Silicon Valley Wire

CoFoundersLab Acquires San Francisco-Based Techcofounder

San Francisco -- CoFoundersLab, the Maryland-based developer of an online platform designed to match tech entrepreneurs with the right business partners, said on Friday it has acquired San Francisco-based Techcofounder, a Craigslist-style directory for software engineers and developers interested in starting companies or working on side projects. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. "We're building out a platform that goes beyond skills matching. We're looking at deeper attributes to determine compatibility in order to facilitate better matches," said Shahab Kaviani, co-founder of CoFoundersLab. "Techcofounder.com was the beginning, and we're excited to add a whole new dimension to the matchmaking process." The news comes just weeks after CoFoundersLab also announced the acquisition of Massachusetts-based rival FounderMatchup.
http://www.techcofounder.com/
http://www.cofounderslab.com/find-a-co-founder/startup-tech-co-founder/

Sunnyvale-Based Looxcie Signs Technology Development Deal with IQT

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Looxcie, the Sunnyvale-based developer of a mobile-connected, handsfree and wearable video cam, said it has signed a technology development deal with In-Q-Tel (IQT), a Virginia-based venture fund backed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The company said the agreement will allow for the development of next-generation video cams utilizing Looxcie's intellectual property. The technology is being developed for the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T). Financial components of the deal were not disclosed.
http://www.looxcie.com 
http://www.iqt.org
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/looxcie-and-iqt-enter-into-strategic-partnership-to-develop-new-wearable-videocams-2012-06-28

San Jose-Based Ultratech Acquires Patents from IBM

San Jose, Calif. -- Ultratech, a San Jose-based supplier of lithography and laser-processing systems used to manufacture semiconductor devices, said it has acquired the rights to a collection of patents from IBM. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquired assets include fundamental patents in packaging such as C4 bumping, Ball Grid Arrays, lead-free solders and 3D packaging. "Ultratech has periodically purchased patents that it views are key to our business," said Arthur Zafiropoulo, the company's chairman and CEO. "This acquisition reinforces our commitment to remain at the forefront of providing equipment with leading-edge technology and low cost-of-ownership advantages for our global customer base."
http://www.ultratech.com 
http://www.ibm.com 
http://ir.ultratech.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=687612

Redwood City-Based DigitalPersona Names Richard Agostinelli as CEO

Redwood City, Calif. -- DigitalPersona, a Redwood City-based developer of authentication and access management technology, on Thursday named Richard Agostinelli as its president and CEO. He succeeds former CEO Fabio Righi, who will serve as a board advisor. Agostinelli most recently served as president of the biometrics division of L-1 Identity Solutions, and earlier was the CFO of Identix and CFO and COO of SecuriMetrics. DigitalPersona's fingerprint biometrics technology is designed to help organizations prevent fraud and increase accountability. The technology is incorporated in several national voting systems, biometrically-enabled point-of-sale stations and numerous other commercial applications.
http://www.digitalpersona.com
http://www.digitalpersona.com/Content.aspx?id=3435

Mountain View-Based Blue Jeans Network Raises $25 Million

Mountain View, Calif. -- Blue Jeans Network, a Mountain View-based provider of interoperable video conferencing services, said it has raised $25 million in its third round of funding, led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA). Previous backers Accel Partners and Norwest Venture Partners also participated in the round, which increased the company's total funding to $48.5 million. Blue Jeans said it will use the additional capital to expand sales, marketing and operations, as well as to further develop its technology. In its first year of operation, the company said its service has connected more than a quarter million participants in video meetings.  The company also said it has launched new web browser access, extending video conferencing to the Internet. The new option, currently available in beta, allows participants to connect to a meeting with their Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari browser and a camera. 
http://bluejeans.com
http://bluejeans.com/press-releases/blue-jeans-new-funding-and-breakthrough-functionality

San Francisco-Based Practice Fusion Lands $34 Million in Third Round

San Francisco -- Practice Fusion, the San Francisco-based developer of a web-based electronic medical records system for physicians, said on Thursday it has landed $34 million in its third round of funding, led by Artis Ventures. Previous backers Felicis Ventures and Band of Angels also participated, along with Glynn Capital, Ali and Hadi Partovi, Founders Fund, Morgenthaler Ventures, Scott Banister, SV Angel, Ghost Angel and Barton Asset Management. Launched in 2007, the company's free platform now serves more than 150,000 medical providers and 40 million patients. "This investment will accelerate the launch of our patient strategy as well as the company's API platform and allow us to continue to dominate the market," said founder and CEO Ryan Howard.
http://www.practicefusion.com
http://www.practicefusion.com/pages/pr/artis-ventures-leads-emr-financing-round.html

