us maintain the momentum we're experiencing with service providers and enterprises that are looking for an offering to improve agility, reduce costs and enable company IT staff to focus on projects that are strategic to their business instead of individually managing each compute," said CEO Sebastiano Tevarotto.
http://www.wanova.com
http://www.wanova.com/pages/Wanova_Secures_New_Round.html?page_id=689

Solazyme Ranks No. 2 in Inc. 500; Numerous Bay Area Firms Make List

South San Francisco -- Solazyme, a South San Francisco-based developer of technology that allows algae to produce oil, is the Bay Area's highest-ranked company in the newly released Inc. 500, which ranks the fastest-growing private companies based on three-year revenue growth. Solazyme, which ranks No. 2 -- behind only New York-based ideeli -- went public in May after raising $197.6 million in its IPO. The company uses microbial fermentation to produce renewable oil that can be used for fuels, chemicals, nutritional food ingredients and health and wellness products. Numerous other Bay Area companies also made the list led by San Francisco-based Astro Gaming (No. 13), San Francisco-based Advantis Global Services (No. 14), San Jose-based Agiliance (No. 39), San Jose-based A10 Networks (No. 54) and Emeryville-based Nest Collective (No. 77). The complete list is available at the link below.
http://www.inc.com/inc5000/list/2011

S.F.-Based Vector Capital to Buy Wireless Broadband Units from Motorola

San Francisco -- Vector Capital, the San Francisco-based private equity firm, said on Tuesday it will acquire Motorola Solutions' point-to-point (PTP or Orthogon) and point-to-multipoint (PMP or Canopy) wireless broadband networks businesses. Financial terms of the deal, expected to possibly close by the end of September, were not disclosed. Vector said it will operate the businesses as a single standalone company called Cambium Networks, led by CEO Phil Bolt, currently the vice president of wireless network solutions at Motorola Solutions. "We are pleased to have reached this agreement, which will further streamline the Motorola Solutions portfolio and position PTP and PMP for even greater success," said Greg Brown, the chairman and CEO of Motorola Solutions.
http://www.vectorcapital.com
http://www.motorolasolutions.com
http://mediacenter.motorolasolutions.com/Press-Releases/Vector-Capital-to-Purchase-Orthogon-and-Canopy-Businesses-from-Motorola-Solutions-370a.aspx

San Jose-Based Talari Networks Names Emerick Woods as President and CEO

San Jose, Calif. -- Talari Networks, a San Jose-based developer of wide-area network (WAN) virtualization tools, on Tuesday named Emerick Woods as its new president and CEO. Woods, most recently the CEO of Global IP Solutions (GIPS), succeeds co-founder Andy Gottlieb, who remains on the board of directors. "Emerick is the right executive to drive top-line growth and achieve operational scale," said Jeff Thermond, Talari's chairman. Woods also previously served as the CEO of Vicinity, which completed a $125 million IPO and later was acquired by Microsoft.
http://www.talari.com
http://www.talari.com/news/press_release_082311.php

Mountain View-Based Skybox Imaging Names Thomas Ingersoll as CEO

Mountain View, Calif. -- Skybox Imaging, a Mountain View-based provider of satellite imagery and information products, on Tuesday named Thomas Ingersoll as its CEO. Ingersoll, most recently the co-founder and CEO of Universal Space Network (USN), succeeds co-founder Dan Berkenstock, who assumes the roles of executive vice president and chief product officer. In his new role as CEO, Ingersoll will be tasked with leading the company in advance of its first spacecraft launch, SkySat-1.
http://www.skyboximaging.com
http://www.skyboximaging.com/news/blog/skybox-imaging-names-thomas-r-ingersoll-ceo

Emeryville-Based Lithium Names Rob Tarkoff as New CEO

Emeryville, Calif. -- Lithium, an Emeryville-based developer of social media tools designed to help brands connect with customers, on Monday named Rob Tarkoff as its new CEO. Tarkoff, most recently senior vice president and general manager of the digital enterprise solutions unit at Adobe Systems, succeeds company co-founder Lyle Fong, who will become chief strategist. He also previously held several executive positions at EMC. Lithium's clients include Best Buy, AT&T, Research In Motion, Univision and PayPal.
http://www.lithium.com
http://www.lithium.com/who-we-are/events/press-releases/2011/lithium-names-enterprise-software-veteran-rob-tarkoff-as-chief-executive-officer

