As Teradata Moves into Cloud, R&D Lab Steps into Light in San Diego

When Oliver Ratzesberger joined Teradata (NYSE: [[ticker:TDC]]) in 2013, the global computing giant just outside of Dayton, OH, was known for its high-end technology in data warehousing and big data analytics. At that time, Teradata sold its high-performance systems, which consolidate data from different sources, for millions of dollars to many of the biggest companies … Continue reading “As Teradata Moves into Cloud, R&D Lab Steps into Light in San Diego”

Digital Health Startups Racing to 5G Wireless Rendezvous

It’s hard to define fifth-generation mobile technology, when 5G is not officially expected to launch until 2020. Few people nowadays can describe what the next-generation wireless networks are going to look like. In the meantime, the digital health sector is racing to connect with a wireless infrastructure that has yet to be revealed. According to … Continue reading “Digital Health Startups Racing to 5G Wireless Rendezvous”

As Costs Soar in Silicon Valley, San Diego Looks for Startup Gains

Venture capital continues to gush into Silicon Valley, but is the Bay Area’s decades-long startup boom sustainable? Talk in the valley has turned increasingly gloomy amid signs that its phenomenal tech boom—like Moore’s law itself—is bumping against its upper limits. One perspective in this conversation comes from Redpoint Ventures partner Tomasz Tunguz. In a post … Continue reading “As Costs Soar in Silicon Valley, San Diego Looks for Startup Gains”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Acadia, Medivation, Verily, and More

Just a few weeks ago, the Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker committed $250 million of his Napster and Facebook fortune to a massive effort to accelerate ways to boost the body’s own immune system against cancer. Now he’s turning his attention to a different kind of biotech initiative, which you might describe … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Acadia, Medivation, Verily, and More”

Lindzon Sees Place for SparkFin in Constellation of Mobile Fintechs

As a broker, trader, and hedge fund manager, Howard Lindzon has long been fascinated by the potential use of social media for collecting and sharing stock tips and related information. He co-founded StockTwits in 2008 as an online social media network to share Wall Street market insights and ideas, and as a way to track … Continue reading “Lindzon Sees Place for SparkFin in Constellation of Mobile Fintechs”

San Diego Venture Funding Drops in QI—But Here are Top 10 Deals

The pace of venture capital funding slowed substantially in San Diego during the first quarter, with venture firms investing $253.5 million in 21 startups, according to data from the MoneyTree Report. The amount of capital invested in San Diego was down by almost a third from the same quarter in 2015, when VCs provided over … Continue reading “San Diego Venture Funding Drops in QI—But Here are Top 10 Deals”

First-Quarter VC Activity Buoyant at $12.1 Billion, & Top 10 Deals

Venture capital firms invested $12.1 billion in 969 startup deals nationwide during the first three months of 2016, marking the ninth consecutive quarter when VCs invested at least $10 billion in new companies, according to the MoneyTree Report. The top 10 deals accounted for 25 percent of all capital deployed during the quarter, and was … Continue reading “First-Quarter VC Activity Buoyant at $12.1 Billion, & Top 10 Deals”

Takeaways and Photos from Big Data Meets Big Biology in San Diego

In his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, Steve Jobs talked about the path we follow in life, saying, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards.” The same could be said about innovation. We cannot know that a particular innovationis the right path to follow as we move … Continue reading “Takeaways and Photos from Big Data Meets Big Biology in San Diego”

FAA Authorizes Qualcomm to Test Its New Technologies for Drones

Qualcomm (NASDAQ: [[ticker:QCOM]]) said Thursday the Federal Aviation Administration has authorized the big maker of wireless chips and technologies to operate drones outside its San Diego headquarters, which is within five miles of a Marine Corps air base. Officially known as a certificate of authorization, the permit allows Qualcomm to operate a particular type of … Continue reading “FAA Authorizes Qualcomm to Test Its New Technologies for Drones”

Nest Founder Envisions Bigger Tech Community in Downtown San Diego

First came the Cyberhive, a tech incubator in San Diego’s Bankers Hill neighborhood that opened three years ago to help local cybersecurity startups refine their business plans, identify investors, and advance their technologies. In 2014, Cyberhive founder Darin Andersen added iHive, making space in the same building for startups that are focused on the Internet … Continue reading “Nest Founder Envisions Bigger Tech Community in Downtown San Diego”

