Vestaron Corp. has named Dr. John Sorenson as its CEO. Dr. Sorenson has been the company's interim CEO since September. Also, Keith Gillard of Pangaea Ventures has been appointed chairman of the board of directors. Based in Kalamazoo, Mich., Vestaron is a producer of pesticides. Its backers include Pangaea Ventures and Open Prairie Ventures.
2 min read · 08 January 2014
Versartis said Wednesday that it has named Jay Shepard as executive chairman to its board of directors. Shepard is currently an executive partner at Sofinnova Ventures. Based in Redwood City, Calif., Versartis is a biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for patients with endocrine disorders.
2 min read · 08 January 2014
Palo Alto Networks has bought Morta Security. No financial terms were disclosed. Based in Silicon Valley, Morta Security is a stealth-mode cyber security startup. Its backers included Andreessen Horowitz, Greylock Partners, Norwest Venture Partners and Data Collective
3 min read · 07 January 2014
Ethical Electric said Tuesday that it has raised $11 million in Series A funding. A syndicate of investors led by Matthew Palevsky led the round. As a result of this transaction, Palevsky will join the company's board of directors. Headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, Ethical Electric is a provider of renewable energy.
2 min read · 07 January 2014
Northern Light Venture Capital, a China-focused VC firm, has invested "tens of millions of dollars" in Dianrong.com. Based in Shanghai, China, Dianrong is an online lending platform.
6 min read · 07 January 2014
Isarna Therapeutics said Tuesday that it has secured $17.8 million in funding from AT NewTec and existing investor MIG. Based in Munich, Germany, Isarna is developing TGF-β inhibitors to fight cancer.
2 min read · 07 January 2014
Mediant Communications has closed $7 million in growth funding from Argentum Capital Partners. As a result of this transaction, Walter H. Barandiaran, a managing partner at Argentum, will join Mediant's board of directors. Based in New York City, Mediant is a provider of regulated shareholder communications services to banks, brokerage firms, corporate issuers and investment companies.
3 min read · 07 January 2014
Bellicum Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday that it has raised an additional $14.7 million in its Series B round, bringing the tally to $34.4 million. Investors included AVG Ventures and Remeditex Ventures. Based in Houston, Texas, Bellicum develops cell therapies that treat cancers and other life-threatening diseases.
2 min read · 07 January 2014
Mashable has raised $13.3 million in Series A funding. Updata Partners led the round with participation from Markets Venture Partners, Social Starts, Buddy Media co-founders Michael and Kass Lazerow, Iglo Group CEO Elio Leoni Sceti and David Jones, Global CEO of Havas and founder of One Young World. Headquartered in New York City, Mashable is a tech news site.
4 min read · 07 January 2014
Battery Ventures has named Adrian Cockcroft as a technology fellow. Previously, Cockcroft worked at Netflix where he helped lead the company's shift to an all-cloud computing infrastructure.
2 min read · 07 January 2014
