There’s a matchmaking startup in town that’s in the midst of raising its Series A round. I’m not talking about an online dating service, though. “We’re like an eHarmony for study abroad programs,” says Mike Stone, co-founder and president of said startup, Abroad101. The Boston-based company was one of the winners of the inaugural section … Continue reading “Abroad101 Aims to Be TripAdvisor for Study Abroad, Seeks 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.
Women’s Founders Forum Offers Moral Support for Startups Across Harvard
There was a set of startup presentations happening in the Boston area this week, and unlike the demo day events for incubators like TechStars or MassChallenge, the goal wasn’t to get money. “Don’t think pitch and tell,” says Harvard Business School senior lecturer Janet Kraus. “The purpose is to help them understand what the next … Continue reading “Women’s Founders Forum Offers Moral Support for Startups Across Harvard”
Genzyme, Epizyme, & Rib-X Among the Week’s Life Sciences Newsmakers
We’ve seen clinical trial, funding, partnership, and IPO news from local drug developers this week. —Genzyme, the Cambridge, MA-based unit of Sanofi (NYSE: [[ticker:SNY]]) shared more positive data about its experimental multiple sclerosis drug alemtuzumab (Lemtrada) at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting this week. Patients in a late stage trial receiving the drug were … Continue reading “Genzyme, Epizyme, & Rib-X Among the Week’s Life Sciences Newsmakers”
Boston Deals This Week Themed Around Data: Locu, EMC, & Terascala
Looks like you had to be doing something innovative with data in order to get in on the Boston deals this week. —Media reports have pegged Hopkinton, MA-based EMC (NYSE: [[ticker:EMC]]) as on the brink of acquiring San Jose, CA- and Israel based XtremIO, a developer of technology for bringing flash memory to enterprise storage … Continue reading “Boston Deals This Week Themed Around Data: Locu, EMC, & Terascala”
E-Commerce Startup Material Wrld Opens up Fashionistas’ Closets
For Jie Zheng and Rie Yano, the options for selling used clothing were just not cutting it. Consignment stores were picky, thrift shops paid virtually nothing for their wares, and eBay was complicated. Both were working as marketers for big fashion brands, buying a lot of clothes for office days and work events, and trying … Continue reading “E-Commerce Startup Material Wrld Opens up Fashionistas’ Closets”
Dyax, Adimab, Mersana, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers
Partnerships and funding news came out of New England biotechs, particularly a few working on antibody technology. —Newton, MA-based Alcresta, a startup developing nutritional supplements from enzymes, nabbed $10 million from Third Rock Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Frazier Healthcare Ventures. Alcresta will share office space and a management team with Allena Pharmaceuticals, an enzyme drug … Continue reading “Dyax, Adimab, Mersana, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers”
Nexamp Unit Purchase Helps Retroficiency Inflate its Energy Efficiency Footprint
It’s not often that a two-year-old company acquires part of another startup, but it looks like a recent purchase for Boston-based Retroficiency is paying off. Last November the energy auditing software maker closed $3.3 million in a Series A round led by Point Judith Capital, and in the process acquired the energy efficiency division of … Continue reading “Nexamp Unit Purchase Helps Retroficiency Inflate its Energy Efficiency Footprint”
CoolChip, Copiun, Wingu Among the Slew of Boston Deals This Week
We saw a number of early stage investments in the past week in New England cleantech, Web, and life sciences startups. —Harvest Power, a Waltham, MA-based developer of technology for converting organic waste to natural gas, soil, and fertilizer, nabbed $110 million in a Series C financing led by True North Venture Partners and American … Continue reading “CoolChip, Copiun, Wingu Among the Slew of Boston Deals This Week”
By Invitation Only: A Story of Entrepreneur Passion and Leadership
“Alexis had certainly never waxed on about her shopping habits in front of a room full of middle-aged men clad in blue shirts and khakis. She knew a big part of a VC partner’s job is to assess people’s judgment; they don’t tend to be fond of frivolity. Yet our business would live or die … Continue reading “By Invitation Only: A Story of Entrepreneur Passion and Leadership”
Buildium, Boosted by Real Estate Bust, Sees a Big Mobile Future
[Corrected 4/16/12 10:30 am. See below.]It’s not often that you hear an entrepreneur say his business grew through the real estate crash and economic downturn. But that’s indeed the case with Buildium, a Boston-based, maker of online software enabling landlords and small property managers to track rent payments, receive maintenance requests from tenants, manage leases, … Continue reading “Buildium, Boosted by Real Estate Bust, Sees a Big Mobile Future”
