Green Dot Corp. has agreed to buy Loopt. Green Dot is paying $43.4 million cash, which includes about $9.8 million to be set aside as a retention pool for key Loopt employees . The deal is expected to close by the end of first quarter. Loopt is maker of a mobile social mapping application. Loopt [...]

Fantasy Shopper, an online experience that socialises and gamifies online shopping, has secured first round funding led by Accel Partners and NEA. This funding will enable Fantasy Shopper to build out engineering and business development resources and expand into new markets. PRESS RELEASE Fantasy Shopper, a new online experience that socialises and gamifies online shopping, [...]

EnVerv Inc., a fabless semiconductor company based in San Jose, Calif., has raised $12 million in Series B financing led by Benchmark Capital. Previous investors NEA and Walden International also participated in the round.

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.

SuVolta, a developer of scalable low-power CMOS technologies, has released details of its Deeply Depleted Channel™ (DDC) low-power transistor technology. SuVolta is backed by venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, August Capital and NEA. PRESS RELEASE SuVolta, Inc., a developer of scalable low-power CMOS technologies, today disclosed details of its Deeply Depleted Channel™ [...]

Serious Energy Inc., a maker of energy efficient material used in windows for buildings, has raised $2.97 million of a proposed $33.9 million funding round, according to an ammended filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. peHub.com reported previously that Serious Energy had recently raised an undisclosed amount from GSV Capital, a closed-end, publicly traded investment fund that’s been investing in venture-backed private companies.

The company’s products have been used in the Empire State Building and the New York Stock Exchange. Serious Energy’s board includes venture capitalists John Babcock, a partner with Rustic Canyon Partners; NEA’s Forest Baskett; Thomas Galuhn, a senior managing director at Mesirow Financial; and Paul Holland, general partner for Foundation Capital.

NeuroPace, the Mountain View, Calif.-based maker of implantable devices for the treatment of neurological disorders, is about to close a big round, with some boldface-name VCs providing backing—as well as one big strategic, too. Looks like VCs are bullish on the company’s treatment for epilepsy, which entered pre-market testing with the FDA late last year.

According to a filing submitted yesterday to the S.E.C., NeuroPace is about $50 million through a $62 million fundraising.

The filing includes one big name, from a strategic investor’s VC shop….

Ardelyx Inc. has raised $30 million in fresh capital from New Enterprise Associates, CMEA Capital and new investor Amgen Ventures. The Series B round will help advance Ardelyx’s pharmaceutical pipeline that includes product candidates to help treat irritable bowel syndrome, chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. The company has raised a total of $56 million since it was formed in 2007. Ardelyx is based in Fremont, Calif.

MapR Technologies Inc., a provider of distribution technology for Apache Hadoop, has raised $20 million in Series B financing. Redpoint Ventures led the round, which also included return backers Lightspeed Venture Partners and NEA, the company said. The money will help MapR with growth efforts.

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.