Xconomy Expands to New York—the Country’s Hottest Hub of Tech Startups and Entrepreneurship

Every time I visit the Big Apple, a line from Stevie Wonder’s Living for the City flashes in my mind: “New York, just like I pictured it, skyscrapers and everything.” But my mental picture of New York has evolved dramatically in the last few years—not the skyscrapers part, of course, but the “everything” that’s going … Continue reading “Xconomy Expands to New York—the Country’s Hottest Hub of Tech Startups and Entrepreneurship”

How to Maximize Startup Success, Get a Free Book, and Make the Most of VC65 on April 6

Chance favors the prepared startup mind. Excuse the slight variation on an old saying. But with our VC65 conference set to take place on April 6, just 9 days from now, I find myself thinking more and more about what makes a successful startup—and how much of it you can control. A lot, of course, … Continue reading “How to Maximize Startup Success, Get a Free Book, and Make the Most of VC65 on April 6”

Buy Your Ticket Now for VC65 on April 6 and Get a Free Copy of Bill Draper’s Book, The Startup Game

Here at Xconomy, we know something about the great investor-entrepreneur relationships that are often behind the best companies: not only are we a startup ourselves, we write about the venture capital and startup scene every day. And as you may have heard, together with the National Venture Capital Association and the MIT Museum, we are … Continue reading “Buy Your Ticket Now for VC65 on April 6 and Get a Free Copy of Bill Draper’s Book, The Startup Game”

VC65 to Feature Tales of Great VCs and Entrepreneurs—Come Wish Venture Capital a Happy Birthday at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium

Great venture capitalists and entrepreneurs aren’t in it for the money or fame—they are out to build outstanding companies that make the world safer, healthier, more productive, more accessible, or just more fun. And, usually, it takes a great partnership between investors and entrepreneurs to pull that off. Celebrating such successful partnerships is the main … Continue reading “VC65 to Feature Tales of Great VCs and Entrepreneurs—Come Wish Venture Capital a Happy Birthday at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium”

Microsoft and Sentillion: A Progress Report on a Crucial Health IT Acquisition

It was a big day last February when Sentillion, the Andover, MA-based provider of healthcare software, announced its acquisition by Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]) was complete and that the company and its 110 employees (most of whom are in Massachusetts) would be folded into the technology giant’s Health Solutions Group. The deal (exact terms of which … Continue reading “Microsoft and Sentillion: A Progress Report on a Crucial Health IT Acquisition”

GM Ventures Aims to Ensure Parent’s Future By Investing in the Best Automotive Startups: Q&A With President Jon Lauckner

In early July, General Motors announced the creation of its own venture capital arm, General Motors Ventures. The $100 million fund was set up, GM said, to identify and help develop and bring to market innovative automotive technologies. To date, the fund has made just two investments, but more are on the way (read on). … Continue reading “GM Ventures Aims to Ensure Parent’s Future By Investing in the Best Automotive Startups: Q&A With President Jon Lauckner”

Bob Metcalfe Joins 5X5 Lineup to Deliver Closing Commentary—and Say Goodbye to Boston

Xconomy is extremely pleased to announce that pundit, inventor, venture capital investor, and future professor Bob Metcalfe has joined the keynote lineup for 5X5: Five Cities, Five Big Tech Ideas, our forum in downtown Boston next Wednesday afternoon. Metcalfe, inventor of the Ethernet and (for just a few more weeks, read on) a general partner … Continue reading “Bob Metcalfe Joins 5X5 Lineup to Deliver Closing Commentary—and Say Goodbye to Boston”

Bill Warner on Building Your Startup From Your Heart, Not Your Head—A Preview of His Keynote at Xconomy’s 5X5 Forum

Bill Warner is one of those good guy entrepreneurs. Yeah, he has a track record of business success, founding Avid and Wildfire, among other companies, and selling them for lots of money. But more than that, he gives back to the entrepreneurial community—both as an angel investor and, more importantly, as a mentor to those … Continue reading “Bill Warner on Building Your Startup From Your Heart, Not Your Head—A Preview of His Keynote at Xconomy’s 5X5 Forum”

