Nereus Raises $20M for Cancer Study

San Diego’s Nereus Pharmaceuticals says it has secured as much as $20 million in commitments for additional funding from its existing investors to fund a mid-stage trial of a drug candidate for treating non-small cell lung cancer. The company, which specializes in developing drugs from marine microbes, says it has enrolled 170 patients in its … Continue reading “Nereus Raises $20M for Cancer Study”

Man Charged With Fraud in Draining $7.5M From Angel Investor’s Account

San Diego authorities have charged a 59-year-old man with identity theft, saying he unlawfully transferred $7.5 million from a Deutsche Bank account by posing as the actual account holder—a retired San Diego biotech executive and angel investor who was found dead on June 8. San Diego police also are investigating the death of the executive, … Continue reading “Man Charged With Fraud in Draining $7.5M From Angel Investor’s Account”

From Pioneer in Internet Sales to a Giant Leap in Mass Adoption, SmartDraw Charts New Strategy in Graphics Software

Paul Stannard says communicating visually by using charts, graphs, and other information graphics is six times as effective as communicating by text alone. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Yet even with the widespread availability of sophisticated software like Autodesk’s AutoCad, Adobe Illustrator, and CorelDraw to create diagrams and info-graphics, Stannard maintains that … Continue reading “From Pioneer in Internet Sales to a Giant Leap in Mass Adoption, SmartDraw Charts New Strategy in Graphics Software”

Fallbrook Moves Ahead With Chinese Bus Deal

In a move foreshadowed last month in its amended IPO filing, San Diego’s Fallbrook Technologies says today it has inked a deal with China’s Chengdu Bus Co. to put its accessory drive technology into buses made for use in the Chinese market by Chengdu. Bill Klehm, Fallbrook’s chairman and CEO, calls the memorandum of understanding … Continue reading “Fallbrook Moves Ahead With Chinese Bus Deal”

A Consensus of Three: Venture Capital Still Looking to Grab Rebound

Have we turned the corner on the recession? That was the big question for the out-of-town venture capital partners—including two from the San Francisco Bay Area—who came to San Diego last week to offer their perspective on the post-collapse generation of venture capital and technology innovation. “One thing that’s clear is that the other side … Continue reading “A Consensus of Three: Venture Capital Still Looking to Grab Rebound”

West Wireless Health Institute Gets $25M, Pervasive Raises $6M for Smart Grid Chips, Covario Rolls Out Buzz-Measuring Analytics, & More San Diego BizTech News

The West Wireless Health Institute, which wants to become a beacon for mobile health innovations that can help drive down the cost of healthcare, is off to a good start. Get the latest on their funding and partnerships, along with the rest of the news about San Diego’s technology innovations: —The Gary and Mary West … Continue reading “West Wireless Health Institute Gets $25M, Pervasive Raises $6M for Smart Grid Chips, Covario Rolls Out Buzz-Measuring Analytics, & More San Diego BizTech News”

San Diego Police Investigating Angel Investor’s Death as Homicide

San Diego police have launched a homicide investigation into the death of John G. Watson, a retired biotech executive and board member of the San Diego Tech Coast Angels, according to members of the startup investment group who were close to Watson. Watson’s body was found in the bedroom of his La Jolla Apartment on … Continue reading “San Diego Police Investigating Angel Investor’s Death as Homicide”

West Wireless Health Institute Marks Its Debut With Swanky Soiree, Hints of Venture Fund

In early 2009, when the nation was in a full-blown recession, San Diego’s tech community was taken aback by the size of a $45 million grant that Midwestern telemarketing billionaires Gary and Mary West made through their family foundation to create the West Wireless Health Institute. Since then, Gary and Mary West have doubled their … Continue reading “West Wireless Health Institute Marks Its Debut With Swanky Soiree, Hints of Venture Fund”

West Wireless Health Institute Gets Another $25M, Announces New Partnerships

If nothing else, the West Wireless Health Institute knows how to make a splash. The San Diego-based nonprofit research institute, which made its debut in March 2009 by announcing a $45 million grant, is hosting an open house this evening that represents the first chance most people have had to tour the recently remodeled, three-story, … Continue reading “West Wireless Health Institute Gets Another $25M, Announces New Partnerships”

Cyntellect Names Zarrabian as CEO

San Diego-based Cyntellect, a privately held biotech commercializing products for life sciences, stem cell research, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical production, today named Saiid Zarrabian as president and CEO. He replaces co-founder Fred Koller, who is taking over as Cyntellect’s chief technology officer. Zarrabian, who has been consulting with Cyntellect since March, was previously COO at … Continue reading “Cyntellect Names Zarrabian as CEO”

