MindMaze has a long-term plan to transform medical care using imaging techniques such as virtual reality and augmented reality, and now it has $100 million from investors to explore those possibilities. The startup, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, is making San Francisco its U.S. headquarters, drawn here by the Bay Area’s active virtual reality community and … Continue reading “Health VR Startup MindMaze Claims Unicorn Status with $100M Raise”
Author: Bernadette Tansey
Bernadette Tansey is a former editor of Xconomy San Francisco. She has covered information technology, biotechnology, business, law, environment, and government as a Bay area journalist. She has written about edtech, mobile apps, social media startups, and life sciences companies for Xconomy, and tracked the adoption of Web tools by small businesses for CNBC. She was a biotechnology reporter for the business section of the San Francisco Chronicle, where she also wrote about software developers and early commercial companies in nanotechnology and synthetic biology.
For Grabs: $1.5M To Edtech Startups That Fill Math Learning Gaps
An edtech startup with a great idea to improve math instruction might find the competition pretty daunting by now. Crowds of math products are already vying with each other for teachers’ attention and school district dollars. Yet NewSchools Ignite, a non-profit edtech accelerator that helps young companies fill gaps across the digital learning landscape, announced … Continue reading “For Grabs: $1.5M To Edtech Startups That Fill Math Learning Gaps”
With Free Headsets, Nearpod Enticing Schools to Try Virtual Reality
Education is often mentioned as one of the many future uses of virtual reality technology, though most observers predict that gamers will dominate VR’s early years. But edtech startup Nearpod saw VR’s potential for instruction, and decided, why wait? The company, whose core business is a course-creation platform for teachers, developed an inexpensive way to … Continue reading “With Free Headsets, Nearpod Enticing Schools to Try Virtual Reality”
Diffbot Raises $10M To Expand AI Engine That Mines The Web
Diffbot, an artificial intelligence company that helps clients extract and combine data from multiple Web sources, announced today it raised $10 million from investors including Tencent and Felicis Ventures to expand its “knowledge-as-a-service” offerings to businesses and consumer apps. The Palo Alto, CA-based startup, founded in 2009, still has a tiny staff of 14. But … Continue reading “Diffbot Raises $10M To Expand AI Engine That Mines The Web”
Baobab, Oculus, Penrose, Et Al: The Disneys Of Early VR Animation?
You’re a film director whose last feature was a blockbuster, and now you’re funded to make a movie from a fabulous script of your own. It’s a dream job, but there’s just one hitch. Every day, a fan is released onto the set to point your cameras wherever he or she wants. When your stars … Continue reading “Baobab, Oculus, Penrose, Et Al: The Disneys Of Early VR Animation?”
Machine Learning Advances Cybersecurity: Battery Ventures’ View
An office worker who usually spends time in programs like PowerPoint suddenly logs into the company expense records system. Data-sifting computers are on the alert for unusual behavior like this across the globe, and Dharmesh Thakker thinks they’ll help thwart criminal hackers who pose a growing threat to companies. Thakker, a general partner at Battery … Continue reading “Machine Learning Advances Cybersecurity: Battery Ventures’ View”
AppDirect Buys Radialpoint, Adds IT Support To Its App Marketplaces
AppDirect, which operates marketplaces for the sale of subscriptions to Web-based software, is acquiring technical support provider Radialpoint, which helps businesses work out the bugs once they’ve purchased new apps. San Francisco-based AppDirect is flush with cash from two fundraising rounds last year totaling $190 million, and acquisitions are part of its strategy to build … Continue reading “AppDirect Buys Radialpoint, Adds IT Support To Its App Marketplaces”
Malwarebytes, Once A Teen Vision, Raises $50M for Security Software
When Marcin Kleczynski was 12, he downloaded a pirated video game into his family’s shared computer, infecting it with malware. That would have landed most kids in big trouble. But in Kleczynski’s case, the mistake led to much different consequences. Now 26, Kleczynski heads the profitable company Malwarebytes, which announced Thursday it raised $50 million … Continue reading “Malwarebytes, Once A Teen Vision, Raises $50M for Security Software”
Soundtrap Adapts Music App as Edtech Offering, With Google Tools
Most app and digital tool makers try to make their products as easy to use as possible for consumers who may lack technical savvy or the time to muddle through training manuals. Those developers who succeed might want to think about building a second life for their products in the educational technology market, as Stockholm-based … Continue reading “Soundtrap Adapts Music App as Edtech Offering, With Google Tools”
Norwest Venture Partners Raises Third $1.2 B Venture Fund
