Last time I caught up with Waltham, MA-based GSN Digital, the digital games unit of the Game Show Network was seeing its Facebook business really start to heat up. About a year and a half later, the company is experiencing a similar take off with its newly launched mobile channels, and is figuring just how … Continue reading “GSN Digital Adds Ex-Zynga Exec to Amp Up Mobile, SF Presence”
Author: Erin Kutz
Erin Kutz has a background in covering business, politics and general news. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University. Erin previously worked in the Boston bureau of Reuters, where she wrote articles on the investment management and mutual fund industries. While in college, she researched for USA Today reporter Jayne O’Donnell’s book, Gen Buy: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail. She also spent a semester in Washington, DC, reporting Capitol Hill stories as a correspondent for two Connecticut newspapers and interning in the Money section of USA Today, where she assisted with coverage on the retail and small business beats. Erin got her first taste of reporting at Boston University’s independent student newspaper, as a city section reporter and fact checker and editor of the paper’s weekly business section.
Top Angel Investors of New England: An Innovation Slideshow
Angel investors play a crucial role in any startup ecosystem, by making bets on companies at their earliest stages—to help them develop prototypes, get through beta phases, and attract early customers and the next level of investors. It seems every time a Boston-area company announces it has landed some seed funding, a mysterious crop of … Continue reading “Top Angel Investors of New England: An Innovation Slideshow”
TripAdvisor, Nuance, Thinking Phone, & Others in the Boston Deals Roundup
[Updated 10/3/12 1:05 pm. See below.] Venture funding, acquisitions, and partnership news has been breaking in the last week among New England IT and Web companies. —Speech communication software giant Nuance Communications (NASDAQ: [[ticker:NUAN]]) made its second healthcare software-related acquisition announcement in a week, this time buying Atlanta-based J.A. Thomas and Associates (JATA), which develops clinical documentation … Continue reading “TripAdvisor, Nuance, Thinking Phone, & Others in the Boston Deals Roundup”
Golden Seeds, Now 260 Angels Strong, Looks to Amp Up Investor Education
Before getting involved with the women’s angel investing group Golden Seeds, former Wall Streeter Peggy Wallace was “fascinated by the question of where was the female Warren Buffet, of why we don’t read about famous women investors.” She connected with Golden Seeds founder Stephanie Newby (who’s now at an interim CEO job at Boston-based Crimson … Continue reading “Golden Seeds, Now 260 Angels Strong, Looks to Amp Up Investor Education”
Nuance, IlluminOss, and Biogen Among the Boston Life Sciences Headlines
Drug development, financing, and acquisition news was big in the New England biotech and health IT scenes this week. —InVivo Therapeutics, a developer of treatments for spinal cord injury, celebrated the opening of its new Kendall Square office and lab space in Cambridge, MA, which will serve as the company’s headquarters. —On Wednesday Biogen Idec and … Continue reading “Nuance, IlluminOss, and Biogen Among the Boston Life Sciences Headlines”
RSA, Stratus, SimpliVity, & More from the Boston Deals Roundup
Acquisitions in the software space were big in the past week, as were financing deals for other New England IT startups. —RSA, the Bedford, MA-based security software division of EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]), announced last week that it acquired Silicium Security, a Montreal-based developer of endpoint monitoring technology. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Silicium … Continue reading “RSA, Stratus, SimpliVity, & More from the Boston Deals Roundup”
SimpliVity Snaps Up $25M, Led by Kleiner Perkins, to Simplify IT
SimpliVity, a newly de-stealthed Westborough, MA-based startup, is announcing today that it has pulled in a $25 million Series B round of financing, led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Return SimpliVity investors Accel Partners & Charles River Ventures also joined the deal, which brings the total equity funding SimpliVity has raised to $43 million. … Continue reading “SimpliVity Snaps Up $25M, Led by Kleiner Perkins, to Simplify IT”
Roche Picks New Big Apple Tower as Home for Research Center
The Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche announced yesterday that that it will locate its new Translational Clinical Research Center in the West Tower at the Alexandria Center for Life Science in Manhattan. Roche has taken an 11-year lease on the space, which is currently under construction, and hopes to occupy it by the end of 2013. … Continue reading “Roche Picks New Big Apple Tower as Home for Research Center”
Boston Scientific, Foundation, GnuBio, & More in Boston Life Sciences News
Grants, acquisitions, partnerships, and venture funding news was seen throughout the New England drug and devices industries this week. —Natick, MA-based Boston Scientific (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BSX]]) said that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire BridgePoint Medical, a Minneapolis, MN-based developer of a catheter systems for treating coronary artery disease. The deal, whose price tag was not disclosed, … Continue reading “Boston Scientific, Foundation, GnuBio, & More in Boston Life Sciences News”
Pixable Picked Up By SingTel for $26.5M
The New York-based startup Pixable, a provider of social photo sharing technology, is being acquired by Singapore Telecommunications for $26.5 million. Pixable has raised about $6.6 million from investors that include Menlo Ventures and Highland Capital Partners, and its most recent fundraise was a $3.6 million Series B round in April 2011. Pixable was founded … Continue reading “Pixable Picked Up By SingTel for $26.5M”
Nuance, iRobot, Akamai, & More Boston Dealmakers
The last week has been full of acquisitions and funding news from New England’s robotics and IT industries. —Late last week Lilliputian Systems, a Wilmington, MA-based developer of portable power technology for electronics, said that it brought in $40 million in funding from Rusnano, the Russian investment fund. The financing round could hit a total … Continue reading “Nuance, iRobot, Akamai, & More Boston Dealmakers”
NYC Innovation News Spans Music, Biotech, & Media
It seems that New York innovators in every slice of the city’s tech scene have been making news this week, so we’ve rounded up some of the top items we’ve come across. —Seth Goldstein, founder of real-time music service Turntable.fm, has launched a new startup called DJZ to serve as an online hub for news … Continue reading “NYC Innovation News Spans Music, Biotech, & Media”
Jules Pieri on Curation, Trust, and Daily Grommet’s Deal with Rakuten
Yesterday the Lexington, MA-based e-retail startup Daily Grommet revealed it had closed a Series B round of funding led by Rakuten, a Japanese e-commerce and Internet giant with CEO Hiroshi “Mickey” Mikitani at its helm. Let me correct myself, though. Daily Grommet—which each day showcases an independently made, often unknown product with story and video—is … Continue reading “Jules Pieri on Curation, Trust, and Daily Grommet’s Deal with Rakuten”
Block Avenue Takes Big Data Approach to Neighborhood Ratings
In theory, Tony Longo is one of the last people who should be making bad decisions about which block to live on. He founded an online brokerage firm called CondoDomain (recently acquired by Better Homes Realty), and street location was the final factor when he decided where to live in New York City. But when … Continue reading “Block Avenue Takes Big Data Approach to Neighborhood Ratings”
Athenahealth, iRobot, PerkinElmer, & More in Boston Life Sciences News
Plenty of public New England life sciences companies have been making headlines this week. —Anesthesia drug developer Annovation BioPharma socked away $8 million in funding from Atlas Venture, Partners Innovation Fund, and The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDCO]]), which has the option to acquire the startup after it runs its clinical trial in the first half … Continue reading “Athenahealth, iRobot, PerkinElmer, & More in Boston Life Sciences News”
Handybook Hopes to Simplify Booking for Household Services in Boston & NYC
Most entrepreneurs don’t cite laziness as the inspiration for their business. But Oisin Hanrahan, founder of Handybook.com, says he and co-founder/roommate Umang Dua hated doing things like cleaning up their apartment or putting together Ikea furniture, and really hated the existing means for finding people to do those tasks. (Those means include Google search, Craigslist, … Continue reading “Handybook Hopes to Simplify Booking for Household Services in Boston & NYC”