Covario Adds Analytics to Help Customers Measure Social Media ‘Buzz’

San Diego’s Covario, the venture-backed analytics company that specializes in helping customers improve the results of their search-based marketing, has added to its Software-as-a-Service capabilities for tracking online search and display advertising. The company says its latest innovation, the Covario Social Media Insight (SMI) solution, is an extension of its Web-based platform for Cross Media … Continue reading “Covario Adds Analytics to Help Customers Measure Social Media ‘Buzz’”

Boatracs Completes Spinout From AirIQ

San Diego’s Boatracs, which develops data communications and vessel monitoring technologies for the maritime industry, says it is now an independent and privately held company, after completing a spinout from AirIQ, its former Toronto-based corporate parent. Financial terms were not disclosed. Boatracs was one of the first San Diego companies to adopt Qualcomm technology. It … Continue reading “Boatracs Completes Spinout From AirIQ”

We Got Deals: Financings Breathe New Life Into Local Life Sciences Companies

We turned up some recent funding deals for several San Diego life sciences, including venture funding for a medical device startup, and financing deals for one company developing anti-cancer drugs and another developing medical diagnostics. Here’s a rundown of what I found: —Access Scientific, a San Diego-based medical device startup, has collected more than $2.6 … Continue reading “We Got Deals: Financings Breathe New Life Into Local Life Sciences Companies”

San Diego Fabless Startup Gets $6M to Pursue Smart-Grid Chip

San Diego has a new semiconductor startup, courtesy of venture funding from the Bay Area. San Diego-based Pervasive, a fabless semiconductor design company that is focused on smart grid applications, raised $6 million from investors, according to a recent filing with securities regulators. The startup’s founding president and CEO is Reza Mirkhani, a former director … Continue reading “San Diego Fabless Startup Gets $6M to Pursue Smart-Grid Chip”

Alverix Names Tarbox as CEO

Alverix, a San Jose, CA-based company that specializes in point-of-care biomedical diagnostics, named Richard “Ric” Tarbox as CEO. Tarbox, a former senior VP of corporate development at San Diego-based Quidel, was most recently the vice president of strategy management at Cardinal Health (NYSE: [[ticker:CAH]]). Alverix, which got $7.7 million in venture funding in 2008 from … Continue reading “Alverix Names Tarbox as CEO”

Qualcomm Bids $1B for Spectrum in India, Software Analytics Target Smart Grid, San Diego Expects Diverse Run of Electric Vehicles, & More San Diego BizTech News

Qualcomm dominated San Diego’s BizTech news last week, with the kickoff of its World Cup coverage on FLO TV, making a $1 billion bid for broadband spectrum in India, and an acquisition in the Netherlands. You can get that and more here. —Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) says it’s the provisional winner after bidding more than $1 billion … Continue reading “Qualcomm Bids $1B for Spectrum in India, Software Analytics Target Smart Grid, San Diego Expects Diverse Run of Electric Vehicles, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Three University Teams Get Early Stage Funding

A collaborative program coordinated by the San Diego mayor’s office will provide a total of $150,000 in grants to help commercialize cleantech technologies being developed by three research teams at UC San Diego and San Diego State University. The pre-seed funding comes at a time when local VC funding has evaporated, and many local technologists … Continue reading “Three University Teams Get Early Stage Funding”

MaxLinear CEO Among E&Y’s EOYs in San Diego

Carlsbad-based wireless chipmaker MaxLinear (NYSE: [[ticker:MXL]]) says today that its CEO, Kishore Seendripu, was named last week as the 2010 Ernst & Young “entrepreneur of the year” in the technology category. Other San Diego categories and winners are: Consumer Products, Larry Gilbert of Event Network; Health Sciences, Scott Huennekens, Volcano; Emerging, Russ Mann of Covario; … Continue reading “MaxLinear CEO Among E&Y’s EOYs in San Diego”

Cognionics, Wireless Sensor Startup, Wins UCSD Entrepreneur Challenge

He got the beat. Yu “Mike” Chi, a graduate student in electrical engineering at UC San Diego, put a quarter-sized wireless sensor over his suit jacket and displayed the resulting electrocardiogram to win the UCSD Entrepreneur Challenge. The live demonstration on June 2 of technology that Chi had developed for his research thesis (and the … Continue reading “Cognionics, Wireless Sensor Startup, Wins UCSD Entrepreneur Challenge”

