brad meikle

Deerfield, Illinois.-based Textura Corp (NYSE: TXTR), a provider of collaboration and productivity tools for the construction industry, has closed its previously announced buy of LATISTA Technologies, a provider of mobile-enabled solutions for construction projects. The acquisition price, disclosed earlier by the company, was US$35 million in cash. Textura, a portfolio investment of Canadian venture capital firm Northwater Capital Management, in June raised US$75 million from its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.

Dr. Ilse Treurnicht, CEO of Toronto-based commercialization hub MaRS Discovery District, has been named a recipient of the Women's Executive Network's 2013 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards. This is the fourth time Treurnicht has received this award. In recognition of that, and her "long-standing contribution to Canadian innovation," it was further announced that she will this year be inducted into the Women's Executive Network's Hall of Fame. Treurnicht joined MaRS in 2005. Prior to then, she was president and CEO of Canadian venture capital firm Primaxis Technology Ventures.

GrowthWorks Canadian Fund has received a letter from legal counsel to GrowthWorks WV Management Ltd, the former manager of the retail venture capital fund, concerning the termination of the management agreement, which was announced in September. The fund's former manager asserts that the termination was without cause, and that it is entitled to damages. GrowthWorks Canadian Fund was recently provided legal authorization to pursue a sale and investor solicitation process.

GreenAngel Energy Corp has decided to write down its $390,000 investment in Light-Based Technologies Inc, a developer of LED drivers and control technologies for the solid state lighting industry. GreenAngel, a Canadian angel organization that invests in early-stage clean technology, said it made the decision because the company has received no acquisition or investment offers and "is rapidly running out of cash." Founded in 2004, the Vancouver-based Light-Based Technologies has raised approximately US$17 million in venture capital funding since 2010. Its other investors are Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital and VantagePoint Capital Partners.

Mobile publishing specialist Fuse Powered Inc has bought AppHero Inc, the Toronto-based developer of the first personalized mobile app recommendations technology. The acquisition price was not disclosed. Fuse Powered said the transaction will drive advertising performance for publishers on its Fuseboxx™ platform. Fuse Powered, which is also based in Toronto, is a portfolio company of Canadian venture capital firms Relay Ventures and NFQ Ventures, as well as other investors. Founded in 2011, AppHero is also venture-backed. Last year, the company obtained $1.8 million in seed-stage funding from OMERS Ventures, Golden Venture Partners, ENIAC Ventures and others.

Xagenic Inc, a Toronto-based molecular diagnostics start-up, has secured $20 million in Series B financing. The round was led by U.S. venture capital firm Domain Associates, with the participation of Canadian investors CTI Life Sciences Fund and the Ontario Emerging Technologies Fund. In conjunction with the deal, Domain's Jesse Treu will join the company's board of directors. Xagenic will use the new funds to support development and clinical studies as it moves toward regulatory approval and commercialization of its molecular diagnostic testing platform and lead diagnostic assay. The first start-up of commercialization agent MaRS Innovation, the company emerged from research developed at the University of Toronto, and has been venture-backed since 2010.

Canadian private equity firm Desjardins Capital de risque has agreed to sell its investment in Wanted Technologies Corp. Desjardins and its fund affiliates will sell their 37.44 percent equity stake in the company to GMP Securities LP and Desjardins Securities Inc, which will subsequently resell shares on a private placement basis. Closing of the secondary transaction is expected to occur on or about December 11, 2013. Based in Québec City, Wanted Technologies provides market intelligence services based on hiring demand, and has been venture-backed since 2000. Its other investors have included Innovatech Sud du Québec and Innovatech Québec et Chaudière-Appalaches.

DIRTT Environmental Solutions Ltd has completed its initial public offering at a price of $3.00 per share, raising total gross proceeds of $45 million. The shares of the Calgary-based technology-driven manufacturer of highly-customized interiors will begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "DRT". Founded in 2001, DIRTT is backed by Canadian and U.S. venture capital firms, including Apex Venture Partners, EDC Equity Fund, Expansion Capital Partners, Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, NGEN Partners and North Sky Capital.

Toronto-based commercialization hub MaRS Discovery District has launched a one-year pilot program to provide new apps to help manage energy consumption data in Ontario households and other venues. Apps from Energent, BuiltSpace, Eyedro and Zerofootprint will be made available to consumers serviced by Hydro One and London Hydro. The initiative is part of the Green Button Standard program, which is being promoted by MaRS Data Catalyst and the Ontario Ministry of Energy in partnership with private industry.