Posts Tagged ‘VA’
Monday, July 25th, 2011
Canvas, which provides a mobile business application service that makes it easy to find, customize and publish business apps for mobile devices, has closed the first $1.2 million in a $1.75 million Series B funding round. The round was led by an investment from Motorola Solutions Venture Capital, the strategic investment arm of Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI), which offers an industry-leading portfolio of mobile computing devices.
Ninety-five percent of an estimated 400 million mobile workers still rely on paper forms to conduct business. Canvas’ mobile application platform enables businesses to find, create, deploy and share mobile business applications that significantly reduce the need for paper forms and surveys, paper consumption and redundant data entry.
Canvas, founded in Reston, VA, in 2008, enables mobile professionals to collect information using their mobile devices, analyze that data on the Canvas web site, and share information across their business community.
In addition, Canvas has developed the first mobile business app store of its kind allowing business users to find mobile applications that work on a wide variety of mobile devices, with every application being customizable by Canvas users. The Canvas mobile app store now has more than 750 apps across numerous verticals, including transportation & logistics, healthcare, retail & wholesale distribution, government, education, hospitality and manufacturing.
“Canvas is well positioned at the epicenter of several shifts underway in the mobile business application market, including an increasingly mobile workforce and growing adoption of smartphones, tablets and enterprise digital assistant devices,” said Reese Schroeder, managing director, Motorola Solutions Venture Capital. “With a proven management team, differentiated product offering and a scalable go-to-market strategy we are confident Canvas will continue to gain rapid traction in a ‘mobile apps for business’ market just beginning to take off.”
Tags: Canvas, financing, find mobile apps for business, mobile busienss apps market, mobile business apps service, Motorola Solutions, Reston, VA
Posted in Internet/New Media, IT, Mobile, Money, smartphones, Telecommunications | Comments Off
Monday, July 25th, 2011
 Travel sites continued to gain traffic in June as this extremely hot summer got underway, and sporting goods and toy sites also saw gains as parents sought ways to keep kids home from school occupied. So says the latest comScore Media Metrix report on top online properties for June 2011. High gas prices may also have something to do with some gains: Amtrak.com ranked number one among travel sites with 2.6 million visitors.
Travel Bug Quickly Spreads in June
An all-time high of 116 million people visited the Travel category in June, with half of the month’s top-gaining categories falling under this umbrella. Travel – Ground/Cruise sites saw the strongest gains, up 14 percent to nearly 13.5 million visitors. Amtrak.com ranked #1 with 2.6 million visitors (up 14 percent), followed by FirstGroup plc with 2.2 million (up 22 percent). Rivals staked out third and fourth place in the ranking, with Carnival Cruise Lines attracting 1.5 million visitors (up 9 percent) and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd with 1.1 million visitors (up 19 percent).
Hotel and Resort sites also saw a boost during the month with 34.8 million people visiting the category, up 13 percent versus May. Hilton Hotels took the top spot with 5.4 million visitors (up 24 percent), followed closely by Marriott with 5.4 million (up 18 percent). Choice Hotels International attracted 4.0 million visitors in June (up 40 percent), followed by InterContinental Hotels Group with 3.9 million and Wyndham Worldwide with 3.5 million, up 25 and 23 percent, respectively.
Online Travel Agent sites were popular among travelers looking to shop around for vacation deals and package discounts, rising 10 percent to 42 million visitors in June. Expedia Inc reached 28.1 million visitors during the month (up 15 percent), followed by Priceline.com Incorporated with 13.5 million (up 16 percent), Orbitz Worldwide with 10.9 million (up 10 percent), Fareportal Media Group with 7.5 million (up 1 percent) and Travelocity with 7.1 million (up 14 percent).
Americans Shop Sporting Goods and Toys for Summer Fun
Retail – Sports/Outdoor sites took the #2 spot on the top-growing categories list as Americans embraced the warm weather with outdoor activity. More than 32 million people visited the category during the month, up 14 percent overall, with eBay Sports U.S. earning the top ranking with 3.9 million visitors (up 18 percent). SportsAuthority.com came in second with 3.0 million visitors (up 94 percent), followed by DicksSportingGoods.com with 2.7 million visitors (up 15 percent). Cabelas Inc saw 2.4 million visitors (up 24 percent), while BassPro.com rounded out the top five with 1.7 million (up 20 percent).
ComScore says 15.7 million Americans visited a Toy site in June, as parents looked for ways to keep their kids entertained while out of school for the summer. Toysrus Sites led the category with 5.9 million visitors (up 16 percent), followed by The LEGO Group with 2.5 million (up 11 percent), Disney Shopping with 1.2 million (up 7 percent) and AmericanGirl.com with 890,000 (up 26 percent).
Top 50 Properties
Google Sites ranked as the #1 property in June with 182.5 million visitors, followed by Yahoo! Sites with 178.4 million and Microsoft Sites with 173.6 million. Amazon Sites jumped 1 position to rank #6 with 95.8 million visitors, Disney Online jumped 8 positions to #32 (32.6 million visitors), and Twitter.com jumped 9 positions to #37 (30.6 million visitors). Expedia Inc appeared in the top 50 ranking at #39 (28.1 million visitors).
Top 50 Ad Focus Ranking
Google Ad Network led the June Ad Focus ranking with a reach of 92.8 percent of Americans online, followed by Yahoo! Network Plus (86.3 percent), AOL Advertising (85.9 percent), Yahoo! Sites (83.2 percent) and Google (82.2)
| Table 1 |
|
comScore Top 10 Gaining Properties by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors* (U.S.)June 2011 vs. May 2011
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University LocationsSource: comScore Media Metrix |
|
| |
Total Unique Visitors (000) |
|
| |
May-11 |
Jun-11 |
% Change |
Rank by Unique Visitors |
|
| Total Internet : Total Audience |
216,250 |
214,474 |
-1 |
N/A |
|
| ABC Family |
1,869 |
6,627 |
255 |
226 |
|
| American Express |
8,058 |
11,323 |
41 |
134 |
|
| Dish Network Corporation |
6,067 |
8,086 |
33 |
188 |
|
| The Mozilla Organization |
13,135 |
16,351 |
24 |
92 |
|
| ImageShack |
7,957 |
9,761 |
23 |
158 |
|
| Groupon |
12,032 |
14,473 |
20 |
107 |
|
| EA Online |
13,224 |
15,884 |
20 |
94 |
|
| Zynga.com |
5,912 |
7,066 |
20 |
208 |
|
| UrbanDictionary.com |
5,235 |
6,190 |
18 |
240 |
|
| WildTangent Media |
17,063 |
20,021 |
17 |
67 |
|
| *Ranking based on the top 250 properties in Jun e 2011. Excludes entities whose growth was primarily due to tagging through unified digital audience measurement. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Table 2 |
|
| comScore Top 10 Gaining Site Categories by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors (U.S.)June 2011 vs. May 2011Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix |
|
| |
Total Unique Visitors (000) |
|
| May-11 |
Jun-11 |
% Change |
|
| Total Internet : Total Audience |
216,250 |
214,474 |
-1 |
|
| Community – Pets |
19,123 |
22,061 |
15 |
|
| Retail – Sports/Outdoor |
28,719 |
32,665 |
14 |
|
| Travel – Ground/Cruise |
11,852 |
13,466 |
14 |
|
| Travel – Hotels/Resorts |
30,825 |
34,774 |
13 |
|
| Travel – Transactions |
3,806 |
4,258 |
12 |
|
| Retail – Toys |
14,077 |
15,737 |
12 |
|
| Services – Incentives |
21,248 |
23,653 |
11 |
|
| Travel – Online Travel Agents |
38,214 |
41,996 |
10 |
|
| Travel – Car Rental |
6,343 |
6,958 |
10 |
|
| Health – Pharmacy |
4,800 |
5,244 |
9 |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| Table 3 |
|
comScore Top 50 Properties (U.S.)