Pervasis, Flagship, SeventhSense, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers
We saw some investments this week in New England regenerative medicine, diagnostics, and medical devices companies. —Cambridge, MA-based Flagship Ventures formed a new partnership with Merck Research Ventures Fund to find and finance companies developing drugs for unmet medical needs. The $250 million Merck fund was established last fall and has so far made four … Continue reading “Pervasis, Flagship, SeventhSense, & More Boston Life Sciences Newsmakers”
CommonAngels, NEVCA Pledge 50 Startup Tickets for XSITE on June 14
We’re still two months out from our full-day flagship forum XSITE, the Xconomy Summit on Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, but CommonAngels and the New England Venture Capital Association have already pledged to buy 50 tickets together—25 each—for startups looking to attend the June 14 conference. “We are thrilled to be able to support entrepreneurs in … Continue reading “CommonAngels, NEVCA Pledge 50 Startup Tickets for XSITE on June 14”
AisleBuyer, Crashlytics, Cymfony, & More Boston Dealmakers
The world is atwitter over the big Facebook-Instagram acquisition, but Boston companies have been proving their muster with deals of their own this week. —Cambridge, MA-based mobile gaming startup The Tap Lab said it has brought in $550,000 in funding from a crop of angel investors that includes Harmonix founders Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, former … Continue reading “AisleBuyer, Crashlytics, Cymfony, & More Boston Dealmakers”
Passion, Casual-ness, & Money: Themes from MIT’s Business in Gaming
If you saw some odd costumes wandering the streets of Boston this past weekend, chances are they were en route to a games-related event (I’m talking about you, Anime aficionados). The one I attended, MIT’s Business in Gaming conference, contained more suit-clad attendees than outlandish hairdos and capes (thank goodness). The event draws investors, entrepreneurs, … Continue reading “Passion, Casual-ness, & Money: Themes from MIT’s Business in Gaming”
New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars: An Xconomy Forum In Pictures
Hollywood may be famous for its movie stars, but the Boston area has its own crop of celebrities… in biotech, that is. We showcased which companies and entrepreneurs are the ones to watch this past Wednesday at our Xconomy Forum: New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars. Biogen Idec was a gracious event host—and provided some insightful … Continue reading “New England’s Emerging Biotech Stars: An Xconomy Forum In Pictures”
Adimab, ImmunoGen, OvaScience, & More Boston Life Sciences News
Funding for drug development and a diagnostics firms dominated the deals news. —A souped up breast cancer drug from Genentech and Waltham, MA-based ImmunoGen called T-DM1 passed its biggest clinical trial yet, by keeping tumors from spreading for a significantly longer time than the drugs in a control group. Immunogen supplied the technology that links a toxin … Continue reading “Adimab, ImmunoGen, OvaScience, & More Boston Life Sciences News”
Boston Startups Join New NY Incubator With Women, Mobile Niche
A New York startup incubator program is underway with a new class, and before you call me Captain Obvious, let me say I’m not talking about TechStars. This particular program may be navigating its way through the oft-reported incubator bubble with a very specific niche that should be obvious in its name: Women Innovate Mobile. … Continue reading “Boston Startups Join New NY Incubator With Women, Mobile Niche”
Boston Deals: Funding for FRX, Allocure, Good Start, & FirstBest
[Updated 4/4/12 at 10:05 am. See below.] New England saw a wave of Series B financings for innovative software, materials, and life sciences companies early this week. —FRX Polymers expanded the $15.7 million Series B financing it closed last summer to $26.7 million, with a new tranche led by DB Masdar Fund and BASF Venture … Continue reading “Boston Deals: Funding for FRX, Allocure, Good Start, & FirstBest”
Boston FIRST Robotics 2012: Rebound Rumble in Pictures
March usually brings droves of cheering fans to big arenas for basketball games, so the scene at Boston University’s Agganis Arena last Saturday seems fitting for the season. Except it was squat robots, not tall athletes, that were shooting hoops. The event was the Boston edition of FIRST Robotics, a worldwide robotics building competition for … Continue reading “Boston FIRST Robotics 2012: Rebound Rumble in Pictures”
Sermo Taps Revolution Health Veteran Tim Davenport as CEO
Sermo, the Cambridge, MA-based provider of an online community of physicians, announced today that it has hired Tim Davenport as its new CEO. Davenport is the former president of Revolution Health, the consumer health website launched by AOL founder Steve Case and later merged with Everyday Health. Davenport also has experience as former CEO of … Continue reading “Sermo Taps Revolution Health Veteran Tim Davenport as CEO”
Boston’s Deal News: Tracelytics, Tesaro, & A New Innovation Center
