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.

Event-Linking App Stanza Expands with $4.3M Seed Funding

Stanza, a tool that lets users sync calendar events and allows hosts to update the events in real time, has received a $4.3 million seed funding round to help it expand its target audience beyond professional sports events. The funding came from Metamorphic Ventures, Founder Collective, Tekton Ventures, Western Technology Investment, and Stanford-StartX Fund, as … Continue reading “Event-Linking App Stanza Expands with $4.3M Seed Funding”

Lender Dealstruck Plans Expansion With $58M Equity, Credit Funding

Dealstruck, the San Diego-based lender to small- and medium-sized businesses, announced it has raised an $8.3 million round of equity funding led by Trinity Ventures and a new $50 million credit facility led by Brevet Capital Management. The new financing brings Dealstruck’s lending capacity to more than $100 million, the company said, and will be used … Continue reading “Lender Dealstruck Plans Expansion With $58M Equity, Credit Funding”

ZenPayroll CEO: It’s Not the Money ($60M), It’s the Investor (Google)

Sometimes landing the right investor is more important than getting a higher valuation. Just ask ZenPayroll CEO and co-founder Joshua Reeves. San Francisco-based ZenPayroll may have been able to get more favorable terms than a $560 million post-money valuation, according to Reeves. But the startup raised a $60 million Series B round Monday at that … Continue reading “ZenPayroll CEO: It’s Not the Money ($60M), It’s the Investor (Google)”

Prenatal Screener Natera Grabs $55M, Considers Cancer Test

[Updated 4/7/15, 5:13 pm. See below.] In the increasingly active genetic testing space, Natera is trying to lead the pack by harnessing its testing capabilities. And it has plenty of money to do so, after announcing a $55.5 million round of funding led today by Sofinnova Ventures and a group of crossover investors, including Capital … Continue reading “Prenatal Screener Natera Grabs $55M, Considers Cancer Test”

Boston’s Chef Nightly Helps Pick Dinner, and Delivers It Too

It’s easier than ever to have premade food delivered to your doorstep, with any number of apps from Seamless to Favor to Instacart offering to bring customers almost anything they want. But what about those of us who have a tough time deciding what you want to eat? Every Labs has made an app, Chef … Continue reading “Boston’s Chef Nightly Helps Pick Dinner, and Delivers It Too”

Is Disney-DraftKings a Done Deal? $250M Reasons to Say “No Comment”

Disney appears to be making a bet with DraftKings, the Boston startup that lets users make fantasy sports bets on a daily, per-game basis. The entertainment conglomerate’s wager is a little more substantial than a guess about a basketball or football player’s performance; Disney is investing $250 million in DraftKings and its digital media tool, … Continue reading “Is Disney-DraftKings a Done Deal? $250M Reasons to Say “No Comment””

Conceivable Produces Fertility App With Seed Funding

An Austin, TX-based company is introducing an app today that incorporates Chinese medicine practices that are meant to help women get pregnant. The company, called Conceivable, has raised $800,000 in seed funding to make the app available for consumer use. A user of the app answers questions about, among other things, any abnormalities in her … Continue reading “Conceivable Produces Fertility App With Seed Funding”

Behavioral-Health Focused Quartet Plans Hires With $7M Series A

The preventive care movement has been conquering the medical world, with the goal of simultaneously making patients healthier and saving the healthcare system money by rooting out the causes of an illness. Quartet Health, a New York technology business that announced a $7 million Series A funding today, is applying the idea to behavioral health. … Continue reading “Behavioral-Health Focused Quartet Plans Hires With $7M Series A”

Austin, TX’s Toopher Acquired By Cloud-Computing Giant Salesforce

Online security company Toopher has been sold to Salesforce, according to a note from its co-founders that appeared Wednesday on the company’s website. San Francisco-based Salesforce confirmed the sale. Terms were not disclosed. Toopher developed a technology that uses a person’s cell phone location to authenticate a user’s identity, in an effort to prevent online fraud … Continue reading “Austin, TX’s Toopher Acquired By Cloud-Computing Giant Salesforce”

