This is another story of a New York City duo that left the finance industry to start a tech company, but didn’t quite know where to begin. (For our first take on this theme, read my profile on StellaService yesterday.) “The only problem was we didn’t know what we were doing, and realized very early … Continue reading “Yipit Cuts Through the Noise Of Daily Deals with Kayak-Like Filtering”
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.
Jumptap Grabs $20M, EMC Buys NetWitness, Txteagle Ties Down $8.5M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
This week we continued to see big financings for mobile technology firms, and acquisitions in the software, cleantech, and life science spaces. —Movik Networks, a Littleton, MA-based maker of products for helping mobile devices more speedily load Internet content, raised $25 million in a Series C financing. The round was led by new investor Oak Investment … Continue reading “Jumptap Grabs $20M, EMC Buys NetWitness, Txteagle Ties Down $8.5M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
StellaService, Backed By Big NY Investors, Looks to Recognize E-Tailers For Star Customer Service with Zagat-Style Marks
Jordy Leiser and his friend John Ernsberger left their jobs in the financial industry in 2008 with an appetite for starting a company around the subject of transparency. But that inspiration didn’t turn itself into a company right away. “We spun our wheels for a long time,” says Leiser. So they did what any self-respecting … Continue reading “StellaService, Backed By Big NY Investors, Looks to Recognize E-Tailers For Star Customer Service with Zagat-Style Marks”
Movik, Fresh With $25M and Telecom Vet as CEO, Looks to Connect with Carriers to Speed Up Internet Content on Mobile Devices
Last week news hit that Littleton, MA-based mobile IT startup Movik Networks scored $25 million in a Series C financing, so I caught up with CEO John St. Amand to figure out just what the company is going to do with all that money. The company, founded in 2007, develops hardware boxes for wireless operators … Continue reading “Movik, Fresh With $25M and Telecom Vet as CEO, Looks to Connect with Carriers to Speed Up Internet Content on Mobile Devices”
BSX Buys S.I. Therapies
Natick, MA-based medical devices firm Boston Scientific (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BSX]]) paid $5.13 million in cash last November to acquire Israel-based S.I. Therapies, according to a report in the Israel business publication Globes. The Natick firm could pay a total of $24.3 million for S.I., a developer of a re-entry cardiac catheter, if certain milestones are reached. … Continue reading “BSX Buys S.I. Therapies”
Nexamp Buys SolVera
Nexamp, a North Andover, MA-based firm that helps clients design and develop clean energy projects, announced today that it has acquired SolVera Energy, a renewable energy services firm of Hingham, MA. Nexamp, which raised $6.5 million in January 2010, said the purchase is designed to boost the utility-scale and distributed renewable energy services it offers. … Continue reading “Nexamp Buys SolVera”
Vertex CF Drug Delivers, Follica Patent Application Reveals Tech, RXi Buys Apthera, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
This week we’ve seen news of acquisitions and funding, as well as longer articles on strategy and research moves for New England’s life sciences firms. —BL Healthcare, a provider of telemedicine products that is based in Foxboro, MA, has bumped its Series A funding round up to $4.9 million, with another $2 million in equity-, … Continue reading “Vertex CF Drug Delivers, Follica Patent Application Reveals Tech, RXi Buys Apthera, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Report: Movik Networks Raises $25M
Littleton, MA-based Movik Networks, a developer of software for delivering content to mobile devices, has raised $25 million in a Series C round of funding, according to a report in Mass High Tech. The financing was led by Oak Investment Partners and also included previous investors Highland Capital Partners and North Bridge Venture Partners, according … Continue reading “Report: Movik Networks Raises $25M”