Annovation, Agrivida, FashionPlaytes, & More Names from the Boston Deals Roundup
Startups in the biotech, biofuels, analytics, and e-commerce spaces have been inking deals in the last week. —An SEC filing revealed that Forma Therapeutics, a Watertown, MA-based developer of cancer drugs, had raised $10 million in an equity- and rights-based round from two investors. —Cambridge, MA-based Annovation BioPharma pulled in $8 million in funding to … Continue reading “Annovation, Agrivida, FashionPlaytes, & More Names from the Boston Deals Roundup”
Web Startup Cut On Your Bias Lets Shoppers Influence Runway Shows
The last time New York held its Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, this past February, fashion designer-turned entrepreneur Louis Monoyudis launched his online platform for bringing consumers into the apparel design process. The website, Cut On Your Bias, allows fashion designers to post pieces they’re working on with potential options for variations. Customers can vote on the … Continue reading “Web Startup Cut On Your Bias Lets Shoppers Influence Runway Shows”
Annovation Adds $8M to Develop Safer, More Precise Anesthesia
Annovation BioPharma is announcing today that it has raised $8 million in a Series A funding to put toward the development of new therapies for anesthesia and critical care. The money comes from return seed investors, Cambridge, MA-based Atlas Venture and Partners Innovation Fund, as well as new strategic investor The Medicines Company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MDCO]]). The round … Continue reading “Annovation Adds $8M to Develop Safer, More Precise Anesthesia”
Pulmatrix, ImmuNext, ProThera, & More in Boston Life Sciences News
Life sciences companies across New England announced personnel moves, clinical trial updates, development deals, and funding this week. —Lexington, MA-based Pulmatrix announced it had promoted its chief scientific officer Robert Clarke to the role of CEO. He replaces former CEO Robert Connelly, who left to head up Cambridge, MA-based WikiCell Designs, a food and beverage … Continue reading “Pulmatrix, ImmuNext, ProThera, & More in Boston Life Sciences News”
Amid Talk of Bubble, Xconomy Incubator Guide Grows to 121 Listings
After we put out the 2011 Xconomy Guide to Venture Incubators, my colleague Wade wrote a Friday column entitled “There Is an Incubator Bubble—And It Will Pop.” That particular guide listed 64 startup incubator programs, up from 34 in 2010, and 20 in our first guide in 2009. Wade concluded his column with the admonition: … Continue reading “Amid Talk of Bubble, Xconomy Incubator Guide Grows to 121 Listings”
Copiun, Dyn, Viewfinity, and More from the Boston Deals Roundup
[Updated 9/05/12 10:10 am. See below.] We’ve seen deals across New England developers of technology in the mobile, packaging, security, and energy spaces. —Boston-based SimpleTuition, an online provider of resources on college costs, inked a $5 million loan financing from Connecticut-based Horizon Technology Finance (NASDAQ: [[ticker:HRZN]]). —A few local startups revealed new financing deals through SEC … Continue reading “Copiun, Dyn, Viewfinity, and More from the Boston Deals Roundup”
Sunovion, Ironwood, OvaScience, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers
[Corrected 8/31/12, 10:15 am. See below.] No slowdown in this unofficial last week of summer. We saw plenty of activity with partnerships, funding, IPO filings, and FDA approvals among New England life sciences companies. —Agriculture giant Monsanto is buying worldwide rights to Alnylam Pharmaceuticals’ (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) RNAi-based technology for use in farming. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech is … Continue reading “Sunovion, Ironwood, OvaScience, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers”
Vecna Designs Mobile Health Systems for Rural Care
How do you design an electronic health records interface for people who are computer illiterate? And for use in locations where electricity is scarce? Vecna Technologies, the Cambridge, MA-based healthcare IT and robotics company, is taking a crack at this problem with the Global Health Initiative, which it runs with the non-profit Vecna Cares Foundation. … Continue reading “Vecna Designs Mobile Health Systems for Rural Care”
Evelo Aims to Tap into Burgeoning Electric Bicycle Commuting Trend
