Silicon Valley Wire

Campbell-Based AOptix Raises $42 Million in Fifth Round

Campbell, Calif. -- AOptix, a Campbell-based developer of technology that uses optics to transform identity verification and wireless communications, said on Thursday it has raised $42 million in its fifth round of funding, increasing its total backing to $123 million. Previous investors Clearstone Venture Partners, DAG Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Northgate Capital and W Capital Partners participated in the round and were joined by a new investor, True Ventures. The proceeds will be used to support product development, sales and marketing as the company prepares to launch several new products. AOptix's founders originally invented adaptive optics technologies to help astronomers see farther into space. The company later worked with DARPA and the U.S. military to develop advanced mobile wireless networks for high speed air-to-ground and air-to-air communications. It now provides tools for identity verification using iris recognition and a range of other biometric techniques for aviation security and immigration control, as well as wireless communications technology.
http://www.aoptix.com
http://www.aoptix.com/news-events/press-releases/244-aoptix-closes-42-million-series-e-funding

San Francisco-Based Mocana Raises $25 Million in Fourth Round

San Francisco -- Mocana, a San Francisco-based developer of mobile and smart device security technology, said on Thursday it has raised $25 million in its fourth round of funding, led by Palo Alto-based Trident Capital. Previous backers Intel Capital, Shasta, Southern Cross and Symantec also participated in the round, which the company will use to scale its platform, a combination of software and network services designed to secure connected devices and the information, apps and services that run on them. The company now has raised $47 million since its inception. Alberto Yépez, Trident Capital's managing director, will join the Mocana's board of directors.
https://www.mocana.com/
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120823005350/en/Mocana-Secures-25-Million-Funding

Alameda-Based AbsolutData Secures $20 Million Investment

Alameda, Calif.-- AbsolutData, an Alameda-based provider of data analytics services, said on Thursday it has landed a $20 million investment from Fidelity Growth Partners India. The company, which also has significant operations in India, said it will use the new capital to scale to meet growing demand for advanced and big data analytics. "We now serve some of the largest and most reputed retail, consumer goods, technology and hospitality companies, across [the] U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific," said CEO Anil Kaul. "This investment will enable us to further strengthen our ability to service the increasing demand from our global clients." Kabir Narang, director at Fidelity Growth Partners India, has joined the company's board of directors.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120823005591/en/AbsolutData-Raises-20M-Fidelity-Growth-Partners-India

Menlo Park-Based Shasta Ventures Leads $14M Round for Typesafe

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Shasta Ventures, the Menlo Park-based venture capital firm, has led a new $14 million round of funding for Massachusetts-based Typesafe, developer of a software platform for multicore, parallel and cloud apps. Juniper Networks and previous backers Greylock Partners and Francois Stieger also took part in the round, which the company will use to grow and further develop its platform. Typesafe was founded by the creators of Scala language and Akka middleware.
http://typesafe.com/
http://www.shastaventures.com
http://typesafe.com/company/news/24499

San Jose-Based Convergent.io Lands $10 Million in First Round

San Jose, Calif. -- Convergent.io, a San Jose-based enterprise infrastructure startup, said on Thursday it has raised $10 million in its first round of funding, from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Founded by XenSource veterans Andrew Warfield, Keir Fraser and Ramana Jonnala, the company is developing storage technology that uses a flexible software approach along with high-performance, commodity hardware. "We are building a solution that enables customers to make better use of both existing hardware investments and new storage technology with an integrated storage and networking architecture," said CEO Ramana Jonnala.
http://www.convergent.io
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120823005384/en/Convergent.io-Secures-10M-Series-Funding-Andreessen-Horowitz

White House Names First Class of Presidential Innovation Fellows

Washington, DC -- The White House on Thursday announced its first class of 18 "Presidential Innovation Fellows," selected from a poll of nearly 700 applicants. Those selected will spend six months in Washington, DC to work on five specific projects aimed at supporting entrepreneurs, small businesses and the economy, while improving how the federal government serves citizens. "These private sector innovators bring their entrepreneurial expertise to the table that has helped jump-start high-tech companies, increase efficiency and public engagement and redefine how technology is used in business," said U.S. CTO Todd Park. Fellows with local ties include: San Francisco's Ryan Panchadsaram, the founder of Pipette; Oakland's Adam Becker, web developer and co-founder of civic engagement startup GovHub; Fremont's Karl Mehta, serial entrepreneur and founder of PlaySpan; San Francisco's Ian Kalin, Navy veteran and managing director of an energy sector startup; and San Francisco's Nathaniel Manning, robotics entrepreneur and member of the World Economic Forum's Personal Data team and Google's Data Colloquium team.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/innovationfellows

