Annapolis, Md. -- PharmAthene, an Annapolis-based biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, said on Tuesday that it will raise $5.5 million through the sale of stock in a public offering.

Mountain View, Calif. -- Reports have surfaced that Internet giant Google may be gearing up to officially launch a long-rumored venture capital arm, after someone was spotted at a conference last week with "Google Ventures" printed on his name tag.

Washington, DC -- The Sunlight Foundation, a Washington, DC-based non-profit organization promoting greater government openness and transparency through the Internet, said on Wednesday that it has landed a $4 million investment from Omidyar Network, a Silicon Valley-based philanthropic investment firm started by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam.

Reston, Va. -- Transaction Network Services (TNS), a Reston-based provider of network and data communications services used during credit card transactions, said that it will pay $230 million in cash to acquire California-based VeriSign's Communication Services Group (CSG).

Frederick, Md. -- Widearea Systems, a Frederick-based developer of communications products and services that companies use to interact with customers, said that it has acquired Chantilly-based Nytor Technologies, a maker of thin client devices used by the Department of Defense and intelligence community for information sharing and collaboration.