What do peer-to-peer car sharing and electric bicycles have in common? They represent a shift in consumer attitudes towards transportation, says Boston-area entrepreneur Boris Mordkovich. “It’s really interesting to see the perceptions people have about car ownership,” Mordkovich says. “Years ago, owning a car meant freedom and flexibility. Right now people are looking for a … Continue reading “Evelo Aims to Tap into Burgeoning Electric Bicycle Commuting Trend”
Alnylam, OmniGuide, Ginger Software, and More from the Boston Deals Roundup
New England software makers, biotech companies, and startup incubators have been pumping out deals news in the last week. —Westford, MA-based RiverMeadow Software, whose technology helps migrate servers to the cloud, raised $5 million of a targeted $10.7 million equity-based offering, according to an SEC filing. —Ginger Software, a Lexington, MA-based maker of proofreading software, … Continue reading “Alnylam, OmniGuide, Ginger Software, and More from the Boston Deals Roundup”
Wikets Targets Mobile Shopping with Social Recommendation App
Last summer, when Lexington, MA-based Wikets revealed via an SEC filing that it had raised $1.5 million in funding, its website said it was building technology for users to share ideas with people they trust. Late last week the startup announced an update to its now-live mobile social shopping app, so I caught up with … Continue reading “Wikets Targets Mobile Shopping with Social Recommendation App”
CIMIT, Best Doctors, Inspiration Biopharma, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers
We’ve seen a mix of drug development and health IT out of New England companies this week. —Best Doctors, a Boston-based company whose database of 50,000 physicians can be called upon to provide second opinions on diagnoses and treatment plans, announced that it had raised $45.5 million in new funding. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co … Continue reading “CIMIT, Best Doctors, Inspiration Biopharma, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers”
With $500K in Tow, Rentabilities Aims to Simplify the Cryptic Equipment Rental Space
Which Boston startup provides you one stop (rental) shopping for Disney-princess-themed bouncy castles, boats for booze cruises, and even a Zoltar fortune-telling machine just like the one from the Tom Hanks movie Big? Rentabilities, the same guys who created all the Twitter fuss last fall with a pirate-themed entrepreneur boat party, and are about to … Continue reading “With $500K in Tow, Rentabilities Aims to Simplify the Cryptic Equipment Rental Space”
Locately, MoFuse, Care.com, & More Names from the Boston Deals Roundup
Health IT, mobile, database, and biofuel tech companies in New England have been making deals this week. —Locately, the Boston-based mobile location analytics startup, was bought by the Service Management Group, a Kansas City, MO-based market research firm, for an undisclosed cash sum. —Sqrrl, a Washington, DC-founded maker of secure database software, nabbed $2 million in … Continue reading “Locately, MoFuse, Care.com, & More Names from the Boston Deals Roundup”
Bride Meets Blog: Abby Larson on Style Me Pretty’s Explosive Growth
When people try to defend Boston’s validity as a consumer tech startup hub, they point to the success of brands like TripAdvisor, RueLaLa, and Wayfair. But there’s another that’s managed to stay pretty under the radar, pulling in 18.6 million page views per month, and serving as the 12th biggest source of traffic on the … Continue reading “Bride Meets Blog: Abby Larson on Style Me Pretty’s Explosive Growth”
SimpliVity Aims to Cut Clutter, Rebuild IT Infrastructure
Nearly two years ago, an SEC filing revealed that a stealthy IT company called SimpliVT had raised $9.2 million in funding. Today that company, with the slightly changed name of SimpliVity, is officially announcing it has launched. And it has just one, oh, minor goal in mind: to “simplify IT infrastructure,” says CEO Doron Kempel, … Continue reading “SimpliVity Aims to Cut Clutter, Rebuild IT Infrastructure”
IPOs, Biogen, Northeastern, & More From the Boston Life Sciences Roundup
IPO analysis, drug development partnerships, and new financing deals have emerged from New England’s cohort of life sciences companies. —Three of 2012’s nine biotech IPOs come from the Boston area, and the entire class is performing much more steadily than the new tech big shots on the public market, Xconomy national biotech editor Luke Timmerman … Continue reading “IPOs, Biogen, Northeastern, & More From the Boston Life Sciences Roundup”