Silicon Valley venture fund Norwest Venture Partners announced today it raised $1.2 billion for a new investment fund. The Palo Alto, CA-based firm raised the same amount for each of its two previous funds. Counting the new fund, Norwest’s total capital and commitments add up to more than $6 billion. Norwest, founded in April 1961, … Continue reading “Norwest Venture Partners Raises Third $1.2 B Venture Fund”
New Capital For Anaplan, App Annie, Shape Security
Bay Area companies, back from the holidays, unveiled some substantial fundraising hauls this week. —Anaplan, a provider of Web-based planning software for businesses, announced a $90 million Series E financing round that pegs its valuation at more than $1 billion. The San Francisco-based company’s planning tools are designed to track numerical data from all aspects … Continue reading “New Capital For Anaplan, App Annie, Shape Security”
Savioke’s Hotel Robots Spark $15M Investment for Robot Fleet
Savioke, a Bay Area startup that has deployed 15 of its errand-running robots in California hotels, has scored a $15 million Series A financing led by Intel Capital. The Santa Clara, CA-based startup, founded in 2013, plans to use the cash infusion to expand its fleet of rolling robots, which deliver towels, Starbucks coffee, and … Continue reading “Savioke’s Hotel Robots Spark $15M Investment for Robot Fleet”
Apple Buys Emotient, A Digital Analyst of Consumer Feelings
Apple has snapped up Emotient, a startup that scrutinizes human faces to gauge feelings and reactions, the Wall Street Journal and other media outlets are reporting. San Diego-based Emotient, founded in 2012, had been marketing its services to advertisers and researchers as a tool to predict how consumers would react to digital ads, movies, and … Continue reading “Apple Buys Emotient, A Digital Analyst of Consumer Feelings”
Yahoo Draws Fire From Activist Investor, Plans Workforce Cuts
As hopeful tech innovators strut their stuff at the annual CES show in Las Vegas this week, Yahoo’s continuing troubles illustrate what can happen to a former tech star that doesn’t stay ahead of the curve. The talk surrounding Sunnyvale, CA-based Yahoo (NASDAQ: [[ticker:YHOO]]) no longer focuses on how CEO Marissa Mayer can revive the … Continue reading “Yahoo Draws Fire From Activist Investor, Plans Workforce Cuts”
UC Entrusts $250M To New Fund For Investment in Campus Startups
The University of California, which announced in 2014 it would create a venture fund to invest in companies based on its scientific innovations, has finally found the right person to make it happen. The university system is committing $250 million to a new institutional fund being formed by Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur Vivek Ranadivé, who … Continue reading “UC Entrusts $250M To New Fund For Investment in Campus Startups”
PathSource Helps Set Career Goals, From Middle School And Beyond
For kids sitting in a classroom, school can sometimes seem like a pointless form of torture—memorizing dull history facts or arcane math formulas. Almost all kids have groaned at some point, “What does this have to do with my life?” In past decades, the answer to that question often didn’t emerge until kids left high … Continue reading “PathSource Helps Set Career Goals, From Middle School And Beyond”
One Medical Raises $65 Million to Expand “Concierge” Doctor Network
Does your health plan make you feel like a second class citizen, languishing in a doctor’s crowded waiting room? Technology startups are trying to cure such doldrums—not by competing with medical insurance companies, but by offering add-on services they claim will make health care more effective or convenient. One of the startups making that pitch, … Continue reading “One Medical Raises $65 Million to Expand “Concierge” Doctor Network”
Figma, Soundtrap Score Funding for Arts Collaboration Tools
[Corrected 12/5/15, 2:56 pm. See below.] Many companies that provide online data storage services also offer tools that make it possible for business project teams to collaborate online. Common projects include jointly editing documents and logging sales activity so all can share the data. But creative teams also collaborate—and now tech companies are addressing the … Continue reading “Figma, Soundtrap Score Funding for Arts Collaboration Tools”
Paris Rampage Rekindles Conflict Over Government-Proof Encryption
The recent terrorist attacks in Paris were executed with guns and bombs in the physical terrain of city streets and cafe terraces. But the horrific incident is reviving government calls for greater control of the cyber environment. A host of top U.S. officials including the directors of the CIA and FBI, Senator Dianne Feinstein, New … Continue reading “Paris Rampage Rekindles Conflict Over Government-Proof Encryption”
Can Edtech Turn Post-Millennials Into News Junkies? Newsela’s Trying