Menlo Park-Based Institutional Venture Partners Closes New $1 Billion Fund

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Marking the largest fund in its 32-year history, Menlo Park-based venture capital firm Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) said on Thursday it has raised a new $1 billion fund. Known as IVP XIV, the fund will continue the firm's focus on later-stage media and technology businesses. IVP plans to invest $10-$100 million in just 10-12 companies a year in the target sectors of Internet and digital media, enterprise IT and mobile and communications. IVP has invested in more than 300 companies since its inception in 1980, including ArcSight, comScore, HomeAway, Kayak, LegalZoom, LifeLock, LivingSocial, Marketo, MySQL, Netflix, Shazam, Twitter and Zynga. The firm's general partners include Todd Chaffee, Norm Fogelsong, Steve Harrick, Jules Maltz, Sandy Miller and Dennis Phelps. 
http://www.ivp.com
http://www.ivp.com/news/press-release/institutional-venture-partners-announces--1-billion-fund

Google Unveils $199 Tablet to Take on iPad, Kindle Fire

Mountain View, Calif. -- Looking to take on the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle Fire, Mountain View-based Google on Wednesday unveiled its own entrant to the tablet computer market, called the Nexus 7. The seven-inch tablet will run on a newly released version of the company's Android operating system -- known as Jelly Bean -- and sell for $199 for an 8GB version or $249 for 16GB. Other features include a front-facing camera, quad-core processor and up to eight hours of battery life. The tablet, built by Taiwan's Asus, is expected to ship in 2-3 weeks.
https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_16gb

Mountain View-Based Solum Raises $17 Million in Second Round

Mountain View, Calif. -- Solum, a Mountain View-based developer of advanced field measurement technology for commercial agriculture, said on Wednesday it has raised $17 million in its second round of funding, led by Andreessen Horowitz. Previous backer Khosla Ventures also participated in this round, which the company will use to expand its facilities and add hardware and software engineering talent. Solum's measurement systems and software are designed to help farmers make better agricultural decisions and increase their profits. "Our team is passionate about bringing advanced measurement technologies to production agriculture, empowering farmers and those who support them to maximize productivity and better manage limited and valuable resources," said CEO Nick Koshnick.
http://www.solumtech.com 
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120627005477/en/Solum-Raises-17-Million-Series-Led-Andreessen

Sunnyvale-Based Aptus Endosystems Lands $25 Million in Funding

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Aptus Endosystems, a Sunnyvale-based medical device company developing technology for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), said on Wednesday it has raised $25 million in a new round of funding, led by Synergy Life Science Partners. Previous backers US Venture Partners and Longitude Capital Management also participated in the round, which the company will use to expand commercialization of its HeliFX Aortic Securement System in the U.S. and Europe. "We will judiciously utilize these funds to expand the use of HeliFX in targeted markets and introduce new aortic repair products, all while approaching profitability," James Reinstein, the company's president and CEO. http://www.aptusendosystems.com http://www.aptusendosystems.com/news/2012/062712.html

San Francisco-Based Rally.org Raises $7.9 Million in First Round

San Francisco -- Rally.org, the San Francisco-based developer of a social fundraising platform designed to help users raise money, share their story and connect with supporters, said on Tuesday it has raised $7.9 million in its first round of funding. Participants included Relay Ventures, Mike Maples of Floodgate Fund, Reid Hoffman of Greylock Partners, Kevin Rose of Google Ventures, Craig Shapiro of Collaborative Fund and angel investors Michael Birch, Tim Ferriss, Eric Ries, Josh Spear and Scott Belsky. The company said it will use the proceeds to continue hiring engineers and scale its technology platform. Rally offers personalized social fundraising tools for individuals, groups, nonprofits and political candidates. Users can share stories, photos, videos and updates with supporters specifically at the point of donating.
http://www.rally.org
http://blog.rally.org/raising-funds-for-causes-that-matter-rally-org-raises-7-9-million-to-rally-the-world/

Milpitas-Based SanDisk Acquires Schooner Information Technology

Milpitas, Calif. -- SanDisk, the Milpitas-based developer of flash memory storage products, said on Tuesday it has acquired Sunnyvale-based Schooner Information Technology, a developer of flash-optimized database and data store tools. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. SanDisk said the acquisition complements its portfolio of enterprise solid state disk (SSD) and flash-optimized software offerings. Schooner's employees have joined SanDisk's Enterprise Storage Solutions (ESS) team. "Schooner represents another step in SanDisk's expansion in the enterprise space," said Greg Goelz, vice president and general manager of SanDisk's ESS division.
http://www.schoonerinfotech.com
http://www.sandisk.com
http://www.sandisk.com/about-sandisk/press-room/press-releases/2012/sandisk-acquires-schooner-information-technology

Mountain View-Based Traxpay Lands $4 Million for U.S. Expansion

Mountain View, Calif. -- Traxpay, the Mountain View-based developer of an online system that allows businesses to exchange payments in real time, said on Tuesday it has raised $4 million in a new round of funding and named John Bruggeman as its CEO.  Earlybird Venture Capital led the round, which the company, which also has major operations in Germany, said it will use to continue its momentum in Europe and prepare to expand into the U.S. market later this year. Bruggeman previously held executive roles at Cadence, Wind River, Mercury Interactive and Netscape. Traxpay has been developing its software in partnership with Accenture, which has helped develop some of the largest proprietary peer-to-peer banking systems.
http://www.traxpay.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120626005305/en/Traxpay-Raises-4-Million-Sets-Sights-Redefining