LegalZoom to Open San Francisco Research and Development Center

San Francisco -- LegalZoom, the Texas-based provider of online legal services co-founded by O.J. Simpson lawyer Robert Shapiro, said it plans to open a new research and development center in the SOMA district of San Francisco. LegalZoom co-founder Eddie Hartman and CTO Tracy Terrill will lead the new office, which will help the company launch into the U.K., as well as be home to its technology R&D and social media programs. "It will also bring us closer to our directors and advisors, including LegalZoom board member Susan Decker, venture partners Kleiner Perkins, IVP and Polaris Venture Partners' Dog Patch Labs," said Terrill.
http://www.legalzoom.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/legalzoom-to-open-san-francisco-technology-and-strategic-innovation-center-128083408.html

San Jose-Based Cisco to Acquire Axioss Software Assets

San Jose, Calif. -- Network equipment giant Cisco said it will pay $31 million in cash to acquire the software assets and employees of Comptel's U.K. subsidiary, formerly known as Axiom Systems. Under the deal, expected to be completed in the third quarter, Cisco will acquire the Axioss software suite, a fulfillment platform that strengthens its service provider management offering by automating ordering and fulfillment. "With the acquisition of AXIOSS software and talent, we will help enable service providers to generate greater profits using a single management architecture to drive quick monetization and optimization of their Cisco network investments," said Jesper Andersen, the senior vice president and general manager of Cisco's Network Management Technology Group (NMTG).
http://www.cisco.com/
http://newsroom.cisco.com/press-release-content?type=webcontent&articleId=462765

Redwood City-Based Sentilla Raises $15 Million in Third Round

Redwood City, Calif. -- Sentilla, a Redwood City-based developer of IT infrastructure software that monitors and automates data center workloads, said on Monday it has raised $15 million in its third round of funding, led by SingTel Innov8 Ventures. Previous backers ONSET Ventures and Claremont Creek Ventures also participated in the round, which the company will use to expand its sales and marketing activities. Sentilla said its resource and cost planning tools enable telecommunications and media companies to deliver new business offerings, particularly in the area of cloud services. "This funding… provides us with the resources to accommodate growing demand," said CEO Mike Kaul.
http://www.sentilla.com/
http://www.sentilla.com/releases/2011/sentilla-raises-15m-series-c

HP to Acquire Software Maker, Explore Spin-Off of PC Business

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Hewlett-Packard, the Palo Alto-based computing giant, said on Thursday it will pay approximately $10.2 billion to acquire U.K. infrastructure software maker Autonomy, while also exploring the potential spin-off of its own PC business. The PC unit, known as HP's Personal Systems Group (PSG), expanded significantly in 2002 with the company's acquisition of Compaq, but has suffered from low margins of late. The unit produced $10.45 billion in sales last quarter -- about one-third of HP's total revenue -- but posted an operating profit of just $672 million. The moves, along with a plan to discontinue the company's TouchPad tablet, fit in with HP's focus to shift away from hardware and more to a software and services model. Autonomy makes database search software used by clients such as Coca-Cola, Nestle and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). "We believe the acquisition of Autonomy, combined with the exploration of alternatives for PSG, would allow HP to more effectively compete and better execute its focused strategy," said Leo Apotheker, HP's president and CEO.
http://www.autonomy.com/
http://www.hp.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110818006398/en/HP-Acquire-Leading-Enterprise-Information-Management-Software
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110818006395/en/HP-Evaluate-Strategic-Alternatives-Personal-Systems-Group

Saratoga-Based Roku Raises $8 Million in Funding

Saratoga, Calif. -- Roku, a Saratoga-based maker of broadband-connected set-top boxes designed to bring web video and other online content to the television, has raised $8 million in a new round of equity funding, the company revealed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Four investors have taken part in the round since the beginning of August, with the company still planning to raise another $750,000 in the offering. Identities of the investors were not disclosed. Roku, whose previous backers have included Menlo Ventures and Globespan Capital Partners, had previously discussed the possibility of an initial public offering (IPO) this year.
http://www.roku.com 
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1428439/000144708011000003/xslFormDX01/primary_doc.xml

