Ember, a start-up based in Boston, closed an additional $25 million in funding for its ZigBee wireless semiconductor solutions. Ember also announced that Bob Metcalfe, father of Ethernet, founder of 3Com, and now Polaris Ventures partner, will become its new chairman.
Ember uses ZigBee technology to create a wireless mesh network linking devices that previously couldn’t communicate. Its chip architecture is based on the IEEE 802.15.4 specification.
The new funding was led by Vulcan Capital, which was joined by new strategic investors ChevronTexaco Technology Ventures, Hitachi Ltd. and WestAM. Existing investors Polaris Venture Partners, DFJ New England, GrandBanks Capital, RRE Ventures and DFJ ePlanet Ventures also participated in the round, bringing the total capital Ember has raised to $53 million. CIBC World Markets served as financial advisor to the company for this round. http://www.ember.com