RiverVest Opens San Diego Office That’s Been 10 Years in the Making

RiverVest Venture Partners has stayed mostly under the radar as a small-but-active investor in San Diego life sciences startups for the past 10 years or so. After making investments in San Diego’s Cabrellis Pharmaceuticals and Conforma Therapeutics, the St. Louis, MO-based firm recruited Niall O’Donnell in 2006 to oversee the firm’s deals in San Diego. … Continue reading “RiverVest Opens San Diego Office That’s Been 10 Years in the Making”

Software Study Ranks San Diego #7, Cites Prowess in Scientific R&D

A study to assess the strength of San Diego’s software sector has determined that it ranks seventh among the top 50 U.S. metropolitan areas, according to a “software power index” that weighs a variety of economic factors. The study, released last week by the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp., is the first comprehensive analysis … Continue reading “Software Study Ranks San Diego #7, Cites Prowess in Scientific R&D”

San Diego Organizes Smart City Hackathon to Achieve Climate Plan

An unusual coalition is coming together in San Diego to create innovative ways to support a climate action plan the city adopted to satisfy state mandates for reducing greenhouse gases. The San Diego City Council voted unanimously to approve the plan in December. To meet California’s tough requirements, the plan sets five broad goals that … Continue reading “San Diego Organizes Smart City Hackathon to Achieve Climate Plan”

West Coast Bio Roundup: Gilead, Affymetrix, Acutus, Frazier & More

Gilead Sciences is back at the top of our chart for the second week in a row. After halting trials last week in the United States and Europe over its cancer drug idelalisib, a federal jury in San Jose, CA, upheld the validity of two Merck patents this week in a case that could force … Continue reading “West Coast Bio Roundup: Gilead, Affymetrix, Acutus, Frazier & More”

Layoffs Reflect New Turbulence at High-Flying 3D Robotics­

3D Robotics, the drone maker that began life in Tijuana and San Diego, has been consolidating its operations after stumbling in its bid to go head-to-head against China’s DJI, the world’s biggest maker of consumer drones. In an interview yesterday afternoon with Xconomy, CEO Chris Anderson confirmed that 3DR has been ­reorganizing to focus its … Continue reading “Layoffs Reflect New Turbulence at High-Flying 3D Robotics­”

Acutus Medical Raises $75M to Map Abnormal Currents of the Heart

Acutus Medical, a suburban San Diego medical device maker with new technology for diagnosing and treating irregular heartbeats, said today it has closed on $75 million in Series C funding. The all-equity round includes new investors Deerfield Management, Xeraya Capital, and an undisclosed strategic investor. Advent Life Sciences, the company’s founding investor, also joined the … Continue reading “Acutus Medical Raises $75M to Map Abnormal Currents of the Heart”

Seattle’s Adaptive Bio to Base New Drug-Hunting Team in San Diego

Diego Miralles, an immunologist and leader in HIV therapeutics, has joined Seattle’s Adaptive Biotechnologies to lead a new business initiative focused on developing new drugs for cancer, autoimmune, and infectious diseases. The new business, Adaptive Therapeutics, eventually will be based in San Diego, Miralles said by phone yesterday from Seattle. He is joining Adaptive after … Continue reading “Seattle’s Adaptive Bio to Base New Drug-Hunting Team in San Diego”

Bird Rock Bio Nears Pivotal Trial of New Biologic Drug for RA

San Diego’s Bird Rock Bio says it is within a few months of submitting its plans in Brazil for a pivotal trial of gerilimzumab, a biologic drug for inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). If the drug can win regulatory approval, Bird Rock Bio said gerilimzumab is expected to be priced at just a fraction … Continue reading “Bird Rock Bio Nears Pivotal Trial of New Biologic Drug for RA”

Connect Launches CapitalMatch Program, Enrolls First Four Startups

Connect, San Diego’s nonprofit group for technology innovation, said it has enrolled four local startups in its new CapitalMatch program, which is intended to develop relationships between investment-ready companies and investors throughout the country. Connect identified the startups as: —Fragmob is a mobile software developer that has created a Web platform for supporting independent sales … Continue reading “Connect Launches CapitalMatch Program, Enrolls First Four Startups”

Big Data Meets Big Biology in San Diego on March 31: The Agenda

In less than a month, Xconomy is bringing some of the big guns in life sciences together in San Diego to talk about the opportunities that are emerging for tech and software innovation in fields like genomics, biotechnology, and digital health. We can now give you a preview of what it’s going to look like. … Continue reading “Big Data Meets Big Biology in San Diego on March 31: The Agenda”

HardTech Labs Names Veteran Biotech Scientist as Accelerator’s CTO

San Diego’s HardTech Labs has named Michael Mendez as CTO and managing partner—a move that immediately raises the profile of a new life sciences accelerator taking shape at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. The La Jolla Institute and HardTech Labs said in December they are working together to establish the startup accelerator … Continue reading “HardTech Labs Names Veteran Biotech Scientist as Accelerator’s CTO”