Sunnyvale-Based Centrify Lands $16 Million in Fourth Round

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Centrify, a Sunnyvale-based developer of security and compliance tools designed to centrally control on-premise and cloud-based systems and applications, said on Wednesday it has raised $16 million in its fourth round of funding, led by Index Ventures. Previous investors Mayfield Fund, Accel Partners, INVESCO Private Capital and Sigma Partners also participated in the round, which the company will use to expand distribution and accelerate growth in new areas, including cloud environments. Centrify said more than 3,500 clients use its tools to reduce IT expenses, strengthen security and meet compliance requirements. 
http://www.centrify.com/
http://www.indexventures.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/centrify-secures-16m-in-financing-to-expand-distribution-and-extend-its-on-premise-and-cloud-security-offerings-127927143.html

Menlo Park-Based MDV Leads $17 Million Round for Kabbage

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Mohr Davidow Ventures (MDV), a Menlo Park-based venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology companies, said on Wednesday it has led a new $17 million round of funding for Atlanta-based Kabbage, which provides working capital to online merchants. Previous backers BlueRun Venturesl; David Bonderman, the founder of TPG Capital; Warren Stephens, the CEO of Stephens Inc.; and the UPS Strategic Enterprise Fund also participated in the company's second round. Kabbage said it will use this funding to pursue additional marketplaces, distribution relationships, new financial products and international expansion. Kabbage currently supports merchants operating on eBay, Amazon and Yahoo, and over the next six months plans to add support for Facebook, Etsy, Shopify and Marketplace at Sears.com. "Although small business fuels the majority of growth in the U.S., it is extremely difficult and time consuming for these businesses to apply for and actually receive financing from a traditional bank," said founder and CEO Rob Frohwein. "Kabbage fills this need by providing money to these businesses in a quick, easy and painless way."
http://www.kabbage.com
http://www.mdv.com
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/kabbage-secures-17-million-from-mohr-davidow-ventures-bluerun-ventures-david-bonderman-1550601.htm

Palo Alto-Based Zoove Raises $15 Million in Fourth Round

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Zoove, the Palo Alto-based operator of a registry of special vanity numbers that let consumers call the name of a brand being promoted from their mobile phones, said on Tuesday it has landed $15 million in its fourth round of funding. New investor Panorama Capital led the round, which also included participation from previous backers Cardinal Venture Capital, Highland Capital Partners and Worldview Technology Partners.  The company said it will use the proceeds to expand its operations. Zoove is the exclusive provider of StarStar Numbers for U.S. wireless operators, reaching more than 250 million people. The special numbers, designed to be promoted as part of marketing campaigns, allow mobile users to dial two star symbols and the name of the brand, then be instantly pushed to that brand's mobile app, web page, coupon, videos or other content. The company raised $13 million in its third round, which closed in late 2009.
http://www.zoove.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zoove-secures-additional-15-million-in-funding-to-provide-starstar-numbers-to-brands-and-advertisers-127818638.html

San Mateo-Based Digital Chocolate to Acquire Sandlot Games

San Mateo, Calif. -- Digital Chocolate, a San Mateo-based developer of social games that earlier this year raised $12 million in its fourth round of funding, said it will acquire Bothell, Wash.-based Sandlot Games, a developer and publisher of casual games such as  Cake Mania, Super Granny, Tradewinds and Westward. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. "Sandlot has built a great reputation in casual games," said Trip Hawkins, the founder and CEO of Digital Chocolate. "We love their development teams and we can now expand further in Seattle and Eastern Europe." Digital Chocolate is one of the fastest-growing publishers of Facebook social games with virtual goods, and is best known for titles such as Millionaire City, Zombie Lane, Army Attack, Rollercoaster Rush and Tower Bloxx.
http://www.digitalchocolate.com/
http://www.sandlotgames.com/
http://www.digitalchocolate.com/press-library/digital-chocolate-acquires-highly-respected-sandlot-games/

