Expanding Wireless Health Summit Looks to Inform and Change Patient Behavior

After years of carefully shepherding San Diego’s emerging mobile health industry, Rob McCray says the sixth annual wireless health convergence summit that begins tomorrow in downtown San Diego isn’t just about “convergence” any more. McCray, who is CEO of the nonprofit Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA), instead sounded a theme that seems to resonate in these … Continue reading “Expanding Wireless Health Summit Looks to Inform and Change Patient Behavior”

Motorola Mobility Stays Put, RadiSys Acquires Continuous Computing, Watchwords From Qualcomm’s Town Hall Meeting, & More San Diego BizTech News

Much of San Diego’s tech news came out of the mobile industry last week, along with a dash of cleantech and a dollop of software. In other words, a feast for the hungry reader. —The big deal of the week came when Hillsboro, OR-based RadiSys (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RSYS]]) announced an agreement to acquire privately held Continuous … Continue reading “Motorola Mobility Stays Put, RadiSys Acquires Continuous Computing, Watchwords From Qualcomm’s Town Hall Meeting, & More San Diego BizTech News”

All Things Connected: Qualcomm Executives Talk About Mobile Complexity

What do the top executives at Qualcomm view as the key developments as mobile communications accelerate with the proliferation of smartphones, tablets, and other wireless devices? At a town hall forum last night at the wireless giant’s San Diego headquarters, Qualcomm chairman and CEO Paul Jacobs said the mobile experience has gone through a critical … Continue reading “All Things Connected: Qualcomm Executives Talk About Mobile Complexity”

InterDigital Open House

InterDigital is hosting an open house at its new facility in San Diego. After almost 40 years of solving the wireless industry’s most-difficult technical challenges from their East Coast offices near Philadelphia, New York, and Montreal, InterDigital has established a West Coast research lab and development center in San Diego. More information about InterDigital is … Continue reading “InterDigital Open House”

Mad Catz Repays $14.5M Debt

San Diego’s Mad Catz Interactive (AMEX: [[ticker:MCZ]]), which sells videogame enhancements and interactive accessories, says today it has repaid $14.5 million in convertible debt that the company incurred when it acquired the Saitek group of companies in 2007. The financing included about $12.2 million raised last month through a private stock placement arranged by Roth … Continue reading “Mad Catz Repays $14.5M Debt”

Awarepoint Secures $14M

San Diego’s Awarepoint, which uses a Zigbee-based wireless mesh sensor network for real-time tracking of patients, medical devices, and hospital equipment, has closed on $14 million in debt financing, according to a pair of recent regulatory filings (here and here). Awarepoint said last month it had acquired Charlotte, NC-based Patient Care Technology Systems, although no … Continue reading “Awarepoint Secures $14M”

New Health IT Startup Targets Military Programs, Allylix Sniffs New Market for Nootkatone, Biocept Builds Team, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

Much of the local biotech news over the past week was focused on several early stage companies, which are busily raising money and building their leadership teams. We have the latest news for you here. —A new San Diego health IT startup, Cognitive Medical Systems, recruited a veteran software CEO to serve as president and … Continue reading “New Health IT Startup Targets Military Programs, Allylix Sniffs New Market for Nootkatone, Biocept Builds Team, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

Qualcomm Convenes Town Hall Meeting at Critical Juncture

At the market research and consulting firm CCS Insight, Boston-based analyst John Jackson says he views San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) as a company “that faces some tectonic shifts in an industry that used to be known as the telecom industry.” Now telecom has converged with computing and the Internet, and Jackson says it’s all … Continue reading “Qualcomm Convenes Town Hall Meeting at Critical Juncture”

Did ViaSat Network Carry Live Feed of Commando Raid on Osama bin Laden?

In an interview on the PBS News Hour last night, CIA Director Leon Panetta describes the U.S. raid on the Pakistan compound where Osama bin Laden was killed—saying that neither he nor President Obama watched the actual shooting of bin Laden as it happened inside the main building. Yet both were apparently watching a live … Continue reading “Did ViaSat Network Carry Live Feed of Commando Raid on Osama bin Laden?”