Proximetry Teams Up with GE on Industrial Internet Technology

San Diego-based Proximetry, which specializes in software used to manage critical devices in the Internet of Things (IoT), said it has begun working to integrate its technology with Predix, GE’s cloud platform for the industrial Internet. Under a new partnership with GE Digital, Proximetry said it worked with GE engineers to develop Predix EdgeManager, technology … Continue reading “Proximetry Teams Up with GE on Industrial Internet Technology”

Roambi CEO Says SAP Purchase a Good Fit for Data Visualization App

As part of a new push to offer predictive analytics as a cloud-based service to its big business customers, the German multinational software giant SAP has acquired Roambi, the suburban San Diego creator of mobile apps that convert business data into compelling graphic displays. Financial terms were not disclosed. SAP described the deal as an … Continue reading “Roambi CEO Says SAP Purchase a Good Fit for Data Visualization App”

As Industry Booms, Dev Bootcamp Adds Seattle, Austin, Washington DC

After spending their first nine weeks working remotely and part-time, the first 18 students to enroll in Dev Bootcamp’s inaugural San Diego program for Web developers are moving downtown this week. They begin the immersive phase of their vocational training today in “full-stack” Web development, with new equipment that Dev Bootcamp has installed in their … Continue reading “As Industry Booms, Dev Bootcamp Adds Seattle, Austin, Washington DC”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Alfred Mann, ResMed, Illumina, & More

President Obama unfurled key aspects of his year-old Precision Medicine Initiative yesterday at a White House summit. A central concept of the initiative is to collect detailed health and genomic data from 1 million volunteers across the U.S., and put that information into a database that can be used to help doctors find the optimal … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Alfred Mann, ResMed, Illumina, & More”

Soon-Shiong Makes Case for “Cancer MoonShot” at Biocom Conference

The billionaire scientist Patrick Soon-Shiong came to San Diego yesterday to lay out his plans for a “Cancer MoonShot 2020.” Soon-Shiong, a surgeon and serial life sciences entrepreneur, has emerged in recent weeks as the driving force behind an ambitious quest to create a next-generation cancer immunotherapy platform over the next four years. To support … Continue reading “Soon-Shiong Makes Case for “Cancer MoonShot” at Biocom Conference”

San Diego Social Media Management Startup Soci Adds $2.5M to Round

Soci, a social media content and marketing company that raised $1.5 million in late 2014, has raised an additional $2.5 million for its Series A Round, mostly from individual investors. In a statement yesterday, Soci said it plans to use the extra capital to help enterprises, multi-location brands, franchises, and digital agencies take a more … Continue reading “San Diego Social Media Management Startup Soci Adds $2.5M to Round”

San Diego’s Classy, Riding Growth Spurt, Inks Biggest Customer Yet

Classy, a San Diego company providing Web-based fundraising services for schools, nonprofits, and other social impact organizations, said Tuesday it has agreed to serve as the online partner for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society until 2021. The society operates as a voluntary health agency dedicated to finding cures, and helping to ensure access to treatments … Continue reading “San Diego’s Classy, Riding Growth Spurt, Inks Biggest Customer Yet”

How Aces in Big Data Play to San Diego’s Strong Suit in Big Biology

Tech and software startups in San Diego have had a substantial recovery in recent years, aided by an expanding ecosystem of incubators and accelerators, co-working spaces, university organizations, and a new generation of investors. Nevertheless, Silicon Valley exerts a kind of gravitational pull on many local tech startups, often by offering better deal terms if … Continue reading “How Aces in Big Data Play to San Diego’s Strong Suit in Big Biology”

Chicago PE Firm GTCR Buying Telematics Specialist Lytx for $500M+

The Chicago private equity firm GTCR has agreed to pay more than $500 million in cash to acquire Lytx, the San Diego-based provider of dashboard video telematics and driver risk management services, according to a statement this morning from Lytx. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter. Lytx says its executive team … Continue reading “Chicago PE Firm GTCR Buying Telematics Specialist Lytx for $500M+”

As Innovation Economy Grows, San Diego Seeks Dorm Room Entrepreneurs

San Diego’s innovation economy has come a long way since the bitter winter of 2009. As the great recession deepened, venture investments in the region fell to a 12-year low in the first quarter, with less than $101 million invested in 17 companies, according to one venture industry survey. As a point of contrast, venture … Continue reading “As Innovation Economy Grows, San Diego Seeks Dorm Room Entrepreneurs”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Grail, Juno, Amgen, Imprimis & More