San Jose-Based Cisco Promotes CTO Padmasree Warrior to Expanded Role

San Jose, Calif. -- Cisco Systems, the San Jose-based networking equipment giant, said on Tuesday the role of executive Padmasree Warrior to chief technology and strategy officer. Warrior, who joined Cisco in 2007, most recently had served as the company's CTO and senior vice president of engineering. In her new role, she will inherit many of the responsibilities of Ned Hooper, who is stepping down as chief strategy officer to "form an independent investment partnership company and to pursue his goal to be a principal investor." "Padma will work closely with Cisco’s engineering, field, operations and services leadership, and will define strategy, investments, acquisitions and the evolution of Cisco's technology partner ecosystem," CEO John Chambers and COO Gary Moore wrote in a company blog post. "Additionally, Padma will be responsible for thought leadership around Cisco's products and architectures, technical talent development and recruiting, and she will increase her time with external stakeholders."
http://blogs.cisco.com/news/evolution-of-key-cisco-leadership-positions/
http://newsroom.cisco.com/execbio-detail?articleId=34150

Santa Clara-Based Affymetrix Completes $315M Deal for eBioscience

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Affymetrix, a Santa Clara-based developer of semiconductor technology for genetic analysis, said on Monday it has completed its $315 million acquisition of San Diego-based eBioscience, a developer of cell analysis products and technologies. The all-cash deal was first announced in early May. "This transaction is an important strategic step for Affymetrix," said Frank Witney, the president and CEO of Affymetrix. "Through the acquisition of eBio we now have a blue-chip portfolio of cell-based assays that diversify our business and open up important new avenues for growth." eBioscience will operate as a separate business unit within Affymetrix under its existing leadership team.
http://www.affymetrix.com
http://www.ebioscience.com
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=116408&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1708319

Sunnyvale-Based Rambus Names Ronald Black as New President and CEO

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Rambus, the Sunnyvale-based developer of computer memory technology, on Monday named Ronald Black as its new president and CEO. The news comes nearly four months after the company said that CEO Harold Hughes would retire once a successor was found. Hughes, who will remain on the board of directors, had led the company since 2005. Black previously served as the CEO of MobiWire (formerly Sagem Wireless), UPEK and Wavecom. "Ron's experience in managing through complex businesses at various levels and helping them achieve objectives make him an excellent fit for the next phase of Rambus," said Thomas Bentley, the chairman of Rambus.
http://www.rambus.com  
http://www.rambus.com/us/news/press_releases/2012/120625.html

S.F.-Based Fog City Capital Co-Leads $12 Million Round for Visual IQ

San Francisco -- Fog City Capital, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm, said on Monday it has co-led a new $12 million round of funding for Massachusetts-based Visual IQ, a developer of marketing intelligence software. Volition Capital also co-led the round, which the company plans to use to bolster product development and drive sales growth. Founded in 2006, Visual IQ currently manages over $5 billion in media spend on behalf of its clients. The company said its products are designed to show marketers where opportunities exist for optimization and improvement. Fog City Capital made its initial investment in Visual IQ in early 2010.
http://www.visualiq.com
http://www.fogcitycapital.com/
http://www.visualiq.com/press-and-events/press-release-visual-iq-receives-$12-million-in-financing-from-volition-capital-and-fog-city-capital

San Francisco-Based UniversityNow Lands $17.3 Million in Second Round

San Francisco -- UniversityNow, a San Francisco-based education startup developing a network of low-cost online universities, said on Thursday it has raised $17.3 million in its second round of funding, co-led by University Ventures and Bertelsmann. Previous backers Kapor Capital, Novak Biddle Venture Partners and Greylock Partners, also contributed to the round, which increased the company's total funding to $21.5 million. The company will use the proceeds to expand the program offerings at New Charter University, which it launched in March, and grow its network of partner schools. New Charter features a pay-as-you-go model, charging students $796 a term (or $199 a month) for as many courses as they can complete, including books.
http://www.unow.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120621005175/en/UniversityNow-Secures-17.3-Million-Funding-Build-Network

San Jose-Based Atrenta Acquires Santa Clara-Based NextOp Software

San Jose, Calif. -- Atrenta, a San Jose-based developer of software used to improve design efficiency for semiconductor and consumer electronics companies, said it has acquired Santa Clara-based NextOp Software, a provider of assertion synthesis technology used by semiconductor and consumer electronics developers. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. NextOp said the acquisition will allow it to expand its SpyGlass register transfer level (RTL) platform to include functional verification. "Atrenta’s customers have come to rely on SpyGlass to verify a broad range of design intent, but functional verification was a missing part of our platform," said Ajoy Bose, the chairman, president and CEO of Atrenta. "NextOp's assertion synthesis completes this part of our offering."
http://www.atrenta.com  
http://www.nextopsoftware.com
http://www.atrenta.com/atrenta-news/133.news

