Monday, January 26, 2009

Virtual Computer’s second funding rounds up $15M

By Galen Moore

Virtual Computer Inc. has pulled down $15 million in a Series B round, and added Citrix Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS), a Florida maker of web-based application delivery platforms, to its group of investors.

The recent funding brings total investment in Virtual Computer, a Westford-based maker of virtual desktops, to $21 million. Returning investors Highland Capital Partners and Flybridge Capital Partners led the Series B round.

The company, which currently has 30 employees, expects to ship its first product, a virtual PC management platform called NxTop, in March, said CEO Dan McCall. It plans to double in size in 2009, with most of the new positions coming in sales and marketing divisions, he said.

The technology virtualizes an individual user’s desktop environment, allowing IT departments to manage hardware, applications, data and operating systems centrally, McCall said. NxTop includes two applications, the NxTop Center and the NxTop Engine. McCall compared the NxTop Center to Apple’s iTunes, and the NxTop engine to an mp3 player. “Your desktop is like an mp3 file,” he said.

Later versions may include the ability to synchronize home or remote desktops with work desktops, he said.

Citrix will not take a seat on the board. Highland is represented by Peter Bell. John Karlen holds Flybridge’s seat.
 

Editor’s note: An earlier online version of this story misstated Citrix’s role as an investor in Virtual Computer. The company does not have a seat on Virtual Computer’s board.