The continuing market selloff has been brutal to biotech stocks. Barron’s reports that the SPDR S&P Biotech exchange traded fund and the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF are both in bear territory, having dropped 50 percent and 39 percent, respectively, since their summer peaks. Yet in San Diego, at least, the preceding boom has enabled a … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Grail, Juno, Amgen, Imprimis & More”

12 San Diego Life Sciences Startups to Watch in 2016

A whole new crop of life sciences startups are germinating in San Diego, which is good news for the regional cluster of established companies that are focused on innovation in biotechnology, medical devices, healthcare technologies, and medical diagnostics. Renewal is crucial to sustaining and growing an innovation cluster like San Diego’s life sciences community. But … Continue reading “12 San Diego Life Sciences Startups to Watch in 2016”

5D Robotics Raises $5.5M to Commercialize Technology for Vehicles

Carlsbad, CA-based 5D Robotics said it has raised $5.5 million in a seed round from private investors to accelerate the commercial development of its automation technology in such sectors as industrial heavy equipment, mapping, and inspection. The investors were not identified. 5D Robotics, not to be confused with Berkeley, CA-based 3D Robotics, was founded in … Continue reading “5D Robotics Raises $5.5M to Commercialize Technology for Vehicles”

ViaCyte Reports on Stem Cell Diabetes Trial, Absorbs BetaLogics

[Corrected 2/8/16, 11:20 am. See below.] In a deal that consolidates its position as a leader in developing a stem cell-derived treatment for diabetes, San Diego’s ViaCyte says today it is absorbing its chief rival, New Jersey-based Janssen BetaLogics. [Clarifies that the packet is filled with engineered stem cells, not embryonic stem cells] The asset … Continue reading “ViaCyte Reports on Stem Cell Diabetes Trial, Absorbs BetaLogics”

Ex-Tech CEO Steps Out of Retirement to Reinvent Medical Walker

Dave Purcell meant to stay retired after he ended his 23-year stint with Encad, a San Diego company he co-founded to manufacture large-format inkjet printers capable of printing poster-size images and banners. Purcell gradually eased out of the business after Eastman Kodak (NYSE: [[ticker:KODK]]) acquired Encad in 2002 in a deal that was valued at … Continue reading “Ex-Tech CEO Steps Out of Retirement to Reinvent Medical Walker”

SprinkleBit Raises $10M, Relocates from San Diego to New York

SprinkleBit, a social networking platform for stock trades founded in San Diego at least five years ago, has raised $10 million in new funding from GTC, a newly formed private equity firm in Baku, Azerbaijan, according to founder Alexander Wallin. The deal will allow SprinkleBit “to exponentially grow our user base and generate some substantial … Continue reading “SprinkleBit Raises $10M, Relocates from San Diego to New York”

West Coast Biotech Roundup: Gilead, Adicet, Otonomy, Fate & More

The only major Republican presidential candidate who didn’t show up for last night’s debate was front-runner Donald Trump. He also made national news this week by announcing his intent to let Medicare negotiate drug prices—a distinctly un-GOP-like position. The drug-price debate reverberated on the West Coast, too, as the Massachusetts attorney general threatened California’s Gilead … Continue reading “West Coast Biotech Roundup: Gilead, Adicet, Otonomy, Fate & More”

Nextech Adds San Diego’s Supramed to its Medical Practice Business

Nextech, a company in Palm Beach, FL, that develops software used to manage physicians’ medical practices, has acquired San Diego-based Supramed, which specializes in medical practice management software for plastic surgeons. Financial terms were not disclosed. Supramed CEO Bob Nascenzi was upbeat about the deal yesterday, saying Nextech plans to expand Supramed’s development team in … Continue reading “Nextech Adds San Diego’s Supramed to its Medical Practice Business”

Li Takes Over at Qualcomm Ventures as Kashyap Joins Microsoft

Nagraj Kashyap, who led Qualcomm’s corporate venture arm for the last 12 years, has left the wireless technology giant and the temperate climate of San Diego for Seattle, where light rain and drizzle averages close to 39 inches a year. Kashyap, who was a senior vice president of ventures and innovation for Qualcomm Technologies and … Continue reading “Li Takes Over at Qualcomm Ventures as Kashyap Joins Microsoft”

