Tap ‘n Tap, a Cambridge, MA-based company designing software platforms for touch-screen Internet devices, has completed a $2.25 million Series A funding round, led by New Atlantic Ventures, says company president Javier Segovia. The company reported $1.6 million of the cash in a regulatory filing on Friday, but Segovia says the company has raised a … Continue reading “Tap ‘n Tap Raises $2.25M Series A”
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.
BlueShift Sells IP to Brooks
Andover, MA-based BlueShift Technologies, a maker of systems for semiconductor equipment manufacturing, has sold its intellectual property to Chelmsford, MA-headquartered Brooks Automation (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BRKS]]), Dow Jones VentureWire reported today. The move comes after BlueShift was unable to land another round of venture funding, VentureWire reported. BlueShift backers include Atlas Venture, North Bridge Venture Partners, and … Continue reading “BlueShift Sells IP to Brooks”
Demandware Bumps Series D to $22M
Demandware, a Woburn, MA-based provider of hosted e-commerce storefronts, has upped its Series D round of financing to $22 million, an amended SEC filing reveals. We wrote about the first $15 million the company pulled in for the round last April, from North Bridge Venture Partners and General Catalyst Partners. The amended filing lists North … Continue reading “Demandware Bumps Series D to $22M”
MA Hires EnerNOC to Find Energy Savings
The state of Massachusetts has contracted with Boston-based EnerNOC (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ENOC]]) to employ its energy-tracking software systems to monitor 17 million square feet of state-owned facilities, using federal stimulus dollars set aside for energy investments, Governor Deval Patrick’s office announced today. The state has put $10 million toward what it calls the Enterprise Energy Management System … Continue reading “MA Hires EnerNOC to Find Energy Savings”
MedMinder Grabs $1.3M
MedMinder Systems, a Newton, MA-maker of “smart” pillboxes that track patients’ prescription adherence, has raised $1.265 million in equity-based funding, according a filing with the SEC. The filing notes that the round came from 11 investors, which CEO Eran Shavelsky says include entrepreneurs as well as faculty from MIT who also helped the company raise … Continue reading “MedMinder Grabs $1.3M”
Selecta Scores $15M, Fate Expands into Canada, Xconomy Launches Health IT Channel, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
With the world aflutter over Apple’s iPad release, it seemed this week was all about IT, making it a lighter life sciences news week for us. The two spaces don’t have to be mutually exclusive, though; a fact we showcased with the launch of our new Health IT channel. —Ryan introduced Xconomy’s Health IT channel, … Continue reading “Selecta Scores $15M, Fate Expands into Canada, Xconomy Launches Health IT Channel, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
FloDesign Gets $3M, Plans to Expand
Wilbraham, MA’s FloDesign Wind Turbine will get $3 million in funding from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, as it plans to expand its operation in the state with the addition of a new corporate headquarters and product development center in Waltham, the state announced today. FloDesign, which is developing wind turbines with technology reminiscent of … Continue reading “FloDesign Gets $3M, Plans to Expand”
RunMyErrand Is Now TaskRabbit
RunMyErrand, a Boston-based Internet startup that helps users outsource errands and odd jobs, has changed its name to TaskRabbit to reflect the wide spectrum of tasks the site is used for, the company announced today. The website is also unleashing new features, such as the ability to put tasks out for bid by multiple “runners” … Continue reading “RunMyErrand Is Now TaskRabbit”
ThredUP Site Aims to Tie Together Loose Strings of Children’s Used Clothing Market
Cambridge, MA-based thredUP‘s mission is simple: to be “the place where America’s busiest families exchange clothing for kids,” says co-founder and CEO James Reinhart. The idea came to him in November 2008, when he was staring at a closet full of clothes that he no longer wanted to wear, he says. Last October, the company … Continue reading “ThredUP Site Aims to Tie Together Loose Strings of Children’s Used Clothing Market”
Gemvara Grabs $5.2M
Lexington, MA-based Gemvara, an online jewelry customization marketplace, has raised $5.2 million in Series B funding, led by returning investors Highland Capital Partners and Canaan Partners, the company announced today. Gemvara, which changed its name from Paragon Lake in February when it revamped its jewelry store-focused business as a direct-to-consumer website, will use the new … Continue reading “Gemvara Grabs $5.2M”
SS&C Prices IPO, Amag Gets $60M from Takeda, Selecta Nabs $15M, & More Boston-Area Deals News
Looks like the recent Boston sunshine helped plump up deal flow for the region’s software, Internet, and life sciences companies. —Financial services software company SS&C Technologies Holdings, of Windsor, CT, set its IPO price at $15 a share, for a total of 10.725 million new shares. The price was at the high end of SS&C’s … Continue reading “SS&C Prices IPO, Amag Gets $60M from Takeda, Selecta Nabs $15M, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
