Dragon Innovation has been helping startups build their hardware products and raise funding since the Boston-based consultancy was founded in 2009. Now Dragon is adding a new focus when working with customers: voice. Dragon has received an undisclosed investment from a new fund created by Amazon, called the Alexa Fund, that invests in developer and … Continue reading “New Amazon Fund Invests in Boston Hardware Firm Dragon Innovation”
Author: David Holley
David is the national correspondent at Xconomy. He has spent most of his career covering business of every kind, from breweries in Oregon to investment banks in New York. A native of the Pacific Northwest, David started his career reporting at weekly and daily newspapers, covering murder trials, city council meetings, the expanding startup tech industry in the region, and everything between. He left the West Coast to pursue business journalism in New York, first writing about biotech and then private equity at The Deal. After a stint at Bloomberg News writing about high-yield bonds and leveraged loans, David relocated from New York to Austin, TX.
He graduated from Portland State University.
Security Startup SparkCognition Uses AI to Protect Connected Devices
When trying to solve a problem, people often disregard possible solutions because they don’t seem to make sense. But in doing so, their brains may prevent them from solving certain problems—in particular, those that involve vast amounts of data. That’s part of the premise on which SparkCognition’s business is built. “My mind, because of common … Continue reading “Security Startup SparkCognition Uses AI to Protect Connected Devices”
SQZ Biotech Shifts to Therapy Development with $5M Series A
Scientists lucky enough to develop a breakthrough technology often still face the difficult task of commercializing the product. Do they license the technology to researchers? Do they develop it themselves, or maybe instead find a bigger, more experienced partner? SQZ Biotech finds itself today in such a time of transition. The Boston startup, founded through … Continue reading “SQZ Biotech Shifts to Therapy Development with $5M Series A”
Video Chatting May Be the Future of Medicine, Just Not Yet
Doctors in the U.S. are more than willing to test out video chatting with their patients, even if very few do so today. Technology is rapidly developing that may help video and mobile devices replace or supplement traditional forms of care like phone calls or in-person visits. In a survey of 2,016 physicians by American Well, a Boston-based … Continue reading “Video Chatting May Be the Future of Medicine, Just Not Yet”
Hunting, Millennial Marketing, and Credit Building: Austin Techstars 2015
Techstars events across the nation draw plenty of fanfare, from venture capitalists searching for emerging businesses to engineers looking for a job and maybe a free drink, too. In Austin, TX, on Wednesday, the local chapter of Techstars held a demo day for the 10 companies who recently completed its accelerator program. The program, which lasts for … Continue reading “Hunting, Millennial Marketing, and Credit Building: Austin Techstars 2015”
A123 Systems, Apple Reach Settlement and Dismiss Lawsuit
A123 Systems has agreed to dismiss a lawsuit it filed against Apple for allegedly “poaching” the electric-car battery maker’s employees. The companies have reached a confidential settlement agreement, according to a document filed Monday in Massachusetts district court. No terms of the settlement were released in the court documents. A123’s attorney Michael Rosen of Foley … Continue reading “A123 Systems, Apple Reach Settlement and Dismiss Lawsuit”
Zymergen Grabs $44M For “Designer” Microbes Tested by Robots
Zymergen, an Emeryville, CA-based biotechnology startup, announced $44 million of venture funding this morning for its effort to build better “designer” microbes to make chemicals and various industrial materials for manufacturing. Zymergen says its microbes can be used in everything from pharmaceuticals to foods, potentially making plants more resistant to pests or helping adhesives stay … Continue reading “Zymergen Grabs $44M For “Designer” Microbes Tested by Robots”
Speech Startup VocaliD Creates Personalized Voices With Crowd’s Help
[Updated, 10am. See below.] Losing the ability to speak is harrowing, and particularly poignant in conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (known as ALS), stroke, or cerebral palsy. Yet many who can’t speak still can make some sounds with their voice—think gleeful yelps of joy or sorrowful shrieks of pain. Those sounds are key to the work … Continue reading “Speech Startup VocaliD Creates Personalized Voices With Crowd’s Help”
Austin’s Dean Drako Buys Maryland-Based Security Manager Brivo for $50M
Dean Drako, an Austin, TX, businessman known for starting security companies Barracuda Networks and Eagle Eye Networks, is paying $50 million to buy Brivo, another security business. Brivo, based in Bethusda, MD, sells a security management system called Brivo OnAir, which offers cloud-based physical access control and video surveillance. Drako will serve as chairman, and … Continue reading “Austin’s Dean Drako Buys Maryland-Based Security Manager Brivo for $50M”