Much has been written—and often lamented—about the supposed effect of Web technology on the Millennial generation. These digital natives care to read only in short snippets, the stereotype goes; they get all their news from their Facebook friends, and rarely subscribe to newspapers, some of their elders complain. Even if there’s evidence of such trends, … Continue reading “Can Edtech Turn Post-Millennials Into News Junkies? Newsela’s Trying”
Salesforce Offers Free Online Training On Its Software To Fill Hiring Pools
As online courses and programming boot camps add new options for jobseekers trying to upgrade their skills, employers are also starting to shape the educational landscape as they step into new roles. Some companies such as Intuit have helped to design the curriculum for edtech outfits like Udacity, while others such as Microsoft, Cisco and … Continue reading “Salesforce Offers Free Online Training On Its Software To Fill Hiring Pools”
Fossil Buys Misfit Wearables, Acqui-Hires New CTO And Engineering Team
Fitness tracking devices were nothing new when Misfit Wearables was founded in 2011 by Sonny Vu, Sridhar Iyengar, and former Apple CEO John Sculley. But Misfit’s sleek metal design helped it compete with the plastic bracelets offered by rivals such as Fitbit. The little round device, with its tiny lights, looked like an alien coin … Continue reading “Fossil Buys Misfit Wearables, Acqui-Hires New CTO And Engineering Team”
Australia, Ranked 81st In Innovation, Seeks Lessons From Silicon Valley
People are always swarming in from other countries to set up outposts in Silicon Valley, and that’s what Larry Marshall has been doing on a trip this month. But for Marshall, who flew in from his native Australia, the visit is also a homecoming. Marshall spent 26 years here watching entrepreneurs transform technology breakthroughs into … Continue reading “Australia, Ranked 81st In Innovation, Seeks Lessons From Silicon Valley”
To Be or Not To Be An Equity Crowdfunding Portal?
After the pioneering crowdfunding sites Indiegogo and Kickstarter set up shop roughly seven years ago, other entrepreneurs were saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Those fundraising platforms quickly scaled up, offering inventors, artists, and others an online meeting place where they could appeal for contributions to get their projects off the ground. The fundraising … Continue reading “To Be or Not To Be An Equity Crowdfunding Portal?”
Cengage Snaps Up ePortfolio Tool from SF Startup Pathbrite
In a continuing drive to assemble a comprehensive suite of online learning tools for schools, Boston-based edtech company Cengage Learning is adding San Francisco-based startup Pathbrite’s student portfolio feature to its repertoire of acquisitions. Pathbrite’s product, the Portfolio Learning Platform, allows students to store their completed course assignments, such as essays, artwork, and videos, in … Continue reading “Cengage Snaps Up ePortfolio Tool from SF Startup Pathbrite”
SurveyMonkey Ups Cred As Pollster, Hires Election Czar
Technological changes have knocked the election polling industry off the rails—but now tech companies are trying to get it back on track. SurveyMonkey just announced it is amping up its commitment to capturing public opinion during political contests, starting with the 2016 presidential election. This week, the company announced the hiring of its first head … Continue reading “SurveyMonkey Ups Cred As Pollster, Hires Election Czar”
As SEC Mulls Equity Crowdfunding, CA Entrepreneurs Test Other Options
California is one of the dominant U.S. producers of fruits, nuts, vegetables—and tech startups. In the Silicon Valley, the startups sprouting up each season are nurtured by a host of accelerators and incubators as well as VCs and angel investors providing seed funding. That still leaves some startups hungry for cash, but California is not … Continue reading “As SEC Mulls Equity Crowdfunding, CA Entrepreneurs Test Other Options”
Investors Back B2B, Cybersecurity, Edtech, Mental Health Tech
San Francisco-based website testing company Optimizely scored one of the biggest funding rounds in Bay Area tech this week—and the idea of “optimizing” would make a good theme for the other companies that also picked up some cash. —Optimizely, which figures out which alternate versions of a website will appeal most to a client’s target … Continue reading “Investors Back B2B, Cybersecurity, Edtech, Mental Health Tech”
How Coworking Hub RocketSpace Took Off, And Changed Course
Ever since the spectacular dot-com bust of 2000, any new tech boom is eventually clouded by prophesies that another collapse is close at hand. A splashy Vanity Fair cover story this month, entitled “Is Silicon Valley In Another Tech Bubble?”, is just one recent speculation about the possible frailty of the current expansion. What’s certainly … Continue reading “How Coworking Hub RocketSpace Took Off, And Changed Course”
AppDirect’s $140M Series E Follows Closely on $50M Round
App marketplace maker AppDirect, which raised $50 million early this year and recently announced its fourth acquisition, announced today that it has added another $140 million to its coffers and signed up J.P. Morgan as its newest investor. The San Francisco-based company creates online storefronts where Web-based software makers like Microsoft and software re-sellers like … Continue reading “AppDirect’s $140M Series E Follows Closely on $50M Round”