Dinner With Microsoft’s Craig Mundie: On Xbox Kinect, Instantaneous Total Recall, and a More Secretive Culture

I recently had dinner here in the Boston area with Craig Mundie, Microsoft’s chief research and strategy officer. With just one other guest present, it was an unusually personal and far-ranging discussion. Most of the talk was of a general nature—more background than anything else. Still, a few things stuck with me as noteworthy. I … Continue reading “Dinner With Microsoft’s Craig Mundie: On Xbox Kinect, Instantaneous Total Recall, and a More Secretive Culture”

We Got Sad Angels and Mad Angels, But Not So Many Glad Angels After Boston Angel Dinner

AngelGate East it isn’t. Everyone seems to agree on that. But that is where the unanimity stops, at least if you are following the debate playing out on venture capitalist Rob Go’s blog about a Boston area angel and seed-stage investor dinner last week. Go’s post—“Sad Observations From a Boston Angel Dinner“—drew the ire of … Continue reading “We Got Sad Angels and Mad Angels, But Not So Many Glad Angels After Boston Angel Dinner”

Why Rich Levandov Invested Early in Zynga, and Why It Took Off—Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Consider

On the last day of September, San Diego-based Avalon Ventures announced a closing of $161 million for its new fund—Avalon IX—on its way toward an upper target of $200 million. Avalon is an 18-year-old firm—storied in San Diego but not fantastically well known nationally—still led by founder Kevin Kinsella. Avalon made its name in biotech. … Continue reading “Why Rich Levandov Invested Early in Zynga, and Why It Took Off—Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Consider”

The Future of Health IT—Video Clips From Athenahealth’s Jonathan Bush & Others at Xconomy Debate

A few weeks ago, we hosted an Xconomy Xchange evening featuring Jonathan Bush, CEO of Watertown, MA-based Athenahealth (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ATHN]]), and Girish Navani, his counterpart at Westborough, MA-based eClinicalWorks. With Pam McNamara, president of Cambridge Consultants, wielding a gavel to moderate, the two competitors discussed and debated the future of health IT. You can read … Continue reading “The Future of Health IT—Video Clips From Athenahealth’s Jonathan Bush & Others at Xconomy Debate”

‘Anything That’s $1B is Good,’ and Other Gems From the Media Lab’s 25th Bash

I spent a good part of Friday at the MIT Media Laboratory, which was packed to the rafters with faculty, alums, and other guests celebrating the pioneering institution’s 25th anniversary. Below are some quick impressions from the morning’s activities and an afternoon chat with Google CEO Eric Schmidt conducted by public radio host John Hockenberry. … Continue reading “‘Anything That’s $1B is Good,’ and Other Gems From the Media Lab’s 25th Bash”

MIT Launching Follow Up to Landmark Made in America Study

With the loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs an ever-present political and economic issue, MIT is kicking off a global manufacturing study, Xconomy has learned. The effort apparently follows up on the school’s famous Made in America report from the late 1980s, which examined the declining state of American industrial productivity and explored ways to get … Continue reading “MIT Launching Follow Up to Landmark Made in America Study”

Negroponte on the Media Lab’s 25th: A Salon des Refusés That Could Only Have Happened at MIT

The MIT Media Laboratory, whose 1985 launch created a new intellectual center of gravity for studies of the future of computing while blazing trails in industry-university research partnerships, will mark its 25th anniversary this Friday. MIT is celebrating the occasion with a day of festivities that include an appearance from Google CEO Eric Schmidt and … Continue reading “Negroponte on the Media Lab’s 25th: A Salon des Refusés That Could Only Have Happened at MIT”

OLPC Part 2: Nicholas Negroponte on the Mideast and the XO 3 Tablet—and Why He May Not Ever Have to Build It

Nicholas Negroponte walked into the Starbucks holding some sort of thin, tablet-like computer. I couldn’t tell what model, because it was zipped inside a carrying case—but I was hoping for a prototype of the XO 3, the next-generation tablet Negroponte’s One Laptop per Child Foundation wants to create for children in the developing world for … Continue reading “OLPC Part 2: Nicholas Negroponte on the Mideast and the XO 3 Tablet—and Why He May Not Ever Have to Build It”

