Venture capital returns have begun to recover with exits from companies such as LinkedIn, Zynga, Jive Software and Imperva fueling liquidity. Funds from 2007 and 2008 are good examples of the renewal.

San Diego headquartered biotech company Fate Therapeutics has appointed William H. Rastetter as chairman and interim CEO. Rastetter is also a partner in venture capital firm Venrock. Fate Therapeutics has secured venture backing from OVP Venture Partners, Astellas Venture Management, Genzyme Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, Polaris Venture Partners and Venrock. PRESS RELEASE Fate Therapeutics, Inc. [...]

Groove Biopharma has raised $6 million in series B financing from Alexandria Venture Investments, ARCH Venture Partners, OVP Venture Partners, Versant Ventures, and WRF Capital. Seattle-based Groove Biopharma is a privately held biotech.

Agios Pharmaceuticals, a Cambridge, Mass.-based developer of drugs to treat cancer, has sealed a whopping $78 million in fresh capital. The company did not disclose all investors in the Series C round, but said that publicly traded Celgene participated, as did existing backers ARCH Venture Partners, Flagship Ventures and Third Rock Ventures.

Adesto Technologies, a Sunnyvale-based, venture-backed semiconductor company specializing in conductive bridging RAM or CBRAM technology, has raised an undisclosed amount of financing — its third round — led by Altis Semiconductor. The companies current investors, which include Adams Street Partners, ATA Ventures, and Arch Venture Partners, among others, contributed pro-rata in the new round. PRESS RELEASE: [...]

Siluria Technologies, the California-based methane conversion company, has landed $20 million in the form of a Series B investment led by the Wellcome Trust, a UK-based foundation. Other investors include Alloy Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Altitude Life Science Ventures, Lux Capital, and Presidio Ventures.

Siluria Technologies, a San Francisco-based developer of methane-based alternatives for producing fuels and chemicals normally derived from oil, has raised $20 million in new capital. The Series B round was led by UK-based Wellcome Trust, with participation from Alloy Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Altitude Life Science Ventures, Lux Capital, and Presidio Ventures.

The venture industry has suffered for more than a decade from intractable roadblocks to portfolio company liquidity. This strategic difficulty is evident in the alternative investments holdings of the University of California, where the Regents have invested in 84 venture funds, 20 between the years of 2001 and 2004. peHUB took a look at the [...]

Martin Madaus has joined Quanterix Corp. as CEO. The company is a molecular diagnostics firm. Quanterix is backed by ARCH Venture Partners, Bain Capital Ventures, and Flagship Ventures.

KYTHERA Biopharmaceuticals Inc., a company developing products in aesthetic medicine, has closed on $37.4 million in Series D financing. KYTHERA’s investors include Versant Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, Prospect Venture Partners, JAFCO, Partner Funds management, INVUS Financial Advisors, BBT Capital Management, and Altitude Life Science Ventures. Also joining the syndicate were Foley Ventures and Latham and Watkins. KYTHERA has now raised more than $108 million to date.