Powerit Solutions secures $5 million funding

March 1, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Powerit Solutions has completed a new round of financing with a $5 million investment from five funds. Black Coral Capital, a fund focused on the cleantech sector, led the round as a new investor; the other four were existing investors from prior rounds.

Powerit Solutions is a Seattle-based international cleantech company that plugs energy-intensive businesses into the smart grid. Powerit’s Spara technology enables users to automatically increase energy efficiency, cut peak-rate usage, participate in demand response programs, and respond to dynamic pricing advantageously—without compromising quality, production, or comfort.

“Powerit Solutions’ Spara technology is a valuable tool for smart grid connectivity, as we see in their work with Auto-DR, for example,” says Rob Day of Black Coral Capital. “Unlike a lot of smart grid companies that just have good ideas, Powerit’s ideas have become products that are already producing real benefits from the smart grid—customers are reducing their electricity bills and increasing operational efficiency.”

“Powerit is an established leader in energy management, with active installations operating around the world,” Day continues. “And we think Spara’s flexible technology will integrate well with partner services and products. That will help build Powerit’s value.”

USA, Seattle, WA

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Qype acquires Coupon Provider and Launches QypeDeals.com

March 1, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Consumer reviews and recommendations site, Qype has added coupons and discount vouchers to its business through the acquisition of Munich based CooleDeals.de, Germany’s third largest coupon and voucher business after Groupon and DailyDeals. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Outlining this latest move Ian Brotherston, CEO at Qype said, “The coupons and vouchers model offers the perfect complement to our existing reviews and recommendation business. We are pleased that bringing the CooleDeals platform and expertise onboard will allow QypeDeals to rapidly extend our ability to deliver ever more value for our consumers and business partners. Qype has always had a major part to play as a positive community-led force demanding improved customer service, product quality and value for money for consumers through Europe” Brotherston continues,”I feel that adding the QypeDeals discount vouchers service through our acquisition of CooleDeals will only reinforce this as we all move forward together.”

Thomas Bernik, CooleDeals, “Blending together the Qype consumer content with our vouchers and discounts will provide a unique proposition in the marketplace and add significant value to our own existing customers, who will really benefit from this deal. We have seen huge growth in our business over the past 12 months and now as part of Qype I am expecting that as demand for discounts and vouchers continues to explode, QypeDeals will become the dominant force through 2011 and beyond”

Germany, Hamburg & Munich

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The New York Times Company sells UCompareHealthCare.com to MDx Medical

March 1, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

The New York Times Company has sold its UCompareHealthCare.com unit to MDxMedical, Inc., parent company of Vitals.com. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

UCompareHealthCare.com (“UCompare”), based in Marlborough, Mass., provides dynamic Web-based interactive tools to help consumers both measure the quality of and find healthcare services, healthcare providers and healthcare facilities.

“Combined, the UCompare and Vitals.com Web sites are visited more than 100 million times annually by patients. They use the sites to make more informed and intelligent decisions about their doctors, hospitals and other healthcare facilities,” said Mitch Rothschild, co-founder and CEO of MDx Medical. “With this acquisition, we’ll have the scale to make health care access simpler and more transparent for the consumer-patient. We’ll be introducing powerful Web-based and mobile applications so patients can access better quality care more conveniently.”

The Times Company acquired UCompareHealthCare.com in March 2007.

USA, New York, NY, Marlborough, MA & Lyndhurst, NJ

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MXGI acquires CyberAction

March 1, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

CyberAction, the Digital Trading Cards business, has been acquired by Media Exchange Group, a leading cross-platform mobile digital publisher. CyberAction will retain its name and become the Brand Name behind Media Exchange Group’s existing technology for digital trading cards. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“With the technological infrastructure and distribution capabilities we have in place, we can finally take Christian’s vision for the CyberAction Trading Card to a level that simply wasn’t feasible before,“ says Joe Cellura, Chairman of Media Exchange Group.

Los Gatos, CA

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Transphorm raises $20 million in round led by Google Ventures

March 1, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Transphorm has completed a $20 million Series C financing led by Google Ventures, with participation from existing venture investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Foundation Capital and Lux Capital. This brings the total capital raised from all rounds to $38 million.

The company delivers custom-designed power modules that are easy to embed in virtually any electrical system, from consumer electronics products, to industrial motor drives, to inverters for solar panels and electric vehicles, and sells these modules to power equipment manufacturers. Transphorm was founded by Founded by Umesh Mishra and Primit Parikh,

“We founded Transphorm to re-imagine what enhanced efficiency in the generation and use of electrical energy can do for our economy,” said Umesh Mishra, CEO of Transphorm. “Why put up with needless energy waste in every electrical system and device, when we can quickly and cost-effectively design products that are inherently energy efficient? Transphorm’s next-generation power modules cut waste, increase efficiency, reduce system size and simplify overall product design.”

