October 12, 2007
TPI Composites Raises $22M In First Round
Rhode Island-based TPI Composites has raised $22M in a first round of funding led by NGP Energy Technology Partners. The company's composite structures are used for the wind energy wind energy turbine blades, materials for trains, and armor military vehicle markets,
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Read - announcement
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April 17, 2007
Nanotech's RainDance Raises $24M
Raindance makes the comparision that its Personal Laboratory System is the fluid handling equivalent of a liquid computer that can be programmed to create and test liquids. Why do people do with the system?
* Proteomic & genomic assays
* Cancer diagnostics & residual disease
* Antibody engineering
* Drug formulation
* Industrial enzyme development (biofuels)
* Therapeutic enzyme development
* On-chip chemical synthesis & screening
Guilford, CT-based RainDance Technologies has raised $23.66M in Series B funding from Mohr Davidow Ventures, Pequot Capitaland JDS Capital. The company was founded by a professor of Applied Physics at Harvard and four other PhDs.
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March 05, 2007
Nano Materials' Liquidia Raises $16M
Liquidia, which is based in Morrisville, NC and gets its start in the labs at the University of North Carolina, develops fluoro-polymer materials for the life sciences and advanced materials markets. It has developed a nonstick material that can be made into molds for manufacturing microscopic particles. Pharmaceutical companies might use the molds to fashion tiny vessels to deliver drugs inside cells, while electronics companies could construct minute parts for computer chips or semiconductors. Applications include photovoltaics, fuel cells, optics and displays as well as drug therapies and medical devices.
The company has yet to see much sales traction. As a local paper put it: Liquidia Technologies' biggest problem may be choosing which billion-dollar market it tackles first." Liquidia's largest customer is Siemens. The companies are developing laboratories on a chip that would allow doctors to make short-lived, cancer-detecting drugs immediately before their patients have diagnostic scans.
It has now raised an additional $16M, in Series B funding led by New Enterprise Associates led the deal and joined by return backers Firelake Capital and the Wakefield Group.
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February 09, 2007
Miniature Printer EoPlex Raises More Funds From Draper Fisher
Redwood City's EoPlex Technologieshas raised $8M in Series C funding. ATA Ventures led the deal, and was joined by return backers Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Labrador Ventures and Draper Richards.
EoPlex calls itself an advanced materials company that makes miniature devices to generate, harvest and manage energy. With some printers it has developed it can spint out highly engineered complex shaped parts and assemblies for a variety of uses.
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Posted at 11:28 AM | TrackBack | Permalink
August 02, 2006
Yahoo Makes Its First India VC Deal
Canaan Partners, which did Match.com, invested with Yahoo in an $8.6M round in BharatMatrimony group. This is Yahoo's first investment in India that we know of. Bharat Matrimony was founded in 1997 and is boot-strapped to date. The company manages more than a dozen different matrimony portals plus Clickjobs.com, Indiaproperty.com and Indiaautomobile.com.
Anamika Singh And Her Groom Sitanshu Say Thanks Bharatmatrimony.com
In India, 12% of all net users look for a wife or husband online. Of these 31% head to Shaadi.com, Bharatmatrimony.com gets 16% and another 16% go to Indiatimes dating service and Timesmatri.com. So Bharatmatrimony is a bit behind but Canaan Partners knows that leaders in the dating market are always vulnerable.
Read - Canaan Partners And Yahoo Invest $8.6 Million In BharatMatrimony Group (ContentSutra)
Posted at 08:07 PM | TrackBack | Permalink
February 28, 2006
Disposable Coffee Cup Maker Gets Funded
It had to be a Seattle company that would get funded to, among others things, develop post space-age materials for the a disposable coffee cup. MicroGreen Polymers has recently raised $2.4M from WRF Capital and Seattle angels. Moreover, the materials are eco-friendly.