Openbay CEO: Diagnosis Software for Connected Cars Is a Big Market

Just as GPS navigation and power windows eventually became standard in vehicles, being connected to the Internet is the next automotive luxury upgrade that will become commonplace, according to Rob Infantino. He’s the CEO and founder of Openbay, an online marketplace for finding quotes on auto repairs. Openbay, a Boston company backed by Google Ventures … Continue reading “Openbay CEO: Diagnosis Software for Connected Cars Is a Big Market”

Spruce Nabs $15M Series A to Connect Dermatologists and Patients

Startups have been trying to digitize real world businesses for years in an attempt to make the experience easier, more cost effective, and efficient. Spruce, a company with an app that acts as a digital doctor’s office, has closed a $15 million Series A round to do just that for diagnosing and treating dermatological conditions. … Continue reading “Spruce Nabs $15M Series A to Connect Dermatologists and Patients”

Mobiquity Acquires European Mobile Consultant Morgan Clark

Even in the high-tech business of enterprise mobile, it can help to have some feet on the ground. Mobiquity, a mobile-app maker and marketer for businesses, is acquiring a European technology-focused business consultant, Morgan Clark & Company. The deal is helping Boston-based Mobiquity add to its European-based mobile consulting business, as well as expand its … Continue reading “Mobiquity Acquires European Mobile Consultant Morgan Clark”

Horizon Pays $1.1 Billion for Hyperion’s Rare Disease Drugs

For years, orphan drugs have attracted buyers and licensing deals in spite of small patient populations. High prices on the treatments more than make up for potential low sales numbers. Horizon Pharma (NASDAQ:[[ticker:HZNP]]) announced Monday it is purchasing Hyperion Therapeutics for $1.1 billion, or $46 per share. At heart of the deal is Brisbane, CA-based … Continue reading “Horizon Pays $1.1 Billion for Hyperion’s Rare Disease Drugs”

EyeQ Raises $1.2M for Personalized Shopping

[Updated 3/30/15, 12:25 p.m. See below.] The ease and prevalence of online shopping can make it hard for many consumers to see physical stores as anything other than show rooms. One Austin, TX, company, eyeQ, is attempting to bring consumers back to physical retail stores by using data about the shoppers themselves. The company’s technology … Continue reading “EyeQ Raises $1.2M for Personalized Shopping”

Food Delivery App DoorDash Pushes Forward With $40M Series B

Given the bevy of food delivery apps available on the market, including DoorDash and the $40 million Series B it announced yesterday, it begs a question: Who’s going to make the app to help you decide which delivery service to choose? The two-year-old DoorDash, which touts itself as a technology business with an on-demand delivery … Continue reading “Food Delivery App DoorDash Pushes Forward With $40M Series B”

Hi, I’m in Delaware… For the Fast Internet

Internet speeds are becoming increasingly important to consumer markets, as users of streaming content such as Netflix, Hulu, and HBO multiply. Those people are expecting quality streaming, too, especially with the advent of 4K, or “ultra” high-definition, video. It may be no surprise that broadband Internet speeds vary from state to state, with Virginia, Delaware, … Continue reading “Hi, I’m in Delaware… For the Fast Internet”

Smart-Lock Maker August Keys Into $38 Million Series B For Expansion

August, the maker of a hardware and software program that lets users control a home’s lock from a smartphone, received $38 million in Series B backing from investors whose focus ranges from entertainment to technology-enabled products. Co-founded by entrepreneur Jason Johnson and designer Yves Béhar, the company started selling the August Smart Lock in October. … Continue reading “Smart-Lock Maker August Keys Into $38 Million Series B For Expansion”

Database Pioneer Stonebraker Wins Turing Award, Including $1 Million

Michael Stonebraker, the MIT computer scientist who created multiple companies based on his foundational work in database management systems, has won the A.M. Turing Award from the Association for Computing Machinery. The award, now funded by Google, includes a $1 million prize, up from $250,000 in recent years. The association selected Stonebraker, who is a researcher … Continue reading “Database Pioneer Stonebraker Wins Turing Award, Including $1 Million”

Semma Secures $44M to Develop Diabetes Stem Cell Therapy

A Harvard professor’s cell therapy for Type 1 diabetes that caused fanfare when he detailed its potential in October has received $44 million of Series A funding. Semma Therapeutics announced today the money will help it bring the potential drug through proof-of-concept in humans. The therapy may be able to generate an unlimited amount of … Continue reading “Semma Secures $44M to Develop Diabetes Stem Cell Therapy”