This week’s New England dealmakers included a venture capital firm, an e-commerce site, a biotech startup, software makers, and even the city of Boston. —Boston-based OpenView Venture Partners announced it had closed $200 million for its third investment fund, after three months of courting its limited partners. —Shoptiques, a New York-based fashion tech company whose … Continue reading “Boston’s Deal News: Tracelytics, Tesaro, & A New Innovation Center”
CloudLock Nabs $8.7M for Cloud Security Tech
Last year, CloudLock CEO Gil Zimmermann told Xconomy about his decision to focus his business entirely on protecting company data shared in the cloud through services like Google Apps. Seems like it was a good move. Today the Waltham, MA-based company (FKA Aprigo) is announcing that it raised $8.7 million in Series B financing from … Continue reading “CloudLock Nabs $8.7M for Cloud Security Tech”
Ad Tech Startup Visual IQ Adding NY Presence, Eyes Funding Round
Local startup Visual IQ‘s story begins with co-founder Manu Mathew’s frustrations as a marketer trying to understand how to best spend an advertising budget. He left his job managing the Boston office of the ad firm Carat to take “that marketer’s problem and turn it into a technology, data-driven solution,” he says. Visual IQ launched … Continue reading “Ad Tech Startup Visual IQ Adding NY Presence, Eyes Funding Round”
Life Sciences News: Slow-Growing Valuations & Merck/Ariad Drug
Funding news, FDA updates, and valuations data made up the New England life sciences news this week. —Waltham, MA-based Kala Pharmaceuticals is developing drugs with special coatings that break through the body’s thick mucus to treat conditions like cystic fibrosis and ocular disease. It just came out of a two-year-long stealth mode, announcing a $6.2 million … Continue reading “Life Sciences News: Slow-Growing Valuations & Merck/Ariad Drug”
Y Combo-Backed HBS Startup Shoptiques Launches E-Commerce Site
Olga Vidisheva started Shoptiques during her second year at Harvard Business School to give shoppers online access to the curated inventory from independent boutiques around the world. She’s since generated some pretty serious interest—12,000 people on the private beta site’s wait list, to be exact. The site has officially opened up to the public today, … Continue reading “Y Combo-Backed HBS Startup Shoptiques Launches E-Commerce Site”
Boston’s OpenView Nabs $200 Million for Oversubscribed Third Fund
[Corrected 3/22/12, 5:40 pm. See below.] March is shaping up to be pretty sunny in Boston, both on the weather and the venture fundraising fronts. Boston-based OpenView Venture Partners is announcing today that it just closed a $200 million third fund, surpassing its initial $150 million target and securing all of its commitments in three … Continue reading “Boston’s OpenView Nabs $200 Million for Oversubscribed Third Fund”
Boston’s Deal News: Amazon Acquires Kiva, and Tech IPOs
A few big acquisitions for tech players colored the New England deals news this week: —Dublin-based pharmaceutical company Shire, which has operations in the Boston area, acquired San Francisco startup Ferrokin Biosciences for an upfront payment of $100 million and a potentially $225 million more in development and commercial milestones. Ferrokin is developing a drug … Continue reading “Boston’s Deal News: Amazon Acquires Kiva, and Tech IPOs”
Five Facts about Mendix, Another Cloud Enterprise App Startup
Take a look at Mendix and you’ll see some oft-buzzed-about themes. It’s a platform-as-a-service company that’s looking to disrupt the existing world of enterprise IT. Its technology is built around the cloud. And it’s located in Boston’s “Innovation District” Mendix was dreamt up by CEO Derek Roos as a means for employees at big companies … Continue reading “Five Facts about Mendix, Another Cloud Enterprise App Startup”
Xconomy Mobile Madness 2012: Total Mobility in Pictures
There may be fervor around college basketball this month, but we’d like to think we drum up some pretty intense excitement around the mobile industry in March. Xconomy held its fourth Mobile Madness forum on Wednesday at Microsoft’s New England Research and Development Center in Cambridge, MA. Audience members packed in to hear the massively … Continue reading “Xconomy Mobile Madness 2012: Total Mobility in Pictures”
In Boston Life Sciences News: Akili, Kala, And Genocea
Drug developers and a new health-focused video game startup made the New England life sciences news this week. Yes, you read that correctly. —Akili Interactive Labs is hoping to be the first with a video game approved by the FDA as a medical device. The startup was founded by Boston’s PureTech Ventures and draws on … Continue reading “In Boston Life Sciences News: Akili, Kala, And Genocea”
Apperian, Exinda, Adelphic, & More Boston-Area Dealmakers