With $6.5M Series A, Vinli Plans to Connect More Than Just Cars
Cars can feel a little outdated given the plethora of technology available nowadays, especially if they’re a few years old. That’s where Vinli comes in, a Dallas-based company that has received $6.5 million of venture funding for its connected-car device that lets developers build apps for automobiles. Vinli sells a device that users plug into … Continue reading “With $6.5M Series A, Vinli Plans to Connect More Than Just Cars”
Ethernet Inventor Metcalfe Is MIT’s New Innovation Fellow
Robert Metcalfe, the Ethernet inventor, venture capitalist, and innovation-focused professor at the University of Texas at Austin, is going back to his roots. The founder of 3Com is spending the 2015-16 academic year as a visiting innovation fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the school he graduated from in 1969. In the position, most … Continue reading “Ethernet Inventor Metcalfe Is MIT’s New Innovation Fellow”
Experfy Expands Data Science For Hire With $1.5M Seed Round
In today’s outsourcing tech marketplace, you can find freelancers for almost anything, from mobile marketers on Elance to algorithms on Algorithmia. Boston-based Experfy is building on the fact that companies, especially larger ones with more than $50 million in revenue, have heaps of data that they sometimes don’t know how to use. Experfy lists engineers … Continue reading “Experfy Expands Data Science For Hire With $1.5M Seed Round”
Force is Strong With Sphero: $45M in Funding from Mercato, Disney
Sphero, maker of a line of robotics products that can be controlled with a mobile phone app, gained fame beyond its toy-like devices after news broke last month that the company was helping make a droid for the new Star Wars movie. Now Sphero, which has one namesake device and a second called Ollie, has received more … Continue reading “Force is Strong With Sphero: $45M in Funding from Mercato, Disney”
Pushing Past Preclinical, Arsenal and 480 Biomedical Land $26.5M
[Updated 6/18/15, 9:30 a.m. See below.] Arsenal Medical and 480 Biomedical, a pair of Watertown, MA-based companies founded by famed scientists Robert Langer and George Whitesides, are taking $26.5 million in combined venture funding as the businesses seek to bring a group of medical products to the clinical stage. 480 Biomedical has developed two dissolvable, bioreabsorbable … Continue reading “Pushing Past Preclinical, Arsenal and 480 Biomedical Land $26.5M”
Nantero Announces $31.5M For Faster, Better Computer Memory
A 14-year-old nanotechnology company building a new type of computer memory with a material that is stronger than steel and less dense than aluminum has raised $31.5 million in a Series E round of funding. Nantero, based in Woburn, MA, has raised $78 million since it was founded in 2001 by a trio of Harvard … Continue reading “Nantero Announces $31.5M For Faster, Better Computer Memory”
MIT Clean Energy Prize Grants Go to Startups From Boston to San Francisco
OptiBit, a company with hardware intended to improve the bandwidth and energy efficiency of data centers, won top billing at the MIT Clean Energy Prize in May. The company, which developed its technology over 10 years at MIT, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Colorado, went home with the $275,000 grand prize. The Clean … Continue reading “MIT Clean Energy Prize Grants Go to Startups From Boston to San Francisco”
Job Recruitment Website Hired Opens in Austin
Hired, a job recruitment website for engineers, data scientists, and other workers who are in high demand from tech startups, is launching its service in Austin, where the company expects 9,000 new tech jobs to appear by 2017. Based in San Francisco, Hired targets workers who are “overwhelmed with job offers,” the company says. Employees … Continue reading “Job Recruitment Website Hired Opens in Austin”
With $500,000 Seed Round, CitizenShipper Moves to Austin
[Updated, 5/28/15, 9:07 a.m. See below] CitizenShipper, a peer-to-peer shipping service, has taken $500,000 of seed financing, packed its bags, and moved to Austin, TX, where the company is joining Capital Factory’s incubator program, CEO and founder Richard Obousy says. The company will use the funding to expand its services, as well as to make hires in … Continue reading “With $500,000 Seed Round, CitizenShipper Moves to Austin”
To Expand Cloud Services, EMC Buys Virtustream for $1.2 Billion
EMC, the Hopkinton, MA-based data storage titan, is buying privately held Virtustream for $1.2 billion as it builds out its cloud-storage services business and seeks to attract customers. Virtustream is an enterprise-class managed cloud software provider that EMC believes will help it better deliver customers a hybrid cloud storage model. Hybrid cloud storage allows customers … Continue reading “To Expand Cloud Services, EMC Buys Virtustream for $1.2 Billion”