Pleasanton-Based Ellie Mae Acquires Del Mar Datatrac

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Ellie Mae, a Pleasanton-based developer of mortgage management software systems for the residential mortgage industry, said it has acquired San Diego-based Del Mar Datatrac in a deal worth $25.2 million. Under the agreement, Ellie Mae paid $17.2 million in cash at closing, and will pay another $8 million over the next three years. The company said the acquisition will expand its lender customer base, increase the number of mortgages funded by its customers and broaden the functionality of its Encompass software tools. Del Mar's origination software, known as DataTrac, is used as a core operating system by more than 200 mortgage lenders. "With this acquisition nearly a third of all residential mortgages originated in the United States will be able to flow through Ellie Mae's systems,” said Sig Anderman, the president and CEO of Ellie Mae.
http://www.dmdinc.com/
http://www.elliemae.com
http://www.elliemae.com/aboutus/pr/2011/ellie-mae-acquires-del-mar-datatrac-august-15-2011.asp

Fremont-Based SGI Acquires OpenFOAM-Maker OpenCFD

Fremont, Calif. -- SGI, a Fremont-based technical computing firm, said on Tuesday it has acquired U.K.-based OpenCFD, which focuses on open source computational fluid dynamics. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. OpenCFD is the developer of the OpenFOAM software, which is designed to solve anything from complex fluid flows involving chemical reactions, turbulence and heat transfer to solid dynamics and electromagnetics. "Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is one of the most important application areas for technical computing," said Mark Barrenechea, the CEO of SGI. "With the acquisition of OpenCFD, SGI will be able to provide our customers the market’s first fully integrated CFD solution, where all the hardware and software work together."
http://www.sgi.com
http://www.openfoam.com
http://www.sgi.com/company_info/newsroom/press_releases/2011/august/opencfd.html

Google to Acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion

Mountain View, Calif. -- Looking to more directly compete with Apple in the smartphone market, Mountain View-based Google said on Monday it will pay $12.5 billion in cash to acquire Illinois-based handset-maker Motorola Mobility. The deal, expected to close by early next year, will give Google hardware to go along with its popular Android smartphone operating system. "Given Android's phenomenal success, we are always looking for new ways to supercharge the Android ecosystem," wrote Google CEO Larry Page on the company's blog. Motorola, which will remain a separate business, has licensed Android as its sole operating system since 2008. The deal will significantly bolster Google's thin patent portfolio in the area of smartphone technology, which has made the company a target of litigation in recent months. "We have shared a productive partnership with Google to advance the Android platform, and now through this combination we will be able to do even more," said Sanjay Jha, the CEO of Motorola Mobility.
http://investor.google.com/releases/2011/0815.html
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/supercharging-android-google-to-acquire.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FMKuf+%28Official+Google+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Santa Clara-Based InMage Names Kumar Malavalli as New CEO

Santa Clara, Calif. -- InMage, a Santa Clara-based developer of business application recovery software, on Monday named Kumar Malavalli as its new CEO. Malavalli, the co-founder and former CTO of Brocade Communications, also is the co-founder and chairman of InMage. The company said Malavalli initially will focus on growing channel partnerships with manufacturers and resellers, as well as business and customer acquisitions and expansion into emerging markets. "He is well suited to take InMage forward and we look forward to working closely with him." said Bryan Wolf, managing director of backer Intel Capital.
http://www.inmage.com
http://www.inmage.com/news/107/72/InMage-Announces-Industry-Visionary-Kumar-Malavalli-as-CEO.html

Alviso-Based TiVo to Repurchase Up to $100 Million in Stock

Alviso, Calif. -- TiVo, the Alviso-based developer of digital video recorders and related programming services, said it plans to buy back up to $100 million of its stock over the next two years. The company said it will fund the share repurchase program through existing cash. The move comes as the company's stock has floundered around the $8 mark after sitting at over $12 in April and more than $10 for much of this year. "We believe that the repurchase of our common stock represents one effective use of our capital and underscores our commitment to maximize value for our shareholders, given the significant recent market weakness and the cash on our current balance sheet," said Tom Rogers, TiVo's president and CEO.
http://pr.tivo.com/easyir/customrel.do?easyirid=CA934452BA6418EF&version=live&prid=787691&releasejsp=custom_150

