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.

New Venture Redstar In the Works From ATG Founders

The startup bug just keeps on biting for Joe Chung and Jeet Singh, founders of Cambridge, MA-based Art Technology Group. On the heels of news of Oracle’s $1 billion acquisition of ATG, a developer of software for e-commerce websites, Singh confirmed to Xconomy a growing rumor in the Boston innovation community—that the duo is working … Continue reading “New Venture Redstar In the Works From ATG Founders”

$20M Series A For Karyopharm to Fight Cancer

Karyopharm Therapeutics, a Newton, MA-based biotech focused on nuclear transport technology for applications in the treatment of cancer, autoimmune disease, and HIV, announced today that it has wrapped up a $20 million Series A financing from an an undisclosed group of investors.The startup is developing selective inhibitors of nuclear export (SINEs) designed to flag major … Continue reading “$20M Series A For Karyopharm to Fight Cancer”

Electrolytic Ozone Closes Series A

Wilmington, MA-based Electrolytic Ozone, a developer of novel ozone generator technology as a safe alternative to chemical and thermal sanitizers, announced today that it has completed its Series A financing. The company, which is a spinout of the global supermaterials company Element Six, did not reveal the financial details of the first-round funding, but an SEC … Continue reading “Electrolytic Ozone Closes Series A”

Oracle Buys Art Technology Group For $1B; ATG Founder Joe Chung Expresses Pride, Nostalgia

[Updated 11/2/10 2:00 pm ET. See below] Cambridge, MA-based Art Technology Group, which develops software platforms for e-commerce websites, announced today that it will be bought by Redwood Shores, CA-based database giant Oracle (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ORCL]]) for a total of $1 billion in cash, at $6 per share. ATG (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARTG]]) saw its stock price climb more … Continue reading “Oracle Buys Art Technology Group For $1B; ATG Founder Joe Chung Expresses Pride, Nostalgia”

MIT $100K Elevator Pitch Contest Winning Teams Are Out To Innovate In Aircraft Freight, Bees, And Sustainable Supply Chains

The Elevator Pitch Contest is a leg of MIT’s $100K Entrepreneurship Competition where aspiring student entrepreneurs have just 60 seconds to wow the judges (and the audience) with why their idea is the Next Big Thing. That means getting their pitches down to as few words as possible. And this year, at the fourth annual … Continue reading “MIT $100K Elevator Pitch Contest Winning Teams Are Out To Innovate In Aircraft Freight, Bees, And Sustainable Supply Chains”

Khosla, Gates Are Betting On EcoMotors’ Engine Technology to Transform Autos Into Cleaner, Cheaper, and More Powerful Machines

Don Runkle has a bit of news for everyone. It’s engines, not batteries, that will make automobiles cleaner and more efficient. “We unabashedly say that we have the best solution,” says Runkle, the CEO of Allen Park, MI-based engine developer EcoMotors International. The startup, which brought in $23 million in Series B financing this summer … Continue reading “Khosla, Gates Are Betting On EcoMotors’ Engine Technology to Transform Autos Into Cleaner, Cheaper, and More Powerful Machines”

FDA Approves Sunovion Schizophrenia Drug

Marlborough, MA-based drugmaker Sunovion Pharmaceuticals has announced that the FDA approved its once-daily, oral tablet for treating schizophrenia. The drug, Latuda (lurasidone HCl), is expected to be available in the U.S. early next year, Sunovion said. The drug company has six other FDA-approved drugs, including the insomnia treatment Lunesta; Omnaris, a nasal spray for treating allergy symptoms; … Continue reading “FDA Approves Sunovion Schizophrenia Drug”

Antigenics Expands Experimental Cancer Treatment, Novartis Adds to Cambridge Presence, Boston Scientific Sells Unit to Stryker, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

It was a meaty life sciences news week for us that was finished off with a scoop on a legal entanglement between a biotech startup, a research institute, and a big drugmaker. We also had profile stories on some interesting health IT companies, as well as breaking news on clinical trials and expansion moves by … Continue reading “Antigenics Expands Experimental Cancer Treatment, Novartis Adds to Cambridge Presence, Boston Scientific Sells Unit to Stryker, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

