Requirements software startup Blueprint Software Systems has closed a US$9.3 million financing deal from investors BDC, Growthworks and Walsingham Fund. This brings the number of investments in the company to $14.3 million. Company executives will use the money to speed development of the Blueprint Requirements Center product line, as well as to expand support, sales and marketing, according to a statement announcing the investment. According to the company, the tool “empowers authors and reviewers to visually define, simulate, validate and publish requirements for context- and comprehension-rich collaboration with increasingly distributed and third-party stakeholders—from the capture of business process definitions and textual requirements, all the way through more complex use cases, data, business rules, UI simulations and complete test case generation.”
OpenPeak, which makes multimedia touch-screen devices and device management platforms, has secured US$52 million in additional financing. The company recently announced OpenTablet 7, its touch-screen device based on the Intel Atom processor platform. Intel Capital was one of the investors in the funding round. OpenPeak also has built a software framework that enables developers to create interactive applications for the platform. The company will target a variety of vertical markets with the platform. OpenTablet 7 brings together telephony with multimedia communications services and applications. It features a 7-inch screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and cellular connectivity, as well as dual cameras for high-definition video and still images, the company said.
IBM has named Ascendant Technology as the 2010 Rational Innovator of the year, presented at the IBM Innovate 2010 Conference. Ascendant was cited for “their commitment to the depth and breadth of the IBM Rational portfolio.” In announcing the award, IBM said Ascendant’s IBM specialization and asset-based consulting model “provides a comprehensive set of capabilities and technical expertise across the IBM Rational, Lotus, WebSphere, Tivoli and Information Management software brands.”
EARNINGS
Novell reported net revenue of US$204 million for its second fiscal quarter ended April 30, a decline of $12 million from the same year-ago period. However, GAAP net income from operations improved from $16 million to $20 million over the same period. The company reported that foreign currency exchange rates favorably impacted net revenue by $2 million and negatively impacted operating expenses by $6 million from the same period last year. The company expects net revenue of between $205 million and $210 million for the 2010 third fiscal quarter.