Santa Clara-Based Agilent Completes $2.2B Deal for Denmark's Dako

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Agilent Technologies, the Santa Clara-based measurement technology giant, said on Thursday it has completed the largest acquisition in company history, acquiring Denmark-based cancer diagnostic company Dako in a deal worth $2.2 billion. The acquisition, originally announced a month ago, adds more than 1,000 employees and $340 million in annual revenue. Dako provides antibodies, reagents, scientific instruments and software to customers in pathology laboratories, and also collaborates with a number of major pharmaceutical companies. "The addition of Dako and its portfolio will help Agilent accelerate our growth in several rapidly expanding areas of diagnostics, as well as strengthen our existing offerings," said Bill Sullivan, Agilent's president and CEO. With the deal, Agilent said it has formed a fourth business reporting segment, the Diagnostics and Genomics Group. 
http://www.dako.com  
http://www.agilent.com  
http://www.agilent.com/about/newsroom/presrel/2012/21jun-gp12012.html

Mountain View-Based Bitcasa Secures $7 Million in First Round

Mountain View, Calif. -- Bitcasa, a Mountain View-based provider of cloud storage services, said on Wednesday it has raised $7 million in its first round of funding, co-led by Pelion Venture Partners and Horizons Ventures. Andreessen Horowitz, First Round Capital, CrunchFund and Samsung Ventures also participated in the round, which increased the company's total backing to $9 million. The company said it will use a portion of the funds to accelerate growth, hasten the release of upcoming storage and data management offerings and expand sales and marketing activities. Bitcasa's service uses client-side encryption, compression and deduplication technologies to integrate infinite storage into all devices. For $10 a month, users can store, sync, backup and send infinite amounts of data without worrying about management and capacity constraints. The company's service is now officially in open beta, and users can sign up at the top link below.
http://www.bitcasa.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120620005523/en/Bitcasa-Raises-7-Million-Series-Funding

Cupertino-Based Bromium Lands $26.5 Million in Second Round

Cupertino, Calif. -- Bromium, a Cupertino-based developer of technology designed to automatically block and discard malware and advanced threats on PCs and mobile devices, said on Wednesday it has landed $26.5 million in its second round of funding, led by Highland Capital Partners. New investor Intel Capital and previous backers Andreessen Horowitz and Ignition Ventures also participated. Bromium's products are built on a second-generation virtualization technology that applies the isolation and security principles of virtualization to tasks running within the operating system of a PC or mobile device. The technology, which remains hidden from the user, automatically identifies each vulnerable task and hardware-isolates it within a hardware-backed isolation container that polices access to all OS services and resources.
http://www.bromium.com
http://www.bromium.com/news/bromium-pioneers-micro-virtualization-technology.html

Mountain View-Based Kaazing Raises $17 Million in Funding

Mountain View, Calif. -- Kaazing, the Mountain View-based developer of a platform that enables real-time web communications over any Internet-enabled device, said on Wednesday it has raised $17 million in a new round of funding. Identities of the investors were not disclosed. The company said it will use the funds to continue to expand its customer base, particularly as it moves aggressively into the mobile market. Kaazing said its platform upgrades the web architecture to work like a telephone with direct connections, rather than a telegraph system that requires a "request and response" on each end. The technology is at the heart of what the company calls the "living web" -- a successor to the legacy featuring applications that are always connected and running in real-time. "This new living Web will allow us to interact with our friends and colleagues at levels we couldn't have imagined five years ago, solve business problems that seemed impossible, accessing systems and share information at levels never seen before," said Jonas Jacobi, the co-founder and CEO of Kaazing. Customers include BSkyB, Cantor Fitzgerald, ITRS, Southwest Airlines and The Limited. 
http://www.kaazing.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120620005472/en

Facebook Acquires Face.com to Bolster Photo Tagging Technology

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Facebook said it has acquired San Francisco-based Face.com, developer of a facial recognition platform that identifies and tags individuals in social media photos. Though financial terms were not disclosed, TechCrunch pegged the price at $55-$60 million, citing a source familiar with the matter. "By working with Facebook directly, and joining their team, we'll have more opportunities to build amazing products that will be employed by consumers," wrote Face.com on its blog. Face.com's mobile facial recognition technology potentially could allow Menlo Park-based Facebook to begin offering automatic mobile photo tagging. The news comes two months after Facebook also acquired San Francisco's Instagram, developer of a popular photo-sharing app.
http://face.com
http://www.facebook.com
http://face.com/blog/facebook-acquires-face-com/

San Francisco-Based Pathbrite Lands $2.5 Million in First Round

San Francisco -- Pathbrite, the San Francisco-based developer of digital portfolios designed to help students showcase their achievements, said on Thursday it has raised $2.5 million in its first round of funding, led by Rethink Education. ACT also contributed to the round, which the company will use to continue product development and user acquisition. Pathbrite now has raised $4 million since its inception. Pathbrite allows students to aggregate all of their digital artifacts -- such as certified transcripts, report cards and earned credentials -- into a single place, where they are then able to curate and publish portfolios for either targeted or broad audiences. "Pathbrite enables individuals to truly differentiate themselves and to stand out from the crowd,” said Heather Hiles, the company's founder and CEO.The company's basic version is free to use, with plans to unveil other premium features over time. 
http://www.pathbrite.com
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/pathbrite-secures-series-a-funding-from-rethink-education-1671769.htm