New CEO for Idenix

Cambridge, MA-based Idenix Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IDIX]]), an antiviral drug developer, announced today that it has promoted Ronald Renaud, Jr. to the position of president and chief executive. Renaud, who previously served as Idenix’s CFO and treasurer and most recently its chief business officer, will also take a seat on the company’s board of directors. He … Continue reading “New CEO for Idenix”

Dexrex Gear’s Technology Makes Instant, Text Messaging and Social Media Appropriate for the Workplace

There have been countless times where I’ve started a conversation on Facebook, expanded on it via e-mail, and wrapped it up through text messaging. For me, it’s not really a big deal, as I’m usually discussing weekend plans or roommate issues and not anything subject to examination by a federal agency. But for entities that … Continue reading “Dexrex Gear’s Technology Makes Instant, Text Messaging and Social Media Appropriate for the Workplace”

Beyond Gaming Adds Web-based, Social Networking Components to Traditional Console Gaming to Virtualize Tournaments

Tony Legeza and his fellow video game lovers at Beyond Gaming are out to add a bit of new-world flavor to the more traditional world of playing games on consoles like Xbox 360 or Sony’s Playstation models. The inspiration for the Toledo, OH-based startup, which is working to build a Web community of video gamers … Continue reading “Beyond Gaming Adds Web-based, Social Networking Components to Traditional Console Gaming to Virtualize Tournaments”

CardStar Gets $750K

CardStar, a Boston-based maker of applications for accessing customer loyalty cards on mobile phones, has brought in $750,000 of a planned $1 million offering of equity- and rights-based funding, according to an SEC filing. The startup, formerly located in Canton, CT, announced in March that it had raised a $1 million Series A financing. Its … Continue reading “CardStar Gets $750K”

Funding, Acquisition for Neohapsis

Cambridge, MA-based Neohapsis, a maker of software for governance, risk, and compliance, announced today that received a $4.5 million investment, led by New Venture Partners, a firm with offices in New Jersey, Silicon Valley, the U.K., and the Netherlands. The funding round included existing Neohapsis backers, Trident Capital and Paladin Capital Group. Neohapsis revealed that … Continue reading “Funding, Acquisition for Neohapsis”

First Impressions of Michigan’s Innovation Landscape: An Institutional Legacy, A Fragmented Entrepreneurial Community, and Some Unexpected Promising Sectors

Last week I headed to the Detroit and Ann Arbor area to make my first visit to one of Xconomy’s newer outposts. I spoke with entrepreneurs and industry veterans, as well as academics and investors looking to jumpstart the region’s innovation engine. Some of what I saw and heard on my trip stood in stark … Continue reading “First Impressions of Michigan’s Innovation Landscape: An Institutional Legacy, A Fragmented Entrepreneurial Community, and Some Unexpected Promising Sectors”

Massachusetts Startups Raise $147M in 25 September Deals; Software Investments Surge

The activity around events in the Boston startup community rapidly picked up pace in September, but venture investments in Massachusetts tech and life sciences companies grew far more modestly. The equity investments last month totaled $146.8 million, up slightly from $143.6 million in August. The September money came in across a smaller number of deals … Continue reading “Massachusetts Startups Raise $147M in 25 September Deals; Software Investments Surge”

Alkermes Drops on FDA Rejection, Glaxo’s SR One Backs Dicerna, Biogen Reworks Genentech Alliance, & More Boston-Are Life Sciences News

It was a busy New England area life sciences news week, with headlines of drug collaborations, failed applications with the FDA, clinical trial results, plus some lengthier profile stories. —Providence, RI-based Shape Up The Nation is using social networking to invite people’s friends to encourage them to eat better and make healthier choices, Ryan wrote. … Continue reading “Alkermes Drops on FDA Rejection, Glaxo’s SR One Backs Dicerna, Biogen Reworks Genentech Alliance, & More Boston-Are Life Sciences News”

With Boston Pilot Project, Next Step Living Aims to Show Energy Efficiency Retrofits Aren’t Only for the Wealthy