One Ecosystem Per Child: Walter Bender and OLPC Reunite to Enhance Learning and Grow Economies in Developing Nations

Walter Bender and the One Laptop per Child organization are back together again. The architect of the Sugar learning environment at the heart of every XO laptop, who had teamed with OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte to launch the project but split with the organization 30 months ago, saying it had lost its way as a … Continue reading “One Ecosystem Per Child: Walter Bender and OLPC Reunite to Enhance Learning and Grow Economies in Developing Nations”

One Laptop Gets $5.6M Grant From Marvell to Develop Next Generation Tablet Computer

The One Laptop per Child Foundation and Santa Clara, CA-based semiconductor maker Marvell have cemented a partnership announced last spring, with Marvell agreeing to provide OLPC with $5.6 million to fund development of its next generation tablet computer, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte tells me. Negroponte says the deal, signed in the past week or so … Continue reading “One Laptop Gets $5.6M Grant From Marvell to Develop Next Generation Tablet Computer”

What’s Next for Car Connectivity? Notes From the Future of GM’s OnStar

The only time I’ve visited General Motors’ OnStar operation, its bustling command center was out in Troy, MI, a long way from its current site at GM headquarters in downtown Detroit’s Renaissance Center. That was nine years and about four million subscribers ago (OnStar now has 5.7 million subscribers, compared to 1.7 million in 2001 … Continue reading “What’s Next for Car Connectivity? Notes From the Future of GM’s OnStar”

Michigan Venture Funds: A List of Recent Closings and Firms Raising Money Now

It’s not exactly a secret that this isn’t the greatest time for venture capital. Returns over the past decade have gone negative after the heady dotcom bubble years, and with the recession lingering many funds have either closed or found themselves significantly smaller as it became harder and harder to attract capital. These national trends … Continue reading “Michigan Venture Funds: A List of Recent Closings and Firms Raising Money Now”

Michigan’s Emerging Startup Economy—A Conversation with Renaissance Venture Capital’s Chris Rizik

On Labor Day, the Renaissance Venture Capital Fund announced the final close of its fund, bringing the total raised to just under $50 million. The Ann Arbor-based Renaissance is a fund of funds: instead of investing money directly into startups, it invests in other venture funds, thereby hedging its bets in one sense, but also … Continue reading “Michigan’s Emerging Startup Economy—A Conversation with Renaissance Venture Capital’s Chris Rizik”

Who Knew? Part 3: Xconomy Uncovers Even More Strange-But-True Facts About Boston’s Innovation Leaders

We’re back! After a long hiatus, Xconomy has returned with more strange-but-true facts from the world of New England innovation. And in this latest installment, our third so far, things are getting seriously offbeat. Who once acted as press secretary for not one, but two of the four leaders of the Tiananmen Square revolt—and which … Continue reading “Who Knew? Part 3: Xconomy Uncovers Even More Strange-But-True Facts About Boston’s Innovation Leaders”

Herding Lionesses: Michigan Women’s Foundation Gathering Power Women, Forming Angel Fund to Invest in Female Entrepreneurs

[Updated and corrected, Aug. 26—see below] Just a few years ago, the Michigan Women’s Foundation was truly your mother’s philanthropic foundation—putting on fund-raising dinners, tapping corporate sponsors like the Big Three automakers, and then giving away small chunks of money to a wide array of charitable groups—totaling some $3.5 million to 420 entities to be … Continue reading “Herding Lionesses: Michigan Women’s Foundation Gathering Power Women, Forming Angel Fund to Invest in Female Entrepreneurs”

Entrepreneurial Walk of Fame Idea Resonates—Although A Few Potential Cracks Have Surfaced in the Pavement

If ever an idea has, um, hit its stride quickly, it’s the one we wrote about last week to create an Entrepreneurial Walk of Fame in Kendall Square to honor local and regional entrepreneurs in much the same fashion as the Hollywood Walk of Fame honors movie stars. As Xconomist Bill Aulet, managing director of … Continue reading “Entrepreneurial Walk of Fame Idea Resonates—Although A Few Potential Cracks Have Surfaced in the Pavement”

Xconomy is Expanding Its Coverage of Michigan Innovation—and We’re Looking for Great Writers to Join Us

