Proficiency Inc. Raises $4.25 Million in VC Round - Marlborough, MA

Proficiency Inc., a Marlborough-based developer of software for manufacturers and their suppliers, has raised $4.25 million in a round of venture capital led by Catalysts Investment. Proficiency's software is designed to allow users to extract and share product knowledge from various engineering and manufacturing environments. Proficiency said it will use the investment funds to develop new applications. Other investors in the company include Carmel Ventures and Pitango Venture Capital.

http://www.proficiency.com/pr.asp?ID=21

NetClarity Raises $2.5 Million in Angel Investment - Bedford, MA

NetClarity, a Bedford-based provider of vulnerability management, intrusion prevention and network admission control products, has raised $2.5 million in angel investment capital, Mass High Tech reported on Monday. NetClarity's technology provides "preemptive, proactive" network protection. The company seeking to raise $10 million from venture capitalists and to hire a new CEO, according to the report.

http://www.netclarity.net/

Jackpot Rewards Raises $16.7 Million in First Round of VC - Newton, MA

Jackpot Rewards, a Newton-based provider of online, consumer cash-back rewards programs for consumer purchases, announced its official launch on Wednesday and the fact that it has raised $16.7 million in its first round of venture capital. Jackpot Rewards provides consumers with cash back on online purchases, as well as deals and discounts. Members are automatically entered into three drawings every week for jackpots of over $100 million, plus a $1 million drawing every Sunday. The company also says it gives 50% of its profits to children's charities. Investors in the company include Jack Connors, founding partner of advertising agency Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos; Chuck Clough, chairman and CEO of Clough Capital Partners, Tom McDonnell, chairman and CEO of DST Systems; and investor and author Peter Lynch.

http://www.jackpotrewards.com/company/pressroom/

CMGI to Acquire Open Channel Solutions for $24.5 Million - Waltham, MA

CMGI, a Waltham-based provider of supply-chain management technology, has signed a deal to acquire Open Channel Solutions (OCS), a Dedham-based provider of entitlement and e-business management software, for $24.5 million in cash. OCS was spun out of Modus Media International in 2001. Following CMGI's acquisition of Modus in 2004, CMGI assumed a minority interest in OCS, which is currently held by CMGI's venture capital business, @Ventures. OCS has headquarters in Dedham, and offices in Utah, the Netherlands, Japan and Australia. The company is expected to operate as a subsidiary of CMGI.

http://www.ocs.com

Digit Wireless Raises $4 Million in Venture Capital - Burlington, MA

Digit Wireless, a Burlington-based developer of keyboard technologies for handheld wireless devices, has raised $4 million in a round of venture capital, led by Venrock Partners and Qualcomm. Digit has raised four rounds of capital now. Telus is another investor in the company, which was founded by its CTO, David Levy, previously the head of portable device ergonomics at Apple Computer.

http://www.digitwireless.com/

Incipient Raises $15.6 Million in Fifth Round of VC - Waltham, MA

Incipient, a Waltham-based provider of storage virtualization and automated data migration software, has raised $20 million in its fifth round of venture capital. Investors in the deal include Globespan Capital Partners, GrandBanks Capital, HLM Venture Partners, Greylock, QuestMark Partners, Sigma Partners, and Wasatch Advisors. Founded in 2001, Incipient offers data migration software that helps companies to manage storage area networks. The company employs about 65 people. Incipient has raised a total of $79 million to date.

http://www.incipient.com/news/press.htm#pr_funding02202008

Idiom acquired by SDL - Waltham, MA

SDL plc (“SDL”), a leading provider of Global Information Management (GIM) solutions, announced today that it has acquired Idiom Technologies Inc (“Idiom”), one of the leading providers of “Software as a Service” translation management systems. SDL has acquired Idiom for a consideration of $21.7m (£11.1m*) plus the assumption of debt and working capital of $4.9m (£2.5m*). The transaction will see Mike Iacobucci continue to serve as CEO of Idiom, reporting to Mark Lancaster, Chairman and CEO of SDL.

http://www.sdl.com/en/events/news-PR/sdls-technology-division-to-acquire-idiom.asp

Kodiak Venture Partners Leads $3 Million Round for Ideeli - NY, NY

Kodiak Venture Partners, a Waltham-based venture capital firm, has led a $3 million first round of venture capital for Ideeli, a New York-based, members-only, online shopping network for women's accessories, according to published reports. Ideeli offers its "invitation only" customers special pricing on fashion designer brands such Prada, Kotur and Etro. The website is intended to allow such luxury brands to sell overstock items, while still maintaining a perception of exclusivity.

http://www.ideeli.com/closed

Novell Acquires Maynard-based SiteScape - Waltham, MA

Novell, a Waltham-based provider of desktop and data center operating systems, has acquired SiteScape, a privately held, Maynard-based provider of open-source team collaboration software. Founded in 1995, SiteScape provides collaborative software for communication and management for distributed teams. SiteScape's web-based software supports knowledge management, project management, communities of practice, telework, business and government continuity, and other workflow-driven functions.

http://www.sitescape.com/

Carbonite Raises $5.2 Million in Second Round - Boston, MA

Carbonite, a Boston-based provider of online data backup services for consumers and small businesses, has raised $5.2 million in its second round of venture capital, according to published reports. Investors in the deal include Four Rivers Partners, 3i Group, Menlo Ventures and Common Angels. Carbonite was founded in 2005. The company offers its services through its corporate website, major U.S. retailers and international distributors.