June 2011
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix |
|
| Rank |
Property |
Unique Visitors(000) |
|
Rank |
Property |
Unique Visitors(000) |
|
| |
Total Internet : Total Audience |
214,474 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1 |
Google Sites |
182,537 |
|
26 |
Technorati Media |
36,281 |
|
| 2 |
Yahoo! Sites |
178,383 |
|
27 |
ESPN |
36,204 |
|
| 3 |
Microsoft Sites |
173,562 |
|
28 |
Wal-Mart |
35,807 |
|
| 4 |
Facebook.com |
160,879 |
|
29 |
LinkedIn.com |
33,904 |
|
| 5 |
AOL, Inc. |
110,447 |
|
30 |
Tribune Interactive |
33,556 |
|
| 6 |
Amazon Sites |
95,771 |
|
31 |
Adobe Sites |
33,214 |
|
| 7 |
Turner Digital |
93,382 |
|
32 |
Disney Online |
32,553 |
|
| 8 |
Glam Media |
85,987 |
|
33 |
AT&T Interactive Network |
32,178 |
|
| 9 |
Ask Network |
84,810 |
|
34 |
Yelp.com |
31,276 |
|
| 10 |
Viacom Digital |
81,645 |
|
35 |
iVillage.com: The Womens Network |
30,869 |
|
| 11 |
CBS Interactive |
73,981 |
|
36 |
Superpages.com Network |
30,767 |
|
| 12 |
Apple Inc. |
73,188 |
|
37 |
Twitter.com |
30,649 |
|
| 13 |
Wikimedia Foundation Sites |
71,804 |
|
38 |
WordPress |
28,892 |
|
| 14 |
VEVO |
66,396 |
|
39 |
Expedia Inc |
28,150 |
|
| 15 |
eBay |
65,474 |
|
40 |
Netflix.com |
27,751 |
|
| 16 |
New York Times Digital |
62,883 |
|
41 |
NBC Universal |
27,676 |
|
| 17 |
Demand Media |
60,037 |
|
42 |
Break Media |
27,504 |
|
| 18 |
craigslist, inc. |
53,472 |
|
43 |
WeatherBug Property |
26,811 |
|
| 19 |
Comcast Corporation |
53,262 |
|
44 |
Everyday Health |
26,797 |
|
| 20 |
Fox Interactive Media |
47,987 |
|
45 |
WebMD Health |
24,762 |
|
| 21 |
Answers.com Sites |
41,691 |
|
46 |
Bank of America |
24,705 |
|
| 22 |
Federated Media Publishing |
41,515 |
|
47 |
Verizon Communications Corporation |
23,979 |
|
| 23 |
Gannett Sites |
40,706 |
|
48 |
Target Corporation |
23,810 |
|
| 24 |
Weather Channel, The |
40,118 |
|
49 |
IGN Entertainment |
23,613 |
|
| 25 |
NetShelter Technology Media |
36,536 |
|
50 |
Cox Enterprises Inc. |
23,482 |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Table 4 |
|
comScore Ad Focus Ranking (U.S.)
June 2011
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix |
|
| Rank |
Property |
Unique Visitors(000) |
% Reach |
|
Rank |
Property |
Unique Visitors(000) |
% Reach |
|
| |
Total Internet : Total Audience |
214,474 |
100.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1 |
Google Ad Network** |
198,995 |
92.8 |
|
26 |
ContextWeb** |
111,071 |
51.8 |
|
| 2 |
Yahoo! Network Plus** |
185,148 |
86.3 |
|
27 |
AOL, Inc. |
110,447 |
51.5 |
|
| 3 |
AOL Advertising** |
184,132 |
85.9 |
|
28 |
CPX Interactive** |
107,415 |
50.1 |
|
| 4 |
Yahoo! Sites |
178,383 |
83.2 |
|
29 |
Undertone** |
104,202 |
48.6 |
|
| 5 |
Google |
176,235 |
82.2 |
|
30 |
Bing |
97,908 |
45.7 |
|
| 6 |
ValueClick Networks** |
172,212 |
80.3 |
|
31 |
AdBlade Network** |
90,701 |
42.3 |
|
| 7 |
ShareThis |
167,772 |
78.2 |
|
32 |
Kontera** |
89,565 |
41.8 |
|
| 8 |
24/7 Real Media Global Web Alliance** |
167,563 |
78.1 |
|
33 |
Glam Media |
85,987 |
40.1 |
|
| 9 |
Specific Media (unified)** |
162,548 |
75.8 |
|
34 |
Meebo |
85,494 |
39.9 |
|
| 10 |
Facebook.com |
160,879 |
75.0 |
|
35 |
Ask Network |
84,810 |
39.5 |
|
| 11 |
Tribal Fusion** |
160,443 |
74.8 |
|
36 |
Windows Live |
79,077 |
36.9 |
|
| 12 |
AdBrite** |
159,851 |
74.5 |
|
37 |
Monster Career Ad Network (CAN)** |
77,941 |
36.3 |
|
| 13 |
Collective Display** |
159,429 |
74.3 |
|
38 |
Lotame Solutions** |
71,489 |
33.3 |
|
| 14 |
Burst Media** |
147,678 |
68.9 |
|
39 |
Amazon.com |
66,789 |
31.1 |
|
| 15 |
Cox Digital Solutions – Network** |
143,711 |
67.0 |
|
40 |
Demand Media |
60,037 |
28.0 |
|
| 16 |
AudienceScience** |
142,551 |
66.5 |
|
41 |
MediaWhiz** |
59,893 |
27.9 |
|
| 17 |
interclick** |
141,458 |
66.0 |
|
42 |
Goodway Group** |
59,769 |
27.9 |
|
| 18 |
Microsoft Media Network US** |
141,315 |
65.9 |
|
43 |
MTV Networks Music |
58,301 |
27.2 |
|
| 19 |
Traffic Marketplace** |
140,456 |
65.5 |
|
44 |
Technorati Media** |
57,851 |
27.0 |
|
| 20 |
FOX Audience Network** |
136,902 |
63.8 |
|
45 |
RMM (formerly Red McCombs Media)** |
54,004 |
25.2 |
|
| 21 |
Casale Media – MediaNet** |
136,640 |
63.7 |
|
46 |
Brand.net Network** |
52,138 |
24.3 |
|
| 22 |
Vibrant Media** |
134,556 |
62.7 |
|
47 |
Redux Media Network** |
44,787 |
20.9 |
|
| 23 |
Adconion Media Group** |
126,258 |
58.9 |
|
48 |
Federated Media Network** |
43,772 |
20.4 |
|
| 24 |
MSN |
121,919 |
56.8 |
|
49 |
CNN |
43,445 |
20.3 |
|
| 25 |
YouTube.com* |
121,422 |
56.6 |
|
50 |
Ybrant Global Network** |
43,225 |
20.2 |
|
Reach % denotes the percentage of the total Internet population that viewed a particular entity at least once in June. For instance, Yahoo! Sites was seen by 83.2 percent of the 214 million Internet users in June.