Shawn Broderick, Now at Murfie, Says Innovation in Digital Music Is Only Beginning
Earlier this week news broke that Xconomist Shawn Broderick (center in the photo) was leaving the virtual goods exchange startup Oomba after a few months on the job. He joined the team when it acquired play140, the social gaming startup Broderick ran after he left his gig as TechStars Boston managing director. Broderick—who lists his … Continue reading “Shawn Broderick, Now at Murfie, Says Innovation in Digital Music Is Only Beginning”
A123, Acquia, Healthbox, & More Boston Deals Newsmakers
Last week was a great one for tech diversity in New England, as the week’s deals spanned the cleantech, health tech, and software industries. —The same day that Boston-Power announced it had inked a deal to sell its lithium-ion battery systems to Beijing Electric Vehicle Company, Waltham, MA-based battery maker A123 Systems announced its own bit … Continue reading “A123, Acquia, Healthbox, & More Boston Deals Newsmakers”
Acquia Acquires Mollom for “Community-Backed Content Moderation Platform”
Burlington, MA-based Acquia, a provider of enterprise-level software and services for the open source, social Web publishing system Drupal, is revealing this morning that it has acquired spam-blocking software maker Mollom. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed, but it appears that the deal is more of a strategic play for both companies than … Continue reading “Acquia Acquires Mollom for “Community-Backed Content Moderation Platform””
Boston-based Pingup Sees Text-to-Business Service as Productivity Tool
If you’re worried about the decline of personal interactions, here’s a scary fact: 71 percent of teens prefer texting to phone calls. That’s what the founders of Boston-based Pingup tell me, citing the social media market research firm Lab 42. And that’s good news for them. “There’s irrefutable evidence out there that this is how … Continue reading “Boston-based Pingup Sees Text-to-Business Service as Productivity Tool”
Infinity & Dicerna Among the Week’s Life Sciences Newsmakers
New England-area drugmakers revealed partnership deals, stock offerings, and drug development progress this week. —Cambridge, MA-based Infinity Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:INFI]]) announced it had priced a 5.3-million-share offering of its common stock at $14.50 per share, which adds up to a preliminary total of $76.9 million. The offering, for which Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan Securities … Continue reading “Infinity & Dicerna Among the Week’s Life Sciences Newsmakers”
Fashion Project Hopes to Be Next Big Thing in Boston Re-Commerce
On the fashion front, there’s been a boom over the last six months or so in websites for reselling used clothing, notes Anna Palmer, co-founder and CEO of Fashion Project, based in Boston’s Leather District. “Boston has somehow created this little niche in the world of creating really successful re-commerce sites that are innovative and … Continue reading “Fashion Project Hopes to Be Next Big Thing in Boston Re-Commerce”
EMC, Care.com, Nexage, & More from the Boston Deals Roundup
Mobile advertising, health IT initiatives, and emotional analytics technology were among the winners in this last week’s deals in New England. —EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]), the Hopkinton, MA-based data storage giant, inked a partnership with the personal computer maker Lenovo (HKSE: [[ticker:LNVGY]]) to develop and sell servers and storage systems. Lenovo chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang said the deal—which … Continue reading “EMC, Care.com, Nexage, & More from the Boston Deals Roundup”
Xconomist of the Week Christina Lampe-Onnerud Talks Cleantech
It’s been less than a year since Boston-Power, a lithium-ion battery maker, announced it had raised a whopping $125 million Series F funding round from Beijing-based GSR Ventures—and was moving most of its operations to China to chase down the electric vehicle market in that country. It’s seeing the first big payoff from that decision. … Continue reading “Xconomist of the Week Christina Lampe-Onnerud Talks Cleantech”
Care.com Takes In $50M Series E for Global, Vertical Expansion
