AxioMed Spine Corporation, a spinal orthopedics company has closed its Series D financing, raising $5 million in two tranches from current and new investors. This funding boosts the previously announced $15 million Series D financing. Investors in the business include Siemens Venture Capital, Aisling Capital, Fidelity Biosciences, Kearny Venture Partners and OrbiMed Advisors. PRESS RELEASE [...]

Itron, a provider of energy and water resource management solutions is to acquire Jackson, Mississippi-based SmartSynch in a $100 million transaction. SmartSynch is a provider of point-to-point smart grid solutions that use a cellular network for communications. Backers of the company include Kinetic Ventures, JP Morgan, Endeavor Capital Management, Nth Power, GulfSouth Capital, Siemens Venture [...]

AxioMed Spine, which manufactures artificial disc replacements for medical patients, received $500,000 in the form of a loan from the state of Ohio to continue developing an artificial cervical spine disc. The company has raised $56 million to date from investors including Siemens Venture Capital GmbH, Aisling Capital, Fidelity Biosciences, Kearny Venture Partners and OrbiMed Advisors.

German company PE International, which develops sustainability management software, has raised 8 million euros ($10.8 million) from Siemens Venture Capital, and from the Cleantech team of European investment company Gimv. The financing will help PE International expand marketing for its enterprise sustainability technology platforms. Representatives from both Siemens Venture Capital and Gimv will hold a seat on the company’s board.

ViewRay Inc., a Cleveland-based developer of image-guided radiation therapy systems, has raised $20 million in Series C funding. Siemens Venture Capital led the round, and was joined by Fidelity Biosciences, Kearny Venture Partners and OrbiMed Advisors.

Mike Majors has joined Siemens Venture Capital as a Boston-based investment partner. He previously was chief financial officer of employment search engine Indeed.com.

Next Wednesday, Chip Hazard of Boston-based Flybridge Capital Partners will hold office hours for local entrepreneurs. His partner David Aranoff will follow suit the following week, after all of Hazard’s available slots got scooped up.

In the interim, three Boston-based partners with Siemens Venture Capital will hold office hours of their own. So will Rob Go, a senior associate with Spark Capital. Even local tech journalist Scott Kirsner has gotten in on the act, “selling out” a series of recent one-on-ones at a Cambridge sandwich shop.

In each case, the idea is to meet with local entrepreneurs that may be otherwise unable to get facetime with professional VCs. The investor typically schedules the meetings (thus leading to some pre-screening), but the subject matter is at the entrepreneur’s choosing.

Siemens Venture Capital has agreed to acquire a 20% stake in Maxxtec AG, a German provider of waste-heat systems and organic rankine cycle modules for biomass and industrial applications. The deal is valued at approximately €10 million, and is SVC’s first transaction from its new growth capital practice. www.maxxtec.net