* Entity has assigned some portion of traffic to other syndicated entities.
** Denotes an advertising network. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Tags: Amtrak.com, comScore, Cruise lines, online travel agent sites, Reston, sporting goods web sites, top 50 web properties June 2011, top media properties june 2011, toy sites, travel web sites, VA
Posted in Internet/New Media, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Friday, July 15th, 2011
 Reston, VA-based Razorsight, a firm developing web-based financial business intelligence and analytics software for communications service companies, has raised $7.3 million of an equity round targeted at $10 million, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company’s tools audit and analyze more than $50 billion in spending and revenue data from its partners.
Pong Research raises $5M for smartphone cases
Middleburg, VA-based Pong Research, which makes cases for cell phones intended to protect users from their radiation, has raised $5 million in equity funding, according to an SEC filing. Pong makes caes for HTC EVO, Droid, iPhone, and Blackberry phones.
Nible Storage lands $25M
Nimble Storage, developer of the first converged storage and backup solution, today announced that it has received $25 million in an over-subscribed Series D round of funding led by Artis Capital Management.
Artis Capital Management was the largest shareholder of Data Domain, which was purchased by EMC for $2.1 billion. Nimble Storage’s existing investors Accel Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital also contributed to the round. The investment will be used to support the company’s rapid growth by expanding sales internationally and is expected to bring it to profitability.
Based on the company’s patent-pending Cache Accelerated Sequential Layout (CASL™) architecture, the CS-Series enables fast inline data compression, intelligent data optimization leveraging flash memory and high-capacity disk, instant optimized backups, and WAN-efficient replication in a single device. This approach dramatically lowers equipment costs, reduces backup and restore time from hours to seconds, and streamlines storage management.
Tags: financings, Funded, Middleburg, Nimble Storage, Pong Reseach, Razorsight, Reston, SEC filings, VA
Posted in Internet/New Media, IT, Money, Potomac, Uncategorized, Virginia | Comments Off
Tuesday, July 5th, 2011
 RESTON, VA – The digital measurement firm comScore has chalked up a two-year, $50 million revolving credit deal with the Bank of America.
The company will pay interest only monthly on the debt. Outstanding principal and interest will be due at maturity.
The money will be used for working capital and general corporate purposes.
Tags: Bank of America, comScore, digital measurment, Reston, revolving credit facility, VA
Posted in Carolinas, Internet/New Media, Money, North Carolina | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
 Wilmington, MA-based Lilliputian Systems Inc. has raised more than half, $11.12 million, of an offering targeted at $21 million, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Previously the advanced micro battery firm raised more than $90 million in venture backing.
Researchers at the M.I.T. Microsystems Technology Laboratory, develops microchip sized batteries that can power hand held electronic devices for a week. It is fueled by recyclable high energy fuel cartridges. The technology is reliable, safe (approved for use on aircraft) and environmentally friendly (6x more efficient/lower carbon footprint than using a wall charger).
Investors include Fairhaven Capital and Rockport Capital, both based in Massachusetts.
Video tech provider On Demand Real Time raises $1M in debt and equity
New York-based On Demand Real Time, a company selling technology for video replay on mobile devices, has raised $1 million in convertible debt and equity, according to a filing with the SEC.
The company is developing what it says is the first commercially deployable system for instant video replay on mobile devices called PlayItOver. It is working on consumer apps for mobile devices.
It also offers LiveClips, an SaaS product that can automatically create video clips of live sporting events and deliver them to the web or mobile devices in seconds.
LucidMedia Networks nabs $5.4 for digital ad management platform
Reston, VA-based LucidMedia Networks has raised $5.43 million of a $6.18 million offering, according to an SEC filing. The company sells a demand-side platform that includes page-level contextual analysis and intelligent real time bidding as either self-service or managed service to interactive agencie and brand advertisers.
Glympse grabs $7.5M for location-sharing app
Redmond, WA-based Glympse has raised $7.5 million in Series B funding co-led by Menlo Ventures and Ignition Partners. www.glympse.com
Tags: device battery that lasts a week, digital ad platforms, Energy, fundings, Glympse, Lilliputian Systems, LiveClips, LucidMedia, M&A, M.I.T., micro battery, New York, On Demand Real Time, PlayitOver, Reston, VA, venture fundings, video replay on mobile devices, Wilmington
Posted in Energy, Money, video | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
 HERNDON, VA – The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) has named Sean Mallon, an experienced entrepreneur and investor, as Senior Investment Director for the CIT GAP Funds.
As Senior Investment Director, Mallon will be responsible for sourcing, diligence, and closing of seed- and early-stage investments on the GAP Tech Fund. He will also serve as a board representative to selected portfolio companies and help guide companies toward their next stage of growth and development.
