Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft Corp, is opening an office in Silicon Valley to make new investments in emerging technology and internet companies.

Calxeda has secured $55 million in additional funding, one of the largest semiconductor capital deals this year. Investors include Austin Ventures and Vulcan Capital plus additional participation by the firm’s existing investors. Calxeda will use the funding to accelerate adoption and innovation in the emerging market for ultra-low power scalable computing.

Siluria Technologies said it closed a $30 million Series C financing led by new investors Bright Capital and Vulcan Capital and joined by existing investors ARCH Venture Partners, The Wellcome Trust, Alloy Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, Lux Capital, Altitude Life Science Ventures and Presidio Ventures. The company is developing a technology to convert [...]

Horizon Technology Finance Corporation has closed a $12.5 million venture loan facility with Avalanche Technology, a developer of next-generation storage class memory products. Horizon is a specialty finance company that provides secured loans to venture capital and private equity backed development-stage companies in the technology, life sciences, healthcare information and services, and cleantech industries. Avalanche [...]

Sand 9, a MEMS technology company developing precision timing products for wireless and wired applications, has raised a $23 million Series C financing round led by Intel Capital with significant participation from Vulcan Capital. Existing investors Commonwealth Capital Ventures, Flybridge Capital Partners, General Catalyst Partners, Khosla Ventures and CSR also joined the round. Founded in [...]

Boston-based Ember, a provider of low-power wireless mesh networking technology has renewed its 2009 US$5 million venture debt financing. Wellington Financial arranged the financing for the original transaction which provided the company with additional working capital to accommodate its growth strategy. Venture capital backers include Polaris Ventures, GrandBanks Capital, RRE Ventures, Vulcan Capital, DFJ ePlanet [...]

The market for venture-backed IPOs has been pretty dead so far this year. But based on new filing activity, it looks like there’s some optimism things will improve. At least six venture-backed companies have filed to go public since the start of the year, in sectors ranging from enterprise software to semiconductors to car rentals. [...]

Redfin Corp. has raised $14.8 million from investors including Globespan Capital Partners, Madrona Venture Group, Vulcan Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Greylock Partners. The newest round brings Redfin’s total funding to nearly $46 million. The company will use the infusion to launch its technology-powered real estate brokerage in new cities and to deepen its investment in research and development.

Ascentium Capital, which is backed by Paul Allen’s Vulcan Capital, has launched. LKCM Capital Group, the alternative investment vehicle for Luther King Capital Management, is leading the group of investors. Kingwood, Texas-based Ascentium, a lender focused on small-balance commercial loans and leases, is buying a $150 million portfolio of commercial loans and leases from Main [...]

Research in Motion, which makes the BlackBerry smartphone, has acquired Seattle-based business social networking company Gist for an undisclosed sum, Reuters reported. The deal is designed to help Research in Motion bolster its position against Apple, Google’s Android, and the newly announced combination of Nokia and Microsoft. Gist aggregates information on a user’s contacts from various social media and news feeds and incorporates it in a consolidated profile, Reuters wrote. Gist had previously raised at least $10 million from Foundry Group and Vulcan Capital.