Walnut Creek-Based Beyond Lucid Technologies Lands Investment

Walnut Creek, Calif. -- Beyond Lucid Technologies, the Walnut Creek-based of a software platform serving the emergency medical, disaster management and first response industries, said it has landed a new investment from Carnegie Mellon University. Financial terms were not disclosed. The investment came from the Mellon's Open Field Entrepreneurs Fund, a venture fund endowed by Jonathan Kaplan, the former CEO of Pure Digital, maker of the Flip video camera. Jonathon Feit, the CEO of Beyond Lucid, met fellow co-founder Christian Witt at Mellon's Tepper School of Business. Beyond Lucid's Mediview platform is designed to make first response safer, more efficient and cost-effective for medics, hospitals, payers and patients.
http://www.beyondlucid.com
http://beyondlucid.com/Company/NewsandEvents/NewsRelease19June2012.aspx

San Francisco-Based Dropcam Lands $12 Million in Second Round

San Francisco -- Dropcam, the San Francisco-based developer of a Wi-Fi video monitoring camera, said on Tuesday it has raised $12 million in its second round of funding, led by Menlo Ventures. Previous backers Accel Partners and Bay Partners also participated in the round, which increases the company's total funding to $17.8 million. Dropcam said it will use the proceeds to grow its software engineering team in San Francisco, as well as expand its manufacturing operations globally. "We are focused on growing," said co-founder and CEO Greg Duffy. "This influx of capital will be instrumental in recruiting the right talent to help us do that." The company released its Dropcam HD Wi-Fi Video Monitoring Camera in January, and the product initially sold out in three weeks.
http://www.dropcam.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120619005137/en/Dropcam-Closes-12M-Series-Funding-Led-Menlo

San Francisco-Based Bluebox Raises $9.5 Million in First Round

San Francisco -- Bluebox, a San Francisco-based start-up developing enterprise mobile security technology, said on Tuesday it has raised $9.5 million in its first round of funding, led by Andreessen Horowitz. Other participants included Andreas Bechtolsheim, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems and one of the first investors in Google; SV Angel; Google board member and investor Ram Shriram; and Brian Cohen, the former CEO of SPI Dynamics. Bechtolsheim and Scott Weiss, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, have been named to the company's board of directors. "Enterprise security on mobile is an unsolved problem, and, frankly, is in need of innovation," said Bechtolsheim. "Bluebox is developing a solution that will change the way enterprises think of how to successfully and seamlessly protect their data." Caleb Sima, the company's co-founder and CEO, previously served as the CTO for HP's Application Security Center, while fellow co-founder Adam Ely was previously CISO of the Heroku business unit at salesforce.com.
http://www.bluebox.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120619005310/en/Bluebox-Launches-9.5-Million-Series-Funding-Led

Microsoft to Take Aim at iPad with New "Surface" Tablet Computer

Redmond, Wash. -- Taking aim at a tablet computer market dominated by Apple's iPad, Microsoft has unveiled the Surface, a thin, lightweight tablet featuring a built-in kickstand and removable rubber keyboard. The company has yet to announce a release date or price, other than to note that the cost will be "competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook-class PC." Microsoft plans to release two models -- one running an ARM processor featuring Windows RT, and another running an Intel Core processor featuring Windows 8 Pro. Both will feature 10.6-inch touch screens that come in a 16:9 aspect ratio, suitable for watching widescreen video. By contrast, the iPad features a screen that measures 9.7 inches, with a 4:3 ratio.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2012/jun12/06-18announce.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/default.aspx

Sonus Networks to Acquire Fremont-Based NET for $42 Million

Fremont, Calif. – Sonus Networks, a Massachusetts-based provider of communications services, said it will acquire Fremont-based Network Equipment Technologies (NET) in a deal valued at about $42 million. Under the agreement, Sonus will pay $1.35 a share for NET, a provider of unified communications networking technology. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter. Sonus said the acquisition will accelerate its ability to serve the enterprise market, as well as give it an installed base of federal governments clients. NET has 13 offices globally, including in the U.S., U.K., France, the Middle East, China, Japan and Australia.
http://www.sonus.net 
http://www.net.com
http://investors.sonusnet.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=684098

Palo Alto-Based Oak Co-Leads $47M Round for SmartDrive Systems

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Oak Investment Partners, the Palo Alto-based venture capital firm, said on Tuesday it has co-led a new $47 million round of funding for San Diego-based SmartDrive Systems, developer of a managed service designed to improve driving performance and increase the operating efficiency and safety of fleets. New Enterprise Associates (NEA) also co-led the round, which included participation from new investor Stanford University. The company said it will use the proceeds to accelerate customer adoption, expand channel partnerships and bolster research and development. SmartDrive said its program enables fleets to improve their fuel efficiency by up to 30% and reduce collisions by as much as 80%. The company also has compiled what it calls the world's largest database of risky driving events, including more than 44 million recorded unsafe driving incidents.
http://www.smartdrive.net
http://www.nea.com
http://www.smartdrive.net/pressrelease.aspx?name=Smartdrive-Systems-Secures-47M-In-Venture-Funding