Here’s a mix of New England tech and life sciences fundings we’ve tracked down over the last week. —Apperian, a Boston-based company focused on enterprise mobile app management, has added $12.4 million in financing to its pot. The money comes from return investors North Bridge Venture Partners, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers’ iFund, Bessemer Venture … Continue reading “Apperian, Exinda, Adelphic, & More Boston-Area Dealmakers”
Angels Favored Healthcare & Internet, With Bigger Rounds in 2011
Each time new private investing data comes out, it seems like it’s another chance for California to show its dominance. That’s the case with the Halo Report, but this particular report also reveals some interesting trends in angel investing. Put together by the Angel Resource Institute, Silicon Valley Bank, and the data services firm CB Insights, … Continue reading “Angels Favored Healthcare & Internet, With Bigger Rounds in 2011”
BG Medicine, Bottomline, 4s3 Bioscience Among the Week’s Dealmakers
Partnership news, funding announcements, and an acquisition made up the New England deals news in the past week. —Concert Pharmaceuticals sold a worldwide license of its psychiatric drug to California-based Avanir Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AVNR]]). The Lexington, MA-based biotech received an undisclosed upfront payment and is eligible for more than $200 million in additional sales and … Continue reading “BG Medicine, Bottomline, 4s3 Bioscience Among the Week’s Dealmakers”
From MIT’s Media Lab to Time Warner’s: Innerscope’s Biometric Tech
It doesn’t take a neuroscientist to know that the past two New England Patriots vs. New York Giants Super Bowl games have been emotionally charged for fans. But it might take one to measure the more under-the-surface emotional responses to advertising throughout the games. That’s where Boston-based Innerscope Research comes in. Founded in 2006, Innerscope … Continue reading “From MIT’s Media Lab to Time Warner’s: Innerscope’s Biometric Tech”
Concert, Alere, TremRx, & More Names from Boston Life Sciences News
Acquisitions, licensing deals, and companies emerging from stealth mode made up the New England life sciences news this week. —My colleague Arlene took a closer look at the Alzheimer’s drugmaker Satori Pharmaceuticals, which last week scored a $15 million venture funding round. Cambridge, MA-based Satori is looking to an unusual source to develop Alzheimer’s drugs: … Continue reading “Concert, Alere, TremRx, & More Names from Boston Life Sciences News”
The Harvard Fashion Tech Crew, Round Two
Call it an embarrassment of riches. On Valentine’s Day (no coincidence) I published a roundup of 16 fashion tech startups with founders from Harvard Business School, and asked any entrepreneurs I may have missed to please come forward. What resulted was enough new submissions to merit another story. So here we are. This new set … Continue reading “The Harvard Fashion Tech Crew, Round Two”
Charles River, FirstFuel, Quiet Logistics, & More Boston Deal News
[Updated 2/29/12 at 10:45 am. See below] Life sciences, cleantech, mobile, and IT companies all had their fair share of deals announcements this week. —Zipcar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ZIP]]), the Cambridge, MA-based car-sharing pioneer, led a $13.7 million investment round in Palo Alto, CA-based Wheelz, another startup in the space that’s targeting college students. —Cambridge-based Satori Pharmaceuticals … Continue reading “Charles River, FirstFuel, Quiet Logistics, & More Boston Deal News”
Quiet Logistics’ Robotics Service Grows As Luxury E-Commerce Booms
Not long ago I wrote about how luxury retailers’ increased willingness to sell online has helped foster a new generation of fashion-focused Internet startups (particularly from Harvard Business School). But that categorical shift has also strengthened one local startup that customers wouldn’t necessarily notice when shopping online. Andover, MA-headquartered Quiet Logistics got its start in … Continue reading “Quiet Logistics’ Robotics Service Grows As Luxury E-Commerce Booms”
Enanta, Satori, Vertex & More of the Week’s Life Sciences Newsmakers
Drug development news was big this week in the Boston life sciences scene. —Watertown-based Enanta Pharmaceuticals inked a lucrative partnership with Novartis to co-develop an experimental hepatitis C drug. The deal gives Enanta $34 million in upfront cash, and potentially $440 million in milestone payments if the drug reaches certain goals, as well as royalties … Continue reading “Enanta, Satori, Vertex & More of the Week’s Life Sciences Newsmakers”
FirstFuel Takes In $10M for Building Energy Analytics
Lexington, MA-based FirstFuel Software announced today that it snapped up $10 million in Series A financing, led by Rockport Capital and joined by existing investors Nth Power and Battery Ventures. That comes atop a $2.4 million seed round the company raised last September. “The addition of RockPort Capital builds on the strength of our existing … Continue reading “FirstFuel Takes In $10M for Building Energy Analytics”
Reinventing Fire, An Evening with Amory Lovins-In Photos