Tom Weithman, CIT GAP Funds Managing Director, said, “The CIT GAP Funds represent a valuable investment vehicle that is addressing the lack of early-stage funding opportunities for Virginia’s promising entrepreneurs. As an investor and entrepreneur, Sean understands this market need and will be a great addition to our professional team. We are excited to have him as we continue to help grow emerging technology companies and jobs.”
Mallon joins CIT with 17 years of investment and start-up experience focused on aggressive corporate growth, transformation, and optimization. From 1999 to 2003, Mallon was a principal at Mid-Atlantic Venture Funds, a $200-million early-stage venture capital firm focused on technology companies in the mid-Atlantic region. Since 2003 he has held senior marketing, business development, and operating positions at Sentori, Qmobile, and Simplexity.
Tags: Herndon, VA, Virginia's CIT GAP Funds names Sean Mallon senior investment director
Posted in People, Potomac, Virginia | Comments Off
Friday, June 10th, 2011
 ATLANTA – JouleX, the leading innovator in enterprise energy management systems for data centers, distributed office environments, and facilities, today announced it received $17 million in investment capital from new investors Sigma Partners, Flybridge Capital Partners and Intel Capital, in addition to existing investors Target Partners and TechOperators. JouleX plans to use the capital to expand its development and sales footprint into growth markets around the world.
The company’s technology platform, JouleX Energy Manager (JEM), is the first network-based, “agentless” energy management system that measures the energy consumption and utilization of all network-connected devices and systems to provide visibility into power usage across the enterprise.
Deployed in distributed offices, data centers and facilities, the JEM technology reduces energy costs by monitoring, analyzing and controlling energy usage of all network-connected devices and systems—no client-side agents or hardware meters required.
This sort of energy management tech is gaining acceptance globally as a way to save both money and energy. Think about how much energy is wasted just by idle equipment running in most offices.
JouleX has approximately 100 customers throughout North America and Europe and recently announced the opening of a new office in Tokyo, Japan.
Alexandria, VA-based Digital Signal Corp. lands $12.61M for 3D facial recognition tech
Digital Signal Corp. has raised $12.61 milion of a $15 million offering, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Eleven investors participated thus far.
Founded in 2001, hte company develops 3D long-range facial recognition solutions fo the government and security agencies.
Evil doers be forewarned, Big Brother technology is advancing by science-fiction-like leaps and bounds.
Boston-based Cloud Technology Partners closes $1.07M raise
Could Technology Partners, which sells cloud computing software, has raised $1.07 million from nine investors, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company sells strategic consulting and implementation services for planning and executing migration of business processes, apps, and customer data to private, public or hybrid clouds.
Lexington, MA-based stealth startup Wikets grabs $1.5M
Wikets Inc. has secured $1.5 million from nine investors for what is believed to be a ratings web site that allows users to post reviews and recommendations, but details are scanty on the stealth operation.
The company disclosed the raise in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Tags: 3D facial recognition, Alexandria, Atlanta, big brother is watching, Boston, cloud migration tech, Cloud Technology Partners, Digital Signal Corp., energy management, JouleX, Lexington, M&A, ratings site, SEC filings, VA, venture fundings, Wikets
Posted in Cloud, Energy, Government/Defense, Internet/New Media, IT, Money | Comments Off
Thursday, June 9th, 2011
 FUNDINGS – Boulder, Colorado-based Rally Software, which has offices in Raleigh, has raised $20 million in new funding led by Meritech Capital Partners. Meritech also backs Facebook, Salesforce.com, Zipcar, Presidio, Broadsoft, and NetSuite, among other well known tech firms.
Rally sells Agile application lifestyle management. According to a study by QSM Associates, software-driven companies that rely on Rally’s Agile ALM products and services are 50 percent faster to market and 25 percent more productive than industry averages.
Rally acquired Raleigh, NC-based Sixth Sense Analytics in 2010 and is hiring to fill two engineering positions in the Raleigh office. It currently has 17 employees. Vice President of Products, Todd Olson is based in Raleigh.
Coupons.com nabs whopping $200M round
Mt. View, CA-based Coupons.com, which provides digital coupons, has raised $200 million in new equity backing. The company did not name investors, but they’ll show up sooner or later in an SEC filing. It says up to $100 million of the funding will facilitate liquidity for employees and early investors.
Obviously, with Groupon, LivingSocial and a hoard of daily discount deal sites raking in venture backing of well over $1 billion, investors love anything to do with online discounts.
CT-based AdmantX gets $2.8M for semantic page-level analysis
 ADmantX has closed a $2.8 million in growth funding from Atlante Ventures Mezzogiorno, the venture capital Fund of Intesa Sanpaolo, an Italian bank. ADmantX sells cookieless tracking technology.
ADmantX offers an advanced semantic page-level analysis that surfaces reader emotions, behaviors, motivations and intentions in order to match ads with similar emotional appeal, without using tracking cookies. This is the first outside funding since ADmantX was spun off last year from Expert System, the leading global provider of semantic software.
ADmantX says it goes beyond relevant SEO and flat keyword-based terms, ensuring brand protection against questionable content for publishers, ad networks and various buy- and sell-platforms. It also incorporates emotional intelligence into the mix, increasing campaign segmentation and targeting for better ad reach and success.
Reston, VA-based App47 tallies $1M first round for mobile app development tools
App47 has raised $1 million in first round funding from Valhalla Partners. It closed the funding in January.
App47 says it delivers enterprise Mobile Application Management tools and intelligence to optimize the mobile user experience and provides a powerful, integrated, lifecycle view of mobile applications and the entire mobile user experience-without compromising the privacy of enterprise data.
Their cloud-based Mobile Application Management solution can be deployed in minutes, providing key analytics and performance data to assist in design, deployment, configuration, and security of mobile applications.
Founders are Chris Schroeder, CEO, and Sean McDemott, who earlier created RealOps, the pioneer in enterprise management Run Book Automation solutions, which was acquired by BMC Software in July 2007.
Schroeder saiys, “Our solution focuses on managing mobile applications, not devices, allowing enterprises to manage and automate highly complex, multi-tired mobility workflows. With App47′s powerful, context-aware tools and deep application intelligence, enterprises can ensure the best possible user experience for the mobile applications and unleash their true business value.”
The way mobile apps are thriving with only a third or so of cell phone users having smartphones bodes well for growth in the industry. One thing that sets mobile apart from the way the Internet developed is that people have been willing to pay for mobile apps from the start. The real question, of course, is how mobile app makers can develop ongoing revenue streams.