Emeryville-Based Gracenote Names Stephen White as President

Emeryville, Calif. -- Gracenote, the Emeryville-based developer of music and video content and technologies, on Thursday named Stephen White as its president. White, who has been with the company since 2001, will oversee all strategic direction, business and operations for Gracenote, which is a unit of Sony Corporation of America (SCA). He most recently served as senior vice president of product and content management, spearheading the development of technologies for platforms and brands including Apple iTunes, Ford Sync and Sony's Bravia HDTVs.
http://www.gracenote.com/
http://www.gracenote.com/press/08/11/2011/

Citrix Systems Acquires Mountain View-Based RingCube

Mountain View, Calif. -- Citrix Systems said it has acquired Mountain View-based RingCube, a developer of user personalization technology for virtual desktops. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Florida-based Citrix, which has area headquarters in Santa Clara, said the acquisition bolsters its position in the area of desktop virtualization, helping large customers transform traditional desktop management into a "private desktop cloud" service. "The acquisition of RingCube underscores our chief goal of enabling users to access their desktops and applications on any device, and making virtual desktops simple and affordable for IT," said Bob Schultz, the group vice president and general manager of Citrix enterprise desktops and applications.
http://www.citrix.com/
http://www.ringcube.com/news/press_release/citrix-extends-desktop-virtualization-leadership-with-acquisition-of-ringcube.html

Intel Capital Launches $300 Million Ultrabook Fund

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Intel Capital, the investment arm of Santa Clara-based chipmaker Intel, said it has launched a new $300 million fund that will back companies developing hardware and software that support a new category of devices that combine the performance and capabilities of laptops with tablet-like features. The firm said it will invest its new Ultrabook Fund over the next 3-4 years, targeting companies aiming to improve the mobile devices through longer battery life, innovative physical designs and expanded storage capacity. "Our announcement today is about Intel mobilizing significant investments to achieve the next historic shift in computing," said Mooly Eden, the vice president and general manager of Intel's PC Client Group.
http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2011/08/10/intel-capital-creates-300-million-ultrabook-fund

S.F.-Based bloomspot Raises $35 Million, Launches New Daily Deal Model

San Francisco -- bloomspot, the San Francisco-based developer of an online daily deals service that aims to take on market leaders Groupon and LivingSocial by offering merchants better returns, said it has raised $35 million in its second round of funding, co-led by InterWest Partners and Columbia Capital. Other investors included Menlo Ventures, True Ventures, QED Investors and Harrison Metal, as well as individuals such as Erik Blachford, the chairman of Butterfield & Robinson and former CEO of Expedia, and Gary Parsons, the former chairman of Sirius XM Radio. The company -- which operates in San Francisco and 10 other U.S. cities -- also has closed $5 million of venture debt from Western Technology Investment. In addition, bloomspot has rolled out its new business model for daily deals, which guarantees merchants predetermined spend and return rates by extending the best offers only to the patrons who consistently generate the greatest profitability, based on credit card data. "Our focus is to establish a new model based on merchant profitability and rewarding the best local customers," said Jasper Malcolmson, the co-founder and CEO of bloomspot.
http://www.bloomspot.com
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/bloomspot-Unveils-Groundbreaking-Performance-Based-Model-for-Local-Marketing-1547299.htm

Santa Clara-Based Link_A_Media Devices Raises $16 Million

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Link_A_Media Devices, a Santa Clara-based developer of semiconductor system-on-chip (SoC) technology for the data storage market, said on Wednesday it has raised $16 million in its fourth round of funding. Itochu Technology Ventures, Keynote Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, SunAmerica Ventures and other participated in the round, which the company will use to develop and commercialize new products, as well as expand its customer base. Link_A_Media said its mixed signal processing and iterative data recovery technologies are aimed at helping hard disk drive and solid-state drive manufacturers to increase storage density and reduce manufacturing costs. "This infusion of capital allows us to continue to build product momentum and increase our presence in the fast evolving storage market, " said Hemant Thapar, the company's chairman and CEO.
http://www.link-a-media.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110810005118/en/Link_A_Media-Devices-Secures-16-Million-Series-Funding