Waltham, MA-based Care.com announced this morning that it nabbed $50 million in a Series E financing led by new investor Institutional Venture Partners. Return backers including Matrix Partners, New Enterprise Associates, and Trinity Ventures also joined the round. This financing follows a $25 million round of funding announced in October 2011, and brings the total … Continue reading “Care.com Takes In $50M Series E for Global, Vertical Expansion”
Active Endpoints Launches Software for Simple Enterprise Mobile Access
You could say that Active Endpoints’ latest product release takes a bare essentials approach to enterprise mobility. The Waltham, MA-based company was founded in 2003 and developed collaboration and workflow software for IT and business departments within companies. Last year it introduced its Cloud Extend software, based around the idea that the average user only … Continue reading “Active Endpoints Launches Software for Simple Enterprise Mobile Access”
Massachusetts Nabs $16.9M in Funding for “Health Information Exchange”
Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick’s administration announced today that the state has pulled in $16.9 million in federal funding for its so-called health information exchange, which will enable healthcare providers, hospitals, and the like exchange clinical data through a secure network. The money comes as a combination of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant funds and Medicaid … Continue reading “Massachusetts Nabs $16.9M in Funding for “Health Information Exchange””
Aveo, Mersana, Haemonetics, & More from the Boston Life Sciences Roundup
We’ve seen a mix of new life sciences players, funding announcements, acquisitions, and clinical trial updates this week in New England. —My colleague Arlene profiled Cambridge, MA-based Thrombolytic Science International and its effort to produce a drug that can dissolve clots after strokes without the time limit that comes with the existing clot dissolver on the market … Continue reading “Aveo, Mersana, Haemonetics, & More from the Boston Life Sciences Roundup”
Brightcove, Avalon, Bit9, & More from the Boston Deals Roundup
This last week’s New England deals spanned venture firms, biotechs, and mobile, social, and security software startups. —Boston-based Brightcove (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BCOV]]), which provides hosting technology for digital content, signed an agreement to acquire San Francisco-based Zencoder, a provider of cloud-based video encoding services, for $30 million. —EyeNetra, an MIT Media Lab developer of technology for … Continue reading “Brightcove, Avalon, Bit9, & More from the Boston Deals Roundup”
Coffee Meets Bagel Takes Flash Sales Approach to Online Dating in NY & Boston
New York startup Coffee Meets Bagel is built around some of the biggest themes in online shopping innovation over the last few years: content curation, limited-time events, social recommendations, and daily e-mail communications. But users of its site aren’t browsing the latest deal on a designer bag, vintage home goods, or a haircut. They’re opening … Continue reading “Coffee Meets Bagel Takes Flash Sales Approach to Online Dating in NY & Boston”
Bit9 Adds $34.5M, Led by Sequoia, for Trust-Based Security Software
Waltham, MA-based security software firm Bit9 is announcing today that it has brought in $34.5 million in Series D funding, led by new investor Sequoia Capital. Return backers Atlas Venture, Highland Capital Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and .406 Ventures participated in the deal, which brings Bit9’s total raised to $82.5 million. In April … Continue reading “Bit9 Adds $34.5M, Led by Sequoia, for Trust-Based Security Software”
VoltServer Adds $250K to Build “Internet Protocol of the Electricity World”
Earlier this week, Rhode Island-based Slater Technology Fund announced that it had backed VoltServer, a new startup out of the Ocean State, to the tune of $250,000. Charlestown, RI-based VoltServer is developing technology around packet energy transfer, a method that breaks up electricity into smaller chunks to transmit high volumes of power more safely than … Continue reading “VoltServer Adds $250K to Build “Internet Protocol of the Electricity World””
MIT Enterprise Forum RFID SIG Event: What Technology Will Dominate Retail?
A panel of innovators in the retail technology space will discuss which strategies will be big in getting customers to buy. Mobile checkouts are getting all the attention lately, but there’s also QR codes, radio frequency identification, and near-field communication. Register here to hear their take and the latest market research.