Author: Robert Buderi

Bob is Xconomy's founder and chairman. He is one of the country's foremost journalists covering business and technology. As a noted author and magazine editor, he is a sought-after commentator on innovation and global competitiveness. Before taking his most recent position as a research fellow in MIT's Center for International Studies, Bob served as Editor in Chief of MIT's Technology Review, then a 10-times-a-year publication with a circulation of 315,000. Bob led the magazine to numerous editorial and design awards and oversaw its expansion into three foreign editions, electronic newsletters, and highly successful conferences. As BusinessWeek's technology editor, he shared in the 1992 National Magazine Award for The Quality Imperative. Bob is the author of four books about technology and innovation. Naval Innovation for the 21st Century (2013) is a post-Cold War account of the Office of Naval Research. Guanxi (2006) focuses on Microsoft's Beijing research lab as a metaphor for global competitiveness. Engines of Tomorrow (2000) describes the evolution of corporate research. The Invention That Changed the World (1996) covered a secret lab at MIT during WWII. Bob served on the Council on Competitiveness-sponsored National Innovation Initiative and is an advisor to the Draper Prize Nominating Committee. He has been a regular guest of CNBC's Strategy Session and has spoken about innovation at many venues, including the Business Council, Amazon, eBay, Google, IBM, and Microsoft.

Sunday Afternoon Drive (on the Web): Fake Steve Jobs on OLPC

I was just wandering around the web on this fine lazy summer Sunday, when I decided to check out the Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, which I hadn’t visited in a while. I had missed two posts from less than two weeks ago containing Fake Steve’s thoughts on the One Laptop project, which is based … Continue reading “Sunday Afternoon Drive (on the Web): Fake Steve Jobs on OLPC”

Negroponte Selection to Dow Jones Panel Raises Questions

As a member of the proposed committee to oversee Dow Jones & Co.’s editorial integrity in light of its presumed sale to News Corp., MIT Media Lab visionary and One Laptop Per Child organization founder Nicholas Negroponte has come under scrutiny for his close ties to Rupert Murdoch and his company. Yesterday, Yankee Group founder … Continue reading “Negroponte Selection to Dow Jones Panel Raises Questions”

From Open Curriculum to Open Government: New State CIO Hopes to Make Bureaucracy Easier to Navigate

Sometime this November, MIT will put its 1800th course on line, completing the implementation phase of its OpenCourseWare initiative and essentially making the school’s entire curriculum available worldwide. But the woman who orchestrated this trailblazing effort won’t be there to see the milestone event. She’ll be across the river on Beacon Hill as Massachusetts’s new … Continue reading “From Open Curriculum to Open Government: New State CIO Hopes to Make Bureaucracy Easier to Navigate”

Big Year-Over-Year Downturn in Venture Funds Raised in Q2

Venture capital fundraising was markedly down in the second quarter of 2007 compared to the same period last year, according to a report released yesterday by Dow Jones VentureOne. All told, U.S. venture firms raised just $3.23 billion in the quarter, 62 percent less than in Q2 2006. This marks the biggest year-over-year quarterly downturn … Continue reading “Big Year-Over-Year Downturn in Venture Funds Raised in Q2”

As VMware Prepares for IPO, EMC Looking More Toward Internal Innovation

This summer’s hottest IPO might well be the forthcoming sale of 10 percent of VMware, the virtualization company owned by storage giant EMC (NYSE:EMC). The offering showcases the highly successful acquisition strategy of Hopkinton, MA-based EMC, which over the last roughly four years has laid out more than $7 billion to acquire upwards of 30 … Continue reading “As VMware Prepares for IPO, EMC Looking More Toward Internal Innovation”

Dr. Vest Goes to Washington: Listening Hard as He Seeks to Revive Engineering and Technology

Charles M. Vest, president emeritus of MIT, has arrived in Washington to head the National Academy of Engineering. Every morning, Vest’s jogging route from his Arlington, VA, condo—“approximately 2.5 miles, slowly”—takes him past the Iwo Jima memorial to the Netherlands Carillon, around the edge of Arlington National Cemetery, and across Arlington Memorial Bridge toward the … Continue reading “Dr. Vest Goes to Washington: Listening Hard as He Seeks to Revive Engineering and Technology”