Santa Clara-Based Intel to Pay $375M for InterDigital Patents

Santa Clara, Calif. -- Intel, the Santa Clara-based chip-making giant, said on Monday it will pay $375 million to acquire roughly 1,700 patents and patent applications from Pennsylvania-based wireless technology firm InterDigital. The agreement involves patents primarily related to 3G, LTE and 802.11 technologies. "These patents will support Intel's strategic investments in the mobile segment," said Doug Melamed, Intel's senior vice president and general counsel. "The addition of these patents expands our already large, strong and diverse portfolio of intellectual property." The deal is expected to close in the third quarter. 
http://www.interdigital.com
http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2012/06/18/interdigital-agrees-to-375-million-patent-transaction-with-intel

Qualcomm Acquires Sunnyvale-Based Summit Microelectronics

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Qualcomm, the San Diego-based mobile technology giant, said on Monday it has acquired Sunnyvale-based Summit Microelectronics, a developer of programmable power integrated circuits. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Qualcomm said the acquisition will significantly bolster its power management roadmap, allowing it to address a broader set of customers and complex design challenges. All employees of Summit have joined Qualcomm's CDMA Technologies division. "Summit Microelectronics brings key expertise, technology, products, and design wins in battery charging and DC-DC converters," said Steve Mollenkopf, the president and COO of Qualcomm.
http://www.qualcomm.com/
http://www.qualcomm.com/media/releases/2012/06/18/qualcomm-acquires-summit-microelectronics

Sunnyvale-Based Yahoo Names Michael Barrett as Chief Revenue Officer

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Yahoo on Monday named former Google executive Michael Barrett as its executive vice president and chief revenue officer, responsible for the Sunnyvale-based company's ad revenue and operations on a global basis. Barrett previously served as the CEO of Admeld, then led Google's integration efforts following that company's acquisition of Admeld in December. He also has served as the chief revenue officer of Fox Interactive Media and executive vice president of sales and partnerships at AOL Media Networks. "Michael Barrett is regarded as one of the most successful and influential executives in media and technology, and I am thrilled to have him join Yahoo in this critical role," said Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo's interim CEO.
http://www.yahoo.com
http://pressroom.yahoo.net/pr/ycorp/235384.aspx

Bay Area VCs Lead $25 Million Round of Funding for Kaminario

   
A pair of Bay Area venture capital firms, Woodside-based Tenaya Capital and Menlo Park-based Sequoia Capital Growth Equity, have led a new $25 million round of funding for Kaminario, a Massachusetts-based developer of data storage technology, the company announced on Monday. Previous backers Sequoia Capital, Globespan Capital Partners and Pitango Venture Capital also participated in the company's fourth round. Kaminario’s technology is a solid-state storage array designed to offer high availability and data protection within a single system.
http://www.kaminario.com
http://www.kaminario.com/company/press-releases/Kaminario_Secures_25M_Round_of_Funding

IntegenX Opens Washington, DC Office; Headed by FBI Veteran

Pleasanton, Calif. -- IntegenX, a Pleasanton-based developer of rapid human DNA identification technology, said on Monday it has opened a new office near Washington, DC to support its work with federal agencies. The office will be managed by Joseph DiZinno, who has been named senior director of federal programs. DiZinno most recently served as the technical director of homeland security and law enforcement at BAE Systems, and previously spent 22 years with the FBI. The news comes seven months after IntegenX raised $40 Million in its third round of funding, led by Essex Woodlands. Other backers include Domain Associates, QuestMark Partners, Greenspring Associates, Cross Creek Capital, RONAholdings, Samsung Ventures and In-Q-Tel.
http://www.integenx.com
http://integenx.com/fbi-lab-veteran-dizinno-integenx-federal-programs/

Report: Microsoft to Acquire S.F.-Based Yammer for $1.2 Billion

San Francisco. -- Software giant Microsoft has agreed to pay $1.2 billion to acquire Yammer, the San Francisco-based developer of private social networks for businesses designed to help employees more easily collaborate, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter. Neither company has publicly confirmed the deal. The acquisition would bolster Microsoft's cloud computer offerings, as well as expand the company's reach into the corporate IT market. The news comes more than three months after Yammer raised $85 million in its fifth round of funding, led by DFJ Growth. The company has raised $142 million since its inception.
http://www.yammer.com
http://www.microsoft.com
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303822204577467312505454118.html

Burlingame-Based Tandem Capital Raises New $32 Million Fund

Burlingame, Calif. -- Tandem Capital, a Burlingame-based technology accelerator focused exclusively on mobile startups, said it has raised $32 million for its second fund. Investors in Tandem Fund II include Doug Bergeron, the CEO of Verifone; Dan Cooperman, former general counsel of Apple; Ram Shriram, a founding board member at Google; Playdom founder Rick Thompson; Dan Warmenhoven, the chairman of NetApp; and several others. Founded by tech veterans Doug Renert and Sunil Bhargava, Tandem provides early-stage mobile companies with $200,000 in funding, along with workspace and mentoring. "Tandem's accelerator program is highly selective and focuses on only a small group of truly exceptional teams," said Renert. "Think of our accelerator like a small liberal arts college where you get to know your professors, as opposed to the large public university where you're taking each course along with 300 other students." Tandem's next application deadline is July 1.
http://www.tandemcap.com
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/6/prweb9604044.htm