$12M Series D for Brightcove
Brightcove, the Cambridge, MA-based online video hosting company, has pulled in a $12 million Series D funding round, led by Accel Partners and General Catalyst Partners, the company confirmed in its corporate blog today. Existing Brightcove investors, including AOL, Hearst, AllianceBernstein, Maverick Capital, and Brookside Capital, participated in the financing round, which will go toward new … Continue reading “$12M Series D for Brightcove”
Vitality’s Internet-Connected GlowCap Targets Behavior Change to Remind You to Stay on Meds
Some people feel guilty when evading their doctor’s recommendations; others need a logical reason to follow an instruction. Cambridge, MA-based Vitality tries to factor in these differences in motivations and psychological makeup to spur patients toward a common goal: to make sure they take their medications as prescribed. On its most basic level, Vitality’s GlowCap … Continue reading “Vitality’s Internet-Connected GlowCap Targets Behavior Change to Remind You to Stay on Meds”
Another $8M for Dyax in Stock Deal
Dyax (NASDAQ: [[ticker:DYAX]]), a Cambridge, MA-based developer of a drug for an inflammatory disease, has raised $59.6 million in a stock deal. Last month the company raised $51.8 million through the sale of 17 million shares at $3.25 per share, and raised an additional $8 million when underwriter Jefferies & Company exercised its over-allotment option … Continue reading “Another $8M for Dyax in Stock Deal”
CareFusion Gets Medegen for $225M
CareFusion (NYSE: [[ticker:CFN]]), a San Diego-based medical device company, announced today that it will acquire Medegen, a maker of disposable systems for delivering medication intravenously, for $225 million in cash. The acquisition of Ontario, CA-based Medegen will be the first for CareFusion, which became a publicly traded company in September 2009 after spinning off from … Continue reading “CareFusion Gets Medegen for $225M”
$2.9M for Brightleaf
Westwood, MA-based Brightleaf, a provider of software for assembling and managing legal documents, has pulled in $2.9 million of a planned $3 million round of equity funding, according to an SEC filing. Foundry Group, a returning investor, led the round, Brightleaf VP of strategy Luke O’Brien said. The company had already raised $3 million in … Continue reading “$2.9M for Brightleaf”
Avila Gets Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Funding, Dicerna Unites with Ipsen, Rhythmia to Test Heart Mapping Technology, Amag Licenses to Takeda, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News
Looks like the region’s massive flooding didn’t get in the way of everything this week. We saw lots of headlines of partnerships for area drugmakers. —Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, a Watertown, MA, developer of drugs designed to silence disease-related genes using RNA interference, announced its second big partnership this year, this time with the French biotech Ipsen. … Continue reading “Avila Gets Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Funding, Dicerna Unites with Ipsen, Rhythmia to Test Heart Mapping Technology, Amag Licenses to Takeda, & More Boston-Area Life Sciences News”
Shop to Lose Guides Grocery Shopping
Here’s an app that seeks to eliminate those impulse junk food purchases for its users. Shop to Lose, made by PICKKA, a division of Mountain View, CA-based health technology company Evincii, converts health guidelines into an individualized grocery shopping guide. It offers nutrition recommendations on thousands of common packaged food items and restaurant options, in … Continue reading “Shop to Lose Guides Grocery Shopping”
$1M for IO Semiconductor
IO Semiconductor, a San Diego fabless chip design startup, has raised $1 million in debt and equity-based funding, out of a $14 million planned offering, according to an SEC filing. The money comes as part of a multi-stage funding agreement with a private investor, said business development VP Pete Fowler, who said that the funding … Continue reading “$1M for IO Semiconductor”
SS&C Prices IPO
Windsor, CT’s SS&C Technologies Holdings, a financial services software provider, has priced its initial public offering of 10.725 million shares at $15 a share, the high end of the range it proposed earlier this month. The company, which will trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market as SSNC, sold 8.225 million shares and certain stockholders … Continue reading “SS&C Prices IPO”
Introducing Under-the-Radar Funding in San Diego: Four Startup Financings You Probably Haven’t Heard About
Since June we’ve been tracking monthly figures in bigger venture deals for our two other coverage areas, Seattle and Boston, thanks to data provided to us by our New York-based partner CB Insights, a private company intelligence platform. The company also supplies us monthly with a list of smaller deals under $1 million—what we dub … Continue reading “Introducing Under-the-Radar Funding in San Diego: Four Startup Financings You Probably Haven’t Heard About”
$3.6M for Biocept
Biocept, a San Diego biotech company working on cell separation technology, has raised $3.6 million of a planned $4.05 million equity offering, according to an SEC filing. Four investors participated in the round for Biocept, which is developing diagnostic assays for detecting and monitoring cancer.
