• Neato Robotics

  Led · Series D · Apr 2012

  Neato Robotics, founded in 2004 and based in Newark, CA, develops technologies and products to perform household chores. The company has developed an intelligent, laser-guided navigation system paired with a robotic vacuum cleaner system. Neato is led by CEO Warren Flick. The company closed $12.2M in Series D equity financing. Lead investors include Vorwerk Ventures and Noventi Ventures. Neato plans to use the funding to expand operations, sales and marketing, and for product development.

• Lumenergi

  Participated · Series B · Mar 2012

  LUMEnergi offers network-controlled lighting energy management through its NetLight components and Executive Software, delivering intelligent, flexible and scalable controls for single rooms to distributed campuses. Its system manages lighting from a single screen and integrates with existing lighting infrastructure. The solution interfaces with other building systems such as HVAC, shares fixture and sensor-level data, and enables participation in Demand Response applications. LUMEnergi says lighting energy efficiency can be increased by up to 70% via integration, customization to usage patterns, and daylight harvesting. The company targets commercial and industrial facilities ranging from office towers to national retail networks. It is a privately held, venture-funded company based in Newark, California and plans to use new capital to expand marketing, sales and product development. Lumenergi develops fluorescent and LED lighting-control systems designed to help office and home owners monitor, report on, and reduce building-wide lighting energy use. Its products were described in the article as being "like dimmers on steroids and smart pills." Some systems use lower-power-consuming LED lights while others work with fluorescents, per GreenTechMedia. The company plans to use the new capital to scale deployments from small- and mid-sized commercial sites such as schools, courthouses, and stores to large-scale commercial and industrial sites. It will especially pursue projects in energy-intensive regions where the power supply may be limited or strained by harsh weather. Lumenergi is based in Newark, Calif. LUMEnergi is a Santa Clara, CA-based provider of energy-efficient networked lighting systems. The company recently received additional funding as part of a $1.0M funding round. Low Carbon Accelerator (LCA) invested $533,333 in this round alongside co-investor Noventi Ventures. The transaction represents an extension of an existing convertible loan note announced on August 11, 2009. LCA’s total commitment to LUMEnergi now stands at $5.3M, comprising roughly $4.0M of equity (a 25.3% stake) and $1.33M of convertible loan. The financing increases investor support but the article does not detail product roadmaps or operating metrics.

• Aurora Biofuels

  Participated · Equity · Mar 2010

  Aurora Algae operates a photosynthetic, algae-based production platform using proprietary strains that leverage arid land, seawater and captured industrial CO2. The company has developed cost- and resource-efficient methods for growing, harvesting, extracting and producing algae-derived products. Its demonstration facility in Karratha, Western Australia consistently produces 12–15 metric tons of algal biomass per month from six 4,000 m2 ponds. Aurora highlights major environmental advantages: water use under one percent of comparable soy-based production and per-area yields of roughly 10× oil and 40× protein versus soy. Biomass is being positioned for nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, aquaculture and renewable energy/fuels markets. The company is headquartered in Hayward, California, and plans to expand to commercial scale, with a planned 2014 ground-breaking in Maitland for a 100-hectare facility capable of ~600 metric tons per month and scalable to 2,000 hectares. Aurora Algae develops biofuels and a range of biochemicals from cultivated algae. The company cultivates an omega-3–rich strain and converts processed algae into nutriceuticals, protein-rich biomass feedstock, and a petrochemical similar to palm oil used for various products. Aurora is currently running trial runs at a demonstration plant in Australia, which is expected to be complete later this year. The company plans to use its latest funding to start construction of its first facility to produce commercial-grade biochemicals. Aurora has raised $72 million to date. CEO Greg Bafalis says the company is prioritizing higher-value markets now and sees biofuels as a later focus. Aurora Biofuels manufactures fuel from genetically optimized algae in a patented production process. The company plans to use new capital to support commercialization of its advanced algae biofuel technology. The financing announced brings total capital raised to more than $40m. Aurora recently hired Scott McDonald as chief financial officer; he brings 25 years of executive management and corporate strategy experience. Management said the investment will be critical as the company expands its field operations and further optimizes its technology. The company is headquartered in Alameda, California. Aurora BioFuels is a Berkeley, Calif. company working on producing biofuel from algae. The company raised a $3.2 million first round, according to VentureWire. Investors named in the round include Noventi Sorgenia Ventures and Oak Investment Partners. The report presented this financing alongside other activity in the algae-for-biofuel space. VentureWire noted that Solazyme closed a "significant" new round and that Live Fuels was seeking about $10 million. The article did not disclose operating metrics, valuation, or specific use of proceeds.

No current team members are available.