Still, we’re betting firms related to mobile apps will be coming out of the proverbial woodwork for the next several years. Any firm that helps developers figure out what works and what doesn’t and why is likely to do well, we suspect.
VirtuOZ gets $7M for intelligent virtual agents
VirtuOz Inc., s provider of intelligent virtual agents (IVAs) for online customer service, today announced that it has raised $7 million in additional funding from existing investors Mohr Davidow, Inventures Group and Galileo Partners to finance growth in the U.S. and E.U.
The company says its intelligent virtual agents offer companies a new channel for contemporary online customer service that delivers the best possible customer experience at one-tenth the cost of traditional channels.
The company processed over 144 million conversations on behalf of our customers in 2010 and with the largest number of live enterprise intelligent virtual agents for Global 2000 companies including eBay, SFR, H&R Block and L’Oreal.
San Diego-based Skinit secures $12M debt financing for customized electronic devices tech
Skinitwhich sells on-demand personalization of electronic devices, and home and automobile products, has closed a $12 million in debt financing from BlueCrest Capital Finance. The funds will be used to expand Skinit’s current initiatives for delivering personalization capabilities to consumers and support the company’s continued growth.
Skinit’s online ordering and customization tools allow consumers to create branded, designed, and personalized electronic device covers.
The growth strategy includes expansion of Skinit’s fully branded ecommerce partner sites and promotional landing pages, as well as wholesale, retail and B2B solutions. It already features an extensive library of licensed artwork from some of the most prominent brands in sports and entertainment including NFL skins and MLB skins, major colleges and universities, Disney, as well as original Skinit designs and works from independent artists.
Virginia-based Three Pillar Global gets $10M for mobile software development services
Fairfax, VA-based Three Pillar Global has received a $10 million investment from Texas-based Nestors Financial.
The company said it will use fhte funds to sclae its operations, expand its global footprint and possibly pursue acquisitions.
Three Pillar Global offers a flexible approach for clients through its innovative Virtual Development Centers that deliver transformative levels of productivity. The company, founded in 2006, has respected and leading customers in media, healthcare, education and financial services
Tags: AdmantX, agile app development, App47, BlueCrest Capital Finance, BMC Software, Boulder, CA, Chris Schroeder, CO, Coupons.com, Dallas, electronic device custimization, Fairfax, Galileo Partners, Inventures Group, Meritech Capital Partners, mobile app development management, Mohr Davidow, Mt. View, NC, Nestors Financial, Raleigh, Rally Software, RealOps, Reston, San Diego, SEan McDemott, semantic page analysis, skinit, skins for electronic devics, Three Pillar Global, TX, VA, Valhalla Partners, venture fundings, Virtuoz. virtual agents
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Wednesday, May 25th, 2011
 ALEXANDRIA, VA – Insite Wireless Group, a wireless tower owner/operator, has closed on a $6.5 million raise, according to a regulatory filing. Investors in the company include New York-based Catalyst Investors.
InSite Wireless Group owns InSite Wireless,, which specializes in the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of distributed antenna system (DAS) infrastructure solutions in convention centers, hotels and casinos, airports, sports stadiums, and transit systems, and InSite Towers, a privately owned wireless communication tower company headquartered in Alexandria, VA.
InSite Towers owns and operates approximately 400 wireless communication tower sites in the United States and Puerto Rico.
The company disclosed the raise in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: Alexandria, Insite Towers, Insite Wireless Group, SEC filings, VA, venture capital, wireless towers
Posted in Internet/New Media, Money, Potomac, Virginia | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011
 NEW YORK – PAETEC Holding Corp. (NASDAQ GS: PAET), a nationwide provider of comprehensive communications solutions, today announced the launch of an expanded portfolio of cloud-based products and the planned deployment of new data centers coast-to-coast. The move comes on the heels of a national study that says the majority of U.S. data centers are running out of space.
As part of its overall cloud and data center strategy and leveraging its breadth and depth of experience in the cloud and data center space, PAETEC plans to add 13 data centers coast-to-coast by the end of 2012 to its current set of seven centers which will result in the company operating 20 centers nationwide.
“With the advent of high-speed networks and continued migration of network intelligence into the cloud, the need for these network-based services has increased dramatically and we see that trend continuing into the future,” said Arunas Chesonis, chairman and CEO of PAETEC.
ETEC currently has data centers in Andover, Mass., Bethlehem and Conshohocken, Pa., Richmond, Va., Milwaukee, Wis., Houston, Tex., and Phoenix, Ariz.
In 2011, the company has plans to expand to McLean, Va., Tampa, Fla., Columbus, Ohio, Detroit, Mich., and Charlotte, N.C. In 2012, data centers are also planned for Dallas, Tex., Chicago, Ill., Northern California, Rochester, N.Y., Pittsburgh, Pa., Denver, Co., Atlanta, Ga. and a location in the Pacific Northwest.
Tags: Atlanta, Charlotte, FL, GA, McLean, NC, new data centers planned, PAETEC, Tampa, VA
Posted in Carolinas, Economic Development, Florida, Georgia, IT, North Carolina, Potomac, Virginia | Comments Off
Monday, May 23rd, 2011
 The Angel Venture Forum – D.C. (AVF), a group of investors, leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals in the Mid-Atlantic region, has launched a year-long networking and education programs designed to discover and develop early stage companies in the Washington metropolitan area. It is the first program of its kind in Washington D.C., with a consortium of individual investors from across the region seeking entrepreneurs who are in the midst of building their businesses.
The application process opened on May 1. All high- and low-tech early stage, as well as expansion stage, companies seeking up to $3 million in capital are encouraged to apply to participate.
The application deadline is August 1, 2011. All companies seeking angel funding or investor mentors should submit a business proposal online at: www.angelventureforum.com/id20.html and click Submit Application.
AVF-D.C. features five months of education and training programs for every applicant that applies. There are no membership fees – only a $150 application fee for companies is required, which includes unlimited access to all AVF education and training sessions, as well as direct feedback from experienced investors. The program formally kicks off July 12, with the AVF Academy, a day-long education, training and networking session that prepares entrepreneurs on how to most effectively find and work with angel investors.
The program culminates with a select number of companies presenting their business plans to accredited private investors on October 18 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Unique Program
The Angel Venture Forum provides a unique, all-in-one education, networking and training program that screens, prepares and grooms best-of-class entrepreneurs for accredited investors over a five month period prior to the Forum.
Fifty semi-finalists will be selected from an expected pool of 150 company applications by a panel of active angel investors after a day of live presentations by the companies on September 8. Ultimately, 30 companies will be selected and groomed to further present their company and to network at the Angel Venture Forum on October 18.
