US

Sherpa Foundry wins investment from Silicon Valley Bank and becomes Silicon Foundry

Sherpa Foundry has received an investment from SVB Financial Group, the parent company of Silicon Valley Bank, and changed its name to Silicon Foundry.

Cisco to buy BroadSoft for about $1.9 bln

Cisco Systems said it will buy publicly listed BroadSoft for about $1.9 billion, or $55 a share in cash.

First Analysis leads $8 mln round for Blue Medora

Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Blue Medora, a provider of cloud systems management solutions, has raised $8 million in funding. First Analysis led the round. In conjunction with the funding, Howard Smith, a managing director at First Analysis, is joining Blue Medora's board.

Hyper-local event startup Burbio grabs funding

Burbio, a hyper-local event aggregation platform, has secured an undisclosed amount of funding. The investor was Hudson Valley Startup Fund.

Women's Venture Capital Fund seeks $20 mln

Portland, Oregon-based Women’s Venture Capital Fund, which focuses on early-stage gender-diverse companies in digital media and sustainable products and services, is seeking to raised $20 million for its second fund, Women's VC Fund II, according to a regulatory filing. The firm was co-founded in 2011 by Edith Dorsen and Monica Dodi.

GE appoints Siegel as chief innovation officer

General Electric has named Sue Siegel as chief innovation officer. Her appointment becomes effective immediately. Currently, Siegel is the CEO of GE Ventures, a role she will continue in addition to her new responsibilities.

Eargo picks up $45 mln Series C

Silicon Valley-based Eargo, a hearing solutions provider, has raised up to $45 million in Series C funding. Nan Fung Life Sciences led the round with participation from New Enterprise Associates, Charles and Helen Schwab and Maveron.

AstraZeneca among backers as Swiss cancer biotech raises $200 million: Reuters

An unlisted Swiss biotech company focused on developing “armed antibodies” to fight cancer has raised $200 million in a funding round backed by AstraZeneca and other private backers, Reuters reported.

Abra hauls in $16 mln Series B

Abra, a digital wallet that supports bitcoin, has secured $16 million in Series B funding, according to a blog post. The investors were Foxconn’s venture subsidiary HCM International, Silver8 Capital, Ignia, Arbor Ventures, American Express Ventures, Jungle Ventures, Lehrer Hippeau and RRE.

JetBlue backs air travel gifting app Skyhour

Skyhour, an air travel gifting platform, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding. The investor was JetBlue Technology Ventures, JetBlue Airways' corporate venture arm.