Aug. 19--With fresh venture capital targeting the new flu pandemic and a computer "virtualization" startup coming out of stealth mode today, Silicon Valley's diverse entrepreneurial economy is showing more signs of vitality amid the recession.

The $40 million investment in Adamas Pharmaceuticals' and Wanova's debut stand out in an array of recent deals that also addressed matters such as financial management, video surveillance and customer service.

Adamas Pharmaceuticals, a 5-year-old company based in Emeryville, announced Tuesday that it had secured its fourth-round funding in hope of accelerating clinical trials for therapies for the novel H1N1 virus, sometimes called swine flu. Adamas also announced a new research and development agreement with the U.S. Naval Health Research Center in San Diego, which first identified the H1N1 virus.

The World Health Organization has warned that the 2009 influenza pandemic -- the first in 41 years -- has spread internationally with unprecedented speed. Adamas said it is pioneering a triple-combination antiviral drug therapy that is designed to inhibit viral replication at multiple points in the proliferation pathway.

Dr. Greg Went, CEO of Adamas, said the company is in clinical trials for a flu therapy that could potentially reach the public in late 2011.

The Adamas funding was led by DAG Ventures and Aeris Capital, which joined previous investors Mohr Davidow Ventures and Northgate Capital.

Adamas is also developing therapies for Parkinson's and dementia.

Wanova -- a San Jose startup touting "a new era in desktop virtualization," the technology that enables computers to run multiple operating systems -- made its public debut today with $13 million in first-round funding from Greylock Partners, Carmel Ventures and Opus Capital.

Wanova, which also has a research center in Israel, said it is targeting opportunities in a multibillion-dollar market with a new software architecture that it says will improve management, support and protection of computer systems.

Silicon Valley venture firms were involved in several other recent deals:

--3VR Security, a San Francisco maker of searchable video surveillance systems for private industry and government customers, announced today it has secured $12 million in fourth-round funding led by Menlo Ventures. Other investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

--Polyvore, a Mountain View startup that bills itself as "the Web's largest user-generated fashion magazine," said Tuesday it had received $5.6 million in second-round funding, with Matrix Partners joining previous investors Benchmark Capital and Harrison Metal Capital.

--Apptio, a Washington state-based maker of on-demand business financial management software, on Tuesday trumpeted $14 million in second-round funding. Andreessen Horowitz, the new Sand Hill Road firm launched by celebrated entrepreneur Marc Andreessen, and Shasta Ventures led the round, joining previous investors Greylock Partners and Madrona Venture Group.

--Mint.com, a personal finance management site based in Mountain View, announced $14 million in third-round funding. The round was led by DAG Ventures, with new funding from Founders Fund and participation of existing investors Shasta, Benchmark Capital, First Round Capital and Sherpalo.

--MobileIron, a Sunnyvale company that tailors smart-phones for business use, on Monday announced it had received $11 million in second-round funding jointly led by Norwest Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital and Storm Ventures.

--Zendesk, a Massachusetts-based provider of Web-based "help desk" software for companies such as MSNBC and Twitter, announced that Benchmark led second-round funding of $6 million. Benchmark partner Peter Fenton, who recently scored on Facebook's acquisition of FriendFeed and VMware's purchase of SpringSource, joined Zendesk's board.

Scott Duke Harris can be reached at 408-920-2704.

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