From FantasyHub to Self Lender, The Techstars Austin 2015 Class

[Updated 3/24/15, 5:17 pm. See below.] A business that connects hunters with landowners and a company that helps consumers establish a credit history are among the latest participants in Techstars’ accelerator in Austin, TX. Techstars posted the names of the 10 companies yesterday that will participate in its three-month intensive boot camp from now through … Continue reading “From FantasyHub to Self Lender, The Techstars Austin 2015 Class”

Smartphone Operating System Maker Cyanogen Lands $80M Series C

Cyanogen, the mobile operating system developer attempting to rival Google and Apple, is planning to make new hires and further develop its open platform after receiving $80 million of Series C funding. Its new investors are a mix of high-profile individuals, as well as A-list companies and venture firms. Premji Invest, the venture arm of … Continue reading “Smartphone Operating System Maker Cyanogen Lands $80M Series C”

Fundbox Clinches $40M Series B for Short-Term Lending Product

[Updated 3/19/15, 6:20 pm. See below.] Fundbox, a short-term lender for small businesses that charges a fee during repayment, is focused on an issue businesses of every size have: cash flow. The San Francisco-based company helps business owners manage finances, like bills and invoices that customers haven’t yet paid. An owner can sign up for … Continue reading “Fundbox Clinches $40M Series B for Short-Term Lending Product”

RealMassive Pitches Data Analysis Tool For Commercial Real Estate

To RealMassive, an Austin, TX-based data provider for the commercial real estate industry, the sector has its eyes on the wrong prize. Data in commercial real estate largely breaks down into two types, the company says: relatively public information, like the rent or square footage of an office space that any broker might have, and private information, such … Continue reading “RealMassive Pitches Data Analysis Tool For Commercial Real Estate”

Boston-Based Help Scout, Though Profitable, Takes $6M Series A

Help Scout, a Boston company whose software aids small and medium-sized businesses with e-mail customer support, is taking a $6 million Series A funding round four years after its founding, and after already achieving profitability. The company, profiled by Xconomy in 2011 after it graduated from Techstars Boston, plans to use the funding to invest … Continue reading “Boston-Based Help Scout, Though Profitable, Takes $6M Series A”

Ginkgo Bioworks Grabs $9M Series A For Building Organisms

Ginkgo Bioworks, a synthetic biology company that designs and builds organisms, has received $9 million in Series A funding and is opening an 18,000-square foot “foundry” to make its organism engineering scalable, the company said Wednesday. The company engineers microbes for customers to produce anything from probiotics to cultured ingredients, such as flavors, fragrances, cosmetics, … Continue reading “Ginkgo Bioworks Grabs $9M Series A For Building Organisms”

Meerkat and the Live Streaming Phenomenon at SXSW: A Tech Timestamp

[Updated, 2:59 p.m.] What better place than South by Southwest to encounter technology that distracts you from the world around you? At Capital Factory’s A-List pitch event on March 13, a young woman in the middle of the audience seemed engrossed—not in what the speaker was saying, but in what her phone was recording and the … Continue reading “Meerkat and the Live Streaming Phenomenon at SXSW: A Tech Timestamp”

FiftyThree Draws $30M Series B to Launch Think Kit in April

FiftyThree, the company known for creating sketching app Paper and the stylus Pencil, is taking $30 million of venture capital from New Enterprise Associates and its other major investors as it prepares to bring a new product to market focused on business and education. The company is launching a product called Think Kit that is … Continue reading “FiftyThree Draws $30M Series B to Launch Think Kit in April”

Business Analytics Firm Birst Brings In $65M Series F

Birst, a San Francisco-based business analytics company, has received $65 million from Wellington Management and existing investors including Sequoia Capital, Hummer Winblad, DAG Ventures, and Northgate Capital. Birst, which touts the speed of its cloud-based software, plans to use the funding to add new international customers in Asia, Europe, and North America, as well as to … Continue reading “Business Analytics Firm Birst Brings In $65M Series F”