Genetic Testing Companies in San Diego, Boston, & San Francisco Studying FDA Letters

Five companies that provide genetic testing services—including San Diego’s Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]), 23andMe and Navigenics in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Knome in Cambridge, MA—no doubt spent the weekend parsing letters issued Friday by the FDA. The letters, which were posted on the FDA website and signed by Alberto Gutierrez of the FDA’s office … Continue reading “Genetic Testing Companies in San Diego, Boston, & San Francisco Studying FDA Letters”

Innovations in Smart Energy: Using IT and Other Advances to Curb Runaway Dependence on Fossil Fuels

Almost from the moment that Thomas Edison had the first filament of an idea, the light bulb has been a symbol of invention—and of the Eureka! moment that comes with innovation. But as public awareness of green and clean technologies has gained currency, the incandescent light bulb of yore might just as easily serve as … Continue reading “Innovations in Smart Energy: Using IT and Other Advances to Curb Runaway Dependence on Fossil Fuels”

Qualcomm Bids $1B to Win Broadband Wireless Spectrum in India

San Diego-based Qualcomm (NASDAQ:[[ticker:QCOM]]) says it submitted the winning bid in an auction for India’s broadband wireless access (BWA)—spectrum in the 2.3 gigahertz (GHz) band. In a statement today, the wireless technologies giant said it is the provisional winner of the 20 megahertz (MHz) slot in the telecom circles of four cities—Mumbai, Delhi, Haryan, and … Continue reading “Qualcomm Bids $1B to Win Broadband Wireless Spectrum in India”

In World Cup Broadcasts to Mobile TV Users, Qualcomm’s FLO TV Misses Bigger Goal—Fervor for World’s Most Popular Sporting Event

[Updated 6/18/10 4:10 pm. See below.] The World Cup soccer tournament that begins today in South Africa ranks as the world’s biggest sporting event in terms of broadcast audience. Alas, if only San Diego-based Qualcomm’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) FLO TV could tap a significant fraction of it. FLO TV, the Qualcomm subsidiary that provides the broadcast … Continue reading “In World Cup Broadcasts to Mobile TV Users, Qualcomm’s FLO TV Misses Bigger Goal—Fervor for World’s Most Popular Sporting Event”

See You This Afternoon at the Xconomy Forum: The Rise of Smart Energy

We’ll be turning on the lights soon for our big afternoon event, the Xconomy Forum on smart energy. On the other hand, we might not need the lights inside Atkinson Hall, where we’re gathering at Calit2, because we’ve recruited some of the brightest minds from San Diego and beyond to discuss energy and innovation. After … Continue reading “See You This Afternoon at the Xconomy Forum: The Rise of Smart Energy”

San Diego Chargers: Region Serves as a Testbed for new EVs and Their Charging Stations

San Diego County, which is bounded to the South by the U.S. border with Mexico, along the West by the Pacific Ocean and in the East by the parched deserts of Imperial Valley, has often served as a test market for everything from light beer to broadband wireless plans. And over the next year or … Continue reading “San Diego Chargers: Region Serves as a Testbed for new EVs and Their Charging Stations”

Smart Grid Innovations in Energy and Analytics Take Root in San Diego—Previewing Xconomy’s Smart Energy Event

Over the next decade, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and other public utilities in California must undergo a massive transformation in the ways they generate and transmit electricity to meet aggressive regulatory requirements for renewable energy. We’re starting to see some of those changes today. In less than two years, SDG&E is expected to … Continue reading “Smart Grid Innovations in Energy and Analytics Take Root in San Diego—Previewing Xconomy’s Smart Energy Event”

DivX Buyout Anticipates Boom in Internet TV, ViaSat Sees Big Bet Paying Off, Solekai Leads Charge in Smart Grid Software Development, & More San Diego BizTech News

It was a short week, but we saw a spate of deals involving San Diego companies, beginning with the $323 million buyout of DivX, which could be the prelude to a coming boom in Internet TV. Tune in now for our high-def view of the big picture. —Novato, CA-based Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SNIC]]) agreed to … Continue reading “DivX Buyout Anticipates Boom in Internet TV, ViaSat Sees Big Bet Paying Off, Solekai Leads Charge in Smart Grid Software Development, & More San Diego BizTech News”

ViaSat Buys Data Encryption Technology

ViaSat (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VSAT]]), the Carlsbad, CA-based provider of satellite-based digital media and wireless communications technologies, plans to buy privately held Stonewood Group of Dorset, England, in a cash and stock deal valued at $20 million, according to a statement today. Stonewood’s products are used to encrypt data on computer hard drives so that a lost … Continue reading “ViaSat Buys Data Encryption Technology”