Mountain View-Based Sococo Promotes Chris Wheeler to President

Mountain View, Calif. -- Sococo, a Mountain View-based developer of a virtual work environment designed to help teams collaborate to solve problems, said it has promoted Chris Wheeler to the role of president. He succeeds company co-founder Paul Brody, who has been named CTO. Wheeler, an early investor in Sococo, joined the company as senior vice president of global sales and strategy in May, and previously was the vice president  of sales at PRTM. Sococo's flagship product, called Team Space, is currently used by more than 3,400 teams in 64 countries.
https://www.sococo.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sococo-names-chris-l-wheeler-president-127335378.html

San Francisco-Based Okta Raises $16.5 Million in Second Round

San Francisco -- Okta, the San Francisco-based developer of an identity and access management service designed to let clients accelerate the adoption of their web-based apps, said it has raised $16.5 million in its second round of funding. New investors Greylock Partners and Khosla Ventures joining previous backers Andreessen Horowitz and Floodgate in the round, which the company will use fuel its aggressive growth plans. "We're making cloud applications more accessible and easier for enterprises to manage," said CEO Todd McKinnon. Okta's clients include Salesforce.com, SuccessFactors, PeopleSoft, Microsoft, Sun and HP.
http://www.okta.com
http://www.okta.com/company/pr-2011-08-08.html

Sunnyvale-Based HotLink Emerges from Stealth with $10 Million Round

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- HotLink, a Sunnyvale-based startup focused on system management of heterogeneous computing, said on Tuesday it has emerged from stealth mode by raising $10 million in its first round of funding. Foundation Capital led the round, which also included participation from Leapfrog Ventures. Founded in early 2010, HotLink is led by CEO Lynn LeBlanc, previously the founder and CEO of FastScale Technology, which was acquired by EMC in late 2009. The company's technology is a virtual integration and transformation platform spanning all major virtual infrastructures, including VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. "Enterprise data centers have always deployed heterogeneous infrastructure, yet there has been a profound lack of innovation to address the fundamental issue of incompatible software platforms," said LeBlanc.
http://www.hotlink.com
http://www.hotlink.com/news/view.php?id=142

Echelon Chairman Ken Oshman Dies at Age 71

San Jose, Calif. -- Ken Oshman, the executive chairman of San Jose-based energy control networking company Echelon, has died, nearly two years after being diagnosed with lung cancer. He was 71. Oshman served as the company's chairman and CEO from 1988-2009. He also served as president from 1988-2001. Earlier, Oshman and three associates, founded ROLM, a telecommunications equipment company. He served as president and CEO of that company until it merged with IBM in 1984. "The people with whom Ken worked over the years will deeply mourn his loss and miss his spirit, good humor and big-heartedness," said Ron Sege, Echelon's president and CEO.
http://www.echelon.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110809005563/en/Echelon-Mourns-Passing-Executive-Chairman-M.-Kenneth

San Francisco-Based SAY Media Acquires Remodelista

San Francisco -- SAY Media, a San Francisco-based provider of publishing technology and media services to independent content creators, said on Tuesday it has acquired Remodelista, a home interiors website for design enthusiasts and home owners. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company said the acquisition adds to its portfolio of owned and operated properties across areas such as home, food, tech, style and pets. "In short, Remodelista is the epitome of what we look for when we acquire or partner with a new media property: passionate editors with a strong point of view and a vibrant community," said Matt Sanchez, the CEO of SAY Media.
http://remodelista.com/
http://www.saymedia.com 
http://news.saymedia.com/2011/08/say-media-acquires-remodelista.html

Great Hill Partners Acquires Fremont-Based Plimus for $115 Million

Fremont, Calif. -- Private equity firm Great Hill Partners said on Monday it has paid $115 million to acquire Fremont-based Plimus, which builds and manages online businesses for software publishers, web hosting companies and online retailers. Plimus had been owned by a shareholder group including Susquehanna Growth Equity, as well as the company's founders, key management members and employees. Plimus, which has a user base of more than 6,500 small- and medium-sized businesses, will continue to be led by its current senior management team, led by CEO Hagai Tal. "[Plimus] represents an exciting opportunity to capitalize on the favorable trends in the digital goods and content sectors," said Chris Busby, a principal at Great Hill. "We are excited to partner with management and will provide the additional capital and resources necessary to help Plimus expand as well as pursue strategic opportunities."
http://www.greathillpartners.com
http://www.plimus.com 
http://home.plimus.com/ecommerce/press-releases/great-hill-partners-acquires-plimus-for-115m-usd