San Francisco-Based Lumosity Lands $31.5 Million in Fourth Round

San Francisco -- Lumosity, a San Francisco-based developer of online and mobile games designed to train core cognitive abilities such as memory and attention, said it has raised $31.5 million in its fourth round of funding, led by Discovery Communications, the media company behind such cable TV staples as the Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet. Previous backers FirstMark Capital, Harrison Metal, Menlo Ventures and Norwest Venture Partners also participated in the round, which the company will use to continue its research into human cognitive performance, build its brand, and extend its user base. The company now has received more than $70 million in founding since its inception in 2007. Lumosity's online brain exercises have attracted more than 25 million users, and its mobile app has been downloaded 10 million times since launching in 2010. "Discovery's commitment to igniting people's curiosity and passion for learning is a natural fit with Lumosity's success in brain training," said JB Perrette, Discoewry's chief digital officer.
http://www.lumosity.com
http://corporate.discovery.com/discovery-news/lumosity-raises-315-million-series-d-funding/

Menlo Park-Based Sequoia Capital Leads $25.5M Round for Telcare

Menlo Park, Calif. -- Sequoia Capital, the Menlo Park-based venture capital firm, said it has led a new $25.5 million round of funding for Telcare, a Maryland-based developer of the first FDA-cleared wireless glucose monitoring system for people with diabetes.  Previous backer Qualcomm also participated in what the company said is the first close of its second round. Founded in 2008 by David Bjork, John Dwyer Jr. and Jonathan Javitt, the company makes wireless glucose meters with two-way messaging, designed to transmit data to an FDA-cleared care management server, along with iPhone and Android apps that let family members follow the progress of relatives with diabetes. Telcare plans to use the funds to bolster marketing and sales activities, as well as expand research and development and fuel ongoing operations.
http://www.telcare.com
http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/telcare-raises-255-million-in-financing-led-by-sequoia-capital-1693122.htm

San Francisco-Based CouchSurfing Raises $15 Million in New Funding

San Francisco -- CouchSurfing, the San Francisco-based developer of a social travel network, said on Wednesday it has raised $15 million in a new round of funding, led by General Catalyst Partners. Menlo Ventures and previous backers Benchmark Capital and Omidyar Network also took part in the round, which increases the funds raised by the company in the past year to $22.6 million. CouchSurfing said it will use the proceeds to expand its product management and engineering teams. "This new funding will allow us to improve the ways in which we serve and strengthen our incredible, diverse community," said CEO Tony Espinoza. The site currently has more than 5 million members, and features more than 40,000 interest groups such as language exchanges, bicycle tours, museum visits and volunteer opportunities.
http://www.couchsurfing.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120822005334/en/CouchSurfing-Raises-15-Million-Series-Led-General

PayPal to Become Available at 7 Million U.S. Locations in 2013

San Jose, Calif. -- PayPal, the online payments arm of San Jose-based eBay, said on Wednesday its service will be available in more than 7 million brick-and-mortar locations in the U.S. beginning in 2013 through a new partnership with credit card company Discover. Under the deal, participating merchants will be able to start accepting PayPal through their existing relationships with Discover. PayPal called the agreement a "milestone moment" for the company, which allows people to send money without sharing financial information. The company currently has more than 113 million active accounts online. "This initiative will result in real change and innovation for the industry by bringing new technologies to the point of sale," said Diane Offereins, the president of Discover Payment Services.
http://www.paypal.com
http://www.discoverfinancial.com
http://www.ebayinc.com/content/press_release/20120822005397 

Los Altos-Based Ness Computing Raises $15M in Second Round

Los Altos, Calif. -- Ness Computing, a Los Altos-base developer of search technology that provides personalized recommendations based on people's tastes and preferences, said on Tuesday it has raised $15 million in its second round of funding, led by SingTel Innov8. American Express Ventures also participated in the round, which the company will use to continue development of its core technology, which uses advanced machine learning techniques to recognize patterns in large sets of data. The company's first product, the Ness Dining Guide, is an iPhone app that uses "likeness scores" to predict how much someone will like a restaurant based on their unique preferences. The latest release adds restaurant reservations through OpenTable, as well as hundreds of thousands of menus, including prices. The year-old company now has plans to expand into new markets, such as nightlife, events, movies and shopping. "By enhancing our core technology, we can improve our understanding of what customers are expressing about themselves, and turn that information into something truly valuable for making decisions," said co-founder and CEO Corey Reese.
http://www.likeness.com
http://markets.financialcontent.com/prnews/news/read?GUID=22083689

Menlo Park-Based GGV Capital Raises New $625 Million Fund

Menlo Park, Calif. -- GGV Capital, a Menlo Park-based venture capital firm focused on the U.S. and China, said on Tuesday it has raised $625 million for its fourth fund. The fund exceeds the size of the firm's previous $610 million fund, raised in 2007, and brings its total capital under management to more than $1.6 billion. Founded in 2000, GGV invests in companies that operate in both the U.S. in China. Portfolio companies include Alibaba Group, AthenaHealth, AAC Technologies, Buddy Media, Endeca, hiSoft, Isilon, Pandora Media, Qunar, Square, SuccessFactors, Tudou, UCWeb, YY and 21ViaNet. The firm said it plans to continue its strategy of making expansion stage investments of $5-25 million in the Internet/digital media, cloud/SaaS and mobile sectors, as well as the consumer sector in China. 
http://www.ggvc.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ggv-capital-announces-625-million-140000141.html