San Diego’s Solekai Moves to Catch Wave of Smart Grid Software Development

Solekai Systems was founded in 2002, and quickly became one of San Diego’s fastest-growing privately held companies. By specializing in digital video software development and engineering services (set-top boxes and related hardware) for customers like Sony Electronics, TiVo, Pioneer, and DirectTV, Solekai’s revenue soared by 1,536 percent from 2003 to 2006—to $18.2 million. That was … Continue reading “San Diego’s Solekai Moves to Catch Wave of Smart Grid Software Development”

Feds’ Sequenom Probe Breaks Into the Open, Life Technologies Moves Into Synthetic Biology, DexCom Agrees to Re-Label Its Medical Devices, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

The big news came with a guilty plea by Sequenom’s former R&D chief, but it’s just the beginning. In pleading guilty, Elizabeth Dragon agreed to cooperate with a continuing criminal investigation of wrongdoing in the company’s development of a prenatal diagnostic test for Down syndrome. Our weekly wrap-up begins here. —The former chief of research … Continue reading “Feds’ Sequenom Probe Breaks Into the Open, Life Technologies Moves Into Synthetic Biology, DexCom Agrees to Re-Label Its Medical Devices, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

Sequenom’s Former R&D Chief Pleads Guilty to Securities Fraud Charge

A former senior vice president for research and development at Sequenom (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SQNM]]) admitted today that she knew “blinded” studies the company was conducting of a genetic test for Down syndrome were falsified. Elizabeth A. Dragon, a former Sequenom senior vice president for research and development, admitted in an appearance before a federal judge this … Continue reading “Sequenom’s Former R&D Chief Pleads Guilty to Securities Fraud Charge”

Founders Seeking Buyers for SDNN, Local Online News Startup

The San Diego News Network, or SDNN, which launched a regional news website in March 2009, boasted of rapid expansion plans, and which reportedly raised close to $3.2 million, is searching for a buyer. SDNN is continuing to publish San Diego news on its website with a reduced staff, according to SDNN President (and former … Continue reading “Founders Seeking Buyers for SDNN, Local Online News Startup”

Sonic Solutions to Merge With DivX as Battle Looms for Internet TV Dominance

Media technology company Sonic Solutions (NASDAQ:[[ticker:SNIC]]) of Novato, CA, is acquiring DivX (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DIVX]]), the San Diego digital media and video codec developer, in a deal valued at roughly $323 million. The buyout, which was announced by both companies today, will help Sonic accelerate its development of Web-based infrastructure for streaming online video movies and … Continue reading “Sonic Solutions to Merge With DivX as Battle Looms for Internet TV Dominance”

Looking for an Exit: Startup Founders, Investors, and Bankers Offer Some IPO Guidance

There have been 108 IPO filings nationwide so far this year, which is more than seven times the paltry 15 filings that were made by this time last year, according to IPO data from Renaissance Capital. The big local story so far has been Carlsbad, CA-based MaxLinear (NYSE: [[ticker:MSL]]), a wireless chip design company founded … Continue reading “Looking for an Exit: Startup Founders, Investors, and Bankers Offer Some IPO Guidance”

DexCom Pledges to Cooperate With FDA on Improved Warning Labels for Devices

San Diego’s DexCom (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DXCM]]) says it intends to cooperate with changes sought by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the way it labels certain biomedical devices for monitoring blood sugar levels. In a statement yesterday, DexCom says it received an FDA warning letter alleging that the company had failed to adequately disclose that … Continue reading “DexCom Pledges to Cooperate With FDA on Improved Warning Labels for Devices”

Mad Catz Buys Tritton

San Diego-based Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (AMEX: [[ticker:MCZ]]), which makes GameShark videogame enhancements and a host of other interactive accessories, says today it has acquired privately held Tritton Technologies, an audio headset maker based in Vista, CA. Mad Catz agreed to pay $1 million in cash at closing, and as much as $9 million over … Continue reading “Mad Catz Buys Tritton”

Digital Video Experts React to Google’s WebM, Motorola Out Scouting for Spinoff Headquarters, BakBone Cuts ColdSpark, & More San Diego BizTech News