Local Innovators in Business, Technology, and Science Honored by President

It was a big day down in Washington for several members of the Kendall Square innovation community. President George Bush handed out the 2005 and 2006 National Medals of Technology and National Medals of Science, and four notable locals were among the recipients. I watched the webcast of the ceremony with a crowd of some … Continue reading “Local Innovators in Business, Technology, and Science Honored by President”

Real VCs Aren’t Afraid to Cry: The Anti-Portfolio

It’s said that real self-confidence means being willing to own up to your faults and foibles. If that’s true, Bessemer Venture Partners, with offices in Wellesley Hills and five other locations worldwide, gets our vote as the most secure VC outfit around. Google, Apple, eBay, FedEx, Intel, PayPal, Cisco, Lotus, Compaq. Would you admit it … Continue reading “Real VCs Aren’t Afraid to Cry: The Anti-Portfolio”

Startup Profile: MicroCHIPS—A Once-Reluctant CEO Moves to Balance Breadth and Depth

When John Santini co-founded innovative biosensor and drug-delivery firm MicroCHIPS eight years ago, he had no expectation of managing the company he helped create. “I was never CEO. It was not my expectation to be CEO,” says Santini, now the company’s CEO. These days Santini, who just turned 35, is finding the role to his … Continue reading “Startup Profile: MicroCHIPS—A Once-Reluctant CEO Moves to Balance Breadth and Depth”

GreenFuel Secures Bridge Financing of $5.5 Million

This just in, thanks to a quick e-mail update from Bob Metcalfe: Struggling GreenFuel Technologies has secured a $5.5 million bridge loan from its preferred shareholders led by Access Industries, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Polaris Venture Partners (Metcalfe’s company). Metcalfe last month became interim CEO of Cambridge-based GreenFuel after a series of setbacks sent the … Continue reading “GreenFuel Secures Bridge Financing of $5.5 Million”

Bioenvision Update: Merger Foe Stops Blogging After Genzyme Subpoena; Board Battle Continues

Faced by a wide-ranging subpoena from Genzyme (GENZ), individual Bioenvision shareholder Adam Shay, whose website and blog helped galvanize opposition to the Cambridge company’s merger plans with New York-based Bioenvison (BIVN), has stopped his commentary and will no longer update his site. Shay’s site, www.rejectgenzymetenderoffer.com, will apparently remain live, at least for the time being. … Continue reading “Bioenvision Update: Merger Foe Stops Blogging After Genzyme Subpoena; Board Battle Continues”

Top 10 Second-Quarter Venture Deals in Massachusetts

The second-quarter wasn’t good for Boston area venture investing, at least in overall dollar terms. The area didn’t do so well in big individual deals, either. Whereas in Q1, two area firms ranked among the nation’s 10 largest venture deals—Targanta Therapeutics (tied for fourth with $70 million in funding) and Internet video company Brightcove (10th, … Continue reading “Top 10 Second-Quarter Venture Deals in Massachusetts”

Boston Blows Northeast Lead in VC Investment, New York Takes Over

It’s bad enough with the real Yankees breathing down the Red Sox’s neck. Now, taking advantage of a nearly 50 percent nosedive in Boston-area venture investing from Q1 to Q2, the Yankees of venture capital have surpassed this region’s VCs in both deals made and dollars invested in the second quarter—becoming, at least temporarily, the … Continue reading “Boston Blows Northeast Lead in VC Investment, New York Takes Over”

Can Biogen’s New Incubator Help Fill the Drug Pipeline?

Back in 1981, a firebrand MIT spinoff named Biogen moved into its first building, not far from campus at 241 Binney Street. Fast-forward a quarter-century, and the pioneering biotech company, today’s Biogen-Idec, is still headquartered in Cambridge. The Binney Street building has been sold, but is now being leased back. And today, Biogen is renovating … Continue reading “Can Biogen’s New Incubator Help Fill the Drug Pipeline?”

