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Wed. Aug. 08, 2012 Constant Contact survey: Many small businesses expect higher revenue, but still don’t plan to hire A majority of small businesses are experiencing revenue growth in 2012, but are still not planning to hire additional employees, according to a new survey from Constant Contact Inc., a Waltham-based provider of e-mail marketing services. While nearly 90 percent of small businesses surveyed said that they expected their 2012 revenues either to increase or hold steady, 66 percent of survey respondents said they have no plans to hire additional full-time employees in the next six months.	Advertisement
Arbor Networks is planning to relocate to Burlington Arbor Networks Inc., a Chelmsford-based provider of network security and management services, said Wednesday that it plans to relocate its corporate headquarters to Burlington later this year. At 40,000 square feet, the new Burlington space is roughly the same size as the company’s existing facilities in Chelmsford, but the new space is better customized to meet Arbor’s needs for a research lab and equipment testing. Currently, 98 employees work at Arbor’s headquarters location, and there are plans to add nine more.
Boston-Power signs up a Chinese customer for its electric-vehicle batteries Boston-Power Inc., a Westborough company that makes batteries for electric vehicles, announced an agreement Wednesday to provide its batteries to Beijing Electric Vehicle Co. In a press release, Boston-Power said it is projected that its battery systems will be used in hundreds of electric vehicles starting in 2012 and thousands of electric vehicles by 2014. t one time, Boston-Power had hoped to expand in Massachusetts, but abandoned those plans in favor of China after losing out on $100 million in federal stimulus money a few years ago.
PTC agrees to buy Servigistics for $220m Parametric Technology Corp., a Needham company specializing in product lifecycle management software, said Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire Servigistics Inc. for about $220 million in cash. Parametric Technology, which refers to itself as PTC, said the acquisition will “greatly enhance” its existing portfolio of service lifecycle management solutions. On its website, Servigistics describes itself as a privately-held company headquartered in Atlanta.
Chinese company could invest up to $450m in battery maker A123 A123 Systems, a Waltham company that makes lithium batteries, said Wednesday that it has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Wanxiang Group Corp. that establishes the framework for a strategic investment through which Wanxiang would invest up to $450 million in A123. A123 has been struggling, and this investment has the potential to remove the uncertainty regarding the company’s financial situation. A123 also reported Wednesday a second-quarter net loss of $82.9 million on revenues of $17 million.
Waltham-based Care.com raises $50 million in new round of venture capital funding Care.com Inc., a Waltham company that aims to connect families with caregivers, said Tuesday that it has raised $50 million in new funding, the largest amount it has generated since being founded in 2006. The company offers a suite of online tools that list and sort providers of childcare, senior care, pet care, housekeeping, tutoring, and other services. It has approximately 7 million users in more than 15 countries.
NeuroMetrix gets FDA approval to market its Sensus pain-management device in the US NeuroMetrix Inc., a medical device company based in Waltham, said its Sensus pain management device has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The company added that it now hopes that the device should reach the US market before the end of the year. The Sensus is a non-invasive electrical nerve stimulator that is designed to provide relief from chronic pain. People likely to benefit from the device are diabetics with nerve-related complications.
New Talbots owner announces the retailer’s new executive team Sycamore Partners, the New York private equity firm that just bought Talbots Inc., said Tuesday that Michael Archbold has been appointed chief executive of the Hingham-based retailer of clothing for middle-age career women. Lizanne Kindler, previously executive vice president of product development at Kohl’s Department Stores, has been named president of Talbots. Michele Mandell, a 26-year veteran of Talbots and formerly the executive vice president of stores at the company, has been appointed chief operating officer.
iRobot taps Frank Wilson to head its defense and security business unit Bedford’s iRobot Corp. said Tuesday that Frank Wilson has joined the company as senior vice president and general manager of its defense and security business unit. The company develops robots for military and civil defense agencies, for home use, and most recently, for health-care providers. Earlier this year, iRobot warned of possible losses as cuts in defense spending reduce demand for its military robots.
Affectiva raises $12m to extend emotion insight technology to online video and consumer devices Affectiva, a Waltham-based firm focused on emotion measurement technologies, said Tuesday that it has secured $12 million in Series C financing. The round was backed by Hong Kong businessman Li Ka-shing’s Horizons Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Digital Growth Fund, with participation from existing investors. Affectiva, an MIT spin-off founded in 2009 by professor Rosalind W. Picard and research scientist Rana el Kaliouby said it commercialized emotion technologies, including Affdex, an automated facial coding platform and Q Sensor, a wearable biometric sensor.
AIM: Local business confidence index rose in July, but employers remain uncertain An index designed to measure business confidence in Massachusetts posted 52.2 reading in July, an increase of 3.9 points from June’s reading. Recent fluctuations in the index’s monthly readings suggest uncertainty in the state’s employer community. The monthly index is maintained by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, or AIM, an employer association of Bay State businesses and institutions. The index uses a 100-point scale, and July’s reading moved the index back into positive territory --- a reading above 50 indicates a positive outlook.
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