Press for ARC Energy

With the economic storm clouds clearing, at least a bit, a look around the New England tech sector reveals that, yes, plenty of companies survived, some thrived and some got off the ground, albeit with greater reliance on bootstrapping, friends and family financing and angel investors.

GT Solar International Inc., the Merrimack, N.H., maker of solar energy production technology, said that it is acquiring Salem-based sapphire producer Crystal Systems.

Several travel and search website companies, along with Microsoft Corp., are banding together in an attempt to buy Cambridge travel technology company ITA Software Inc. from under the nose of Internet giant Google Inc., according to people involved in the discussions.