It’s been just four months since we launched Xconomy Detroit to bring our unique coverage of life sciences, information technology, energy, transportation, robotics, venture capital, and other high-tech arenas to bear on Michigan’s innovation scene—but already we want more! We have found a ton of stories of technology and innovation that still need telling, and … Continue reading “Xconomy is Expanding Its Coverage of Michigan Innovation—and We’re Looking for Great Writers to Join Us”

Kendall Square Wants an Entrepreneurial Walk of Fame—and So Should Every Innovation Hub

Local legends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck rose from the bowels of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (the high school’s drama department really is in the basement) to become international movie stars—and Damon was chosen three years ago to get a star along the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. But the business leaders who have … Continue reading “Kendall Square Wants an Entrepreneurial Walk of Fame—and So Should Every Innovation Hub”

Greylock’s Henry McCance Part 2: Four Things Great VCs Do and Four Ideas to Guide Them

Every venture capital firm and every venture capitalist touts itself/herself/himself as adding value to the entrepreneur’s quest to build great companies. But when it comes to backing up that talk with action, few venture capitalists have the track record of Henry McCance, now chairman emeritus of Greylock Partners. I recently visited McCance in the firm’s … Continue reading “Greylock’s Henry McCance Part 2: Four Things Great VCs Do and Four Ideas to Guide Them”

Greylock’s Henry McCance on Why the Firm Moved Its HQ to Silicon Valley and How Boston Must Find Its Google

Greylock Partners is one of the world’s premier venture firms and a hallmark here in New England, so it was no small news in May 2009 when the storied firm announced it was moving its headquarters from the Boston area to Silicon Valley—giving New England yet another reason for Valley envy. I recently sat down … Continue reading “Greylock’s Henry McCance on Why the Firm Moved Its HQ to Silicon Valley and How Boston Must Find Its Google”

Name Game: We Review Our Readers’ Choices for Boston’s Most (and Least) Successful Rebrandings

Call it market research, Xconomy style. On Wednesday, we initiated a poll asking our readers to weigh in on whether the rebranding efforts of eight New England startups that had changed their names in the past year worked for them. Readers were asked to pick whether the new name was better, worse, or the same … Continue reading “Name Game: We Review Our Readers’ Choices for Boston’s Most (and Least) Successful Rebrandings”

The Name Game: Our Rebranding Poll Asks Readers to Weigh in On Recent Startup Name Changes

What’s in a name? Well, an awful lot, of course, and perhaps especially when it comes to companies and their brands. A good name evokes what the company does, and it is memorable—creating a virtuous cycle that reinforces the brand and leads to increased sales and other good things. I got thinking about this, specifically … Continue reading “The Name Game: Our Rebranding Poll Asks Readers to Weigh in On Recent Startup Name Changes”

Of Angel Tsunamis, the X Prize, Wireless Power, Mobile Health, & More —XSITE 2010 is Tomorrow

Everyone in the innovation community knows entrepreneurs and big companies alike are hard at work across New England building the next economy. But tomorrow, at XSITE 2010—the Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship—we are bringing together some 50 companies and 30 startups, and a host of VCs, angel investors, and innovators from around the … Continue reading “Of Angel Tsunamis, the X Prize, Wireless Power, Mobile Health, & More —XSITE 2010 is Tomorrow”

Big Moves for Xconomy Boston (and all of Xconomy) as Wade Heads West and Greg Returns East

It’s official. As we have been telling folks informally, and as reported last week in the Boston Globe, Xconomy chief correspondent Wade Roush is heading west to become editor of Xconomy San Francisco, which officially launched today. Wade, who has been working out of our Kendall Square offices since just after the launch of Xconomy … Continue reading “Big Moves for Xconomy Boston (and all of Xconomy) as Wade Heads West and Greg Returns East”

Xconomy Arrives in San Francisco Bay Area, Telling Stories of Innovation in the Global Capital of Technology and Entrepreneurship