Yes, Now That Stranger Across the Bar Can Text You. No, It’s Not As Scary As It Sounds, Says Mobile App Developer PoKos
Imagine a world where you can point your phone at the people you’re interested in talking to, and a message magically appears on their phones, regardless of whether you’ve ever spoken to them before or actually have their digits in your possession. (Heaven forbid you actually talk to them face to face.) Now, imagine there’s … Continue reading “Yes, Now That Stranger Across the Bar Can Text You. No, It’s Not As Scary As It Sounds, Says Mobile App Developer PoKos”
Emo Labs Gets $1.4M
Waltham, MA-based Emo Labs, a developer of invisible loudspeaker technology to enhance the sound on monitors and flat-screen TVs, has raised $1.4 million of a targeted $2.5 million equity- and rights-based offering, an SEC filing shows. The money comes from 22 investors; the company’s previous investors include Polaris Venture Partners, the Venture Capital Fund of … Continue reading “Emo Labs Gets $1.4M”
Alnylam Sued By Tekmira, Curis Cancer Drug Shows Results, Still River Gets $11.5M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
We had plenty of headlines from New England area drug companies this week, with news of clinical trial results, technology developments, lawsuits, and funding. —The FDA set April 28 as the date that an advisory committee will meet on Cambridge, MA-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) application for approval of telaprevir, its experimental drug for hepatitis … Continue reading “Alnylam Sued By Tekmira, Curis Cancer Drug Shows Results, Still River Gets $11.5M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
February Freeze: Massachusetts Startup Funding Shrinks to $130.9 M
How far the mighty fall. Investments in Massachusetts startups soared to $242.5 million in January, but last month tech and life sciences companies raised just over half that, $130.9 million, in 24 equity-based deals, according to data provided by CB Insights’ FundingFlash, a daily roundup of companies receiving venture capital, angel investment, and growth equity … Continue reading “February Freeze: Massachusetts Startup Funding Shrinks to $130.9 M”
Gemvara Sparkles with $15M Series C, Leads Way in Mass Customization of Jewelry
Gemvara, the Lexington, MA-based online jewelry customization startup, announced today it has pinned down a $15 million Series C funding round. The financing was led by London-based Balderton Capital—who also led a $15 million round for Cambridge, MA-based mobile app developer SCVNGR earlier this year—and included returning Gemvara investors Highland Capital Partners and Canaan Partners. … Continue reading “Gemvara Sparkles with $15M Series C, Leads Way in Mass Customization of Jewelry”
Harvest Power Gets $52M, Zynga Buys Floodgate, Synageva Snaps Up $25M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
New England’s tech and life sciences companies are roaring into spring with a number of startup financings, acquisitions, and partnerships. —Harvest Power, a Waltham, MA-based startup focused on producing energy from organic waste, announced it had raised a $51.7 million Series B funding round led by Generation Investment Management, a firm co-founded by Al Gore and … Continue reading “Harvest Power Gets $52M, Zynga Buys Floodgate, Synageva Snaps Up $25M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
JitterJam Bought by Meltwater
Bedford, NH-based JitterJam, a provider of social customer relationship management software, was acquired by San Francisco-based social media and news monitoring firm The Meltwater Group for $6 million, Meltwater announced today. All JitterJam employees will join MeltWater, and the company’s technology will be integrated into the social CRM platform Meltwater Buzz.