NeuroVigil Raises Seed-Stage Financing

San Diego-based NeuroVigil, which has developed a wireless sensor and related technology to analyze human brainwave patterns, says it has closed its first round of financing. In its statement Monday, the startup did not identify the amount of funding or investors, saying only that the round “was led by an anonymous American industrialist and technology … Continue reading “NeuroVigil Raises Seed-Stage Financing”

Oregon’s RadiSys Acquires San Diego’s Continuous Computing in Deal Valued at $120M

Hillsboro, OR-based RadiSys (NASDAQ: [[ticker:RSYS]]), which provides hardware and software for Internet-based telecommunications, has agreed to acquire San Diego’s Continuous Computing, a privately held company whose wireless infrastructure technologies are based on a set of software protocols called Trillium. Under terms of the deal, RadiSys agreed to pay roughly $120 million, which includes $73 million … Continue reading “Oregon’s RadiSys Acquires San Diego’s Continuous Computing in Deal Valued at $120M”

Software Equity Group Sees Improving Valuations, M&A Activity, in Software Sector

There were 394 software buyouts and mergers around the world during the first three months of 2011, with the cumulative value of all deals totaling $8.3 billion, according to a M&A tracking report from the San Diego-based Software Equity Group. That was down from the 421 M&A deals that amounted to a total value of … Continue reading “Software Equity Group Sees Improving Valuations, M&A Activity, in Software Sector”

San Diego Health IT Startup, Cognitive Medical Systems, Recruits DefenseWeb CEO

Cognitive Medical Systems, a previously unknown health IT startup based in San Diego, is today naming local software industry veteran Douglas Burke as president—and employee No. 4. Burke, who was previously the CEO of San Diego-based DefenseWeb Technologies, announced the move in an e-mail blast to his professional contacts yesterday. Mary Lacroix, a longtime health … Continue reading “San Diego Health IT Startup, Cognitive Medical Systems, Recruits DefenseWeb CEO”

Sony Takes Online Entertainment Website Offline

[Updated 5/2/11 5:35 pm. See below.] A hacker attack that eviscerated the San Diego data center for the Sony PlayStation Network last month apparently led Sony to also shut down its Station.com online gaming website today. The episode involving the PlayStation Network prompted Sony executives to bow in apology in Tokyo yesterday, according to The … Continue reading “Sony Takes Online Entertainment Website Offline”

Service-now Hires New CEO, Fallbrook Yanks IPO Filing, VoIP Specialist VoxOx Launches iPhone App, & More San Diego BizTech News

Is software-as-a-service provider Service-now.com be poised to become San Diego’s next big thing? We’ve got that and the rest of the local tech news, and our roundup starts now. —San Diego-based Service-now.com co-founder Fred Luddy told me he expects the company’s revenue to double every year for the foreseeable future. So it’s hard to underscore … Continue reading “Service-now Hires New CEO, Fallbrook Yanks IPO Filing, VoIP Specialist VoxOx Launches iPhone App, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Goin’ Mobile: VoxOx Launches iPhone App with International Calling Feature

San Diego-based VoxOx, which provides a free communications service based on voice over Internet (VoIP) technology, hopes to make a big splash today with the release of its VoxOx Call for iPhone—the startup’s first mobile app. When VoxOx debuted three years ago, users could download a free application to their desktop, enabling consumers to combine … Continue reading “Goin’ Mobile: VoxOx Launches iPhone App with International Calling Feature”

Nootkatone, So A-peeling in Grapefruit, is Repellent to Mosquitoes and Ticks

When I profiled Allylix last summer, CEO Carolyn Fritz explained how the San Diego startup was using genetically engineered yeast and proprietary fermentation technology to produce specialized “aroma chemicals” for the $1.9 billion flavor and fragrance market. The company’s first product was a compound with a keen grapefruit taste and smell called nootkatone, a flavor … Continue reading “Nootkatone, So A-peeling in Grapefruit, is Repellent to Mosquitoes and Ticks”

Polaris Prepares for Liver Cancer Trial, Goal Draws Near for Hepatitis C Drug, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

Is sentiment coming together to push for FDA regulatory reform? Luke’s BioBeat column described industry efforts to shake up the FDA, and U.S. Rep. Darell Issa convened a hearing in San Diego last to collect life sciences testimony on needed reforms. We have details on all that and more. —In a run-up to an FDA … Continue reading “Polaris Prepares for Liver Cancer Trial, Goal Draws Near for Hepatitis C Drug, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