Here is the elevator Pitch:
- Easier to hold with hot liquids — Outstanding insulating capabilities keep hot or cold away from your fingers... as good as "double-cup" paper hot cups.
- Stands up to cutlery — process naturally forms a solid outer layer that is cut and puncture resistant.
- Won't crack and spill its contents — the material is flexible and will not break like conventional "foam" cups and clamshells.
- Retains true food flavor — smooth solid surface provides a great barrier to prevent liquid leakage or transfer of off-flavors to food contents.
- Attractive — high gloss surfaces give the package crisp and clean appearance on the inside, while the outside is perfect printing sharp, full-coverage, 4-color graphics (with your logo!)
Suitable for cooking and warming (oven or microwave) — high heat tolerance enables the packaging to withstand temperatures up to 400° F. for 30 minutes.
- Seamless — less chance for leaks between cap and cup.
Read - Venture Capital: 'Eco-friendly' cups that cut heat, waste (Seattle PI)
Posted at 07:18 PM | Permalink
November 30, 2005
Plastic Logic - Profile
Plastic Logic = iPod Technology for Newspapers
HQ: Cambridge, MA
Founded: November 2000
Management: Stuart Evans is CEO. He founded and was Managing Director of electronic tagging firm Cotag International. Professor Henning Sirringhaus is Chief Scientist and he is Hitachi Professor of Electron Device Physics at Cambridge University. He's a smart dude who did post-doctoral research at Princeton and has a PhD from the Institute of Solid State Physics of ETH Zurich.
Investors: In November 2005, the company closed $20M in Series C funding for a total investment to date of nearly $50M. New investors are BASF Venture Capital, Intel Capital, Morningside Technology Ventures and Quest for Growth. Previous investors are: Amadeus Capital, PolyTechnos Venture-Partners, Dow Venture Capital, Bank of America Equity Partners, Yasuda Enterprise Development Co., , Siemens Venture Capital, and Nanotech Partners.
Business Model: The company's technology enables new applications by printing electronics on thin, flexible plastic substrates. Plastic Logic plans to license out its technology for use in applications such as flexible e-paper displays. Plastic Logic's backplane technology initial focus is e-readers, such as e-books, e-dictionaries, e-maps, and e-newspapers). These displays will typically be wirelessly connected to cell phones and PDAs, allowing mobile users to access newspapers or blogs more easily than with a laptop. Later on, by 2008 or so, the company envisions video displayed on flexible e-paper.
Competitors: E-ink, SmartPaper, Gyricon, Fujitsu Laboratories.
Dirt: In the Steven Spielberg sci-fi movie Minority Report, Tom Cruise reads a newspaper where the ink changes as stories go to press. This is Plastic Logic's vision. We recently heard a newspaper executive argue that what his industry needs is an iPod for newspapers. Well, the people at Plastic Logic have been working to crack this nut for a decade and it appears they are now close. The company claims that it will launch its technology in 2005, but it is looking more look 2006 at this point. We also have no idea how much this stuff is going to cost. The devil is in the details, but we imagine the latest round of investors were impressed with they have seen recently.
Posted at 11:41 PM | TrackBack | Permalink
October 23, 2005
PowerMetal Technologies - Profile
HQ: Carlsbad, CA
Founded: 2005
Management: Edward Hughes is Founder, President & CEO. Ed is a golf guy who was the SVP/GM for TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Before that he was VP/GM at Maxfli Golf as well as VP for Dunlop Slazenger Group Americas, with its golf, tennis and squash products
Investors: In October 2005, the company raised $10M in Series A equity from Toronto-based Mosaic Venture Partners and a group of high-net worth individuals.
Business Model: PowerMetal wants to create the successor to the Titanium golf club, using nanotechnology, and become the next big golfing trend. The company envisions geezers being able to launch balls with nanotech-shafts 500 yards down a fairway. The company also tips its hat to bringing new lighter weight, more powerful materials to an endless list of products that could be improved with greater lightness and strength including: tennis rackets, baseball bats, Lacrosse sticks, yacht masts, skiis, knives, guns, fishing reels, scuba tanks, and bikes.