List of ‘Unicorns’ With Billion-Dollar Valuations Climbs to 108
What’s worth $1 billion? Drones, HR benefits software, and the offerings of 106 other private companies worldwide who have “unicorn” valuations, according to a private business data provider CB Insights. The New York-based company has created a real-time unicorn tracker to keep record of the number of startups that received $1 billion or higher valuations … Continue reading “List of ‘Unicorns’ With Billion-Dollar Valuations Climbs to 108”
Online Lawn Care Service Robin Launches in Texas With $1.2M
A Texas company that offers an online-based lawn care service is launching in Austin, Houston, and Dallas today with $1.2 million in seed funding. Robin is a Dallas-based Web service that lets users price, schedule, and pay for lawn care online. The company was founded by Bart Lomont and Justin Crandall, a former employee of … Continue reading “Online Lawn Care Service Robin Launches in Texas With $1.2M”
MassChallenge Announces Finalists for Boston, London Accelerators
MassChallenge, a nonprofit accelerator program, is getting bigger and covering more of the world. The Boston-based program on Wednesday announced 218 companies are global finalists for the 2015 accelerators in its home city and London, a branch of the operation that opened in February. Most of those startups—128, to be exact—are heading to Boston to … Continue reading “MassChallenge Announces Finalists for Boston, London Accelerators”
BookBub Snags $7M for Discounted Book Tool
[Corrected 5/19/15, 1:20 pm. See below] BookBub, an online service that helps users find new e-books for free or at a discounted rate, has received $7 million in debt and equity financing. The Cambridge, MA-based company plans to use the funding to continue its expansion, which has already brought it 5 million members since its … Continue reading “BookBub Snags $7M for Discounted Book Tool”
Austin Chamber Awards A-List Startups: Slideshow
It can be tough to keep track of the hundreds of new startups popping up in Austin, TX, more of which seemingly appear every day. That’s why the Austin Chamber of Commerce began creating an A-List of 12 startups annually. South by Southwest Interactive co-hosted an event last night in downtown Austin with the chamber to announce the … Continue reading “Austin Chamber Awards A-List Startups: Slideshow”
Data Provider RealMassive Grabs About $3M for Series A
RealMassive, a commercial real estate data provider, has landed a Series A funding round of about $3 million that gives it a $20 million valuation as the company seeks to launch a subscription service on top of its existing free commercial real estate listings. Since its founding in 2013, the Austin, TX-based company has received … Continue reading “Data Provider RealMassive Grabs About $3M for Series A”
Brand Networks Buys Social Marketer Shift for $50M, Adds New Product
Social-media marketing and advertising firm Brand Networks has acquired another marketing company, Shift, which specializes in advertising across Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, for $50 million in cash and stock, the companies announced today. With the deal, Boston-based Brand Networks says it is announcing a new product called RelevanceRank, which uses an algorithm to help marketers … Continue reading “Brand Networks Buys Social Marketer Shift for $50M, Adds New Product”
Sick of E-mail? Asana’s Looking for a Few Good Customers in Austin
Sorting through the daily flood of e-mails can feel like a Sisyphean journey. A San Francisco company called Asana, which was created by one of Facebook’s co-founders, is trying to end the dominance that e-mail holds over our lives, especially in the workplace. The company is one of a few that Xconomy featured last year … Continue reading “Sick of E-mail? Asana’s Looking for a Few Good Customers in Austin”
To Compete With Advertising Giants, AOL and Verizon Unite
Verizon’s $4.4 billion acquisition of AOL gives the wireless company numerous ways to reach users and boost its $87.6 billion in 2014 revenue with a bevy of advertising offerings. The combination of the two companies allows for more than either could accomplish alone. That’s one of the main takeaways from Tuesday’s merger announcement, particularly as … Continue reading “To Compete With Advertising Giants, AOL and Verizon Unite”
A123 Systems Drafting Settlement With Apple on “Poaching” Lawsuit
A123 Systems, the electric-car battery maker that is suing Apple for allegedly “poaching” employees, is in the final steps of drafting a settlement with the electronics giant, according to a court filing. A123 and Apple have reached an agreement and signed a term sheet, according to a document filed yesterday in Massachusetts district court. A123 … Continue reading “A123 Systems Drafting Settlement With Apple on “Poaching” Lawsuit”
Factom Q&A: Secure Record-Keeping a Chip Off the Old Blockchain