BioTheranostics, Acquired in 2008, To Go Independent in $32M Deal

San Diego-based bioTheranostics, which has operated since 2008 as a division of the French diagnostics conglomerate bioMérieux, said it has secured $32 million in financing to commercialize its diagnostic cancer tests and expand its clinical development programs. MVM Life Science Partners led the financing round, with participation of Canepa Advanced Healthcare Fund and HealthQuest Capital, … Continue reading “BioTheranostics, Acquired in 2008, To Go Independent in $32M Deal”

San Diego’s LoanHero Extends Seed-Stage Funding to $4.2M

LoanHero, which operates an online loan origination platform, said it has extended its seed funding, adding $2.5 million to the initial $1.7 million the San Diego-based startup raised last June. Alsop Louie Partners, the early stage San Francisco venture firm, and Los Angeles-based Mucker Capital led the investment, according to a statement from the company. … Continue reading “San Diego’s LoanHero Extends Seed-Stage Funding to $4.2M”

Venture Activity Surged in San Diego in 2015, and Top 10 Deals

VC investors poured $334.1 million into 27 deals in San Diego during the last three months of 2015—a surge that helped carry venture funding in the region to a three-high, according to a year-end tally by the MoneyTree Report. The total was more than twice as much as the $123.7 million that VCs invested in 22 … Continue reading “Venture Activity Surged in San Diego in 2015, and Top 10 Deals”

West Coast Bio Roundup: Illumina, 10X Genomics, Juno, and More

[Corrected 1/19/16, 10:10 am. See below.] Last week’s annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference put the biotech industry’s biggest event on display, as some 9,000 life sciences executives and investors descended upon San Francisco. Unfortunately, as Bloomberg News pointed out, the industry’s lack of gender diversity also was on display—most egregiously at a LifeSci Advisors party … Continue reading “West Coast Bio Roundup: Illumina, 10X Genomics, Juno, and More”

As Feud Rages, UCSD Names New Director to Lead Alzheimer’s Study

UC San Diego today named Howard Feldman, a Canadian neurologist who specializes in dementia, as director of a nationwide Alzheimer’s disease research program riven in a bitter feud between two of the biggest academic powers in California. Feldman, known for his expertise in large-scale clinical trials, steps into a breach that was created when his … Continue reading “As Feud Rages, UCSD Names New Director to Lead Alzheimer’s Study”

In First Outside Round, MindTouch Raises $12M to Extend Growth

San Diego-based MindTouch, which provides software as a service that helps companies profitably repurpose their own user manuals, training materials, and other “help content,” has raised $12 million in a Series A round led by PeakSpan Capital. SK Ventures and SAP SE also participated, according to a statement today. MindTouch CEO Aaron Fulkerson said in … Continue reading “In First Outside Round, MindTouch Raises $12M to Extend Growth”

Frazier Enlists Three Laguna Pharma Execs to Scout for New Drugs

Like a phoenix rising from the shutdown of San Diego’s Laguna Pharmaceuticals, former Laguna CEO Bob Baltera and two other ex-Laguna executives are now roosting under the wing of Menlo Park, CA-based Frazier Healthcare Partners as Hawkeye Therapeutics. Baltera, former Laguna CMO Howard Dittrich, and former Laguna chief business development officer Brian Farmer officially joined … Continue reading “Frazier Enlists Three Laguna Pharma Execs to Scout for New Drugs”

Illumina Forms Grail in Quest for Ultimate Cancer Diagnostic

Illumina (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ILMN]]), the San Diego-based pioneer in gene-sequencing technology, says it has formed a new company called Grail to advance the sensitivity of technology already being used to detect infinitesimal pieces of DNA shed by cancerous tumors into the bloodstream. In a conference call with analysts Sunday evening, Illumina CEO Jay Flatley laid out … Continue reading “Illumina Forms Grail in Quest for Ultimate Cancer Diagnostic”

NuVasive Buys Skeletal Specialist in First Deal under New CEO

San Diego’s NuVasive (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUVA]]), a medical device maker that specializes in spinal procedures, said today it is acquiring privately held Ellipse Technologies for $380 million in cash, with an additional $30 million in potential milestone payments. Ellipse, an Aliso Viejo, CA-based medical technology company founded in 2005, specializes in implantable rods that can be … Continue reading “NuVasive Buys Skeletal Specialist in First Deal under New CEO”

The Big Value Creation Trend of 2015: Q&A with Jonathan Medved

When OurCrowd founder and CEO Jonathan Medved gives a talk about crowdfunding, as he did at the recent Stocktoberfest conference in San Diego, there is one particular slide in his deck that is something of a show stopper. Medved says it is the one slide that tells the whole story—explaining in one bar chart why … Continue reading “The Big Value Creation Trend of 2015: Q&A with Jonathan Medved”