• SpaceTime Insight

  Participated · Series C · Sep 2013

  Space‑Time Insight is a San Mateo, CA–based provider of situational intelligence solutions led by CEO Rob Schilling. The company’s software enables managers of transmission, communications and transportation networks, Smart Grids and Cities to visualize and analyze massive volumes of diverse real-time and historical data. Customers use the product to reduce risk, improve service reliability and efficiency, and reduce costs. Customers named in the article include Hydro One, Southern California Edison, the California ISO and Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), as well as a global delivery services company. The company plans to expand its presence in the US, Europe and Asia and to increase its product offerings for industries such as Utilities, Oil & Gas and Transportation. The article reports a Series C financing that provides additional capital to support those plans. Space-Time Insight develops geospatial and visual analytics software that fuses disparate datasets — including internal systems, sensors, meters and weather feeds — to create real-time analysis models. Its primary customers are in the energy and utility markets, where the software maps and visually displays data across widely distributed assets. The company positions its platform as valuable for monitoring and analyzing the flow of data across energy grids and related infrastructure. The technology could also be applied to other industries that manage large, distributed asset bases. Earlier this week Space-Time Insight raised $14 million to further develop its geospatial and visual analytics software. Investors in the round include EnerTech Capital, Novus Energy Partners and ClearSky Power & Technology Fund, alongside existing backers Opus Capital Ventures and Start Up Farms International (SUFI). Space-Time Insight builds software that visualizes multiple data streams on 3-D satellite maps to pinpoint anomalies for utilities and other infrastructure companies. Its platform provides location-based, real-time status updates and can flag events such as floods, fires, earthquakes and extreme weather. The system is used to detect the origin of power outages, recommend remediation actions, forecast wind conditions for renewables, and monitor smart grids down to regional or single-residence levels. Customers named in the coverage include Entergy, Sempra Energy, the California ISO, Johnson & Johnson and Novartis. The company is Fremont, Calif.-based and says the product addresses complex, hard-to-parse sensor and control-center data by rendering it geographically for faster response. Space-Time Insight recently secured funding to further develop its technology.

• QD Vision

  Participated · Equity · Mar 2013

  QD Vision develops Color IQ quantum-dot display technology for QLED (Quantum-dot LED) displays, positioning quantum dots as a next-generation alternative to OLED with competitive LCD cost structure. Its Color IQ technology aims to deliver full-gamut color, improved color performance, low energy consumption, environmental safety, and affordability. The company has partnered with BASF Group on a joint development agreement to create a quantum dot-enhanced backlight and a color filter targeting wide color gamut and the Rec.2020 color standard. QD Vision says the new capital will be used to further develop intellectual property and support accelerating growth and broader market penetration across hardware and content platforms. The company is noted as a preferred choice of Chinese TV manufacturers and has extensive operations in China, according to investors. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts, QD Vision has previously raised more than $100 million in financing. QD Vision develops and manufactures Color IQ™ optical components—quantum-dot materials designed to improve LCD color performance. Its Color IQ product launched in select Sony LCD TVs at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Color IQ increases typical LCD color performance by up to 50% and is capable of delivering 100% of the NTSC standard, and it is compatible with LCD TVs, monitors and mobile displays. The company says the technology provides superior color performance and high system efficiency and applies to flat panel displays, solid state lighting systems, and defense and security projects. QD Vision positions itself as the only quantum-dot company solely focused on displays and lighting and has received multiple industry awards. The company is focused on ramping high-volume manufacturing to support product rollout and broader market adoption. QD Vision is a developer of nanotechnology-based products for solid-state lighting and displays. The company was founded in 2004 by a research team from MIT and is based in Watertown, MA. Its product focus is on applying quantum dot nanotechnology to improve lighting and display performance. The recent capital infusion is intended to support the company’s market expansion. Financially, QD Vision has raised $3M in this equity financing and has previously raised a total of $33M in venture capital. Historical investors include North Bridge Venture Partners, Highland Capital Partners and In-Q-Tel. QD Vision develops nanotechnology-based products for solid-state lighting and high-resolution displays, including its Quantum Light™ product line. The company focuses on materials and LED technologies to improve color and performance in displays and lighting. The new financing will support expansion of Quantum Light products into global markets. QD Vision is also advancing a new generation of LEDs and materials targeted at high-resolution displays. The company has attracted venture capital to fund product development and market growth. No operating metrics were disclosed in the article.