iRxHelper: Refill Alerts and More
This iPhone app aims to do the thinking for you when it comes to prescriptions. iRxHelper, produced by Mountain View, CA-based JAZ Software Solutions, gathers data on yours and your family’s medication histories, and streamlines communication on the subject with your healthcare provider or pharmacy. The $1.99 app tracks your pill count estimates, gauges your … Continue reading “iRxHelper: Refill Alerts and More”
Treat Ear Ringing with iTinnitus
Treating and diagnosing the annoying ringing in your ears—there’s an app for that. Produced by Inner Ear Solutions, a Nova Scotia, Canada-based group of inner ear professionals, iTinnitus Solutions is a mobile sound therapy package that characterizes the pitch and volume for those who experience ringing in their ears, known as tinnitus, graphs it, and … Continue reading “Treat Ear Ringing with iTinnitus”
eCBT Trauma Tracks PTSD Symptoms
Think of it as iCounseling. eCBT Trauma enables users with PTSD to categorize their thoughts and feelings, graph them over time, and e-mail the information to a caregiver. This app is built around cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), an approach that involves systematically documenting thought patterns and emotions as a way of targeting ailments such as … Continue reading “eCBT Trauma Tracks PTSD Symptoms”
Ascent Changes to Anchor
Ascent Therapeutics, a Cambridge, MA-based pre-clinical stage drug development company, announced today that it has changed its name to Anchor Therapeutics to better reflect its technology. The company is developing drugs based on “pepducins,” which anchor in cell membranes to target molecules called G protein coupled receptors that are involved in ailments such as cancers, … Continue reading “Ascent Changes to Anchor”
FIRST Robotics Regionals Bring Sports Fervor to Engineering
I’m a Boston University alum, so Saturday wasn’t the first time I’ve witnessed two teams battling it out on Agganis Arena’s court, shooting with finesse and aggressively blocking, as fans cheered loudly from the stands. Well, it was a little different than what I had previously witnessed, to be completely honest. The members of said … Continue reading “FIRST Robotics Regionals Bring Sports Fervor to Engineering”
$25M for Holyoke Computing Center
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced today that the state will provide up to $25 million to further construction of the Holyoke High Performance Computing Center, a project designed to advance green computing and boost business in western Massachusetts. Patrick also designated the Holyoke area as an innovation district, and said that the computing center, which … Continue reading “$25M for Holyoke Computing Center”
Rocket to Acquire CCA
Rocket Software, a Newton, MA-headquartered enterprise software maker, announced it will acquire data management company Computer Corporation of America. Financial details of the deal between Rocket and Waltham, MA-based CCA were not disclosed. Rocket pulled in $91.9 million in an equity offering in October and acquired Folio and NXT, two publishing products from Microsoft, in … Continue reading “Rocket to Acquire CCA”
Azigo Gets $1.8M
Azigo, a Wellesley, MA-based maker of software that seeks to securely consolidate users’ various online account information, has pulled in a $1.8 million equity offering, an SEC filing reveals. Ten investors participated in the round for Azigo, which was originally named Parity Communications.