Thinking Phone, Seeing Big Opportunity in Cloud Communications, Is Amping Up Headcount
Imagine if your business phone system could track your employees’ sales actions, help you consolidate offices, connect you with offshore manufacturing facilities, and make your mobile phone act like an office landline. Cambridge, MA-based Thinking Phone Networks is aiming to do that (and more) with its cloud-based communications platform. It’s a somewhat crowded space, but … Continue reading “Thinking Phone, Seeing Big Opportunity in Cloud Communications, Is Amping Up Headcount”
Speedbump App Alerts Parents To Teen Speeding, But Keeps Mum on Good Behavior
If teen drivers were given the choice between the thrill of speeding or the freedom from parents knowing their every whereabouts, they’d choose the latter. Or at least that’s the assumption that Lunenberg, MA-based father-son startup WirelessESP is betting on with its new mobile app, Speedbump. “It sets up that psychological game,” says Dick Fischer, … Continue reading “Speedbump App Alerts Parents To Teen Speeding, But Keeps Mum on Good Behavior”
World Energy Backs Retroficiency, American Superconductor Gets Finnish Firm, BuyWithMe Buys LocalTwist, & More Boston-Area Deals News
This week’s deal news spanned companies working on marketing, energy, daily deals, medical devices, and beauty products. —Retroficiency, a Boston-based software-as-a-service firm focused on energy efficiency, announced it had raised $800,000 in funding from Worcester, MA-based energy management services firm World Energy (NASDAQ: [[ticker:XWES]]). Angel investors, including Jean Hammond and Jill Preotle, also provided funding … Continue reading “World Energy Backs Retroficiency, American Superconductor Gets Finnish Firm, BuyWithMe Buys LocalTwist, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
OmniGuide Nabs $3.5M
Cambridge, MA-based OmniGuide, a provider of laser-based medical devices, has raised $3.5 million in an equity round of funding from nine investors, an SEC filing shows. The company, whose chairman is Analog Devices (NYSE: [[ticker:ADI]]) co-founder Ray Stata, raised $249,999 in September 2009 and $1.8 million that May.
VBrick Sets Up Boston Office to Tap Into Area Talent Pool, Looks to Expand Online Video Streaming Services
VBrick Systems, a Wallingford, CT-based provider of technology for the live streaming of video content online, is expanding its footprint in New England. The company, founded in 1998, is adding an office in Boston, where it hopes to have 10 employees by the end of the quarter and 20 employees by the end of the … Continue reading “VBrick Sets Up Boston Office to Tap Into Area Talent Pool, Looks to Expand Online Video Streaming Services”
Living Proof Shines With $16M
Cambridge, MA-based Living Proof, a maker of beauty products developed using advances in material science, announced it has snapped up $16 million in a Series B funding round, to put toward product distribution and new R&D efforts. The money comes from Piper Jaffray Merchant Banking and Polaris Venture Partners, which founded Living Proof with MIT … Continue reading “Living Proof Shines With $16M”
Nimbit Grabs $1.25M
Framingham, MA-based Nimbit, a provider of online music marketing services, announced it has raised $1.25 million in two rounds of funding from its current investor group, to put toward expanding its product team and developing a direct-to-fan marketing product. CommonAngels, LaunchCapital and Mike Dreese, co-founder and CEO of the Boston-area music and entertainment retailer Newbury … Continue reading “Nimbit Grabs $1.25M”
Gaming Not Just for The Hardcore, Boston’s Talent Pool is Hot, and More Takeaways from MIT Sloan’s Business In Gaming Conference
Thursday’s Business in Gaming conference, put on by MIT’s Sloan School of Management, showed me that gamers aren’t afraid to say what they really think. And that Facebook is really stirring debate in the industry, as it is in communication, commerce, advertising, and almost anything else we can think of. I caught a lot of … Continue reading “Gaming Not Just for The Hardcore, Boston’s Talent Pool is Hot, and More Takeaways from MIT Sloan’s Business In Gaming Conference”
Epizyme Nabs Eisai Deal, Termeer Could Make $221.2M From Genzyme Buyout, Gates Funds Nimbus, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