MIT’s Robert Solow won the 1987 Nobel Prize in economics for showing that long-term growth in advanced economies like the United States is not driven so much by capital investment, the pillar of classic economics, as by technological progress. Nearly three years ago, on June 27, 2007, Xconomy began publishing online from Kendall Square, Cambridge, … Continue reading “Xconomy Arrives in San Francisco Bay Area, Telling Stories of Innovation in the Global Capital of Technology and Entrepreneurship”

Xconomy Welcomes Susan Hunt Stevens to Our Board

A lot of great things have been happening here at Xconomy lately. We have done syndication deals with the Boston Globe and Motley Fool, launched our new Health IT channel, and expanded to Detroit—with another geographic expansion coming up very soon (stay tuned). Today, though, I am extremely pleased to announce that we have expanded … Continue reading “Xconomy Welcomes Susan Hunt Stevens to Our Board”

Of Boston’s Angel Tsunami and the Future of Venture—XSITE Dives Deep and Gets Personal

Boston’s ongoing flurry of angel investor activity and programs for seed-stage startups arguably started in January 2009, when that paragon of seed-stage incubators, Y Combinator, announced it was pulling out of town for good and ending its Cambridge, MA-based summer program. As I noted last fall, the void left by Y Combo seemed to attract … Continue reading “Of Boston’s Angel Tsunami and the Future of Venture—XSITE Dives Deep and Gets Personal”

Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail, and Other John Wooden Advice for the Innovation Community (and Everyone Else)

If you know me, or have followed some of my increasingly sporadic posts or tweets, you know I love sports. Few people know, though, that I was a physical education major in college—part of a double major with psychology, it being the mind-and-body ’70s. I was either going to be a basketball coach or a … Continue reading “Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail, and Other John Wooden Advice for the Innovation Community (and Everyone Else)”

300-Plus Sloanies Graduating Today—Forming 34 Companies (and Counting)

[Updated, June 4, 2010—see below]—A small whiteboard set up in the offices of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center is covered with a hand-scrawled list of names—so many that E-Center acting managing director and Xconomist Bill Aulet says they had to pick up the list on the other side of the board. The long list is a … Continue reading “300-Plus Sloanies Graduating Today—Forming 34 Companies (and Counting)”

XSITE-ment Mounting—Agenda Posted for Xconomy Summit; Still Looking for a Few Great Startups

Just two weeks and two days to go until XSITE 2010—the Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship. The second annual iteration of one of New England’s biggest celebrations of entrepreneurship—with the theme “Building the Next Economy”—goes down on June 17 at Babson College in Wellesley, MA. We’ve got more than 40 speakers lined up … Continue reading “XSITE-ment Mounting—Agenda Posted for Xconomy Summit; Still Looking for a Few Great Startups”

Free Copy of Jeff Bussgang’s ‘Mastering the VC Game’ for the Next 25 Purchasers of XSITE 2010 Tickets

Members of the Boston innovation community poured into the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center recently to celebrate the release of Mastering the VC Game, a book by Flybridge Capital Partners general partner Jeff Bussgang that shines a light on the inner workings of venture capital and details what it takes for entrepreneurs to … Continue reading “Free Copy of Jeff Bussgang’s ‘Mastering the VC Game’ for the Next 25 Purchasers of XSITE 2010 Tickets”

Xconomy Sets Up Entrepreneurs’ Rate for Events—Starting with XSITE on June 17

We here at Xconomy love startups (we’re one ourselves). We pride ourselves on writing great stories about great entrepreneurs and startup companies—and on showcasing interesting startups at our events. We also occasionally hold impromptu pizza parties here in our headquarters for entrepreneurs in the ‘hood. (And we’ll be doing one again soon.) Now, thanks in … Continue reading “Xconomy Sets Up Entrepreneurs’ Rate for Events—Starting with XSITE on June 17”

Fool Gets Its Xconomy On—Motley Fool to Carry Xconomy Stories

I am extremely pleased to announce that Xconomy and The Motley Fool have reached an agreement that will put one Xconomy feature story a day on Fool.com, the flagship website of the Alexandria, VA-based organization. The first story, by our Seattle editor Greg Huang about how startups might learn from Clay Christensen’s “disruptive innovation” model … Continue reading “Fool Gets Its Xconomy On—Motley Fool to Carry Xconomy Stories”

