Xconomy’s Top 10 Innovation Stories of 2015

It was the year of drug pricing, fantasy-sports and Uber regulations, and countless cyber and terror attacks. It was a year when initial public offerings were few and far between for technology companies, and the biotech window may have closed as well. Yet there were plenty of commercial advances in fields like gene editing, immunotherapy, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and 3D printing.

A mix of those innovation topics is what Xconomy strives to deliver every day.
We bring our readers on-the-ground stories and information from 10 regions around the country. Our coverage ranges from breaking news on big deals to personal Q&As on what led to those deals, to in-depth profiles of startups and business leaders, to trend and analysis stories that cut through the clutter and give a broader view of the landscape.

Most of all, we strive to be interesting and different. Here are 10 of Xconomy’s top stories of 2015, selected for impact, novelty, breadth of readership, and significance to the innovation community. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

Boston:
MIT Media Lab’s Joi Ito on the Future of Design, Learning, and Science

New York:
Barclays Accelerator Graduates First NY Class, But Is Fintech Frothy?

Raleigh-Durham:
Renewable Energy Efforts Take Root in North Carolina

Detroit/Ann Arbor:
Local Motors Looks to Disrupt Manufacturing With 3D-Printed Car

Wisconsin:
Here’s How You’ll Stay in Shape During the Nine-Month Journey to Mars

Texas:
Key for Houston’s Biotech Ecosystem? Building a Bench of Executives

Boulder-Denver:
Colorado Trendsetter Rally Software Takes CA’s $480M Takeover Offer

San Francisco:
As SEC Mulls Equity Crowdfunding, CA Entrepreneurs Test Other Options

San Diego:
12 Tech Startups to Watch in 2016—and One Still in Stealth Mode

Seattle:
Here’s What Convinced Me to Order a $2,000 Glowforge Laser Cutter

And a few more national stories (OK, I’m cheating, but these must be included):

Ready, Aim, CRISPR: Will Gene-Editing Tools Hit Their Targets?

Stop the Bleeding: Can Gene Therapy Finally Cure Hemophilia?

Startups Vie for “Craigslist Killer” Title As Mobile Claims Focus

Death in the Digital Age: Startups Help Us Cope With Mortality

Author: Gregory T. Huang

Greg is a veteran journalist who has covered a wide range of science, technology, and business. As former editor in chief, he overaw daily news, features, and events across Xconomy's national network. Before joining Xconomy, he was a features editor at New Scientist magazine, where he edited and wrote articles on physics, technology, and neuroscience. Previously he was senior writer at Technology Review, where he reported on emerging technologies, R&D, and advances in computing, robotics, and applied physics. His writing has also appeared in Wired, Nature, and The Atlantic Monthly’s website. He was named a New York Times professional fellow in 2003. Greg is the co-author of Guanxi (Simon & Schuster, 2006), about Microsoft in China and the global competition for talent and technology. Before becoming a journalist, he did research at MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab. He has published 20 papers in scientific journals and conferences and spoken on innovation at Adobe, Amazon, eBay, Google, HP, Microsoft, Yahoo, and other organizations. He has a Master’s and Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.