Tesla eyes Downey, Calif. for Model S assembly plant
Tesla Motors may have finally picked a site for its new Model S Assembly plant — an announcement that has been awaited with bated breath by California politicians and those in the advanced vehicle industry for months. While the company has yet to confirm the selection, the city of Downey, Calif., likes its chances — its mayor has gone as far as to say the deal is 99.9 percent done.
Today, the issue is under consideration… Continue Reading
GreenBeat: Ultimate media roundup — pics, videos, slides and more
At this time last week, we were just about to kick off our inaugural GreenBeat conference focused on the Smart Grid. We’re thrilled to still be receiving valuable feedback and new ideas for the event next year. To provide our readers — including those who couldn’t make it out this time — with a taste of the GreenBeat experience, we’re providing some photos and videos here, as well as the presentations made by our lineup… Continue Reading
Flightcaster raises $1.3M for better flight prediction
Flightcaster, a company that licenses flight prediction data to travel agencies and even mobile app developers, has brought in $1.3 million in a first round of funding. Based in San Francico, it is backed by Tandem Entrepreneurs and Sherpalo Ventures.
Life360 takes in $750K to secure personal information
Life360, provider of a service that secures people’s important personal information — such as their medical history — until there is an emergency, has raised $750,000 in funding. Based in San Francisco, it is backed by LaunchCapital, Seraph Group, Founders Fund and angel investor Mark Goines.
CloudFlare floats $2.05M equity round to strengthen web site security
CloudFlare, a company that gives web site owners more control over who can access their sites to protect against attacks and increase performance, announced that it opened a $2.05 million round of equity, according to Dow Jones VentureWire. Based in San Francisco, it is backed by UV Partners and Venrock.
Bizo, targeted B2B marketing network, bags $6M
Bizo, a startup that claims to be the first targeted B2B marketing network, brought in $6 million in venture capital, according to a filing with the SEC. Based in San Francisco, the company is backed by Bessemer Venture Partners, Flagship Ventures and Venrock.
Mimosa takes $4M for archiving email, files
Mimosa Systems, maker of software that archives email and other data, has raised $4 million of a $5.5 million round of debt, rights and securities, according to a filing with the SEC. Based in Santa Clara, Calif., the company is backed by August Capital, Clearstone Venture Partners, Dot Edu Ventures, Focus Ventures, Jafco Ventures and Mayfield Fund. The company last raised money in June, bringing in $3 million in debt financing.
Aravo raises $19M for supplier info tracking
Aravo Solutions, provider of software that helps companies manage their supply chains and corporate risk and responsibility, has raised $19 million of a targeted $22.1 million fourth round of preferred stock, according to a filing with the SEC. Based in San Francisco, the company is backed by Big Sky Partners and individual investors Tony Mayer and Stephen Friedman. It raised $7 million last December.
Clean energy initiatives get $63M from DOE with wind in the lead
Before the U.S. Department of Energy announced its $620 million in grants for Smart Grid demonstration projects today, it rolled out $63 million for clean energy innovations, with $45 million in stimulus money going exclusively toward the development of new wind turbine designs.
The government has unofficially anointed wind as the most promising of the renewable energy sources — over solar, geothermal, even biomass. Earlier this year, it doled out more than $1 billion in financing… Continue Reading
Smart Grid handouts keep rolling: DOE earmarks $620M for demo projects
Less than a month after it handed out $3.4 billion in stimulus grants to utilities working toward a cleaner, more efficient electrical grid, the U.S. Department of Energy says it is doling out another $620 million to projects working on demonstration-scale Smart Grid technologies. Today, it named 32 recipients working on every aspect of the grid, including smart meters, transmission equipment, storage devices and energy monitoring systems.
The idea is to support demonstration projects that have… Continue Reading
Telegent files for IPO as public market thaws even more
Chip design firm Telegent has filed for a $250 million public offering, capping off an exciting few days of IPO action. Last week, network security provider Fortinet sold 12.5 million shares of common stock for $12.50, raising just over $156.2 million. And web marketer QuinStreet filed for its own $250 million IPO.
Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Telegent provides designs for semiconductors that allow people to watch live television broadcasts on their computers and phones. It sells… Continue Reading
ReaMetrix raises $2.1M to develop cell lines
ReaMetrix, a company that prepares cell lines that express certain proteins over others, has brought in $2.1 million in venture capital, according to a filing with the SEC. Based in San Carlos, Calif., it is backed by Baring Private Equity Asia, Sequoia Capital India and Mobius Venture Capital.
Headmix raises $540K for workflow, hiring, training services
Headmix, provider of the WorkSimple software system that helps companies onboard employees and give them tools to collaborate once they’re there, has raised $540,000 of an anticipated $660,000 round of equity, according to a filing with the SEC. Based in San Francisco, Headmix is backed by Baseline Ventures and Camp Ventures.
Calibra takes $1.4M to for insulin delivery devices
Calibra Medical, a biotech company with an insulin delivery device used to ease diabetes management, has brought in $1.4 million in convertible promissory notes and warrants, according to a filing with the SEC. Based in Redwood City, Calif., the company is backed by Canaan Partners, Intersouth Partners, Skyline Ventures, Frazier Healthcare Ventures, and Three Arch Partners. It last raised funds in August 2008 amounting to $35 million.
Roundup: Microsoft and News Corp. plot Google’s demise, Taptu and Google Maps Navigation hop on Android, and more
Here’s the latest action:
Amazon Web Services now calculates your app costs — To give users a better idea of how their applications will work and how much they will cost to run on Amazon Web Services, the company has just released a redesign of its AWS Simple Monthly Calculator. This tool allows users to select their regions and services in order to generate a customized quote.
Google Maps Navigation comes to Android — Owners of phones running Android… Continue Reading
Solar costs set to plummet 50% by year’s end
The cost of solar equipment has been falling over the past several months, but now it looks like cost of solar-generated electricity will drop about 50 percent from where it was at the end of 2008, according to a new report from research firm New Energy Finance.
The firm’s prediction is based on two observations: First, that prices for solar modules, panels and components have been getting lower and lower; and second, that as the economy… Continue Reading
IPO talk revs up for Tesla Motors
Rumors are swirling today that Tesla Motors is seriously considering an initial public offering sometime soon. The talk has been tracked to two anonymous sources, who say the six-year-old company could cash in big on the battery-powered car trend before electric and hybrid models from companies like General Motors, Mitsubishi and Nissan make it to market.
Tesla has officially denied the prediction, calling the IPO chatter “rumor and speculation.” That said, going public in 2010 would… Continue Reading
Google gobbles display ad startup Teracent
Google is growing its display advertising business today with the acquisition of Teracent, a startup that provides companies with tools for customizing display ads like web banners and interactive modules. Still making most of its revenue from text ads listed next to search results, the tech giant sees display as the next biggest area of opportunity.
Right now, Google is actually coming in second to Yahoo in display advertising — having only launched its strategy in… Continue Reading
GreenBeat: Big thank you and media roundup
Thanks to everyone who made it out to GreenBeat 2009 yesterday and Wednesday!
We were thrilled with the turnout, and couldn’t be more grateful for all the support we received from attendees, speakers, sponsors and the press. It’s clear that the Smart Grid has gained the momentum it needs for serious work to be done, and we are excited to play a big role in this conversation going forward.
With Al Gore, and several of the biggest… Continue Reading
GreenBeat: Live-blogging Nobel Prize winner Al Gore
Straight from VentureBeat’s GreenBeat 2009 event, we bring you former vice president and Nobel Prize winner Al Gore. I’ll be live-blogging this session — so it won’t be perfect or word-for-word, but it will be fast! We’ll pull out the gems as soon as we can.
Laura Ipsen, Cisco Systems’ smart grid guru is introducing Al Gore right now, highlighting his many achievements and awards. He’s been a mentor for Cisco in linking climate change to… Continue Reading