Austin-based Illumitex Inc. has raised $9.3 million in new funding. Existing investors NEA, Morgan Creek Capital, Mousse Partners, Apex Venture Partners, DFJ Mercury and Syngenta Ventures participated in the round. The company also announced it has added Chris Hammelef as CEO. Hammelef was formerly the vice president and general manager of Hadco Group. PRESS RELEASE [...]

Ifbyphone, a voice-based marketing automation platform, has secured a debt financing commitment of $2 million from industry-focused debt provider BlueCrest Capital Finance. In the past, Ifbyphone has received $18 million in funding from investors such as Illinois Innovation Accelerator Fund (I2A), Apex Venture Partners, Origin Ventures, Spring Mill Ventures, and River Cities Capital Funds. Most [...]

Publicly traded Lattice Semiconductor Corp. will pay roughly $62 million to acquire SiliconBlue Technologies, a venture-backed maker of products for the consumer handheld market. Founded in 2006 and based in Santa Clara, Calif., SiliconBlue was backed by investors including BlueRunVentures, Crosslink Capital, NEA, Apex Venture Partners, TSMC and Atlantic Bridge.

Chicago-based Trunk Club has raised $11 million in Series A financing from U.S. Venture Partners, Greycroft Partners, Apex Venture Partners and Anthos Capital. The company, which is launching a clothing service for men who don’t like to shop, will use the funds to develop its technology platform, add to its team of Style Experts, and market to new customers. With the service, customers receive a selection of options handpicked for them. They keep the items they like and send back the rest with a pre-paid shipping label.

SiliconBlue Technologies has closed on $18 million in Series D financing. Atlantic Bridge, a Dublin and London-based private equity firm, led the financing. Existing shareholders BlueRun Ventures, Crosslink Capital, NEA and Apex Venture Partners all participated in the round. Brian Long, a partner at Atlantic Bridge, will join the company’s board. SiliconBlue develops custom mobile device technology for handheld applications. The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., with offices in China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan.

SitterCity of Chicago raised $22.6 million in an expansion round led by Baird Venture Partners and New World Ventures, the venture arm of Chicago’s Pritkzer family. Also joining the financing was Apex Venture Partners, 12A and Point Judith Capital. The Web-based service matches mothers and other customers with caregivers, baby minders and pet sitters and [...]

U.S. solar start-up Suniva Inc., which is backed by a long line of brand-name investors including Warburg Pincus and New Enterprise Associates, has closed on $94.3 million of a proposed $115 million equity financing round, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

DIRTT Environmental Solutions Ltd., a maker of pre-manufactured interior walls, has closed on $22 million in financing led by New York-based Expansion Capital Partners. Investment firms NGEN Partners, Apex Venture Partners, Export Development Canada and North Sky Capital also contributed. As a result, Expansion general partner Diana Propper de Callejon joins DIRTT’s board.

Ifbyphone has raised $8 million in Series B financing from Apex Venture Partners, Origin Ventures, Spring Mill Ventures, Second Century Ventures and the i2A Fund. Ifbyphone has raised $16 million in total venture funding to date. Skokie, Illinois-based Ifbyphone provides voice applications for enterprise customers.

Sittercity.com, a Chicago-based online care-giving network, has raised $7.5 million in new VC funding. Point Judith Capital and Apex Venture Partners co-led the round, and were joined by company management and returning angel investors.