VC watch: Celion picks up $45 million

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Friday's deals

• Celion Networks said it raised a $45 million second round of funding, led by Lehman Brothers Venture Capital Group. Other investors in this round included Corning Innovation Ventures, Intel Communications Fund, Global Innovation Partners, and previous investor Sequoia Capital. Richardson, Texas-based Celion has raised a total of $51 million, with its valuation increasing in the latest round, a spokesman said. The optical networking systems company is developing products designed to make optical networks more flexible and easier to use.

Thursday's deals

• CustomerAsset said it has raised $9 million in a second round of funding, led by venture capital firm Antfactory. Bangalore, India-based CustomerAsset has raised a total of $12.3 million, and it received an increase in valuation with the latest round. The customer-relationship management company offers services such as data mining and management of incoming and outgoing customer interactions. Other investors in this latest round included eVentures India.

• Transvirtual Technologies said it received $4 million toward its first round of funding. San Francisco-based Transvirtual has raised a total of more than $4 million and hopes to reach $8 million by the time it closes its first round later this month. Transvirtual is developing software to create a new communications standard for Internet devices. The company's software combines the use of XML (Extensible Markup Language) and Java.

Tuesday's deals

• Civcom said Tuesday it received a $10.5 million second round of funding, which was led by Mercator Broadband Partners. srael-based Civcom also attracted investments from Formula Ventures, Omninet Capital and previous investors Concord Ventures and Aurum-SBC Ventures. The company, which has raised a total of $21 million, designs a family of high-speed optical switches. The switches are developed to eliminate the need to convert optical signals to electrical ones at metropolitan network junctions.

Monday's deals

• UpShot said it has received $17 million in a fifth round of funding. ABN AMRO, Advanced Technology Ventures, Alloy Ventures and New England Partners were investors in the round. An ABN AMRO representative will sit on UpShot's board of directors. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company has raised a total of $59 million. UpShot's software is designed to help sales teams manage information such as allowing a vice president of sales to monitor progress of his or her company against forecasts in real time, as well as letting telemarketing representatives pass on leads to sales staff members when they open their browsers.

• ReefEdge said it had received $15 million toward its second round of funding. The Fort Lee, N.J.-based company hopes to raise upward of $18 million for the round, which it expects to close by the end of the summer. RRE Ventures led the round, which included investments from Allegra Partners and previous investors Bessemer Venture Partners and Columbia Capital. ReefEdge has developed software designed to enable companies to install secure wireless networks within their buildings and to increase the size of the networks as needed. The company has raised a total of $21.8 million and received a 50 percent increase in valuation with the latest round.

• Authentor Systems has received a $4.5 million second round of funding from SI Ventures, FLV Fund, Catalyst Partners, 5280 Partners and iSherpa Capital. Englewood, Colo.-based Authentor has raised a total of $12.5 million. Authentor's software is designed to let companies securely access online information and applications.

• Telecommunications equipment provider CopperCom said it received $65 million toward its sixth round of funding. The Boca Raton, Fla.-based company hopes to raise upwards of $90 million for the round. Advent International and Technology Crossover Ventures led the round. Advanced Technology Ventures, AT&T Ventures, Cross Atlantic Ventures, Focus Ventures, Granite Ventures, JK&B Capital, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Venture Partners, Patricof & Co. and Van Wagoner Capital Management also contributed. CopperCom's equipment is targeted at local exchange carriers that want to offer service providers the ability to carry voice over their old systems and voice and data networks. The company has raised a total of $220 million with this latest round.

Friday's deals

• Prolatus has raised a $6.5 million third round of funding, which was led by Mellon Ventures. Other investors in the round include The Rahn Group, Brightstone Capital, Imagine Capital Partners and individual investors. The Minneapolis-based company has raised a total of $8.5 million. Prolatus licenses software that allows customers to send large graphic files through regular telephone lines. The company targets pre-press, printing and content provider companies as its customers.

• FineGround Networks has raised more than $16 million in its second round of funding. Investors in the round included Worldview Partners and New Enterprise Associates. Campbell, Calif.-based FineGround has raised a total of $21.3 million, and its valuation has increased by 400 percent in the latest round, according to a company spokeswoman. The company has developed software designed to resend just the new online information on a Web site, without requiring people to reload the entire page. FineGround's software focuses on helping its customers provide content that loads quickly.

• Vernier Networks raised an $8.5 million second round of funding led by Foundation Capital. Other investors included Doll Capital Management, Masthead Venture Partners and Weber Capital Management. Mountain View, Calif.-based Vernier develops software that helps network managers protect wireless LANs (local area networks) from unauthorized people tapping into the network, providing the same level of manageability as wired networks. The company has raised a total of $9.5 million with this latest round.