Athenahealth’s Ed Park and Media Lab’s John Moore Join Lineup for Monday’s “Healthcare in Transition” Xconomy Forum; Few Tickets Remain

The question of how we pay for healthcare has been under the microscope in recent months, but what can we do to radically improve the care itself? Examining how information technology can help with that challenge is the whole point of Xconomy’s Healthcare in Transition forum, which will be held on Monday afternoon at the … Continue reading “Athenahealth’s Ed Park and Media Lab’s John Moore Join Lineup for Monday’s “Healthcare in Transition” Xconomy Forum; Few Tickets Remain”

Xconomy Opens in Detroit to Tell a Vital Story of Innovation and Economic Transformation

Even as the Detroit Red Wings seek to battle back in their NHL playoff series against the Phoenix Coyotes, entrepreneurs and innovators in Michigan are working overtime to help the state meet an economic challenge far more imposing than the Coyotes are on ice. That’s how we see it here at Xconomy, and that’s why … Continue reading “Xconomy Opens in Detroit to Tell a Vital Story of Innovation and Economic Transformation”

The Real Truth About the iPad: A Non-Early Adopter Tests It Out, Pronounces It Lckig=ng (Typed on an iPad)

If you’re a fan of the TV show Supernatural, as the writer of this essay is, then at this point you might think a demon has taken possession of my colleague Wade Roush, who of course writes his World Wide Wade column every (or almost every) Friday. That would not be correct. But a demon … Continue reading “The Real Truth About the iPad: A Non-Early Adopter Tests It Out, Pronounces It Lckig=ng (Typed on an iPad)”

Massachusetts Startups Held Their Own in February—Upwards of $200 Million Invested in 26 Deals

There was a lot of turmoil in the Bay State last month: tumultuous weather, seasonal lethargy, and school vacations, not to mention the ongoing discussion/celebration/lamentation surrounding newly elected senator Scott Brown, who arrived in Washington to create even more confusion around health care reform. But investors sure kept their focus, as the venture deals kept … Continue reading “Massachusetts Startups Held Their Own in February—Upwards of $200 Million Invested in 26 Deals”

A Heartfelt Thanks to Mobile Madness Speakers, Sponsors, and Underwriters—and our New Backup Service!

Xconomy held another sold out forum yesterday afternoon, with more than 225 people pouring into Microsoft’s New England Research & Development Center for our Mobile Madness conference. A writeup and photo spread of the afternoon’s events and the insights provided by the great array of speakers—including the results of the Mobile Smackdown between iPhone, Android, … Continue reading “A Heartfelt Thanks to Mobile Madness Speakers, Sponsors, and Underwriters—and our New Backup Service!”

SiCortex Co-Founder John Mucci Passes Away

[Updated Feb. 9 and Feb. 10 with comments and funeral service/memorial donations details—see below] Xconomy is very sad to note that John Mucci, the co-founder and former CEO and director of SiCortex, the Maynard, MA-based startup that sought to build a new generation of energy-efficient supercomputers, passed away yesterday of a heart attack, according to … Continue reading “SiCortex Co-Founder John Mucci Passes Away”

All-Star Lineup of Guest Judges Set For Thursday Night’s Battle of the Tech Bands Seattle vs. Boston Smackdown

We are barely 24 hours away from the biggest, most definitive East Coast vs. West Coast smackdown since Facebook got away: the Battle of the Tech Bands 3, which will take place Thursday night at the Middle East Nightclub in the heart of Central Square here in Cambridge, MA. We have five great bands—three winners … Continue reading “All-Star Lineup of Guest Judges Set For Thursday Night’s Battle of the Tech Bands Seattle vs. Boston Smackdown”

Xconomy Innovators’ Lunch Is at Noon Today—Free Pizza at Our Cambridge Office for Those Who Brave the Cold

A quick reminder for all you startup entrepreneurs, tech & life sciences veterans, and Xconomy readers: If you aren’t hunkered down to avoid the cold, and you’re up for a free slice or two (or three as one reader warned us), come on over to our Cambridge HQ today at noon for an impromptu pizza … Continue reading “Xconomy Innovators’ Lunch Is at Noon Today—Free Pizza at Our Cambridge Office for Those Who Brave the Cold”