http://www.carbonite.com/

Eons Inc. Spins off Tributes Inc., Raises $4.2 Million - Charlestown, MA

Eons, a Charlestown-based provider of online communities for baby boomers, announced on Wednesday that it has spun off its obituary classified business, Tributes.com. As part of the deal, Dow Jones & Co. has led a $4.2 million first round of venture capital for the newly spun off company, which offers an online community that provides "support during times of loss and grieving." The site also includes an extensive obituary database with obituary records dating back to the early 1900s and provides a resource for genealogy and documenting family connections.

http://obits.eons.com/

Yahoo Acquires Cambridge's Maven Networks for $160 Million - Cambridge, MA

Looking to expand its online video capabilities, Yahoo said on Tuesday that it has acquired Maven Networks, the Cambridge-based developer of an Internet video platform, for about $160 million. Maven's platform is used to manage, distribute and monetize premium online video content for more than 30 major media companies, including Fox News, Sony BMG, CBS Sports, Hearst, Gannett, Scripps Networks and the Financial Times. Yahoo said that it plans to invest in the growth of Maven's overall video business, expanding its video monetization services. "Video is projected to be the fastest growing segment of the online ad market, and Maven will significantly help advance Yahoo's strategy," said Hilary Schneider, Yahoo's executive vice president of global partner solutions. Maven has become a unit of Yahoo and will continue to operate from its offices in Cambridge, Mass.

http://yhoo.client.shareholder.com/press/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=293433

Tizor Systems Raises $8.3 Million in Third RoundMaynard, Mass. --

Tizor Systems, a Maynard-based provider of data auditing and protection technology for the data center, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $8.3 million in a third round of venture capital, led by Longworth Venture Partners. Other investors in the deal include Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Masthead Venture Partners, Navigator Technology Ventures and Common Angels. "As part of the financing, a partner at one of Tizor's venture capital backers made a substantial personal investment," the company announced. Tizor provides companies with data auditing and protection software capable of risk assessment, monitoring, reporting and alerting in the data center.

http://www.tizor.com

Vaultus Mobile Technologies Raises $6 Million in VC - Boston, MA

Vaultus, a Boston-based developer of business software for handheld devices, has raised $6 million in a new round of venture capital, led by Point Judith Capital. Founded in 2000, Vaultus Mobile Technologies is a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The company's mobile application platform is supported on both BlackBerry and Microsoft-based hand-held devices.

http://www.vaultus.com

ByAllAccounts Raises $5 Million in First Round - Woburn, MA

ByAllAccounts, a Woburn-based provider of data for investment management and advisory firms, has raised $5 million in its first round of venture capital, led by Commonwealth Capital Ventures. Founded in 1999, ByAllAccounts provides access to financial account data from thousands of custodians and supports account reconciliation, performance analysis and consolidated reporting. The company said that it plans to use the funding to further support sales, marketing and product development initiatives.

http://www.byallaccounts.com

Advanced Technology Ventures Raises $303 Million Fund - Waltham, MA

Advanced Technology Ventures (ATV), a Waltham-based venture capital firm, has raised $303 for a new investment fund, the firm's eighth. Founded in 1979, ATV focuses on communications, infrastructure, software and services, consumer technology, biopharmaceuticals, medical devices and emerging technologies. The firm now has a total of $1.4 billion in capital under management.

http://www.atvcapital.com/news.php?id=564

uLocate Communications Acquires Boston-based Start-up Zync - Boston, MA

uLocate Communications, a Boston-based developer of location-based applications, announced on Thursday that it has acquired Zync, a Boston-based start-up that develops web-based technologies that provide users with recommendations for local events and activities, based on the preferences of "like-minded" individuals. uLocate said that -- combined with its location-based mobile products -- Zync's technologies will accelerate the delivery of new mobile and web applications. Zync's employees will join uLocate’s existing team of mobile and location based service technologists, the company announced. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

http://www.ulocate.com

VKernel Raises $4.6 Million in First Round - Portsmouth, NH

VKernel, a Portsmouth-based provider of appliances for managing virtual server environments, has raised $4.6 million in its first round of venture capital, which was co-led by Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and Polaris Venture Partners. VKernel, which first launched in January 2007, is building a line of "plug-and-play" virtual appliances designed to quickly solve systems management challenges as organizations migrate to virtual server environments. The company's appliance is certified by EMC's VMware, and allows IT groups to monitor resource consumption of each virtual machine, resource pool, host, or cluster, according to VKernel.

http://www.vkernel.com/

Liquid Machines Raises $10 Million in Fourth Round - Waltham, MA

Liquid Machines, a Waltham-based provider of intellectual property rights management and protection software, has raised $10 million in its fourth round of venture capital, led by RRE Ventures. Other investors in the deal include Goldman, Sachs, Atlas Venture, Masthead Ventures and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Liquid Machines' software applies access and usage controls and data that allow employees to securely collaborate and work with native file formats and applications. The company said that the new investment funds will be used in part to begin Liquid Machines' international distribution.

http://www.liquidmachines.com

Microsoft bids to acquire Yahoo

Microsoft has made an unsolicited offer to buy Yahoo for $44.6 billion in cash and stock in what would be the biggest Internet deal since the Time Warner-AOL merger. Microsoft said on Friday it offered $31 per share for Yahoo, or a 62 percent premium over the Internet media company's closing stock price on Nasdaq Thursday. Yahoo, whose shares jumped to $30.75 in premarket trading, said it would evaluate the bid.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/01/technology/microsoft_yahoo/?postversion=2008020110

Yahoo is looking to acquire Maven Networks - Cambridge, MA

Per Mass High Tech

Yahoo Inc. is in the final stages of a deal to acquire Cambridge-based video hosting and distribution company Maven Networks Inc., a source close to the deal has confirmed. Published reports place the value of the deal between $150 million and $160 million.

http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2008/01/28/daily40.html