Company: m-Qube
Description: Mobile content and messaging delivery technology.
Location: Watertown, Mass.
Amount Raised: $42.4 million
VC Firms: HarbourVest Partners LLC, Globespan Capital Partners, Liberty Associated Partners LP, General Catalyst Partners, Bain Capital Ventures and Sigma Partners. 
VC Directors: Robert Davoli, John Simon, Andy Goldfarb
Exit Type: Trade Sale to Verisign Inc.
Exit Valuation: $250 million
Absolute Return: 489%
Memorable Quote: "Ours is a mobile society", proclaimed Jeff Glass, president and CEO of m-Qube, at the company's launch at the DemoMobile conference in September 2002.  Turns out he was right.
Memorable Awards: Three of its mobile storefronts won Mobile Music Awards at the 2004 MobileMusiCon award ceremony in Miami. Ad: Tech Award winner for Best Wireless Advertising Campaign in 2003.
Quick Take: Verisign is turning out to be a VC's best friend in 2006. M-Qube marks its fifth acquisition in less than three months and this is the biggest by far. Bain Capital and General Catalyst are the big winners here since they provided early funding. With $84 million in reported 2005 annual revenue, m-Qube's last few funding rounds were likely priced high, limiting the upside for late backers Globespan, HarbourVest and Liberty. Still, this is a successful exit for all. That's especially true if the investors and management were right in deciding that the company's growth had maxed out as an independent entity. — Joshua Jaffe

For more on M-Qube's sale, see: Verisign's press release, Everypoint company blog and The Deal

Technorati tags: m-qube, generalcatalyst, baincapital, sigmapartners, verisign, vc, venture capital