Cupertino-Based Seagate Signs Share Purchase Deal with LaCie

Cupertino, Calif. -- Nearly a month after first announcing plans to acquire a controlling interest in France-based LaCie, Cupertino-based Seagate Technology, a maker of hard disk drives and storage products, said on Friday it has entered into a binding deal to purchase the 64.5% stake of Philippe Spruch, LaCie's chairman and CEO, and his affiliate. The company is paying $5.12 a share under the deal, which still requires regulatory approval in France and Germany. Seagate said last month that adding LaCie, a manufacturer of consumer storage devices. would significantly expand its consumer product offerings, strengthen its network-attached storage business and enhance its capabilities in software development.
http://www.seagate.com  
http://www.lacie.com  
http://www.seagate.com/about/newsroom/press-releases/lacie-signature-purchase-agreement-acquisition-pr-master/?paramChannelName=newsroom

San Francisco-Based Climate Corp. Raises $50 Million in Third Round

San Francisco -- The Climate Corp., the San Francisco-based developer of a platform that enables the real-time pricing and purchasing of customizable weather insurance, said on Thursday it has raised $50 million in its third round of funding, led by new investor Founders Fund. Khosla Ventures, Google Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Atomico, Glynn Capital and Western Technology Investment also participated. The company plans to use a portion of the funding to hire more than 50 quantitative researchers, data scientists and software engineers. The Climate Corp.'s technology is designed to measure the weather at a hyper-local level, then pay farmers when bad weather occurs, based on a proprietary understanding of the exact impact local weather events will have on a farmer's profits. The company also raised $42 million in Feb. 2011, and has landed $110 million, overall.
http://www.climate.com
http://www.climate.com/company/press/press-releases/2012/series-c-funding-announcement

San Francisco-Based Invuity Lands $25 Million in Fourth Round

San Francisco -- Invuity, a San Francisco-based developer of surgical visualization and illumination technology, said on Thursday it has raised $25 million in its fourth round of funding, which it plans to use to expand the development, manufacturing and commercialization of its medical devices. Valence Advantage led the round, which also included participation by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, InterWest Partners and Wexford Capital. The company's Eigr technology utilizes unique optical structures to control light output to a targeted operative space, virtually eliminating shadows, back reflection, glare and thermal effects. Philip Sawyer, the CEO of Invuity, said the technology "allows surgeons to clearly visualize anatomy during minimally invasive procedures, where typically sight is extremely limited."
http://www.invuity.com 
http://www.invuity.com/invuity-raises-25-million-in-series-d-funding/

Netflix Promotes Bill Holmes to Chief Business Development Officer.

Los Gatos, Calif. -- Netflix, the Los Gatos-based Internet subscription video service, said on Thursday it has promoted Bill Holmes to the newly created role of chief business development officer. Holmes had served as vice president of business development since joining the company in 2008. Under his leadership, Netflix has partnered consumer electronics companies such as Apple, LG, Microsoft, Nintendo, Samsung and Sony to create "Netflix ready" devices for consumers. "Bill has helped make Netflix the killer app for the world's leading electronics companies," said CEO Reed Hastings. "In doing so, Netflix is now available on millions of devices and in over 25 million households in more than 50 countries."
http://www.netflix.com
https://signup.netflix.com/MediaCenter/Press

San Francisco-Based Hipmunk Raises $15 Million in Second Round

San Francisco -- Hipmunk, the San Francisco-based developer of a travel search site that aims top simplify the process of online travel planning, said it has raised $15 million in its second round of funding, led by Institutional Venture Partners (IVP). Previous backer Ignition Partners also contributed to the round, which the company will use to hire more engineers, bolster business development and marketing activities and enhance its offerings. The company, which launched in mid-2010 out of Y Combinator and raised its first round in Feb. 2011, operates a visual travel search site. Flight results are presented in a visual "timeline," while hotel results are shown on a map. Todd Chaffee, a general partner at IVP, will join Hipmunk's board as its fourth member.
http://www.hipmunk.com/
http://blog.hipmunk.com/1/post/2012/06/announcing-hipmunks-15m-series-b-funding.html

Menlo Park-Based eSionic Promotes Srinivas Nimmagadda to CEO

Menlo Park, Calif. -- eSionic, a Menlo Park-based developer of energy storage technology, on Wednesday named Srinivas Nimmagadda as its new president and CEO. Nimmagadda, who had served as the company's president and COO, succeeds Subodh Toprani, who will become executive chairman. He earlier served as the vice president of business development at ZettaCore. eSionic's backers include Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Oxford Bioscience Partners and Panasonic.
http://www.esionic.com
http://www.esionic.com/images/CEO_Transition_Press_Release_-_eSionic_Website.pdf (PDF)