San Diego’s Polaris Moves to Late-Stage Test of Drug for Liver Cancer and Other “Arginine-Dependant” Tumors

Bor-Wen Wu says he had the North Star in mind in 2006 when he founded San Diego’s Polaris Group, a small holding company with a promising lead drug candidate for treating liver cancer, malignant melanoma, and other related cancers. As an explorer in science, Wu says, “I need a North Star to tell me where … Continue reading “San Diego’s Polaris Moves to Late-Stage Test of Drug for Liver Cancer and Other “Arginine-Dependant” Tumors”

Service-Now Names Software Industry Veteran Frank Slootman as CEO

When I met in January with Service-now.com founding CEO Fred Luddy, he said the company that provides software-as-a-service for IT management has enough momentum to carry it through an IPO. Today, if I’m reading the tea leaves correctly, the San Diego company took an important preliminary step in that process by naming Bay Area software … Continue reading “Service-Now Names Software Industry Veteran Frank Slootman as CEO”

San Diego’s Q1 VC Activity Might Not Be So Bad After All

The MoneyTree snapshot of first-quarter venture activity that we reported 10 days ago showed a dire decline in venture investments in the San Diego region so far this year. But the local picture looks a lot better in data for the same period that came in recently from Dow Jones VentureSource. The information from Dow … Continue reading “San Diego’s Q1 VC Activity Might Not Be So Bad After All”

Smartphone Demand Powers Qualcomm Results, Soitec Makes Case for Solar Project, West Wireless Recasts Its Mission, & More San Diego BizTech News

The director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center says digital information is increasing exponentially, which is helping to fuel demand for smartphones and tablet computers, and that is driving Qualcomm’s financial performance. We’ve got a week’s worth of details for you here. —San Diego’s Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) is on a phenomenal tear. Driven by increased … Continue reading “Smartphone Demand Powers Qualcomm Results, Soitec Makes Case for Solar Project, West Wireless Recasts Its Mission, & More San Diego BizTech News”

West Wireless Repositions Itself as an Impartial Arbiter, Amylin Makes Headway in Europe, VCs Debate Viability of Venture-Backed Biotech, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

While overall venture funding in San Diego was off dramatically during the first quarter, three life sciences deals disclosed last week suggest that a turnaround is underway. We’ve got those details and more. —By making a few management changes, shedding some commercial initiatives, and distancing itself from Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]), San Diego’s West Wireless Health … Continue reading “West Wireless Repositions Itself as an Impartial Arbiter, Amylin Makes Headway in Europe, VCs Debate Viability of Venture-Backed Biotech, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

West Wireless Health Institute Distances Itself from Qualcomm, Seeks to Recast its Role

When the West Wireless Health Institute named Don Casey as its first CEO last year, the San Diego nonprofit said the former Johnson & Johnson executive was hired to drive development of the institute as “a world-class research organization focused on accelerating wireless health innovations, technology incubation, advocacy and education.” Today the institute is describing … Continue reading “West Wireless Health Institute Distances Itself from Qualcomm, Seeks to Recast its Role”

Triangulating VC Activity: Third Survey Shows Q1 Increase in Invested Capital

Another survey on venture capital activity during the first quarter shows that venture investors put $6.4 billion into 661 startups nationwide. That’s a 35 percent increase in capital and a 5 percent rise in deals, according to the report from Dow Jones VentureSource. It’s the third survey to show a substantial increase in the amount … Continue reading “Triangulating VC Activity: Third Survey Shows Q1 Increase in Invested Capital”

Amira Drug Gets Orphan Status

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation to AM152, the lead drug candidate under development at San Diego’s Amira Pharmaceuticals for treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. In a statement yesterday, the company says the designation provides a seven-year period of market exclusivity and … Continue reading “Amira Drug Gets Orphan Status”

Tracon Raises $14M to Advance Cancer Drug

San Diego’s Tracon Pharmaceuticals says today it has raised $14 million of a planned $22 million round of venture capital needed to advance development of TRC105, a promising therapeutic that inhibits the growth of new blood vessels that supply tumors. The National Cancer Institute also is supporting the company’s research and development, which includes ongoing … Continue reading “Tracon Raises $14M to Advance Cancer Drug”