We saw some meaty stories on Boston-area drug developers this week, as well as headlines about funding for newer healthcare and health IT startups. —Imprivata of Lexington, MA, is working on carving itself a niche in the crowded space of technology for the secure access of healthcare IT systems, Ryan wrote. The company, which has … Continue reading “Epizyme Nabs Eisai Deal, Termeer Could Make $221.2M From Genzyme Buyout, Gates Funds Nimbus, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Clovr Snaps Up $8.3M
Clovr Media, a Boston-based digital and mobile marketing startup, announced today that it has brought in $8.3 million in a funding round led by Bain Capital Ventures managing director Jeffrey Glass. The round also included Clovr seed investors Kepha Partners and Common Angels, and newly announced angel investor Mark Wright. Clovr, which launched last October, … Continue reading “Clovr Snaps Up $8.3M”
ZeeVee Enhances Internet Video Portal for Connected Devices, Looks to Power Smaller Cable Providers
Littleton, MA-based ZeeVee has reinvented itself again. The startup launched four years ago to provide hardware for “bringing Internet television together and into the living room,” says CEO Vic Odryna. The ZvBox device didn’t exactly catch on in homes, but has found a niche in commercial settings like hotels, restaurants, and casinos. ZeeVee later introduced … Continue reading “ZeeVee Enhances Internet Video Portal for Connected Devices, Looks to Power Smaller Cable Providers”
Kahoots Bought By RentJuice, Skyhook Enlists Sony, MassChallenge Adds $1M from MA, & More Boston-Area Deals News
We saw headlines of partnerships for Web and software companies, startup financings, and venture firms getting ready to raise bigger funds. —Boston-based mobile software maker Skyhook Wireless nabbed a deal with Sony to get its location-finding technology into Sony’s “NGP” handheld gaming system, expected to roll out in late 2011. Financial terms of the agreement … Continue reading “Kahoots Bought By RentJuice, Skyhook Enlists Sony, MassChallenge Adds $1M from MA, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
RelayRides Raises $5.1M
RelayRides, a San Francisco-headquartered person-to-person car-sharing startup with an office in Boston, has raised $5.1 million of an equity-based funding round that could total $5.9 million, according to an SEC document filed yesterday. The company, which started in Cambridge and last year participated in the Boston incubator program MassChallenge, announced in December that it had … Continue reading “RelayRides Raises $5.1M”
MassChallenge Grabs $1M from MA
The state of Massachusetts has pledged to pump $1 million over the next four years into MassChallenge, the Boston-based nonprofit announced today. MassChallenge, which awarded $1 million across 16 startups in its inaugural startup competition last year, opened up its 2011 program today, with an application deadline of April 11. Greg caught up with MassChallenge … Continue reading “MassChallenge Grabs $1M from MA”
Expressor Adds $4.5M
Burlington, MA-based Expressor Software has brought in $4.5 million in a debt-based offering, according to an SEC filing. Last May the data integration software provider raised $4.5 million from its previous investors, Commonwealth Capital Ventures, Globespan Capital Partners, and Sigma Partners.
VC Analyst Turned Entrepreneur Looks to Bring Sophisticated Stock Market Data to Individual Investors with Screener.co
Former venture capital analyst Lenny Grover left his gig at Waltham, MA-based Longworth Venture Partners to make a sustainable business out of a personal hobby: sophisticated stock trading. No, he’s not working on yet another online trading platform, but is instead looking to the hot field of data and analytics to bring individual investors the … Continue reading “VC Analyst Turned Entrepreneur Looks to Bring Sophisticated Stock Market Data to Individual Investors with Screener.co”
RXi Sells Stock and Warrants, Cardiorobotics Raises $6.6M, ImmunoGen Dishes On New Drugs, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
This week we’ve seen news of financings for device makers and drug developers, as well as reports from clinical trials from New England area life sciences firms and their rivals. —Daniel Junius, CEO of Waltham, MA-headquartered ImmunoGen, talked to Ryan about the antibody-based drugs the company is developing that aren’t generating as much noise as the … Continue reading “RXi Sells Stock and Warrants, Cardiorobotics Raises $6.6M, ImmunoGen Dishes On New Drugs, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Ruckus Media Drums Up $3.5M
