Alien Reaches Out for $18M

Like the slimy space carnivores that Sigourney Weaver dispatches in the Alien movie series, venture funding has ceaselessly infested the craft of Alien Technologies.

The Morgan Hill, Calif.-based provider of radio frequency identification (RF ID) products last week raised another $18 million, bringing its total funding to $143 million.

Advanced Equities, an investor in prior rounds, led the latest round, which included Forsyth Technology, Lago Venture Fund and new strategic investor Datalogic, a barcode technology provider.

Alien CEO Stav Prodromou said in a statement that the funding will be used to “reinforce Alien’s already strong financial footing” to allow the company to be more aggressive in the RF ID market.

The company raised $38 million in Series F funding last year. That round was also led by Advanced Equities. While last year’s round was its largest to date, the company’s valuation dropped to $127 million. Alien’s $19 million Series E deal (including $1.7 million of convertible securities) in 2001 had a post-money valuation of approximately $200 million.

Also last week, Alien completed a trial to determine the feasibility of using RF ID to track trauma patients through a medical center in Memphis, Tenn. The study used Alien’s electronic product code tags to monitor how long patients spent in different facilities. In mid-March, the company announced it had signed an agreement with EPC Solutions International to make its technology available in China.

Alien Technology was founded in 1999. Previous investors in the company include Adams Street Partners, CMEA Ventures, H&S Ventures, Manhattan Associates, New Enterprise Associates, Rho Ventures and Sevin Rosen Funds.