It might be hard to remember last week’s flood of local high-tech news after enjoying the three-day weekend that usually kicks off the summer vacation season. Lucky we’re here to remember it for you. —The digital video experts at Qualcomm, Sorenson Media, VMIX, and elsewhere provided their perspective on WebM, an Internet video technology standard … Continue reading “Digital Video Experts React to Google’s WebM, Motorola Out Scouting for Spinoff Headquarters, BakBone Cuts ColdSpark, & More San Diego BizTech News”

Wave vs. Wave: Breaking News in San Diego’s War Between the Surf Machines

Stand on any beach on any ocean, and one of the things you will eventually notice about waves is that they keep coming—which might turn out to be the case with legal disputes over wave-making technology as well. It certainly seemed that way last year, when I wrote about a startup in Solana Beach, CA, … Continue reading “Wave vs. Wave: Breaking News in San Diego’s War Between the Surf Machines”

The Mobile Internet: What is Real and What is Fiction?

CommNexus has asked Andrew Seybold, the wireless industry analyst, consultant, commentator, and author, to talk about the mobile Internet, and whether it will be just like the wired Internet—with browsing, searching, and streaming video. Seybold will explain just how different the mobile Internet will be, and what is needed to optimize and manage the wireless … Continue reading “The Mobile Internet: What is Real and What is Fiction?”

Vertex Gets Strong Results From Hepatitis C Trial, Anadys Explores Alternatives, Funding Helps to Revive La Jolla Pharmaceutical, & More San Diego Life Sciences News

We saw mostly funding news for San Diego’s life sciences community over the past week, and it was light fare. Get our latest roundup here, and enjoy your Memorial Day weekend. —Vertex Pharmaceuticals, which is based in Cambridge, MA, and operates a research facility in San Diego, said its experimental drug for hepatitis C cured … Continue reading “Vertex Gets Strong Results From Hepatitis C Trial, Anadys Explores Alternatives, Funding Helps to Revive La Jolla Pharmaceutical, & More San Diego Life Sciences News”

Zeebo Raises $8M

San Diego-based Zeebo, the game console maker backed by wireless giant Qualcomm and Brazilian video-game developer Tectoy S.A., has raised $8 million in a combination of equity, debt, and loans convertible to stock, according to a recent regulatory filing. The Zeebo consoles are available throughout Brazil and Mexico in a plan that Zeebo laid out … Continue reading “Zeebo Raises $8M”

La Jolla Pharmaceutical Revives With $6M Financing

Like a scene from a Monty Python skit, a San Diego biotech left for dead has announced plans for a new financing—and says it has revived interest in its experimental drug for treating Lupus of the kidneys. La Jolla Pharmaceutical halted work on the drug in early 2009.  In a statement yesterday, La Jolla Pharmaceutical … Continue reading “La Jolla Pharmaceutical Revives With $6M Financing”

What Google’s WebM Looks Like to Video Digerati in San Diego and Boston

It’s been a week since Google announced a new open-source video project called WebM at its I/O Developers Conference in San Francisco, with the online media giant arguing that streaming video—like nearly everything else on the Internet—just wants to be free. So it seemed like a good time to see how some digital video technology … Continue reading “What Google’s WebM Looks Like to Video Digerati in San Diego and Boston”

TCA Names Quick Pitch Winners

Lucine Biotechnology founder Chandler Marrs won the “Best Overall” and “People’s Choice” awards at last night’s Tech Coast Angels’ Quick Pitch event in Irvine, CA. Most of the 12 finalists making 90-second presentations were entrepreneurs from Orange County and nearby communities. Lucine is developing low-cost salivary tests for horomone-related Obstetrics-Gynecology conditions. FlexCell Systems, a startup … Continue reading “TCA Names Quick Pitch Winners”

After Decade of Development, Cymer Moves Into OLED Display Manufacturing

When San Diego-based Cymer (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CYMI]]) announced its first-quarter financial results last month, the company noted almost parenthetically that it’s just beginning to roll out technology to manufacture OLED display screens. In the 24 years since it was founded, Cymer’s business has been focused almost entirely on making advanced lasers that serve as the light … Continue reading “After Decade of Development, Cymer Moves Into OLED Display Manufacturing”

Motorola Considers San Diego, Other Cities, for Mobile Spin Off Headquarters

Motorola (NYSE: [[ticker:MOT]]), the mobile communications technology giant based in Schaumburg, IL, is scouting sites in Chicago, Dallas, and California for the headquarters of its cell phone spinoff set for next year, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. San Diego is among the California cities under consideration, according to an interview with Motorola co-chief executive (and … Continue reading “Motorola Considers San Diego, Other Cities, for Mobile Spin Off Headquarters”