Competitors: NanoDynamics, NanoSys, Nano-Tex , Zyvex, Nanodesu, NanoHorizons.
Dirt: PowerMetal is unfortunately named, as it will forever loose in searches to German fan sites about trash metal, epic metal and death metal. Looking around, there is a surprising number of competitors using nanotech advances to improve sporting goods products. Some are looking to launch their own new brands, such as NanoDynamics which has launched the most expensive golf ball available and the Japanese Nanodesu which sells a line of nano bowling balls. PowerMetal looks to be a supplier of technology and materials to other brands and its CEO seems to have the connections to make that happen. However, PowerMetal is a bit late to the party. It's way to soon to know if the company's stuff is any good. To learn more check out USA Today which has the definitive story.
Read - Nanotech could put a new spin on sports (USA Today)
Posted at 02:05 PM | Permalink
July 27, 2005
a:c on M.I.T. Tech Review - LabCyte Profile
Shrinking the Lab
Labcyte makes lab equipment that dispenses liquids in nanoliters, which can save time and money.
Recent a:c profiles on TechnologyReview.com:
Keeping Up with the Jetsons - Chairman Bill Gates has his robo-home. Control4 sells home automation systems for the rest of us.
RaySat has developed a two-inch antenna that can capture Internet and TV programming in a car or other moving vehicle.
Xcieve is developing an integrated circuit to power mobile television.
Right Hemisphere wants to make it easier for non-engineers to understand technical matters.
Level 5 Networks says it has a networking card that's much faster than an Ethernet connection -- and compatible with it.
Nanosolar is a solar-cell startup wants to prove it can manufacture thin-film panels that are cheaper, lighter, and last longer.
Innovative Biosensors - It has a kit that makes finding pathogens much easier -- and with little training.
Voltage Security - Encrypting files for security purposes should get simpler with new algorithms developed by start-ups like Voltage Security.
Posted at 10:22 AM | Comments (4) | Permalink
June 15, 2005
a:c on M.I.T. Tech Review - Nonosolar Profile
This week's a:c exclusive at TechnologyReview.com:
Aiming for the Sun
A solar-cell startup wants to prove it can manufacture thin-film panels that are cheaper, lighter, and last longer.
Recent a:c profiles on TechnologyReview.com:
Innovative Biosensors It has a kit that makes finding pathogens much easier -- and with little training.
Voltage Security - Encrypting files for security purposes should get simpler with new algorithms developed by start-ups like Voltage Security.
Rearden Commerce - Rearden Commerce hopes to succeed where others have failed by offering the ultimate Web-based services application.
TAGSYS - Venture capitalists continue to look for small, but heady, investments in the RFID market despite the slow adoption of the new technology.
Topio - In an information economy, Topio helps its customers protect a core asset: data.
Posted at 02:51 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink
April 08, 2005
NanoOpto - Profile
HQ: Somerset, NJ
Founded: 2001
Management: Barry Weinbaum is CEO and President. He took over in August 2001 after 21 years at Lucent and AT&T. The technology emerged from research at Princeton University. Go Tigers!
Investors: Recently raised $12M Series C from First Analysis, Morgenthaler Ventures, the Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) network (including DFJ Gotham Ventures and New England Ventures), Harris & Harris Group, and U.S. Trust’s Excelsior Venture Partners.
Business model: The company develops nano-fabrication technology to produce optical components that are intended to be smaller, less expensive, denser, and better performing than currently available optical components. Current applications include optical disk drives, digital imaging, communications, and projection displays.
Competition: Mesophotonics.
Dirt: With real products on the market and a new infusion of cash to expand operations, NanoOpto continues its steady growth. It remains to be seen if the company can crank out its tiny products on a huge scale - this is a big concern for many manufacturers working on a nano-scale.
