InVisage Technologies, Inc. said it raised a Series D round led by GGV Capital and joined by Nokia Growth Partners along with existing investors RockPort Capital, InterWest Partners, Intel Capital and OnPoint Technologies. The company did not release the size of the round.

Open Prairie Ventures has backed NewLeaf Symbiotics, an agricultural biotech firm. The investment, from Open Prairie Ventures II, was part of a $7.0 million Series A round of financing that will be used to further NewLeaf Symbiotics’ field trials. Other investors in the syndicate include Rockport Capital, Pangaea Ventures and several individuals.

FirstFuel Software said it raised $10 million in a round led by RockPort Capital and joined by existing investors Nth Power and Battery Ventures. The investment will enable the Massachusetts company, that addresses the commercial building energy analytics market, to expand in the utility and government markets. PRESS RELEASE FirstFuel Raises $10 Million in Series [...]

RockPort Capital has promoted Abe Yokell, Daniel Hullah and Dhiraj Malkani to partners at the firm. Yokell, who helped open the firm’s Menlo Park office, has been with RockPort since 2004. Hullah and Malkani joined RockPort in the Boston office in 2006. Formed in 2000, RockPort Capital has offices in Boston and Menlo Park.

Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital has backed GaN Systems, a provider of next generation power conversion semiconductors for cleantech applications. The firm’s investment from its CELP III Fund led the Series A round for the start-up and is joined by Rockport Capital. PRESS RELEASE Today, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, the world’s most active cleantech venture capital [...]

GaN Systems said it raised a Series A found of financing in a deal led by Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital‘s CELP III Fund and joined by Rockport Capital. The Ottawa startup makes power conversion semiconductors for cleantech applications. PRESS RELEASE Chrysalix Invests in Gallium Nitride Power Conversion Semiconductor Company GaN Systems’ technology stands to change [...]

You just love to look at yourself, don’t you? Photos of our recent San Francisco Shindig were by far the most popular post on peHUB this week, judging by pageviews from our regular readers. Other top posts included Connecticut’s biggest hits and misses with PE and VC investments, Ben Smith’s take on entrepreneurship and Halsey Minor’s reflections on Steve Jobs.

ONE: Shindig Photos: Lookin’ Good, San Francisco! – by Lawrence Aragon
TWO: Connecticut’s Biggest PE/VC Hits and Misses (slideshow) – by David Toll
THREE: Ben Smith: There’s More to the Startup Game than a Post-Exit Payday. It’s Called Fishing – by Ben Smith
FOUR: SLIDESHOW: Ivy League Endowments – Who Did Best In FY2011? (subscribers only) – by Gregory Roth
FIVE: Ex-Houlihan Bankers Launch Firm to Target Technology & Services Companies in D.C. – by Luisa Beltran
SIX: Woof! Woof! The 10 Biggest Dogs in UTIMCO’s Portfolio (slideshow) (subscribers only) – by Lawrence Aragon
SEVEN: Halsey Minor: What Steve Jobs Taught Me – by Halsey Minor
EIGHT: Lynn Tilton Didn’t Get Her Reality Show But Will Be on 20/20 This Week – by Luisa Beltran
NINE: Q3 VC Deals Surge in NY, Texas and Northwest, But Falter in New England, LA and Midwest (slideshow) – by Mark Boslet
TEN: RockPort Feels Pain from Betting Big on Solyndra, Going ‘All In’ on Cleantech – by Nichola Groom and Sarah McBride, Reuters

(Reuters) – David Prend is one of the most respected investors in green technology — but even he picks some losers.

Like the Department of Energy, Prend thought Solyndra, an innovative solar company, was a good bet. His venture capital firm, RockPort Capital, began investing in the company three years before the federal government gave the startup a loan guarantee. RockPort eventually put more than $63.5 million into Solyndra.

As revealed in emails released by the White House, Prend, who sat on the company’s board, also touted the company to President Barack Obama’s staff as a stellar example of green job creation and urged the president to visit its California plant.

But the Solyndra bet went bad — for Prend, the DOE, and other investors such as Henry Kravis and Richard Branson. That’s not so unusual in the field of green tech. A closer look at Prend’s portfolio …

(Reuters) – FBI agents searched the offices of Solyndra on Thursday, the U.S. solar startup that received millions of dollars in federal loan guarantees before filing for bankruptcy this week.

The search comes amid intensifying pressure on the Obama administration, which championed Solyndra as being at the forefront of solar technology when President Barack Obama visited the company’s Fremont, Calif., facility in 2010.

The FBI said it was searching for materials, including documents, but did not offer more specifics.

“We are executing search warrants at Solyndra regarding …

Gazelle said Thursday it closed a $22 million series D round of financing led by Craton Equity Partners. The Boston-based e-commerce company’s round received participation from existing investors Physic Ventures, Venrock Associates and RockPort Capital. PRESS RELEASE Gazelle Raises $22 Million Led by Craton Equity Partners Series D Round Primes Gazelle for Continued Industry Leadership [...]