San Francisco-Based Havok to Acquire Trinigy, Developer of 3D Game Engine

San Francisco -- Havok, a San Francisco-based developer of interactive software for the games, entertainment and simulation industries, said on Monday it will acquire Trinigy, developer of a 3D game engine. Financial terms of the deal, expected to close in mid-August, were not disclosed. Havok said the acquisition will expand its modular technology portfolio to include a full line of production tools with rendering capabilities. "This acquisition will extend the reach of both companies' technologies across new geographies and market segments," said David Coghlan, the managing director of Havok. Trinigy has offices in Germany, Texas and South Korea.
http://www.havok.com
http://www.trinigy.net 
http://www.havok.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=589&cntnt01returnid=82&hl=en_US

Silicon Valley Bank Provides Loan and Credit Line to Lumenpulse

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Lumenpulse, a Boston-based manufacturer of architectural LED lighting products, has raised $16 million in its first round of funding, which included a loan and line of credit from Santa Clara-based Silicon Valley Bank. "This financing allows us to invest in international market expansion ahead of plan, to further enhance our product development capabilities and to ensure our manufacturing strategies and capacity are solidly in place to meet the accelerating demand for our products," said François-Xavier Souvay, the president and CEO of Lumenpulse. Founded in 2006, Lumenpulse develops and makes LED-based fixtures for commercial, institutional and urban applications.
http://www.svb.com
http://www.lumenpulse.com 
http://www.lumenpulse.com/en/newscentre/news/51

Santa Clara-Based Stoke Names Former Comcast Exec Dave Williams as CTO

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Stoke, a Santa Clara-based mobile broadband startup, on Monday named Dave Williams as its CTO. Williams most recently was the senior vice president of wireless technology at Comcast, and previously was CTO of O2 Telefonica Europe. Stoke's gateway technology is designed to solve challenges associated with mobile broadband capacity. The company is backed by a group of investors led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital.
http://www.stoke.com
http://www.stoke.com/News/pr/2011/pr080811.asp

U.S. Online Spending Grows 14% in Q2; Seventh Straight Quarter of Growth

Reston, Va. -- Against the backdrop of Monday's tumbling stock market, comScore reported that e-commerce spending in the U.S. increased 14% in the second quarter, marking the seventh straight quarter of year-over-year growth and third straight in double-digits. The firm said that online retail spending rose to $37.5 billion in the quarter, up from $32.9 billion a year ago. "The second quarter of 2011 saw a continuation of this year's solid double-digit growth trends in online spending, well ahead of the rate of growth in consumers’ overall spending," said Gian Fulgoni, the chairman of comScore. "As a result, it's clear that consumers are continuing to shift to the online channel, with almost $1 in every $10 of discretionary spending now occurring online." The top-performing online product categories were consumer electronics, computer hardware, computer software and event tickets.
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/8/comScore_Reports_37.5_Billion_in_Q2_2011_U.S._Retail_E-Commerce_Spending

San Francisco-Based Kixeye Raises $18 Million in Third Round

San Francisco -- Kixeye, a San Francisco-based independent game developer formerly known as Casual Collective, said on Thursday it has raised $18 million in its third round of funding, led by Jafco Ventures. Previous backers Trinity Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners also participated in the round, which the company will use to expand its staff and develop new titles. Kixeye, which previously had raised only $4.5 million, said it has been profitable for the past eight months. The company, which has developed titles such as Backyard Monsters, Battle Pirates and Desktop Tower Defense, has grown from three to 60 employees over the past 18 months, and now has more than 5 million monthly users on Facebook.
http://www.kixeye.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110804005469/en/KIXEYE-Raises-18M-Series-Funding-Adds-Zynga