Ventyx Names Jeff Ray as CEO; Will be Based in San Francisco

San Francisco -- Ventyx, an Atlanta-based unit of ABB that develops industrial enterprise software for industries such as energy, mining and public infrastructure, on Wednesday named Jeff Ray as its CEO. Ray, who will be based in San Francisco, most recently served as the executive vice president of geographic operations at Dassault Systemes, and earlier was the CEO of SolidWorks. "His proven performance and expertise in managing global software businesses make him the ideal person to lead Ventyx to the next phase of its growth," said Jens Birgersson, the head of ABB's Network Management business unit.
http://www.ventyx.com
http://ventyx.com/en/company/news/press/20120613-ceo-ray

Peter Thiel Announces 2012 Class of "20 Under 20" Fellows

San Francisco -- Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal who currently serves as president of Clarium Capital and managing partner of The Founders Fund, on Wednesday announced the 2012 class of "20 Under 20" Thiel fellows. Each will receive $100,000 over two years from the San Francisco-based Thiel Foundation to pursue their scientific and technical projects and begin to build tech companies. "Pundits and hand-wringers love to claim that universities are the only path to a successful life, "said Thiel. "In truth, an inquisitive mind, rigorously applied to a deep-rooted problem can change the world as readily as the plushest academic lab." A full list of recipients -- including three from the Bay Area -- is available at the link below.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120612006972/en/Peter-Thiel-Announces-2012-Class-%E2%80%9C20-20%E2%80%9D

Menlo Park-Based Onset Ventures Leads $6M Round for Cloud Cruiser

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Onset Ventures, a Menlo Park-based venture capital firm, said on Wednesday it has led a new $6 million round of funding for Roseville-based Cloud Cruiser, a developer of cloud cost intelligence tools. Previous backer Wavepoint Ventures also contributed to the round, which the company will use to accelerate product development and expand its domestic and international go-to-market activities. Cloud Cruiser's software is designed to deliver cost intelligence based on granular, enterprise-wide resource usage and spending across public, private and hybrid cloud environments. Terry Opdendyk, the founder of Onset Ventures, will join the company's board of directors.
http://www.onset.com
http://www.cloudcruiser.com/
http://www.cloudcruiser.com/newsevents/press/2012/pr20120612.html

Burlingame-Based Igenica Lands $33 Million in Third Round

Burlingame, Calif. -- Igenica, a Burlingame-based biopharmaceutical firm developing antibodies for the treatment of cancer, said on Tuesday it has raised $33 million in its third round of funding, led by new investor Third Rock Ventures. Previous backers The Column Group, Orbimed Advisors and 5AM Ventures also participated in the round, which increased the company's total funding to $55 million since its launch in 2009. Igenica said it will use the proceeds to advance its monoclonal antibody pipeline toward clinical trials. "Third Rock's investment highlights the broad potential of Igenica's antibody technology and provides strategic flexibility as we execute our operating and business plans," said David Goeddel, the company's executive chairman
http://www.igenica.com 
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/12/4555748/igenica-closes-33-million-in-series.html

Palo Alto-Based Lemon Raises $8 Million for "Smarter Wallet"

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Lemon, a Palo Alto-based developer of mobile money management app, said on Tuesday it has raised $8 million in its first round of funding, led by Maveron, the consumer-tech-focused firm co-founded by Starbucks' Howard Schultz. Lightspeed Venture Partners, CampVentures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, The Social+Capital Partnership and several individuals also participated in the round. The company will use the proceeds to fuel the launch and future expansion of its new Smarter Wallet, which digitizes and stores all of the items traditionally carried in a physical wallet. The platform allows users to snap photos of each item in their wallet -- such as credit, loyalty and ID cards, as well as receipts, tickets and coupons -- with a smartphone. Once saved to a secure account, the data is accessible from anywhere using a unique four-digit PIN. "This powerful new wallet framework, combined with our transaction management tools, empower users to take total control over their finances with a fresh new perspective," said founder and CEO Wences Casares.
http://www.lemon.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120612006195/en/Lemon.com-Raises-8M-Series-Investment-Launches-Smarter

Emeryville-Based Gracenote Acquires Mountain View's Bulldog United

Emeryville, Calif. -- Gracenote, an Emeryville-based provider of music and video content and technologies, said on Tuesday it has acquired Mountain View-based Bulldog United, a developer of video fingerprinting technology for smart TVs. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Gracenote said the acquisition will allow it to incorporate a combination of video fingerprinting technology and its existing audio fingerprinting technology into its automatic content recognition platform, known as Gracenote Entourage. This will allow next generation smart TVs to identify movies, TV programs and commercials from any source, including cable and satellite boxes, Blu-ray players and streaming services.  Once the content is recognized, the TVs would then be able to steer viewers to VOD services to view related movies and TV programs, or interact with apps and advertising promotions. Bulldog United CEO Don Gordon will join Gracenote as vice president of broadcast solutions.
http://www.gracenote.com 
http://www.gracenote.com/press/06/12/2012/