In 1994, Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel wondered “What is the Internet?”—something immortalized in a comical clip that was recently revived in a set of commercials. Yet there are other technologies today that might be just as perplexing to laypeople: take blockchains and cryptocurrencies, for example. Factom, based in Austin, TX, deals in both. But … Continue reading “Factom Q&A: Secure Record-Keeping a Chip Off the Old Blockchain”
Imprivata Buys HT Systems for $19M for Vein-Identifying Device
After spending 13 years providing security and authorization software for doctors, Imprivata has made its first acquisition and is adding a patient identification tool to its product line. Imprivata (NYSE: [[ticker:IMPR]]) is paying $19.1 million upfront to purchase HT Systems, a Tampa, FL-based maker of a device that can scan the veins in a person’s … Continue reading “Imprivata Buys HT Systems for $19M for Vein-Identifying Device”
Bitcoin Startup Circle Grabs $50M to Add U.S. Dollar to Payment System
Circle, a bitcoin-based payment and money transfer business headquartered in Boston, has received $50 million in a new financing round led by Wall Street titan Goldman Sachs and Chinese venture capital firm IDG Capital Partners. The company is using the funding to add capabilities, such as letting its customers hold, send, and receive U.S. dollars. … Continue reading “Bitcoin Startup Circle Grabs $50M to Add U.S. Dollar to Payment System”
Health IT Venture Firm Rebrands as Flare Capital Partners, Closes $200M Fund
The healthcare technology-focused venture capital firm formerly known as Foundation Medical Partners is rebranding as Flare Capital Partners. The new name coincides with the close of a new $200 million fund, from which Flare has already made five investments, according to general partner Michael Greeley. Boston-based Flare decided to rebrand because of the heavy use … Continue reading “Health IT Venture Firm Rebrands as Flare Capital Partners, Closes $200M Fund”
Bigcommerce Buys Fellow Austin Tech Firm Zing
Bigcommerce, a company that builds Web stores for small- and medium-sized businesses, is acquiring an Austin, TX-based business, Zing, that helps retailers manage their business between online and offline. Terms of the deal were not released. Five people from Zing are joining Bigcommerce. Bigcommerce counts about 85,000 retailers worldwide as its customers, up from 55,000 … Continue reading “Bigcommerce Buys Fellow Austin Tech Firm Zing”
Diagnostic-Maker Scanadu Lands $35M As FDA Submission Nears
Scanadu, a Mountain View, CA-based startup that’s making a diagnostic device it likens to Star Trek’s famous Tricorders, has received $35 million of Series B funding led by a group of Asian investors as the company readies itself to seek regulatory approval later this year. The round could be a big step as Scanadu tries … Continue reading “Diagnostic-Maker Scanadu Lands $35M As FDA Submission Nears”
Startups Vie for “Craigslist Killer” Title As Mobile Claims Focus
Startups have spent years trying to dethrone Craigslist as the ruler of selling used goods—and if not to dethrone, at least to capture some of its users for their apps. Now a new generation of competitors has risen up, all with the goal of converting some of the website’s 50 billion or so monthly pageviews … Continue reading “Startups Vie for “Craigslist Killer” Title As Mobile Claims Focus”
Interactive Brokers Buys Online Money Manager Covestor
Covestor, an online money manager, is being acquired by electronic trading broker Interactive Brokers Group for an undisclosed sum. People who invest using Covestor can shop around the company’s website, which lists various money managers and traders who run investment portfolios, for a grouping of investments with returns they like. When a user selects an … Continue reading “Interactive Brokers Buys Online Money Manager Covestor”
Database Booster Deep Information Grabs $8M For Boston Move
If there’s a capital for database companies, it’s Boston. The city is home to dozens of businesses working in the sector, from those helping customers analyze and make predictions from their own business data (consider RapidMiner) to the various operations seeking to improve transactional database systems (such as ScaleBase and VoltDB). Now add one more … Continue reading “Database Booster Deep Information Grabs $8M For Boston Move”
Spirox Inhales $18.5M to Advance Nasal Surgery Device
Spirox, a Menlo Park, CA-based medical device company, has raised $18.5 million to commercialize a device meant to make a portion of surgeries that repair nasal obstructions less invasive. The company raised the Series B round from East Coast venture capital firms Venrock and Aisling Capital, as well as existing investors Aperture Venture Partners, Correlation … Continue reading “Spirox Inhales $18.5M to Advance Nasal Surgery Device”
Websense Sold to Raytheon for $1.9B, Fulfilling Vista Equity’s Plan
After more than a month of rumors that Austin, TX-based Websense and its private equity owners were looking for a buyer, Boston-area defense contractor Raytheon announced today it is acquiring the cybersecurity company in a $1.9 billion cash and debt deal. Raytheon offers customers, mostly governments and their militaries, products such as missile defense systems, … Continue reading “Websense Sold to Raytheon for $1.9B, Fulfilling Vista Equity’s Plan”