• BridgeLux

  Participated · Equity · Oct 2011

  Bridgelux develops and manufactures LED lighting technologies and solutions and is based in Livermore, California. Led by CEO Bill Watkins, the company is a pioneer in solid-state lighting with patented light source technology. Its integrated solid-state solutions are designed to replace incandescent, halogen, fluorescent and high-intensity discharge lighting with high-performance, energy-efficient white light. Target markets include interior and exterior lighting, including street lights, commercial lighting and consumer applications. The company intends to use the funding to accelerate research, development, and production of LED chip and packaging technology for general illumination applications. Bridgelux develops patented light source technology and integrated solid-state lighting solutions intended to replace incandescent, halogen, fluorescent and high-intensity discharge lighting. Its products aim to enable lamp and luminaire manufacturers to provide high-performance, energy-efficient white light for interior and exterior markets, including street lights, commercial lighting and consumer applications. The company is led by CEO Bill Watkins and is based in Livermore, California. Bridgelux intends to use the newly raised funds to accelerate research and development. Its GaN-on-Silicon LED chip technologies are targeted for commercialization in 2013. The article reports a $15M financing to support these R&D and commercialization efforts. Bridgelux is a Livermore, California–based developer and manufacturer of LED lighting technologies and solid-state light sources. Led by CEO Bill Watkins, the company builds LEDs intended to replace incandescent, halogen, fluorescent and high-intensity discharge lighting. Its products target lamp and luminaire manufacturers serving street lighting, commercial lighting and consumer applications. Bridgelux received a $60M Series E financing to support growth. The company plans to use the funds to accelerate research and development in strategic areas including GaN-on-Silicon development and LED chip-on-board architecture. In conjunction with the financing, David Asarnow of Craton Equity Partners will join Bridgelux’s board as an observer. Bridgelux is an LED manufacturer that recently announced a new line of LEDs it said doubled the light output of commercially available products. That increased output makes the line usable in retail-type settings. The company secured a deal with electronics manufacturer Tyco to incorporate Bridgelux’s new products into lighting components designed for retail. According to an SEC filing, Bridgelux has raised $20.7 million of a $21 million fundraising goal. The article does not disclose the financing instrument, participating investors, or operating metrics such as revenue or users. Bridgelux develops LED lighting products centered on the Helieon, a replaceable LED light designed to match a 60-watt incandescent’s output while using far less energy. The Helieon pairs with a Molex-made removable socket so individual LEDs can be swapped like traditional bulbs, addressing the fixture-integrated LED replacement problem. The company has priced the Helieon at about $20 (down from roughly $50 previously) and is initially targeting luminaire makers and commercial customers who track energy savings closely. Bridgelux serves about 200 luminaire maker clients, employs 138 people, and manufactures the Helieon and its sockets in the U.S. with plans to likely move production to China, Mexico, or Malaysia. Management says future product work could add lighting controls and automated features, but current priorities are cost reductions and continued R&D to improve efficiency.

• Nordic Windpower

  Participated · Series C · Jan 2010

  Nordic Windpower is a designer, manufacturer and supplier of wind turbines for community and utility markets worldwide. Its core product is the 1 MW N1000 wind turbine, which the company sells, manufactures and services. The company said it will use new funding to scale up its sales, manufacturing and service activities for the N1000. Operational activity cited in the article includes 19 turbines sold since May 2009 and the recent shipment of the first three turbines to Uruguay’s largest wind power developer; remaining turbines on order are headed to U.S. projects including schools, a municipal utility, a U.S. Army base and wind farms with deliveries starting January 2010. Nordic Windpower is headquartered in Berkeley, California, maintains a technology office in Bristol, UK, and operates an assembly plant in Pocatello, Idaho. Financially, the company completed a $38M Series C equity financing led by Khosla Ventures, and has previously closed three funding rounds since 2007 from investors including Goldman Sachs International, Impax Asset Management and NBT AS. Nordic Windpower designs and builds lightweight, two-blade wind turbines that each produce about 1 megawatt and are typically deployed in 20–40 MW clusters for municipal and similar customers. The company is pursuing an expansion of a turbine assembly plant in Idaho and plans to use new capital to grow headcount and secure equipment suppliers. Nordic has not yet delivered turbines in the U.S.; it expects first shipments to Uruguay in the fall and holds a U.S. contract for 16 turbines, including several for military bases. Financially, it has a conditional $16 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy composed of federal stimulus loans and loan guarantees. That DOE financing is contingent on a positive environmental assessment and other financial and logistical conditions, and would cover up to 80% of the project if those milestones are met. Existing investors are already contributing to the next round as the company must raise a third round of venture funding to satisfy the DOE conditions.

No current team members are available.