Think Big. Collaborate. Media Lab’s Moss Says Boston Area Can Lead the World.

Get this—Silicon Valley is thinking too small. Web 2.0? Small. Social networking? Small potatoes. Google, Yahoo, YouTube, iPhone—all too small, at least in Frank Moss’s view. A little over a year ago, Moss took over as director of MIT’s Media Lab. He had some big shoes to fill. Moss’s charge was to return the lab … Continue reading “Think Big. Collaborate. Media Lab’s Moss Says Boston Area Can Lead the World.”

Genzyme Fires Back, Says It Will Block Addition of New Bioenvision Board Members

Genzyme, coming off the defensive after its failed attempt to acquire a majority of New York-based Bioenvision’s stock, rejected SCO Capital’s claim to two Bioenvision board seats—and says it will move to block the addition of any new directors at this time. It was a clear sign that the fight for control of the New … Continue reading “Genzyme Fires Back, Says It Will Block Addition of New Bioenvision Board Members”

Shake Up at Bioenvision: Two Board Members Resign

Two Bioenvision board members associated with the Perseus-Soros Biopharmaceutical Fund have resigned, the New York biotech firm announced today. The move could clear the deck for minority shareholder SCO Capital to fill the slots and continue its fight against a Genzyme takeover. Andrew N. Schiff and Steven A. Elms were advisors to the Perseus-Soros fund, … Continue reading “Shake Up at Bioenvision: Two Board Members Resign”

Intel Joins One Laptop Per Child Initiative

The One Laptop Per Child project has reached an agreement with long-standing skeptic Intel Corp. to work together to explore ways to get computer technology into the hands of children in developing nations. The move, announced yesterday, is a great vindication for the Cambridge-based OLPC and its founder, Nicholas Negroponte, who told me only a … Continue reading “Intel Joins One Laptop Per Child Initiative”

Who’s Cashing in on Bioenvision Sale to Genzyme: The List

We’ve covered at length the attempted sale of Bioenvision to Genzyme led by its board of directors and management—a move soundly rejected earlier this week by other shareholders. In the end, Genzyme captured 22 percent of the New York-based biotech’s common stock, far short of the 50 percent it needed to force a merger. As … Continue reading “Who’s Cashing in on Bioenvision Sale to Genzyme: The List”

Akamai Joins the S&P 500—the Inside Story

As the stock market opens today, home-grown Internet-backbone company Akamai will join the S&P 500, taking the slot previously held by joint-replacement manufacturer Biomet. Joining the bellwether index is quite an achievement, especially in Akamai’s case. The company was an original dotcom high-flyer that suffered some staggering blows before making it to this point. We … Continue reading “Akamai Joins the S&P 500—the Inside Story”

Muddy Dirt: General Catalyst Hires Rising MIT Star to Help Move it into Nano, Energy

The Muddy Charles Pub is MIT’s legendary watering hole. Perched in a corner of the Walker Memorial building looking out over Memorial Drive, it’s bare bones to say the least. Think plain wooden tables, industrial carpet, and a spartan bar off to one side. But the place buzzes with campus news and the entrepreneurial spirit, … Continue reading “Muddy Dirt: General Catalyst Hires Rising MIT Star to Help Move it into Nano, Energy”

Bioenvison Shareholder Calls for New Board, Revocation of Genzyme’s License

This morning brings yet another spiral around the drain for Genzyme’s attempted acquisition of Bioenvision: New York investment firm SCO Capital has just filed a letter with the SEC calling for an overhaul of Bioenvision’s leadership—and the revocation of Genzyme’s existing rights to the company’s coveted leukemia drug. “You might expect that you would hear … Continue reading “Bioenvison Shareholder Calls for New Board, Revocation of Genzyme’s License”

No New Shares Tendered in Bioenvision Deal; Genzyme Still Hopes for Merger

Genzyme today confirmed what has been glaringly obvious over the last few days: its extended tender offer for Bioenvision has fallen flat. A Genzyme spokesperson verified that no new shares had been tendered as of the deadline at 12:01 this morning. With Bioenvision’s stock trading at almost $6 a share yesterday, nearly 40 cents per … Continue reading “No New Shares Tendered in Bioenvision Deal; Genzyme Still Hopes for Merger”