Cuban, Corcoran Invest in Haystagg to Boost Ad Targeting
In the highly competitive world of online advertising, every bit of information counts if it can lead to a better-targeted ad. Haystagg, a Boston-based company that tries to boost the performance of digital ads for advertisers and agencies, announced it has received $600,000 in funding from Mark Cuban, the billionaire investor and owner of the … Continue reading “Cuban, Corcoran Invest in Haystagg to Boost Ad Targeting”
Navdy’s $20M for Heads-Up Displays: Why It Raised More Than Expected
The things that can distract a driver’s attention are innumerable, from crying children to a spilled soda. Navdy, a San Francisco-based hardware and software maker, believes its windshield display technology is the innovation that can cure the latest plague attacking driver safety: smartphones, with their notifications that are constantly tempting owners to answer while driving. The … Continue reading “Navdy’s $20M for Heads-Up Displays: Why It Raised More Than Expected”
Boston’s meQuilibrium Snags $9M to Cut Out Stress
MeQuilibrium, an online startup trying to help people reduce stress, has received a $9 million Series B funding round from Safeguard Scientifics and Chrysalis Ventures. Boston-based meQuilibrium sells an online and mobile coaching service that is meant to help users learn to better deal with and build resilience to stressful parts of their lives, from … Continue reading “Boston’s meQuilibrium Snags $9M to Cut Out Stress”
Acorns Lands $23M For App Attracting Investment-Phobic Millennials
A bevy of surveys paint a pretty clear picture: Today’s young adults don’t trust the financial markets. Fewer in the younger generation—broadly dubbed the millennials—are putting their money in traditional investment markets after they saw turn upside-down in 2008. Instead, they are holding onto the cash. Online credit card marketplace, Austin,TX-based CreditCards.com, says over a … Continue reading “Acorns Lands $23M For App Attracting Investment-Phobic Millennials”
Xbiotech’s $76M Offering Sets Course for Late-Stage Cancer Studies
Xbiotech, an Austin, TX-based company founded a decade ago, has taken its mission to develop drugs from naturally occurring monoclonal antibodies to the public markets. The company sold 4 million shares at $19 a piece, in the middle of its expected range, to raise $76 million. WR Hambrecht + Co. was the sole underwriter of … Continue reading “Xbiotech’s $76M Offering Sets Course for Late-Stage Cancer Studies”
StemBioSys Takes $8M to Build Homes For Stem Cells
Sometimes the difference between thriving and foundering can come down to having a nice place to call home. This is true even at the cellular level, so San Antonio, TX-based StemBioSys has built what’s essentially a home for stem cells—a three-dimensional matrix made of natural materials in which cells can replicate more rapidly than in … Continue reading “StemBioSys Takes $8M to Build Homes For Stem Cells”
Arcadia Health Gets $13M Shot to Boost Healthcare Data and Analytics
Private equity has already helped Arcadia Health Systems use technology to reinvent itself. Now a PE firm is writing the Burlington, MA, business a check to continue the transformation. The data provider and healthcare consultant has gotten a $13 million investment from healthcare private equity firm Peloton Equity, existing investors, and Zaffre Investments, which is … Continue reading “Arcadia Health Gets $13M Shot to Boost Healthcare Data and Analytics”
Peer-to-Peer Lending Grows Up, and Gets Wall Street’s Attention
[Corrected 4/14/15, 11:31 am. See below] Borrowing money, or refinancing borrowed money, is easier now than it’s ever been as new online lenders put credit lines just a few clicks away. And now the traditional titans of Wall Street are jumping on board. In the last decade, a handful of online lending companies have chipped away … Continue reading “Peer-to-Peer Lending Grows Up, and Gets Wall Street’s Attention”
Mid-Size Cos to Battle in Startup-Style Games, for Charity
Foosball, beer pong, table tennis, giant Connect Four—not exactly what you’d call Olympic events, right? They are if you’re a startup in Austin, TX. The Startup Games hosted its fourth annual Olympic-style event for charity in January, in which small, early-stage businesses were pitted against one another to raise money for charities of their choice. … Continue reading “Mid-Size Cos to Battle in Startup-Style Games, for Charity”
With $1.5B Lynda.com Acquisition, LinkedIn Lets Users Add Skills
Showcasing your professional skills and making new work connections have always been the core tenets of LinkedIn. Now, with its $1.5 billion acquisition of Lynda.com, LinkedIn believes it is adding a tool that can help its 350 million users build on their resumes, too. The online video courses and tutorials that Lynda.com offers “make it … Continue reading “With $1.5B Lynda.com Acquisition, LinkedIn Lets Users Add Skills”