Retrofitting homes for energy efficiency may not be as expensive or unattainable as consumers may think, says Next Step Living founder and CEO Geoff Chapin. His Boston-based startup is working to bring energy improvements to more households by helping consumers making sense of the array of rebates and financial incentives available for such home renovations, … Continue reading “With Boston Pilot Project, Next Step Living Aims to Show Energy Efficiency Retrofits Aren’t Only for the Wealthy”

Where Bras Meet Software: Zyrra Raises Money From Jess McLear, Jean Hammond, & Local Angels For Its Bra Industry “Revolution”

Derek Ohly is known as the “bra guy,” both around the office at MassChallenge, the startup accelerator and entrepreneur competition, and throughout the Boston-area investor community, he says. “I didn’t expect to end up in the world of bras, and here I am,” says Ohly, a graduate of Babson College’s MBA program (a likely story). … Continue reading “Where Bras Meet Software: Zyrra Raises Money From Jess McLear, Jean Hammond, & Local Angels For Its Bra Industry “Revolution””

Twitter Plea Helps Baydin Get Seed Money from Angel Investor Dave McClure; Startup Moving to the Valley Next Month

So an entrepreneur helps out a prominent angel investor when the latter needs a ride, and gets a seed investment as a result. It sounds like something you might see in a movie. But it’s a reality for Baydin, an e-mail technology startup out of Boston (but soon to be based in the San Francisco … Continue reading “Twitter Plea Helps Baydin Get Seed Money from Angel Investor Dave McClure; Startup Moving to the Valley Next Month”

Alkermes Drug Approved for Opioid Addiction, Genzyme Faces Shareholder Lawsuits, NinePoint Gets $33M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News

New England area biotechs made the news this week with FDA approvals, clinical study results, new financings, and partnership news. We also saw a few interesting trend and profile pieces on drugmakers. —Boston-based Gelesis, a biotech working on treating obesity, announced that its technology helped rats reduce their food intake over 18 hours when compared … Continue reading “Alkermes Drug Approved for Opioid Addiction, Genzyme Faces Shareholder Lawsuits, NinePoint Gets $33M, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”

ImmunoGen Inks $45M Deal With Novartis, Tata Leads $9.5M Sun Catalytix Deal, InfraReDx Gets $21M, & More Boston-Area Deals News

We saw a number of startup financings, acquisitions, and partnership deals in the healthcare IT, cleantech, life sciences, Web, and software spaces this week in New England. —Black Duck Software, a Waltham, MA-based open source software firm, announced that it had purchased Ohloh.net from Geeknet (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GKNT]]) for an undisclosed sum. Black Duck said it … Continue reading “ImmunoGen Inks $45M Deal With Novartis, Tata Leads $9.5M Sun Catalytix Deal, InfraReDx Gets $21M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”

Sonus Gets New CEO

Network technology provider Sonus Networks (NASDAQ: [[ticker:SONS]]) of Westford, MA, announced today that it has brought on Raymond Dolan as president and CEO, effective immediately. The Westford, MA-based company revealed in May that its chief executive  and director Richard Nottenburg planned to step down from his post by March 2011. Dolan has held positions at companies … Continue reading “Sonus Gets New CEO”

BNI Video Reveals Software That Could Better Enable Cable Companies to Compete With Internet Video Providers

With so many options for finding, managing, and viewing video available today, from Netflix to Hulu to Boxee, the traditional cable TV interface is starting to look a little old-fashioned. Boxborough-MA-based BNI Video says it has software that could help cable operators out of that bind. Cable companies have become increasingly sophisticated in the types … Continue reading “BNI Video Reveals Software That Could Better Enable Cable Companies to Compete With Internet Video Providers”

Sanofi Bids for Genzyme, ModeRNA Announces Stem Cell Tech, Health IT Execs Debate, & More Boston Area Life Sciences News