FDA Clears Gen-Probe for Trichomonas Test

San Diego-based Gen-Probe (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GPRO]]) says today the FDA has cleared its nucleic acid amplification test to detect the sexually transmitted infection Trichomonas vaginalis for use in the United States. Gen-Probe says its Aptima assay is the first such test to be approved specifically for Trichomonas vaginalis, which is the most common curable sexually transmitted … Continue reading “FDA Clears Gen-Probe for Trichomonas Test”

Lebovitz Named as Venture Partner at DFJ Mercury

DFJ Mercury, a Houston-based seed-stage venture firm, has promoted venture advisor Russ Lebovitz to venture partner in San Diego and Houston, according to a report in PE Hub. Lebovitz is the CEO of Marval Biosciences, a DFJ Mercury portfolio company with offices in both Houston and La Jolla, CA, and the founder and chairman of … Continue reading “Lebovitz Named as Venture Partner at DFJ Mercury”

Awarepoint Buys Patient Care Technology Systems

San Diego’ Awarepoint, which developed wireless tags and a computerized tracking system to help hospitals and healthcare providers keep track of ventilators and other equipment, has acquired Patient Care Technology Systems, a workflow software developer in Charlotte, N.C. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Awarepoint has installed its asset tracking technology in 93 … Continue reading “Awarepoint Buys Patient Care Technology Systems”

Sangart Gets $50M Infusion for Oxygen-Carrying Blood Adjunct

San Diego-based Sangart, which has been developing an oxygen-carrying compound to counter blood loss in traumatic injuries, says today it has raised more than $50 million in a Series G round of new equity funding. That’s a big deal these days in San Diego, which raised a total of slightly more than $100 million in … Continue reading “Sangart Gets $50M Infusion for Oxygen-Carrying Blood Adjunct”

Solar Sell: Soitec CEO Argues Case for its Advanced Solar Technology in San Diego

The French semiconductor manufacturer Soitec generated headlines in San Diego last month when it said it has been working with Tenaska Solar Ventures to develop a 150-megawatt solar plant in the desert east of San Diego—at an estimated cost of $500 million. To support the project Soitec also revealed plans to build a factory somewhere … Continue reading “Solar Sell: Soitec CEO Argues Case for its Advanced Solar Technology in San Diego”

San Diego VC Activity Falls 55 Percent, Ford Adopts Focus as EV “Tech Platform,” Verve Raises $3.5M, & More San Diego BizTech News

While venture capital activity increased nationwide during the first quarter that ended in March, VC investing in San Diego fell to its lowest level since the first quarter of 2009. Our roundup of that and the rest of last week’s tech news begins now. —Data on first-quarter venture capital activity arrived separately from New York-based … Continue reading “San Diego VC Activity Falls 55 Percent, Ford Adopts Focus as EV “Tech Platform,” Verve Raises $3.5M, & More San Diego BizTech News”

In This Corner: Kinsella & More Vs. Hutton & Samuels on Venture Biotech

Avalon Ventures founder Kevin Kinsella was practically spoiling for a fight in February, when he called out the pharmaceutical industry for many instances of what he called “short-sighted, brass-knuckle negotiating tactics.” Pharma’s “bad behavior” had Kinsella questioning whether “this partnership between Big Pharma and biotech can really continue.” Kinsella’s bill of particulars, which includes buyout … Continue reading “In This Corner: Kinsella & More Vs. Hutton & Samuels on Venture Biotech”

Disparities in First Quarter VC Activity, the San Diego Subsidence, and Top 10 Local Deals

“”Figures often beguile me,” Mark Twain wrote more than a century ago, as he worked his way up to the proposition that “There are three kinds of lies: ‘lies, damn lies, and statistics.’” I wonder what the cantankerous Twain would say today about the disparities in data concerning venture capital activity that are issued each … Continue reading “Disparities in First Quarter VC Activity, the San Diego Subsidence, and Top 10 Local Deals”

Zacharon Aligns with Pfizer, Conatus Raises Big Bucks, Software Veteran Wins Wireless Institute Challenge, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

A couple of San Diego biotechs have managed to raise some venture capital in recent weeks. We’ve got details on their good fortune, along with the rest of the local life sciences roundup. —In its first big partnership with a major pharmaceutical, San Diego’s Zacharon agreed to share its expertise in developing small-molecule drugs that … Continue reading “Zacharon Aligns with Pfizer, Conatus Raises Big Bucks, Software Veteran Wins Wireless Institute Challenge, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