According to Ryan Meinzer, founder and CEO of PlaySay.com, a language learning technology, AVF provided him with real world guidance on how to court investors. “Working with AVF, I learned investors are interested in traction, the product’s appeal, an experienced team and social proof,” says Meinzer.
“This helped us to effectively scale with the help of trusted advisors.” The company now employs five people, including programmers and a linguistic specialist, product people and metric specialists. One day this month, PlaySay saw more than 500 users sign up for their service.
Rooted in Success
Valerie Gaydos, angel investor, founder of Capital Growth, and former Director of the Baltimore Technology Council, ran the Angel Venture Fair in Philadelphia (no affiliation) for the past six years, making it one of the most prolific angel venture networking programs on the East Coast. Since its founding in 1998, more than $30 million has been raised by emerging growth companies in first round and follow-on capital.
When asked about her change in venue from Philadelphia to D.C., Gaydos said she was approached by several colleagues in the angel community about bringing her network to Washington D.C.
“It became apparent that nothing like this exists in the greater Washington, D.C. market,” says Gaydos. “There is a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, many active angel investors groups, several private investors and many valuable supporting organizations, but there is no organization with the scale and scope of resources to bring many of these interest groups together in one place in this sort of way.”
Treating Entrepreneurs with Respect
Growing a start-up into a scalable business takes time, money and resources. While the Internet provides access to a wealth of information, experts who have grown successful companies point out that access to and engagement with professionals who have the experience and expertise to scale a business is critical.
Lenard J. Harac, PhD, a partner of the Angel Venture Forum, and a consultant who shows small businesses how to build successful enterprises, says the value of this program extends well beyond a financial investment,
“There is no shortage of organizations and events designed to help start-ups,” says Harac. “What sets the Angel Venture Forum apart is we provide more than money; We set up entrepreneurs to succeed well after the event ends. We stay with them to make introductions to advisors and strategic partners that not only provide direction, but put the business owner on a glide path for success.”
Fulfilling a Need
“There is definitely a need in this market,” says Alex Castelli, Principal at the Reznick Group in Vienna, VA. “It is still difficult for a start-up to get bank financing. And in most cases, venture capitalists find these companies too small to take an active interest in.”
Castelli points out that entrepreneurs benefit from more than just financing alone. “It’s not just the money; The mentoring by these investors is critical to these companies. Angels are successful entrepreneurs who have been there, done that. They commit themselves to groom and grow these companies who lack the experience.”
Scarcity of deals
“Starting a company is about surviving long enough to be relevant,” says Dean Rutley, a venture capital attorney with Womble Carlyle in Tysons Corner, Va. “Having access to sophisticated, experienced angels who provide insight and advice increases a start-up’s odds of being one of the ‘survivors.’
Statistics suggest a regional start-up group could help spur deal making. According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers/National Venture Capital Association MoneyTree™ report, first quarter 2011 data shows investment deals in start-ups in Maryland dropped from 18 to 16, and the amount of investment fell from $89 to $86 million.
Deals in the District of Columbia inched up from two to three, but the amount of investment plummeted from $26 to $7 million. One bright spot was Northern Virginia, where transactions increased from 12 to 19 and amount of investment increased from $90 to $102 million.
Tags: Alex Castelli, Angel Venture Forum launches year-long program for Potomac area startups, Capital Growth, DC, Maryland startups, networking programs, Philadelphia, PlaySay.com, Reznick Group, Ryan Meinzer, VA, Valeria Gaydos, Vienna
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
Friday, May 13th, 2011
 Updata Partners, a technology focused private equity firm, has agreed to acquire the Internet Security Business Unit (the “ISBU”) of CA Technologies. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
The ISBU has a 10-year history of providing endpoint security solutions — including anti-malware and anti-virus — to consumers and businesses worldwide. More than 60,000 businesses across a wide spectrum of industries have deployed the unit’s solutions. The new company, which will be called Total Defense, Inc., will be formed as the security software market is entering a period of rapid change.
This transaction does not affect CA Technologies enterprise security business, which is focused primarily on identity and access management software.
IDC estimates the corporate endpoint security market will grow from $7.1 billion in 2010 to $9.9 billion in 2014.
Updata has offices in Edison, NJ and Reston, VA.
Tags: CA, Edison, Internet security, NJ, Reston, Total Defense, Updata Partners, VA
Posted in Acquisitions, Potomac, Security, Virginia | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
RESTON, VA – Online retail spending reached $38.0 billion for the quarter, up 12 percent versus year ago. This growth rate represented the sixth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and second consecutive quarter of double-digit growth rates. So says comScore, the digital measurement firm.
Retail E-Commerce (Non-Travel) Growth Rates
Excludes Auctions, Autos and Large Corporate Purchases
Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations
Source: comScore, Inc. |
| Quarter |
E-Commerce Spending ($ Millions) |
Y/Y Percent Change |
| Q1 2007 |
$27,970 |
17% |
| Q2 2007 |
$27,176 |
23% |
| Q3 2007 |
$28,441 |
23% |
| Q4 2007 |
$39,132 |
19% |
| Q1 2008 |
$31,178 |
11% |
| Q2 2008 |
$30,581 |
13% |
| Q3 2008 |
$30,274 |
6% |
| Q4 2008 |
$38,071 |
-3% |
| Q1 2009 |
$31,031 |
0% |
| Q2 2009 |
$30,169 |
-1% |
| Q3 2009 |
$29,552 |
-2% |
| Q4 2009 |
$39,045 |
3% |
| Q1 2010 |
$33,984 |
10% |
| Q2 2010 |
$32,942 |
9% |
| Q3 2010 |
$32,133 |
9% |
| Q4 2010 |
$43,432 |
11% |
| Q1 2011 |
$38,002 |
12% |
Another encouraging quarter for e-commerce
“Domestic retail e-commerce built on the success of a strong 2010 holiday season with another encouraging quarter here in the first three months of the year,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni.
“Faced with rapidly rising gas prices and stubbornly high unemployment, consumers continued to take advantage of the Internet’s lower prices by shifting their spending from offline retail stores. In fact, in the first quarter, the growth in e-commerce spending was roughly double that observed at offline retail. While we would expect online buying to dampen slightly if gas prices continue to eat into discretionary spending, it’s clear that e-commerce has become a mainstay in consumer behavior, driven by the attraction of both lower prices and convenience.”
Other highlights from Q1 2011 include:
- The top-performing online product categories were: Video Games, Consoles & Accessories; Books & Magazines; Computers/Peripherals/PDAs; Consumer Electronics; and Computer Software (excl. PC Games). Each of the aforementioned categories grew at least 13 percent in Q1 2011 vs. year ago.
