Silicon Valley Wire

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/