Admetsys Wins Top Prize at SXSW Hatch Pitch, Astroprint and Plum Follow

Part of the value pitching in a competition at South by Southwest is getting to speak to a room packed with potential investors and users. But winning, and the prizes that come with it, never hurts. At the Hatch pitch competition Monday, five companies came away victorious, including a few big winners. Here they are, as … Continue reading “Admetsys Wins Top Prize at SXSW Hatch Pitch, Astroprint and Plum Follow”

Goodybag, Aceable Among Capital Factory’s “A-List” Startups at SXSW

It can feel like a needle-in-a-haystack search to find startups that are developed enough to take on their first round of funding. At the first full day of South By Southwest, Capital Factory did that for Austin startups, giving five “A-List” startups that the accelerator thinks are ready for a Series A funding an opportunity … Continue reading “Goodybag, Aceable Among Capital Factory’s “A-List” Startups at SXSW”

Delivery App Favor Grabs $13M Series A for National Expansion

Favor, the app that offers to deliver anything, is starting off South By Southwest with some big news: a $13 million Series A financing. The Austin, TX-based company, which is focused on delivery from grocery stores and restaurants, is going to use the money to improve customer service and expand into more new cities, with … Continue reading “Delivery App Favor Grabs $13M Series A for National Expansion”

Allergen Takes $80M Series B for Phase 3 Peanut Allergy Trial

Allergen Research Corp. is taking in an $80 million Series B financing led by Foresite Capital to fund the Phase 3 trial of its pharmaceutical-grade oral treatment for peanut allergy. Allergen—not to be confused with life sciences giant Allergan (NYSE: [[ticker:AGN]])—calls its therapy, which is a peanut protein formulation, a desensitization immunotherapy—in essence it attempts to … Continue reading “Allergen Takes $80M Series B for Phase 3 Peanut Allergy Trial”

Alibaba, Rakuten Push Into U.S. Startups With Snapchat and Lyft

Major competitors from Asia are vying for a large stake in online car-booking and other tech markets. Japanese e-commerce company Rakuten announced today it is piling $300 million into San Francisco-based Lyft, the mobile-app car service that competes with Uber. Chinese retail giant Alibaba Group has had a stake in Lyft since April of last year, … Continue reading “Alibaba, Rakuten Push Into U.S. Startups With Snapchat and Lyft”

MicroVentures Brings Venture Investing to the (Accredited) Masses

There’s an element of crowd sourcing behind most investing. Venture capital and private equity firms find limited partners—the few obscenely rich individuals or institutions worldwide that have millions or billions to spread among countless investments—to contribute a few hundred thousand dollars each to finance early stage startups or mature companies. Chunks of investor money is … Continue reading “MicroVentures Brings Venture Investing to the (Accredited) Masses”

Apple: A123’s Lawsuit “Baseless Conjecture,” Not Actionable Under Law

Apple is asking a Massachusetts federal court to dismiss a lawsuit that A123 Systems, an electric-car battery maker, filed against the computing giant for allegedly poaching A123’s employees. Apple filed a 13-page memo Monday that details why it believes claims in the suit, which also named five current Apple and former A123 employees as defendants, … Continue reading “Apple: A123’s Lawsuit “Baseless Conjecture,” Not Actionable Under Law”

SpareFoot Packs in a $33M Series D to Improve Storage Booking Service

SpareFoot, the Austin, TX-based online marketplace for booking self-storage units, is receiving $33 million of Series D funding to help improve its product for consumers and storage facilities, both in terms of engineering and marketing, according to CEO Chuck Gordon. The company is going to refine tools that already exist, such as making sure it’s … Continue reading “SpareFoot Packs in a $33M Series D to Improve Storage Booking Service”

RayVio Absorbs $9.3M for UV Technology to Clean Water and Air

RayVio is seeking to purify water, clean air of infectious diseases, and potentially treat illnesses from Psoriasis to Multiple Sclerosis. The company hopes to do it all with light. The Hayward, CA-based company received $9.3 million of Series B funding for developing low-cost methods of using its ultraviolet light-emitting diode (UV LED) technology to do … Continue reading “RayVio Absorbs $9.3M for UV Technology to Clean Water and Air”