It was a lighter life sciences news week, but we did see a new biotech company surface, while a major pharma continued its pursuit of a local biotech giant. —French drug giant Sanofi-Aventis made another move in its quest to acquire Cambridge, MA-based Genzyme (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GENZ]]), with a $18.5 billion hostile takeover bid. It was … Continue reading “Sanofi Bids for Genzyme, ModeRNA Announces Stem Cell Tech, Health IT Execs Debate, & More Boston Area Life Sciences News”

New RunKeeper Features Aim To Bring the Fitness Class Experience To Your Phone

Since 2008, RunKeeper, the fitness-tracking, GPS-based mobile app from Boston-based startup FitnessKeeper, has helped runners log and track the distance, speed, and routes they’ve run and engage with a broader community of like-minded athletes. The “pro” $9.99 version of the tool even offers coaching via headphones to help runners hit their desired pace, understand how … Continue reading “New RunKeeper Features Aim To Bring the Fitness Class Experience To Your Phone”

Buycentives’ Targeted Marketing Software Is Out to Break the One-Size-Fits All Tradition for Automobile Incentives

When it comes to the incentive deals offered by auto companies to potential car buyers, little has changed, despite advances in technology. Customers may be starting their auto purchases online, but automakers are still trying to reel them in with deals that are marketed more like the coupons found in a newspaper or Sunday flyer, … Continue reading “Buycentives’ Targeted Marketing Software Is Out to Break the One-Size-Fits All Tradition for Automobile Incentives”

CIC Startup Micronotes Emerges From Stealth to Help Yodlee Appify Online Banking

The online banking space is taking a cue from Apple’s iTunes App Store. No, you won’t be seeing Sudoku puzzles or restaurant recommendation tools on your online banking interface, but you will be seeing plug-ins designed to enhance your online personal finance management experience. The marketplace for these apps, unveiled yesterday, is the Yodlee FinApp … Continue reading “CIC Startup Micronotes Emerges From Stealth to Help Yodlee Appify Online Banking”

The Echo Nest Powers Up With $7 Million Series B Round, Out To Connect Independent Music App Developers with Commercial Partners

The Echo Nest, a Somerville, MA-based music data service powering interactive music applications, announced today that it has closed a $7 million Series B investment, led by new investor Matrix Partners and joined by existing backer Commonwealth Capital Ventures. The startup, founded by two MIT Media Lab PhDs, did not disclose the full amount of … Continue reading “The Echo Nest Powers Up With $7 Million Series B Round, Out To Connect Independent Music App Developers with Commercial Partners”

ModeRNA, Stealth Startup Backed By Flagship, Unveils New Way to Make Stem Cells

ModeRNA Therapeutics, a new startup out of Cambridge, MA-based Flagship VentureLabs, announced it has developed a method for producing human induced pluripotent stem cells, which are embryonic-like stem cells that are formed by reprogramming adult stem cells. Flagship and three other scientists co-founded the startup this summer with an undisclosed amount of Series A funding, … Continue reading “ModeRNA, Stealth Startup Backed By Flagship, Unveils New Way to Make Stem Cells”

BirdDog Flies With $2M

BirdDog Solutions, an Andover, MA-headquartered maker of transportation management software, has raised all but $300,000 of a roughly $2.4 million equity-based funding round, according to an SEC filing. Executives from the digital archiving firm Iron Mountain and the founder of private equity firm Greyhawk Capital Management are members of the BirdDog board. The document for … Continue reading “BirdDog Flies With $2M”

Merck Ends AVEO Collaboration

AVEO Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVEO]]), a Cambridge, MA-based cancer drug developer, announced today that it has regained its worldwide rights to its antibody drug candidate AV-299 from Merck’s Schering subsidiary. Merck said it ended its collaboration with AVEO because the drug candidate was no longer a priority in its portfolio, according to today’s announcement. AVEO, which … Continue reading “Merck Ends AVEO Collaboration”

Dyax Inks Deal With CMIC

Cambridge, MA-based biotech Dyax (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DYAX]]) announced it has inked a deal with Japanese contract research organization CMIC to develop and commercialize its drug DX-88 (ecallantide), a treatment for the inflammatory disease hereditary angioedema, in Japan. CMIC will pay Dyax $4 million upfront and $102 million in development and sales milestones for the FDA-approved treatment, … Continue reading “Dyax Inks Deal With CMIC”