- The top 25 online retailers accounted for 67.7 percent of dollars spent online, the same percentage as last year, and down from a peak of 70 percent in 2010 as small and mid-sized retailers regain lost market share.
- The 12-percent growth in the quarter was a function of an increase in number of buyers (up 7 percent) and transactions per buyer (up 9 percent), but accompanied by a slight decline in dollars per transaction (down 4 percent).
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: comScore, online retail spending up 12 percent Q1 2011, Reston, VA
Posted in Internet/New Media, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
 GLEN ALLEN, VA – Zigmo Inc., which sells technology support services to manufacturers, small business owners, retailers and other clients, has raised $1.5 million from 12 investors, according to a regulatory fClearspring Technologies closes on $20M for AddThis sharing platformiling.
The company closed a $3.5 million round in 2009.
The company’s services include computer repair, wireless network setups, home theatre installations and more. The company’s moto is “We make stuff work.”
CEO and President David Czerwonka was previously vice president of New Channels at Circuit City’s firedog division.
The company disclosed the funding in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Tags: David Czerwonka, financing, Glen Allen, technology services, VA, Zigmo
Posted in IT, Money, Potomac, Virginia | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
 McLEAN, VA - Clearspring Technologies Inc., provider of the AddThis social content sharing platform, has closed on a $20 million Series D round of funding led by Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) with participation from the company’s existing investors. The funding will be used to accelerate Clearspring’s next-generation publisher products and continued growth of its advertising offerings, as well as to help fuel strategic acquisitions.
IVP has funded online companies such as Twitter and Zynga.
The AddThis sharing tool, with its widely recognized orange box with white plus sign icon, is a familiar sight on more than 9M websites globally enabling users to share content easily with their friends through more than 300 different social networks in 70 languages. Armed with collective insight into what over 1 billion unique Internet users choose to read and share monthly through AddThis, Clearspring says it enables advertisers to reach the right audiences at the right time via ad exchanges and demand-side platforms.
Hiring an employee a week
“Clearspring processes 10TB of data per day. This as much data per week as the entire digital Library of Congress has stored online,” said Sandy Miller, General Partner at IVP. “This massive data set, coupled with their scalable and differentiated real-time data processing capabilities, puts Clearspring in a unique position to not only take advantage of the rising demand for audience data in advertising, but also enables them to disrupt a number of other markets. We’re excited about the investment and the growing opportunities associated with big data online.”
The AddThis platform has grown from reaching 200M users in 2008 to being one of the ten largest audiences online today. AddThis is also one of twenty web tools world-wide with a Google Page Rank of 10. With revenue on track to triple this year, the company is hiring a new employee almost every week, which will result in it almost doubling its staff this year.
Hooman Radfar, co-founder and CEO of Clearspring said, “With this investment, we can now bring the power of that reach back to the individual publisher via our next generation tools and services, which will focus on providing publishers actionable data, not just from the social web, but the entire web. Imagine the challenges we can help a publisher solve- -it’s a staggering opportunity.”
The company’s investors, in addition to IVP, include: New Enterprise Associates, Novak Biddle Venture Partners, former AOL vice chair and president Ted Leonsis, AOL founder Steve Case, Capital One co-founder Nigel Morris, and Silicon Valley super-angel Ron Conway.
Tags: AddOn, AOL founder Steve Case, Capital One co-founder Nigel Morris, Clearspring Technologies, financing, former AOL vice chair and president Ted Leonsis, Hooman Radfar, Institutional Venture Partners, McLean, New Enterprise Associates, Novak Biddle Venture Partners, online content sharing platform, Ron Conway, Sandy Miller, social media, Steve Case, Ted Leonsis, twitter, VA, venture capital, Zynga
Posted in Internet/New Media, IT, Marketing, Money, Potomac, social media, Virginia | Comments Off
Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
 RALEIGH, NC – Peak 10 Inc., a managed services company with world-class data centers is hosting IPv6 Engineering Series events throughout its 10 markets in order to help business and IT leaders prepare for the impending IPv6 adoption.
In addition to the IPv6 Engineering Series, Peak 10 has released a white paper on the topic and recently sponsored the South Florida Technology Alliance event in which John Curran, the president and CEO of the American Registry for Internet Numbers, spoke about the imminent transfer from IPv4 to IPv6.
“We want to ensure that our customers as well as other businesses in our markets are adequately prepared for the addition of IPv6 to their network, and education is our key initiative. It is important to not only educate IT managers, but everyone in the business about IPv6 as it could affect many aspects of a company,” said Ronnie Frames, the director of network services at Peak 10. “There are many misconceptions surrounding IPv6 and we want to provide clarity and guidance on the subject.”
Both the IPv6 Engineering Series and SFTA events are geared toward identifying the realities of IPv6 and how companies can prepare for its adoption.
Many do not understand adoption is not mandatory
“Many people do not understand that the adoption of IPv6 is not mandatory, however it is the evolution for the continued growth of the Internet,” said Frames. “That being said, it is important that companies proactively budget and plan for an inevitable implementation in their network.”
Peak 10 Network Engineering spent countless lab hours preparing and planning for overlaying IPv6 on their backbone. “We wanted to assure our IPv6 deployment followed standards that technical staffs were already familiar with so that the learning and training aspects were minimized,” said Don Lundquist, senior manager of network engineering at Peak 10. “We integrated IPv6 into our existing network design so that our team easily understood the deployment methodologies for provisioning and operation.”
In addition to hosting and sponsoring IPv6 events, Peak 10 has also released an IPv6 white paper, “A Practical Guide to Preparing for IPv6,” the first of three in an IPv6 series. The paper is designed to walk readers through the reasons behind the IPv6 adoption, and explain the steps that will need to be taken in order to make businesses IPv6-ready. For more information about IPv6 or to read this white paper, click here.
Peak 10′s managed IT and data center services improve performance and reliability, lower costs and maximize internal resources for customers while keeping their valuable information technology assets close to the business. The company combines its secure, private network and enterprise-class data centers with world-class engineering and support to serve market-leading companies nationwide. As a managed services leader, Peak 10 offers a wide range of technology solutions including virtualization, managed hosting, and cloud-based services in a cost-efficient and reliable platform for its customers.
The company owns and operates data centers in 10 markets that include Cincinnati, Ohio; Atlanta, GA.; Raleigh and Charlotte, NC; Tampa, Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale, FL.; Nashville, TN.; Louisville, KY.; and Richmond, VA.