Early VC Arch Exits Ikaria with $2.3B Sale to Mallinckrodt

Ikaria, the private healthcare startup that failed a stab at the public markets in 2010, is being sold by its private equity owner for $2.3 billion to global biopharmaceutical company Mallinckrodt. The sale provides a pretty exit for more than just Madison Dearborn, the Chicago firm that bought a majority stake in late 2013 (a … Continue reading “Early VC Arch Exits Ikaria with $2.3B Sale to Mallinckrodt”

GE Backs Evidation Health to Tackle Digital Health

[Updated 3/5/14 5:17 pm. See below.] Digital health is an amorphous category that can encompass everything from electronic health records to fitness apps. It’s been hard to grasp the real value of some of these technologies, as Xconomy’s Alex Lash examined in detail in October. GE Ventures is trying to address that problem. The firm … Continue reading “GE Backs Evidation Health to Tackle Digital Health”

Tricida Grabs $30M Series B for Chronic Kidney Disease Treatment

Drug developer Tricida said Wednesday that investors have pledged $30 million in Series B funding to push forward its effort to join the crowded market for chronic kidney disease treatments. The company has one potential advantage: Its founders have been there before. The South San Francisco, CA-based company’s lead drug, TRC 101, is meant to … Continue reading “Tricida Grabs $30M Series B for Chronic Kidney Disease Treatment”

Booker to Expand with $35M Series C Round from Medina, First Data

Scheduling and management service Booker landed a $35 million Series C funding round led by Medina Capital, along with an investment from international payment processor First Data. Booker, based in New York, plans to use the money to expand the number of products it offers and the number of businesses it serves. The company sells … Continue reading “Booker to Expand with $35M Series C Round from Medina, First Data”

Linkable Networks Grabs $11.7M Series C for New Hires

Linkable Networks, a company whose software lets consumers link coupons and other rewards to their credit and debit cards, has received $11.7 million in a Series C funding that it will use to further develop its product and double the size of its staff. The money came from existing investors Kepha Partners, CommonAngels, and BlueChip … Continue reading “Linkable Networks Grabs $11.7M Series C for New Hires”

Health IT Marketer eRelevance Plans Fundraising for Expansion

Before the end of this year, healthcare software maker eRelevance hopes to add another 700 medical-clinic customers to the more than 100 it already has, while also tripling its staff to about 30, according to founder and CEO Bob Fabbio. A $1.4 million seed round in January is helping the Austin, TX, company get there, though eRelevance … Continue reading “Health IT Marketer eRelevance Plans Fundraising for Expansion”

Paul Maritz Brings Cloud Expertise to Nanobiosym With Investment

Paul Maritz, the cloud-computing expert who has run companies including Pivotal and VMware, is investing in and joining the board of Nanobiosym Diagnostics, the company said today. Nanobiosym’s CEO Anita Goel (pictured) plans to work with Maritz to develop a way to make data from the company’s’s core diagnostic product available on a secure, customizable … Continue reading “Paul Maritz Brings Cloud Expertise to Nanobiosym With Investment”

SF Startups From App-Searching Tool to Mobile Defense Get VC Funding

A half-dozen Bay Area startups announced early stage funding during the last 24 hours. They include a business specializing in anti-hacking technology for mobile devices, a gastrointestinal-focused pharmaceutical company, and an app that brings a valet to you. The details are here: —Mobile-defense company Zimperium took in $12 million of Series B funding to build … Continue reading “SF Startups From App-Searching Tool to Mobile Defense Get VC Funding”

Google Buys App-Marketing Software Startup Toro

Artificial intelligence, e-commerce, augmented reality, software that controls smoke alarms—the list goes on for the types of businesses that serial acquirer Google purchased in 2014 alone. Now add Toro, app-marketing software that targets Facebook users, to the mix. For an undisclosed price, Google has acquired Red Hot Labs, which created Toro to run ad campaigns for … Continue reading “Google Buys App-Marketing Software Startup Toro”

GuideSpark Snags $22M Series C for Developing HR Communication Tools

GuideSpark, a company that makes custom videos and multimedia presentations for human resources departments, has received $22.2 million of Series C funding, according to Linda Itskovitz, vice president of marketing. The Menlo Park, CA-based company will use the money for new hires and to develop every part of the business, from sales to product development … Continue reading “GuideSpark Snags $22M Series C for Developing HR Communication Tools”