Breakout Labs Welcomes Startups in Food, Health, Metals, Adhesives
Car parts that don’t get wet or rust, a nano-glue that won’t damage walls, sensors that detect food freshness, and people who stay healthy as they age. These are the goals of four new startup companies just chosen to receive funding and other support from Breakout Labs, a seed-stage revolving fund operated by the Thiel … Continue reading “Breakout Labs Welcomes Startups in Food, Health, Metals, Adhesives”
New VC-Backed School Joins Ranks of SF’s Indie Coding Skills Shops
San Francisco hosts so many freestanding computer programming schools and code bootcamps now that it’s hard to keep track of them all. But make room for another one. A trio of alumni from France’s European Institute of Technology is launching the new Holberton School in a 4,000-square-foot space on Battery Street, and they’re offering free … Continue reading “New VC-Backed School Joins Ranks of SF’s Indie Coding Skills Shops”
Surgical Robotics Serial Entrepreneur’s Stealth Startup Raises $149M
Most young companies that had raised close to $184 million over the last two years would be clamoring for press attention by now. But not Auris Surgical Robotics. The San Carlos, CA-based medical robotics company remained firmly in stealth mode as tech reporters learned via its SEC filing this week that it had raised $149.5 … Continue reading “Surgical Robotics Serial Entrepreneur’s Stealth Startup Raises $149M”
AppDirect’s 4th Acquisition Brings IoT Scope To App Marketplace Maker
AppDirect, a growing San Francisco company that organizes marketplaces for Web-based software, said today it’s acquiring AppCarousel, which helps companies create app stores for connected cars, smartphones, and other elements of the Internet of Things. The acquisition, under undisclosed terms, adds to a recent growth surge for AppDirect, which announced a $50 million Series D … Continue reading “AppDirect’s 4th Acquisition Brings IoT Scope To App Marketplace Maker”
Aduro Lands New Berkeley Life Sciences Digs, with Room to Grow
In the wake of a notable IPO this year and a raft of partnership deals, Aduro Biotech (Nasdaq: [[ticker:ADRO]]) has snapped up full occupancy rights to a new four-story life sciences building just completed by Wareham Development at its 18-acre Aquatic Park Center in Berkeley. Aduro’s 84 employees are now packed into 25,000 square feet … Continue reading “Aduro Lands New Berkeley Life Sciences Digs, with Room to Grow”
Teach Now or Treat Later: Wellness Educator Omada Raises $48M
[Updated 9/17/15, 9:52 am. See below.] Health insurance plans are avidly searching for ways to reduce the cost of medical treatment, such as favoring generic drugs over brand name pharmaceuticals. San Francisco-based digital health company Omada Health approaches the cost problem from a different direction, by trying to prevent serious, chronic diseases from developing in … Continue reading “Teach Now or Treat Later: Wellness Educator Omada Raises $48M”
Hackers Ride Along On Travel Apps, Says Bluebox Security
Travel apps make it so easy to book holiday flights and hotels with our mobile devices in a few spare moments on the couch or in a cafe. But San Francisco-based Bluebox Security says these apps are also making it much too easy for hackers to steal our credit card numbers, passwords, travel plans, and … Continue reading “Hackers Ride Along On Travel Apps, Says Bluebox Security”
Fintech Startup Fundbox Nabs $50M for Small Business Financing Option
Financial technology company Fundbox, which automates advance payments to small businesses based on their outstanding invoices, announced today it has raised $50 million in an equity funding round led by a new investor, Spark Capital Growth. San Francisco-based Fundbox bills its service as a solution for a common problem among small businesses—a cash flow crunch. … Continue reading “Fintech Startup Fundbox Nabs $50M for Small Business Financing Option”
How To Pick Winning Startups in Crowded Tech Fields? Specialize, VC Says
In 2013, veteran investor and former Salesforce.com executive Matt Holleran quietly opened a specialized kind of venture firm that he suspects will become more common. Cloud Apps Capital Partners focuses on a single market—Web-based software applications for businesses. It aims to fill an early-stage startup funding niche that Holleran believes is not well-served by the … Continue reading “How To Pick Winning Startups in Crowded Tech Fields? Specialize, VC Says”
Apttus Snags $108M for Web-Based B2B Sales Management System
Apttus, a San Mateo, CA-based sales support provider that had already raised $41 million in February, just topped that by closing a $108 million Series C financing, the company announced today. The new funding places Apttus’ valuation at more than $1 billion, a company spokesman says. Apttus operates a Web-based sales management system built on … Continue reading “Apttus Snags $108M for Web-Based B2B Sales Management System”
