Form D Friday: Former CEO of Concord software firm raises $8.8M for data startup

Form D Friday is a Boston Business Journal feature highlighting regulatory filings from Boston-area companies raising capital for new projects or expanding their businesses. Form D reports are a type of SEC form used to file a notice of exempt offerings of securities. The SEC requires companies file the notice within 15 days after the first sale of securities in the offering. These forms don't include a lot of details but can provide clues as to what investors and business owners are planning. If you have any tips or comments about new Boston-area fundraises, email Lucy at EMAIL

The largest round among those we tracked between Jan. 1-6 belongs to Zengines Inc., a Bedford data startup whose president is the former CEO Concord-based software company ProcessUnity Inc. Overall, the early-stage companies we tracked in the first week of 2023 raised $20 million.

Here are some of the companies that raised money this week:

Xeno Biosciences Inc.: $1.5 million

Biotechnology startup Xeno Biosciences Inc. raised $1.5 million in debt from 64 investors, according to a Form D dated Jan. 5. The Cambridge company is developing a pill to treat obesity, which it says was engineered to produce weight loss by mimicking the microbiome changes induced by gastric bypass surgery. In 2021, the company raised a $7.25 million Series A round led by Boston Harbor Angels with participation from Clinical Research Ventures, Maine Angels, Bangor Angels and other investors.

Metrika Inc.: $4.9 million

Metrika Inc., a remote company formally based in Cambridge, raised $4.9 million as part of an equity offering worth $5.8 million, according to a Form D dated Dec. 28 last year. Four investors participated. The startup is building a monitoring and analytics platform to improve the reliability and performance of blockchain networks. Employees refer to themselves as "Metrikærs."

Anokiwave Inc.: $4.8 million

Billerica-based semiconductor company Anokiwave Inc. raised $4.8 million as part of an equity offering worth $20 million, according to a Form D dated Jan. 3. A total of 23 investors participated. The name of the company was inspired by the Hindi word "Anokhi," meaning "extraordinary" and "unique." The company, which designs chips for wireless communications, operates design centers in Austin, Boston and San Diego.

Bedford-based Zengines Inc., which says it has found a new way of converting data, raised $8.8 million in equity from 34 investors, according to a Form D dated Jan. 3. The amount sold includes the conversion of "simple agreements for future equity," or SAFEs. The software-as-a-service startup launched in 2020. Previously, President Todd Stone was CEO of Concord-based software company ProcessUnity Inc. for more than 16 years.