WiTricity, Delphi Partner on Developing Wireless Charging Station for Electric Vehicles

WiTricity, the Watertown, MA-based developer of technology for the wireless delivery of electricity, has signed an agreement with Delphi Automotive of Troy, MI, to work on wireless charging products for hybrid and electric vehicles, Delphi announced today. WiTricity will supply its wireless electricity technology and components to Delphi, a maker of electronics technologies for vehicles. … Continue reading “WiTricity, Delphi Partner on Developing Wireless Charging Station for Electric Vehicles”

AEB Adds Ex-Evergreen CEO

Wilmington, MA-based startup Advanced Electron Beams announced today that it has hired as its new CEO Richard Feldt, who left his position as chief executive of Marlboro, MA-based Evergreen Solar late last week. Advanced Electron Beams is working on technology that uses high-speed electrons in industrial functions that traditionally require water, heat, or chemicals. Feldt … Continue reading “AEB Adds Ex-Evergreen CEO”

Episend, Almost A Year Old, Enables Interactive File Sharing In The Cloud

While managing the websites for the retail giant TJX, Richard DiBona encountered the pain of missing important files because they were too big to be sent through e-mail. “With email and attachments, there’s no way of knowing that it failed most of the time,” he says. “It goes into oblivion and you hope for the … Continue reading “Episend, Almost A Year Old, Enables Interactive File Sharing In The Cloud”

$1.8M for PointCare Technologies

PointCare Technologies, a Marlborough, MA-based provider of diagnostics technology designed for populations with HIV/AIDS in developing countries, has raised $1.8 million of a planned $3.5 million equity round of funding, an SEC filing reveals. Founded in 2002, PointCare makes lower-cost, multi-purpose medical devices that require less training to use than traditional technologies, according to the company’s … Continue reading “$1.8M for PointCare Technologies”

OnePIN Brings in $1.9M

OnePIN, a Westborough, MA-based provider of software for managing social contacts on mobile phones, has raised $1.9 million of an equity offering that could total $3.1 million, according to an SEC filing. Previous OnePIN investors include FA Technology Ventures, Greycroft Partners, Egan-Managed Capital, and Stage 1 Technology Ventures, according to the company’s website. The filing … Continue reading “OnePIN Brings in $1.9M”

Jumptap Gets New CEO

Cambridge, MA-based mobile advertising network provider Jumptap announced today that it has brought on George Bell, formerly managing director of General Catalyst Partners, as its new chief executive officer. Bell will take an indefinite leave from his role at General Catalyst, and replaces former Jumptap CEO Dan Olschwang, who will remain on the company’s board … Continue reading “Jumptap Gets New CEO”

Harvest Automation Closes Series A

Billerica, MA-based robotics company Harvest Automation announced today that it has closed its Series A round of funding at $5.3 million, thanks to a $1.3 million investment from Founder Collective, with offices in New York and Cambridge, MA. The company, whose technology comes from iRobot veterans and is out to automate the commercial harvesting of shrubs, … Continue reading “Harvest Automation Closes Series A”

University of Michigan Social Venture Fund Comes Out of Stealth, Aims to Invest in Companies at the Nexus of Public and Private

“Social shouldn’t be viewed as soft,” says University of Michigan finance professor Gautam Kaul. “Unfortunately, soft and social tend to go together in people’s perceptions.” But Social Venture Fund, a new investing vehicle out of the University of Michigan that came out of stealth mode just last week, is taking a hard look at social … Continue reading “University of Michigan Social Venture Fund Comes Out of Stealth, Aims to Invest in Companies at the Nexus of Public and Private”

New CEO for Evergreen Solar

Marlboro, MA-based Evergreen Solar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ESLR]]), a maker of solar-power products, announced today that it has moved Michael El-Hillow to the positions of president and CEO. El-Hillow, most recently Evergreen’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer, replaces Richard Feldt, who has taken a chief executive position at a privately held company that Evergreen did … Continue reading “New CEO for Evergreen Solar”