EMC Selling VMware Stake to Intel for $218.5 Million

Storage leader EMC Corp. will sell a $218.5 million piece of its virtualization software subsidiary VMware to Intel Capital, the investment arm of the giant chipmaker, the companies announced yesterday. The news came in the midst of EMC’s bigger move to sell about 10 percent of VMware to the public in an offering expected to … Continue reading “EMC Selling VMware Stake to Intel for $218.5 Million”

Genzyme’s Second Try for Bioenvision Will Also Fail, Sources Predict; Institutional Investors Seek Higher Price

Last week wasn’t exactly good times for Genzyme. Two of its clinical trials reported poor results, and on Friday the stock fell some 6 percent on the bad news. At 12:01 a.m. tomorrow morning, when the company’s extended tender offer for New York-based Bioenvision expires, the company’s stockholders aren’t likely to find anything to cheer … Continue reading “Genzyme’s Second Try for Bioenvision Will Also Fail, Sources Predict; Institutional Investors Seek Higher Price”

Constant Contact Files to Go Public

E-mail marketing and online survey firm Constant Contact of Waltham has filed papers for an IPO. The company, which was incorporated in 1995 as Roving Software, plans to be traded on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol CTCT. With more than 100,000 customers, mainly small businesses and organizations, the company reported 2006 sales of $27.55 … Continue reading “Constant Contact Files to Go Public”

Live Earth Concert Could Fuel Ridesharing Startup

Tomorrow marks the debut of Live Earth, a 24-hour-long series of concerts in eight cities around the world that’s bringing together everyone from Al Gore to Kelly Clarkson and 100 other artists to raise awareness of global warming. And for Cambridge startup GoLoco, it’s also a big opportunity to demonstrate that its social-networking ridesharing service … Continue reading “Live Earth Concert Could Fuel Ridesharing Startup”

Google Acquisition Spree Misses Boston Area

It’s hard to overlook the Google acquisition machine. Just last month, the search giant gobbled up its latest company, Fremont, CA-based Grand Central Communications. By one count, anyway, it was Google’s 23rd California purchase, vesus a nearly identical number outside the company’s home state. Where does Boston figure in all this? Just about nowhere, it … Continue reading “Google Acquisition Spree Misses Boston Area”

Genzyme Arthritis Treatment Misses Goal in Pivotal Trial; Company Will Pursue Alternative Strategy

Genzyme announced today that results from a key study of hylastan, a treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee, failed to meet the company’s efficacy target. Happily for the company, it has a more viable alternative already in the works. The hylastan study involved nearly 400 patients being treated at 27 sites in Europe and North … Continue reading “Genzyme Arthritis Treatment Misses Goal in Pivotal Trial; Company Will Pursue Alternative Strategy”

Future Forward

One of the area’s leading annual events for business and technology leaders, Future Forward brings together New England’s leading executives, entrepreneurs, academics, and investors to probe the ways that innovative technologies are effectively developed and commercialized.

Reconfiguring Labor Markets, Pondering the Meaning of Life

Rod Brooks has two small tasks in mind as he leaves the MIT academic bureaucracy he’s known for the last decade and dives back into hands-on science. “One is to restructure the world’s labor markets, the other is to discover the meaning of life.” Last week, when I reported on Brooks stepping down as director … Continue reading “Reconfiguring Labor Markets, Pondering the Meaning of Life”

Genzyme Takeover of Bioenvision Falls Short; Company Tries New Tack

As our sources predicted Friday, Genzyme’s tender offer for New York-based Bioenvision has fallen far short of its goal, Genzyme confirmed this morning. However, the Cambridge biotech giant is not giving up in its efforts to acquire Bioenvision stock and has decided to extend its offer until July 10. The failure of many Bioenvision common … Continue reading “Genzyme Takeover of Bioenvision Falls Short; Company Tries New Tack”