Ruckus Media Group, a Norwalk, CT-based developer of children’s story mobile apps, announced today that it has brought in $3.5 million in a Series A financing led by San Francisco-based Alsop Louie Partners, with backing from other private investors. Ruckus, which launched in September, now has 15 children’s book apps on the Apple iTunes marketplace, … Continue reading “Ruckus Media Drums Up $3.5M”
RentJuice Gets Kahoots
San Francisco-based RentJuice, a provider of software enabling property managers and real estate brokers to manage rental listings, announced today that it bought Boston-based competitor Kahoots and is opening an office in the city. The customer data from Kahoots, a rental marketing technology startup founded in 2006, will be integrated into the RentJuice platform, which offers … Continue reading “RentJuice Gets Kahoots”
Baker Joins General Catalyst As EIR
Former Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker will join Cambridge, MA-based venture capital firm General Catalyst Partners as an executive in residence, he revealed in an e-mail to his supporters today. “I’ll be working with them to identify small and mid-size firms—primarily in the health care world—that the firm can partner with and help succeed,” … Continue reading “Baker Joins General Catalyst As EIR”
Experience.com’s New Technology Uses Online Dating-Style Surveys to Better Match Job Seekers to Positions
Boston-based Experience.com has long targeted the entry level job market with its career search software, and is now taking the data it’s gathered for over 15 years to more intelligently match employers and potential hires. CEO and founder Jenny Floren says the new technology, called Proactive Post, is looking to pull personal qualities and life … Continue reading “Experience.com’s New Technology Uses Online Dating-Style Surveys to Better Match Job Seekers to Positions”
CHiL Bought by International Rectifier, DynamicOps Gets $11M, NeuroPhage Raises $12M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
This week we’ve seen financings and acquisitions news spanning the life sciences, IT, and cleantech sectors in New England. —OpenMile, a Boston- and Chicago-based developer of Web and mobile technology for optimizing shipping, said it raised $6 million in a Series B deal led by Globespan Capital Partners, with participation from existing investor Charles River … Continue reading “CHiL Bought by International Rectifier, DynamicOps Gets $11M, NeuroPhage Raises $12M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Aircuity Adds $1M
Newton, MA-based Aircuity, a maker of an air ventilation control system called OptiNet, has added another $1 million to its most recent equity funding round, bring the financing’s total to $3.5 million of a targeted $10 million round, according to an SEC document. The filing notes that the money comes from a total of seven … Continue reading “Aircuity Adds $1M”
Sproxil Grabs $1.8M
Sproxil, a provider of a mobile authentication system for identifying counterfeit medicine in developing countries, has brought in $1.8 million in equity funding from one investor, according to an SEC filing. The firm, which started in Somerville, MA, in 2009, first hit our radar when it won IBM’s SmartCamp competition last summer, and has participated … Continue reading “Sproxil Grabs $1.8M”
New Crimson Hexagon CEO Looking to Expand Analytics Services to Mobile, Target Life Sciences and Financial Services Clients
Cambridge, MA-based Crimson Hexagon is looking to new leadership to find additional markets for its sentiment analysis technology, which is designed to help companies get a better understanding of what’s being said about them in real-time on the Web. On Wednesday, the 15-person company announced it had brought on a new president and CEO, Patricia … Continue reading “New Crimson Hexagon CEO Looking to Expand Analytics Services to Mobile, Target Life Sciences and Financial Services Clients”
Diagnostics For All Gets $3M from Gates, UK
Boston-based nonprofit firm Diagnostics For All announced today that it has nabbed a $3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK’s Department for International Development, to put toward developing three diagnostic tests for the agriculture space. The firm will use its diagnostics platform to develop a test for detecting milk … Continue reading “Diagnostics For All Gets $3M from Gates, UK”
Swipely Shifts Social Shopping Business, Turning Credit Cards Into Loyalty Cards
Providence, RI-based Swipely is announcing today that it’s making a move in how its technology enables consumers to interact with their credit cards. Last summer the startup launched a service that allowed consumers to tell their social networks about and review the purchases they made on their credit and debit cards, but CEO and founder … Continue reading “Swipely Shifts Social Shopping Business, Turning Credit Cards Into Loyalty Cards”
