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In Private Capital
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From Super Angels to Buyout Titans, Harvard's VC & PE Conference showcased the industry's biggest players.
"It's never too early to
fire the CEO," so proclaimed Morris Miller, quoting an unnamed, top tier Venture Capitalist. Morris, an Angel Investor, and no fan of institutional VCs, regaled the audience with interesting, and sometimes shocking anecdotes at Harvard Business School's 18th Venture Capital & Private Equity Conference. Attending a number of the wide ranging panel discussions and keynotes, VC News Daily Editor, Michael Stern, soaked up comments from some of private capital's heaviest hitters.
Algae Power! Will Americans forego sugary snacks for algae tablets?
What do Red Bull and
algae tablets have in common? They're both popular consumer items in Japan - and if Catharine Arnston has her way, they'll both be billion-dollar markets in America. Arnston formed Naughtybits to sell bite-sized, algae dietary supplements, and was recently profiled in a PBS program on America's nutrition crisis. The Cambridge, MA entrepreneur talked with VC News Daily to explain how Naughtybits seeks to change the way Americans eat.
BostonBeta Invades the Local Tech Networking Scene!
Yes, there's WebInno, MassInnovation Nights, 128ICG, Capital Network and legions more local tech-entrepreneur-startup-VC networking events. But Christian Perry, a local entrepreneur with a long history of founding short-lived startups, believes more socializing, mixed with business, is just the right cocktail for the entrepreneurial scene.
Q & A with
Scott Kirsner

Boston's #1 Tech
Columnist
Talks Shop.
For nearly 15 years Scott Kirsner has been Boston's leading Technology columnist. With a Rolodex fatter than a Souvlaki sandwich, Kirsner keeps tabs on the region's entrepreneurial and venture capital community. Very little escapes his purview, and he is eminently adept at distilling esoteric tech topics into prose accessible for the layman and not just the geek. For this interview, Kirsner sat down with VC News Daily's publisher and provided pithy insights into the Route 128 area's Tech scene. No stone went unturned as Kirsner tackled the Non-Funding of Facebook, complacent suburban VCs, and the viability of "Frat houses for Geeks."
Hello Lover!
Open Runway Seeks Shoe Lovers of the World
Forget Manolo Blahnik! Monika Desai thinks Carrie Bradhsaw*-like Fashionistas can create scintillating foot couture on their own. Targeting a slice of the $30 billion women spend every year on handbags and shoes, Desai is imminently launching a technology driven, fashion design platform called Open Runway. VC News Daily reporter Dennis Mayer caught up with the would-be fashion mogul for a preview of the startup. *(Sex and the City shoe-obsessed character)
Are You Nuts About "The Donald?"
Fantourage can turn a Facebook fantasy into a meeting with the mogul.
If you Like Donald Trump
on Facebook, give him some real love at Fantourage. The Boston startup's Facebook game turns celebrity obsessed fans into revenue producing buzz makers. By tracking fans' activity on various social media platforms, Fantourage awards points for every wall post, tweet, blog entry, "like", link, and more that fans devote to their favorite singer, athlete, or reality TV star. VC News Daily reporter, Dennis Mayer, spoke with Fantouage Co-Founder & COO, Mathew Focht, about the company's quest to monetize Facebook fan fixations.
Recent VC Financings

MUNDELEIN, IL, Leader in enterprise data management solutions, announced the closing of a $50 million round of growth capital. The investment was led by FTV Capital and included Liberty Mutual Insurance. more...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Maker of crowd-driven mobile applications, announced today it has closed a special round of new debt financing from Silicon Valley Bank. more...

DUBLIN, IRELAND, Privately-held, biopharmaceutical development raises EURO 3 million. more...

MARLBOROUGH, MA, Firm's product enables customers to centralize more desktops on data center servers and realize the full potential of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure. more...

PITTSBURGH, PA, Intelligent language learning company recently secured its Series B funding for $3.4 million. more...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Leading distributed energy company, today announced it has received investment funds and business development support from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. more...

RESTON, VA, Provider of advanced enterprise mobile application management (MAM) services, today announced the completion of its $750,000 second-round funding. Investors include Valhalla Partners. more...

AUSTIN, TX, Pioneer in I/O consolidation and next-generation networking solutions, today announced it has closed a Series F funding round of $12.3 million. more...

MANCHESTER, NH, Provider of High Speed Internet Access solutions, today announced the receipt of $10 million in funding from Boston-based Tudor Growth Equity. more...

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, Zyga Technology announced that it has raised $25 million in a Series C financing led by new investor Versant Ventures of Menlo Park, California. more...

PALO ALTO, CA, Rakuten, one of the world's largest online marketplaces, today announced that it is leading a $100M investment in Pinterest, with participation from existing investors more...

AUSTIN, TX, Technology leader in social curation and integration, today announced that it has closed $3.3 million in venture capital funding. more...

CLEVELAND, OH, Edison Ventures announced a $7.5 million investment in Cleveland, OH-based Vox Mobile. Edison led the financing, with limited partner Permal Capital participating. more...

TORONTO, CANADA, Maker of free, cloud-based accounting software for small businesses, has closed on $12 million in Series B financing. more...

NEW ORLEANS, LA, Biotechnology company developing evidence-based cobiotic products that modify the bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to support health and well-being, today announced that it has closed a $1.5 million Series A financing. more...

CHICAGO, IL, Software as a service (SaaS) company that has designed technology to help marketers announced $1.5 million in Series A Funding. more...

PHILADELPHIA, PA, Leading monitoring and analytics platform for socially curated sites announces seed funding round of $750,000 from NEA, First Round Capital and MentorTech. more...

SAN MATEO, CA, Medical device company that manufactures the world's first non-surgical and removable hearing device to transmit sound via the teeth, today announced that it has closed a $25 million Series D round. more...

HONG KONG, CHINA, First online vacation rental services provider in China received round of capital led by Lightspeed China Partners. more...

TEWKSBURY, MA, Cardiac device company leading the way in percutaneous mitral valve repair, today announced the closing of a $35 million Series D round of funding. more...

CHICAGO, IL, Keating Capital announced that it has made a $5 million investment in the Series C Convertible Preferred Stock round of SilkRoad Technology Holdings. more...

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL, Provider of advanced water treatment solutions and technology, announced today that it has secured an equity investment led by Liberation Capital. more...

BOSTON, MA, Online game company founded by serial entrepreneur Steve Kane, has raised $3.5 million in venture capital. more...

MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND, New online shopping experience has secured 2 million pounds of new investment in a funding round led by specialist investment manager Oxford Capital. more...

PROVO, UT, Accel and Sequoia will provide a range of services and $70 million to help Qualtrics expand its SaaS product offerings beyond market research. more...

CINCINNATI, OH, Alternative borrowing software-as-a-service lending platform focused on the social, mobile and local aspects of the loan market, has closed a $1.17 million seed-stage investment round. more...

STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN, Online eye tracking technology developer, announced today that it has closed its first institutional round of funding of $3 million more...

PALO ALTO, CA, Firm with product helping users take control of healthcare expenses, raised $6 million in a Series A round of venture capital funding led by The Social+Capital Partnership. The round also includes existing seed investor Greylock Partners. more...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Online retailer of independently designed fashion and decor, has closed a $25 million round of funding led by Norwest Venture Partners (NVP). more...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Auster Capital Partners, a private equity and investment advisory firm, announced today that it has completed a Series A investment in BinWise, the leading provider of cloud-based beverage management solutions. more...