Metcalfe Takes Reins at GreenFuel After Key Setbacks; Company Lays Off Half its Staff, Seeks to Raise Cash

Unanticipated setbacks with GreenFuel Technologies’ unique bioreactor system led to the layoff of half the company’s 50-person staff and Bob Metcalfe’s appointment as interim CEO, Xconomy has learned, adding detail to what we reported yesterday. Cambridge-based GreenFuel seeks to use algae to convert carbon dioxide emissions into biofuel. However, in the last few weeks, the … Continue reading “Metcalfe Takes Reins at GreenFuel After Key Setbacks; Company Lays Off Half its Staff, Seeks to Raise Cash”

Metcalfe Named Interim CEO of GreenFuel

Ethernet inventor Bob Metcalfe has been named interim CEO of Cambridge clean energy company GreenFuel Technologies, Xconomy has learned. He replaces highly touted energy industry veteran Cary Bullock, who was hired in March 2005 to head the company, which develops algae bioreactor systems that convert carbon dioxide emissions into renewable, clean-burning biofuels. Details of Metcalfe’s … Continue reading “Metcalfe Named Interim CEO of GreenFuel”

Genzyme Takeover Deal Will Fail, Predicts Bioenvision Shareholder

Genzyme’s tender offer for New York-based Bioenvision, which expires at 12:01 Monday morning, will not be approved, predicts a large Bioenvision shareholder opposed to the deal. “We’ve heard it’s fallen flat as hell,” asserts Jeffrey Davis, president of SCO Capital, a New York asset-management group focused on life sciences. SCO Capital owns roughly 13 percent … Continue reading “Genzyme Takeover Deal Will Fail, Predicts Bioenvision Shareholder”

Startup Profile: Xconomy Part 2

You meet a lot of people and do a lot of talking when you’re setting out to launch a company. In the course of creating Xconomy, between seeking investors and raising underwriting funds, I took an estimated 17 trips to the Bay Colony Corporate Center in Waltham, home to what’s probably the greatest concentration of … Continue reading “Startup Profile: Xconomy Part 2”

Brooks Steps Down as CSAIL Head, Dives Back into Science

Quipping that he is experiencing “a scientific mid-life crisis,” legendary robotics pioneer Rod Brooks is stepping down as Director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Brooks’ reign at CSAIL, which he has directed since its 2003 formation, will formally end on Friday. However, today marks his first day in his new office, where … Continue reading “Brooks Steps Down as CSAIL Head, Dives Back into Science”

Startup Profile: Xconomy

No sooner had Verizon connected our telephone lines than the phones began ringing off the hook. We dropped our Ikea wrenches to field calls from investors, attorneys, and underwriters. Then came the telemarketing blitz from insurance peddlers, payroll services, financing companies. There was even one slightly peeved call from a big law firm trying to … Continue reading “Startup Profile: Xconomy”

Color Kinetics Stock Soars, Yellow Flag Raised

It’s been a good year for Boston-based digital-lighting leader Color Kinetics, whose stock surged Thursday to an all-time high after the company announced a big licensing deal that will make its LED technology even more visible at events and performances. But shares dipped Friday when a leading analyst downgraded the company from “Buy” to “Hold.” … Continue reading “Color Kinetics Stock Soars, Yellow Flag Raised”

Pop!Tech 2007

This annual event in a quaint Maine seaside town brings together visionaries in science, technology, the social sciences, culture, the arts, and more. This year’s theme is “The Human Impact,” exploring how individuals can have an effect on other people and on the world.

A Deal Too True to be Good? Shareholder Uprising Aims to Disrupt Genzyme’s Takeover Plans

It was just business—good business. Or so it seemed last week, when Genzyme announced its $350 million acquisition of New York-based Bioenvision. In fact, it seemed like a good deal for both parties. Under the terms of the arrangement, Genzyme (GENZ) agreed to acquire Bioenvison (BIVN) for $5.60 a share. That marked a 50% premium … Continue reading “A Deal Too True to be Good? Shareholder Uprising Aims to Disrupt Genzyme’s Takeover Plans”