DynamicOps Grabs $11.3M
DynamicOps, a Burlington, MA-based company spun out by Credit Suisse in 2008 to commercialize its software for virtualizing IT environments, has brought in $11.3 million in equity-based funding from three investors, according to an SEC filing. The startup, which has distribution agreements with Dell and HP, builds public and private cloud infrastructures and virtual desktop … Continue reading “DynamicOps Grabs $11.3M”
Bluespec Brings In $1M
Waltham, MA-based Bluespec, a maker of software for designing electronics components, has raised $1 million in an equity offering, an SEC filing revealed. The company was founded in 2003 and had previously raised a total of $17.25 million, from investors Atlas Venture and North Bridge Venture Partners, according to its website. The filing for the … Continue reading “Bluespec Brings In $1M”
Vertex, Heartland Moves Call Attention To Boston-Cambridge Rivalry
Boston has been vocal about its intent to transform its Seaport District into an “innovation district” for fueling job creation and attracting cutting-edge companies. Just last month, the city’s odds of making this vision a reality seem to improve, with the news that two Cambridge, MA-based companies—Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:VRTX]]) and Heartland Robotics—would be relocating … Continue reading “Vertex, Heartland Moves Call Attention To Boston-Cambridge Rivalry”
Quanterix Partners With Novartis, Athenahealth and Microsoft Sync Up, Vertex Nails Clinical Trial, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
—Cambridge, MA-based Quanterix partnered up with Novartis Diagnostics, the unit of healthcare giant Novartis that tests the safety of 80 percent of the U.S. blood supply. Novartis will run tests to see how effective Quanterix’s device is at pinpointing a protein biomarker in the blood that is linked to an undisclosed neurological disorder. Terms of … Continue reading “Quanterix Partners With Novartis, Athenahealth and Microsoft Sync Up, Vertex Nails Clinical Trial, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
New CEO for Crimson Hexagon
Cambridge, MA-based Crimson Hexagon, a social media analytics startup, announced today that it has hired Patricia Gottesman as its president and chief executive officer. She joined the company as a member of the board in December, and replaces previous Crimson Hexagon CEO Scott Centurino, who started the position last April. Gottesman previously held marketing, operations, … Continue reading “New CEO for Crimson Hexagon”
Constant Contact Buys Bantam Live, Forest Pays $1.2B for Clinical Data, Paydiant Scores $7.6M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
Acquisitions news has stolen the show for Boston-area tech and life sciences headlines in the last week, but we’ve also seen some funding and partnership news. —The Boston area saw its biggest ever biotech acquisition, with the sale of Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]) to French drug company Sanofi-Aventis for $20.1 billion, or $74 per … Continue reading “Constant Contact Buys Bantam Live, Forest Pays $1.2B for Clinical Data, Paydiant Scores $7.6M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
A Focus on Energy Efficiency Will Help Keep The U.S. Competitive, and Other Cleantech Industry Predictions for 2011
Foreign competition is rising, and U.S. consumers haven’t departed from their penny-pinching mentality of The Great Recession, and behind this double whammy the cleantech industry is feeling the squeeze. That’s one of the big impressions I came away with after polling a crop of cleantech experts from Xconomy’s network of advisors and op-ed contributors for … Continue reading “A Focus on Energy Efficiency Will Help Keep The U.S. Competitive, and Other Cleantech Industry Predictions for 2011”
Sanofi Buys Genzyme for $20B, Aveo Inks Deal with Astellas, Hologix Nabs FDA Approval, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
It was a historic week in the Boston biotech field with big acquisition news, but we also saw headlines on stealthier firms and startup financings. —Ryan took a closer look at H3 Biomedicine, a cancer research house setting up shop in Cambridge, MA, with the support of Japanese drugmaker Eisai. He compared it to the … Continue reading “Sanofi Buys Genzyme for $20B, Aveo Inks Deal with Astellas, Hologix Nabs FDA Approval, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”