Looking Up: First Quarter Venture Capital Deals & Dollars Rise

Venture capital investments surged during the first three months of 2011, driven mostly by sharply increased funding for Internet and cleantech-renewable energy startups, according to CB Insights, a New York information and data services firm. Venture investors sunk a total of $7.5 billion into 738 deals throughout the country during the first quarter, a 27 … Continue reading “Looking Up: First Quarter Venture Capital Deals & Dollars Rise”

Verve Wireless in a Growth Spurt

Verve Wireless, which provides a technology platform to traditional media companies for mobile advertising, has been on a tear in recent weeks—raising additional capital, filling out its management team, and recruiting five digital media leaders for its board of advisors. In a recent regulatory filing, Verve disclosed that it has raised $3.5 million of a … Continue reading “Verve Wireless in a Growth Spurt”

NewBlue Joins EvoNexus Incubator

EvoNexus, the pro bono technology incubator supported by San Diego’s CommNexus non-profit industry group, has taken in NewBlue, a fledgling startup developing integrated video effects technologies. NewBlue is focused on supporting the coming introduction of Vibop, a patent-pending, cloud-based technology that enables social networking and shared video across smartphones and other mobile devices.

Ford, Chasing Nissan and Chevy, Rolling Out Focus EV in San Diego, Other Key Markets

After investing roughly $1 billion to overhaul a Ford F150 truck factory in Wayne, MI, the Ford Motor Co. has begun to introduce a new generation of electric and hybrid electric automobiles in the United States. Ford has targeted San Diego as a key beachhead for the initial commercial rollout of its all-electric car, following … Continue reading “Ford, Chasing Nissan and Chevy, Rolling Out Focus EV in San Diego, Other Key Markets”

West Wireless Health Institute Awards $10K Incentive Prize

San Diego’s West Wireless Health Institute has awarded a $10,000 incentive prize to a Rhode Island software developer who answered a challenge the institute issued six months ago in conjunction with the Veterans Affairs Innovation Initiative (VAi2). The institute’s challenge called for development of a cost-effective wireless device or mobile app that enables VA patients … Continue reading “West Wireless Health Institute Awards $10K Incentive Prize”

Shrink Nanotechnologies Acquires Nanopoint

Carlsbad, CA-based Shrink Nanotechnologies, a public company that trades over the counter under the ticker symbol INKN, says it plans to acquire Honolulu, HI-based Nanopoint in an all-stock deal. Based on today’s price of Shrink Nano at 10 cents a share, the deal could eventually be worth close to $6.6 million if Nanopoint meets certain … Continue reading “Shrink Nanotechnologies Acquires Nanopoint”

Verimatrix Acquires Germany’s Comvenient

San Diego-based Verimatrix, a venture-backed company that provides software-based content security technologies in pay-TV networks for telecommunication providers, has acquired Comvenient, a longtime German partner, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. Financial terms were not disclosed. Both companies provide security for Internet protocol TV. Verimatrix investors include Mission Ventures, Sun America Ventures, JK&B Capital, Cipio … Continue reading “Verimatrix Acquires Germany’s Comvenient”

The Kinsella Debate Continues over Pharma versus Biotech, Worlds in Collision

Almost two months ago, Kevin Kinsella of San Diego’s Avalon Ventures, fired off some shots heard ’round the world, saying that Big Pharma’s hardball acquisition tactics and mercenary business practices have been pushing biotech ventures to the point of extinction. In Paris, France, Antoine Papiernik of Sofinnova Partners responded by contacting me and saying, in … Continue reading “The Kinsella Debate Continues over Pharma versus Biotech, Worlds in Collision”

Google Invests $168M in BrightSource Energy’s Tower of Power

[Updated 4/12/09 00:30 am. See below.] Oakland, CA-based BrightSource Energy disclosed earlier this month that it has raised nearly $202 million in Series E funding from existing venture firms and some unnamed investors, and now Mountain View, CA-based Google has stepped into the light. Today Google reveals on its blog that it has invested $168 … Continue reading “Google Invests $168M in BrightSource Energy’s Tower of Power”