S.F.-Based AdRoll Ranks No. 7 in Newly Released Inc. 5000

San Francisco -- AdRoll, the San Francisco-based developer of an online ad retargeting platform, is the No. 7-ranked company on the newly released 2012 Inc. 5000, an annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America based on three-year revenue growth. The company, which saw its revenue increase by 11,082% over three years, trailed only Florida-based Unified Payments (23,646%). Maryland-based Astrum Solar, Georgia-based Edge Solutions, Florida-based Integrity Funding, Texas-based Gold & Silver Buyers and Georgia-based Capital Payments. San Mateo-based Adap.tv was the next highest Bay Area company at No. 32. The complete list is available at the top link below.
http://www.inc.com/inc5000/list/2012 (Complete list)
http://www.inc.com/inc5000/profile/adroll (AdRoll profile)

Redwood City-Based Impermium Tabs White House Veteran as COO

Redwood City, Calif. -- Impermium, a Redwood City-based developer of technology designed to protect web sites and social networks from spam, fake registrations, racist and inappropriate language and other forms of abuse, on Tuesday named Obama administration cybersecurity veteran Sameer Bhalotra as its new COO. Bhalotra most recently served as the senior director of cybersecurity for The White House, from 2010 until this past January, and also previously served as lead staff member for cybersecurity on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. "Adding Sameer to the team is a huge win for us," said CEO Mark Risher. "Given his extensive experience in security and technology, Sameer will be instrumental in leading the charge to defend the web from social spam, identity hijacking, fraudulent registrations and other malicious attacks." Launched in 2011, Impermium is backed by Accel Partners, Charles River Ventures, Greylock Partners, Highland Capital Partners and the Social+Capital Partnership.
http://www.impermium.com
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120821006203/en/Impermium-Names-White-House-Cybersecurity-Senior-Director

Siemens Healthcare to Acquire Ultrasound Imaging Firm Penrith

Mountain View, Calif. -- Siemens Healthcare, a unit of Siemens focused on medical imaging, lab diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids, said on Tuesday it will acquire Pennsylvania-based Penrith, a maker of ultrasound imaging systems. Financial terms of the deal, expected to close in September, were not disclosed. "This acquisition uniquely positions Siemens to bring new, meaningful solutions to the ultrasound market and to expand our presence in attractive business segments," said Jeffrey Bundy, the CEO of Mountain View-based Siemens Healthcare Ultrasound.
http://www.siemens.com/healthcare 
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/siemens-healthcare-enters-definitive-agreement-180000196.html

San Jose-Based Adobe Names Michael Dillon as New General Counsel

San Jose, Calif. -- Adobe Systems, the San Jose-based developer of web publishing software, on Monday named Michael Dillon as its new senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. He succeeds Karen Cottle, who is retiring after a decade as general counsel. Dillon most recently served as the general counsel and corporate secretary of Silver Spring Networks, and previously spent 14 years with Sun Microsystems. "His expertise is a great match for Adobe's diverse business and growth agenda as we intensify our focus on multi-billion dollar opportunities in digital media and digital marketing," said Shantanu Narayen, the company's president and CEO.
http://www.adobe.com
http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/201208/201208AdobeNewGeneralCounsel.html

Campbell-Based GraphOn Names Eldad Eilam as CEO

Campbell, Calif. -- GraphOn, a Campbell-based developer of software designed to help users access applications remotely, on Monday named Eldad Eilam as its permanent CEO. Eilam, who had been serving as the company's interim CEO, also will continue his roles as president and board member. Steven Ledger, GraphOn's chairman, said that Eilam "has more than validated the board's previous decision to appoint him interim CEO." Eilam took over in April, following the resignation of Robert Dilworth.
http://www.graphon.com
http://www.graphon.com/images/file/graphon-eilam-pr-20aug12.pdf (PDF)

San Jose-Based Cypress Again Extends Offer for Ramtron International

San Jose, Calif. -- More than two months after first announcing its bid to acquire Colorado-based Ramtron International, San Jose-based Cypress Semiconductor, a developer of mixed-signal, programmable chips, on Monday again extended its cash tender offer for the company, this time through Aug. 24. Cypress is offering $2.68 a share under the offer, which had been scheduled to expire on Friday. "Cypress continues to believe that its offer represents full and fair value and provides Ramtron's stockholders with immediate liquidity at a substantial premium in a very volatile market," Cypress said in a statement.
http://www.cypress.com/ 
http://www.ramtron.com/ 
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120820005451/en/Cypress-Semiconductor-Extends-Offer-Acquire-Ramtron-International