FlexTech Alliance To Manage $75M Defense Institute for Tech Manufacturing
California research consortium FlexTech Alliance announced today it has landed a $75 million U.S. Department of Defense contract that makes it the organizational hub for a sweeping government effort to advance American manufacturing capabilities for flexible products like clothing that are enhanced with electronic sensors and processing power. The Defense Department will funnel research contracts … Continue reading “FlexTech Alliance To Manage $75M Defense Institute for Tech Manufacturing”
Celery Opens Do-It-Yourself Crowdfunding Tools To All Comers
Y Combinator alum Celery made its debut in 2012 as an e-commerce site that filled a need for startups after they completed successful crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and other sites. Those campaigns not only funded the development of novel products, but also raised the interest of consumers who sent in a continuing wave of … Continue reading “Celery Opens Do-It-Yourself Crowdfunding Tools To All Comers”
Velostrata Lifts Veil On New Hybrid Cloud Model, Raises $14M
San Jose, CA-based startup Velostrata emerged from stealth mode today with $14 million in hand and a new option for businesses that are wary of storing their data in the Web-based servers of the “public cloud.’’ Velostrata’s software makes it possible for companies to tap into the computing power available from that shared Web-based infrastructure, … Continue reading “Velostrata Lifts Veil On New Hybrid Cloud Model, Raises $14M”
Grand Rounds Doctor Matching Service Raises $55 M
San Francisco-based Grand Rounds, which helps patients find the best doctors for their specific ailments, announced today it has raised $55 million in a Series C financing. The money comes from existing investors including Venrock and Greylock, along with an undisclosed new investor described as a “global mutual fund.” Grand Rounds was founded in 2011 … Continue reading “Grand Rounds Doctor Matching Service Raises $55 M”
AlienVault Gets $52M to Expand Threat Intelligence Reach
AlienVault, which markets security services to fit within modest company budgets, announced today it has raised $52 million in a Series E funding round led by a new investor, Institutional Venture Partners. That brings San Mateo, CA-based AlienVault’s fundraising total close to $116 million. Trident Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, GGV Capital, and other … Continue reading “AlienVault Gets $52M to Expand Threat Intelligence Reach”
Nuance Adapts Its Desktop Dragon Dictation Software For Mobile Devices
People who find it easier to write reports and other text documents by using Nuance Communications’ Dragon dictation software for the desktop will soon have another option—dictating from their mobile devices. Burlington, MA-based Nuance (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUAN]]) announced the launch of four new products today—including updates of its desktop software. But the really new twist is … Continue reading “Nuance Adapts Its Desktop Dragon Dictation Software For Mobile Devices”
The Latest Emerging U.S. Cybersecurity Threat: Helicopter Parents?
As cyberattacks mount against everything from government agencies to media conglomerates and connected cars, experts are warning that there’s a growing global shortage of the qualified cybersecurity specialists needed to mount a defense. In the United States alone, more than 200,000 information security jobs are unfilled, according to a Stanford analysis of government data. At … Continue reading “The Latest Emerging U.S. Cybersecurity Threat: Helicopter Parents?”
Instacart Extends Job Offers to Its CA Shoppers, But Labor Lawsuit Continues
Online grocery delivery service company Instacart said today it is expanding its offer of staff jobs—already made in nine other cities—to contract workers who now assemble food orders for its customers in San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles. San Francisco-based Instacart had previously invited its in-store shoppers to apply for part-time jobs rather than … Continue reading “Instacart Extends Job Offers to Its CA Shoppers, But Labor Lawsuit Continues”
Simply Hired Ranks Top Tech Regions In Mid-Summer Jobs Report Card
Simply Hired, an international job search engine based in Sunnyvale, CA, put out some sunny news for U.S. job hunters today—especially if you’re a tech-savvy worker. Positions for technology workers made up almost 10 percent of the millions of U.S. job listings tracked by the company in July. Nationwide, openings in all sectors rose for … Continue reading “Simply Hired Ranks Top Tech Regions In Mid-Summer Jobs Report Card”
Astia Expanding Its Booster Network for Women Entrepreneurs
Sharon Vosmek, the CEO of a Silicon Valley non-profit that has been working for 15 years to boost access to financing for women tech entrepreneurs, says she sees no encouraging statistics on that score as yet. What has changed, though, is the number of people and organizations engaged in the dialog about gender diversity in … Continue reading “Astia Expanding Its Booster Network for Women Entrepreneurs”