The company will unveil its first product at the upcoming APEC conference.

USA, Mountain View, CA

 

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Reed Exhibitions acquires Brazil’s Multiplus Fairs and Events

February 28, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Reed Exhibitions Brazil has acquired Multiplus Fairs and Events, adding a strategically vital component to its growing global energy portfolio while also opening the door to new markets within the expanding Brazilian economy.

Multiplus, located in Ribeirao Preto in Sao Paulo State, organizes the leading ethanol manufacturing event in Brazil – Fenasucro – as well as the co-located agri-industrial event Agrocana. The company also works with Unica (Brazil’s sugarcane industry association) to produce the Brasil Ethanol Tradeshow alongside the association’s ethanol conference in Sao Paulo. In the northeastern city of Pernambuco, Multiplus produces a third event related to sugar cane and ethanol, Sucronor.

Brazil is the second largest producer of ethanol fuel after the USA and the world’s largest ethanol exporter. In 2009, Brazil produced 38% of the world’s total ethanol used as fuel and according to the Brazil Institute the country is the world’s “first sustainable bio-fuel economy.” At present, 90 percent of all new cars produced in Brazil run on “flex fuel.” According to the Brazil Ministry of Agriculture, as many as 100 new ethanol production plants will be built by 2014 to keep pace with demand. Nearly eight million hectares of sugar cane are under cultivation, but Unica expects this to increase to 14 million hectares by 2020.

“Multiplus is an important step in securing our position in the broader energy market of Brazil and, just as important, it is a key strategic element in our global renewable energy strategy,” said Chet Burchett, President of Reed Exhibitions Americas and a member of the company’s global board. “And Multiplus also puts us into important markets in Brazil’s Northeast and the interior of Sao Paulo State, with management that has proven its ability to launch and manage brands across a variety of industry sectors. That’s important in our long-term growth goals for Brazil.”

Reed Exhibitions has been active in Brazil since 1997, but in 2007 the company embarked on an aggressive plan for growth with the acquisition of a majority interest in Alcantara Machado and the formation of Reed Exhibitions Alcantara Machado (RXAM). Overnight, Reed became the largest tradeshow organizer in Brazil. In 2009, the selective acquisition of MG Media added the oil & gas-related Brazil Offshore to the RXAM portfolio of events as well as Salao Duas Rodas, the leading motorcycle event that joined the existing portfolio of Solao do Automovel (Brazil’s #1 auto show) and Fenetran, the country’s top truck and transportation event.

“Our goals for acquisition in Brazil are focused on strategic value. We already have the scale necessary for market leadership. Now, we are working a long-term plan with a clear understanding of where we want to play and how we intend to win,” Burchett said.

The addition of Multiplus opens the door to the furniture market in Brazil for Reed as well, with Movexpo e Brasil in Recife (the largest event in its sector in Brazil’s Northeast); Movinter, which is moving from Mirassol to Sao Paulo in 2012; and Salao Abimovel in Sao Paulo which Multiplus organizes on a management contract for the Moverergs, the furniture trade association.

Other events acquired as part of the deal include niche industrial services tradeshows (Forind and Forind Nordeste) in Sao Paulo and Recife, respectively, and a food service technology event (FFATIA) in Goiania, located in Brazil’s central western region.

Multiplus principals Augusto Balieiro and Fernando Barbosa will remain with the company and provide ongoing management of the existing events and new launches. Headquarters for the operation and its 38 employees will remain in Ribeirao Preto. Multiplus will report to Juan Pablo de Vera, who oversees RXAM as its president and is the senior executive for RX Brazil.

Sao Paulo

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Motorola Mobility invests in Catch Media

February 25, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Motorola Mobility Holdings, through its strategic investment arm, Motorola Mobility Ventures has made a strategic investment in Catch Media Inc., the provider of a patented licensed digital rights locker platform – Play Anywhere.

Catch Media’s patented registry, tracking, routing and clearinghouse technology, together with its unique post-acquisition license, provides retailers, carriers and consumer electronics vendors the ability to offer their customers legal and convenient access to their digital content from disparate devices – smartphones, tablets, set-tops, connected TVs and other connected devices inside and outside the home.

“Instant and easy access to music and video collections from any device, any place and at any time has become a necessity for consumers,” said Mony Hassid, managing director, Motorola Mobility Ventures. “Catch Media’s innovative B2B platform gives consumers the ubiquitous access they crave while compensating the content owners, content distributors and every other party that contributes to the ecosystem.”

“Teaming up with Motorola Mobility is very exciting for us and adds the support and expertise of a leading vendor for cellular carriers and Cable/Telco operators to the Play Anywhere® ecosystem,” said Yaacov Ben-Yaacov, co-founder and CEO of Catch Media. “Motorola Mobility’s support will enable our platform to be more tightly integrated across their devices.”