Out-of-towner Amory Lovins drew a packed audience to Kendall Square last Thursday for a chat about his vision for our energy future—and how it can be achieved with better economics, no new acts of Congress or government regulation, and no major shift in our lifestyles. Lovins—co-founder, chairman, and chief scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute—co-authored … Continue reading “Reinventing Fire, An Evening with Amory Lovins-In Photos”
Brand People for Startup Boards: A Q&A with NY Investor Michael Duda
Michael Duda uses the word fun quite a bit when talking about what he does. It’s not hard to see why. He’s co-founder of Consigliere Brand Capital, a New York-based investment and consulting firm focused crafting great brands from the ground up. Duda comes from the advertising agency Deutsch, and is joined by others from … Continue reading “Brand People for Startup Boards: A Q&A with NY Investor Michael Duda”
GreatPoint, Enanta, NextView, & More Boston Dealmakers
VC, cleantech, and biotech players populated the New England deal news this week. —Cambridge, MA-based coal-to-natural-gas company GreatPoint Energy formed a $1.25 billion partnership with China Wanxiang Holdings, according to a report in Dow Jones VentureWire. The deal also included $420 million in a Series D investment. —On-Q-ity, the Waltham, MA-based cancer diagnostics startup announced … Continue reading “GreatPoint, Enanta, NextView, & More Boston Dealmakers”
Mnemosyne, Hydra, On-Q-ity, & More New England Life Sciences News
Clinical trial advances, new financing, and personnel moves made up the New England life sciences news this week. —Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]) scooped up Cambridge, MA-based drugmaker Stromedix for $75 million upfront and potentially $487.5 million more to come in milestone payments. Stromedix is developing drugs to treat fibrosis and was founded by former Biogen head … Continue reading “Mnemosyne, Hydra, On-Q-ity, & More New England Life Sciences News”
Energy Points, Biogen, Navinet, & More Boston Dealmakers
Acquisitions are in the air in New England. Here’s what happened in the past week. —Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AKAM]]), the Web content and delivery giant of Cambridge, MA, made a move to tackle Web performance at the browser level, with the acquisition of Ottawa-based Blaze Software. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. —Boston-based … Continue reading “Energy Points, Biogen, Navinet, & More Boston Dealmakers”
Fashion Tech Startups Emerging From Harvard B-School Runway in Droves
When Harvard and startups are mentioned in the same sentence, it’s usually to talk about the undergrad dropouts who went on to start tech empires (think Bill and Mark). But Harvard Business School has its own set of graduates making waves, and it’s not just the finance industry tycoons you’re probably thinking of. Gilt Groupe. … Continue reading “Fashion Tech Startups Emerging From Harvard B-School Runway in Droves”
Synchroneuron, Radius, Acetylon, & More Boston Life Sciences News
New England drug developers made headlines this week with funding news. —My San Diego colleague Bruce took a look at Applied Proteomics, the five-year-old biotech startup co-founded by MIT-trained computer scientist Danny Hillis. The startup, which raised $22.5 million in funding in June, is developing technology that provides a 40-gigabyte snapshot of all the proteins circulating … Continue reading “Synchroneuron, Radius, Acetylon, & More Boston Life Sciences News”
Zoora Aims to Marry Indie Designers with Shoppers Hungry for Options
She started her career as a management consultant, but Aubrie Pagano says she always knew she wanted to be an entrepreneur. And she was particularly energized by fashion. So Pagano spent her free hours assisting local Boston designer Emily Muller in launching her collection, in exchange for the opportunity to get some firsthand experience in … Continue reading “Zoora Aims to Marry Indie Designers with Shoppers Hungry for Options”
Brightcove, Radius, Synchroneuron, & More Boston-Area Dealmakers
Plans for IPOs and venture funding dominated the New England deals news this week. —A new seed fund, backed by venture firm New Enterprise Associates and hosted by Harvard, came out of the woodwork last week. The Experiment Fund will invest up to $250,000 in seed funding in selected startups, with a focus on technologies … Continue reading “Brightcove, Radius, Synchroneuron, & More Boston-Area Dealmakers”
FDA Approvals for Alkermes & Vertex Among the NE Life Sciences News
News of FDA drug approvals shone the spotlight on some New England biotechs this week. —Waltham, MA-based Alkermes (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALKS]]) and San Diego-based Amylin Pharmaceuticals(NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMLN]]) won FDA approval for their injectable diabetes drug exenatide once-weekly (Bydureon). This was their third time seeking clearance for the drug, which uses technology from Alkermes to last long … Continue reading “FDA Approvals for Alkermes & Vertex Among the NE Life Sciences News”