Posted at 04:24 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink
March 31, 2005
Jurvi - The Father of Nanotechnology
VC Steve Jurvetson gets profiled in The Financial Times as the Second Coming of Thomas Edison. The a:c has made its case that Jurvetson has been behaving like a pompous self-promoter of his own over-powering intelligence. But the FT disagrees and - together with a large photo of Jurvetson’s finely-chiseled head striking a savant pose - reprints Jurvetson’s resume including his prodigious academic achievements, his stint developing chips at Intel, and his great investment win in Hotmail. The FT goes on to print Jurvetson’s prediction that Nanotechnology will dwarf the achievements of the Internet. The FT paraphrases Jurvetson acknowledging that listening to him "involves a willingness to take seriously the 'embarrassing and futuristic' - to imagine things that most would consign to the outlandish world of science fiction.”
Read - Why Nanotechnology Is The Next Big Thing (The Financial Times)
Read - Stop It Steve Jurvetson (The a:c)
Posted at 11:07 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink
March 10, 2005
Nantero - Profile
HQ: Woburn, MA.
Founded: 2001
Management: President & CEO is Greg Schmergel. He was most recently an SVP for About.com. Curiously, he has no chip or nanotech industry experience. Co-founder is Dr. Thomas Rueckes - he brings the scientific cred. Rueckes completed his PhD at Harvard University in the Department of Chemistry and invented the company's core technology.
Investors: Raised $15MM Series B from Charles River Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Stata Venture Partners, Harris & Harris Group. This brings total investment to $31.5MM, according to company press releases.
Business Model: Nanotechnology company using carbon nanotubes for the development of next-generation semiconductor devices. Devices include memory, logic, and other semiconductor products. Core technology is called NRAM™, a high-density nonvolatile Random Access Memory. The company's objective is to deliver a product that will replace all existing forms of memory, such as DRAM, SRAM and flash memory, with NRAM™. LSI Logic and aerospace company BAE Systems have licensed the technology.
Competitors: ZettaCore
Dirt: The fact that CEO Greg Schmergel is NOT a chip geek may actually benefit Nantero. If nanotech companies have to be good at anything, it's selling a long-term vision. Schmergel's background as a corporate strategist and consultant presumably qualifies him to tell the VCs a compelling story. They seem to be listening. The commercialization of nanotech applications is a holy grail for inventors and investors alike.
Posted at 09:59 AM | Comments (2) | Permalink
January 28, 2005
Innovative Micro Technology - Profile
HQ: Santa Barbara, CA
Founded: 2000
Management: Chairman & CEO is Stanford applied physics PhD John Foster.
Investors: In January 2005, the company closed a $17M Series C led by Investor Growth Capital with BA Venture Partners and Miramar Venture Partners. Also in 2004, the company won a $2.3M award from DARPA. In 2002, L-3 Communications invested $5M.
Business Model: Company competes in nanotechnology sector called micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). IMT claims to have the largest MEMS facility in the world. Applications, including drug discovery, drug delivery, biomedical implants and cell purifiers, microfluidics, inertial navigation, optical telecommunications, printing, various sensors, night vision, IR emitters, telephone/DSL switching, RF devices, and power management.
Competitors: MEMX, Honeywell MEMS Services, Integrated MicroMachanies, C2V, TRONIC'S Microsystems, Fairchild Semiconductor, Applied MEMS.
Dirt: Is it or is it not the year for nanotechnology? A handful of VCs think that nanotechnology is ripe and are putting their markers down but most are passing. Right now IMT is a small-time player in backwater Santa Barbara. But we like it that VC such as BA Ventures are making their entree into the market with IMT. We also like it that the company posted a press release announcing that the last seeded Piranhas won the Men's Roller Hockey league championship in a tightly contested match against the team that won last year's tournament.
IMT's Roller Hockey Team Had a Cinderella Year