Ari Emanuel, Co-CEO of WME Entertainment, a strategic investor in Catch Media and one of the largest and most diversified Hollywood talent agencies, said, “Catch Media stands at the forefront of digital media companies seeking to offer consumers maximum convenience while ensuring that all the stakeholders in the process, including the actors, directors and content owners, share in the revenues generated. Motorola Mobility’s investment and guidance will serve as an important catalyst in the launch of Catch Media’s Play Anywhere services.”

Catch Media’s Play Anywhere system was rolled out with Best Buy Europe in Q4 2010 through a service called “Music Anywhere” offered by The Carphone Warehouse in the UK, and is expected to be rolled out in the U.S. in early 2011 in cooperation with the music industry. Catch Media will continue to work closely with the content industry to offer legal media cloud services that ensure rights holders are compensated as content is consumed across disparate devices.

USA, Libertyville, IL & Beverly Hills, CA

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Glam Media choosing bankers for an IPO

February 24, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Business Insider is reporting that Glam Media is listening to the sales pitches of about 14 Wall Street banks in preparation for an IPO. They quote “a source familiar with the situation”.

The report says that Glam hasn’t made any decisions yet,  though Bank of America (Merrill) had an early edge.

Glam Media raised its fifth round of venture capital last year – $50 million from aeris CAPITAL. The company did not disclose the valuation of the round, but it was rumoured to be around $750 million.

Read the full story

USA, Brisbane, CA

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Silver Lake to launch new investment strategy focused on innovation in the energy and resource sectors

February 24, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Technology investor Silver Lake is launching Silver Lake Kraftwerk, a new investment strategy focused on providing growth capital to business innovators in the energy and resource sectors. Soros Fund Management LLC will join Silver Lake as a strategic partner in the new initiative, which will be led by Adam Grosser, an investment veteran who served for a decade as a General Partner at Foundation Capital.

Operating out of offices in Silicon Valley and China, the new strategy will invest in companies that leverage technology and business model innovation to improve energy efficiency, reduce waste and emissions, harness renewable energy, and more efficiently use natural resources, among other applications.

“We are excited to launch Silver Lake’s fourth investment strategy, this one focused on the energy and resource sectors, where we will target growth stage companies with proven technologies and business models,” said Greg Mondre, a Silver Lake Managing Director and member of the investment committee for the new business.

“There are many parallels between the development of the technology sector and the innovation that is occurring in the energy and resource sectors today. We have been actively planning our expansion for some time, and believe that Adam Grosser’s formidable expertise and vision combined with Silver Lake’s global investment platform will offer the companies we invest in a compelling partner to grow their businesses, both in developed and emerging markets.”

Mr. Mondre added: “Our goal with this new initiative is to match Silver Lake’s established leadership in large cap and middle market technology investing with a new strategy we believe will drive growth around the world in coming decades.”

USA, Menlo Park, CA

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Max Media Group acquires www.PatriotsTV.com

February 24, 2011 — Fusion DigiNet

Max Media Group has acquired http://www.PatriotsTV.com, an investigative reporting-focused company providing the latest news about Homeland Security, America’s Most Wanted Terrorists, and the 9-11 conspiracy.

James Grady CEO of MXMI. stated, “Wes and http://www.patriotstv.com brings a valuable asset in our news and information division. Wes’ contacts both domestic and abroad give him access to very high level officials that enable him to create exclusive breaking news in the fight against terrorism. This acquisition is another example of our business model and how we will continue to grow. We seek companies and content producers to add value to our growing media network! ”

Wesley T. Rodgers founder of PatriotsTV stated, “I am excited to be part of the Max Media team! After lengthy conversations with Jim about the MXMI plan I was convinced that we share the same vision about how news and information will be presented and consumed. The ability to combine the written word with pictures and video surely is the future in journalism. ”

Additionally, Grady addressed recent activity regarding MXMI share structure and shareholders concerns by stating, “There has been speculation amongst shareholders that the Company issued stock and sold shares. The increase in our float was caused by removal of a restrictive legend on shares issued for an acquisition 14 months ago. The acquisition was for Twenty (20) Million shares and the shares have been held well past the 12 month required holding period. The Company has not nor does it intend to participate in any so-called death spiral or “free-trading” share-based financings. Any issuance of securities will be under Rule 144 for both acquisitions and or potential financings. Consultants, employees and other third party providers will also only receive stock under Rule 144. “

Grady continued, “We value our shares and the role they play in our acquisition strategy. With all the acquisition opportunities before us and that we are in the final stages of completing, it would not be in the Company’s best interest to do anything destructive to our share structure. It is our intent to continue on an aggressive, shareholder-friendly growth strategy to fuel our revenue model.

USA, Palm Harbor, FL

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