Under the Radar in February: Five Northwest Startup Financings You Haven’t Heard About
For startups, it seems no amount of funding is too small. At least that’s what we like to keep in mind when analyzing monthly financings for area companies. February’s list of under-the-radar deals for Northwest startups was half as long as January’s, at just five deals. On the bright side, all five of the February … Continue reading “Under the Radar in February: Five Northwest Startup Financings You Haven’t Heard About”
Gemvara CEO Steps Down
Deborah Besemer has stepped down as CEO of the Lexington, MA-based jewelry customization business Gemvara, Boston Globe blogger Scott Kirsner first reported earlier this week. The company renamed itself last month from Paragon Lake, and shifted its virtual jewelry customization business model from being centered around in-store computer screens to a website that targets consumers … Continue reading “Gemvara CEO Steps Down”
Flying Under the Radar in February: Nine New England Startup Deals Under $1 Million
When it came to raking in venture dollars, things slowed down in Massachusetts in the month of February. Maybe it was the shorter calendar month, the typically frigid and dreary weather, or the fact New Englanders are just antsy for spring. In February Bay State startups pulled in $203 million across 26 financings in the … Continue reading “Flying Under the Radar in February: Nine New England Startup Deals Under $1 Million”
$10.1M for Akorri
Akorri Networks, a Littleton, MA, maker of IT infrastructure management software, has wrapped up a $10.1 million round of equity-based funding, according to an SEC filing. The round included 13 investors. In September, Akorri pulled in $5 million in an equity offering. Akorri’s website lists Matrix Partners, North Bridge Venture Partners, Globespan Capital Partners, BlueStream … Continue reading “$10.1M for Akorri”
FDA OK’s IMDx H1N1 Test
IntelligentMDx, a Cambridge, MA-based maker of molecular diagnostic tests, has garnered FDA emergency use authorization for its product for detecting the H1N1 virus, the company announced today. No test has been approved for identifying H1N1, but the emergency use authorization allows the IntelligentMDx diagnostic assay to be used while the flu outbreak is still in … Continue reading “FDA OK’s IMDx H1N1 Test”
Novell Turns Down Buyout Offer, Alnylam Pulls In $20M from Takeda, $16M Stock Deal Goes to RXi, & More Boston-Area Deals News
It was a lighter deals week for us, but we still saw headlines of funding rounds, partnerships, and stock offerings for companies in Internet, software, and life sciences. —Boston-based Swaptree, an online marketplace for trading books, CDs, DVDs, and video games, grabbed $4.8 million of a planned $6 million offering based in equity, options, and … Continue reading “Novell Turns Down Buyout Offer, Alnylam Pulls In $20M from Takeda, $16M Stock Deal Goes to RXi, & More Boston-Area Deals News”
SmartCells Grabs $1.75M
SmartCells, a Beverly, MA-based company developing a daily, self-regulating injection for treating diabetes, has raised $1.75 million of a planned $4 million equity offering, according to an SEC filing. The company, whose SmartInsulin product is in pre-clinical testing, declined to comment at this time on what round the funding represents. In July, SmartCells completed the … Continue reading “SmartCells Grabs $1.75M”
Novell Rejects $2B Bid
Novell, a Waltham, MA-based network software maker, announced that its board rejected a $2 billion buyout bid from private equity firm Elliott Associates, saying that the $5.75-per-share offer undervalues the company’s growth prospects. Novell said that the board would examine alternatives for increasing stockholder value through methods such as stock repurchases, cash dividends, partnerships, or … Continue reading “Novell Rejects $2B Bid”
Aulet Appointed Managing Director of MIT Entrepreneurship Center
Bill Aulet, an Xconomist and active innovation advocate, has been appointed managing director of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, which seeks to work with MIT students, faculty, and others outside the school to foster entrepreneurship. Aulet is an MIT Sloan School of Management senior lecturer who began his career at IBM, ran two private companies, and … Continue reading “Aulet Appointed Managing Director of MIT Entrepreneurship Center”
DNA Synthesis for Beginners: Ginkgo BioWorks Sells the Scissors and Glue
The founders of Boston-based Ginkgo BioWorks think that assembling synthetic biological systems shouldn’t just be for experienced researchers. So they put together a kit that consists of the “scissors and glue for putting together pieces of DNA,” says co-founder Reshma Shetty. Unlike the electronics industry, which sets standards to ensure compatibility and interoperability, the methods … Continue reading “DNA Synthesis for Beginners: Ginkgo BioWorks Sells the Scissors and Glue”
How to Reconnect at the the Right Time: Entrepreneur’s Personal Project Evolves into an E-mail Reminder Service
