(Reuters) – Aptera, the California startup best known for developing a space age-looking, three-wheeled car, has closed its doors after failing to raise the funds needed to put its ultra-efficient vehicles on the road. The company had received a conditional offer for a $150 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy, but failed to [...]

Mingly Inc., developer of a web service to bring together email and social networks, has launched with $500,000 in seed funding led by Pasadena-based Idealab. Individual angel investors Allen Morgan and Alex Karelin also contributed. Mingly is based in San Francisco.

eSolar, a four-year-old, Burbank, Calif.-based company that is developing modular and scalable thermal power plant technology, has closed a strategic investment for an undisclosed amount from GE Energy. As part of the deal, Paul Browning, president and CEO of Thermal Products, for GE Energy, has joined the eSolar board. eSolar has raised at least $170 [...]

Perfect Market, the California-based traffic and content optimization solutions provider for web publishers, completed a $9 million Series D fundraising, the company revealed Tuesday.

Capital will be used to expand on Perfect Market’s existing sales staff and to open up new offices, said Julie Schoenfeld, CEO.

The company has raised three prior rounds of capital totaling nearly $20 million and Schoenfeld said, of the Series D funding, “it’s entirely possible this would be our last round” of fundraising. Prior rounds included Idealab, Rustic Canyon Partners, the Tribune Co., and Trinity Ventures. Each of the investors also joined in for Perfect Market’s Series D. It raised $5.1 million in 2007, $8 million in 2008 and $6 million in 2010…