Tags: Cincinnati, data centers, Events, FL.; Nashville, Ga.; Raleigh and Charlotte, Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale, Ky.; and Richmond, NC; Tampa, Ohio; Atlanta, Peak 10, preparing for IPv6, TN.; Louisville, VA, white paper on IPv6
Posted in Business advice, Internet/New Media, IT | Comments Off
Monday, April 18th, 2011
 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - Privaris Inc., a Charlottesville-VA-based company that makes biometric ID products, has closed on $3.17 million million in debt, according to a regulatory filing.
Privaris raised $2.67 million in debt in June, $2 million in November 2009, and a $15.7 million A round in 2005.
The company’s institutional investors include Harbert Venture Partners, Noro-Moseley Partners, River Cities Capital Funds, RedShift Ventures, and SpaceVest Capital. It was funded by private individuals prior to its first round in 2005.
In the filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission disclosing the financing, principals cited include: Brian Carney and Wayne Hunter, Richmond-based Harbert Venture Partners and Edward McCarthy of Raleigh-based River Cities Capital Funds.
The core Privaris product is a patented, wireless, keychain device that uses fingerprint-based biometrics to authenticate its user prior to releasing the information needed to perform a transaction.
The products work with existing physical and IT security infrastructure to authenticate the identity of an individual prior to that individual being granted access to facilities, IT resources, services and transactions.
The fingerprint data is stored and processed only on the device and is never released so as to protect an individual’s personal privacy.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: biometric security products, Charlottesville, debt, financing, Harbert Venture Partners, Noro Moseley Partners, Privaris, Redshift Ventures, River Cities Capital Funds, SpaceVest Capital, VA
Posted in IT, Money, Potomac, Security, Virginia | Comments Off
Friday, April 15th, 2011
 HERNDON, VA -Technology Crossover Ventures has agreed to invest $125 million in K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN), the nation’s largest provider of proprietary curriculum and online school programs for students in kindergarten through high school, to accelerate its growth.
The investment of $125 million was structured as a private placement of 4 million shares of common stock at a price of $31.46 per share. The transaction will close promptly upon obtaining clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.
Jake Reynolds, a general partner of TCV, will join K12’s board.
We have noted that educational technology companies have been chalking up substantial investments since the beginning of the year. It’s interesting to see one segment of society after another turning increasingly to digital media in a variety of ways, from electronic publishing, to healthcare, and education.
K12 provides its curriculum and academic services to public and private online schools, traditional classrooms, blended school programs, and directly to families.
With its acquisition of KC Distance Learning in 2010, the company now provides the educational products and services of Aventa Learning, the Keystone School and iQ Academies.
It also has become a leading provider of instructional and assessment software for kindergarten through adult learners through its acquisition of The American Education Corporation. Students graduating from K12 virtual schools have been accepted to hundreds of higher education institutions including many of the nation’s top-ranked colleges and universities.
For the 2010-2011 school year, K12 serves online public schools in 27 states. K12 also operates online private schools including the accredited K12 International AcademyT, the Keystone School, and the recently launched the George Washington University Online High School.
K12 also partnered with Middlebury College in a joint venture called Middlebury Interactive Languages to create and distribute innovative online language courses for pre-college students. Most recently, K12 entered into a strategic investment to acquire a minority interest in Web International English, a leader in English language training for thousands of students in China.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: financing, Herndon, IT, K12 Inc., LRN, online education, Technology Crossover Ventures, VA
Posted in Education, Internet/New Media, IT, Money, Potomac, Virginia | Comments Off
Thursday, April 14th, 2011
 MCLEAN, VA – Centrifuge Systems Inc., which sells business intelligence software, has closed on a $2.06 million equity raise, according to a regulatory filing. The company previously raised $4.5 million in 2008 from Novak Bidddle Venture Partners.
Centrifuge Systems delivers interactive data visualization. Using advanced link analysis – complemented by charts, timelines and geospatial views – investigative analysts can discover non-obvious relationships and significant insights within their data more quickly than with other data visualization or data analysis technology.
Centrifuge allows analysts to combine disparate data sources and explore multiple data visualizations in a single integrated workspace—all through a standard web browser.
The company says the software helps solve challenging problems in fraud and money laundering, cyber security, law enforcement and other domains.
The company disclosed the current financing in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
TechJournal South is a TechMedia company. TechMedia presents the annual conferences:
SoutheastVentureConference: www.seventure.org
Internet Summit: www.internetsummit.com
Digital East: www.digitaleast.com
Digital Summit: www.digitalsummit.com
Tags: business intelligence software, Centrifuge Systems, financing, interactive data visualization, link analysis, McLean, Novak Biddle Partners, VA
Posted in Internet/New Media, IT, Money, Potomac, Virginia | Comments Off
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
HERNDON, VA – The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) has received $4 million for its GAP Funds as part of Gov. McDonnell’s and the Virginia General Assembly’s budget package, and $2 million from the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME) through the U.S. Department of Energy American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to identify and fund commercially ready, innovative green technology companies located in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
CIT also announced its plan to co-host with Virginia’s ten regional technology councils information sessions to discuss these new funding opportunities for seed- and early-stage companies in the technology, energy, and life sciences sectors. These venues will serve as free opportunities to meet firsthand with the investment team and to hear more details about CIT’s three funds: GAP Tech, GAP BioLife, and the newly formed Commonwealth Energy Fund.
“We will use this campaign to aggressively reach out to the innovative entrepreneurs across Virginia to discuss how these new funds may help them launch their ideas and new companies,” said Pete Jobse, CIT president and CEO.
The CIT GAP Funds make seed-stage equity investments in Virginia-based technology and life sciences companies with high potential for achieving rapid growth and generating significant economic return. The sessions will provide entrepreneurs a unique opportunity to network with fellow entrepreneurs and the CIT GAP Funds investment team, who head up the most active early-stage venture fund in Virginia.
Tom Weithman, CIT Vice President and GAP Funds Managing Director, said of the GAP Funds, “We offer entrepreneurs access to hard-to-find capital, all the while leveraging public and private investments with the potential to generate extraordinary economic returns for the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Since its 2005 launch, CIT GAP Funds has placed 42 investments across the Commonwealth, deploying $4.3M of public funds to attract $61M of private investment. (For a list of portfolio companies, see the GAP Funds website.)
Tags: CIT GAP Funds, Commonwealth Energy Fund, DOE, GAP TEch, Herndon, info sessions for entrepreneurs, Pete Jobse, Tom Weithman, VA
Posted in Economic Development, Internet/New Media, IT, Money, Potomac, Virginia | Comments Off
|