When Chris Keller was working full-time at his startup, the online celebrity fantasy league site Fafarazzi.com, he had plenty of e-mails that needed following up on, as most entrepreneurs do. He’d set reminders for himself on his calendar, but found this mechanism wasn’t ideal, since it was tedious to modify every calendar entry to reflect … Continue reading “How to Reconnect at the the Right Time: Entrepreneur’s Personal Project Evolves into an E-mail Reminder Service”
Sensata and Aveo Go Public; Genetix, Rhythm, and CorrelSense Get Funding; Pegasystems to Acquire Chordiant; & More Boston-Area Deals News
New England’s life sciences and software companies kept us busy with news of early venture rounds, IPOs, and partnerships. —Battery Ventures, with offices locally in Waltham, MA, announced the close of its ninth fund, at $750 million. Existing limited partners account for about 85 percent of the fund’s investors, said the firm, which also has … Continue reading “Sensata and Aveo Go Public; Genetix, Rhythm, and CorrelSense Get Funding; Pegasystems to Acquire Chordiant; & More Boston-Area Deals News”
Ship Web 2.0 Features Early, and Don’t Fear User Hatred, Investor Dave McClure Tells Dogpatch Labs Audience
“Ship early, ship buggy,” was the advice San Francisco-based Web 2.0 investor Dave McClure gave to his audience at Cambridge, MA’s Dogpatch Labs last week. “The world is filled with products that shipped too late,” he continued. One example? The online budget-tracking service, Mint.com, a company McClure invests in along with other sites such as … Continue reading “Ship Web 2.0 Features Early, and Don’t Fear User Hatred, Investor Dave McClure Tells Dogpatch Labs Audience”
Pegasystems Acquires Chordiant
Cambridge, MA-based Pegasystems, a maker of business process management software, announced it will acquire Chordiant Software for about $161.5 million. The company will pay $5 a share for all outstanding shares of Cupertino, CA-based Chordiant, which also has offices in Bedford, NH, and specializes in customer experience management software. The Chordiant (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CHRD]]) and Pegasystems … Continue reading “Pegasystems Acquires Chordiant”
SS&C Sets IPO Range
SS&C Technologies Holdings, a Windsor, CT-based financial services software provider, has set price range for its initial public offering of 10.725 million shares at between $13 and $15 a share, according to an amended SEC filing. The offering, whose total projected value is between $139.4 million and $160.9 million, includes 8.225 million shares to be … Continue reading “SS&C Sets IPO Range”
$2M for Rapid7
Boston-based Rapid7, a network security software provider, has sold $2 million of a planned $4 million equity offering, a regulatory filing shows. Members from Bain Capital Ventures, an existing Rapid7 investor, are listed as directors on the filing for the round, which included eight investors. Bain pumped $7 million into the company in 2008.
Fluidnet Grabs $9.1M
Fluidnet, a Portsmouth, NH, maker of electronic infusion pumps for administering IV fluids, raised $9.1 million of a planned $9.9 million equity offering, according to an SEC filing. Partners from existing Fluidnet investors, Cardinal Partners and Rockport Venture Partners, are listed as directors on the filing. The round included 12 investors, according to the filing, … Continue reading “Fluidnet Grabs $9.1M”
Android Developers Win Smackdown Vs. iPhone, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile, Microsoft Asserts It Has Promising Smartphone Future, & More Mobile Madness Highlights
So the iPhone may be the prettiest, the Blackberry may boast the biggest smartphone market share, and the Windows Mobile platform is, um, around, but it’s Android that’s best for developing apps. Or at least it was the Android developers who best defended their platform at the smartphone smackdown during our Mobile Madness event on … Continue reading “Android Developers Win Smackdown Vs. iPhone, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile, Microsoft Asserts It Has Promising Smartphone Future, & More Mobile Madness Highlights”
Really Smart (and Social) Energy: GroundedPower’s System Pinpoints User Motivations to Lower Home Energy Consumption
These days, it seems there’s nothing that can’t be accomplished by the use of online social communities. Even lowering energy consumption. That’s the approach taken by GroundedPower, a Gloucester, MA-based startup that produces a system that monitors consumers’ real-time energy consumption and spurs them with goal-setting and online community engagement to lower that consumption over … Continue reading “Really Smart (and Social) Energy: GroundedPower’s System Pinpoints User Motivations to Lower Home Energy Consumption”
SensAble Pulls in $8M
SensAble Technologies, a Woburn, MA-based maker of 3D modeling and haptic systems for product design, medical modeling, dental restoration, and digital content creation, has pulled in $8 million in a mixed equity offering, according to an SEC filing. Existing SensAble investor HLM Venture Partners led the round, which also included North Bridge Venture Partners and … Continue reading “SensAble Pulls in $8M”